Human Design: How to discover the real you

If your Mind is defined

Your in – built hard drive never stops whirring, processing and backing up its information. Your mind is a human computer, forever comparing, reviewing and researching. In school or at work, you may have had the sensation that your head was about to burst with all the facts and knowledge overloading you. But when you ‘put your mind to something’, you’ll work it out and race on to the next thing.

Many trouble – shooters and consultants come armed with such a make – up. You can also be a professional worrier and nitpicker, looking for problems that do not exist. Expressions such as ‘You’re worrying about nothing!’ or ‘Will you stop worrying about things that haven’t happened yet?’ tend to suggest that a person with a defined Mind is in the room. You just cannot turn off your thoughts and worries. Meditation can quiet your mind, allowing you to distance yourself from racing thoughts, but you have a consistent way of thinking and will find you approach an issue or question in exactly the same way each time.

If your Mind is undefined

You can be open – minded and absent minded at the same time. You are open to contemplating anything, but also prone to be forgetful and easily distracted. You might go to your car and forget your keys or leave the house and forget to turn the iron off. I always say that keeping a diary or journal is a good medium for you, because you can make a date or have a conversation and then forget its details within 24 hours.

I don’t intend to paint you as ditzy. Far from it. The great mind of Albert Einstein had this centre undefined, and the reason his mind was so great was because this granted him a detached objectivity which allowed the impassive wisdom of finding clarity amid life’s complexities. You, too, must learn to step away from the mental activity of defined Minds. That way, you really can make sense of the thoughts and confusions that others are grappling with. I always tell people with an undefined Mind that they have a gift for resolving other people’s issues, for being able to see the wood, not the trees.

You can also walk into a room and sense what everyone is thinking, because you’re capable of tapping into the thoughts of others. People may even say, ‘You always seem to know what I’m thinking.’ Such is the wisdom of the undefined Mind. Its beauty is that you have a choice: be contemplative and still when alone, or become engaged and thoughtful when interacting with others. The potential of your mind knows no bounds! If you learn to accept this glorious uncertainty, life can be viewed as a mental adventure.

The Throat

Expression and Manifesting

Below the Mind is the Throat, the centre that creates and makes things happen with its powers of manifestation and expression. It is both the voice – box and main hub of your Human Design, where all deeds and dreams seek reality and where all voices strive to be heard. It is the centre where everything can happen.

The Throat has many unique ways of expressing itself through speech, actions and writing. Its shining qualities are all about teaching, leadership, education and knowledge. Anything going on within your Human Design is seeking outlet and expression, as words or action, at the Throat.

Anatomically, this centre relates to the thyroid and parathyroid glands which regulate our metabolic rate and sense of well – being. I would say that whatever your nature, being true to it has a lot to do with maintaining wellness.

If your Throat is defined

Here lies the power of expression – but what is expressed, and how, depends on which other defined centres feed into this main hub. All roads lead to the Throat, and so all energies seek a release or voice via this centre. For example, a connection with the Mind means you’ll ‘speak your mind’. With the Emotions, you’ll express your emotions. With the Heart, you’ll convey your heartfelt wishes. All centres, and their attributes, seek to be demonstrated at the Throat. When that connection is made, an expression comes via an action, creativity or communication.

You are someone who is consistent in how you communicate, with a voice which carries a certain cadence and confidence. The way you express yourself, therefore, leads to making things happen, catalyzing your goals.

Also, you can be a facilitator for great storytelling, the revealing of personal insight, the teaching of sound education, the authority of strong leadership and the expression of strong opinions, either in you or someone else.

You catalyze speech in other people, but you need to be aware that they’re talking with you rather than at you. People make a bee – line simply to chew off your ear, like the person next to you on the long – distance flight who is itching to talk and doesn’t care that you’ve got the earphones on and a magazine pressed to your nose. They want to talk to you – and they will! Your centre provides them with a much – needed outlet, magnetizing all their pent – up chatter because, more than likely, their Throat is undefined. Take the example of a friend of mine. She has an associate who phones every week and bombards her with 40 minutes of constant chat, dumping all their thoughts and issues on her without ever asking about her life and well – being. That’s why I encourage you to be aware of this phenomenon and make such people aware of what they’re doing. Because, quite frankly, once they get going, they might never stop!

