A high-level overview of each of those shapes on your Human Design chart.

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What’s the deal with all those shapes?

Human Design’s 9 Energy Centers probably remind you of the 7 Chakras. They are, indeed, similar. But different. Human Design has all 7 of the Chakras, plus two extras, the Spleen and the G-Center, because our bodies have evolved since we first spun into Homo Sapiens.

Our Energy Centers are super important for helping us to get a handle on how our bodies are meant to receive, process and express energy.

Because–shocker–not everyone is built the same!

Sure, we all have 9 centers. It’s just that they don’t all work the same way.

Trouble is, because of the kind of world we live in, a lot of times we’re taught to act like we’re all built the same way.

Which is where a lot of us get tripped up.

We live in a society that puts a high price tag, and heaps of praise, on people who show traits like drive, productivity, ambition, success, mental acuity, and supreme health.

Even if we don’t feel like we have those characteristics innately, a lot of us feel obligated, or pressured, to show them. Because if we don’t, we won’t get the great job. Our parents will be disappointed. Our teachers will scold us. And so on.

Likewise in the world today, those who dare to show raw emotion, a sense of wonder, a playful imagination, intuition, fear and even selflessness seem to get the short end of the stick.

(What’s the deal with that?)

We call those people freaks, fringe, weirdos, lazy, paranoid, flighty…

And that’s a cryin’ shame.

Because we’re not all built to have endless amounts of ambition and drive. And we’re not all meant to suppress our emotions.

We have other superpowers that we’ve forgotten how to use because they weren’t rewarded when we were growing up, so they’ve gathered dust in our closets.

So it would be super helpful if everyone accepted that these differences matter, and instead, started living their own truth, the way they were designed to process energy uniquely for themselves.

So that the rest of us could go on having Big Feelings and daydreaming like we’re supposed to!

Because genius comes from that, okay?

Hey Baby, What’s Your Definition?

In the image above, from my chart, you’ll see some shapes that are colored in and others that are left blank.

Your chart, too, will consist of some mashup of centers that are either “defined,” ‘undefined,” or completely “open.”

Depending on the mix of defined and undefined/open centers, you and I are probably built to receive and give off energy in different ways.

In Human Design, we call this Definition.

And Definition, or lack thereof, matters.

Defined, or colored-in, centers are those where we have consistent, reliable energy resources that generate from within us.

Undefined or entirely open centers are where we absorb, or take in, others’ energy and amplify it, effectively boosting other people’s signals in the form of intensifying their thoughts, fears, feelings and more.

Unfortunately, a lot of times, for folks with a lot of openness in their charts, they’re taking in others’ junk and assuming it’s their own.

Which is another trouble spot, and where we can do a lot of healing work, which is the stuff I live for.

I’ll be sharing some specifics as time unfolds about the differences between each of these defined and undefined centers, and how those differences manifest for people in real life.

I’ll also be sharing some healing packages filled with processes that work as ultra-soothing salve on the wounds of your openness. Stay tuned!

In separate posts that drill down into each Center’s specifics, we’ll take into consideration all those different numbers you see appearing inside each shape.

(Hint: Those numbers are called Gates, and they represent energetic themes, or personality traits, that we either display, or don’t.)

For now, if you’re looking for clarity on why you may feel like an energizer bunny a lot of the time or why you’re someone who needs lots of naps, exploring your energy centers will definitely bring you some A-ha moments.

Here’s a high-level overview of what each center is, what it does, and what part of the human anatomy each one is associated with.

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The Head or Crown

The Head Center, or Crown, is one of two pressure centers and it’s responsible for inspiration, thoughts, ideas, wonder, questions, curiosity, doubt, possibility, awe and imagination. It pushes its ideas downward into the Mind for analysis. It is associated with the Pineal Gland, or Third Eye, in the Endocrine system, which produces melatonin.

Defined Heads will have reliable and consistent energy for coming up with questions in an attempt to gain clarity and create sound thoughts. There’s intense pressure to know, so people who have this experience a constant drive to make sense of things and understand.

Undefined or Open Heads will receive downloads from elsewhere that bring inspiration, answers, curiosity and thoughts. They engage in possibilities with a sense of wonder, allowing imagination to dance through their heads. In this way, they can even read others’ thoughts, picking up on what those in their orbit are pondering. Keep in mind, or Head, I guess, that they can pick up others’ doubt and confusion, too. So it’s always useful to remember that an Open Head is a direct connection to Source; and that the Divine will deliver messages as needed to the Open Head.

The Mind or Ajna

The Mind is our center for information processing, data organization, computation, analysis, and it’s where we develop our beliefs and opinions about things.

It is associated with the Pituitary gland, which reigns over growth, development and hormone production in the Endocrine system.

Defined Minds are constantly feeling the pressure to conceptualize and organize. They generate opinions based on their consistent method of analysis as the thoughts push down from above in their Heads.

Undefined Minds aren’t sure what to think a lot of the time. They take in others’ views openly for consideration and are open to changing their perspective when a new idea makes more sense than what they’ve heard before. They won’t have an answer for you on the tip of their tongue, like when called upon in class or in a meeting to share. They need to take in perspectives and process external ideas to categorize them sensibly before taking them on for themselves.

The Throat

The Throat is our center for communication and expression. It is the instrument we use to express our creative energies out into the world. It is associated with the Thyroid and Parathyroid glands.

Defined Throats will have a consistent voice they’re generally ready to use to express themselves. Especially if the Throat is connected to the Mind above, they’ll be able to express their answers or opinions more readily than others. Defined Throats can typically be relied upon to speak up, speak out, and share messaging in a consistent way.

