If you have grown up in the Western tradition - it’s likely that you knowingly or unknowingly subscribe to mind-body dualism. Descartes’ famous maxim “I think therefore I am” permeates Western philosophy and life. It’s significant because our world would be very different today if he had said “I feel therefore I am” or “I perceive therefore I am”. Mind-body separation is the idea that the mind and body are two distinct entities. In the extreme dualism can create a sense of detachment from your body, but really your body and mind are two parts of a whole. Cartesian dualism also values rationality often over and above emotions and intuition. We feel this as pressure to become more logical, whether that’s aligned for us or not, leading people to withdraw from their emotions and intuition, we cut ourselves off from our ability to feel our bodies and understand the signals.
Enter Human Design. Now while human design still operates in the paradigm of cartesian logic it allows for a new way to understand the role of the body & mind. Human Design suggests that our minds - the pinnacle of the cartesian phase - should not be used on ourselves. What I mean by this is that your brain, the thing that generates the experience of thinking - is not in charge of you. We all know that your mind is not only who you are. When you experience intrusive or random thoughts it can feel alienating especially if your thoughts worry you, but once you deal with whatever was troubling you in the first place the intrusive thoughts disappear. Your mind is a tool, just like your legs are tools for walking and your eyes are tools for seeing. Okay, so if everything about me has a specific function what is the function of the mind and where do 'I' sit? Human Design states that your mind, your ability to perceive and react is for navigating the complex world we live in. In other words, your mind deals with problems out there, it deals with going to the post office, passing your driving test, helping others and impacting the world.
Currently, we want to use our minds for everything when actually it's a really specific tool. If you use a hammer to attempt to solve all your problems, from fixing the kitchen sink to fixing a fight with your partner, you'd realise pretty quickly one was more successful than the other. Your mind is powerful but it’s not meant as the final arbiter for all of your decisions, for the majority of us, it’s the energetic integration between mind and body that can show us how to live our unique path. Human Design helps us value our bodies' intelligence again. Most of us trust that animals have instincts stronger than our own. We remember seeing how animals fled long before humans could tell something was amiss in the boxing day tsunami. I wonder whether animals are superior to us in this regard or whether we have just lost touch with this side of ourselves. Human Design aims to put us back in contact with our embodied wisdom and does this by acknowledging how the unconscious (body) and the conscious (mind) can work in tandem as designed, leading us to a life of ease.
Embodiment, being present and in tune with oneself allows for a richer experience of life in almost every area. Being able to wrestle your bodily intelligence and your mind's intelligence into a collective whole dramatically improves your experience of life, but how do you do it? Your energy or your chi (life force) is a living dynamic thing. Ensuring that your body and your mind are in alignment enables your energetic signal to be clear and loud. The right people and opportunities are drawn to you. You place yourself in a position of being in the right place at the right time. This is what Human Design is teaching us, how to live as our energetic selves. We understand what is worth trading our energy for and what isn't meant for us.
Your Strategy and Authority in Human Design dictate how to use your energy like a currency to engage with the world. Each of the 5 types in HD (Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, Manifestor and Reflector) has a distinct Strategy or way of interacting with the world. Your Authority determines which part of you you should listen to when making decisions. For me, my sacral response sends off a little signal every time I want something or respond to something. My gut is what determines whether I want to commit my energy to it or not, understanding how to hear my sacral and building a relationship with it, i.e. increasing my awareness around its noises and responses will help me lean into the embodied wisdom. People with different authorities need to build up their awareness about how to listen to the relevant part of their body - to find out your authority go to myhumandesign.com and get a free chart!
