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In this post, we’ll be exploring each of the eight possible authorities. So, if you don’t have your human design chart in front of you, I recommend you generate your free Personalized Human Design Report here. It will tell you your Human Design Authority so you can know which is yours as you’re reading through the post. I recommend you read about each of them as they’ll help you understand how yours works compared to others’.
First….
What It Means To Have an Inner Authority
You, like all of us, have been conditioned by society to look outside of yourself for direction in life: to follow and trust outer authorities instead of yourself. This could be a parent, teacher, guidance counselor, mentor, coach, spiritual practice, etc..
You’ve also been conditioned to use your mind to make decisions by “figuring out the most logical and safe option” through strategies, pros and cons lists, etc.
And in both of those cases, you’re giving your power away, either to someone or something outside of you OR to the logic and strategies and beliefs you’ve learned about yourself and the world, about who you “should” be.
You’ve been conditioned to give your power away in exchange for a sense of safety, acceptance, and approval by society. You’ve been conditioned to suppress your fullest, most vibrant expression in order to fit social norms.
“Raise your hand and wait your turn.”
“Be polite. Mind your manners.”
“You’re embarrassing us!”
“Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
“Can’t you be more like _____?”
“Man up.”
“Act like a lady.”
For most, perhaps for you, it wasn’t acceptable or perhaps even safe to be fully expressed growing up. In some way, you were told it wasn’t correct to be fully you, which was painful. And so you slowly learned and chose belief systems that helped you prevent that pain. You learned how to be so that you could feel more accepted and loved.
And you stopped following your Inner Authority. You started looking outside of you for cues of how to be, what choices to make, etc in order to navigate this world and be accepted and approved of. Your Inner Authority, the cutting clarity that you see in every child before its conditioned out of them, suddenly became too dangerous and painful to follow.
Even though it’s the most natural thing in the world to follow.
Kids know what they want and what they don’t want. They don’t overthink it. But as you get older, you learn to “be polite”, “follow the rules”, and conform. And you start to ignore that cutting clarity and follow logic and strategy and social cues instead.
And it’s in those moments you unknowingly give your power away.
And when you act without clarity, without alignment, and without slowing down for a moment to tap back into that instinctual, intuitive body knowing that is uniquely yours, then you’re going to make decisions from your mind.
But, by this point, your mind has become littered with belief systems and strategies you’ve learned to conform in order to be safe and earn approval. To protect yourself from pain. And, in this way, as amazing as your mind is, it’s not designed to make decisions.
And so you inadvertently use logic to suppress your own power.
Your Human Design Inner Authority is the map to taking that power back.
It will help you remember how to tap into that clarity you were born with, the deep knowing in your bones, an inarguable Truth that is yours and needs no external validation. It is the Truth of your body.
It’s time to take your power back and remember how to listen to that clarity. And then to follow and trust it so you create your own safety, so you never again need to give your power away in exchange for society providing safety.
It will take some practice to break out of some of these habits, belief systems, and behavior patterns. But, with time, you’ll align back to your nature, which is to trust yourself and your knowing.
So let’s talk about how your Human Design Authority can do that.
There are eight different Human Design Authorities. And we’re going to go through each one. Your Human Design Authority is how you’re uniquely designed to listen to the signals of your body, aura, and intuition in order to make decisions based on a Truth that is beyond logic. Your body, nervous system, and auric field is gathering the information from the Quantum Information field all around you and, through your Human Design Authority, it’s giving you a clear answer about any decision: “Yes” or “No”.
It isn’t filtering the decision through the learned belief systems, fears, and protection patterns of the mind. You just need to practice listening and trusting your Authority. And that looks a little different depending on which Human Design Authority you have.
The Emotional Authority
If you have the Solar Plexus Center (the triangle at the bottom right of the chart) defined in your chart, that means you have an Emotional Authority.
If you don’t know what it means for a center to be defined or open, read this post to understand defined vs. open centers.
When you have an emotional authority, you’re going to experience something called the emotional wave any time you have a decision to make.
For any big decision, the wave will start off with very high highs and very low lows. You may be very excited about an opportunity and think, “This is what I’ve been waiting for!” or “This is going to be the thing that finally gets me noticed!” or “This is the partner I’ve always dreamed of!”. But then, the very next day, you may think, “But what if it doesn’t work out?” as fear, anxiety, and worry sets in.
