I’m back with another post in the Human Design Basics series, and I’ll be covering the nine energy centers and what it means to have your centers defined or undefined. Before you jump in, though, be sure that you have your chart nearby. If you don’t have your human design chart yet, you can get one for free on Genetic Matrix. Sign up for your free Genetic Matrix account here.
The 9 Human Design Centers 101 In the Human Design Chart , there are nine energy centers. They are represented by the geometric shapes in the middle of the chart. The easiest way to think about the nine energy centers is that they are indicators of the way that energy is consistently flowing through you. The centers are:
Each of the nine human design centers produces a specific type of energy. Here are the keynotes for each center:
Head = Big ideas, macro perspective, Divine inspiration
Ajna = Practical concepts, workable theories, useful ideas, micro or detailed perspective
Throat = communication, action, and outer manifestation of inner energy
G = direction, love, identity
Will (aka Heart) = willpower, ego, the material world, drive, determination, worthiness
Sacral = vital life force, reproduction, availability, sustainability, sexuality, creative power
Spleen = primal intuition and instincts, health, values, safety, self confidence
Solar Plexus (aka Emotional) = emotions, moods, feelings, social awareness, spirit
Root = pressure, sustainability, stress, forward momentum, change, growth, transformation
Here is a bit of a deeper look at each center:
The Human Design Head Center When looking at the centers on your chart, the head center is the upward-pointing triangle at the top of the bodygraph. On a traditional chart, a defined head center is yellow, an undefined head center is white with at least one hanging gate, and an open head center is completely white with no hanging gates. In my example, the head is deep purple.
The Human Design Head Center is a pressure center that regulates inspiration and sparks those brilliant thoughts by asking the big questions. This center loves to ponder, wonder, and marvel at life’s endless possibilities.
Here’s the lowdown on the head center’s relentless questioning, simplified by the Human Design gates:
This flood of inspiration “pressures” your Ajna Center to step up and provide the answers, breaking down the big picture into logic, reason, evidence, and practical ideas.
Whether your head center is defined, undefined, or open, when it is in sync with your inner wisdom, you will effortlessly…
💡 Harness the power of questions: You recognize that questions fuel your sense of inspiration, guide your thoughts, and determine the quality of your actions.
💡 Discern like a boss: You don’t entertain shitty questions — from yourself or others. You notice the questions that draw out your inner wisdom and guide you towards authenticity and purpose and steer clear of questions that zap your power.
💡 Let go with confidence: You effortlessly release questions that lead to rumination, self-doubt, obsession with “the how,” or mistrust of the Divine.
Most importantly, when your head center is in flow with your authentic self, you won’t feel like you need to force yourself to feel inspired and trust that aligned action doesn’t always hinge on a flash of inspired brilliance. Aligned thinking, feeling, and action come from turning down the volume on external bullshit and turning up the volume on your inner attunement. head’s only center to create definition with is the ajna.
The Human Design Ajna Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the ajna is the second center from the top in the shape of a downward-facing triangle. On a traditional human design chart, the ajna is colored in green if it is defined and will be white if it is undefined or open. In my example, it is colored in dark turquoise.
The Ajna Center is an awareness center that filters, processes, and regulates our everyday thinking. The head center sends questions to the ajna, creating pressure to formulate concepts, hypotheses, theories, logic, reason, analysis, and ideas.
The ajna also connects with the throat center to give voice to the concepts it has created. And, when recognized and invited, those concepts become a source of clarifying education for others (aka outer authority).
It is important to note that “thoughts” are not produced solely by the ajna. All centers in the Human Design chart produce thoughts. The Ajna does, however, regulate our thinking by filtering and categorizing them.
When the Human Design Ajna Center is coherent with your inner wisdom, no matter your definition, you:
🧠 Easily recognize that YOU are not your thoughts and that you have the power to choose thoughts that align with your Authentic Self
🧠 Work with concepts, ideas, opinions, and theories purposefully and in alignment with your inner wisdom.
🧠 Have a balanced relationship with your thoughts, understand the centers creating them, and discern their usefulness in your life and purpose.
🧠 Let go of thoughts that do not serve you and cultivate ones that do.
Most importantly, when your ajna aligns with your most authentic Self, it steps aside to let your inner wisdom make the decisions instead of trying to run the show.
