The 5 Energy Types in Human Design

As Albert Einstein once said, “Everything is energy.” Energy is never lost; it only transforms—and it does so constantly. As human beings, we carry a powerful energetic force that transforms throughout the day via energetic exchanges with the world around us. However, according to Human Design, the way this energy is organized within us varies depending on how neutrinos passed through us at the moment of our birth.

THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY IN HUMAN DESIGN

Let’s think of our energy as the way our aura, or energetic field, presents itself. When we enter a crowded room, how do others feel our presence? When we start a project, what kind of energy do we imprint on it to help it grow? When we speak or move, what energetic force are we radiating? Our energy type is extremely important in understanding how we relate to others and to the universe as a whole. Our Energy Type is something we are born with—it cannot be changed. It stays with us for life. As such, it is essential to understand it and know how it works, so that we don’t behave like a mountain trying to be a river—attempting to go somewhere when our role is to remain solid and grounded.

What defines our Energy Type is the definition of certain energy centers within us and/or the activation of some channels between them. The way energy flows within us is the way it will move outward into the world.

Knowing our Energy Type allows us to unlock the most important key to our interaction with life: our Strategy. Strategy is a kind of rulebook that defines how we should act when faced with situations and helps us make the right decisions for ourselves. Trying to live without following our Strategy is like building a house without a foundation.

If we accept that we are all different and unique beings, it seems absurd to believe that there is only one path to happiness. If we drive different vehicles, we cannot expect to reach the same destination by operating them all the same way. A car is not a boat, and a boat is not an airplane. How often have we done everything the Guru/Success Coach/Priest/Self-Help Book said—and still failed to find success?

Human Design is based on differentiation and understands that energy flow shifts depending on who we are. Following our Strategy, which derives from our Energy Type, allows us to align with our Purpose and reduce the resistance we face. Our Energy Type is constantly urging us to act in accordance with our design. When we do what we are meant to do, life flows: we stop chasing things that don’t fulfill us, we find peace and success, and everything begins to make sense.

THE ENERGY TYPE

Currently, the human being is composed of nine energy centers distributed throughout the body. We all have these centers, whether they appear defined or not.

In the Human Design Chart, the centers are filled with color, as are any gates or channels. None of this changes over the course of a lifetime; it is partially configured about three months before birth and completed at the moment of birth. According to this configuration, our Energy Type is determined. Each center has a function and corresponds to certain physical and psychological characteristics. How each center influences who we are depends on how it is configured and which gates and channels it activates.

At present, there are five different Energy Types: the Generator, the Projector, the Manifestor, the Manifesting Generator, and the Reflector. Let’s take a look at the unique characteristics of each:

The Generator

The Generator is the most common energy type. It is estimated that Generators make up about 37% of the population—and that’s a good thing because Generators are the life force of the world. Generators are made to do and build; they are the workforce, and without them, nothing would move beyond the realm of ideas. Their aura is attractive and enveloping, especially when they are feeling satisfied.

To be classified as a Generator, one must have a defined Sacral center that is not connected to the Throat center via a direct or indirect channel.

The Strategy of a Generator is to Wait to Respond, as this response comes through the Sacral Center. The Sacral Center is a powerful energy hub that responds almost instantly to simple questions. Generators are in their natural state when they can respond with a simple yes or no, sometimes expressed as a nod or a gut sound like “Mmm-hmmm.” As such, Generators are not naturally designed to start something from scratch that is completely original or innovative—unless it is in response to a request or someone else’s need.

Our current culture promotes a spirit of competition, of forcing things, of always seeking more—and this approach goes against the majority of the population, the Generators, who are built to respond, not to search. Because of this, many valuable Generators in the world experience burnout, exhausted from trying to innovate in places where there is no space for it, and from accepting proposals that go against their immediate sacral response. When a Generator lives according to their Human Design, they feel satisfaction. When living against their Design, they experience a lot of frustration.

The Manifesting Generator

The Manifesting Generator is the second most common energy type, representing 33% of the population. They are similar to Generators in that their most powerful energy center is the Sacral. However, Manifesting Generators have their Sacral center connected directly or indirectly to the Throat center, which gives them an additional energetic power similar to that of Manifestors.

Manifesting Generators possess powerful and nearly inexhaustible energy. They are known for their ability to multitask and for their incredible capacity to find the quickest way to reach their goals.

Although they share some traits with Manifestors, Manifesting Generators differ in that their Strategy is the same as Generators: Wait to Respond. A Manifesting Generator only gains the power to initiate something when doing so in response to a request. For a Manifesting Generator, who loves staying busy with multiple activities and has endless ideas, having to wait before starting can be extremely frustrating. When a Manifesting Generator lives aligned with their energy, they experience satisfaction.

The Manifestor

Manifestors are here to initiate. They are the ones with the power to start projects and can even carry them out on their own. Manifestors are the energy type most aligned with the current cultural model of “making things happen,” yet they make up only 9% of the population.

A Manifestor has their Throat center defined and connected either directly or indirectly to the Heart center, the Solar Plexus, or the Root center—but they can never have a defined Sacral center.

The aura of a Manifestor is, by nature, repelling due to its deeply individualistic essence. Because of their powerful energetic stance, Manifestors are often misunderstood and even feared. This happens especially when they do not live according to their Strategy, which is to Inform and then Initiate. When Manifestors skip this step, they begin to feel anger instead of the peace they are meant to experience when fulfilling their purpose.

The Projector

A Projector is a human being who does not have a defined Sacral center, nor a Throat center connected to a motor center, but does have at least one other center defined. Projectors make up about 20% of the current population and came into the world to lead, guide, and manage others. However, to fully exercise their remarkable leadership abilities, Projectors need to be invited. A Projector’s Strategy is to Wait for the Invitation, which often comes through the recognition they receive from others.

When a Projector does not have the chance to demonstrate their ability to guide others and optimize what’s around them, they feel an intense inner bitterness. By understanding their energy type and strategy, a Projector can learn that they should only use their abilities where they are asked for—and trying to impose them on those who neither want nor recognize them is a mistake that only hurts the sensitivity they were gifted with. A Projector’s aura is focused and penetrating.

The Reflector

Reflectors are very special beings. Because they have no defined centers, they are extremely intuitive and empathetic. They are completely open to the world and others, with a great ability to sense all of humanity’s movements. They not only amplify but also reflect the world around them. A Reflector’s aura is resistant—it only allows influence up to a certain point.

Only 1% of the population has this Energy Type, and their Strategy is to Wait a Lunar Cycle. If a Reflector needs to make a decision, start a project, or begin a relationship, they need 29 days to let the idea mature and to find an answer that truly comes from within—not just a reflection of their surroundings. When a Reflector doesn’t wait for a lunar cycle, they often feel disappointed or let down. On the other hand, when they follow their Strategy and give themselves this extended period for contemplation, they often end up surprising even themselves.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING OUR ENERGY TYPE

Knowing our Energy Type and, consequently, our Strategy is the first step in the Human Design journey. Simply becoming aware of our true energetic position in the world allows us to live with more ease and freedom and reduces the resistance we encounter in life.

Sometimes it’s normal to feel some dissonance when we first discover our Energy Type. Feelings of resistance or confusion may arise. After all, it can be extremely difficult for a Projector, for example, to accept that their movements are limited until an invitation appears. However, over time, we begin to realize that we’ve spent so long fighting against what we were designed to do, that we finally feel ready to accept and align with who we truly are at our core. Each of us has so much to offer and to create in the Universe—if only we work with it and not against it.