For those with an Emotional Authority, it’s normal to go through these waves. In fact, the Emotional Wave is an energetic intelligence that is gathering information about how the decision feels at various points of the wave. The wave gets smaller and smaller and smaller over time until it comes to stillness and you arrive at Emotional Clarity. This is the moment where the answer suddenly seems very clear and all the confusion you were feeling is suddenly gone.
Let this be a weight off your shoulders! The only thing you have to do is NOT make a decision while in the wave.
The wave can last anywhere from minutes to months, depending on the size of the decision. And, your mind is probably used to trying to make sense of the wave and figure out the answer while you’re in it. This is wasted energy. So the practice, if you have this Authority, is to build your capacity to be in the highs and lows without buying into the stories of your mind and trying to figure it out. And to wait until the Emotional Wave is complete.
Get very comfortable letting others know “you’ll need to sleep on it” and give yourself plenty of time and spaciousness to make a decision.
The Sacral Authority
If you don’t have the Solar Plexus center defined and you DO have the Sacral center defined (the red square second from the bottom of the chart), then you have a Sacral Authority.
This is the center of life force, energy, and sexuality. It’s the pure life force energy that fuels action and you have a consistent flow of it you can count on. That doesn’t mean you should say “Yes” to everything. You can deplete this energy if you start directing it towards too many projects and relationships that aren’t correct for you. But, if you say “Yes” to only the opportunities and relationships that your Sacral Response is a “Yes” for, then you’ll always wake up with the same consistent energy supply.
So how do you follow your Sacral Response? Great question. The Sacral Response originated about three fingers below your belly button. It is an intelligent energetic experience that is different than your emotional experience. It has no emotional energy. So you could be experiencing excitement emotionally while your Sacral is sayiing “No”. You could also be experiencing fear emotionally while your Sacral is saying “Yes”. So it’s important to be able to distinguish between the emotional experience in your body and the Sacral Response. This could take some practice to feel when the Sacral is saying “Yes” and when it’s saying “No”
The Sacral Yes
The experience of the Sacral “Yes” is as if energy is rising up the front of your body towards your chest from three fingers below your belly button. It’s almost as if the energy is jumping up at the opportunity or relationship. If you say “Yes” to this opportunity, you will be left more energized and you will be satisfied with the impact you can have using your natural abilities and energy.
The Sacral No
The experience of the Sacral “No” is a contracting in three fingers below your belly button. It’s almost as if the energy is trying to hide from the opportunity or relationship. It can be uncomfortable, like a cramp or just a subtle energetic experience. This is letting you know that as exciting as the opportunity may or may not seem, there’s something your mind isn’t aware of. And, if you say “Yes”, you’ll end up drained, depleted, and frustrated, unable to utilize your energy well.
Your Sacral will ONLY say “Yes” to opportunities that are correct for you AND that you have enough energy for at this time. So, if you have a habit of saying “Yes” to everything and depleting yourself, then you’re not going to have enough energy for the right opportunities when they come your way and your Sacral will say, “No” to them. If you then ignore that “No” and try to force your way through the opportunity, it won’t end up going well and you’ll deplete yourself even more.
Always trust your Sacral and rest when you get a “No”. Another equal or better opportunity will come when your rested and recuperated back to full energy. If you’re an over-committer and people pleaser, this is the first cycle to break.
The Splenic Authority
If you don’t have either the Solar Plexus or Sacral defined and you DO have the Splenic Center defined (triangle to the bottom le ft of chart), then you have a Splenic Authority. This is the center of instincts, intuition, health, and survival.
Unlike the Sacral Response which responds energetically to a stimulus it’s experiencing from the outside, this is a cutting clarity that is immediate, cutting through thoughts and emotions. For example, if you’re trying to decide on a new house, the Sacral Authority will need to actually go to the house to feel it and respond. The Splenic Authority will know immediately when looking at pictures of it.
The Splenic Authority is often hard for those with it to describe and doesn’t always have a body sensation associated with it. It’s often described as a full body or Auric knowing.