The gates in the ajna center are:
The Human Design Throat Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the throat is the third center from the top, in the shape of a square. On a traditional human design chart, the throat is brown if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. In my example, it is turquoise.
The Throat Center is the center of communication (both verbal and subtle), self-expression, taking aligned actions, and authenticity.
In Human Design, the expression of the throat center is called manifesting, which is not the same as the new age concept of manifesting.
When we talk about manifesting in Human Design, we are talking about how energy moves from your inner world into the outer world in a tangible way. Motor centers (root, sacral, will, and solar plexus) propel that expression.
A very simple way to explain it is using crying as a metaphor. When you cry, you are “manifesting” your inner sadness as an expression that the outside world can see, touch, taste, hear, smell, or experience firsthand.
Whether through words, actions, deeds, or “art,” all the energy manifesting through the throat communicates to the world who you are and what you are about. It is the core of what Manifestors, and to a certain degree Manifesting Generators, can do without needing an external motor. Other types need more energetic support to express their inner energy effectively.
All that said, the throat center is where all manifestation occurs. It is where we share our voice (literal or metaphorical) with the world and how we make ourselves known as distinct individuals.
When the Human Design Throat Center is coherent with your inner wisdom, no matter your definition, you:
📣 use your inner wisdom to discern when to speak and when to stay silent.
📣 understand and honor the support you need (or don’t need) in your self-expression and, therefore, powerfully express your Authentic Self.
📣 have the capacity to be seen and heard in your Authenticity without experiencing fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
Most importantly, you take aligned action by allowing your inner wisdom to drive your decision-making.
The gates in the throat are :
The Human Design G Center Looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the G center is the fourth center from the top, shaped like a diamond. Sometimes, the G center is called the Self center or the Identity center. On a traditional human design chart, the G will be yellow if it is defined and white if it is undefined. In my example chart, the G center is deep green.
In Human Design, the G center is about your spiritual identity, the direction your soul is pulling you in, and your ability to give and receive unconditional love. It has eight gates.
Because the G center is the home of the magnetic monopole (aka higher self, soul, divine self, higher heart, spiritual heart, etc.), it is like a personal GPS. It is the source of your inner wisdom and communicates directly with your human design authority.
The G center is the most attractive center in the chart; the health and regulation of your G center will determine everything that is drawn into your life. It always pulls you towards experiences, environments, and relationships aligned with your purpose’s highest expansion.
As a spiritual being having a Human experience, the G center ultimately guides you into the Truth that you are the one you are looking for.
To understand the G center’s correspondence with many of the world’s spiritual traditions, check out the quick and dirty guide in the map portal called “My Perspective on the Magnetic Monopole.”
Finally, it is also important to note that when an invited human design projector penetrates your aura, they focus on your G center to “read” your highest potential. The “right” projector (for you) will be able to sense your alignment with the pull of your G, exactly how you are misaligned, and guide you towards aligned action.
When you are fully surrendered to your inner wisdom (aka your G center), you will:
🌟 live in and hang around environments that foster the expansion of your higher purpose
🌟 feel grounded in the direction that your life is headed (even if it’s “directionless” according to society)
🌟 sustain relationships that “feel like home” and that support you in choosing your inner wisdom
🌟 vibrate high-frequency states like unconditional love, acceptance, self-love, forgiveness, authenticity, creativity, receptivity, embodiment, and empowered empathy.
Most importantly, your inner wisdom will guide you in making decisions and moving forward with deep and soulful alignment.
The gates in the G center are:
The Human Design Will Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the will center is the tiny triangle on the right side of the chart. On a traditional human design chart, the will center is colored pink if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. On my example chart, it is colored in deep green.
The Will Center is about your human identity—the sense of being a separate individual (aka the ego). In Human Design circles, you may also hear this center called the heart or ego center.
Whatever you call it, it is a motor center that drives commitment to a brighter future, heart-centered altruism, competition, spiritual awakening, and the will to create stability in the material world.
Because of its deep connection to the material world, the will center also drives self-worth, embodied knowing of the value that you bring to the world, and gives you the energy to overcome obstacles using willpower.
When your will center is coherent with your inner wisdom, you will:
🫀 Feel deeply connected to your spiritual heart (aka G center) and have a healthy ego
🫀 Be in an aligned relationship with commitment, making promises, and using willpower to “push through.”