Undefined or Open Throats read the room through this magical voice instrument, effectively sampling the way others will be most likely to receive their messages. People with openness here are amazing at custom-crafting, internally, how they will deliver messages (in what tone, what volume, even which words) in order to be effectively heard and understood. Great speakers, actors and stage performers are often found to have Undefined/Open Throats.

The G-Center

The G-Center is where we get our sense of Self, our Identity, and our direction in life. It is associated with the liver and blood.

Defined G-Centers know darn sure who they are and where they’re headed. They have an inner knowing that tells them their life path and their identity.

Undefined/Open G-Centers have the capacity to morph, chameleon-like, into different personas, depending on who else is in their presence. They may complain of not knowing what their path in life is, or not knowing who they really are inside. The gift here is to remember that Source is guiding the open G, every step of the way. Trust is key. And listening to that guidance is super important.

The Heart Center

The Heart Center is responsible for will and motivation; it’s our ego and drive to prove ourselves worthy, and it gives us our sense of value; both for things in the material plane and for ourselves. It is associated with the human heart muscle.

Defined Hearts have a familiar sense of willpower and motivation in life. They know what they value and they know they’ve got nothing to prove.

Undefined or Open Hearts ask questions like, “Who am I even doing this for?!” and “Am I enough?” They take in others’ will and others’ egos and, too often, internalize them as their own. Which makes having the will to do a thing confusing and also very messy.

The Emotional Solar Plexus

The Emotional Solar Plexus (ESP) is where our emotions live. This is where our Big Feelings (and minor ones, too) get processed and expressed. *Emotions occur on a natural, cyclic wave of highs, lows and in-betweens.

This Center is associated with the nervous system.

Defined ESP’s are all-too-familiar with their emotions. They know darn well when they’re on an emotional high or low. And they’re the ones who probably cry during movies or even tear up over mushy commercials.

Undefined/Open ESP’s, conversely, don’t have a consistent relationship with feelings. They may furrow a brow when they see someone crying, unsure of how to react. Or they’ll offer a handful of peanuts to someone who’s in distress as opposed to offering them a tissue, which might be more appropriate.

Emotions for the Open ESP are absorbed and amplified, creating a funny, weird, unfamiliar feeling inside. But when that Sad Sam or Happy Hannah exits the room? The Open ESP’s big feelings exit along with them, and they can go back to feeling emotionally steady and stable.

The Sacral

The Sacral is the engine of life-force energy that regenerates as it’s experiencing joy. It revs when something is a hell-yes and stalls when something is a hard no, telling its owner whether to go for it or avoid at all costs. The Sacral is associated with the reproductive organs, pelvis and lower back.

The Defined Sacral experiences an inner, gut knowing in an instant as to whether something is a yes or a no. It gets more energized as it’s engaged in an activity that ‘lights it up’ and keeps revving its engine.

Conversely, the Undefined/Open Sacral must rely on other centers in the body, or other people in the room, for go-power. There is no consistent energy source here that provides constant life-force to non-Sacral beings. Nor is there an internal red light/green light. Open Sacrals have to build a relationship with other parts of their bodies to know what’s a sure-fire yay or a nay. And they conk out after some time, whether they’re doing an activity that’s fulfilling or not.

The Spleen

The Spleen is our oldest energy source, and it provides our animal instincts, like the fight-or-flight response. Having to do with safety, health, intuition and timing, it’s all about threats in our environment RIGHT NOW that could compromise our survival. It is associated with the lymph nodes and immune system.

Defined Spleens are very in-the-now; super aware of their surroundings and whether those surroundings are safe or threatening. They have a tight-knit relationship with time passing, as well as with their own health and fears.

But Undefined/Open Spleens aren’t super wedded to timelines, and they take in and boost other’s fears as if they were their own. Same with others’ ailments. Open Spleens are classic empaths: they feel what others feel, and in this way have a superpower of ‘knowing’ what others are facing. If you have that friend who calls to check on you because they just know something’s wrong when you happen to have a headache? They probably have an Open Spleen.

The Root

The Root Center is the second of two pressure centers (the other is the Head/Crown). It provides a pulsing, cyclic energy source that gives us the stress we need to Get Stuff Done. It is associated with the adrenal glands.

Defined Roots know the pressure they’re under. They know all too well the pulsing, pressurizing energy that’s required of them so they can adequately meet that deadline, finish that project, show up spiffy and clean for the event at the right time, or get dinner on the table ahead of the guests arriving. The Root supplies the right amount of stress for these folks to get ‘er done, whatever thing might need gettin’ done.

Undefined/Open Roots take in pressure from everywhere else. They’re constantly racing against time to rid themselves of this constant pressure that’s pushing up from the ground and into their every center.

They will bend over backward to multi-task in order to finish a thing, often to their own detriment. Too much stress and this person feels overwhelmed and anxious. Too little stress here and they may feel underutilized, not challenged, listless or even useless. Am imbalance of stress/pressure often creates depression, a signal that something here is definitely off.

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I hope this intro into the Centers gives you what you need to start making sense of how your Centers work and why you might (or might not) have the kind of energy you have.

The goal is always to align with how we’re built, so we are expressing our energy for its best, highest use.

Are you ready to dive into your chart to make sense of your Centers? Wondering whether you’re processing energy through your body the way it was meant to be processed?

Hit me up for a quick chat via email or book an Intro reading! Or if you’re already a few steps into understanding your Human Design, let’s go deep with a 90-minute In-Depth reading.

And make sure you’re subscribed to my e-newsletter so you can get announcements about upcoming healing packages that target each center with soul-soothing practices.

I can’t wait to help you step into your true gifts!