In the Human Design Body Graph, there are 9 energy centers also known as chakras which express a very specific energy in the individual and are related to various organs or glands within the human physical form. The centers are connected by 36 channels through which these forces flow. In your personal Human Design, these centers maybe be defined (colored in) or open (white) which, in cooperation with the activated gates, will determine how they function in your life.
One of the most essential components in Design is “Definition,” which comes about when a channel is activated in the chart. A definition indicates that energetically the two centers on either end of the channel and the channel itself are activated or turned on and running 24 hours a day throughout that person’s lifetime. In Design we indicate “turned on centers” by coloring them in and it is what is dependable, fixed, and creative for that person.
Open Centers function very differently than Activated Centers either by receiving, reflecting, amplifying or channeling energy from the outside. It is here in our Designs that we find some of our most powerful lessons to learn, where our vulnerability is exposed, where we experience variety in our life, where we can be available for others, and quite often where we develop our wisdom.
The Inspiration Center
The Inspiration Center or Crown Chakra is 1 of 2 pressure centers, the other being the Root center. It is the top chakra represented in the chart as a yellow triangle, and is partly in the body and partly outside the body. It fuels the mental conceptualizing process.
It’s themes are Questioning and Inspiration. “Spirit” is drawn “in” through 1 of 3 “Gates” in the Crown Chakra bringing with it the potential to cognisize our environment, and the energy to relate with it. Inspiration evolves during its passage from the Crown Center through the Ajna Center to the Throat, undergoing transformations through 4 stages (4 Gates/Hexagrams) that turn this pressure into the spoken word.
Having Inspiration, a mental pressure, does not imply that something has to be worried about or spoken. Knowing when to “release the pressure” and speak out has nothing whatsoever to do with the pressure of the mind, but everything to do with one’s Type and Decision making process that relates to another part of one’s Being altogether.
Biologically it is the home of the pineal gland.
If it’s colored in in your chart (defined) then you’ll usually experience a sizable pressure to understand, question, make sense of, or know what your inspiration is all about depending upon the activation.
The Ajna Center
The Ajna Center or Mind Center is 1 of 3 possible awareness centers with the other 2 being the Splenic and the Solar Plexus centers.
Its function is mental conceptualization which can be fueled by the Head Center. It is our mind consciousness.
It is the second chakra down, represented in the chart as a green triangle and is where cognition inspirations enter and resolution occurs.
The thought process has the potential to find completion and expression through 3 different channels at the Throat Center. Even though there is a point of resolution at this stage of the mental process, there are still 2 more Gates(Hexagrams) needed to travel through to the throat before anything can be related to another person through speech.
Its frequency is “over all time” (in other words the mind is not equipped to easily let go of what is had determined ) which means you may find yourself living with the consequences of acting on decisions made from this center “over a long time”.
The mind’s fear manifests as anxiety.
Its skill is in research. The mind is really a great measuring device, but that doesn’t mean it knows what is best for us. Its highest use is in service to other people or as an advisor to us. Many ancient traditions see the mind as an obstacle for us personally because we often defer to it inappropriately as it can so easily be regarded as the best decision making tool, when in fact, giving any ultimate power to our thoughts in such a way is one of the the greatest mistakes we can make.
Biologically it is the home to our anterior and posterior pituitary glands, eyes, ears, and head. The physical problems associated with this center may include insomnia, sinusitis, migraines or visual problems if this center is undefined.
The Throat Center
The Throat Center is the center of manifestation with its primary function of “doing” and its secondary functions of “talking” and ” bringing things into form”..
Its theme is metabolism.
It is the third center down and is represented in the chart as a brown square.
It has 11 gates into which and through which expression can happen. It is also the center of manifestation, and so we see that a lot of what is said can evolve into action.
It is the most complex of all the centers as it has the most gates, 11 in total. Each 1 of them has a particular voice, for instance anyone with gate 23 will often be saying “I know” or “I don’t know” and gate 56 “I believe” or I don’t believe”. Each of these gates relates to 1 of 11 hexagrams in the I Ching, the Chinese Book of Changes, the philosophy that the entire Human Design System rests on. The throat, however, is not a motor, it is a gear box. It is the center of communication that can lead to doing only when connected to one of the four motors in the body-graph; Ego, Sacral, Root, or Solar Plexus.
Biologically it is the home of our thyroid and parathyroid glands, and our metabolism and expresses the physical problems associated with such if the center is open.
The G or Self Center
The G Center is the center which describes our role/identity as our spiritual Self and how we know ourselves as a spiritual being in this world and I relation to the world around us..
