How to read your Human Design chart

A Human Design chart (BodyGraph) looks intimidating at first glance — geometric shapes, gates, channels, planetary symbols. The reading order is what makes it tractable: there's a fixed sequence that classical practitioners follow, and once you know it, every chart becomes legible.

1. Step 1

   Identify your Type

   Look at the top-right of your chart. Your Type is one of five: Manifestor, Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, or Reflector. Type tells you how you exchange energy with the world. ~70% of people are Generators or Manifesting Generators.

   Example

   If your chart says "Generator", you are designed to wait to respond rather than initiate.

2. Step 2

   Read your Strategy

   Strategy is the correct way for your Type to engage with life. Generators wait to respond. Manifesting Generators respond + inform. Projectors wait for invitations. Manifestors inform before acting. Reflectors wait a lunar cycle (~28 days) for major decisions.

3. Step 3

   Identify your Authority

   Authority is where your decisions come from — body sensation, emotional clarity, intuition, lunar timing, etc. There are 7 possible authorities. Yours appears below your Strategy. The most common is Sacral (Generators). Emotional authority requires sleeping on it; you cannot decide in the moment.

4. Step 4

   Note your Profile

   Profile is two numbers (e.g. 1/3, 5/1) shown near the top of the chart. The first number is your conscious Personality line; the second is your unconscious Design line. There are 12 possible profiles, each with a distinct life pattern around learning and relating.

5. Step 5

   Read defined centres

   The 9 geometric shapes in the body of the chart are Centres. Coloured-in centres are "defined" (consistent energy you broadcast); white centres are "open" (you absorb and amplify others' energy here). Defined centres are your fixed identity; open centres are where you take in conditioning.

6. Step 6

   Trace your channels

   Lines connecting two coloured centres are "channels" — they activate via specific gate combinations. Each channel is a permanent theme in your life. Channels are usually the most useful starting point for translating "what does this design DO for me in practice?"

7. Step 7

   Note transits later

   Transits (the current planetary positions activating gates in your chart) come AFTER you understand your fixed design. New readers should ignore transits for the first ~6 months and focus on living their Strategy + Authority correctly first.