Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be

by Chetan Parkyn

There is something about your depth that mines stories from everyone around you. “I’ve no idea why I’m telling you this! I hardly know you...” is something you’ve no doubt heard many times.

The key to honoring your nature is to move from a position of sympathy to a place of empathy where you can attune deeply to what people are experiencing instead of simply feeling sorry for them. Empathy will lead you to compassion.

Your modest, unassuming, nonjudgmental nature views humanity as one big family, all interconnected.

Your love for interactions with others means you’re likely to have many friends in all situations and strata of society, from beggars to princes. You will often find yourself the linchpin in social circles, bringing everyone together. But you will feel uncomfortable in any situation where others have control over you, because you are a free spirit who likes to be in the flow of life, unrestricted.

You have a knack of being in the right place at the right time, living the very definition of the word serendipity — accidentally discovering something beneficial or fortunate, even when looking for something or someone else.

Watch the personal advancement that can happen when you fall back on an inner confidence that is ready for anything that life serves up. This gate naturally tunes in to the Universe’s need for your presence and gives you experiences that may bring recognition or essential lessons. You need to let go of expectation and be open to all experiences offered. Gate 46 is another of the “love gates,” and its essence is all about the love of the body. So keeping trim and healthy and looking after the physical form helps foster your serendipitous nature.

Your true nature appreciates nothing more than your body being honed and pampered, and you need to take responsibility for your body; otherwise, you will feel down and frustrated.

Gate 21 The Gate of Control I’ll refrain from calling you a control freak. That would be unfair. Possibly. But life brings all sorts of challenges and demands, and you’re someone who thrives when in a position of control, seizing the reins and taking decisive action over money, property, business, or relationship matters. There is something of the hunter/huntress in this gate, and the skillful hunter knows how to hide and wait for his opportunity, to let the “game” come to him.

Gate 40 The Gate of Deliverance I suspect you are in great demand. This is because you are capable of always delivering the goods, whatever is asked of you. You engage the Heart’s willpower to work hard and efficiently in the interests of everyone.

Then your nature craves alone time. People can tend to overlook this, so you need to explain to them your need for uninterrupted replenishment. You enjoy supporting many kinds of people — in fact, you don’t take friendship lightly — but you have to be firm in honoring your alone time, too.

You see, some of the abilities of Deliverance involve being able to untangle and resolve life’s complications, ultimately within yourself. If you learn to find forgiveness in your heart and genuinely let the past go, it can feel like an enormous release and clear the complications that may block progress or cooperation in the present. Matters of the ego may well challenge this natural inclination, but once you discover the power of true forgiveness, it brings tremendous relief. Forgiveness is part of your nature, whether you realize it or not.

Gate 51, however, is ready for something more brash, competitive, and unpredictable. You therefore have a great knack for creating — as well as handling — surprise. You know how to push all sorts of people’s buttons, using shock tactics to elicit and inspire positive reactions, and also become adept at handling shocking situations in your own life. Gate 51 can light the fuse under people, shocking them into a reality that gets things moving in their world. You are that great clap of thunder that acts as an alarm call to make everyone sit up, take note, and get moving!

This can come across as a devil-may-care attitude, so be aware of this and understand that your words and actions can stun people like a lightning bolt. Nothing is quite the same afterward.

Gate 18 The Gate of Improving There is a Chinese saying that states, “Work on what has been spoiled,” and the essence of the message is that we can undo damaging patterns from childhood and become whole again.

Gate 18’s goal is to review the old ways and traditions to bring about improvement for yourself and society.

Gate 18 is essential to uplifting and updating society’s ways, balancing patriarchal and matriarchal patterns. Are the old traditions relevant? With this gate, there is a tendency to blame yourself for everything that appears to go wrong in your life. It is a form of guilt complex that can lead to personal decay. So learn to be softer and kinder to yourself and recognize that your path to relieve yourself and others from conditioning only requires your presence, determination, and alertness.

Gate 44 The Gate of Patterns

This ability can also be applied in your personal life, where your instinctive memory can help you detect certain behavioral and repetitive patterns that may be forming in others and could happily be avoided. Ironically, gate 44 has a fear of the past. It’s as though you are always looking over your shoulder to see if you are clear of whatever happened before. But you can be so busy looking backward that you trip over the present.

Gate 50 The Gate of the Values This is sometimes called the Cauldron, because this is where values in life cook and simmer.

But with this gate on, you are naturally attuned to what is appropriate or not, fair or unjust, in any situation in any moment. Gate 50 enables you to identify and honor all values and correct actions that, in your book, lead to sustainable and effective living. Some values endure, some need replacing, and your gate 50 will constantly be called on to tune in to the needs of the situation.

Gate 3 The Gate of Beginning

Something can only truly grow from solid foundations, be it a personal or professional matter, so your preparation is almost as important as your execution. Then, with everything ready, you must await the green light... from your authority.

Also be aware that fresh beginnings can only prosper once old disappointments, failures, and resentments have been honestly cast aside. Once you’ve respected all the requirements of this natural process, you’ll be amazed at the fulfillment you can experience. Projects can be kick-started with fresh invigoration, and relationships can feel brand-new.

Gate 9 The Gate of Applied Details

There is a distinction between gate 9 and gate 62 (Expressed Details). The 9 must, right at the outset of all it does, have all the little details in place and everything set up, otherwise it can be tripped up by the one detail it missed, whereas gate 62 is more about the expression and conveying of detail to others. With gate 9 turned on, you can be attentive to things that others only see long after you have already noticed and perhaps discounted them.