It is the fourth center down and is represented in the chart as a yellow diamond in the center of the bodygraph.
It has 2 themes: love and direction.
Hidden within this center is the mysterious Magnetic Monopole, a term given to us from the source of the Human Design System as that which holds us together in the illusion of our separation. It is also that what is responsible for our trajectory in life, our movement in space, and thus our destiny’s directionality.
It’s nature is that it keeps pulling towards itself and in that sense it is about love.
Its biological attribute is the liver and the blood.
The Heart and Ego Center
The Heart and Ego Center is a very powerful motor which drives our will power and represents our role in life as a personal self. Unlike the other three motors, the solar plexus, the root, and the sacral, it cannot be pressurized by the root center, as there is no channel connecting the 2.
It is the smallest center in the body graph and is represented in the chart by a small red triangle.
Its theme is about surviving and succeeding in the material plane in established communities.
It has a very important biological significance as the 4 gates coming from the heart center relate directly to the physical heart itself (21), the stomach (40), the thymus gland (26) and the gall bladder (51). It is also associated with the lungs and breasts. The physical problems associated when this center when undefined include heart disease, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, and breast disease.
The Solar Plexus Center
The Solar Plexus Center is the seat of our emotional heart and is the emotional/feeling/sensing center of the chart.
The themes related to this centre are: feelings, emotions and sensitivity and it is where these are processed and expressed.
It is 1 of 3 awareness centers available to us (the other 2 being the splenic and the mind) and is developing into our spirit consciousness. At the present stage in human evolution this center is going through a great mutative change. In its current state it is primarily a powerful motor – in fact it is so powerful that anyone who has this defined in their chart must tend it as a prime authority( a term in Human Design that determine what must be tended to for our decisions to be right for us) in their lives.
It is on the far lower right of the body graph and is represented in the chart by a brown triangle.
Its frequency is experienced as a wave and there are three kinds of emotional waves depending upon the gate and channel activation. Emotional beings must wait our their wave before deciding.
Its fears manifests as nervousness.
Biologically it relates to the kidneys, the prostate, the pancreas and the nervous system. Diabetes is most often found with the undefined Solar Plexus.
The Splenic Center
The Splenic Center center is 1 of the 3 awareness centers available to us (the other 2 being the solar plexus and mind).
The spleen is the oldest awareness center we humans possess – it’s our body consciousness, our intuition and instinct. It is in the lower left area and is represented in the body graph by a brown triangle.
The frequency is in the now and has to do with our fears or lack of fear.
Its themes are health, feeling good, and survival.
Biologically it relates to the lymphatic system, the spleen, and the spleen cells. Its job is to keep us healthy and alive. This center is our internal washing machine. When this center is undefined the entire immune system is sensitive an challenged and must be tended.
The Sacral Center
The Sacral Center is the powerful motor of the life force. Everyone who has this colored in or “defined” in their chart has generator or manifesting generator (aka generating manifestor) energy. I read this center’s nature directly relating to what it is connected to it ( the channel) and nothing else.
Its themes are sexuality, fertility, vitality, movement and persistence.
The sacral center is in the lower mid section of the body graph and is represented by a red square.
It is frequency based and it can be at rest until activated by the proper response. Then it can be at rest again. It always eventually moves on to another level.
It often speaks via sounds (unless connected to the throat.) True generators (those with a defined sacral and no throat) make noises in response to what comes towards them, they often make sounds instead of saying yes and make noises instead of expressing through words. The opposite response of “no:” or ” a feeling of resistance” is also very crucial in learning how to align/follow the command of the sacral center.,
If you could cut open the sacral center you’d see a huge energy vortex operating in a spiral in the body. It is represents life force itself and continues to run until the generator dies. When is is exhausted, it goes through a period of regeneration.
Its biological attributes are the ovaries, uterus,and testes.
The Root Center
The Root Center or Kundalini center is 1 of 2 pressure centers, (the other being the Head center) as well as being a motor. Unlike the Head center which is pressure from above, from spirit pushing down, the root is pressure from below, from the Kundalini pushing up.
It is all about how a human being experiences drive, trust, joy, survival, and stress.
It is the bottom center represented in the body graph as a brown square.
This pressure moves us through the world, pressurizing us to evolve, trust, and adapt.
People who have this defined seem to handle stress better than those with it open. Those with the Root undefined do best supporting the adrenals but more often I find these folks stimulating them.
Biologically it does somehow relate to the adrenaline gland . This is also the home of the large intestine, rectum, and hamstrings. Problems associated with this center when undefined include hemorrhoids, colitis, sciatica and varicose veins.