I’ve spent over a decade in therapy, four years with a daily meditation practice, and two years in heavy spiritual study. In that time, I discovered much about my shadows, wounds, and potential. I also uncovered wisdom about listening to my intuition and aligning with my flow state.

But it took years of trial and error.

About nine months ago, I stumbled across Human Design and pulled up my “chart,” and what I saw was the knowledge I had learned through years of deep inner exploration written in black and white.

It provided a blueprint for how to “operate” me in a concrete and tangible way — validating issues I’d spent years struggling to understand and pinpointing strengths I have newly uncovered. It’s not that healing and inner work aren’t still absolutely necessary, but Human Design provided a map to the heart of the wounds I’d spent years slowly piecing together.

So, what the hell is Human Design? 

Human Design weaves together western astrology with several other divination systems, including the I-Ching, the Kabbalah Tree of Life, and the Hindu Brahman Chakra System, to create a guidebook for understanding and using your astrological influences in your embodied, lived experience.

In his book “Human Design: Discovering the Person You Were Born to Be,” Chetan Parkyn explains it this way: “[Human Design] is a system that takes the torch from astrology and carries it to the next level, providing both an accurate guide for life and a self-assessment device.”

Energy Type

The first thing you learn in Human Design is your Energy Type, because your Energy Type is the element that organizes the rest of your chart. It is the mechanics of your aura; the lens through which all your unique light particles shine.

Once you know your Energy Type, you will also know your “Strategy,” or how you operate most effectively with your unique energetic patterning. Your Strategy gives you information on how you can move through the world and interact with others with the least resistance.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

There are five Energy Types, and each type has a distinct feeling or frequency. It’s not about personality per se. For example, you can have introverts or extroverts of any Type. And people within the same Energy Type can vary vastly in terms of what they enjoy, how they relate, and what they do for work. Instead, Energy Type describes how others feel around you, the way you interface with the world at an energetic level.

Find Your Energy Type

If you haven’t already, you can get a free Human Design chart and find your Energy Type here. After you input your birth data, your “Type” will be listed seven lines down on the page’s left-hand side, right under “Age.” And knowing your Type will make the following description infinitely more interesting.

After you learn your Energy Type, I highly suggest finding out the Energy Types of the people closest to you. It will give you context for understanding this fascinating concept. You will start to see how people of the same Type may have vastly different presentations. Still, they will have a similar frequency or quality to them.

1.   Manifestors: The Lit Match

Manifestors are here to initiate. Their purpose is to start shit and get people on board.

If you were starting a fire, Manifestors would be the lit match.

Manifestors are the only Type that can start ventures on their own. They can decide what to do without external input and go about doing it without needing external cues or invitations. However, Manifestors may not realize how this go-it-alone vibe might affect others. Thus, informing the people around them what they are planning to do is an essential skill for a Manifestor to learn.

Manifestors are here to express themselves and launch their inspiration into action. Yet this Energy Type doesn’t have consistent access to life force energy, so they must include others to do the nuts and bolts of building out what they’ve initiated.

People are drawn to Manifestors because they have that spark of initiating power. But they are often confused by this, because they likely feel more inclined to work independently. They usually don’t understand why people should care what they are doing.

Their aura is more closed or opaque than the other Types. That is why part of their necessary Strategy is to inform others, so that other people can feel included in their lives and decisions. Without the skill of telling others what they are doing, the people around them may feel bulldozed or neglected. A Manifestor often needs to develop the awareness that even though the decision seems obvious to them, it is coming from a purely internal place. Hence, it is necessary to tell others of their next move to get them on board. Informing can be challenging for Manifestors, who often worry that others are trying to limit or control them. If they feel boxed in by life or the people around them and cannot initiate what they desire, they can experience deep anger.

These initiators are a relatively rare Energy Type and comprise only about 8% of the population. But for reference, some famous Manifestors include Gloria Steinem, Al Gore, Paul McCartney, and Maya Angelou.

2.   Generators: The Firewood

Generators are here to attain mastery in any area of life that they are passionate about. With steady, consistent life force energy, these folks build knowledge, skill, or structure from beginning to end.

In this fire analogy, the Generator would be the thick logs that sustain the fire for hours.

These beings have a warm and enveloping aura or energy field around them. When they are passionate about something, they magnetize others towards them, for Generators are here to respond to others and life. It’s not that they can’t start things. It’s that, unlike Manifestors, they need something outside of them to respond to. They need external cues to direct them towards the things that they start.

Then they need to feel if that idea or task or person is a gut-level, “hell yes” for them. If they commit to things that are not a gut-level, yes, they can become frustrated and burn out. Because once they commit themselves, they have a tough time reversing that commitment and can wear themselves to the ground trying to fulfill obligations that weren’t a gut-yes for them. Just because Generator Types have consistent energy does not mean their power should be spent willy-nilly. Their life force energy should be “spent” on people, projects, and tasks that light them up.