Gate 27 The Gate of Nourishing

You think nothing of giving with both hands to help and care for others, but this can lead to neglecting your own nourishment. So the foundational need of gate 27 is to take care of number one first! You need to balance the caring of others with the need to ensure you, too, are sufficiently nourished with a sound diet, the support of good people, and healthy finances. There is a tendency to become lost in caring for others and addressing their nourishment. The old saying “Physician, heal thyself could not be more relevant.

When your body and spirit are amply provided for, you are at your strongest and most effective. And an eager compassion means you are here to preserve, protect, and nurture.

have the capacity to tap into this natural surfeit, harnessing your abilities to further other people in their efforts to become successful. You might well wonder why you should do all the hard work for them, but your flair and sustainable energy will make things happen for you, too, as a consequence of your actions. It’s a natural law. Just as a gardener tends his or her own garden and watches numerous plants prosper, so it is with Increase.

This gate encourages you to realize that giving is more important than receiving — and the sure path to increase and reward.

Gate 22 The Gate of Grace Grace can either be a divine benevolence that shapes our lives or relate to beauty and elegance.

The chances are that God’s grace often smiles down on you and that you’ve lived a charmed existence, pulling through even the most distressing moments. Gate 22 means grace shines out of you.

You also have a romantic view of the world, like the charmer you are. Even animals can’t get enough of you and will come as close as they possibly can, regardless of any allergies you might have! They seem to recognize in you something that is mysterious but magnetic.

Family is everything to you, the solid foundation of your life. You are someone who has an intrinsic sense of responsibility toward the family and community you serve. You thrive in tight-knit communities and feel good when a family or household comes together. You’ll be the proud head of the household or the key family member, teaching cooperation and mutual respect and bringing guidance and good communication.

Gate 49 The Gate of Revolution

If the tendency of gate 29 is to always say “yes,” the tendency of gate 49 is to say “no.” It can come about in many situations. “No, that suggestion doesn’t feel right to me” or “No, you can’t behave in that way” or “No, you can’t just ride roughshod over how I feel!” Revolution can be most effective when it addresses communal discontent, opening ways for practical improvements.

be particular about the people you allow into your life and the attitudes they hold. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have a breeder’s eye that can discern strong bloodlines and lineage.

You must learn to go beyond being concerned about getting everything right and move into and through the transformations that are a natural part of your life. It might well take courage at times, but the rewards are worth it.

What matters in your life revolves around a sense of spirit — be that the spirit of higher aspirations or the spirited nature in which you live day to day. When your spirits are high, you can be outrageously silly and effusive, skipping down the street or whooping with joy, embracing the abundance of life itself. But should those spirits drop, you can still be found beating your chest, being unreasonably emotional and demonstrative.

Gate 19 carries a want to be wanted and a need to be needed. These two factors combine to determine a joint Approach to life that’s continually seeking and promoting an interconnection with others. Togetherness, companionship, and cooperation breed a platform for success in your world. This doesn’t necessarily make you a needy individual, but it does require your needs — in terms of emotions, sex, and appreciation — to be met if you’re to find alignment with your nature.

I would go so far as to say that you can often find you know someone better than they know themselves. It’s as if this gate gives you the ability to look inside them and see what they require for their own improvement. Your difficulty can be in distinguishing between your needs and those of others. Your danger is personal sacrifice. Your gift is showing other people the way to find greater alignment in both their worldly and spiritual lives.

Gate 41 The Gate of Imagination You have the keys to a rich imagination that can lead to all sorts of amazing experiences, just as long as you know the difference between realism and fantasy.

Gate 41 is at the starting line of all life’s experiences. It acts a bit like the mind’s eye, looking into every conceivable possibility from every angle to find that missing experience that will bring about a sense of completion and wholeness. The danger is that this inclination can lead you into the realms of fantasyland and get you lost there. It pictures campaigns that can save the world, knights in shining armor, and imaginary conversations with icons. It may be best to focus your imagination on more attainable goals.

Gate 52 The Gate of the Mountain

With gate 52, you are a mountain, containing the same core strength and carrying a silent stillness that others admire. Whenever there is a situation that calls for your attention or a drama that brings pressure for you to get involved, remember that from the Mountain you have an unparalleled view of things and can bring an unrivaled perspective. This also means you can sometimes be immovable and obstinate, but your clarity is what counts.

Ambition brings a drive to go beyond all limits to succeed socially, materially, and spiritually. It is a pressure that pushes you to forge contacts and alliances at every opportunity. You might well recognize a tendency to sometimes ride forces bigger than yourself or take on more than you can chew.

Gate 58 The Gate of Joyous Vitality

make a difference to the world with a natural exuberance that trusts in the challenges and windfalls that come your way. You seem to have an insatiable appetite to have it all — and savor it all. You run in the rain as much as you bask in the sun. But this can lead to you getting swept away by exuberance. So your lesson is to continue to see the joy in everything but to commit to that which resonates.

Attached to those gates, like identity tags, are the smaller numbers. These are the lines that denote the flavors to that gate, 1 to 6.

The minutiae of these nuances, gate by gate, line by line, are another book for another time. There are, after all, 384 different permutations created by 64 gates × 6 lines, and limitless interpretations. I don’t wish to take you to that level just yet, but here we’ll explore the general meaning of each line, because there is a theme that binds all first lines together, all second lines, all third lines, all fourth lines, all fifth lines, and all sixth lines.