Just know that this immediate intuitive clarity needs to be listened to immediately. It is only true in the moment. It could be completely different in ten minutes time. And your thoughts and emotions will always be right behind it, having you doubt what you know.
Ego-Projected Authority
If you don’t have any centers defined below the Ego Center (the small triangle in the center of the chart), then you have an Ego Authority. There are two kinds of Ego Authority: Ego-Projected and Ego-Manifested. If you have the ego center connected to your G Center (the yellow diamond center of identity and direction) through channel 51-25, then you are Ego-Projected.
For you, the consistent energy you can count on is your willpower as the Ego Center is the center of the material world, money, self-worth, and willpower. BUT, it’s not the willpower as society usually defines it. This doesn’t mean you’re designed to force your way through life and “make it happen” through willpower even when you’re exhausted.
True willpower is an energetic intelligence that isn’t always on. It turns on and off. So it will be important for you to develop a sensitivity to know when your willpower is actually on in your body. This can take some practice, especially if you are used to just pushing forward no matter what, which is what society has taught so many of us to do.
The key is to act only when your willpower is actually active and to rest when it isn’t. And, with this connection to the G Center, it’s important to move with aligned action in the correct direction, trusting the energy of y0ur willpower to guide you and let you know when it’s time to rest. With this connection to the G center, you’re here to shock yourself and others out of their comfort zone into a new direction. Or if not a new direction, a true direction, not the direction of the mind but the direction of Truth guided by this intelligent willpower.
It’s really about using your willpower to be an example of what it looks like to live at the edge of a comfort zone and to to kind of be that example that shocks other people out of theirs.
This isn’t about working all day, every day. This is about noticing the energy when it’s there and acting on it fully. It’s a spark of energy driving you towards this action or this thing or this conversation. And when it’s not doing so, it’s time to rest and not force anything.
Ego-Manifested Authority
When you have your Ego Center connected to your Throat Center (the square towards the top of your chart) and no centers below the Ego defined, then you are an Ego-Manifested Authority. The Throat Center is the center of expression and manifestation so this is more about using your willpower to manifest things into form through expression of your gifts and talents, verbally and otherwise.
Similar to Ego-Projected, it’s important to be aware of when your willpower is on and when it’s off.
Self-Projected Authority
If you don’t have any centers below your G Center (the diamond at the center of your chart) defined, then you are a Self-Projected Authority. Since the centers below the G aren’t defined, you won’t have one consistent way of experiencing your Authority in your body. You won’t have a consistent Sacral Response or a consistent way of interpreting intuition or a consistent emotional experience or consistent willpower.
This isn’t a problem or a bad thing as no design is better than another. It’s just important to align to your unique design. The G Center is the center of identity and direction. And so the Self-Projected Authority is one of hearing your own direction and identity projected out through your voice. This is because, since no centers are defined below your G Center, your G Center has to be defined through a connection to your Throat.
So, it’s important for you to listen for Truth when you speak. It’s important to listen to what you say in the Now… the present moment. This doesn’t mean to just speak outloud what you’re thinking. It means to speak outloud until the words are no longer coming from your mind but emerging from somewhere beyond the logical thinking of the mind.
This is about speaking your truth and hearing what you say. And this isn’t about speaking what you’re thinking, you might start off that way. But it’s about letting the words come out of your mouth, not from a mental place. And when you just get into the flow of talking, and you get past what your mind is thinking, then you’re going to hear truth you’re going to hear and it’s gonna have a different frequency.
These words, when they are your Truth, will sound almost arrogant to you. And you might not want to follow them because you don’t want to be arrogant. But they aren’t arrogant. They are your Truth. This is your Inner Authority being spoken outloud. And you won’t be able to hear it in your mind. So talk things through with friends. And get into a habit of speaking into a voice recorder. Talk long enough so you’re no longer talking to the mind and listen for that frequency of Truth.
Environmental Authority
If you don’t have any centers defined below the Throat, you are an Environmental Authority. Your lowest defined center may be the Throat Center or it may be the Ajna Center. If you generated your chart somewhere other than my website, it may have listed your Authority as “None”. This is because you technically don’t have an Authority that you can experience within your body or expressing from your body. There just isn’t a consistent energy flow that you could always count on like the other Authorities.
