Human Design: complete guide

Human Design is a self-knowledge system that combines astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, the chakras and quantum physics. It produces a personal chart — the bodygraph — calculated from your date, time and place of birth. This guide covers everything: the 5 types, the 7 authorities, the 12 profiles, the 9 centers, and how to read your chart.

Updated April 26, 2026 · Reading time: 12 minutes · By Les Chamades

What is Human Design?

Human Design is a self-knowledge system developed by Ra Uru Hu in 1987 on the island of Ibiza. It offers a unique energetic map for each individual, based on the position of the planets at the exact moment of birth — and 88 days before, which corresponds to the "unconscious personality".

Unlike astrology, which describes tendencies and cycles, Human Design focuses on a single practical question: how are you designed to make decisions and interact with the world? Its main tools are your strategy (according to your type) and your authority (your reliable decision-making mode).

The bodygraph: your inner map

The bodygraph is a diagram made up of 9 energy centers (in the shape of triangles, squares and diamonds), connected by 36 numbered channels and 64 gates (the hexagrams of the I Ching). Each element is either defined (colored, stable and reliable energy) or open (white, variable energy — a place of learning and conditioning).

Your bodygraph is calculated from three pieces of information: date, time (as precise as possible — ideally the time recorded on your birth certificate) and place of birth. Without a precise time, your profile and certain elements may be uncertain.

The 5 energy types

The type is the first thing to know. It follows from whether the Sacral center is defined and whether there is a connection between the motor centers and the Throat. Each type has its own aura strategy and emotional theme.

Aura strategy: how each type operates

The aura — the energetic field surrounding each body — functions differently depending on the type. This determines the right strategy for you:

• Manifestor — closed and repelling aura. Strategy: inform before acting, to reduce the resistance your initiating force generates.
• Generator / MG — open and enveloping aura. Strategy: wait for something to respond to (a question, an opportunity, a sacral gut response — "uh-huh / uh-uh").
• Projector — focused and penetrating aura. Strategy: wait for recognition and invitation, especially in key areas (relationship, career, place of living).
• Reflector — resistant, sampling aura. Strategy: let a full lunar cycle pass before major choices, to avoid deciding from what is not you.

The 7 inner authorities

Authority is your reliable decision-making mode. It is what you can rely on rather than the mind (which is designed for reflection, not decision-making). Seven authorities exist, in a hierarchy:

1. Emotional (defined Solar Plexus) — the most common. No clarity in the moment: you must ride the emotional wave. Rule: "sleep on it", wait for neutrality.
2. Sacral — instant gut response, guttural sounds ("uhm-hum" or "unh-unh") before the mind. Reserved for Generators and MGs without a defined Solar Plexus.
3. Splenic — immediate intuition, which does not repeat itself. Once only, here and now. Requires a great deal of bodily presence.
4. Ego / Heart — the will, what the heart truly wants. Rare and powerful. Question: "what is good for me?"
5. Self-projected (defined G → Throat) — speak to hear. Your voice reveals the right direction.
6. Mental / Environmental — for Projectors without a motor authority. The decision clarifies by talking in the right environment, with the right people.
7. Lunar — exclusive to Reflectors. A 28-day cycle is required for major choices.

The 12 profiles

The profile is made up of two lines (from 1 to 6) derived from the Sun of the personality (conscious) and the Sun of the design (unconscious). It describes your incarnated costume: the way you interact with the world and with yourself.

The 12 existing combinations:

• 1/3 Investigator Martyr — researcher, learns through trial and error.
• 1/4 Investigator Opportunist — foundations + close network.
• 2/4 Hermit Opportunist — called by their network out of creative solitude.
• 2/5 Hermit Heretic — naturally projected to teach / save.
• 3/5 Martyr Heretic — experimenter projected as the universal solution.
• 3/6 Martyr Role Model — trial and error until age 30, then embodied wisdom.
• 4/6 Opportunist Role Model — intimate network + role model posture.
• 4/1 Opportunist Investigator — network + solid foundations ("fixed" profile).
• 5/1 Heretic Investigator — savior grounded in research.
• 5/2 Heretic Hermit — called into projection but with a vital need for withdrawal.
• 6/2 Role Model Hermit — lives three phases (action, withdrawal onto the roof, role model).
• 6/3 Role Model Martyr — role model after experimentation.

The 9 centers

Inherited from the Indian chakra system (originally 7), the centers were redefined to 9 by Ra Uru Hu to reflect an energetic mutation of humanity (from 1781 onward). Each center is either defined (colored, reliable energy you radiate) or open (white, a place of reception and learning where you absorb others' energy).

• Head — mental pressure, inspiration. Question: "what is this thought trying to tell me?"
• Ajna — conceptualization, mental certainties.
• Throat — manifestation, speech, action. The only center that can "do".
• G-Center (identity / Self) — direction, love, identity.
• Heart / Will — willpower, self-worth, resources.
• Spleen — intuition, immunity, fear, instinct.
• Sacral — life energy, sexuality, work force. Defines Generator vs non-Generator.
• Solar Plexus / Emotional — emotions, sensitivity, affective wave.
• Root — adrenaline pressure, stress, drive to act.

Channels and gates: your energetic genome

The 64 gates of the bodygraph correspond to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. When two complementary gates are activated (by the planets at the time of your birth), they form a channel that defines two centers and constitutes a stable life theme.

There are 36 channels. Each has a name (e.g.: "Channel of Abstraction" — 64-47, "Channel of Recognition" — 7-31). Your defined channels are what you consistently radiate, regardless of your mood or environment.

The 7-year experiment

Human Design is not a reading to consume: it is an experience to live. Ra Uru Hu recommended seven years of practicing strategy and authority before claiming to live your design. The goal is not to become "better" but to decondition yourself — that is, to learn to recognize what comes from your design versus what comes from your open centers (where you absorb others).

Human Design vs astrology: what is the difference?

Both systems use real planetary positions, but their readings diverge completely:

• Astrology — describes tendencies, cycles (transits), psychological themes (signs, houses, aspects). A predictive and introspective tool.
• Human Design — describes an energetic mechanics (type, authority, centers) and offers a practical decision-making strategy. No prediction, no cycles.

The two are complementary: astrology tells the why, Human Design offers the how. That is why InnerMap brings them together, with Inner Keys adding a dimension of transformation.

Frequently asked questions