When I started writing here on Substack, I tried to sound as pitch-perfect as possible. I had a lot of things to say, but I wanted to share them with you in the most clear and tangible way. I would spend days ruminating on a specific theme or trying to find the best angle possible. But the more I tried to avoid mental chaos and confusion, the more bewildered I ended up.

Turns out I was so focused on giving answers to others through the lens of Human Design that I forgot about my own chart (the shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot…). So I took a step back and looked at my chart as if I was reading someone else’s, focusing specifically on my Throat activations and Mercury placements. And I was baffled to realize I was resisting the exact process that could provide me the clarity I sought.

Now, let me walk you through my process so you can understand how I weaved everything together to create a specific formula that everyone can use. But please don’t skip this part, as it is important for you to be able to follow the framework I’m going to share with you afterwards. And don’t worry: I’ll teach you how to find these specific placements and activations on your own chart.

Voice blueprint: definition

As a Mental Projector with the 43/23 Channel of Structuring as my only channel and main gates, I have a lot of Throat definition. And what this means is that I’m meant to have a consistent and fixed way of expressing myself, impacting others through my own words and voice. So, I’m not designed to be inspired by what others need from me, but to impact the collective through what I need to share with them. It needs to come from me first.

This was the first thing I realized was blocking my capacity to express myself in a magnetic way: I was looking at what others needed to hear from me instead of focusing on what I wanted to share with them from my personal lens. In other words, I was trying to operate as if I had an undefined/open Throat center, tapping into what I thought others needed from me instead of sharing what I wanted to share (regardless of my perception of my reader’s needs).

With a lot of openness in my chart, I am a naturally empathetic person, constantly feeling what others feel, absorbing their energy, and sensing their sense of purpose and self-worth. But my Throat is not meant to be empathetic; it is meant to impact, to stir consciousness, to direct the energy (which, of course, doesn’t mean that I have the right to be an asshole). So the more complacent and receptive I try to be, the more powerless my voice becomes.

Voice blueprint: conscious Mercury

After reflecting on my Throat activation, I turned my attention to my conscious Mercury gate, which represents the specific themes, subjects, or lessons that I’m here to share with the world. It represents not only the topics I care about but also the ones where my voice gets amplified. And mine is gate 34, which is all about empowerment, self-sovereignty, and action. This was such a great reminder because there’s nothing more fulfilling to me than to empower others and help them take aligned action.

To go one step further, I noticed that my 34 gate was activated through the 4th profile line (the lines tell you how you’re meant to express that specific energy). And 4 lines are all about community, close bonds, and trusted connections. Putting all this information together, the message was clear: my voice gets stronger when I use it to empower my close community to take intentional movement.

Voice blueprint: unconscious Mercury

While my Throat definition and conscious Mercury placement reminded me of something I always knew but somehow struggled to get clarity on, my unconscious Mercury placement was more like a truth bomb I didn’t know I needed. No wonder, since this is the placement that tells us how our bodies process information on a subconscious level and the underlying way our voice, tone, and non-verbal communication take shape.

And this is where it gets really interesting, because my unconscious Mercury gate is gate 47, the gate of realization and conceptualization, but also of… mental chaos and confusion. It’s the energy of withstanding the mental pressure to resolve things and turning chaos into clarity with sudden “aha” moments. That’s why the more I tried to have clarity before starting to write, the more confused I got.

This realization made me approach the process of writing with curiosity and acceptance rather than force and pressure. For me, clarity comes through writing from a place of flow, not from having everything figured out before I start typing. Also, the 3 line that activates this gate requires a lot of trial and error and hands-on experience, which sometimes means the best way to get unstuck is to just write, even if clarity hasn’t arrived yet.

Voice blueprint: putting everything together

When I put everything together, this is what I got from looking into my own specific design: “My voice becomes magnetic when I speak to impact from my own personal lens, sharing themes of empowerment and personal strength through cultivating warm community connection. For this to happen, I need to allow myself to turn mental chaos into clarity through embracing hands-on trial and error.”

Of course, this is a simplified version of a part of my design, and I would honestly have so much more to say regarding my Throat activations alone. But if there’s anything I’ve been learning, it is to not underestimate the power of a distilled statement like this one. Even though my soul always wants to go deep, I acknowledge the sheer power of condensing so much knowledge into just a few sentences. And I truly hope you do too.

Having said that, please don’t forget that this knowledge means nothing if you don’t address the bigger picture. Meaning, there’s no voice magnetism (or anything’s magnetism, really) without following your Strategy and Authority! So, if you want to go deep, this is exactly the kind of work we do together in a 1:1 session, using your chart to illuminate what’s already yours. If you’re interested, please send me a DM or email me at marta.humandesign@gmail.com

Just one more quick note before the practical part: I’ve reflected a lot on whether to put this behind a paywall or not. Believe me when I say that this is not something I do lightly, but I offer a lot of knowledge for free and I honestly think this is valuable work that I would happily pay for. So I kind of hope you feel the same (also, there’s a 7-day free trial available).

Now let’s have fun workshopping your own voice magnetism formula (I hope this is as much fun for you as it was for me!).

I know you’re feeling it. Whether you identify as a spiritual person or not, if you’re reading this, chances are you feel deep down in your bones that something is shifting. And I want you to trust yourself on this one, because you’re definitely right. And you are not alone.

But before we continue, I want to acknowledge something: this is perhaps my most “mystical” article to date. If you’ve read any of my previous pieces, you know that my approach to Human Design and Spirituality is very much grounded in practicality. This one is different, though. Not because it doesn’t have a practical approach, but because I will introduce concepts here that I know most people might find delusional (I’m used to it with my 43/23 channel, trust me). If that’s the case for you, just take what resonates and leave the rest.

So, first of all, let’s get into the technicalities: according to Human Design, in 2027 we’re going to transition from the Cross of Planning to the Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix. I’ll explain what this means in a minute, but first, let me point out that this isn’t just another transition—it is the ending of a 400-year global cycle and the beginning of another. And yes, this means the world as we know it is ending right before our eyes. No wonder so many people are feeling “in-between” worlds or realities. If this is you, I hope this article can give you some clarity.

I must confess to you that when I first started learning about Human Design, this “prediction” was one of the things that threw me off a little, because it felt like some kind of unnecessary conspiracy theory. And then I changed my mind. Not because I collected any kind of scientific evidence, but because I truly started to understand what this actually means through my own experimentation (which included releasing judgment around the fear of being perceived as “irrational” or “woo-woo”).

But let’s get back to the technicalities (if you’re totally new to this modality, I invite you to read the article where I explained what Human Design is). Most people get familiar with Human Design through their own chart, which is to be expected since one of Human Design’s main goals is to help us honor our differences as unique individuals. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of a much broader conversation, because it is only possible to fully acknowledge the individual when we address the bigger picture.

If you look closely at your chart, you’ll find your “Incarnation Cross,” which basically corresponds to the four most influential gates (derived from the 64 hexagrams of the ancient Chinese I Ching, one of Human Design’s foundational wisdoms) in your design . They represent the specific energies you are here to develop and embody in this lifetime: your gifts, but also your biggest challenges. It is something deeply personal.

You were born in your body for a reason, and your Incarnation Cross speaks to that specificity—but you’re also a part of the whole, and you’re definitely not immune to the wider energies at play. This is where Global Cycles come into play. Because whatever your Incarnation Cross is, you don’t exist in a vacuum; you’re meant to evolve as both an individual and a part of the collective. And when the collective’s energy shifts (which is pretty much happening right now), you necessarily shift with it.

In the Human Design system, these big collective shifts happen roughly every 400 years, when we stop being influenced by a particular Cross and another one enters the picture. The last transition occurred in 1615, when the Global Cycle of the Cross of Planning began. This is the world we were born into, ruled by institutions, governments, and logical systems. But this world is coming to an end. A New Paradigm is emerging, and I want you to understand that this is not a matter of semantics.

From collective to individual sovereignty

Before we address where we’re going, it is always helpful to understand where we’re coming from. Just as you can only evolve as an individual when you integrate your past lessons to build a more aligned future, the same applies to collective energies. This is especially important to fathom during transition periods, where we tend to either reject or grip onto what’s behind us until we realize that, no matter what, profound transformations always require some level of integration.

This brings us to the Cross of Planning, the energetic frequency that allowed us to come this far, but which is now asking to be integrated and alchemized into a totally new reality. This Cross is anchored in Gates 37 and 40, which together form the Channel of Community: a tribal channel focused on the survival and support of the collective. For the past 400-ish years, society has evolved through tribal agreements that required the creation of institutions, organizations, financial systems, and laws that shaped a completely new way of being.

After a Global Cycle focused on societal division and the creation of borders, classes, and kingdoms (the Cross of Separation ruled the period from 1204 to 1615), the Cross of Planning shifted the focus toward collective sovereignty. These past centuries were all about building strong communal identities supported by national laws, global organizations, and mutual contracts. Everything was built around the collective.

The two other gates of this Cross dictated how these tribal agreements were made: through education, expertise, and the mastering of skills (Gate 16), but also through logic, precision, and the ability to create predictable patterns and systems (Gate 9). Throughout this cycle, societies evolved via scientific thinking, medical breakthroughs, and economic systems that played a key role in shaping modern civilization. This was also the era where the modern concept of family was created.

Even if this Global Cycle is ending, it doesn’t mean that what we’re leaving behind is “bad”—although right now it is definitely easier to see what has stopped working altogether (e.g., governments, institutions, hierarchies, business, and power structures). The same framework that is now doing more harm than good played an essential role in humanity’s evolution. Now is not the time to demonize what was, but to understand what failed and why, using it as a catapult to build a New Earth.

The catapult has a cryptic but incredibly accurate name: The Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix (the one we are entering in February 2027). And you guessed it: this one takes power away from collective structures and centralized authority, placing it right back with the individual. Don’t get me wrong: community will still play an essential role, but it will now be built around personal authenticity rather than the erasure of the individual for the sake of the collective. Let’s explore what this actually means.

If this is resonating and you want to explore what it means for your specific design, New Paradigm New You is a small group series starting in November. Register your interest here [link]. Substack subscribers get an earlybird discount.

The Sleeping Phoenix

When I first learned that this New Paradigm was more focused on the individual rather than the collective, my first thought was, “So, we’re getting even more egotistical than we already are?” I couldn’t have been more wrong. The truth is, over these past few decades, we have witnessed an increasing feeling of loneliness and a sense of non-belonging. Families and communities stopped providing the comfort and care they once did—not because we became more selfish (though we can hardly argue the opposite), but because we realized we had erased ourselves just to belong.

The very structures that once supported our growth became a prison, and the systems that used to provide the stability we needed started to feel more and more outdated. We haven’t stopped caring about others, but we’ve come to understand that our needs cannot be met if we continue to blindly follow what politicians, authority figures, or gurus say and do. We still want to belong, but not at the cost of dissolving our own selves.

If the Cross of Planning was all about community, the Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix has individuation and personal power as its main themes. This Cross is fueled by the exceptionally powerful Channel of Charisma (20-34), one of the four Integration Channels—which is particularly relevant given that these channels represent the voice of the “I Am,” the very energy that makes us self-focused enough to survive as a species.

The Channel of Charisma is all about the power of the now, the energy of being completely absorbed in what we love. Unlike the tribal energy we’re leaving behind, this channel has nothing to do with following a collective agenda, nor with organizing or conceptualizing for the long term. Instead, it is about self-sufficiency, authenticity, and a sense of power that stems from within. It’s about being truly immersed in the present moment, which can only happen when we stop trying to plan for what’s coming next (I know, I know…).

Interestingly enough, my mother has both the Channel of Community and the Channel of Charisma defined. While she is always trying to provide for her family and loved ones, she can also be totally absorbed in doing what she wants to do in the now. Even though she is a naturally caring person, what makes her feel truly alive is that energy of constantly responding to life from an almost carefree place. Ironically, when she honors that, everyone benefits far more from her magnetic, charismatic presence than when she is obsessing over taking care of everything and everyone.

This integration of seemingly conflicting energies is what we’re being asked to move toward right now, which is why so many of us are undergoing a complete dismantling of the structures, groups, and collectives we once belonged to. Communities aren’t going anywhere, though. Actually, I think we’re going to crave community more and more, but not for the same reasons as before. Instead of looking for a place to belong, we’re going to seek the places where belonging doesn’t feel like personal betrayal anymore.

Let me be crystal clear: what I mean by personal betrayal is the constant need for external validation, the victim mindset, the martyrdom. All the things we normalized for the sake of being part of something. This era is ending, and Gates 55 and 59 (which complete the Cross of the Sleeping Phoenix alongside Gates 34 and 20) help us understand how. Quick disclaimer: it won’t be through diplomatic agreements or emotional and spiritual bypassing.

Gate 55 is the Gate of Spirit and Abundance, representing the capacity to be present with whatever emotions may arise (this is also where a deeper DNA mutation will take form, but I’ll leave that breakdown for the future). In its higher frequency, it’s about cultivating emotional depth by holding ourselves accountable for what we feel—not through guilt, but through true acceptance of what is. In other words, the blame game is coming to an end.

On the other side of the spectrum is Gate 59, the Gate of Sexuality, which is all about dissolving barriers to create true intimacy. Not the “let’s help each other” kind of intimacy, but the kind where we drop all masks and performance tricks to access a deeper part of ourselves and the other through relationship (which can definitely include sex). And no, this isn’t all fun and games, especially after a period in history where vulnerability wasn’t even an option to begin with.

Wrapping up (and what this means for you)

I’m not going to lie to you: we’re in for a ride, and this lingering feeling of being “in-between” isn’t going anywhere (remember, we’re approaching both the end and the beginning of a 400-year cycle!). The world as we know it is changing at its core, but at the same time, nothing will dramatically end or transform overnight. The 2027 shift isn’t something we should be waiting for, but rather a compounding of energies we are being asked to integrate into our lives right now. And the sooner you stop fighting what your body is already asking you to do, the better.

So ask yourself: What is becoming less and less easy to ignore as time goes by? What is that thing you keep sweeping under the rug because it seems too far out? Where are you being pulled to go, despite not having any sort of plan? Know that whatever your answers to these questions are, they’re only going to get louder. And the more you keep overlooking them in the present, the harder it will be to navigate these changing tides in the future.

If I could only give you one piece of advice, it would be this: start following what feels alive to you right now, even if that means letting go of things, people, or identities that you once thought were non-negotiable. Because (and please trust me on this one) almost everything that once provided a sense of stability will vanish right before our eyes. I’m not telling you this to fear-monger, but because I know that if you’re here reading this, you are more than ready to finally start building your life on your own stable foundation, rather than in the wobbly houses you’ve inhabited all your life.

It’s time for your soul to truly shine, and this isn’t as generic as you might think. Gone are the days when “shining” meant being famous or collectively praised, or when “star quality” was something you either had or didn’t. The Sleeping Phoenix teaches us something radically different: it’s not a matter of having “star quality” or not, but of realizing that your brightness is non-negotiable once you stop compromising your value to squeeze into places you’ve outgrown.

