Analyst Tips: 8 Things to Do After Your First Foundation Analysis
Within Human Design, the Foundation Analysis is generally considered to be the first, tangible step along the journey to deconditioning and personal awareness. The information presented in this reading may have resonated on a level you may not fully appreciate right now, but one that has left you wanting to know more. Some may internalize this quickly, like those with Sacral Authority, while those with Lunar Authority will need a longer time to parse it. Regardless, this first step leads to the next and the next on an exciting, liberating journey that will span the rest of your life as we are all lifelong learners.
After having your first Foundation Analysis, there are several steps you can take to start living in alignment with your unique Design and practically apply your newfound knowledge to your life. At The Energence, our experiences with newcomers to Human Design, and even some seasoned learners, are that many people forget to experiment with their Design’s aspects. Human Design is a framework for experimentation and provides a structure for one to gradually awaken and differentiate as unique beings. For this reason, we emphasize a focus on the basics of your Design — sort of like trying some homework problems following the day’s lesson in class. In particular, individuals can use The System Workbook as an interactive way to internalize their learning and prompt them with deeper contemplation.
Understand Your Type. Human Design has five Types: Manifestors, Generators, Projectors, Reflectors, and Manifesting Generators. Each Type has its own unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. Understanding your Type will allow you to optimally operate in the world by aligning yourself with individuals, behaviors, careers, or other aspects that synergize with your overall modality. Often times, examining your Type can catalyze a life change long overdue. In the case of a Generator or Manifesting Generator, for example, learning about the Sacral response’s power can contextualize why they’ve encountered resistance in the past (e.g. initiating rather than responding). A Projector will instead learn why their earnest and good-willed efforts at helping others were seemingly rebuffed rather than accepted. Type is arguably the overall categorization for someone within Human Design and thus can be seen as the most basic of its components — everything starts with the basics.
Consider Your Aura. Your aura is the kind of energy you emit around yourself and it imperceptibly affects how you respond to others as well as how they respond to you. It is an important aspect of Human Design and intrinsically linked to your Type. In fact, these aura mechanics actually foment correct interactions that align with your Type’s modality. Essentially, if your Type is meant to respond then your aura fosters that kind of dynamic between you and the world. There are four main auras: Closed + repelling for a Manifestor, open + enveloping for a Generator and Manifesting Generator, direct + penetrating for a Projector, and experiential + sampling for a Reflector. Taking your aura into consideration when going about your life can help you understand how to best engage with others and how to communicate effectively in different circumstances.
Apply Your Strategy and Authority. The most common piece of advice you may hear from the Human Design community is to follow your Strategy and Authority. They are your right and left hands when confronting conditioning and clearing away the fog of confusion. Understanding your Type inevitably leads to your Strategy and then to your Authority; they are there to help you remain aligned with your Type and operate your energies correctly. Think of Strategy as the way you are meant to best encounter life and its opportunities, while Authority is the best way for you to make decisions based on that. For example, a Generator's Strategy is ‘to wait for a response’ before taking action, while a Manifestor's is ‘to inform’. Keep in mind that Authority can vary depending on one’s exact definition. The use of Strategy and Authority over time aids in the deconditioning process, helping you make better decisions and navigate life with more ease. The best part is that, while they would benefit from a more nuanced understanding, Strategy, Authority, and Type all do not really need an in-depth comprehension of one’s bodygraph or energetics. These three concepts are straightforward enough to allow for rudimentary experimentation to begin and are refined as one learns the subtle intricacies of their Design.
Experiment with Centers. Centers are the energetic nodes within your bodygraph and are defined, undefined, or wide-open. These nine centers determine where and how you emit conditioning energy or where and how you are susceptible to it. Again, there is a great deal of nuance that affects the exact operation of your centers, but at a superficial level they are simple enough to allow for basic experimentation. For example, while the exact kind of emotional wave a Defined Solar Plexus emits will differ, an individual can still begin to observe their mood swings and practice the patience necessary for allowing emotional waves to pass. Similarly, someone with a Wide-Open Heart Center can start to take notice of their tendency to overpromise and overcommit, finally being able to contextualize where and why these behaviors manifest. The understanding that comes from center-level experimentation will aid in the process of differentiating between that which is you and that which is not (i.e. inner authenticity versus external conditioning and social homogenization).
Explore Your Circuitry. Exploring the various activated gates and channels of one’s Design naturally follows and boosts one’s experimentation with centers. After all, gate activation is what leads to channel activation and potential center definition. The exact gates and channels that link your centers together determine the kind of Design configuration you have and tweak both the energies being emitted from your defined centers as well as the energies entering your undefined centers. For example, a specific gate in your bodygraph may indicate a natural talent for communication or a specific channel may indicate a Sacrally-boosted, Splenic intuition. Comprehending circuitry also allows one to better grasp the effects of the daily transits upon one’s energetics as well as why you may gravitate toward certain individuals or energies (i.e. bridging or electromagnetic gates). It can be difficult to learn and internalize circuity due to the sheer complexity from so many gates, channels, transits, centers, and more interacting with one another in a constant state of flux. Regardless, give yourself the time to learn them and accept that this stage of Design learning may take a great deal of time to properly learn, internalize, and apply in your life — and that is okay.
Lean into Your Profile. Human Design is not about changing who you are, but rather about understanding and accepting who you are. The Profile represents the duality that is within not only the world, but also within you. They are the two roles that together establish your energetic approach in life. For some, the roles can seem a bit abstract and difficult to apply, whereas for others they simply reaffirm an inner knowing now put into words. Regardless, embracing your Profile’s specifics will certainly assist in contextualizing how you optimally interact with others and further clarify your correct paths through life. Studying the specific modality of the 3rd Line Martyr, for example, can lead to an enlightenment over why things sometimes seem chaotic or may explain someone else’s stubborn need to experience things first-hand before they believe them. In a similar fashion, learning about the Hermit’s need for seclusion and ignorance of their own gifts may reassure your doubts or explain the reclusive tendencies of friends and family.
Connect and Share the Knowledge. Connecting with others who may share aspects your Design or just discussing things with others along their own deconditioning journeys are great ways to learn more about yourself, feel supported, and gain guidance. This can be done by joining online communities, attending local meetups, and most assuredly by working with an experienced Human Design practitioner. The Human Design System links all of us together through its valuable knowledge and the energetic medium of the universe. We are meant to interact, share, and grow together in our own unique ways.
Expand Your Knowledge. Understanding Human Design does not come from a one-time reading, but as a result of a lifelong journey of self-discovery and growth. As you continue to learn and differentiate, to refer back to your bodygraph to see how your understanding of yourself has evolved and appreciate the successes thus far. Being a lifelong learner requires quality sources for information about the System’s nuances as well as your Design or those of others. The System Guide is an great place to begin, as it’s a comprehensive and streamlined source of Human Design knowledge that provides readers with the broadest array of subject matter in a single book.
These eight steps are not the only ones you can take. Exploring the Four Transformations of the Variables, the Returns and Oppositions of your Design, and even your Incarnation Cross are all valid steps to take later on in your deconditioning process. Living in alignment with your Human Design bodygraph brings greater ease, joy, and fulfillment to your life. By understanding your unique Type, Strategy, Authority, Aura, centers, gates, channels, and Profiles you can start your exciting experimentation with the System. Remember to be kind and patient with yourself as you explore and integrate your Design. It’s a lifetime journey of self-discovery and differentiation — one that will ultimately bring you closer to your authentic and beautiful being.