THE SIX KINDS OF AUTHORITY
When we talk about Authority in Human Design, we are relating to our inherent decision-making process. Perhaps the most important thing we can ever know about ourselves is how to make decisions that work for us in any and all situations. Built into your Design is the means for this, and once you engage with it consistently, your whole life will change in positive and beneficial ways. There are six different Authorities, and we each have one for our lifetime. Knowing your own Authority is essential, but knowing other peoples’ Authorities is also illuminating!
Emotional Authority
Any Life Chart that contains a defined (colored in) Emotions Center has a decision-making process that is closely intertwined with emotional feelings. As we all know, feelings can rise and fall, from extremes of ecstasy and great excitement to failure and despair. To their cost, most people have never been made aware of how to gauge their feelings and are prone to act on impulse or conditioning rather than through finding their emotional clarity before making decisions. Emotional clarity comes from identifying a still point that is not attached to outcomes — a still point that is not absorbed in the “highs” and “lows” of any presumed endings but is committed to the journey to, through, and beyond those “endings.” Almost half the people on Earth have Emotional Authority, so, even if you do not have Emotional Authority personally, it is likely that your relationships and interactions with many of the people around you will involve finding emotional clarity, as emotions tend to override almost every decision-making process.
Sacral Authority
If your Emotions Center is undefined (colored white) but your Sacral Center is defined (colored in), then you have Sacral Authority. This Authority is based in the center we have identified as the core to Generator and Manifesting Generator Types. The Sacral Center is a powerhouse generating life force energy that is constantly looking for an outlet. The Sacral decision-making process is simply a gut response. The gut response is an actual movement of energy rising in response toward something or someone with an implied “yes,” or it is a falling of energy that indicates “not now.” There can be a Sacral noise like “ah-huh!” (yes) or “un-uh” (not now). Because the Sacral energy once committed cannot be stopped easily, it is essential for those with Sacral Authority to recognize and employ it at all times.
Splenic Authority
If both your Emotions and Sacral Centers are undefined (colored white) and your Spleen Center is defined (colored in), then you have Splenic Authority and one of the quickest decision-making processes of anyone! You weigh situations in the blink of an eye, sum up sentences before the speaker has finished talking, and are ready to move or stop instantly, given the right circumstances. Splenic Authority operates through the senses of taste (certainly involving edibles but also environments and people, which can be considered tasteful or not), intuition (the acoustic world of sounds in both audible and inaudible frequencies), and instinct (including our sense of smell and associated cellular memories, but also including hunches that cannot be described as logical). Each of these senses gives you instantaneous awareness of your environment or circumstances.
Willful, Heart Authority
If your Emotions, Sacral, and Spleen Centers are undefined (colored white) and your Heart Center is defined (colored in) and makes a connection to the Throat Center through defined Channel(s), then you have this very particular Authority, which decrees “what you want is what needs to happen.” It is a Manifestor Design implying that you are a catalyst for all kinds of willful activities, and the most important issue here is that you are clear in your heart of hearts about what you want. When you are true to your own Authority, you will find that it serves not only yourself but others, whether or not they appreciate that immediately.
Self Authority
If your Emotions, Sacral, and Spleen Centers are undefined (colored white), your Self Center is defined (colored in), and your Heart Center (defined or not) does not make connection to the Throat Center through defined Channel(s), then you have Self Authority, one of the most personal and potentially sensitive forms of Authority. Self Authority comes through quiet recognition in the center of your chest that gives the sensation of opening up or not to engage with someone or something. You have a Projector Design that operates within an environment of invitations, both given and received, so recognizing when you are being drawn to be involved in anything is a purely personal experience. Being pushed or coerced by others will not serve you, as you have to come to your own clarity through trusting this personal inner guidance.
Outer Authority
If you have a Reflector Design, or you have your Throat Center defined to your Mind and/or your Mind defined to your Crown without any other centers being defined, you have Outer Authority. You will appreciate that you are an empath who picks up the feelings, fears, and agendas of everyone around you. It is essential that you give yourself space and time to find your own clarity, and you do this through a process of patient reflection. In making large decisions, it is recommended to take at least a month so you can weigh all aspects of a situation before reaching any particular conclusions. You will find that if you exercise patience, observation, and clear inquiry, you will become one of the wisest people on earth.
THE TWELVE PROFILES
There are twelve Profiles that describe the interaction between the line numbers (the superscript numbers next to the Gate numbers) on the Conscious and Unconscious Sun and Earth placements in a Human Design Life Chart. Profiles are described in great detail in Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be. Here is a brief explanation of each of the six lines.
First Line
First Lines have to become, physically become, identify with, be, their life. They seek a total physical identification. To embed. So someone with a dog actually takes on the persona of the dog. They are drawn to become the plant, the tree, the lover, the artwork, the computer, the healing, the movie, the other person.
Second Line
Second Lines are drawn to “the natural.” They are constantly seeking what is playful and inherently fun. They will tend to ignore almost everything unless something natural appears within it. Second Lines are potentially very innocent, gullible, and also brilliant, but they can be upset and potentially angry when taken advantage of, interrupted, or mocked for appearing unsophisticated. They tend to seek new information and education.
Third Line
Third Lines have to try, to do, to experiment. Even if everything says “No!” they will insist on trying, sometimes against impossible odds, pushing the envelope even to the point of being obdurate. They can be identified as misfits that need an escape route, an open door at all times from any commitment, but they happen upon amazing discoveries, innovations, and mutations.
Fourth Line
Fourth Lines are in love, deeply in love, with life, and they are influential in bringing others together. They do this until they are betrayed in their trust, then they can become half-hearted, mean, withdrawn, unavailable, defensive, and fragile. Fourth Lines constantly need reminding to open up to life again and again.
Fifth Line
Fifth Lines constantly conceptualize everything, giving the possibility of great leadership and guidance. It is said that the universe is an extension of mind, and Fifth Lines can expand the boundaries of conceptualization. However, they need constant reality checks or else they live in an eternal projection field of potentialities.