So your Authority is Environmental, meaning that it’s really important you find the right Environment where you’re recognized for who you are, your gifts and talents, etc. In the right environment, you’ll feel seen and appreciated.
This is the most important decision you can make. And if you have an Environmental Authority, it’s even more important that you focus on following your Strategy (if you haven’t already, download your free Human Design Report here to find out about your Strategy, Profile, Type, Authority, and more). Following your Strategy will help you find the right environment.
Your environment will inform you as to whether you’re on the right track or not. Once you’re in the right environment, everything else is easy. Also, with this Authority, it’s almost as if you’re looking at life from above. Through all of your open centers, you’re truly experiencing a wide variety of Life experiences and you can see what works and what doesn’t depending on various circumstances. This helps you understand a wide variety of people and makes you a great guide.
Lunar Authority
If you have a lunar authority, it means all of your centers are undefined (white). And it means you’re a Reflector Type. Because you don’t have any part of you that operates in a consistent way, you’re reflecting everything that’s happening around you. You’re actually reflecting the collective and you’re reflecting what’s happening in the collective. So while most people have a day cycle, you actually operate on a month cycle: the lunar cycle a month. You do have a consistent experience of Life over the course of a month as the Moon travels through all the 64 gates. This gives you a wider perspective, a bigger view. So be careful not to compare yourself to others. And be as patient as possible with yourself with making decisions. Whenever possible, especially for bigger decisions, let yourself take the full Lunar cycle of 28 days to make a decision. This allows you to feel the decision all possible perspectives as the Moon activates various parts of your chart in a consistent manner throughout the month. By the end of the month, the answer will be clear.
With smaller decisions, you won’t always have 28 days. And for this reason, similar to the Environmental Authority, the first and most important decision to make is what Environments you’ll spend most of your time. When you’re in the right environment, everything will become easier.
And let yourself be pleasantly surprised by life. Notice if you’re wishing your life were more consistent and allow yourself to be delighted by all the various viewpoints and experiences you get to have.
When you let go of that pressure on yourself and start giving yourself more spaciousness for decisions, you’re going to see a lot more ease in your life.
Be Patient and Gentle With Yourself and This Process
Those are all the Authorities of Human Design. If you have any questions, please comment or reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help. And just a couple closing thoughts.
If this is the first time you’re hearing about your Authority or you’re just getting used to following it in Life, be patient with yourself. You’ve been conditioned for years to trust the logic and perceived safety of your mind. And you’re breaking that habit.
Your Authority will often guide you in directions that your mind will deem illogical. It will guide you outside of your comfort zone. This is because it is your Truth, uniquely yours and inarguable. Yet the comfort zone you created was created from approximated beliefs you learned over the years that were far from your Truth. So, this can be quite scary for your mind. Take small steps outside of your comfort zone at first. And be gentle when you default to letting your mind run the show. Just bring awareness and acceptance to the process. And, with time, you’ll be able to follow your Authority with more and more ease.
And don’t get stuck in the trap of wishing you had a different Authority. No Authority is better than another. Each Authority can create the same amount of abundance, intimacy, peace, and impact. It just takes you aligning fully to it and operating as you’re uniquely designed to.
The faster you let go of resistance to your Authority and begin to practice it, the more ease and joy you’ll experience in Life.
If this post resonated with you, I invite you to join the “Human Design Applied” Facebook Group where you’ll find support and inspiration to embody your Human Design, align to your truth, and trust yourself like never before!
I would love for you to take a few moments to download your free Personalized Human Design Report below. It contains even more specific information about your Authority. And, it contains much more about your unique design: your Type, Strategy, and Profile – as well as specific tips to help you implement it into your life immediately.
Human Design is a bridge from mind to body.
The leaders that will thrive in the constant and rapid change of the Age of AI are those that can navigate the unknown with confidence, by following your inner compass, and help their teams do the same.
This report gives you a map to how to listen to the wisdom of your body, to the 100,000,000 neurons of your gut and 40,000 neurons of your heart.
The Phoenix System is designed to help you bring awareness to unconscious leadership patterns left over from the Industrial and Information Ages. They block true innovation and creativity that can emerge when staying poised instead of reacting to fears and the whims of your mind.