🫀 Have a secure sense of self-worth and embodiment of the value of your gifts and talents.
🫀 Be devoted to a brighter future for yourself and the people around you, and serve others in ways that empower everyone (including yourself).
Most importantly, you will know which obstacles are worth expending willpower for and use it wisely to create stability in your material world.
The gates in the will center are:
Human Design Gate 21
Human Design Gate 51
Human Design Gate 26
Human Design Gate 40
The Human Design Spleen Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the spleen center is the triangle on the left side, just above the root center. On a traditional human design chart, the spleen center is colored brown if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. On my example chart, it is colored in a yellow.
The Spleen is an awareness center, serving as a lens for relating to yourself and the world around you. It is deeply connected to your body’s immune system, health, and spontaneous instinctual awareness, making it the source of your primal instincts and survival responses.
As the purest form of human survival instinct, the spleen lives deep in our DNA. Moment to moment, it communicates through the body’s senses, offering instant feedback about the safety of any situation. It sounds the alarm when there’s danger and guides you away from what’s not good for you. Using the available information in the present moment, it lets you know if you are safe now.
One thing to note is that the spleen is often referred to as the source of intuition, but this intuition is rooted in the body’s immediate senses—what feels safe or unsafe in the moment. It’s not the ‘woo woo’ intuition often associated with new age spirituality. For example, if something tastes bad, that’s your body’s intuition signaling that it’s not right for you in this moment. The more mystical intuition is actually found throughout the Human Design chart, not just in the spleen.
That said, the spleen goes deeper than mere survival. It invites you to evolve by trusting your instincts, cultivating a deep connection with yourself and with the earth, and to take care of your physical and auric health. The spleen offers clarity on what supports your vitality, helping you live in alignment with your instinctive knowing.
When your spleen center is aligned with your inner wisdom, you will:
🌿 Feel deeply connected to your body’s instincts and trust the signals they provide in the moment.
🌿 Be in alignment with your health and vitality, knowing what to walk away from to stay healthy.
🌿 Use your intuitive energy to create a sense of security and well-being for yourself and others.
🌿 Feel grounded and calm in your body, allowing your instincts to clear the path to a bright future.
Most importantly, you will trust your spleen’s ability to guide you toward health and safety, using its quiet, instinctual wisdom to make aligned decisions that support your well-being in every moment.
The gates of the spleen are:
The Human Design Sacral Center When looking at the Human Design centers on the bodygraph, the sacral center is the second square from the bottom. On a traditional human design chart, the sacral is pink if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. On my example chart, it is orange.
The sacral center is the seed of fertility. It is a motor center that drives responsibility, sexuality, and the desire to build things that will sustain life (gardens, farms, houses, hospitals, businesses, etc.).
The sacral gives the energy to provide physical care for others, create sustainable habits and practices, and devote oneself to building a thriving planet.
Anyone with a defined sacral center is automatically a Generator. If they also have a motor connected to the throat, they will be the generator subtype called Manifesting Generator.
They are called generators because the sacral generates the power to sustain life, and the quality of its fuel will determine the quality of the power.
As the bridge between the G and root centers, the highest quality fuel for the sacral center is to use LOVE as the fuel to build, create, respond, produce resources, maintain, and do the work required to evolve the human species. And the lowest quality fuel for the sacral is fear and hate.
In other words, the sacral generates the life force that makes the (human) world go round.
When LOVE is the fuel, it creates a sustainable and thriving world. Love is the most sustainable and empowering fuel, while fear and hate lead to depletion and destruction.
Choose LOVE, and watch how it powers a brighter, regenerative future.
When your sacral center is coherent with your inner wisdom, you will:
🔥 work to live instead of live to work
🔥love the work it takes to build something that thrives
🔥 be in an aligned relationship with physical caretaking, responsibility, and sex
🔥 maintain habits and routines that support fertility, creativity, and sustainability
And, most importantly, you will radiate LOVE into the world.
The gates of the sacral center are:
The Human Design Solar Plexus Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the solar plexus center is the triangle on the right side, just above the root center. On a traditional human design chart, the solar plexus center is colored brown if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. On my example chart, it is colored in yellow.
The Solar Plexus is both a motor center and an awareness center – meaning that it provides fuel for action in the outer world and serves as a lens through which you perceive and relate to yourself and the world..