There has never been a better time in history to go after what you want and to fully own your dreams than right now. So please, stop trying to pour from an empty cup and start reframing what being “selfish” really means. In any case, people-pleasing and tribal agreements that override the individual in the interest of common good are about to stop working altogether, so you might as well start giving yourself some credit.

If you want to explore what this shift means specifically for your design, I've created a small group series for exactly that: New Paradigm, New You. Over the course of 2 months, we'll explore together what this shift means specifically for your design, how to stop fighting the uncertainty, and how to start moving through it with more trust in yourself. Dates and investment will be announced soon, but you can register your interest now. Substack subscribers will get an earlybird discount. [Link]

But first, let’s unpack how you can start embodying this frequency right now, according to your Strategy and Authority (exclusive for paid subscribers).

Shadow work. Therapy. Inner child work. Guided Meditations. Somatic healing. Breathwork. Sound Healing. Reiki. Family Constellations. Parts work.

The list could go on and on.

At this point in my life, I can say I’ve done it all, and I couldn’t be more grateful to each one of these practices for helping me heal so many deep wounds (many of which I wasn’t even aware of in the first place). There is definitely a clear "before and after" since I went down this rabbit hole, and I much prefer the “after” version. So before we dig in, I want to make it clear that this is not an attempt to bash any of these amazing healing methods that have been (and still are) transformative for so many people, myself included.

Ever since I was introduced to the beauty of at-home yoga back in 2020 (where everything started for me!), I’ve been discovering a whole new world full of possibilities and infinite discoveries and breakthroughs. I didn’t know it back then but I was entering my “healing era”. At the time, I quickly became fascinated by how much there was to explore, and little did I know that my endless curiosity would guide me down the most unexpected and life-altering paths.

As I began to learn more about myself, I became heavily invested in “doing the work”. Every day I would find something new to work through or to heal. And don’t get me wrong: I actually loved every bit of it. But as with everything in life, there’s a fine line between putting in the work and becoming addicted to it. From my experience, that line gets even thinner when our lives and deepest wounds are the main subject. Healing can easily become an addiction.

But this isn’t your typical addiction—it’s much sneakier, because it disguises itself as something good for you. While with smoking or drinking, you’re aware of the dangers of your behavior, there’s nothing obviously wrong with doing a breathwork session or a guided meditation for inner work. That’s because the danger doesn’t lie in the practice itself (although, some can certainly be harmful if not done with integrity), but in the illusion that you need to do it in order to live your life properly (it’s important to notice that I’m talking about big T trauma here).

I have no shame in admitting that I fell into this trap. I was so invested in healing myself that I didn’t realize I was constantly rushing to the next healing method like a smoker instinctively grabs their next cigarette. Even so, I hold no regrets. Looking back now, I think that was exactly what was necessary after a period of time spent being completely disconnected from myself - almost as if I needed to put my body through some kind of shock therapy after so many years of numbness.

I realize now that each practice gave my body a rush of dopamine, and that’s why I became addicted to it. I craved the breakthroughs, the sudden realizations, and the ‘aha’ moments, because those were feelings I had never experienced before in my life. My body was so spiritually depleted that awakening and healing became my absolute priorities. In no time, I went from one extreme to the other. From doing nothing to wanting to do it all.

When is enough enough?

Human Design. Gene Keys. Astrology. Numerology. Astrocartography. I Ching.

I could have included these modalities in the first group, but I think they deserve to be addressed separately - because, at least for me, they’ve played a slightly different role in my healing journey. They offered me perspective and new languages to address issues I was never able to put into words before, even after years of therapy. Don’t get me wrong, therapy played an essential role in my journey (especially in the early stages), but it was not until I learned about my Human Design that things really started to click into place.

Understanding how I was designed to operate at an energetic level was a game changer because it gave me the tools to consciously shift patterns. All of a sudden, I was not only revisiting my wounds and my traumas, but also actively experimenting with a “new” way of being that I never would have considered otherwise. Additionally, as I began to learn Human Design professionally, I became more and more invested in combining what I was learning with other ancient wisdom and modalities. For the first time in my life, it all began to make sense.

The more I discovered, the more I wanted to dig in. Honestly, learning more about myself and others through the lens of Human Design or Astrology is such a fun process for me that it doesn’t feel like work at all. But at what point is enough enough?

It was only when I became a certified Human Design practitioner, and began giving readings more often, that I started to realize that maybe I was becoming obsessed with finding meaning in absolutely everything, to the point that I forgot what it was like to just live without constantly thinking about planets changing signs, or how I was being conditioned by other people’s defined centers.

So, what made me acknowledge this in the first place? It was the realization that I didn’t want to be the kind of practitioner who leads clients to believe they need to know everything about their chart to have a joyful and successful life. Because, in my opinion, that’s not what Human Design (or any other wisdom system) is for. It is a framework to help you remember your true essence and return to the wisdom of your body. Its ultimate goal is to empower you to trust the wisdom of your body, not to make you blindly stick to any kind of labels.

The most important thing isn’t knowing you’re a Projector or a 2nd line (although it can bring you immense relief to understand what that means for you). The real goal is for your body to reconnect with what it already knows and for you to fall in love with your own life force again. In other words, all these tools should help you feel more and more alive each day, not obsessed with “getting things right” or making you second-guess yourself because you’re not doing what is recommended in the books.

The truth is, you don’t need anyone to teach you how to live your life correctly. That is completely up to you, and it’s what free will is for. Human Design is not the ultimate truth. Astrology is not the ultimate truth. Gene Keys is not the ultimate truth. They’re simply tools at your disposal to help you get back to your own truth, and to live a more authentic life. You don’t need to master any of them to be able to fully enjoy your life - regardless of what any healer, Human Design reader, or astrologer tells you.

Enjoying your life is the end goal

When I wrote in my Notes “Healing is not the goal. Enjoying your life is”, most people resonated with it, but there were quite a few who thought I was saying healing should not be considered at all. That could not be further from what I believe in. I see healing as a lifelong mission and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t made it a priority for so long. What I’ve come to realize, though, is that healing cannot be the end goal, especially if it makes you second-guess your ability to enjoy your life fully.

A fellow Substacker wrote something that made me think: “Sometimes you can’t enjoy [life] until you have healed.” I agree with her. I was that person and maybe you were too. But I also think there is a whole industry taking advantage (some consciously, others not so much) of people who are so aware of their wounds and flaws that they never feel good enough the way they are. And a person who thinks they need to heal something in order to earn their right to fully live is an easy target for what I call “the healing obsession”.

So, picture this: you wake up and your social media is flooded with healing tips and suggestions. You already have a yoga and pilates routine, you go to breathwork sessions often and you have even started to see an acupuncturist. You don’t miss a weekly therapy session and you know everything about Saturn entering your seventh house. But the more you scroll the more you think you’re not doing enough. What about Family Constellation? Should you try? But first you need to get back to meditation again. Or should you book a Human Design reading first (pun intended!)?

The thing is, options are endless and there are so many routes you can take to heal yourself. But this is not a competition to see who performs better at mastering healing. It’s your life. It’s my life. And it needs to FEEL GOOD above all. And sometimes that looks like skipping your spiritual practice, doing something that is the opposite of what you “should” do as a Manifesting Generator or a Projector, or taking a pause after years of therapy.

It never ceases to amaze me how many tools we have at our disposal now to assist our healing process. We are so privileged to have been granted access to so many incredible modalities, and to an infinite well of knowledge that is easily accessible. But you can hardly benefit from having too many tabs open at the same time. It gives you the illusion that the right answer is always on the tab you haven’t opened yet - and it makes you forget that a lot of the answers you seek can only be found when you stop looking for them.

Just yesterday, a woman I met recently shared with me that she looked up Human Design online and what she found made her feel like it is something “limiting”. Although saddened, I wasn’t surprised by her feedback, because honestly I think a lot of the traditional and mainstream approaches are in fact constraining. The whole idea that you have to believe in everything written in the original texts like it’s the Holy Bible is something that I wholeheartedly refuse. It misses the entire point: your Human Design should be a tool for you to experiment with, to have fun with while discovering more about yourself. Forcing anything to fit is not only counterproductive, it’s dangerous.

This doesn’t happen only with Human Design, but with every healing technique or modality that is marketed as the cure for all your traumas. Or the guru that claims to have the answers for all your problems. Because it makes you believe that those answers are outside of you, that you are somehow dependent on external knowledge to live your life as you f******* want to. But no healing method holds the whole truth, and no healing method truly works if you’re not giving yourself permission to have fun with life and its endless idiosyncrasies.

One of my main objectives as a Human Design practitioner is to give my clients a framework so they can eventually start to get rid of all frameworks (yes, Human Design included). I don’t want you to blindly believe anything I’m saying, I want to ignite your spark, your inner fire, so you have no choice but to start living your life from that place of true bliss, of true joy. Because… what is the point of healing if you’re not enjoying yourself?

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my words. This community and the connections I’ve made here have truly been changing my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful to each one of you.

If you want to explore what it looks like to use Human Design as a tool (and not a rulebook), that's exactly what we do together in a 1:1 session. You can book yours through this link. Otherwise, you can support my work by becoming a paid subscriber. Right now I’m offering a mini Human Design reading (sent via email) to all paid subscribers, and a full 1:1 Human Design session (2 hours long) with me for founding members.

Subscribe now

I can’t wait to connect further with you.

Love,
Marta

This is cringe.
This is ridiculous.
This is embarrassing.

Chances are that you know these expressions far too well. You know what it is to feel your chest compressed when you see someone acting in an unhinged way. Or when you foresee how you’re going to be mocked when other people realize you’re not like them. You can feel the dread, the sweat running down your body, the shortness of breath. You know what it is to judge and feel judged all the time.

Since I started to give Human Design readings more frequently, this pattern has appeared over and over again, especially amongst millennial women (myself included) who have become true masters in avoiding being cringe at all costs. Some convinced themselves they only liked beige, others carefully curated the music or the movies they liked. Most of them tried so much to avoid being cringe that they forgot what they enjoyed in the first place. What makes them feel truly alive.

But this is not only a matter of taste, it runs deeper. This is a generation that felt they needed to erase themselves to be truly loved by others, who preferred to stay hidden in the shadows than to face the consequences of being unapologetically themselves. Maybe more than any other generation, Millennials were guided to follow a framework: get good grades, go to university, find a good job, have a family. Their task was to prove the framework was right, not to challenge it.

Of all the age groups, I think Millennials are among the most conditioned, partly because they desperately wanted to be normal, to live up to the high expectations everyone put on them, to continue climbing up the ladder. Since they dreaded everything that was perceived as out of norm, they started to see their uniqueness as a weakness rather than a strength. Being cringe was not an option if they wanted to belong.

If we pay close attention, these patterns are still very much present everywhere. Last month, a video of the actor Belmont Cameli dancing alongside Kid Laroi exploded in views. Most people loved the way the Off Campus superstar owned the stage so confidently and unapologetically, but what struck me the most was how many people rushed to label the performance as “icky” or “cringe”. Suddenly, the hot guy was not that hot anymore because he lifted his shirt or appeared not to know the lyrics of the song. Unsurprisingly, a lot of millennial women “got the ick”.

And then I saw this comment posted on Threads: “Ok, I’ll admit that the Belmont dance made me cringe, just like the strip dance in the [Off Campus] show made me cringe, just like Hannah’s karaoke scene made me cringe. But the cringe has nothing to do with them and everything to do with me. I’m deeply uncomfortable inside my body to the point where I just can’t imagine being able to do these things in front of others. The cringe feeling is a mirror, y’all”.

When I read this comment I couldn’t help but to smile. It takes courage to admit in such a blunt way that our prejudice has nothing to do with others. That the things that make us cringe are pointing towards our own deep insecurities. It is always easier to judge others than to acknowledge we just lack the audacity to live in a more free and authentic way. And this is why it takes a certain degree of nonchalance to not feel triggered by a confident guy who seems to feel so comfortable in his own skin and is living the time of his life. Because it reminds us that we have that option too.

Releasing the judgment

As a millennial girl with a deep wound around self-worth and visibility, releasing the judgment I’ve been accumulating all my life has been one of the most important parts of my deconditioning journey. As many of you, I know this cringe feeling all too well. I remember feeling deeply embarrassed just thinking about admitting I enjoyed cheesy rom coms or listening to the music of artists considered “not cool” by my intellectual friends. Not to mention my passion for football or the more recent interest in spirituality or esoteric matters. Oh. So. Embarrassing.

But this feeling was not always self-directed. When I was in high school, I had a classmate who was an outsider. Despite being one of the best students in our class, his interests were out of the ordinary and he wanted to become a fantasy writer, which he managed to do so by the time we entered university. At that stage he was already deep into his spirituality journey and he started to become more and more self-assured, owning his quirkiness regardless of how much he was constantly laughed at.

I’m not proud to admit I was part of the group of people who thought his interests and writing were the epitome of cringe. What I didn’t know back then was that he was just being a mirror of my own inability to be an uncensored version of myself. At the time, I was so focused on the things I should hide to make me feel more lovable that it felt like an outrage to my ego to be confronted with a person who was not seeking external approval. His courage was deeply triggering.

Recently, I’ve had the chance to share these thoughts and tell him how much he now inspires me to live a more authentic life. I reminded him how ahead of his time he was and how his example deeply impacted me in unexpected ways (more than 20 years after we first met). The conversation healed a part of me that was incapable of recognizing the cringe had nothing to do with the other, but everything to do with my own wounds.

It takes true inner strength to be unapologetically ourselves in front of others, to express ourselves freely even if we know we’re being judged or criticized. Contrary to what we tend to think, this has absolutely nothing to do with others and everything to do with our own inner landscapes, because it forces us to be accountable for our own biases and judgmental perceptions. And this is why once we start to release our own judgments, we also become more and more willing to bring back the cringe.

Being cringe is being alive

Recently, a video of a teenage boy dancing on the stage of the Portuguese festival NOS Alive alongside the pop star Zara Larsson went viral in Portugal. The young boy seized the opportunity, singing and dancing with so much joy and brightness that it was impossible for anyone to ignore the moment. Most people became instantly magnetized by his contagious energy, but it didn’t take long for prejudiced and homophobic comments to appear - there’s nothing more triggering to repressed and sad people than pure joy and freedom.

Despite his tender age, I’m pretty sure that boy didn’t step onto that stage thinking his liberated performance would be accepted by everyone, but he went for it anyway. He loved himself enough to be willing to be mocked and ridiculed by the ones who don’t have the courage to own who they truly are. The only thing he cared about was to enjoy the moment and to take the opportunity to dance alongside his idol. In just a few minutes he reminded us that true freedom doesn’t seek consensus or external approval.

In a society that conditions us to seek normative guidelines about what we should or shouldn’t be, seeking what makes us feel alive and joyful is an act of resistance. Because when we free ourselves from the fear of being different, of being perceived as cringe or weird, we also start to honor our true life force. We begin experimenting with life again, awaken our dormant bodies for what it truly means to be and feel alive.