These builders are the bedrock of society and make up about 37% of the population. Generators are powerhouses and can wield massive influence. Famous examples of Generators include Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, The Dalai Lama, Muhammad Ali, and Beyoncé.

3.   Manifesting Generators: The Kindling

Manifesting Generators (or MGs) are here to find shortcuts to mastery. These are the only hybrid Type. They are similar to Generators in a lot of ways but with some key Manifestor-like differences.

Like Generators, Manifesting Generators have consistent access to life force energy. They also have a warm, enveloping aura that magnetizes people to them when they live in alignment with what ignites their passion. Because of their similar aura or energy field, they are also here, like the Generator, to respond to life.

But unlike Generators, their pace is not steady. MGs move mostly at warp speed or not at all. They are like the kindling that sparks brightly and ignites quickly, for they are a hybrid type with a bit of the Manifestor in them. Once they respond, they will need to test out whatever they respond to by visualizing it or experiencing it for a short while before getting their final intuitive knowing. If it is a gut-level, “hell yes,” after sampling this experience, they know that they truly have the energy for whatever they are responding to.

Yes, Manifesting Generators move fast, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they finish first. Because they move so quickly and skip steps, they often have to reevaluate and fix the critical elements they overlooked. And due to this fast pace, it can be challenging for MGs to slow down and wait for something to respond to. They can feel pressure to be a Manifestor and initiate. Or they can jump the gun and say yes to things that don’t light them up or that they don’t have energy for. If they fall into either of these traps, they will experience frustration and anger.

Manifesting Generators are the second most common Type. Thirty-three percent of the population are MGs. And some famous examples of Mani-Gens include Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Mother Teresa, George Lucas, and Angelina Jolie.

4.   Projectors: Fanning the Flames

Projectors are here to direct and guide the other Energy Types. They are the newest energy type, here to be our future leaders.

Like Manifestors, Projectors don’t have consistent life force energy. They are not here to be the worker bees. Instead, they are here to show the hive how to create honey most efficiently. These types are like the tool you would use to fan the flames of the campfire you’re building.

Projectors have a penetrating aura, meaning that they see through people’s surface masks easily and quickly get to the heart of the matter. That is why they need to wait to be seen, acknowledged, and then invited into someone’s energy. If they try to provide their wise analysis without being asked, others tend to ignore them. And this dynamic of being chronically overlooked leaves Projectors with a very understandable propensity for bitterness.

Finding out you’re a Projector can be a huge relief. Most Projectors have known that their energy needs are different from others, but not understood why. If you are a Projector, you are the future; you are ushering the rest of us into a new paradigm of work and life. Start to examine the cultural conditioning that says you “should” have the same energy level as Generator Types. You are so valuable, and your wisdom is so needed. We need you to show up as you.

Projectors make up about 21% of the population. You may think it would be hard to find famous Projectors, but they are already making their presence known. Barack Obama, Cardi B, JFK, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, and Mick Jagger are all Projectors.

5.   Reflectors: The Smoke

Reflectors are here to do just that — reflect. With absolutely no centers defined in their chart, they are the ultimate empaths.

This Type feels and absorbs the health and vitality of the people and environment around them. They are the smoke rising from the campfire, revealing the strength of the blaze.

Reflectors are the mirrors, and reveal to others their gifts and challenges just by existing. Because they absorb so much and have no natural life force energy, they need plenty of time to rest. Without the consistency of any defined centers, it is also helpful for this Type to attune to the lunar cycle and wait about 28 days to make any big decisions in their life. When they make decisions in alignment with their energy, they will feel pleasantly surprised, but if pressured or swayed to make decisions not in alignment, they can end up disappointed.

Because of their innate openness, their health is greatly affected by the people, environment, and energy around them. Thus, this Type needs to be incredibly picky about the settings and people they choose to spend time in and with.

Reflectors are the rarest Type and make up only about 1% of the population. Richard Burton, Sandra Bullock, H.G. Wells, and Dostoyevsky are all Reflectors.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that no Energy Type is “better” or “worse” than another. Each has its challenges and gifts. And each Energy Type is needed to complete the “campfire”. What matters is that you are living as you. Tapping into your natural energy flow expands your personal power and opens you up to a whole new way of life.

There is so much more to learn about your Human Design. Your energy is a complex system, and your aura’s mechanics is only one part of that system. Dive deeper, discover more, and experiment with living your design.

About the Author:

Lisa (she/her) is an intuitive embodiment coach and Human Design guide. She is passionate about helping you reclaim your unique design so that you can live in a way that aligns with your energetic makeup and awaken to the power of being you. Learn more about her work and current offerings at lisaagreene.com.