Sometimes called the emotional center, the solar plexus creates the perpetual emotional wave for those with solar plexus definition. It’s also the human design authority for everyone who has it defined, making it a key player in the decision-making process.
The Solar Plexus is about emotional energy—the waves of feelings, sensitivities, and desires that shape your connection to your emotional experience of life. It moves in a wave like pattern, ebbing and flowing with life, can be poetic, romantic, compassionate, and connected to the spirit of the Divine.
This center is not just about feelings, though. The solar plexus center invites you into the process of emotional mastery, where emotional awareness fuels aligned action and profound transformation. It’s the source of emotional clarity—how you feel once all emotions have been processed and where your emotions ultimately land on any given topic. The solar plexus also fuels expression and depth in relationships.
Because of its deep connection to feelings and desire, the solar plexus governs how we process emotional experiences over time. It’s where you cultivate compassion for yourself and others, allowing for emotional growth that creates depth in your life and relationships.
When your solar plexus center is coherent with your inner wisdom, you will:
🌊 Feel in tune with your emotional waves and trust the timing of emotional clarity.
🌊 Be in alignment with how you process emotions, allowing them to flow without getting stuck or suppressed.
🌊 Experience emotional intelligence in your relationships, fostering healthy, deep connections with others while honoring your own emotional boundaries.
🌊 Use your emotional energy to create meaningful connections and express your unique gifts.
🌊 Feel a deep, compassionate connection to the divine, guiding your emotional journey with love and empathy.
Most importantly, you will know how to ride the waves of emotion without letting them overwhelm you and understand the role emotions play (or do not play) in your decision making process.
The gates of the solar plexus are:
The Human Design Root Center When looking at the Human Design Centers on the bodygraph, the root center is the square at the very bottom of the chart. On a traditional human design chart, the root center is colored brown if it is defined and white if it is undefined or open. On my example chart, it is colored in deep red.
The Root Center is both a motor and a pressure center. Motor centers fuel action in the outer world and pressure centers use energetic force to create movement.
In the case of the root center, the pressure gives you the energy to get things moving and to take action in right timing The root is also connected to adrenaline and stress, governing how you respond to pressure in life. But more than that, the root center drives action for the sake of human evolution, pushing you to grow, adapt, and align with the higher purpose of humanity.
While fueling momentum, the root center is deeply connected to timing. center The root isn’t about constant growth; instead, it’s about waiting for the right moment to act. This waiting is about energetic readiness—something that naturally happens when you’ve fully assimilated and integrated your latest cycle of growth.
It is important to note that readiness isn’t a state of mind; it’s a natural state that arises when the time is truly right for the next cycle of growth. If you push past this phase before you’re ready, you risk burnout. The root’s energy works best when you trust the timing it offers, using the periods of waiting for deep integration rather than forcing action too soon.
When aligned with the natural timing of the Root Center, the pressure it creates feels empowering and right—it fuels action in a way that feels powerful rather than stressful. This kind of pressure signals that the moment for growth and forward movement has arrived, offering energy that feels good and aligned. On the other hand, if you push past the root’s timing, the pressure can feel overwhelming and stressful, leading to burnout.
It’s also important to understand that the pressure from the root isn’t something to avoid—it serves a higher purpose. The key is learning to work with this pressure, acting when readiness has fully emerged, so you can grow without burning out.
When your root center is aligned with your inner wisdom, you will:
🌿 Feel grounded and steady, even when pressure builds.
🌿 Act when true readiness emerges, without feeling rushed or overwhelmed.
🌿 Make space for integration, allowing deep growth and evolution to occur naturally.
🌿 Experience a calm sense of purpose, trusting your ability to handle life’s pressures.
🌿 Use the root’s energy to drive aligned action that supports your evolution without burning out.
Most importantly, you will trust the natural cycles of pressure and readiness, using the energy from your root center to create steady progress and growth aligned with your higher purpose.
The gates in the root center:
(I cover the centers even more deeply – including how to tell when each center is well-regulated and the practices for regulating them, in the Nine Centers Guide, which is included when you purchase your Human Design Map . )
Human Design Centers Definition: Defined vs Undefined You will notice that some of the human design centers on your chart are colored in and some of them are white. This is known as your center definition.
