Human Design

Human Design emerged in 1987. It combines astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalah and the chakra system into a single chart, the "bodygraph".

It sorts people into five types (generator, manifesting generator, projector, manifestor, reflector) and suggests a decision-making "strategy" for each.

Where it comes from

Human Design was formulated by a Canadian, Alan Robert Krakower, known as Ra Uru Hu. According to his own account, he received the system in 1987 on the island of Ibiza, during an experience lasting several days in which a "voice" dictated it to him. This origin rests on his personal testimony and cannot be verified.

Ra Uru Hu then taught the system, trained analysts and organised its transmission through schools and certifications. After his death in 2011, Human Design continued to spread, particularly thanks to free calculation software and social media. Several currents have split off from it, including the Gene Keys, which reinterpret the same hexagrams from a more contemplative perspective.

Its success is partly due to its highly structured vocabulary, which speaks of decision-making, energy and relationships in terms close to personal development. Its promoters add a discourse borrowed from physics, notably about neutrinos, which has no recognised scientific basis. It remains a modern, syncretic construction, with no direct line of descent from the traditions it combines.

What it is based on

The calculation uses two moments: birth, which gives the "personality", and a moment about eighty-eight days earlier, when the Sun was eighty-eight degrees earlier in the zodiac, which gives the "design". The planetary positions at these two moments are translated into gates, that is, into one of the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, distributed around the zodiac circle.

The bodygraph has nine centres, linked by channels. A coloured centre is said to be defined and, according to the system, represents a constant energy; a white centre is open and receptive to others. The type follows from these definitions, then come the authority, which indicates how to make a decision, and the profile, a combination of two hexagram lines out of twelve possibilities.

How it is practised

The chart is calculated from the date, time and place of birth, like a birth chart.

A reading begins with the calculation of the bodygraph from the exact time of birth, since a difference of an hour can change a gate or a centre. The analyst presents the type, strategy, authority and profile, then the open centres, often described as the places where you let yourself be influenced. A first session usually lasts between an hour and an hour and a half.

Readings mostly take place by video call and are often recorded so that you can listen to them again. Many people start on their own, with a free chart and introductory resources, and may then go on to a reading for a couple, a family or a team. The system also suggests an "experiment": following your strategy for several months and observing what changes.

What to expect

Human Design can help some people to reflect on how they make decisions, how they deal with tiredness or their need to be asked for input, and to look at themselves less harshly. It is a recent belief system whose foundations have not been scientifically validated. It does not replace medical, legal or financial advice, nor psychological support, and it should not be used to label those close to you.

Be wary of very expensive training courses sold as essential for "living according to your design", of promises of guaranteed transformation, and of talk that makes you dependent on a guide for every decision. A reputable analyst presents the chart as a starting point for observation, leaves room for doubt and does not make your wellbeing conditional on buying extra sessions.

Glossary

Bodygraph

A diagram of the human body showing the nine centres, channels and gates calculated for a person.

Centre

One of the nine points on the chart, which the system likens to the chakras. It can be defined, and therefore coloured, or open.

Gate

One of the sixty-four activation points, each corresponding to a hexagram of the I Ching.

Authority

The way of making decisions that the system assigns to each person, for example emotional, sacral or splenic.

Profile

A combination of two numbers, such as 1/3 or 4/6, which according to the system describes a role and a way of learning.

Not-self

A state in which you are said to be acting against your design. Each type has an associated signal, such as frustration or bitterness.