The more I connect with myself and with the beautiful women I’ve had the pleasure to work with, the more I realize true healing was never about how spiritual we become, but about relearning the capacity to have pleasure, to feel joy, and to be as unfuckwithable as we were when we didn’t know the meaning of the word “cringe”. Not through bypassing the things that hurt, but through accepting them as a condition to experience what it means to be truly alive.

This is the reason I’ve been focusing more and more on pleasure and joy in my recent Human Design sessions. Rather than putting the spotlight on what we want to get rid of, I’ve found it to be infinitely more helpful to focus on reminding the body what it is to experience what the French call joie de vivre, the joy of living, the zest for life. Because at the end of the day the awakening of the mind means nothing if the body is still asleep.

Now, let’s explore what this means according to your energy type.

How to bring back the cringe by energy type

Projector

If you’re in the early stages of your liberation journey, being cringe can be especially difficult for you. Of all the energy types, you’re the one who focuses most on the other, and that’s not something you can actually change. You’re always aware of the other, and this is the reason why you’re such a great leader and guide. But it is also why you tend to people-please and to curate yourself in order to be accepted or recognized by everyone. So, this is precisely what you need to shift: the idea that everyone must like or accept you if you want to succeed. This is not only false, but the exact opposite of how a truly successful Projector operates. The thing is, dear Projector, if you’re not being rejected by some people, you’re simply not living your truth, because your truth lives in the future, in the crazy insights, in the things you don’t know how you know. You’re a visionary and this is precisely why you need some people to think you’re crazy: it is your sign that you’re exactly on the right path.

Generator

One of the things I find most fascinating about the Generators I know and work with is how unaware they are of their power. Everyone sees their light, everyone benefits from it, but somehow they convinced themselves that there’s nothing extraordinary about that. Or even worse, they refuse to take the spotlight because they think that that will not be fair to others, dimming their light to avoid ruffling some feathers. So, dear Generator, what I need you to understand is that your light is meant to be as bright and powerful as it possibly can, and that every time you sugarcoat your power (i.e. not doing something you’re excited about because of other people’s opinions) you’re doing an actual crime against humanity. Contrary to what society wants you to believe in, not giving a s*** about how others perceive you is not only necessary, but also the most unselfish thing you can do. Because your light has the power to change the world, but only if it comes from a place of true authenticity.

Manifestor

If there’s an energy type born to be cringe it must be Manifestors, which is why you lose yourself every time you try to do things in a “normal” or “regular” way. Your trailblazer energy is not meant to follow the status quo; it is meant to shatter it in order to create something totally new — and there's no other way to change the status quo than to allow yourself to be perceived as weird by the people who are afraid to change it in the first place. This is why, dear Manifestor, your big, bold energy is a gift that is not meant to be understood by everybody, and that every time you try to seek consensus you are actually stopping yourself from creating the impact you’re meant to create. Your soul craves freedom, but you’re not going to get it if you’re constantly policing yourself to act as everyone else around you. If you want to honor your true power, being odd, eccentric and cringe is not something to avoid, it is what you should be looking for.

Manifesting Generator

If you’re here reading this, probably you already know that you can be a pretty intense human being. When you’re lit up and doing your magic, your energy is so fiercely fast-paced that it can easily become overwhelming or triggering to others. The problem is, when you become too aware of how your presence affects other people (because it definitely does), you could be conditioned to think you should adapt your behavior to be a little bit more palatable to the likes of the ones you look up to. And this is the exact moment you could lose your most precious asset: your spontaneity and quirkiness. For you, dear Manifesting Generator, life should never be dull or boring, but truly exciting and fun. When you let go of the pressure to look more linear and self-contained, and allow yourself to be embarrassingly free and unpredictable, you start to finally unlock your immense superpowers - and help others do exactly the same.

Reflectors

Regardless of your upbringing, you likely know too well what it is like to feel out of place or that you don’t belong anywhere. You know that you don’t fit into society’s boxes, which can be the most confusing and intimidating feeling for someone as deeply sensitive and aware as you are. In a world that rewards normalness, it is understandable that you don’t want to be the unicorn in the room. But what I want you to acknowledge, dear Reflector, is that your uniqueness should be your most cherished trait, not something to steer away from. If you want your life to be full of wonder and beautiful surprises, finding your most cringe self is not optional, it is a prerequisite for living life to the fullest, and showing others that it is possible to step off the treadmill.

If you're ready to understand how to build a more pleasurable and joyful life from your own design, this is exactly what we explore together in a 1:1 session. Book yours through this link, or send me a DM to schedule a free introductory call.

“Quantum shifts”. “Timeline jumps”. “Manifestation hacks”. You name it… Spiritual community is full of terms that make you feel as if change is something that you have to master. Something that happens quickly and all of a sudden. One day you have nothing, the other day you manifest the life of your dreams.

For a long time I thought I was doing something wrong because I wasn't “quantum shifting”. I thought change was all about big leaps. Those overnight transformations that we see in the movies. I also thought it was about luck: opportunities that came from “nowhere”, doors that magically opened for no apparent reason.

These beliefs made me feel that real, long-lasting change wasn’t for me. Maybe I was doomed to have just an average life, nothing too bad, but also nothing that made me feel real joy and excitement. I became dormant and complacent because every time I thought about change I pictured a big wave swallowing everything it touched. It felt overwhelming. Scary.

And the thing is, in my head, if I wasn’t ready for these big leaps, I wasn’t ready for change at all. So I didn’t even care to try in the first place. I had an “all or nothing” mentality that kept me stuck for most of my adult life. Yes, I wanted change, but I didn’t feel ready to jump off a cliff with no safety net. Which was what I thought change looked like.

Follow the breadcrumbs

When I turned 30, I started to realize that I was completely disconnected from myself. At the time, my identity revolved around my job and my relationship, and my routine was all about repeating the same patterns over and over. To be honest, I felt more like a robot than a human being.

That year something started to shift. Unknowingly at the time, I began to follow the breadcrumbs, to be more focused on what could bring me more joy in my daily life. To stop following along what everyone was doing but to ask myself what I truly wanted to spend my time with. The answers started to appear… Long walks. Yoga sessions. Singing along. Dancing. Learning a new skill. Reading. Being in silence.

No big shifts, no big decisions, just small little mundane actions done over and over again. And then, “all of a sudden”, my life changed “overnight”: I ended the relationship, I resigned, I moved to my own place. From the outside, it looked like a drastic shift, but for me it was just the obvious thing to do. It didn’t feel huge, it felt just right.

And the thing is, what looked like an overnight decision was in fact a compound effect of all the small actions that I took along the way. The ones that felt like “nothing”. Saying no more often. Learning something new. Going for a walk. Moving my body. Talking about my emotions. Not judging myself. Singing in the shower.

By the time I was indeed ready to take those big leaps, my body didn’t perceive it as a threat or something too daunting to cope with, but as something so natural as breathing. Not because I mastered some manifestation hack, but because I became accustomed to changing the little things over time.

Inevitable change

Recently, my life has been changing at a rapid speed. Even though my rational mind wants to convince me otherwise, the evidence is staggering: in less than one year, I resigned from my corporate job to dedicate myself full time to Human Design, I left Lisbon for the first time in almost 20 years, I met people from all over the world who became close friends.

My life and my relationships have radically changed in a way I couldn’t have anticipated one year ago. Not because I woke up one day and decided to do something crazy, but because I’ve committed to the quiet shifts that create change from the inside out. Until one day external change became inevitable and things started to rearrange fast. You could say that I quantum shifted, but I know that it was less about the shift itself and more about the process to get there.

That’s why this is also the approach I have regarding Human Design: I would be lying to you if I told you that your life will magically change after one session. And frankly, it shouldn’t. Because that would put your body in fight or flight mode. Which is the opposite of how I believe Human Design (or any modality really) can help you to create real, long-lasting change.

My role as a Human Design practitioner is to mirror back what your chart is quietly pointing you toward, the seeds you’re being invited to grow, not fast, but consistently. Then it’s up to you to follow the breadcrumbs and allow change to unfold naturally. This is where true transformation happens. No manifestation “hacks” required.

If you’re tired of vain promises that make change feel impossible, or like you’re forever waiting for something that never comes, here are two ways I can help you find the small, practical steps that create real change:

1:1 Human Design Session — a 90-minute live session to look at how your specific design actually shows up in your daily life: your energy, your decisions, your relationships, and the small shifts that can bring you closer to ease.

Book here

Personalized Email Guidance — ask me anything, and I’ll connect it to your design, practically, not just conceptually. A personal, written answer within 7 days.

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For as long as I can remember I always compared myself to other girls.

At least since my junior high school years, I always looked at myself from the perspective of what I didn’t have in comparison to my girlfriends, colleagues, but also to my mother, my sister and random celebrities. In hindsight, I don’t think I was jealous of them, but rather disheartened by what I thought was being taken away from me because I didn’t look a specific way, or because I wasn’t as smart as I should be. From this limited perception of reality I genuinely felt that I wasn’t eligible to even dare to dream big.

I have nothing but love for this past version of myself. I remember with tenderness the way I felt when the boy I liked only cared for the prettier and skinnier girls. The way I obsessively checked my phone to see if someone was reaching out to say they miss me. Or how my body shrank when I heard someone speaking perfect English, just to remind me that I would never be able to achieve that level of fluency. This girl still lives in me, and much of her insecurities are still present. The difference is that I don’t let it define me anymore.

I know now that these were not random experiences. My soul specifically chose to move through this evolutionary journey so I could be able to develop my self-love and radical self-acceptance. All these experiences were just pointing towards my path of healing and remembering. If I hadn't almost erased myself in relationships, trying to constantly prove my worth to others, I would never be able to be here writing this article today, let alone having the opportunity to build a life I truly desire to live.

Before diving deep into my latest breakthroughs from watching romance TV shows (the awakening path has many shapes and forms!), I think it is helpful to introduce here the concept of tikkun, one of the most life-changing teachings of The Kabbalah (a Jewish ancient wisdom that is one of the foundations of Human Design). Your tikkun is your soul correction journey, the wound you chose to transform into light in this lifetime. If you are the protagonist of your life’s movie, your tikkun is the main theme you need to overcome in order to have your happily ever after.

Whatever this theme is, it plays out incessantly in your life until you decide to look at it from an empowering point of view, instead of a victim mentality. When you stop believing that life is happening to you and start to cultivate certainty that everything is happening for you. Your tikkun is not punishment, but an opportunity for you to grow into the best version of yourself. To understand what you previously failed to understand - not through your mind, but through actual lived experience.

It is now clear to me that my tikkun revolves around the feeling of being inherently unworthy, of not being good enough to be chosen, to be truly seen and recognized. Even though I’m sure this experience coincides with the tikkun of most of the people who are reading this article (especially those with open/undefined heart center), it doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Your tikkun could be about the fear of losing control, the feeling of being persecuted, or the need to prove you’re better than others.

Whether we share the same tikkun or not, the way it shows up in each of our lives is deeply personal. Only you can tell what has been your experience, and only you can change how you respond to it. However, acknowledging our collective patterns and healing them together is one of the most powerful ways to stop feeling a victim of our circumstances and finally reclaiming our power back to ourselves. And this can happen in a myriad of ways. Including through a women’s retreat or… a TV show.

The collective wound

This past weekend, I had my second experience at a women’s retreat, this time as both a participant and a facilitator, and I came to the same conclusion I had before: the power of collective healing is unmatched. From my perspective, a life-altering retreat experience is less about what is being shared or the classes we attend (although those are essential to the process) and more about what we move through together, and how we hold space for each other’s healing journeys. It’s not about the form, but the bubble created from shared energy.

I firmly believe that nothing is random, and this is especially true regarding the people we are drawn to and with whom we connect. This is why, when I was preparing the Human Design workshop for the retreat, I wasn’t surprised to realize that all the six women in the retreat had an open heart center and that we shared the same three profile lines. It was clear to me that we chose each other to be both mirrors and healers.

The theme I chose for the workshop was “Your divinity within”, and I couldn’t believe how fitting it was when I tapped into the group energy (many of us didn’t know each other prior to the retreat). Apart from myself, there was another Projector who unsurprisingly took the lead and was obviously struggling with the need to do everything perfectly and control the outcome. I immediately saw in her many of my own patterns, which was both triggering and healing.

The rest of the group was composed of two Generators and two Manifesting Generators. Both of the Generator girls are long-term friends of mine (yes, the Projector-Generator bond is real), but this time I captured something in them that I wasn’t able to see before: the realness. There was absolutely no performance, but rather a sigh of relief for having the space to just be themselves without the need to be uplifting others all the time or being afraid to show up their vulnerability. A part of me also stopped performing right away and I put my guard down with them.

And then there were the Manifesting Generator girls. Even though they were the only ones I didn’t know anything about, they had one of the most important roles in my own personal journey. The way they both allow themselves to be fully present, to bring so much whimsy and playfulness, and to completely surrender to the experience without having to stick to any plan was truly inspiring. They reminded me of the little girl who used to be this unfuckwithable, who used to flirt with life without constantly policing herself or her body. By being so true to their nature, they healed something in me that made me want to fall in love with myself in a deeper way.

Even though some of us were complete strangers, we knew we could trust each other with our eyes closed. Our bodies relaxed in a way that is only possible when we feel at home. Not home as a physical space, but as a shared intimacy that we can only experience when we let ourselves be truly seen and held by others. When we understand that our deepest wounds are not what set us apart, but what truly makes us unite.

We didn’t connect because we were similar, but because being in each other’s energy made us access a deeper layer of our own truth. Our bond was created through vulnerability, not competitiveness, which completely flipped the script that we’re used to: the one that tells us that it is safer to perform than to be authentic to our true essence, and that our deepest wounds should be hidden instead of shared. Something magical happens when we feel safe to be both triggered and inspired at the same time.

All the girls touched my tikkun of unworthiness in their own way. I watched myself involuntarily comparing my body to theirs, thinking that I should be more advanced in yoga practice, or feeling that what I was sharing was not that relevant. And yet those girls reminded me time and time again that those feelings were not something to be ashamed of, but invitations to respond differently, to allow myself to be softer, to be gentler. And the beautiful thing is that I know I did exactly the same thing for them.

As I explained in one of my previous articles, Human Design is also called the Science of Differentiation, which can be misinterpreted as individuality. Maybe because we were taught that being different was something that would set us apart from others, that would condemn us to a solitary life. And that our wounds, our most painful patterns were signs of weakness, of non belonging. Turns out the exact things we believed we should hide are the ones that can make us see our divinity within, and help others do the same.

Redefining safety within relationships

I had overheard about Off Campus in a friend’s gathering and I was instantly curious about it. I thought I knew what I had gotten myself into: just another teen love story full of drama and intense romance. Little did I know that this apparently shallow romantic TV show focused on the love story of a witty college girl and a rising hockey star would impact me in unexpected ways. It soon came to my awareness that what at first seemed just one more mainstream phenomenon was more likely a collective purge in disguise.

A TV adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s bestselling college romance novels, Off Campus became an instant hit not only among teenagers, but through all generations. The instant success could be simplistically explained by the engaging plot, the talented and charismatic cast or the sculpted bodies of the male leading characters, but even though all this is true, it is just a fraction of the big picture. And the big picture is: generational trauma is being healed right in front of our eyes.