If your Throat is undefined

‘I can’t seem to find the right words!’ I can hear you say. This is the source of much frustration as you struggle to express yourself effectively, consistently or in the way you’d like. But that won’t stop you trying! Once you’re in the company of a defined Throat, the silky skills of expression are accessible to you and this can unleash a verbal release as eager as a greyhound from the traps. The irony is that having an undefined Throat can turn you into a real chatterbox.

I can spot you a mile away. You’re the one who can dominate a conversation, sometimes chipping in and interrupting, because so much pressure has stored behind the communicative walls built by your nature. Once in the right environment and up and running, you hardly pause to draw breath.

There is little consistency to your expression, either. Two people can ask the same question and receive two completely different answers. It all depends on the company. This doesn’t mean that what you say isn’t compelling or interesting. It’s just an inconsistency I’m drawing to your attention. What I would be wary about is launching into a conversation that is meandering and without focus – who knows where you might end up?

Speech impediments and anxieties about articulation skills may well occur in people with an undefined Throat. You are, by nature, someone for whom ‘silence is golden’, so learn to wait for the right time to say something. The impassive wisdom here is that when you exercise patience, you can speak with a lucidity and poetry that others might not be able to manage. This is because your undefined centre reflects the nature of the environment around you, taking the voice of others and transforming it into your own insight. For instance, Bill Clinton, a brilliant orator, has an undefined Throat. He is adept at riding the energy of his audience. But his increasingly husky voice could be an indication that he has a propensity to speak out of turn, thereby straining his voice. He may have insisted on speaking, without practising patience.

Basically, the ease with which you express yourself depends on the person you’re interacting with, as does your ability to make things happen and express yourself creatively.

The Self

Direction, Sense of Purpose, Love

Beneath the Throat is the diamond shape of the Self. This represents purpose and direction in life, as well as self – love. It is like a global positioning system, aligning us with who we are, where we are and to what we are guided. It relates to our boundaries, determining what is appropriate, what is not; who is in, who is out. This is where we find the answer to the ‘Who am I?’ question. It is a centre that provides a consistent connection to the soul.

The energies of love reside here in all their forms: spiritual or fateful love, love as an attraction to the physical form, love of humanity and love of the journey of life itself. Many self – truths can also be found within this centre with the creativity to expand life and the ability to be receptive to all it offers.

Anatomically, the Self relates to the liver, the seat of the soul, where our blood is cleansed. Depending on whether your centre is defined or not, this determines how you filter life experiences. A congested liver raises one’s level of intolerance for life and therefore reduces one’s ability to connect directly with it.

If your Self is defined

‘I know who I am, and I know where I’m heading’ is your slogan. You have an assured identity with an equally strong sense of purpose and direction. There is something certain and solid about your character. You don’t seek to ‘just be yourself’ but also your ‘best self’. If you’re not feeling it, start tapping your in – built compass, because it will always guide you ‘home’.

Ultimately, you cannot stray for long from a natural sense of self. If you do, you’re not being true to your nature and you’ll sense an inner angst or frustration, as if you’re swimming against the tide. But the majority of the time you are resolute, believing you are who you are and that’s not going to change.

The downside is that you can be diverted to shepherd those who feel lost. If you’re not careful you could look behind and find an entourage of hangers – on dragging you down. Yet you can be immoveable when you find a true path, a pursuit or a partner you set your sights on, and there is an indefatigable consistency about what you seek. There is a ‘Nothing is going to stop me’ quality about your chosen direction.

If your Self is undefined

‘Where I am is who I am right now’ is your slogan. You can struggle to find a strong sense of identity and can wear many hats in life. You can be all things to all people, reflecting back to them the truth of who they are. This means you derive a sense of self from the environment and people around you. The same could be said for your direction in life – it tends to be a bit changeable, for there is no reliable in – built compass.