If a center is colored in, that center is defined. If a center is white, that center is undefined. Your center definition determines:
Your Human Design Type and Authority. Different combinations of definition in the nine energy centers determine whether you are a Generator, Manifesting Generator, Projector, Manifestor, or Reflector and what kind of authority you have. Your most reliable energy sources. The centers that are defined in your chart are the centers that consistently produce energy for you to work with on a day-to-day basis. Your most unreliable energy sources. The centers that are open or undefined are the centers that do not consistently produce energy for you to work with on a day-to-day basis. You only “need” the energy in these centers occasionally in order to “fulfill” your purpose (aka your Human Design incarnation cross ).And, most of all, they are showing you are metric ton about your energetic boundaries. But, I’ll talk more about that below. For now, let’s look at…
Your Defined Human Design Centers Your defined human design centers (colored in) are the places where you will consistently produce energy to move through the world. You can rely on this energy on a daily basis (though, there can be “blocks ” to the flow!). They are also the energies that others will consistently experience when they are around you.
For example, in Magical Unicorn’s chart, the head, ajna, throat, solar plexus, and sacral are all colored in.
Assuming all energy if flowing freely, Magical Unicorn will consistently:
produce their own inspiration (head) be able to translate big ideas into practical ideas and workable theories (ajna) communicate their inspiration and ideas (throat) ride the emotional wave from hope to clarity to pain to clarity (emotional solar plexus) generate creative life force energy (sacral) When other people are around Magical Unicorn, they may “pick up on” these energies and see Magical Unicorn as someone who is inspiring, thought-provoking, communicative, lit up, and emotional.
Your defined human design centers are the places where you will feel most “at home” in your body and in the world. You will not have to “fight” or force these energies. They are just there and available to you at all times.
Your Undefined or Open Human Design Centers Your open or undefined human design centers (white) are the places where you will experience inconsistency in your energy. You will experience these energies when you “pick it up” from the people you spend time with, the collective, and the astrological transits .
If you have poor energy boundaries, you will unconsciously amplify the energy you are picking up with your undefined and open centers. You may even begin to identify with it in an unhealthy way.
However, when you have strong energy boundaries, you will be able to discern what, energetically speaking, belongs to you or doesn’t. And with that discernment, you can make conscious choices about how to use, interact, or simply observe the energy.
For example, in Magical Unicorn’s chart, the G, will, spleen, and root are all white.
Assuming that Magical Unicorn’s energy boundaries are in place, they will inconsistently experience:
a strong sense of direction in life (G) the drive and willpower to pursue mundane goals (Will) fear, primal instincts, intuitive knowing*, and self-confidence (Spleen) stress and the pressure to grow, evolve, transform (Root) They will have moments when these energies are present in them but it won’t be all day, every day. They can work with them when necessary and let them go when not.
*In this context, I am talking about the splenic intuitive knowing about what is safe and healthy for the body and what isn’t.
However, if Magical Unicorn’s energy boundaries are terrible, these centers are likely to be highly conditioned by other people’s energy or transits (especially long terms ones). As such, this person will likely experience:
worry or fear about their sense of direction in life (G) feeling low self-worth and like they need to prove themselves (Will) lack of self-confidence (Spleen) stressed out and feeling pressured to always be moving (Root) These are indicators that Magical Unicorn needs better energy boundaries and to learn how to discern other people’s energy from their own. And, most importantly, to let go of any energy that does not serve them at the moment.
(I cover the energy boundaries for all nine centers, based on their definition, in the Nine Centers Guide, which is included with your purchase of the Human Design Map .)
What is the difference between open and undefined? When talking about the definition in the human design centers, these terms are often used interchangeably because they are very similar “in the real world.” I personally tend to use the term open or openness to describe open centers and undefined centers. But, there is a subtle difference between them. So, before I wrap up this post, I want to clarify them for you.
An undefined center is any center that is white on the human design chart and has at least one hanging gate defined.
An open center, on the other hand, is any center on the chart that is white and has no gates defined around it.
For Magical Unicorn’s Chart above, the G and Spleen are undefined and the root and will are open.
The big difference between an open center and an undefined center is that someone with an open center is going to be more prone to energy boundary issues.
That’s a wrap on this second post in the Human Design Basics series. I hope that it has helped you to understand your consistent energy via the nine energy centers.