In the last centuries, cinema and television revolutionized the way we perceived ourselves and the world around us. What seemed like harmless entertainment had an undeniable influence in our belief system and in the reinforcement of stereotypes. It became both a mirror and an enhancer of the deepest wounds of the society. Girls became obsessed with their bodies and with proving their worth at all costs, while boys were convinced that their masculinity came with a sense of entitlement and aversion to vulnerability.

These stereotypes were not something we just watched through a screen, they were deeply ingrained and mistaken for our whole identity. Without noticing it, we were programmed since a very young age to act just like we saw in the movies. Being ourselves was not enough, we needed to be just like those curated characters. Unknowingly, we started to justify our suffering with the perfect excuse: we were unhappy because we were not like them. We felt trapped.

At the same time the red pill content is rising, so is its counteract. And this is why Off Campus being the hit TV show of the moment it’s not a random coincidence. In the eight episodes of the first season, we don’t see girls being mean to each other (how many of us believed we should be permanently competing?), relationships are not portrayed as war scenarios, and boys are not only able to be vulnerable but also to be accountable for their actions and emotions. And while this could be seen as a too good to be true scenario, I’d rather see it as a calling to a new paradigm. And I am not the only one feeling it.

I could honestly write a whole article about how Off Campus's success runs way deeper than what we could think, but let’s focus on how trauma is carefully addressed throughout the series, especially regarding the lead characters Hannah and Garrett. They both share a heavy past that they are struggling to leave behind: Hannah was sexually assaulted, while Garrett grew up in a household where domestic abuse was the norm. As a result of their experiences, she struggles to let go and let people in, and he is haunted by the idea that he might become just like his abusive father.

As so many of us could relate, they grapple with the perception that they are defined by their trauma. Hannah asks “What if I’m broken?”, Garrett questions “What if I’m just like him?”. These are not rhetorical questions, but the trap we’ve all been in at some point in our lives. A trap that Hollywood helped to deepen every time we saw the typical hero vs. villain dynamic on screen, which subconsciously taught us to believe that life should be a permanent battle. Relationships were portrayed as competitive sports where we were either a winner or a loser. In any case, vulnerability was not an option, our guard must be up all the time if we wanted to “succeed”.

Off Campus flips this script in a brilliant way. Garrett and Hannah don’t need to “fight” for each other, they fall in love because they allow their relationship to be a healing space rather than a battlefield. What do they do differently? Instead of hiding their protective parts and pretending they have everything figured out, they choose to drop the masks and let each other in. They understand their fears and insecurities are not only valid, but what makes them truly connect and be a safe space for each other.

Connecting the dots

As human beings, we all want to connect, to be seen and recognized for who we are. To love and be loved. For too long we believed that would only be possible if we were anything but ourselves, if we hide our imperfections at all costs. Girls needed to be more skinny, to change their body, to put makeup on, and to beg for attention and validation. Boys had to be strong, combative and to hide their emotions or channel them through reactiveness and aggression. This has been the narrative, but this narrative is changing.

Of course this is not something that happens overnight, and I’m well aware of how hard it can be to believe anything is changing when we see so many throwbacks. But remember that evolution only happens through friction, and while many people are still clinging to the old tale, so many of us are awakening to another way of being and relating to the world. Change is inevitable, but we need to keep doing our part, and not let the noise distract us from what truly matters.

This is why we should not underestimate the power of understanding how things can be done differently, preferably through real life interactions, but sometimes also through fiction and art. Just as a boy raised by an abusive father benefits from having other male references in his life, we all gain when fictional characters show us what healthy relationships can look like.

At some point in the series, Hannah says to Garrett “We can’t let them win, it gives them power. This is how we win, we just show up and live our lives. And as for everything else, we can just start with the small stuff and work our way up.” Regardless of the context, this is one hell of a piece of advice. Showing up authentically instead of hiding, living our lives rather than trying to be anyone else, choosing to take the small step even if it’s frightening and it seems pointless.

My experience at the retreat and watching Off-Campus reminded me that trauma comes from relationships, but so does healing. Life is constantly triggering us and we can’t control when an old trauma will resurface, but we can control how we respond to it, whether we keep trying to hide the darkness inside, and pretend to play it cool, or let the light in through true authenticity and connection. This is easier said than done, but it is worth it every single time.

A breakthrough happens when we start to see triggers as opportunities for healing, and when we allow ourselves and others to rewrite the stories of our lives. When we understand that the point was never to run away from the pain, but to allow it to move through us until we’re able to alchemize it. Going back to Off Campus, this is exactly what Hannah meant when she wrote the following lyrics:

“Spent so long inside my head
The pain, the tears, secrets I kept
In fear one day they'd be the end of me
I am the girl that I am
Because of what I went through
I am the girl that I am
Partly because of you
I am the girl that I am
Because of the girl I used to be”

Maybe my favorite part of the song is when she sings “partly because of you”. Because she acknowledges how Garrett and all her friends, family and teachers played an important role in her healing journey, but she doesn’t take away her credit in the process. They helped her reconnect with her most authentic and free version, but only because she let them in. Also, Garrett is not the typical Prince Charming coming to save Hannah, but rather the one who holds the space for her to “save” herself. This is what healthy relationships, whether romantic or not, look like.

We all have our traumas, our painful patterns, our tikkuns. We all developed the necessary protective parts that helped us cope with what was destroying us. But surviving is not the point anymore, living authentically is. And to do it, we necessarily need to do something different, to be more open, to raise our standards in relationships, to stop comparing ourselves to others, to replace reactiveness with true vulnerability. To believe that we are enough just the way we are.

But these are not just personal behaviors, they are generational patterns that were reinforced time and time again by religion, politics and pop culture. It is about time for us to realize that we have the power to change it, even if that requires fangirling over a teen college TV show and its protagonist. If this is what it takes to inspire men and young boys to act more like Garrett, and women and young girls to trust themselves like Hannah, so be it. Not all obsessions are born the same. Some encode generational healing in it.

Regardless of what our healing journeys look like, we’re at a pivotal moment in history where we’re being invited to step into a new way of living and relating to ourselves and others. It is not a coincidence that we’re all feeling the urge to know ourselves better and to tend to our wounds, that we’re craving more spaces of true connection and shared intimacy, and that we no longer feel drawn to romanticize toxic behaviour. We’re not afraid of wanting and demanding more anymore. And it is time to go get it. Together.

“Trust your gut”.

For years I listened to this advice but I had no clue of how to put it into practice. How am I supposed to know what my gut is telling me? Is it a voice? A feeling? A premonition? I understood the concept, and I liked the idea of trusting my gut while facing a crossroads, but I genuinely had no clue of how to listen to it. Turns out there’s a reason for it, and it’s in my chart.

Before we dive into the explanation from a Human Design point of view, I think it’s helpful to introduce António Damásio’s concept of somatic markers. Back in the 90s, the Portuguese neuroscientist theorized that all the positive and negative experiences we face through our life are stored in our body in the form of emotional and physiological memory. These memories are expressed through the so-called somatic markers, emotional and physiological body signals that are perceived very differently by different people.

António Damásio’s theory challenged the dualistic idea that emotion and reason are separate entities, arguing that emotional processes can consciously or unconsciously impact decision-making. This explained why expressions like “butterflies in the stomach” or “trust your gut” are not that unreasonable after all. Since Damásio’s discoveries, neuroscience has been rapidly evolving, and we now have plenty of evidence that validates one of Human Design’s basic premises: the body knows before the mind.

The idea that our body is constantly communicating with us through our gut validated many people’s experiences, but left others questioning themselves. I fall into the latter category. For all my life, I had a neutral approach to decision-making. I don’t know what it is to trust my gut when making a decision. Even the idea of listening to my intuition is not something I can say I’m super familiar with. I would describe the way my body speaks to me more like an inner knowing, or a calm neutrality that signals I should follow a specific path. It’s less about powerful or sharp cues, and more about subtleness. (It’s important to note that I’m not speaking about life-threatening situations here, but about conscious, intentional and voluntary decisions.)

If you’re thinking this is just a matter of semantics, you might be surprised to realize your choice of words is not random at all (nothing is, but this is a topic for another article). The expressions you casually use on a daily basis may look trivial to you, but they carry an underlying wisdom about how your body works. However, the opposite is also true: if remarks like “trust your gut” simply don’t land, this is also precious data that you should definitely not ignore.

Is your gut speaking to you?

So why do some people seem to have full access to their gut while others are clueless about what that even means? The answer lies in the sacral center, the area of the body connected with the gut, hips, sexual organs and reproductive system. In the Human Design system, this is the center that governs energy, productivity, sexuality and creativity. It is a literal powerhouse that can turn you on or off in a matter of seconds… But the issue is, not everyone is born the same.

In every Human Design chart, there are nine different centers, which can be defined or undefined/open. In a nutshell, this means each center can play a more active/yang role in your life (if defined), or have a more receptive/yin quality to it (if open). Your defined centers (the colored ones on your chart) are where you have constant access to that specific energy, whereas in your open centers (those white on your chart) you act more like a receptor with unstable connection to your inner broadcaster.

Hence, your sacral center can be either defined or open (if you don’t know how to find this information, I’ll give you some instructions at the end of the article), which changes pretty much everything. This apparently innocuous piece of information is the difference between being designed to actively engage with life through your gut response, or having an inconsistent and fluctuating relationship to it.

If your sacral is defined, you're in the majority: roughly 70% of the world's population shares this “feature”, which explains why “trust your gut” is such popular advice everywhere on the globe. This means you are either a Generator or a Manifesting Generator. On the other hand, if you have an open sacral center, this automatically puts you in a minority group that includes Manifestors, Projectors, and Reflectors. If you are one of those, I hope it can give you some relief to know you shouldn’t be trusting your gut at all.

This differentiation is no small thing and it is one of the main reasons why the cookie-cutter advice we see all over the internet may not work for you, even if you’re doing everything correctly. Let’s imagine you are a Projector like me and you decide to follow the advice of a Generator coach who manifested a lot of abundance perfecting their relationship with their gut and trusting its yeses and nos. The most likely scenario is that you will end up resenting the coach for giving you a framework you can’t even figure out how to put in practice.

That’s when you inevitably begin to spiral. You see so many people following the exact same script and having great results, and you think maybe it’s because you’re doing something wrong or you’re somewhat doomed. What you don’t realize is that you’re trying to force your system to work like a battery-powered radio when your only source of power is electricity. You are both running on completely different operating systems, which is why the same strategy leads to such different outcomes.

Sacrals vs. Non-sacrals

Think of a defined sacral center like the gas tank of your car. Imagine that you want to take a trip. The first thing you do is see if you have enough fuel in the reservoir. You check the monitor and immediately know if the fuel left in the tank is enough to reach the destination. Your gut feeling is like the monitor of your own body: if the tank is full, it will give you the green light, if it’s running empty, it will ask you to stop.

If you are familiar with burnout as a Generator or Manifesting Generator, chances are you have been ignoring the fuel light for far too long. And it doesn’t even have to be work-related. It can look like going on a trip because you have to rather than because you truly want it, saying yes to that dinner party when you wish you could say no (news flash, you can!), or not doing something that excites you because you are afraid others will think you’re selfish. You do these things thinking they’re inoffensive, until your system starts collapsing with no apparent reason. Overlooking your gut feeling is not only unhelpful, it is the most dangerous thing you can do for your body.

If you have an undefined sacral center, this whole conversation may not be of much use to you. Your system looks nothing like the modern cars we’re used to, but more like a vintage car propelled by steam. You can’t rely on a monitor (gut) check because you don’t have an internal combustion engine in the first place. Your energy source is external rather than internal. You can still work as efficiently as modern cars, but your energy levels are much more unpredictable and unstable.

As a Manifestor, Projector or Reflector, you can’t have sacral authority, which simply means you can’t rely on your gut to make decisions. Regardless of your authority (I'll explain and break down each one of them below), this implies that you are designed to take things slower and to trust the subtleness of your body rather than its sheer power. In other words, your inner rhythm is far more volatile and dependent on your environment, overall wellbeing or menstrual cycle (if you’re a woman).

This is why the vast majority of people with undefined sacral centers have experienced burnout, depression or severe anxiety. The reason is simple, yet difficult to grasp: your body was not designed for the modern grind. And like a steam-powered car, you have to learn how to stop before the car runs completely empty, which necessarily implies high maintenance, frequent breaks and a gentle approach to your daily life. The absence of a gut feeling doesn’t mean something is missing, but that you need to stop putting yourself in races that will inevitably lead to depletion.

Now, before I give you a more detailed explanation on how to or not to trust your gut, let me be clear: an undefined sacral is not something bad and doesn’t mean you’re cursed. It simply means that you’re not designed to be constantly generating energy the way defined sacrals are. If their gift comes from constantly engaging and responding to life in an active way, yours comes from a place of allowance and receptivity. While Generators and Manifesting Generators must use their gut feeling to be conscious builders, non-sacrals need to find the necessary space to guide (Projectors), innovate (Manifestors) and proofread the environment (Reflectors). No role is better than the other, just intrinsically different.

Keep these differences in mind the next time you wonder why you can’t create the way others do, and remember your body was designed like this for a reason. Not to punish you, but to make you pave your own path in a world that wants us to compete with each other rather than co-creating together. That’s why you should absolutely trust your gut — or ignore this advice altogether. Your blueprint helps you to understand your system features, but you’re the one in the driver seat.

Your authority (or how to put this into practice)

Now that you’re aware of the way your sacral center functions, it is time to get familiar with your specific way of making aligned decisions. Human Design (and neuroscience) tells you that your body knows better than your mind, but where exactly in your body? This is what your Authority tells you. There are seven different types of Authority, and before you dive into yours, bear in mind that the only way to start developing your ability to trust yours is through experimentation, not rationalization.

Sacral authority (Generators and Manifesting Generators)

If you have this authority, you should rely on your gut to decide whether you want to do something or not. “Trust your gut” is not only great advice to you, it is the mantra you should live by. Your gut feelings are not mere hunches, they are your compass and how your body communicates to you if it has the energy required to do something or not. Your gut functions like a switch, giving you exact instructions to live your life and take the most aligned decisions.
It is important to understand that your gut is not a subjective tool, it works in absolutes. Either you have the energy required to do or pursue something, or you don’t. Your gut responds to yes/no questions, not to open inquiry. Remember, it is a switch with only two modes: on or off. Whether you listen and follow these cues or not will determine how much you enjoy and love your life.

Emotional authority (Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors and Manifestors)

Having this authority implies that your solar plexus center, the one that governs your emotions and feelings, is defined. This fundamentally means that you’re constantly in tune with your emotions and that they should always have the last word regarding your decision-making processes. In other words, you must always wait for your emotional waves to pass (but never suppress them!) in order to have the required clarity to make a decision.
This is the only authority that is shared by sacrals and non-sacrals, and also the most powerful one in terms of intensity, which explains why so many of you feel pressured to make instant decisions in order to alleviate your big feelings. However, making decisions during an emotional wave is like choosing your next job while in the middle of a bonfire — the chances of regretting it later are high. Instead, you should first get out of the fire, tend to your burns and only then allow yourself to decide from a place of neutrality. Learning how to cultivate patience and not rushing through decisions is one of the lessons you are meant to master during this lifetime.
If you are a Generator or Manifesting Generator with Emotional Authority, this entails you should trust your gut but also wait to make a decision. Although these two concepts might seem conflicting, it is important for you to keep listening to your gut feelings, but give enough time for your body to reveal which ones are worthy of pursuing for the long-term. Your gut gives you the raw data, your emotions help you process it.

