Hey hey blissmakers! Now that I’m doing Human Design readings, I suppose it’s time I start dispensing some information about this transformative system of self-understanding. (Of course, it’s also a helpful tool in understanding the others in your life, as well.)
I’m going to start at the beginning. (I hear it’s a very good place to start.) The way Human Design is structured is similar to other complex systems of data: The more generalized data is at the top, and each layer deeper becomes more and more specific, or individualized in this case. This doesn’t mean the upper layers are less important. On the contrary, it’s through understanding the broader concepts, and actively working with them, that you can create the basis for accessing and fully experimenting with the deeper layers. Without the foundation of the basics, the deeper concepts have nowhere to root themselves, and can get lost in irrelevancy.
So, starting at the beginning of the Human Design system, we are introduced to the Aura Types, often just called the Types. There are five Types. (Well, technically, there are four types and a hybrid sub-type, but the hybrid sub-type has become so differentiated that it is now considered to be its own Type.)
The five Types are: Manifestors, Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors, and Reflectors.
Before we break each Type down into its component parts, it is also helpful to note that the Types are broken down into two categories: Energy Types and Non-Energy Types. Energy Types have at least one defined motor center and are able to consistently produce their own energy, either life force energy via the Sacral Center, or Manifestation energy of a motor Center to the Throat Center via a defined Channel. (We’ll cover Centers and Channels in later posts.) The Energy Types are the Manifestors, Generators, and Manifesting Generators. The Non-Energy Types are the Projectors and the Reflectors. (Though, to keep things interesting, there are some Projectors who can produce their own energy. More on this below.)
Okay, so let’s look at each Type more specifically to understand the special flavor and flair of each.
Manifestors
Manifestors make up around 9% of the global population. That’s a small number, and it’s that way for a reason. Manifestors are BIG personalities with BIG plans and visions. It is the job of the Manifestor to get ideas/inspiration from Source and then to initiate projects/movements accordingly. They introduce new concepts, practices and plans into the world. If everyone was a Manifestor, there’d be too many people with great ideas and nobody to bring them into concrete form.
All Manifestors share the following characteristics in their chart/bodygraph: The Sacral Center is undefined, and they have at least one of the other motor Centers (Solar Plexus, Root, Heart/Ego/Will) connected to the Throat Center via a defined Channel. (I’ll post about Channels and Gates in a later post.)
Manifestors can often be polarizing and are off-putting to many. As mentioned, they have BIG energies. Their auras take up a LOT of space in a room, sometimes to the detriment of less robust auras around them. They like to be in uninterrupted flow. Once they have an idea, they want to get in, get it started, then delegate it, and get out so they can move on to their next brilliant idea. They are here to get things started, and they don’t really need to stick around and see how or when it comes to fruition. They are very independent and often prefer to work alone. They don’t like it when others disrupt their creative flow, and can be a bit of a bear when it happens.
In relationship, they require a great deal of autonomy. If unaware of this need in their design, some partners or collaborators may see them as not caring about the partnership/collaboration, but this is not the case. Their commitment can be seen in their willingness to commit to the collaboration in the first place. They have no problem severing ties when they feel a relationship has run its course, assuming they have not been overly conditioned to behave outside their design.
In short, Manifestors are like the architects in our lives; they get the ideas and create the blueprints/plans for the project, then hand over the building of the thing to someone else.
In order to smooth the way for their initiations, it is important for Manifestors to inform people of their intentions first. This is the Strategy of the Manifestor; to inform. It’s simply a courtesy to those around the Manifestor to give them a heads up of the next brilliant idea to be presented to them, so they can start wrapping their heads around it. This will allow others to be way more open to receiving the gifts of the Manifestor rather than resisting all the new things they keep tossing into the paths of those around them. When the Manifestor neglects to inform the others in their lives as to what they are doing, they are often met with great resistance and even aggression.
Because Manifestors don’t have a defined Sacral Center, they cannot generate their own consistent supply of life force energy. However, they do have definition in at least one of the other motor Centers (Solar Plexus, Root, Heart/Ego/Will), so they will produce energy of some sort consistently. Plus, they will have a motor Center connected to the Throat Center via a defined channel. The goal of all energy in the bodygraph is to be moved through the body to the Throat Center. The Throat Center is the Center of manifestation. This is why Manifestors are so good at bringing new ideas/projects/expressions into the world.
If you are a Manifestor, you may find that life is often trying to box you into a mold into which you are too big and bold to fit. Don’t believe the hype. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Keep doing your own thing and let everyone else deal with their reactions to your maverick moves.
As you are getting ready for bed, it is helpful for you to go to bed before you are fully sleepy. Lying down flat will help you to release any extraneous energy you’ve siphoned from others or produced from any defined motor Centers during the day. This will ensure you get the most restful and productive sleep.
You will know you are acting in alignment with your Type when you feel a sense of Peace. If you are out of alignment you will feel feelings of Anger. (These are called your Signature and Not-Self Themes. Each Type has them. They are emotional barometers of whether or not we are living in alignment.)
Generators
Generators make up around 37% of the global population. They make up a greater sector of the population because they are here, along with the Manifesting Generators, to do most of the world’s work.
If the Manifestor if the architect of life’s projects, the Generator is the builder that brings those blueprints into concrete form. Ironically, they could be said to be the ones who actually manifest the ideas of the Manifestors.
