My Favorite Tool for Self-Reflection + Why It’ll Change Your Life
I still remember the first time I saw my Human Design chart. I’ve been a lifelong lover of astrology (and still am), but Human Design felt different. It was as if someone handed me a user manual for myself. Imagine sitting down and trying to read your car manual cover to cover (which I did attempt when I was 16 and trying to be a good car owner.) It’s not something that’s meant to be consumed all at once, but rather a tool to carry with you for the rest of your life. It’s a guide to help you along on this human experience which is why it’s my favorite tool for self-reflection. I’ve carried my chart with me for years, and I love to reference it when I feel stuck on something or just need validation. I love Human Design because it shows you that you are meant to be exactly as you are, and the details that make you unique are intentional. It’s helped me let go of so much judgment and shame I held onto and has been so powerful in helping me embrace what makes me unique and special.
What is Human Design?
Human Design is a system that helps you understand who you are and how you operate. It blends 5 systems: Astrology, Chakras, I Ching, Kabbalah, and Quantum Mechanics to create a unique map based on your birth time and place. Human Design was created with the intention to act as a tool for self-discovery, helping you understand how you’re meant to operate in the world. Over the years, Human Design has become more popular and widespread As a result, there’s an overwhelming amount of information available today.
If you’re just getting started, or you’re feeling overwhelmed, I breakdown my 3 favorite Human Design experts and why I like them here.
Human Design Will Change Your Life
I like to use my Human Design chart as my personal handbook. How would you live differently if you knew you could always refer back to your own user manual? What kind of risks might you take? My chart has been so helpful during times when I’ve felt especially stuck or confused. Every time I return to it, I leave with a deeper understanding of who I am and how I’m meant to evolve.
Human Design Can Validate What You Already Know To Be True
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve intuitively felt something, and then looked at my chart only to have it tell me the same thing about myself. I love that reassuring feeling of “yes, there’s a reason why I feel a certain way,” like my need to be by a coastline at all times (thanks to my shores environment).
You might not uncover life-changing surprises about yourself, but rather find comfort in knowing that what you’re experiencing is part of how you were designed. The reassurance and validation has helped me immeasurably and given me a deeper confidence in myself and how I move through the world.
Your Human Design Chart Acts As A Powerful Mirror
Often, the problem is not that we don’t know ourselves, it’s more that we are seeking permission to be our truest selves. I’ve experienced how powerful being seen and validated can be from both the client and mentor side. Human Design can be such a wonderful tool to reflect back what we already know about ourselves. I love using Human Design with clients. It brings me an immense amount of joy to use Human Design as a way to tell the story of who someone is and who they came here to become. If you’ve ever had the thought “I am this way, and I wonder why,” I recommend looking to your Human Design to fill in the blanks for you.
Human Design Can Help You Redirect And Refocus Your Energy
Human Design is a system that shows how energy moves through you. When you look at your chart visually, you can instantly see where you create energy and how it moves through your body. Whenever I get too wrapped up in what I “should” be doing or what’s worked for others, I come back to my Human Design chart. It helps me let go of the “shoulds” and honor my own unique way of being. I like the visual of floating with the current instead of swimming against it. Human Design can help you find that flow and help you let go of pushing through what’s not working for you.
How I Use My Human Design Chart When I’m Feeling Stuck
Your Personality Profile - Discover The Journey Your Soul Chose
Your Personality Profile in your chart shows you the journey you came here to experience. If you look at the placement of your numbers, you can find whether you’re here on a self journey or a service journey. If the first number is smaller than the second, then you came here to focus on you. You’re meant to be on a personal journey where the lens from which you see the world is through yourself. If the first number is larger, then you’re on a journey where you’re meant to be in service to others. All of the lessons and growth you experience are meant to be shared in some way, and this comes naturally to you.
The first line in your personality profile (the first number) is your conscious profile which is the part of you that you’re most likely to identify with. It’s those aspects of yourself that you naturally understand and resonate with. The second line (the second number) is your unconscious profile. This is the part of you that other people see clearly, but it might not be top of mind for you.
What do you notice when you look at your personality profile?
Which parts resonate, and which seem a little murky?
Your Environment - Find Where You’re Meant To Thrive
There are distinct environments in Human Design that help you understand where you are most naturally yourself. I’ve found this to be one of the most helpful aspects of my chart. You can use it to figure out what kind of geography would be best for you, but you can also use it to design your space in a more supportive way.
Vaness Henry has wonderful resources about environment on her blog and even creates season Enviroscopes for each unique Human Design environment.
Your Determination - Create A Schedule That Works For You
I had one of my biggest breakthrough moments when I looked at my Determination. I had always thought I needed space and no structure in order to be creative when my chart said the complete opposite. I thrive on consistency and routine, even in a creative space. This took me years to really understand, but now that I’ve implemented more structure to my creative projects and have a consistent routine to show up to them, I feel way more at ease and able to create.
You might be surprised when you learn your Determination. What shifts can you make to your week that would honor what your Determination says about you?
Using Your Human Design For Self-Reflection
I love to look at my Human Design and use it as a tool for self-reflection. Sometimes I’ll sit down and journal about it, asking myself what resonates most with me today. If I’m feeling out of sorts, I might look at my chart and take a moment to reflect on what I’ve been doing lately and how that works for or against my natural energy flow. It’s something you can come back to again and again, a steady force to anchor you as you continue to grow and evolve.
Human Design is truly such a powerful tool. I wanted to highlight a few key elements that I always come back to, but there’s so much more in your chart waiting to be discovered. If you want to learn more about your journey and how Human Design fits in, you can…
Work with me in The Shoreline Private Sessions
Learn about my favorite Human Design Experts and what I like about them
Use these journal prompts to connect with your intuition and receive guidance about how Human Design can help you
Kim Kogane is a writer and intuitive guide helping you navigate the tender in-between seasons. She lives in a 1930s brick tudor home in the Pacific Northwest with her dog, Cauchy, and three cats. Learn more about Kim.