Splenic authority (Projectors and Manifestors)

If you have this authority, your inner compass is your splenic center, which rules the instincts, fears and intuitive knowledge. Alongside sacral authority, you have one of the few authorities that work in the present moment, meaning that you’re not designed to wait to make decisions. However, while sacrals should trust their gut to know what is aligned to them, you have the task of listening to what your intuition perceives as safe (or not). It is less about power cues, and more about subtle instincts.
Because it comes from the spleen, this authority is all about what your body perceives as safe. And that perception is not felt over time, but in the present moment — the way your body contracts when you enter a room; the feeling there’s something wrong with that job; or how you almost feel sick when in contact with a specific person. These are not random hunches, but how your body is designed to tell you if something is truly safe, and therefore meant, for you. They are almost never logical, but always strikingly accurate. How many times have you said to yourself “I knew something was off”? It is time to trust those instincts.

Ego authority (Manifestors and Projectors)

Even though the name can raise some eyebrows, having this authority doesn’t mean you are a heartless narcissist, but rather someone whose life mission is to go after your heart’s desires. It is important to note that, in the Human Design system, the heart is not about emotions (that is the solar plexus territory), but about willpower, value, desire, and creating material and tangible success. With a defined heart center, you are meant to cultivate a deep sense of self, thus the “ego” word choice.
With your decision-making connected to your heart center, you’re definitely not designed to wait for permission to go after what you want*. And that’s why one of your most important life lessons is to let go of the fear of being perceived as selfish by those around you. Rather than asking for others’ advice, ask yourself: "What do I truly want?”. “What am I willing to commit to?”. What do I truly desire?" Your soul is asking you to commit to the material plane, to build something tangible. That’s not being selfish, but being true to yourself.

* If you’re a Projector, this is a bit more nuanced, since you’re designed to wait for an invitation to act on something. However, your heart should always dictate whether you want to say yes to the invite or not. It has to spark something in you.

Self-projected authority (Projectors)

As a self-projected Projector, your compass resides in your Identity/G center, which is all about self-love, purpose, and life direction. Your decision-making should be tied to your self-identity. However, unlike Ego authority, your drive is less about material pursuits, and more about an intangible purpose. For that reason, while making a decision, you should focus less on asking what you want, and more on what feels truly resonant. Ask yourself: “Does this reflect who I am?”, “Do I recognize myself in this decision?”, “Is this who I am?”, or “Is this aligned with my life’s purpose?”.
To facilitate this process it is helpful to say things out loud, while paying attention to how what you’re saying resonates in your body. Sounding board can be especially helpful for you, although it is important to keep in mind that you are not designed to make decisions based on external advice. Your individualism is not about being egocentric, but about protecting what makes you uniquely you at all costs. And that requires listening to yourself, not others.

Lunar authority (Reflectors)

This is the only authority that is automatically tied to an energy type, which means if you are a Reflector you must have Lunar authority. Its name is also self-explanatory: your decision-making is deeply influenced by the moon, and you must wait at least 28 days (one moon cycle) to make a big move or decision. This is due to the fact that you have all your centers open, making your body a constant reflection of your environment. Rather than tapping into a particular center, your body needs to have a taste of all the energies throughout a moon cycle in order to discern what stays aligned over time.
Even though it is considered an outer authority, this doesn’t mean your body isn’t in charge. In truth, I think this label might create more confusion than clarity. The thing is, yes, you should wait to make a big decision, but this time is fertile ground for you to reflect on and observe how your body reacts to the feeling of change, it is not just a passive process. During this period, it is helpful to discuss whatever arises with others, in order for you to get in touch with the emotions, thoughts and energetic shifts that might arise. Remember that you're constantly sampling the world around you and that is exactly your superpower.

Mental authority (Projectors)

It is the rarest authority (less than 0.5% of the population) and perhaps the most misunderstood of all — at least this is my experience as a Mental Projector who is lucky enough to have exchanged thoughts with many others with this authority. Most of the knowledge online (and even in certifications) focus almost entirely on the use of sounding board to process information and find clarity, and even though I don’t think this is bad advice, it is reductive to say the least.
What makes Mental Projectors different is the fact that they have most of their centers open (six to seven), but a lot of mental definition. This means that you are especially porous to your environment, but also constantly processing what is happening through your particular loud mind. So the challenge here is to be able to get clarity without the interference of your mind. And that takes time. A lot of time. For you, change is not something that happens overnight, but a build-up practice. The good news is that when you find that clarity, there’s no turning back.
Since your mind is processing a lot of information all at once, your body needs more time to integrate change than any other authority. Often you have an inner knowing telling you change is inevitable, but that needs to be felt in your body through a state of neutrality. When you feel neither excited nor anxious about the decision you need to make, that’s your cue. For that to happen, the real medicine is to put yourself as much as you can in environments that feel peaceful and non-triggering to you. Keep in mind it is more about inner stability, and less about excitement or lots of stimulation.

And now what?

Now that you have a clearer picture about how your body is wired to make decisions and process change, I hope you can feel at least some relief. Whether your body is begging you to trust your gut, to integrate your emotional wave, or to find a state of neutrality within, it is up to you to start practicing what truly works for you, and to let go of other people’s frameworks.

You can generate your own free Human Design chart here. If you feel called to go deeper on your specific blueprint, you can book a reading with me through this link, or reach out to me at Marta.humandesign@gmail.com

Stay true to yourself,
Marta

Writing an article about what is Human Design is definitely not a piece of cake, especially for this Mental Projector with Scorpio Sun, Venus and Pluto who likes to go so deep that sometimes drowns herself in a sea of question marks. Am I being insightful enough? Am I sharing enough knowledge? Am I simplifying too much? For once, I’m intentionally pointing the middle finger to my imposter syndrome so I can give you my perspective on the modality that changed my relationship with myself forever.

Remembering who you are

The first time I was introduced to Human Design was in the book corridor of Fnac. I was looking for a last-minute Christmas gift when I was drawn to a book titled “Redescobre-te com o Human Design”, which can be translated to something like “rediscover yourself through Human Design”. The premise was simple, yet powerful: a guide to unlock your potential and transform your life. Little did I know that I was being given the seed for a big life transformation.

I’m well aware of how dodgy and culty self-help talk can look, and this is one of the main reasons why I struggle to give a proper definition of Human Design. Even just reading what I wrote in my Substack bio (Remember your most unique gifts and start to create from your true life force. Your seeds for limitless abundance and success are within.) makes me feel a little self-conscious. And yet I know this couldn’t come from a more truthful place.

This is one of the first things I learned about Human Design: it will trigger and challenge our logical mind and our attachments about our own judgments and what we perceive as rational or reasoning. Human Design is not about the rational knowledge that we are used to, it comes from a broader spectrum, from a place of acceptance of the mystery of life itself. It invites us to look at ourselves to find empirical proof rather than waiting for outward validation or evidence.

This may seem trivial, but it is not. In a world that asks us to work 8 or more hours a day because we have to, to second guess our intuition because it isn’t reasonable, or to measure our success in metrics, cultivating absolute trust in ourselves is nothing short of revolutionary. It’s a permission slip to completely reverse the most basic society rules, to stop looking for external validation and start looking inward, to build a life from our own standards rather than the ones we were forced to believe were “right”, “normal”, or “rational”.

Burnout. Anxiety. Depression. Unfulfillment. Somehow we were made to believe that these feelings are proof of our inadequacy. That something is wrong with us. Human Design gives us a powerful reframe: there’s nothing wrong with us, this is just our body’s way of telling us that we are capable of much more, that a reset is needed in order to restore our true life force. That we don’t need to do more, have more, prove more, but to do something radically different: unlearn and release society’s conditioning in order to remember and start living in tune with our true inner nature.

Let me pause here to acknowledge that this is absolutely easier said than done and I’m aware of how delusional this ‘be yourself’ advice can look like. But this is precisely where I think Human Design can be an absolute game changer. Because you don’t have to believe in any theory, you just have to be willing to experiment, to be your own test tube. Do you think this is bullshit? Great, but can you at least try and see what happens?

Unlike other spiritual modalities, Human Design’s primary focus is not in the future or the past, but in the present moment. It gives us a blueprint to work with, not a sentence or verdict. And it does so while stripping away the concepts of “good” and “bad”. In my perspective, there are no challenging placements or less favorable elements in a Human Design chart, it is merely a mirror of your unfiltered life force, of the way you are designed to operate. It’s like having access to a manual of how your energetic body optimally functions.

If we take the example of Nature, we don’t expect a sunflower to thrive in the shade or a lotus flower to grow where there’s no water. We simply accept their nature and honor it. There’s no right or wrong way to live, only different characteristics and needs. This is exactly what happens with humans, except that we were taught to believe we should all abide by the same rules. A person needs more rest than the others? Lazy. Someone doesn’t want to spend time with their friends? Selfish. You need a lot of time alone? Antisocial. Without realizing it, we start to identify ourselves with these labels and start to disconnect with our own true needs.

Inevitably, when our roots start to rot and our blossoming is delayed, we go back to these labels. We think maybe it’s because we are not talented enough, productive enough, or consistent enough. Our Human Design tells us a completely different story: we are not missing anything, we just forgot what our needs are in the first place. Your chart is a tool to help you remember how to trust the infinite intelligence of your body in order to give it the nutrients and care it really needs.

Simplicity over complexity

Recently, a client shared with me something that has been playing in my head since then. She said to me that she had tried to get into Human Design before “but it felt so complicated”. I totally understand her. Being introduced to Human Design can look like entering an alien world where absolutely nothing is familiar. Suddenly, I’m no longer just Marta, but a Mental Projector, with 2/4 profile, RAX Explanation 4, no inner authority and the 23/43 channel of structuring. Not to mention the gates, the centers, the conscious and unconscious placements, or the arrows. There’s no doubt it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

Human Design is a system created in the 80s by a Canadian man named Ra Uru Hu (Robert Alan Krakower), and it blends into one tool ancient modalities like Astrology, Chinese I Ching, Kabbalah, and the Chakra system, with modern quantum physics. So, yes, there’s absolutely nothing “simple” about it. And yet I can’t help but think that it’s a disservice to the world if we don’t try to break this knowledge into more digestible pieces of information.

To be able to do that I think it’s helpful to first acknowledge that Human Design is not something you should believe in or not. Like Astrology, the I Ching, or even Physics or Mathematics, Human Design is a language in itself, a way to understand the world and ourselves using a specific set of tools. The same way you don’t say “I don’t believe in Mandarin” because you don’t understand the language, it doesn’t make sense to negate a whole system just because you can’t comprehend it. You just have to be willing to get familiar with it, and, more importantly, to practice it.

When you learn a new language, you are necessarily becoming acquainted with a different way of seeing and interpreting the world around you. It stretches your capacity to fathom life itself. This is why learning Human Design can be especially overwhelming, because it introduces you to the unspoken nature of your soul, of your quantum body. It’s not just a new perspective, it is a way to grasp what was never discernible through our limited human perception. But here is what most miss about it: more than just another spoken language, Human Design is also a deeply practical tool.

This practicality is where complexity can turn into simplicity, where what’s confusing for the mind can become the simplest guidance for your body. Let’s say you’re a Generator or Manifesting Generator with Sacral Authority, which fundamentally means you are designed to be constantly responding to life through your gut, asking it yes or no questions. This is not something your mind should logically understand, but rather a cue for your own experimentation. It should be a fun process, not a daunting one.

Your Human Design chart is a tool to help you remember what your body already knows, its innate wisdom, its original frequency. It is a remembrance exercise, not something to master or to be good at. Taking the above mentioned example, the most important thing is not knowing that you have Sacral authority, but starting to play with it. Do you feel an expansion or a contraction? Does it feel exciting? Is your energy increasing or decreasing? It’s not about forcing something to land, but enjoying yourself while allowing your body to finally take the wheel.

Where’s the proof?

Human Design is also referred to as the Science of Differentiation, and even though I do think this is a pretty accurate description, I understand it could raise some eyebrows. Above all, because of the use of the word “science”. I must clarify that I don’t consider myself a negationist and I respect scientific research and knowledge a lot, but I understand why most people still see spirituality and science as two opposite forces. The reason is simple: one speaks through facts, logic and evidence, the other through mystery, intuition and feeling.

What I do think most people miss is how interconnected they are: both scientists and “mystics” are trying to make sense of the world, they are speaking about the exact same thing, just through different languages. I believe this could be a little bit easier to digest if we do a rebranding on the word “proof”, maybe one of the most damaging concepts of the modern world. We were taught to only believe in what was proven, but the thing is, there’s no such thing as proof. Even the most brilliant scientist can’t state something is 100% true. Their mission is to gather as much evidence as possible to try to prove something, but there will always be doubt.

This is particularly relevant given the fact that the whole Human Design system was created on what is now a widely researched scientific concept: neutrinos. Originating from the sun and all the stars, neutrinos are the most abundant particles that have mass in the universe, flowing in all directions faster than the speed of light. With little mass, they pass through everything, which means they stream through planets, solid objects, buildings and human bodies all the time (roughly 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every single second).

In 1987, Ra Uru Hu saw a little further: these tiny particles were the “messengers of the Universe”, they were the conductive wire of human consciousness. Since they have mass (more on this topic below), they carry a unique composition and frequency that, after being originated in a specific starfield, passes through our solar system and our human bodies, leaving specific imprints. After merging this concept with other ancestral knowledge and modalities, Ra came to the conclusion that our unique blueprint was determined by the neutrino streams passing through our bodies at the time of our birth and in the three months prior.

It’s important to state that, at the time Ra started to develop the Human Design system, there was no scientific evidence demonstrating neutrinos had mass. The first conclusive demonstrations that neutrinos have non-zero mass came in 1998, and only in 2015 the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, confirming they have mass. The thing is, if Ra had solely relied on scientific knowledge and evidence, he would never have formulated the HD system.

Ra Uru Hu understood something that most people fail to comprehend and that Jack Fraser, Master’s Physics by the University of Oxford, explained perfectly: “All science is merely the current best model. Science is impermanent. It is, by definition, in constant flux. (…) Proof can only exist when there is no doubt, and there is always doubt. You could be a brain in a vat, living in a crazy simulation. You could be hallucinating everything. You cannot prove anything.”

One of Ra's teachings that I think is more commonly forgotten is precisely the fact that Human Design is not something to be believed in, but rather to be validated through real experimentation. The point was never to be right, but to provoke, to instigate deeper self-awareness. In a world where science is mistaken by the concept of “proof”, he understood that our bodies are and will always be our most reliable body of work. That we can simultaneously trust in science and be the scientists of our own lives.

