When we begin exploring your design we start with what’s known as your Type. Most of us grow up believing that we’re all meant to engage with life in generally the same way, following the same rules of success, productivity, and relationships. But not all energy moves the same. Your Type refers to the shape of your aura, the energetic field that surrounds and extends from you. It’s not mystical fluff—it’s measurable, magnetic, and always in motion, silently communicating with the world around you. In Human Design your Type describes the nature of this field which does not change over time.

Human Design identifies five distinct aura types, each with its own way of operating, attracting opportunities, and experiencing fulfillment. The five auric types include:

Manifestors
The initiators. Manifestors are here to create momentum, driven by internal urges that don’t require permission or validation. Their aura is closed and impactful, designed to create the spark that clears a path. Manifestors are here to start, not follow.

Generators
The builders. Generators have a powerful, sustainable energy that’s designed to respond to life rather than chase it. Their aura is open and magnetic, naturally drawing in the people, opportunities, and experiences that are correct for them. A Generator’s fulfillment comes from doing what lights them up. Work isn’t just work; it’s an extension of their life force.

Manifesting Generators
The multi-hyphenates. Manifesting Generators are a hybrid of Manifestor and Generator energy, combining initiation with rapid response. Their aura is quick-moving and dynamic, designed for efficiency and exploration. This energy thrives in non-linear paths, mastering the art of pivoting, skipping steps, and redefining what “success” looks like.

Projectors
The guides. Projectors are here to recognize and be recognized by the other, naturally clear seers able to see the bigger picture. Their aura can be described as focused and penetrating, designed to deeply connect with and understand others. Unlike Generators, Projectors aren’t here to generate energy but to guide it, thriving when they are recognized and invited to share their perspective.

Reflectors
The mirrors. Reflectors are the rarest Type, designed to reflect the health and dynamics of their environment. Their aura is sampling and fluid, constantly taking in and mirroring the energy around them. Their sensitivity is a superpower, not a weakness, offering insight into what’s working (or not) within a group, community, or system.

Together with aura type, your Strategy and Authority form the core of your design. While Strategy tells you how to engage with life in an efficient way for your energy, your Authority tells you which decisions are right for you. Without Strategy and Authority we default to the mind, trying to control life with logic, overthinking, and second-guessing. This realignment is the foundation of conscious unwinding—unraveling the patterns of conditioning that taught you to ignore your inner compass, and learning to trust what’s been within you all along.

What Is Strategy?

Strategy is informed by your aura Type and is like a user manual for how you are meant to use your energy with ease and gratification. It helps you know when to act, when to pause, and how to align with opportunities without forcing or burning out.

Manifestors are here to initiate. They create momentum through bold action, not waiting for permission but informing others to clear resistance in their path.

Generators & Manifesting Generators are designed to respond. Life presents opportunities, and their role is to tune into their gut’s reaction (yes, no, or not now) letting their sacral response guide them and teach the lesson of sacrament vs sacrifice.

Projectorsguide successfully when they wait for the invitation. They thrive in their contribution when they are recognized and invited to share their insights, conserving energy for what’s truly aligned rather than pushing to be seen.

As Reflectors move through life sampling and amplifying the energy of others, they must wait a lunar cycle to understand how they truly feel as time unfolds. Reflectors are mirrors of their environment, so waiting through the moon’s cycle gives them trusted clarity to know what is their own state.

What Is Authority?

We can think of Authority as our body’s way of communicating a trusted “yes” or “no” when presented with a decision. Two people with the same Aura Type might experience life very differently because their Authority shapes how they make decisions that are uniquely correct for them.

For example:

• A Splenic Projector relies on instant, intuitive hits—a quiet but sharp, in-the-moment knowing that does not repeat itself.

• An Emotional Projector rides an emotional wave, needing time to feel through decisions to avoid making choices in emotional highs or lows.

• A Sacral Generator feels a gut response—an unmistakable yes/no feeling that arises immediately when life presents something to respond to.

As an Emotional Manifesting Generator, my strategy is to respond to what life presents and then inform others before I take action. While my sacral response gives me an immediate gut reaction to whether or not I want to invest my energy in something or someone, my emotional authority has taught me that true clarity doesn’t always come in the moment. My response feels more like, “Let me get back to you.”It’s not uncommon for me feel differently at different points along my emotional wave. What excites me in one moment might feel overwhelming or uncertain in another. Because my energy is naturally fast-moving and drawn to multiple passions, I’ve learned how important it is for me to maintain emotional stability through my environment because the more balanced I am, the easier it is to find consistent clarity.

Have you experienced that overwhelming feeling like you’re moving through the motions, but something feels… off? Like what you are trying to bring into your life is blocked somehow despite your effort? That’s what Human Design calls the Not-Self. This is the version of you shaped by conditioning and the stories you’ve absorbed about who you “should” be. The Not-Self is a built-in signal as part of your feedback system designed to let you know when you’ve drifted away from your natural alignment. Most of us spend a large part of our lives operating from this space without even realizing it. We push and hustle, trying to fit into molds that were never designed for us. Through Human Design, you can recognize when you’re not being you.

Your Signature is the feeling of alignment, ease, and flow. Your Not-Self theme is the opposite—the emotional signpost that something’s off. It’s a nudge from your inner intelligence to pause, reflect, and pivot. If you find yourself living more in your Not-Self than your Signature, that’s not a problem to fix—it’s an invitation to get curious. What’s here that I’ve been ignoring? Where am I saying yes when my body says no? Whose expectations am I trying to meet that aren’t even mine? Awareness is the first step.

Manifestors: Peace / Anger

Anger for a Manifestor is like an alarm bell. It shows up when you feel controlled, interrupted, or blocked from initiating freely. Are you suppressing your impulses to avoid confrontation? That bubbling rage isn’t the problem—it’s the clue. Your peace returns when you inform others of your intentions, clear space for your autonomy, and reclaim your authority.

Generators + Manifesting Generators:Satisfaction / Frustration

When frustration creeps in, it’s likely because you’re trying to force energy where it doesn’t belong. Are you saying yes to things that drain you? Pushing through out of obligation rather than genuine response? Frustration is your body’s way of saying, “This isn’t it” and that what you are giving your energy to is draining you rather than sustaining you. Realignment comes when you return to what lights you up—letting your gut response guide you back to satisfaction.

Projectors:Success (in the sense of deep recognition and flow) / Bitterness

Bitterness is the Projector’s shadow, arising when you’re pouring your energy into places or people who don’t see or value you. Feelings of comparison, jealousy, or resentment may reflect where you’re seeking validation instead of waiting for genuine recognition. Alignment comes when you honor your gifts, rest deeply, and share your wisdom with those who are ready to receive it.

Reflectors: Surprise (the delightful kind) / Disappointment

Disappointment signals that your environment (or the people in it) isn’t nourishing you. Reflectors are like energetic mirrors, absorbing and reflecting the world around them. If life feels flat or disheartening, ask yourself: “Am I in the right place, with the right people?” Your surprise and delight return when you give yourself time and space to reflect, release what isn’t yours, and reconnect with environments that feel vibrant and alive.