It is often said that you “should” focus on your strategy and authority when you are first starting out.
I personally don’t see Human Design that way and think you should start at whatever points gets you experimenting instead of just learning. That is the whole purpose of the Human Design Map that I make – I want to provide so much detailed information that the only left to do is actually experiment.
Besides, the gates are the energetic underpinning of your strategy and authority. Here is how that works…
Your strategy is determined by your Human Design type.
Your type is determined by your center definition.
And your authority is determined by center definition within a hierarchal structure. For example, anyone with a defined solar plexus will have an emotional authority, even if their spleen is defined.
Center definition is determined by channel definition.
And channels are created when each gate of the channel is defined in one of the placements.
So, you can’t get strategy and authority without gates. If you are most drawn to the gates and lines, start there.
In fact, the original Human Design transmission didn’t include type, strategy, or authority (among other things). It only focused on centers, channels, and gates.
And while that doesn’t mean that type, strategy, and authority aren’t helpful – they 100% are – to say that they are the “most” important place to start would be a complete discredit to the origins of the system.
The most important place to start is wherever gets you actually experimenting instead of just consuming information.
I personally find that the nuances of the gates can really bring your chart into practical focus. Each gate has a frequency spectrum that is easy to spot once you know what you are looking for and can guide you to practical action to start taking immediately.
And as a 5/2 profile, I am all about the practical application of the whole chart. That is actually the whole purpose of this library – to get you started immediately.
So, all that to say, there is no dogma here. If you are drawn to understanding your gates, do that. Just don’t get lost in a learning rabbit hole and really look at it as an opportunity for experimentation and healing.