Ra’s download of the Human Design system, which by the time it was created was even more controversial, took him by surprise and for a long time he was afraid he was some kind of lunatic disseminating lies. During the first years, he even wore a “mystic hat” in all of his public presentations, because he felt it was appropriate given the fact that he acknowledged what he was sharing might be completely untrue. He only stopped using the hat after one of his sons made him aware of a news segment reporting… on the discovery of neutrinos having mass. Science had finally caught up with what once felt like craziness.

Differentiation is the key

I think it is quite ironic how the most brilliant people on the planet were (and will always be) inevitably labeled as crazy by society. Even what is now considered common knowledge was once viewed as an outrage or a heresy by the ones who weren’t able to see further. Clinging to a rigid way of thinking and the inability to see the nuances made us a lot more easily brainwashed, because we started to see things in black or white patterns: either it was right or wrong, rational or irrational, normal or crazy.

Maybe one of the greatest brainwashes of all time is that being “different” is something to be ashamed of and that, if we want to succeed, we need to follow some kind of script of normalness. Unfortunately, this is still the current norm, and one of the reasons why so many people keep living unfulfilling lives. If I had to name just one thing Human Design gave me it would definitely be the awareness on how my differences, and the things I perceived as weaknesses for so long, are in fact my biggest gifts.

Your Human Design chart presents you with your uniqueness, with what makes you different, and therefore special. It points out your role and your highest purpose, not because it gives you something external to pursue, but because it helps you to see that being yourself is the key to living in harmony with this beautiful ecosystem we’re a part of. Like the bees are essential to maintain biodiversity or the whales help provide at least half of the oxygen we breathe, your specific gifts are your best contribution to mankind. It’s where you’re truly irreplaceable.

This is profoundly disruptive knowledge, which is why I believe it hasn’t become more widespread. Why? Because the moment you become aware of how much you’re suppressing and giving in just to maintain a system that is making you ill and disconnected from your own self, you also become less controllable and influenceable. You start to understand that your worthiness is not attached to how much you produce, how many hours you work, or how society perceives you. And that what made you feel inadequate is the exact same thing that will give you a free pass to a life you can actually enjoy.

This is why, from my point of view, Human Design is a remembrance and practical tool above anything else. Your chart doesn’t present you with a destination, but with the unique coordinates of your soul. You don’t have to do anything to be a “good” Projector or a “productive” Manifesting Generator, you just have to allow yourself to remember who you truly are, and start to move from the certainty you’re not only human, you’re stardust.

If you feel ready to start remembering your biggest gifts and embracing your uniqueness to start building a true soul-led life, I would be honored to guide you in the process. Not as a mentor, but as a friend who’s here to help you remember how magical you are. You can book your 1:1 reading here, or feel free to reach out to me at Marta.humandesign@gmail.com

The illusion of separation

I’m beginning this article by writing about God. What does God have to do with open centers? We’ll get there in a minute, but for now, just stay with me… Even if you don’t believe in God, or especially if you don’t.

Maybe the biggest lie we were told is that we are separate from the universe. We were taught that we should always be looking for something outside of us; that we needed to seek guidance from other realms. That God (at least in most Western monotheistic religions) is someone who is up there, looking down and judging us, maybe with a big beard and a serious expression. He is above us. We are not the same.

This idea that we are separate from whatever higher force made us outsource our power. It made us believe that we were not enough. It made us accept hierarchical statuses and think that some people had more knowledge about how things should be done than we did. We trusted popes, priests, gurus, and coaches because we believed they had some kind of key we didn’t have access to as mere mortals.

We became deeply controllable. Not because we believed (or didn’t) in God, but because we weren’t allowed to fully trust ourselves. I was born and raised in a Catholic household and, even though my upbringing wasn’t particularly strict, I was often reminded that what I was doing was either right or wrong in the eyes of “God.” That some behaviors were sinful and that I should be a “good girl.” God was always looking down at me.

Like many my age (millennial here!), there was a time when I inevitably rebelled against all of this. Why should I believe some priest telling me I should be ashamed of my body, my sexuality, and my behaviors? It made no sense at all. I saw the corruption, I sensed the fear, and I jumped to the conclusion that there was no such thing as God. I needed to be rational, to understand that there was nothing to believe in except for the things I could actually see and prove. In the blink of an eye, I escaped the control of the church for the control of my own rational mind.

Especially in Western societies, we began to identify ourselves as believers or non-believers. What we didn’t realize is that both of these options had the exact same premise underneath: that we are somehow separate from everything else. God is either outside of us or He doesn’t exist at all, which leaves us with the belief that we can’t fully trust our own nature. In one point of view, God is controlling and judging us from above; in the other, we need to be the ones controlling and judging our own lives through a rational lens.

Both of these perspectives are rooted in the idea of separation and, therefore, control. If we believe we are separate from God, we unconsciously perceive that real power lies outside of ourselves. We feel alone in this human experience, constantly looking outward instead of inward. But what if we are God? What if we are one with everything that exists? What if separation is a pure illusion?

These ideas are far from new, especially if we lean into more ancient or less Westernized views of the world . But even in the spiritual world, I don’t think this is talked about enough—maybe because this will ultimately lead to the fall of the so-called enlightened gurus. After all, if we are God, we can tap into our limitless potential at any time, we can ask ourselves for advice, and we can create our own reality. We become untamed and less and less susceptible to being controlled by any agenda.

This idea that we are separate from God, and therefore separate from Nature itself, gave humans the insatiable hunger to dominate, to conquer, and to control. Without noticing it, we started to worship our mind as an omnipresent God. Ironically, rationality became the justification for perpetrating the most cruel acts against humanity, which are fundamentally acts against our own selves. We forgot we are a part of a far greater intelligence, one that our logical minds simply can’t comprehend.

When we start to see ourselves as part of Nature, and not just a place we inhabit (and therefore own), we begin to notice that there’s no better teacher. We start to notice patterns: how a woman’s body follows the phases of the moon; how our growth is painstakingly similar to that of a flower or a tree; how childbirth implies a contraction before an expansion, like we often experience when we are on the verge of our biggest breakthroughs. Nature is a mirror, because we are Nature itself.

A piece of the whole

This realization is the reason exploring our Human Design can be the most eye-opening experience: because it reminds us that we are perfectly designed to be a piece of the whole. We start to trust our own nature without the need to compare ourselves with others, just as a bee would not compare itself to a dragonfly. Of course, it is easier said than done, especially if you have learned to identify yourself as a bee even if you were always a dragonfly. And this precisely why your open centers can be your worst nightmare… or your biggest asset.

According to Human Design, human bodies have nine energy centers, each of them carrying a theme associated with a specific part of the body. We all learned biology in school and know that, for example, the stomach is where we digest food. But no one taught us how our bodies function on an energetic level. We were made to believe everyone processes emotions the same way (Solar Plexus center), that our energy levels have nothing to do with the way our bodies operate (Sacral center), or that we should all be able to memorize things easily (Head center). Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, we all have nine energy centers, but the way they operate differs from person to person. In Human Design language, they can either be defined or undefined (open). Putting it simply, where we are defined is where we have consistent access to a particular frequency of our own and are designed to influence the environment, whereas through our open centers, we are constantly tapping into the energy of our environment, thus being influenced by it. That’s why our openness is often where we are conditioned the most.

Having awareness of our energetic centers alone can be truly liberating because it shows us not only how we operate, but also how our bodies behave in relation to others. Of all the amazing things I’ve learned about myself since I first started this journey, the centers are in a league of their own. The amount of insight I’ve been continuously extracting from them is nothing short of amazing, and even my therapist noticed how easily some things started to click for me once I began to notice the patterns of my centers.

I have two defined and seven undefined centers, which, to put it lightly, makes me especially porous to the energy around me. I’m constantly absorbing and amplifying the pressure (Root), the emotions (Solar Plexus), the energy (Sacral), the fears (Spleen), the identity (G Center), the willpower (Heart), and the ideas and inspiration (Head) of everyone around me. On the other hand, my defined Ajna and Throat condition my environment through my words, thoughts, and opinions.

Open centers are the places where we can be easily influenced, which is why they hold so much wisdom about our biggest traumas and blockages. But they are also where we can turn pain into limitless potential. I find it helpful to picture the defined centers as radio stations and the undefined centers as radio receivers. The former have their own immutable frequency which they broadcast to the world, while the latter can tap into all the frequencies that exist.

Don’t get me wrong: your definition is definitely a gift, and it’s where you can find a much-needed sense of stability inside of yourself. You can’t question your definition. For example, if you are a Generator, you can always rely on your Sacral’s yeses and nos; it’s like an embedded feature that comes with your design. In my case, I know I’ll have a thought or something I want to say at any given moment. Whether you like it or not, your definition is always there, it’s like your most loyal assistant. The thing is, there’s not much freedom in your definition: you can’t just fire this assistant.

Open Centers as God Portals

Your open centers are a whole different story. There are no loyal assistants here; it’s only you and the ever-changing world around you. This is the terrain of the unknown, of what is unpredictable and untraceable. Whereas through your definition you can more easily experience a sense of control, your openness asks you to release control and surrender to the mystery of life. In its purest form, there’s no attachment in your openness, just pure experience.

In one of my previous articles, I addressed these differences with regard to my defined Ajna and undefined Head center: “My Ajna is always processing information at the speed of light and it likes to have all the answers right away, with no gaps or blank spaces. But this is not how my Head functions. My Head likes to wander, to see the big picture, to have time to process all things at the same time. My Ajna is a machine; my Head is a portal to the universe.”

This is the thing that most miss: open centers are not only where we receive the most conditioning, they are also places of unlimited potential. They are portals to the universe or, as Robin Winn coined, “God Portals.” Through them, we have a free pass to infinity, we’re not limited by our own perception of things. They are the closest access point we have to experience unity instead of separation, to feel the extension of God, Life, or Source (whatever you prefer to call it) through our own human bodies.

This is why I’m so passionate about the open centers. Not only because they’re likely the first place to start any deconditioning process, but because they are often our wisest teachers. For instance, let’s say that, like myself, you have an undefined Heart Center (all about willpower, self-worth, and our own sense of value). You have probably been trying to prove your value since you can remember, constantly comparing yourself to others, which inevitably led you to believe you were never enough.

This is one of the deepest points of conditioning in a Bodygraph and can deeply affect your levels of confidence and self-assuredness. But as soon as you stop identifying with these patterns and start to clear what was never yours to carry, you can tap into the profound wisdom of an Open Heart. Instead of trying to prove your value, you start to perceive that there’s no such thing as being “valuable” or not, that the idea of value itself is an illusion. You are now allowing yourself to create from a place of freedom instead of force or control.

Of course, you can also have this awareness if you have a Defined Heart, but your experience will always be shaped by your own perception of value. Your sheer desire to put things into tangible form will always be there, no matter how much you try to detach from it. Your definition is hardly neutral, you simply can’t (and shouldn’t!) ignore it. Where you are defined, you’re meant to be actively engaged with the physical world, you’re meant to shape it, you can’t just choose to be a bystander.

And the thing is, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being active; it’s something inherent to our human condition that shouldn’t be demonized. However, from my perspective, our main challenge right now, as we watch the peak of capitalism and materialism, is definitely not knowing how to do more, but learning how to let go of control, how to allow more receptivity and flow into our lives, and how we can cultivate a state of oneness with everything that exists.

In an age where, in order to survive in this severely ill society, we are pushed more and more to figure out what we are good at, it’s refreshing to change the narrative and focus on our capacity to allow more space into our lives instead. As long as we can resist the temptation to fill the void, there’s no better place to learn how to do that than through our openness. From this place of pure freedom, we allow life force to move through us and open ourselves to an ocean of possibilities

As Robin Winn beautifully said, “There is a jewel hidden in each of the open centers and our job is to clear the debris so we can access it. Each one of the open centers could be seen as a spiritual path. Each open center holds the possibility of truly letting go into formless and accessing the all of life”. This is why I believe we should give our open centers special attention, not only through deconditioning and awareness, but also through deep listening. If you do so, you may be surprised to discover a world beyond your wildest imagination.

While our definition is our path to material manifestation, our openness is where true unlimited creation is born. This is why we can’t fully access the gifts of our defined centers if our open centers are still full of clutter. Just as the womb needs empty space to welcome the embryo, we also rely on our open centers to manifest our most beautiful creations.

If you feel called to book a reading with me, you can schedule it through this link. Otherwise, feel free to contact me via DM. I would love to connect with you!

“You should not speak during the reading.”

This was said to me at the beginning of the first Human Design (HD) reading I was given. I felt myself shrinking, but quickly nodded. The reader proceeded with more instructions, telling me I should relisten to her words as many times as possible to fully absorb them. I nodded again.

At the time, I was already down the HD rabbit hole and looking for a place to get certified. I found an official school in Portugal (verified by the International Human Design School) and learned that I needed a reading from a certified practitioner to be eligible to apply for the courses. So, there I was, being officially instructed to shut the fuck up and listen.

A robotic checklist

The best word I can find to describe the reading itself is robotic. It felt like I was listening to a ChatGPT checklist of my own design. But perhaps even more importantly: I didn’t learn anything new. Not one original insight. Not one concept I hadn’t already heard of. Nothing. I was truly disappointed, even though I didn’t admit it at the time.

I quickly realized that the problem was not Human Design itself, but the approach. By then, I had already collected enough evidence through lived experience to know HD was truly valuable knowledge, but I was definitely not buying this “listen and don’t speak” method. It was telling me I wasn’t allowed to have a voice or to think critically.

This is why I don’t fully resonate with the traditional approach to Human Design. Not because I don’t trust the tool or what Ra Uru Hu (the founder of the HD system) said, but because I don’t believe in unquestionable or untouchable truths. My lived experience as a 2/4 Mental Projector made me realize I was being instructed to ignore the most valuable lesson HD has to offer: to trust my body.

Human Design should be an experiment, not a narrative

I’m not saying the above-mentioned approach isn’t valid. Of course it is, and I don’t doubt many people have benefited from it. But I think HD is too precious to fit into perfectly sized boxes that we aren’t allowed to touch. I don’t take for granted the power of learning for the first time what it means to be a Projector or to have Emotional Authority. But this isn’t something you should have to relisten to numerous times to prove to yourself that you are a “good student”; it is something you should experiment with.

To allow this to happen, you need to stop forcing the narrative to fit. You need to question it. That doesn’t mean you can’t trust what you’re hearing, it means you need to put your own body in charge of the process. It means ditching the idea that you should “know” your design perfectly, or the fear that you’re doing it wrong, to instead embrace it as a beautiful, messy experiment.

I ended up studying Human Design with the amazing Hillary McVeigh, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Not only because she is the most embodied teacher I’ve ever encountered, but because she was always open to discussing any questions and was the first to encourage us not to force something to land if it wasn’t resonating. After all, the whole point of HD is to help us connect to our bodies.

As a practitioner myself, I never approach a reading the same way, simply because every person is unique. I want to put my gifts at the service of the client. And that would simply not be possible if I had to go through some sort of checklist or if I didn’t listen to what the person in front of me has to say. That’s what I love to do: to connect deeply with people.

