Welcome to this wonderful world of self-discovery that begins with your Human Design Chart. Human Design is a self-knowledge tool that synthesizes ancient wisdom with modern science. In fact, the foundations of Human Design are as complex as they are logical, but with the help of modern technology, they are accessible to everyone. Remember that only you can truly know yourself better than anyone else. While you can ask someone to analyze your chart for you — which can be very helpful — all that information still needs to be absorbed (or not) by you. Your personal growth will never depend solely on a Human Design chart interpreted by someone else, but rather on how you apply that information to your life.
You are a unique being, so come discover yourself. Your journey begins here.
How to Create a Human Design Chart
To begin understanding your Human Design, you’ll need to get your Human Design chart, also known as a bodygraph. There are several websites where you can generate your chart for free. On O Mapa do Tesouro, for example, you can already create it for free on our “O teu Mapa” page. To calculate this chart, you’ll need to enter three important pieces of information:
- Date of Birth
- Time of Birth
- Place of Birth
The time of birth is not always known. In that case, an approximate calculation of your Human Design Chart can be made. For example, if it was in the middle of the afternoon, we can use 3:00 p.m. If the time is completely unknown, we can use noon, but only the exact time will generate an accurate chart, just like in astrology, so
With this data entered, the Jovian Archive displays a Human Design chart representing our body, with a column of symbols on each side (Design/Personality) and an informational text column on the right.
All this information might seem overwhelming, but let’s take it step by step, because with this first stage alone, we can already extract enough insight to begin aligning with our Authentic Self.
How to Interpret a Human Design Chart
Within the graphical representation of our body, we find several geometric shapes.
These are the energy centers we all have, and you can read more about them here. Some of your centers (or all) will appear white—these are your undefined centers. Others will be colored, and these are your defined centers.
These centers are connected by lines that may be colored, white, half-colored, or colored with one or two different shades. These lines are your channels and represent specific characteristics and recurring themes in your personality. These channels stem from the centers through a point marked with numbers from 1 to 64—these are your gates, which, like the channels, represent themes related to the center they are located in. When a number is bolded and has a colored line extending from it, the gate is considered active. When a channel is fully colored, connecting active gates on both ends, it’s also considered active or that the person has that channel. Each Gate has a name, for example, Gate 20 – The Gate of the Now, and each Channel does too, e.g., Channel 9–52 – The Channel of Concentration.
The way the centers interact with each other determines your Energy Type. You’ll find this information in the right-hand text column where it says “Type.” There are five energy types: Generator, Projector, Manifesting Generator, Manifestor, and Reflector.
Each Energy Type has its own unique characteristics and operates with a Strategy and Inner Authority, which you’ll find listed right after your Type. Your Strategy is your life guidance system – how you should act so your actions, relationships, and behaviors align with your Energy Type. Each Energy Type uses the same Strategy but may function with different Authorities. Your Authority tells you how to make decisions. The types of Authority are Sacral, Emotional, Splenic, Mental, Lunar, Ego, or Self-Projected.
In this example, we’re looking at a Sacral Generator – a Generator Energy Type whose decision-making Authority is the sacral response. A Generator’s Strategy is “Wait to Respond,” and that response should come through the Sacral/ Sacral Authority. If it’s an Emotional Projector, decision-making authority lies with Emotion. The Projector’s Strategy is “Wait for the Invitation.” So, when the invitation comes, the answer should only be given after some waiting, as Emotional Authority requires time to reach calmness and clarity.
Between Strategy and Authority, you’ll find a line called Not-Self Theme. The Not-Self Theme refers to the emotion you experience when you’re not living according to your Human Design, and it varies only by Energy Type. That is, all Generators, Projectors, Manifesting Generators, Manifestors, and Reflectors experience the same Not-Self Theme depending on their Energy Type.
On each side of your Human Design chart, you’ll find a column with planetary symbols familiar if you follow astrology. The square at the top represents the Sun’s position on the left side in your Unconscious (Design) and on the right side in your Conscious (Personality). Essentially, your chart is a composite of two overlaid charts: your Unconscious and your Conscious. Next to the Sun symbol, there’s a number followed by a dot and then another number from 1 to 6. That second number indicates your Profile in Human Design, listed as “Profile” in the text column. It follows a Conscious/unconscious format for example 5/2 in this case. Your Profile represents the archetype of how you see yourself versus how others see you and you can read more about these archetypes here.
Next, in the text column you can discover your Definition. Your Definition represents how energy is concentrated within you and how, consequently, you take in the world. If you have a group of centers all linked together, you have Single Definition. If you have two or more groups of centers that are not connected, you have Split Definition, Triple Split or Quadruple Split.
Finally, you have the Incarnation Cross, which besides having a long and complicated name, also presents a sequence of numbers. The Incarnation Cross reveals your Life Purpose, what you came here to do in the world. The Incarnation Cross is calculated based on the intersection of the four most important gates—Sun and Earth in both the Conscious and Unconscious sides. There are 192 possible Incarnation Crosses and it’s up to you whether to live that Purpose or not, but your Incarnation Cross will always show up one way or another in your life and will become more evident somewhere between the ages of 38 and 42, during the Uranus opposition.
I already know my Human Design Chart. What now?
It’s important to understand that the information you find in your Human Design Chart doesn’t need to be absorbed all at once. Some of this data varies too much to allow for immediate interpretation. The starting point should always be your Energy Type followed by your Strategy and Authority. Understanding these three elements and how they work together unlocks the key to finding our Treasure: OURSELVES!
Our chart is full of small, unique details about our personality, from each Gate to the arrows at the top that reveal even more information about how we are and interact in life. The Human Design Chart is like a treasure map that is you. If you want to discover much more about who you are, you can explore all the details. There are various online resources to learn from, but many are in English. Learning Human Design requires time, but it’s a worthwhile investment in yourself. On the other hand, you also have the option to invest in a chart analysis done by someone experienced and dedicated to the study of the Science of Differentiation. If this is something that interests you, discover more here.
