If you’re like me, you came across Human Design and were surprised to see that there are 9 Centers, (aka chakras) instead of the usual 7 that other spiritual teachings show.

The reason why Human Design uses 9 Chakras instead of 7 is because of a mutation in our Humanness that occurred in 1781 when the planet Uranus was discovered. ( Fun fact, another Mutation is coming in 2027 )

Centers in Human Design

Every Center in Human Design is directly connected to our biological and genetic makeup. This means that each center consists of an energetic flow in an esoteric sense, and each center also explains our biological human forms.

Now I’m not going to go into the scientific depth of how each center is directly connected to your body and system in it. For all that this is the Book.

Rather I am going to give you the basics of each center and some examples of Not-Self Questions that are directly derived from The Definitive Book of Human Design.

Also, each Center will be featured in a separate article for easier navigation. 😁

Defined Centers (Fixed)

If you look in your Body Graph, you may notice that some of these centers are colored in and there are some that are white. The Centers that are defined, (colored in) means that you have consistent energy flowing through this Center. This is an energy that you can draw upon at any time and the centers that are defined are what determines your Type.

ra uru hu founder and messengers bogy graph chart — Ra Uru Hu, Manifestor JovianArchive.com

Read: Human Design the 4 Types for more info on your type.

When you have a center defined, this means that you cannot be conditioned in this area. That means you cannot be influenced to think, behave, or be anything other than what you’re designed to be. It’s an inner knowing that you can distinguish between yourself and the other, and not let the other influence you.

Undefined Centers (Open)

Now, if a Center is white. This means it is open. It is not empty or void of energy, it just means it is open.

When you have a Center that is white, this means that energy flow is NOT consistent and that you are able to be conditioned by others. The “other” can be defined as your upbringing, a book or teaching you were exposed to, an experience that happened, etc.

Seeing a White Center in your chart means that the energy flow in this area may become active during planetary transits or when you are within 15 ft of someone, it all depends on your hanging gates & the other person’s Design.

✨ Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: If you have an open center, and you’re next to someone with a defined center, this means you take in the other person’s energy and then amplify it. Think in terms of emotions, fears, expressions, thinking, etc.

Are you able to see how it is through the white centers that the conditioning process happens? (Remember, conditioning is neutral)

This process of unconsciously taking in other people’s energy creates a high potential to be conditioned into thinking or behaving in ways that are not your own.

It is through this conditioning process that creates false versions of yourself. This false version of you is referred to as the Not-Self in Human Design.

The Not-Self is the state most people live in because the awareness of our own unique Personality & Design is still evolving.

However, it is also the white centers that can lead to a higher state of Awareness of ourselves and the environment.

The Heart Center

The Heart Center is connected to our individual willpower, self-esteem, material life, and our ego. It is a Motor Center which means it provides an energy source for manifestation.

To see how your own willpower, ego, and material life operate, we have to look at the gates.

Each Gate in the Heart Center connects to a different center, which means that individual and collective willpower, is directly connected to How we communicate with each other, our conscious and unconscious direction in life, our emotions, and our fears & intuition.

Biological and Energy Association

There are only four gates in the Heart Center and each Gate is associated with a different part of the body.

Gate 21 is related to the heart, Gate 40 is connected to the stomach, Gate 26 is related to the thymus gland, and Gate 51 the gallbladder.

The Heart Center is responsible for our will to survive in a community and experience life on the material plane.

“These gates are about making our daily bread, bonding, and living in harmony with others, bringing children into the world and creating infrastructures like societies, cultures, and religions, to nurture and support what we create.”

Definitive book of Human Design

Heart Center Gates

The Gates in the Heart Center and What each Gate stands for — The Gates in the Heart Center

Gate 21 – The Gate of the Hunter/Huntress – To be in control or to control the circumstances.

Gate 40 – The Gate of the Aloneness – To deliver and to have the will to provide.

Gate 26 – The Gate of Egoist – To be the best. The salesperson or marketer.

Gate 51 – The Gate of Shock – To be competitive. To be first at something.

Defined Heart Center

If you have a Defined Heart Center this means that you have enough willpower to accomplish what you set out to achieve. You like being in control of your life and being in control of your resources. You are also able to make promises and follow through with them.

Be mindful that only ~ 38% of people have this defined, so that means ~60% of people are biologically incapable of having a constant sense of willpower all the time, so don’t put pressure on people to be like you. 😉

If you have this center defined you’d make a great entrepreneur, politician, or leader in whatever field you are in since it’s easy for you to believe in yourself and your own motives. Of course, whether or not your motives are good for the majority can be debated. But I trust you.

Undefined Heart Center

If you have this Center Open or Undefined, then you may experience difficult moments where it was hard to find your self-worth or find enough willpower to complete a task.

Plus, you are not designed to be competitive or have consistent willpower to go out and achieve everything you desire.

It’s common with this center open to agreeing to support something but then, later on, change your mind. Make sure you surround yourself with understanding people that won’t make you feel bad for changing your mind.

If you are in the aura of an individual with this center defined, you can easily draw upon specific energy and then support the motives of others, but when you’re not in that specific aura, you may notice an immediate loss of interest and wonder why you have mixed feelings about something.

If you can remember a time or situation where you had mixed emotions, or noticed an increase of decrease in will power or drive when around certain people, like at work versus when you’re at home, then understand that you are picking up on someone else’s energy from their defined Heart Center. Knowing this will help you understand the change within yourself and then you can act according to your own desire.

Completely Open Heart Center

There are always associated difficulties and associated “gifts” with completely open centers.

Not only do you have the characteristics of an Undefined Heart Center, but you also experience the extreme ends of the energy associated with this center.

Having a completely Open Heart center means that you probably notice that sometimes you can have an exaggerated sense of importance, and also have a sense of low self worth. It is difficult for you to measure worthiness and may be even more difficult for you to achieve it.

You are subject to be heavily influenced by people who have this center defined, So be mindful of the expectations of the people around you.

Now, Your Gift when it comes to having this center completely open is that you have the potential to become extremely wise about the trustworthiness of one’s word. You also have the potential to become wise about the use of money and personal power on the material plane.

In order for you to tap into this potential, you must learn and follow your Strategy and Authority according to your Type. This will help you establish material security in your life.

Not Self-Talk of Heart Center

I have to be in control
I have to be brave
I have to be loyal so others can see how valuable I am, and prove to myself that I am valuable.
If I show them how trustworth I am, they will like me.
I’m not a good spouse, lover, friend, unless I prove it.

Tips

Understand that it is the mind that determines how we feel about ourselves.
Use I, Me, and Mine statements.
Don’t try to prove yourself to others. (You are beautifully designed to be you!)
Don’t make spur of the moment future promises when you feel a sense of willpower or drive. Instead, use the willpower energy you feel for the amount of time you’re able to draw upon it. (Being in a person’s aura, or by transit)
Be mindful that willpower energy is temporary.
Suggest Mantra from Ra “Never make promises to yourself or anyone!”
Limit Competition. By not competing, you are allowing yourself to become wise while establishing a healthy self-image.