I also want to do myself justice. The practitioner who gave me my first reading had the 43/23 Channel of Structuring. This is my only channel, and I know it well. It’s all about communicating complex, disruptive, and transformative ideas with simplicity. Yet, I didn’t get a single original insight from her. Certainly not because she wasn’t capable, but because the traditional framework didn’t allow her that freedom. She had to tell me the things she had learned, not her thoughts on them.

On top of being my only channel, I have gates 43 and 23 in my conscious Sun and Earth, respectively, which means these energies are by far the most present in my design. Putting my unique thoughts and insights into words and communicating them to those who recognize me and invite me to do so is one of my greatest gifts. And if I have the privilege to talk to someone who recognizes my gift, I must give them my point of view, my unique perspective on their design, not just what’s in the books. At least, that’s how I see it.

Check the soil before planting the seeds

Although I have all this mental energy so present in my bodygraph, I don’t want my clients to just listen to my words as if I’m an enlightened guru who holds all the knowledge. I don’t. No one does. I am only a messenger trying to help the person in front of me to see the beauty of their own garden and tend to it. I’m giving them seeds, but they’re the ones who will need to do the gardening.

And that’s why listening is as important as speaking. Because I need to understand how their garden is. I can give them all the seeds I want, but not without checking the soil first. For example, imagine I give a reading to a Projector who still thinks they need to live like a Generator. I would spend a lot of time deconstructing that idea with them, in an actual conversation, not just telling them all the things they’re doing “wrong”.

Recently, I gave a reading to a fellow Mental Projector who has already realized she couldn’t keep up with the pace of the world. Her soil was prepared to go deeper, to plant new seeds, and that’s what we did, exploring how she was so ready to embrace the energy of her Gate of Ambition (which is on her North Node) and releasing the pressure of having to start something new all the time (from her hanging Gate of Beginnings). This would be impossible to assess if I hadn’t listened to her.

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think readings should be a la carte events. Meaning I don’t think the reading should be a chaotic dump of thoughts. But in an age where we are bombarded with information, I don’t see the value in learning your design as if you were in school memorizing world capitals. I don’t want you to memorize information; I want to truly connect with you, to give you my intuitive insights, and to plant a seed that can only grow through embodiment, not intellectualization.

This is where the nervous system plays an essential role. I may know all the things about being a Projector, but if my nervous system is still in fight-or-flight mode, if my soil is still full of weeds, accumulating more knowledge just for the sake of it could do more harm than good. That’s why I believe the practitioner should read the room and not just dump information.

Knowing is one thing, living it is another

In the spiritual world, it’s easy to feel like we’re never doing enough. Everywhere we go, someone presents a modality as the ultimate solution to figure out our lives: Astrology, Human Design, Constellations, Tarot, Akashic Records, Reiki… you name it. I do believe they are all amazing tools, but you can know every lesson and still feel more lost than before. Because knowing is one thing, living it is another.

I love this quote by Ra Uru Hu: “Human Design opens the door to the potential of self-love, a love of life, and the love of others through understanding.” This is what I want for my clients: to help them open that door, to plant seeds for authentic living, and to foster a more compassionate understanding of themselves and others. But this is only possible if they are willing to walk the talk. And if their soil is already prepared to receive new seeds.

You could be the best medical student and still not be a good doctor. This is exactly why I believe a reading should not be a mechanical script, but a real conversation. My goal is not to give my clients blatant information, but to help them awaken something sacred inside. To make them believe they have what it takes to reclaim their power. Whether they end up memorizing every little detail of their chart or not is none of my business.

The idea that “if you know your Human Design, you will have a better life” is dangerous because it’s based on the premise that knowing is enough. It isn’t. You must understand your design through lived experience, not mental riddles. You need to tend to your body like you would tend to a garden. It’s not enough to know everything about gardening, you should be ready to put your hands in the dirt.

If you feel called to book a reading with me, you can schedule it through this link. Otherwise, feel free to contact me via DM. I would love to connect with you!

Of all the energy types, I think Projectors are the ones who have been struggling the most in recent decades. Simply because the world we live in is not Projector-friendly. Actually, it is quite the opposite. But before we dive deep into the Projector (and woman) world, let me first break down a few key concepts.

Living in a Generator society

In the Human Design system, there are five different energy types, with only two of them having the gift of a defined sacral center: Generators and Manifesting Generators. These two types have consistent access to sacral energy, which means they have what it takes to be the life force of the world. If they trust their gut instincts (many don’t, but that’s another story), they can go and go and go.

For the last few centuries, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve been living in a Generator society—one where the principle is to work relentlessly to fulfill our needs. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Generators and M. Generators had everything served on a silver platter, but having consistent sacral energy in a world where this is required from a very young age is indeed a privilege.

On the other side of the spectrum, we find Manifestors, Projectors, and Reflectors—three very different types who have one thing in common: they have an open sacral center, meaning they don’t have consistent access to their inner “batteries.” This might be a difficult one to grasp for those who have it, but these people are simply not designed to be “doers.” For centuries, that wasn’t even an option.

Even though they share this one thing, these are very distinct energies. For Manifestors, it’s all about not shying away from being an authority, from creating impact and putting things into motion—but not necessarily doing them. Reflectors are the rarest type, the free spirits who are meant to live a life of flow and ease (which sometimes requires a more radical approach to what is suitable for them). And then we have Projectors, the last type to appear and the so-called “leaders of the new Earth.”

Equal in our differences

I have to pause here to make it clear that I don’t think any type is better than the others. When I learned I was a Projector, I was disheartened to know I didn’t have consistent access to energy, although, having grown up in a full-on M. Generator family, I always knew something was “off.” I now genuinely love being a Projector, not because I realized we are superior (there’s no such thing), but because it helped me to understand myself and others better.

The world is a magnificent and intricate puzzle of which we, as humans, are a part. Life is a mystery we are far from solving, but when we understand we are created equal in our differences, everything gets easier. Acknowledging my human experience as a Projector made me understand my M. Generator parents way better. I’m constantly in awe of how much they can accomplish, but I don’t have the temptation to try to keep up with their pace anymore.

A new paradigm

If you are into Astrology or Human Design, you know that we are living in a time where things are radically shifting (to be honest, you don’t even have to be spiritual or esoteric to know and feel this). We are entering a new era, a new paradigm, and of course, that means we have to break free from the old society rules. From Generator society rules.

This is where Projectors enter the picture. Not to replace Generators, but to guide and show them how things can actually be done with less effort and more ease; how to build differently; how to stop making endless productivity the norm. To say that this is an ambitious goal is an understatement, but I’m convinced it’s the only way we can move forward.

If Generators have the energy, Projectors have the vision. Projectors see clearly what others can’t comprehend, even though they aren’t designed to force their vision onto others. They are here to master a radically different kind of leadership, opposite to the hierarchical and vertical type we assumed as the norm. They are here to teach the world that humans should be valued for who they are, not for how much they do.

Reclaiming our power

Now let’s bring gender inequality and patriarchy into the equation. I hope we can all agree this has been a man’s world since immemorial times. As women, we were taught to make ourselves small, to be ashamed of who we were, to be afraid, to suppress our gifts to make others more comfortable, to be polite and palatable. But not anymore. This is our time to finally reclaim our power and to show the world that it is possible to do things differently.

Like Projectors, women have had to learn how to adapt all their lives. We were made to believe that we didn’t have what it takes to be leaders, to earn the spotlight, because we were “weak,” “fragile,” or “soft.” Similarly, Projectors were convinced that their burnout and exhaustion were just the collateral damage they had to face to be a part of this crazy high-speed society.

We don’t need to be visionaries to realize that we are hitting a breaking point. If we keep doing what we have been doing, the future will be a dark place. But to do things differently, we need to have leaders who also see things differently. In other words, we need more women and Projectors in leadership roles.

The end of productivity as the norm

For the past centuries, our societies have been shaped by two deeply interconnected concepts: patriarchy and capitalism. Without noticing, we were dragged by the idea that we needed to be productive to prove our worth as human beings.We needed to do things faster, stronger, and more efficiently. If not, we would be immediately shamed by society and labeled as “lazy,” “incompetent,” or “unworthy.”

This was deeply harmful for all human beings, but especially to women, who are cyclical beings by nature. It was not by chance that the rise of capitalist and patriarchal values coincided with more and more women being disconnected from their bodies’ wisdom and their menstrual cycles. Our bodies innately know that nothing is linear, that rest is as needed as being active, and that infinite growth is nothing but a lie. But we were taught to suppress and even be ashamed of that wisdom.

I recently read an article in which the author explained why, based on her research, women are the ones who should be in charge. She wrote: “The reality is, patriarchy makes human males miserable—it puts them in charge and keeps them constantly competing for resources. But human males are not supposed to be in charge, and the vast majority hate being in charge.” If we analyze the dynamics of our society, we can see the pattern clearly: women are the ones who naturally assume the lead, even when we are not actually in the lead.

But with so many women still deep in the rat race and playing by patriarchal rules, it’s imperative that we find those who can access this deeper innate wisdom easily. And those are Projector women. Firstly, because their design makes them innate leaders and guides; secondly, because, with their open sacral, they are naturally even more in tune with their cyclical nature; and third, because they most likely suffered firsthand what capitalism and patriarchy did to their bodies and souls.

A deeper calling

We need to acknowledge, though, that this shift won’t magically happen. We will face resistance. And that is putting it lightly. Which means we will need to own our place without waiting for external validation; we will need to trust ourselves and overcome the fear of being seen and the need to be liked by everyone—we won’t be, and that’s a good thing.

From my experience, most Projector women are somewhere between already being a leader but still playing by old rules, or being far from confident in their ability to lead and guide others (in work or life in general). It’s like showing a bird they can fly when they were raised as chickens all their lives. We think that we don’t have the tools to do so, or we are afraid to use them, unaware of the power of our beautiful wings.

If you are a Projector woman, chances are you intuitively know this, even though you have likely been suppressing it for the sake of comfort or a false sense of recognition from those around you. But let me ask you a question: would you rather be liked by the ones who are trapped in their own lives, or be the one who shows them other options?

Regardless of each individual’s personal story, what women, and especially Projector women, have to acknowledge is that our leadership is not a “nice to have,” but a deeper calling. This is not only about reclaiming our power but finally putting our vision at the service of humanity. You don’t need to be ready; you just need to be willing to put yourself out there.

If you feel called to book a reading with me, you can schedule it through this link. Otherwise, feel free to contact me via DM. I would love to connect with you!

I didn’t have a close relationship with my grandmother. Yet, it was with deep shock that I received the news that she had unexpectedly left this Earth. What I didn’t know back then was that her death would completely transform my life.

I remember the scene vividly. I was watching a series with my now ex-partner when I received a call from my mother telling me that my paternal grandmother was brain-dead. This was five years ago, still deep into the coronavirus madness. Ironically (or not so much), the date couldn’t be more symbolic: the 19th of March, Father’s Day in Portugal.

Back then, I didn’t think I was on the verge of a pivotal and transformative moment. I was totally numb, living almost exclusively for my relationship and my job. Like a tornado, my grandmother’s death was too strong of a wake-up call to be ignored.

The clearest message

My grandmother was the stereotypical Portuguese woman of her generation. She never had a job, and her whole life was one of service to her family. She didn’t have the chance to negotiate life on her own terms — her role was to take care of others and to ignore that she even had needs and desires to begin with.

There I was at her funeral, realizing for the first time something I had always felt but never fully registered: she was never happy. Her body had just stopped functioning, but I understood that her spirit and true life force had been gone a long time ago. Perhaps before I was even born.

And then, it hit me: I was following in my grandmother’s footsteps. I wasn’t miserable, but I was far from fulfilled either. In the most radical way possible, she was sending me a clear message: “I didn’t have a choice, but you do. Don’t waste it.” From that moment on, something inside of me, slowly but surely, started to awaken.

Connecting at a soul level

The passing of my grandmother was also the first time I was able to connect deeply with her. Don’t get me wrong: she was always kind to me, calling me “amor” (the Portuguese word for “love”), cooking me lunch, and making me bread with quince marmalade. But her armor was always on, and I wasn’t able to pierce through it. Her silence was always way louder than her words.

I had to wait until I was 30, and to her funeral, to have access to my grandmother at a soul level. But the truth is, I always knew something was wrong, ever since I was a child. Unlike my sister, I wasn’t very fond of staying at my grandparents’ house, especially when my grandfather was around. Now I know why: I was feeling the deeply unsettling presence of a trapped soul inside a human body.

Feeling her pain through my open centers

From a Human Design perspective, I felt my grandmother’s pain through every open center in my body: her purposelessness (through my G Center), her deep fears (through my Spleen), her quest to be valued (through my Heart Center), and her emotional turmoil (through my Solar Plexus). At the time, it was too much of a burden for me to carry, so I simply shut it down or just avoided being around.

In an almost magical way, her death brought me a new level of awareness and made me start to make peace with my coping mechanisms as a child. In a couple of months, I was starting therapy, doing yoga daily and, for the first time in a long time, dreaming of a life where I could be unapologetically me. Five years after her death, I believe that I’m making her proud.

Most people get scared about committing to their transformation because they believe it’s going to require big, bold moves. It’s quite the opposite: if you want to transform your life, start small.

Imagine that you have a hungry bear in front of you. You will likely be terrified. Your body will tell you that you are in danger and you will feel fear running through your veins. In that moment, you only think about surviving.

Now imagine you think about leaving your long-term relationship or resigning from your job without having a plan B. You will probably feel frightened, especially if you have been anchoring your identity around your job or relationship. Your body immediately perceives that you are in danger.

The body doesn’t know the difference

What most people don’t know is that as long as you feel fearful, your body won’t distinguish between an actual life-threatening situation and what your limited conscious mind perceives as dangerous. The reality is that you don’t know what the future holds, but if you occupy your mind with “what if” scenarios, your body can’t tell they aren’t real.

Most of us live in safe environments, but our bodies are still wired to look for security. This is the reason why we prefer to live unfulfilled lives rather than change our current environment. It’s too scary to think about stepping into the unknown because — what if a bear is around the corner?

Conditioning and the Spleen

For most of my life, I considered myself a fearful person. I didn’t know it back then but, with my completely open Spleen, I was absorbing the fears of my family and taking them as my own. I was often paralyzed. Fear of heights. Fear of driving. Fear of not being good enough. I could honestly go on for hours.

Even if you have the gift of a defined Spleen, you may have been conditioned to think that you couldn’t trust it. Particularly if you are a woman, the most likely scenario is that you were taught from a very young age that you couldn’t trust that niggling feeling and those intuitive nudges. You were taught to suppress them and go to your mind instead.

The thing is, whether you have a defined or undefined Spleen, if you have a lot of fears, it won’t be helpful to hear things like “just quit your job” or the insidious “just do it.” That would be the same as telling you: “why don’t you just face the bear?”

Following the breadcrumbs

The good news is that you can actually confront your fears without having to face the bear. In 2021, when I realized I needed to radically transform my life, I didn’t have the tools I have now. My brain immediately started giving me worst-case scenarios and I couldn’t grasp the idea of having the courage to take the leap.