There is, of course, a beauty to this flexibility. It allows the compassion to identify with everyone and turns you into something of a social chameleon. In that sense, that’s exactly who you are, so your identity crisis is solved!

So, learn to go with the flow and live in the moment. But be wary of succumbing to the conditioning influence of someone else’s determination, purpose and direction – that can lead to all sorts of wrong paths. Your impassive wisdom is to embrace your innate ability to reflect back your observations about someone else’s being or chosen direction, even if you don’t really know where you’re going yourself. You can, in this respect, become an overseeing guide, working out the way ahead for those who are too wrapped up in themselves to see it clearly.

When you need to find consistency in how you live your life, draw guidance from those who have this centre defined. It’s important, therefore, that you trust who you get your bearings from. If you keep company with, and draw guidance from, people who are personally empowering, you will always have a fulfilling life. If you’re swayed by those who are disempowering, you will inevitably make the wrong choices. For example, Britney Spears is someone with an undefined Self, so her stability and direction absolutely depend on the calibre of person she listens to and allows herself to be influenced by. This determines whether she stays on track or goes off the rails! It is crucial for her well – being for her to surround herself with people who have her best interests in mind.

The Heart

Willpower and Wishes

Next to the Self, tucked below right, is the Heart, a centre which balances willpower with ego and comes armed with a competitive streak, either to prove a point in business or be ‘top dog’ in the material world. This is one of four ‘motor centres’ within Human Design, and a motor centre pushes us on in life. This one is where our heart’s desires are fuelled.

The biggest thing to which people aspire is a sense of freedom, and willpower drives us on towards that freedom. The Heart expresses its inherent willpower in one of two ways. One is the use of willpower in accordance with universal and greater good. The other is ego driven and applied for purely selfish reasons. We are forever caught in this balancing act: do we consider the common good or just look after number one?

All money matters are processed through this centre, filtering our material needs and wants as we balance our values: our values of life against our values of money. You may think that making money is all in the mind – indeed, there are mental formulas to assist the creation of wealth – but in actuality, money is an energy form closely related to the wishes emanating from the Heart. Power, prestige and money are all thrown into this melting – pot centre.

Anatomically, this centre is related to the organ of the heart and it is no surprise that the greatest source of disease in the world is heart disease. When people come under intense pressure to ‘get on with it’, ‘get rich’ and ‘make it happen’, it naturally follows that over – exertion will lead to complaints from the heart. This centre is also related to the digestive process, stomach and gall bladder. All these organs can function well when you’re in natural attunement with your life but can experience problems when your willpower is invested in pursuits that are wrong for you.

If your Heart is defined

It is statistically rare to have a defined Heart, but if you’re among the iron – willed few, you can move mountains. You are a potential superhero in terms of Human Design. Your potential to harness raw willpower can accomplish something in five minutes that would take someone else an hour. You are all about ‘throwing your heart into it’ or ‘following your heart’. It is your source of courage, valour and standing in life.

For you, accomplishments are never the question; alignment with what is truly worth your time and energy is more the issue. So you must be careful about to whom and what you pledge this willpower, because the Heart must be respected. You must ensure you’re committed, because ‘your heart is in it’.

There is an impressive and consistent assurance about people with this centre defined. Classic examples of such powerhouses are Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Donald Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Dalai Lama and Al Gore. These are powerful figures who have put their heart into all they’ve done and have used their willpower to enhance their sense of values.

Binding themes of this centre are the ability to stand on your own two feet, to be bold enough to convince others, to take control of a situation and to handle crisis. But inefficiency can irk you in a way that makes you want to take on every task and do it yourself. You will want to get your own way and may run the risk of being perceived as arrogant in the pursuit of your goals.

One of the greatest requirements of a defined Heart is rest. Chill. Put your feet up. Take a break! Having the sense to sit down and rest is crucial, even polite – to give everyone else the chance to catch up with you!

If your Heart is undefined