Generators also have big energy auras. They are not as bold and polarizing as that of the Manifestor, however. Generators’ auras are sparkly and sunshiny and magnetic. They often feel warm and inviting, and, assuming they are not conditioned out of alignment, others will feel drawn to them like moths to a flame.
There is a synchronistic reason for the magnetism of their auras. Generators have the Strategy of Responding to the world around them. (Yes! Strategy and Authority will be discussed in another post, and soon, so stay tuned!) By having such an attractive force drawing others to them, they are, in essence, consistently attracting opportunities to which they can respond.
Once they respond to opportunities that feel aligned for them, they will set about making those opportunities a material reality. Generators are characterized as having a defined Sacral Center in their chart/bodygraph. This means they can consistently generate life force energy to take on big projects, and keep at them until they are completed. The key here is for them to respond to opportunities that feel aligned for them.
Generators have a tendency to focus on one project at a time. They give that project their full attention and energy until it is complete. Only then will they feel like they can move on to the next opportunity. This can leave others around them feeling left out while they are in their tunnel-vision state.
In partnership, it is helpful for the other parties to recognize that the Generator will display signs of workaholism. This is not a reflection on how they feel about the partner(s) or the partnership, it’s just how they are designed to roll. They can only fully focus on one thing at a time. But when they turn their focus to their partner(s), it’s like basking in the most glorious sunshine.
Generators are also meant to move their bodies everyday. This is to help them to discharge all that excess Sacral energy they are generating throughout the day. It’s important to use up all that energy before going to bed at night. Generators are meant to wear themselves out so completely that they fall asleep the moment their head hits the pillow.
If you are a Generator, you are designed to experience life as a worker bee. This does not mean you are meant to toil through life doing everything you’re told. On the contrary, you are tasked with choosing only those projects that feel aligned and exciting for you. It’s only then you will be able to generate the energy needed to see these projects through to completion. (You’ll learn how to differentiate which opportunities are aligned for you and which are not in the upcoming post on Strategy and Authority.)
Don’t be afraid to get caught up in your work, or to “be in the zone” for hours on end. This is natural and aligned for you. And experiment with ways of using up your energy throughout the day so that you can fully exhaust yourself before stumbling into bed.
You will know you are acting in alignment with your Type when you feel a sense of Satisfaction. If you are out of alignment you will feel feelings of Frustration. (These are called your Signature and Not-Self Themes. Each Type has them. They are emotional barometers of whether or not we are living in alignment.)
Manifesting Generators
Manifesting Generators are a hybrid Type consisting of both Manifestor and Generator traits. They compose around 33% of the global population. They are technically Generators with some Manifestor tendencies and talents, which means that they are also here to help bring the ideas of the Manifestors into form.
Manifesting Generators, or MGs, are worker bees, like Generators. However, they have a unique way of expressing this magick. MGs are FAST. They jump into a project and hit the ground running. They don’t wait for instructions. They don’t stop for directions. They go, go, go. As a result of their quickness, they often miss steps and/or make mistakes as they go. This is not a failing. In fact, this is part of their design. They learn from these missteps, and are able to find the shortcuts in the process. MGs are masters at finding the most efficient ways of doing things. (Though the process of discovery might be a little messy.)
They also have a wider attention span than the pure Generator. MGs tend to have their hands in a number of pies, so to speak. They are like magpies, following their curiosity anytime something sparkly strikes their fancy. They’re also expert multi-taskers, and often have multiple projects going at once, or are reading multiple books at once, or may even be dating multiple partners at the same time. This does not signify a lack of focus nor an inability to fully commit to something. It’s simply that they are designed to divide their focus among various opportunities or experiences with equal devotion and interest.
It is often difficult for the world to understand the MG. They are often several steps ahead of everyone else, and may seem flighty or distracted. But don’t be fooled! They are just operating at a faster speed than everyone else. They learn faster than most people and can easily become bored, especially in traditional learning situations, like the current conventional educational system.
As a result of their rapid pace, they can feel impatient with the slowness of others. It’s important for MGs to realize that most people do not operate at their accelerated pace. It’s also important for all the other Types to recognize that MGs are designed to be faster than they, and aren’t trying to be difficult when they arrive at something several times faster than the rest of the room. They generally aren’t trying to be a ‘know-it-all’, this is just how they operate.
The characteristics that make up a Manifesting Generator in a chart/bodygraph are a defined Sacral Center and a motor center connected to the Throat Center via a defined channel.
And, just like the Generators, MGs have a big, warm, inviting aura which tends to attract others to it. That is, when they are in alignment. MGs can exude a very magickal, unconventional and even mysterious quality that others will be drawn to like mice to cheese.
If you are a Manifesting Generator, you may find that you are creating an unconventional life for yourself. This can show up in the form of several part-time jobs in varying fields (MGs are built for side hustles), lots of travel/a nomadic lifestyle, a constant rotation of romantic partners (a lover in every port, maybe?) or in some other way that is unique to you. You are designed to be different and to find the magick in life through following your curiosity. Your magickal aura will attract opportunities to you. It’s up to you to decide which ones are worthy of your energy. People will often be attracted to you and your quirky lifestyle. Beware of those who want to box you in or slow you down.