Instead, I intuitively followed the breadcrumbs:

• I started looking after myself in a way I hadn’t done for years.

• I established a yoga routine.

• I went to therapy.

• I began going out to dance and have fun.

And, more importantly, I quietly faced my fears. At the time, one of the biggest ones was speaking English. So I approached a teacher and decided it was time to stop avoiding calls or conversations.

Training the nervous system

Without realizing it, I was doing the exact thing that I now consider the best way to prepare for big change: slowly putting myself out of my comfort zone while teaching my body it was safe to do so. Fifteen months after my grandmother passed away, I was able to quit my job, end my relationship, and start a radically different life. Most importantly, I did it almost effortlessly. My nervous system was regulated enough to perceive change as something neutral because I was already accustomed to doing small things outside my comfort zone.

There’s no such thing as big or small fears. Taking an English lesson when you are afraid of speaking is technically the same as ending a toxic relationship you can’t let go of. When you overcome a fear, you are telling your body that it is safe to do something that scares you. And this is how you transform your life.

It took me 15 months to turn my life upside down, but during that time I developed something even more precious: the ability to befriend my fears, not to avoid them. My nervous system already knows there’s no bear, just inevitable change. Which now excites me way more than it frightens me.

What is one “quiet step” you could take this week that feels a little scary, but safe enough to try? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments.

Writing about the last three years of my life is writing about radically different versions of myself. A little over three years ago, I ended my long-term relationship, resigned from my job as an account manager, and started a totally new chapter of my life. Back then, I was offered a position as Marketing Director in a multi-brand company. At the time, I felt I was crossing a threshold and I genuinely thought I had found the job of my dreams.

The illusion of the perfect path

Even though I see now that I couldn’t have been more wrong, I cherish those exciting and tender times. When, at the end of 2022, I decided to do a 180 in my life, I was awakening from what felt like hibernation — a period where I put my soul into a deep sleep. I was craving anything that would make me feel alive. At the time, that meant entering a situationship with a narcissist and almost merging myself with my work.

Fortunately, the situationship didn’t last long, but the toxic relationship with my work was just beginning. With the awareness I have now, it would be easy to realize that I began to create a whole identity around my work. From a Human Design perspective, this is explained by my Open G Center, for which I can thank my adaptability, but also the tendency to mistake my identity with the job, the relationship, or the environment I’m in.

If I had the chance to go back and change anything in my life, I genuinely wouldn’t —especially the things I did “wrong”. If I hadn’t had a relationship where I completely lost myself, I wouldn’t have the strength I have today and the calm certainty that I can truly overcome any struggle. If I hadn’t believed that my last job was “the one,” I wouldn’t have lived so many beautiful things and known people who have truly changed my life.

The beautiful, fucked-up mess of uncertainty

What a strange, fucked-up mess life is, huh? We simply never know what’s around the corner, which is at the same time the most terrifying and beautiful thing ever. As humans, we are hungry for control, to know what’s next—but what would happen if we knew for sure what’s next?

Pause here for a second and imagine you could know everything about your future: what you’re going to do tomorrow, when and how you will die, when you will have a heartbreak. How would you continue to live knowing all this?

This is the reason why I think we need to be careful about some approaches to Astrology, Human Design, Akashic Records, Tarot, or modalities that give you a certain sense of control. In my perspective, it’s much more helpful to use all of these tools to get to know yourself better, to give you some stability when you are amidst the chaos. But it’s key to understand that navigating the chaos is inherent to human life. And that without chaos and uncertainty, there’s simply no life.

Surrendering to the unfolding

Three years after my first “rebirth”, last year I decided that it was time for another one (lol). But this one was way deeper, because, for the first time in my life, I was surrendering to the unfolding of everything without having a single thing sorted out. I knew that I couldn’t continue being miserable at my job and that I would love to pursue a career in Human Design coaching. And that’s it. No plan. No job. No house. Nothing.

What did I have, and still do? Certainty in life and a deep knowing that I was meant for more. When I say “certainty”, I don’t mean I know what’s coming, but I have now created plenty of evidence that I can overcome whatever challenge life throws at me. I know and love myself deeply. I don’t know what life has in store for me, but I know that I am in the best possible hands. I trust myself.

The fuel for evolution

I don’t say “I trust myself” lightly. It took me all my life to be able to confidently write this sentence. But I mean it. I trust myself even when an old trigger resurfaces and I act in a way that I’m not so proud of. Or especially on those occasions. Because now I know that I have the awareness needed to turn this conditioning into fuel for my evolution, for my soul mission.

This is why I’m so passionate about Human Design and all the other modalities that helped me achieve this sense of security within. It’s not because they gave me all the answers I was seeking, but because they helped me to learn how to look for those answers within.

The truth is: no one is going to save you, but the more you understand yourself, the more you’re going to resist the temptation to believe that you have something missing. You don’t. It’s all in there; you just need to unlock it.

If you feel called to book a reading with me, you can schedule it through this link. Otherwise, feel free to contact me via DM. I would love to connect with you!

The Great Lie of Productivity

I fiercely believe that we are entering the beginning of the end of capitalism and materialism. Let me be clear: I don’t think this is going to happen overnight, but I’m confident that, at this point, there is no turning back. Many of us have already realized that the idea that ‘if we accomplish x thing we would be happy’ is nothing but a lie. And yet here we are, desperate for the next thing to tick off our checklist.

As a result of the society we live in, we are deeply conditioned to believe that what we do and what we have defines our value as human beings. For as long as I can remember, I assessed myself depending on how I looked, the grades I had, my professional accomplishments, or the money I had (or didn’t have) to buy the things I thought I really needed. Probably, your experience was very similar.

The Cost of Comparison

Since we were children, we were made to believe that we needed to compare ourselves to others in order to evaluate our progression in life. That we needed to win. To accomplish things. To prove our value. What we didn’t realize was that, if our value was something we needed to prove, this would mean we’re not valuable per se. And that is the biggest lie we were ever told.

In a time where so many of us are rethinking our lives, realizing that this culture of radical materialism has been costing us our health and vitality, we’re also feeling more lost and stuck than ever. This is where our old programming tells us to “just do it”, to leap, to go for it. But it’s time to realize that if we want a new world, we need to stop abiding by the old rules.

A Rebellious Act of Self-Care

This is where knowing our Human Design (HD) can shine a light on what we are missing and where we are still being conditioned to live by what is expected from us rather than what is aligned with our inner truth. In a world where the elites want us to think we have no choice but to stand by their rules, the most rebellious act of self-care we can do is to learn how to just be ourselves.

As someone who has been dedicated to Human Design for the past year, I’m aware that it can be daunting to look at a bodygraph that tells us how we work energetically, especially if we have been deeply conditioned to act otherwise. My advice is to keep an open mind, be curious, and don’t try to force anything. If this sounds like you, you’re ready to go deeper.

Deconstructing the “Just Do It” Mentality

1. We are not machines First of all: we are not machines. I know it’s difficult to believe we don’t have to act like one, but to start this conversation we have to agree that the idea that we have to be productive all the time is making the world sick. Having said this, if you are a Generator or a Manifesting Generator, this could be a bit counterintuitive, because you are designed to get things done. You are a doer, a force to be reckoned with.

If you are one of these two types, you have consistent access to your energy tank. You could go and go and go. It’s a real gift. But this is only true if you are responding to what lights you up, if you listen to your gut response. If you ‘just do it’ when you have a full-body “no”, you will either burn out or feel completely depleted.

2. The Non-Sacral Club: Resting before you’re tired If you are a non-sacral being (welcome to the club) — meaning Manifestor, Projector, or Reflector — this automatically reaches a whole other level. Why? Because, since you don’t have consistent access to your sacral energy, you need to rest before you get tired. If you ignore the needs of your body and ‘just do it’, especially for long periods of time, you will surely burn out.

Being a non-sacral also means you will naturally absorb and amplify the energy of all the sacral beings around you, which means you can literally run on another person’s energy. Trust me: this is only fun until you find yourself miserably depleted once you are alone. Non-sacrals are more than capable of doing things, but they simply don’t have a Generator’s endurance. Their main role is to guide others (Projectors), to initiate (Manifestors), or to reflect and provide objective feedback (Reflectors).

If you are one of these types, you will probably be thinking these tasks aren’t enough in themselves. We were made to believe a job is only a job if it requires a lot of doing. And yet here we are, desperately needing proper leadership, thoughtful creativity, and objective, non-biased feedback. Respecting your design is not a flex, but an essential part of our collective awakening.

3. The Manifestor Trap: Initiating without the burnout In a society that constantly tells us to “just do it”, being a Manifestor can be especially tricky. Despite not having a defined sacral, they are here to initiate and to get things going. Their role is to start the engine, but then they need to withdraw. They have intense bursts of energy that can move mountains, but when the car is already on the road, they just need to pass the steering wheel to other people.

Manifestors can have a lot of “just do it” energy since they have a motor center connected to the throat center. That energy can be especially potent if they have a defined heart center. If this is the case, it’s super important to trust your will and heart’s desire, but resist the temptation to just do things to receive validation or to make others see your value.

4. The Four Motors: Drive vs. Integrity The sacral center is only one of the four motor centers in our body, the others being the root center, the solar plexus (emotional center), and the heart center. This means that if you have any of these centers defined, you will have constant access to some sustainable source of energy.

The majority of people have at least one defined motor center (as a Mental Projector myself, I’m one of the exceptions), which means they can feel the drive or adrenaline to act (root), the raw power of emotional waves (solar plexus), or the will to go after their heart’s desires (heart). All of these energies can act as catalysts to put things into motion, but they can be dangerous if used out of integrity with your strategy and authority — especially if you don’t have a defined sacral to sustain those impulses.

5. Strategy and Authority: Your internal traffic light If you’re new to Human Design, you might be asking what on Earth is your Strategy and Authority. To put it simply, your Strategy is how you should act according to your Energy Type, while your Authority is how you can make aligned decisions. These two little concepts are the key to resisting the urge to “just do it”.

For example, if your energy type is Projector, your strategy is to wait to be invited and recognized for your vision. If you try to do things just to prove your worth, you will end up bitter and resentful. Generators and MGs, on the other hand, need to have something to respond to (in other words, something to ask their gut if it is a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’). For Manifestors, it is all about informing others before you act, while Reflectors need to wait at least one lunar cycle before making important life decisions.

Then you have Authority, your body’s version of a traffic light to make decisions (yes, we all have one, and it’s not our minds). I’ll leave this for another article, but the point is: if you don’t respect your Strategy and Authority, you will automatically be much more easily influenced by this crazy society we live in. Not having awareness of how we best operate is like not knowing which superpower we have — and trust me, every single one of us has one.

I hope this article gave you at least some curiosity to get to know yourself better and to resist the urge to “just do it” just for the sake of it. It’s about time to value ourselves for what we really are, not for what we do. And to believe that just being ourselves is the only thing we need to be good at.

My mind as the universe

Writing about my mind is like writing about the universe itself. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t say this to brag, but as an attempt to give you an image of the ever-expanding and chaotic nature of my head. How do we start to write about the universe when there are literally infinite possibilities? That is exactly my experience when I try to express my thoughts — not only through writing, but also while speaking.

My mind is like an endless cloud of information with no particular order or logic. It’s really difficult for me to focus on one subject and stick to it, because my head will instantly give me 8,785 other topics to think about. Processing that information while speaking or writing clearly is often excruciating.

For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with my mind. I always grasped patterns, concepts, and ideas easily, but I never knew when and how I would process them. When I was in school, I was the one who barely had to study to get good grades, but never knew exactly how (which made me feel like an imposter for almost all my life).

Yes, I had good grades, but I was never confident about my mind and my knowledge. Frequently, when someone asked me a question about a specific matter, my mind would go completely blank. I would become instantly nervous, trying to search for the right answer. The impression I had (and still have) in those moments is that I knew absolutely nothing. Pure panic mode. Then I started to talk and things would somehow come together. How? I had absolutely no idea.

The encyclopedia I wish I had

The relationship I had with my mind was definitely a toxic one. We were together all the time, but I never fully trusted it. I convinced myself that my mind lacked focus and that I wasn’t intelligent enough to remember the details that others seemed to have on the tip of their tongue. That was especially painful when I had to argue with people who had memorized facts, dates, and specific data like their lives depended on it.

I was fascinated by the people who knew everything about a band, a movie, or a political issue. Well, not everything (I know now…), but they knew facts, numbers, names, data. Like my ex-boyfriend, who knew all the scores and details from football matches that had happened 10 years ago. Secretly, I always wished I had this kind of encyclopedic knowledge.

But this wasn’t my experience and I know now why: I have an open head center and a defined ajna center. Forgive me for introducing technical terms in this text out of nowhere (hello, open head!), but I will try to be as clear as I can. I will write more about Human Design in the future, but for now, just stay with me here.

Through the lens of Human Design, our body has nine energy centers (it helps to think of them as chakras, if you are familiar with them), each of them having a theme. In the realm of our mind, we have two energy centers: the head and the ajna. The first one is like our information storage; the second one is where we process and digest that information.

Those centers, like the other seven, can be defined or open (or undefined). Where we are defined is where we broadcast energy and are designed to influence others. On the other hand, the centers we have open are like radio devices: through them, we receive endless information from the external world. It’s where we are open to all possibilities, but also where we are most conditioned.

The wisdom is in the blank space

Knowing more about our energy centers is perhaps the most life-changing aspect of our bodygraph. I wish more people knew about how they operate, not only to understand themselves better but also to comprehend how other people simply have radically different experiences — and to acknowledge whether they are influencing or are being influenced by others.

As I said before, I have an open head and a defined ajna. In a simplistic way, I’m always absorbing and amplifying information from everything and everywhere (open head), but when my inner computer is able to process it, I can make sense of things in a second, having unique insights (my only channel is the 43-23) and thoughts that I consciously or unconsciously broadcast to others.

Having a defined head is like having access to a personal encyclopedia all the time. That specific information that your mind has gathered is always there when you need it. I don’t know what that is like. My mind doesn’t rely on its own encyclopedia, but on a much vaster and broader one where, most of the time, facts are replaced by question marks and unproven information.

At the same time, I have a defined ajna that is constantly processing this infinite unknown, whether I’m aware of it or not. Unlike the fluidity I have in my open head, my ajna works in a very structured and active way. I’m always aware of my thoughts and I frequently experience a deep pressure to answer every question, and that’s why I got frustrated so many times.

My ajna is always processing information at the speed of light and it likes to have all the answers right away, with no gaps or blank spaces. But this is not how my head functions. My head likes to wander, to see the big picture, to have time to process all things at the same time. My ajna is a machine; my head is a portal to the universe.

Living with this constant polarity is not an easy thing to do, but the awareness I have now gives me a confidence that I never had. I know that my mind will go blank sometimes, but I also know that most of the time I’ll figure out what I want to say while I’m speaking or writing. Sometimes I’d love to have access to an instant encyclopedia, but then I remind myself that even encyclopedias get outdated. And that the right answer can be having no answer.