Have you ever read about your Human Design Type and thought, “Wait… that doesn’t really sound like me?” Or maybe you’ve noticed that certain descriptions just don’t hit home, leaving you questioning whether your Type is accurate at all.
I recently had a conversation with someone going through the same thing. She’s a Generator, but when she discovered the Projector Type, it felt like a better fit and she was completely taken aback.
This got me thinking about how many people might feel misaligned with their Human Design Type, and why that disconnect happens.
In this post, we’ll dive into four reasons why your Human Design might not feel quite right—and how to find a truer connection with it. Let’s dive in!
1. The Importance of Accurate Birth Time in Human Design
One major factor that can make your Human Design “off” is your birth time.
If you’ve already generated your Human Design chart, your birth time is a crucial element in creating your unique BodyGraph. An accurate birth time is especially important for the finer details of your chart—such as variables, Line activations, and even specific Gates—which can change throughout the course of a single day.
If you’re unsure of your exact birth time or are simply guessing, it could have a big impact on how your Human Design chart turns out.
While it won’t always make a massive change, it definitely can.
Here’s a great example: My dad recently found out he’s a Reflector, which is super cool! But before we nailed down his exact birth time, I generated his Human Design chart at a few different times of day. Based on those guesses, he could have been either a Reflector, a Projector, or a Generator—completely different Types! Since Type is such a central part of your design, not knowing his exact birth time left us guessing and unable to offer meaningful guidance.
So, make sure your birth time is accurate! Here are a few tips if you’re unsure:
- Check a baby book or photo album: Often, parents keep photo albums or baby books with details like birth date and time.
- Ask your parents or guardians: They might remember or have written it down somewhere.
- Contact the hospital where you were born: Many hospitals are used to this request (and may even assume it’s for astrology or Human Design purposes). It may take some time, but you can often retrieve your exact birth time this way. My mom did this, and although it took a little while, she eventually got the exact time from her records.
Knowing your precise birth time is one concrete step that can help ensure your Human Design chart is as accurate as possible.
2. Different Types of Astrology
Another factor that might influence how you feel about your Human Design chart is the type of astrology used in generating it. Without diving too deep, let’s look at two major types: tropical astrology and sidereal astrology.
Human Design typically relies on tropical astrology to determine the positions of planets and create your body graph. But there’s also sidereal astrology (pronounced sy-DEER-ee-uhl).
There are varied opinions on which system is more accurate, and some people find that one resonates more with them than the other.
Certain tools, like Genetic Matrix for example, allow you to see your Human Design chart calculated with both types of astrology. This way, you can compare how your chart looks in the tropical system versus the sidereal system and explore which one feels more aligned with you. So, if your Human Design doesn’t quite fit, checking your chart through both systems could offer new insights!
3. The Impact of Conditioning on Your Human Design
The third reason (and this is a big one!) is conditioning.
In fact, conditioning is the most common reason why parts of your Human Design don’t fully resonate.
In Human Design, conditioning refers to the way the energies of those around us influence our own energy and shape the beliefs we hold about ourselves. This can be conditioning from your past, such as from childhood, or even current conditioning from people you spend a lot of time around.
Wherever we have openness in our design—such as an undefined Center, Gate, or Channel—we absorb and amplify energy from people who have these aspects defined in their chart.
Here’s an example: My partner, Scott, has seven defined centers in his BodyGraph, whereas I have only two. When I’m around him, I’m absorbing and amplifying energy from five of his centers that differ from mine, specifically his Head, Ajna, Spleen, Sacral, and Root.
Without awareness, this amplified energy can lead me to believe certain things about myself. For instance, if I’m around someone with a defined Spleen (like Scott), I may feel a heightened pressure to be spontaneous, act in the moment, and make quick decisions—even though spontaneity isn’t naturally aligned with my Human Design, as I don’t have a defined Spleen Center. This false sense of spontaneity isn’t authentically mine; it’s simply an amplification of someone else’s energy.
This conditioning happens to us all, and often begins in childhood.
If you grew up with family members who had different Human Designs than you, you likely absorbed and amplified their energies.
For example, as a Projector, I grew up with a Reflector dad, two Generator sisters, and a Generator mom. My family didn’t understand why I had lower energy levels or why I needed so much alone time, which was natural for me but not for them. I often felt like the “black sheep” of the family, trying to adapt and fit into their mold—even though it wasn’t who I was meant to be.
To understand why certain aspects of your Human Design may not resonate, ask yourself:
- How might I have been conditioned to believe certain things about myself that aren’t actually true?
- Am I following traits or behaviors that aren’t in my chart because I’ve been influenced by other people?
Unpacking this can help you decondition from these layers and get back to who you really are—who you were always meant to be. And that’s what Human Design is all about: Discovering your true self beyond the influence of external energies.
4. Understanding Specific Gifts and Traits
Human Design shows us that specific gifts, traits, and challenges can appear in a variety of ways within a BodyGraph chart.
Let’s revisit an example I shared at the beginning of this post: A student of mine, who is a Generator, felt she resonated deeply with the characteristics of a Projector. When I reviewed her chart, I could see several reasons why this might be the case.
First, she has only two defined Centers out of nine, just like me (and I’m a Projector!) This means she doesn’t have consistent access to energy from most of the Centers. She has a defined Sacral and a defined Spleen, but only one of her four Motor Centers is defined. This would explain why she might not have as much consistent energy as a Generator with multiple defined Motor Centers would.
Additionally, her Spleen is very active, with five out of seven activated Gates, including Gate 48 (the Gate of Depth) and Gate 57 (the Gate of Intuitive Clarity). These traits make her a very intuitive, insightful person, and Projectors are often described as having deep wisdom and an ability to intuitively understand others.
She also has Gate 33 as her Unconscious Sun Gate, one of the most powerful energies in her design. Gate 33 is known as the Gate of Retreat and Privacy, indicating a strong need for alone time to reflect and process her experiences. This, again, is something that also describes many Projectors.
This example shows how different traits, gifts, and challenges in Human Design can manifest in various ways in the BodyGraph.
Projectors aren’t the only ones who are deep, wise, or insightful—other Types can absolutely embody these characteristics, too, depending on their unique configurations.
Another example is intuition. Intuition primarily comes from the Splenic Center, so if someone has a defined Spleen, they typically have consistent access to intuitive guidance. However, an undefined Spleen doesn’t mean someone lacks intuition.
For instance, I have an undefined Spleen, but I do have Gate 57 in the Spleen activated, which is one of the most intuitive, even psychic, energies in the chart. For me, this means my intuition isn’t constant, but when it does appear, it’s incredibly strong and clear.
These examples show that traits in Human Design aren’t always straightforward or exclusive to one Type. It’s not as simple as saying, “Generators are always like this, and Projectors are always like that.” There’s plenty of overlap, and understanding your specific Design requires looking beyond Type alone to see the unique ways your gifts show up.
So that’s it—four reasons why you may feel like your Human Design is wrong.
I hope this post has helped you gain some clarity if you’re discovering parts of your Design (big or small!) that don’t fully resonate with you.
If you loved this post, please feel free to send me a message on Instagram @kristamdickson and let me know what your biggest takeaway was!
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