So you’ve had your Human Design Foundation Reading, and it resonated with you, perhaps deeply. You feel there’s something to this knowledge, and you’re interested in learning more, but what to do? The more I work with people in the early stages of the process, the more often I see this question come up.
The Foundation Reading is the entry point for exploring Human Design as a path of awakening to one’s true self and purpose in this life. The amount of information conveyed in the average session can be overwhelming for many people. Yet, it often feels deeply familiar and like a confirmation of what we already know to be true.
Depending on the person, their design, and how they process things, the initial transmission will probably take some time to really sink in. Someone with an Emotional authority will need time to follow their wave and see how they feel about the knowledge over time. A Splenic authority may know the truth of it in the moment and yet still need to follow their moment-by-moment awareness.
At some point, if you decide to move forward with the system, you will be presented with several options. Which of these is right for you will, of course, depend on your particular design, process, and interests.
Self-study and experimentation
A significant amount of self-study and experimentation is necessary for everyone. This is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. Human Design is a lived path of awakening. If the knowledge stays in the mind without being put into daily practice, there is a good chance it will be filed among all the other teachings, systems, and knowledge available in our highly connected, information-rich society and end up no more than a curiosity.
Experimentation with Strategy and Authority is the entry point for breaking free of mental decision-making patterns and moving toward greater alignment with form consciousness. It’s the way out, the Alpha and Omega in this world of form, and something we can always come back to, no matter where we are in the process of our lives.
If you’re inclined to self-study, a good place to start would be Jovian Archive. This is Ra Uru Hu’s family-run organization, which offers a wide range of free resources and learning materials. Here are two of my favorite introductory books on the system: The Definitive Book on Human Design by Ra Uru Hu and Lynda Bunnell, and the Human Design System by Peter Schoeber.
Personal Coaching
For many, the Foundation Reading isn’t enough. While it’s the entry point, it may raise even more questions as the knowledge begins to digest and permeate our being. Booking a series of personal coaching sessions with an analyst or guide can be a great way to move forward in the deconditioning process. These could be weekly or monthly one-on-one sessions where you meet to discuss your lived experience, navigate the issues, and share observations and realizations that come up with someone who may be a little further down the road of experimentation.
Cycles, Partnership, and Incarnation Cross
Another way to go deeper into the experiment with knowledge is to examine how the planets influence our experience through the major cycles in our lives. The Human Design Rave/Solar Return is a good place to start, as it reveals the year’s energetic themes based on the Sun’s return to the position it occupied at birth. This occurs each year on our birthday, and the Solar Return chart provides a map of the year’s conditioning influences. Being aware of these themes can help us navigate the program from a more centered and aligned place, so we can engage with what is right for us.
The other major cycles include the Saturn Return around age 28, when we begin to move into adulthood and our unique purpose in life, and the Uranus Opposition around 42, when we move into the second half of our life. The Chiron Return at 50 often represents the full flowering of life, where we complete the movement into adulthood started around 28 and have the potential to express our purpose fully. The Chiron Return is especially important for those with strong 6th-line themes, and it is the time when the 6th-line Role Model comes off the roof and fully re-emerges into the world.
Partnership or Connection Readings are a fascinating area of the system. In a Partnership session, we look at who each person is and what each brings to the relationship. We create a third BodyGraph representing the relationship itself, showing how both people come together, influence each other, and fix each other. It shows the themes of attraction and the challenges inherent in the relationship, and can be a very helpful means of awareness in any relationship.
The Incarnation Cross Reading is usually reserved for those who have been experimenting with their Strategy and Authority for at least a couple of years. The Incarnation Cross describes the unique purpose we are here to express in its totality. If we are truly living as ourselves, we begin to step into this purpose around the time of our Saturn Return, and the Incarnation Cross Reading can help bring awareness to this unfolding.
Four Transformations
Human Design provides a step-by-step path to support the differentiated body and form consciousness, align with one’s correct environment and seeing, and ultimately to the full expression of self and the life you are here to live. This approach is known as “The Four Transformations,” which are based on a deeper reading of one’s design, including PHS (Dietary Regimen), correct Environment, View/Perspective, and Motivation. In these sessions, the analyst will go through each transformational step, exploring one’s unique design within the context of their life and direct experience. Note: an exact or rectified time of birth is needed for this work.
Formal Classes and Training
The Living Your Design course offered by the Human Design Collective is created for this very purpose. It’s the first of the “Foundation Courses” and the starting point for all formal training in the Human Design System. It is often taught as a series of weekly online classes in a group format, though you can sometimes find someone offering it over a weekend in a more immersive format. Some may feel like the information presented in the Living Your Design course (Centers, Authorities, and Types) is too basic for them, but I’ve found and heard from others that the value of this experience is easily underestimated. There is something about going through this process with a trained guide and a group of other explorers that can be deeply transformative as you go deeper into your process with this knowledge.
Many of the schools and groups offering Human Design education foster interaction, practice, study, and exchange through student forums. This can be a natural way to find colleagues and friends who become allies in your own exploration. The Human Design Collective does this by providing a private online community for shared study, live meetups, and forum posts, so students can connect during and after completing courses. IHDS, Human Design America, and the BG5 Institute also offer student forums to connect, share assignments, and comment on the experience.
Many schools and teachers worldwide offer Human Design training for personal and professional development. We are often asked whom we recommend for classes. In short, we suggest following what resonates most with you as you listen to or read the material from different teachers. There are many offerings available, making it possible to find the teachers and schedules that work for you.
What to do?
Like everything else in Human Design, following your Strategy and Inner Authority will ultimately guide you in choosing the path that is right for you. Experimenting with and trusting your internal response and awareness can lead you to the people you are designed to connect with in ways a mental assessment cannot. Take your time and embrace the potential of this radical and highly unique path of awakening as your life begins to open up and unfold in magical ways.
If you haven’t had a Human Design Foundation reading, please see Amy Lee’s offerings at Holiatry.com and John Cole’s offerings at Metamorphic Systems to learn more.
