drag

What is Human Design and how can it improve your life?

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKOLA DUKIC

WORDS BY CHARLOTTE DALLISON

Astrology on steroids.

No doubt most Fashion Journal readers will be very familiar with their astrological charts, but have you heard of Human Design? Personally, I have been obsessed with astrology for at least 15 years. If astrology is a language then I speak it conversationally.


For more content like this, head to our Life section.


However, I recently had my Human Design chart done and my mind was blown. Not only have I never felt more ‘seen’ but the depth in which you can dig into your chart (or your energy type, as we the converted would say) is endless.

So what on earth is Human Design?

I know what you’re thinking, what on earth am I on about. And even I’ll admit that the name ‘Human Design’ sounds sort of odd. To start with, a bit like astrology, you have a reading. You offer the reader your time, date and place of birth, and they generate your chart from there.

The aim of Human Design is to give you a clearer idea of your energy and your innate gifts. It’s less of a forecast, and more tells you what your soul’s blueprint is, thus giving you permission to live life in a more aligned and authentic way.

In terms of its definition, I asked Emma Dunwoody, who runs a coaching business alongside hosting her podcast, The Human Design Podcast, to explain this to me. “Human Design is a synthesis of four ancient wisdoms: astrology, I Ching, Kabbalah and Vedic philosophy. It also integrates modern sciences such as quantum physics. When combined this gives you your energetic blueprint,” she says.

How does it actually work?

It’s quite a complex system but to begin with, there are five energy types – Generator, Manifestor, Manifesting Generator, Projector and Reflector. In learning your type you begin to see ways in which your own unique energy works best. From there you dig deeper into your personality type, gates and channels – which all translate into how you work in the world, what your innate intuition may be and where your strengths are, by design.

Once you know more about your energy type and chart, you can begin to tweak and design your life around these principles. I’m a Projector, meaning my energy doesn’t last very long, but I’m efficient when at work. This makes working as a freelancer a much better option for me, rather than sitting at a desk for eight hours per day, trying to be productive.

To further this I now take daily afternoon naps. One might perceive this as a little bit lazy, and most people would probably benefit from them, but my productivity has honestly improved. Granted, I still have days of working into the wee hours, but I’m also less reluctant to ask for help now, knowing that my energy levels are finite.

In making certain other tweaks in my life, which align with my design, I’ve begun to see more tangible change. For example, I have the ‘gift of the storyteller’ and in focusing my work more on writing after having closed my clothing business (which was exhausting me in every sense) things have started to flow a lot better. Previously I was trying to do both and felt stunted in all aspects of my career.

What is its purpose?

I also spoke with Julie-Anne Kelly, a kinesiologist, coach and Human Design reader who also happened to read my chart, about what Human Design can do.

“We are moving away from the lifestyle of choosing a career that matches what you studied and staying on a certain course for your entire life. People often come to me when they’re in a period of transition in their lives… Human Design gives people insights into their innate gifts, and this can help them find their path or next step. It’s often a matter of clients tuning into those little nudges they’re getting, and then having this affirmed by their charts,” she explains.

Knowing about your Human Design is like a giant permission slip to work with the energy and gifts you were born with. Rather than slotting into a society that is obsessed with productivity, with Human Design, you can design your lifestyle to work around what you’re good at.

The recent rise in popularity

This may be your first brush with Human Design, or you might have been hearing about it rather a lot lately – its popularity is rising. Many existing wellness and coaching businesses are beginning to implement it into their work, just as Julie-Anne and Emma have done.

For Julie-Anne, it’s increasingly becoming a bigger part of her business. “I am finding that the people who are coming to me are asking for more Human Design type guidance, as they have heard of it but want to go deeper with it… The biggest takeaway is that clients leave a session feeling very seen. It can be very affirming in that sense.”

Beyond this, if you’re any bit interested in the world of wellness, you may have noticed people like Jenna Zoë or Erin Clare Jones pop up here or there on Instagram – both share daily prompts which you can feedback into working with your chart.

How can we implement it into our lives?

First stop, book a reading. And if you’re hesitating or feeling sceptical there are also many affordable, if not free, resources to dive into. Following the aforementioned Instagram handles is a huge help. I would also recommend Emma’s brilliant podcast, The Human Design Podcast, as a way to learn much more.

“The best way to implement Human Design into your life is to keep it simple. Unfortunately, too many people overcomplicate Human Design and it can then leave people feeling a little confused and overwhelmed,” says Emma.

Human Design is really an experiment and should be treated as such. You needn’t let your mind slip into a place of dogma when delving into this work. It’s a tool, not a rule, and like any modality, it’s essentially here to help. The more and more I use it, the more positive results I see. So give it a go, dip your toes in and hopefully, you’ll see just how helpful it can be.

To learn more on Human Design, try this

Lazy Loading