Your Bodygraph: Centers, Gates, Channels and Openness

Ok, buckle your seatbelt, ‘cuz we’re gonna be going into some terms, etc. Don’t worry, there’s no memorization required; Human Design is a pretty detailed method, and we’re barely skimming the surface of everything there is to learn! If all of this doesn't make sense initially, hang in there. All will become clearer. Read as much or little of this info as you like, and keep it handy to refer to (along with your bodygraph) as you read more about Human Design.

The Human Design Bodygraph

Centers: When you look at your chart/bodygraph, you will notice 9 geometric shapes; these correspond to the Nine Chakras or Centers in the Human Design system. Each shape will be either white or a color. Human Design takes the original seven-chakra theme and expands it to nine:

Diagram of the human energy anatomy showing the head, ajna chakra, throat, root chakra, spleen, sacral chakra, emotional solar plexus, and ego/will.

Gates/Channels: A gate is a line that comes off of a center; each gate has a number assigned to it. A channel is two gates combined.

Diagram of the human nervous system with colored shapes, lines, and labels indicating different parts, including the channel, gate, and specific numbered points.

Open vs. Defined: Centers, Gates and Channels can be either open or defined.

Open: Any gate, channel or center that is white is characterized as open. An open aspect of your chart indicates that you are designed to be receptive, to receive information and energy from the world around you. These are the places where we are also likely to have conditioning from our parents, teachers, community, etc.--conditioning that tells us to be something different than who we are designed to be.

Defined: A defined aspect that is colored in indicates that particular aspect is more fixed or reliable, not as receptive or open to conditioning.

Open vs. Defined Centers: When you look at your chart/bodygraph, you will notice that the Centers (the geometric shapes) are either white or colored-in. If you have a white center, that center is Open; if it is colored in, the center is Defined.

For example, looking at Super Duper’s chart below, you’ll notice that the bottom left triangle (Spleen Center), and the middle lower square (Sacral Center) are both white with gold numbers–this indicates the centers are open. The rest of the centers (Root, Emotional Solar Plexus, Will, Ego, Throat, Ajna and Head) are colored in, indicating that they are defined.

Color-coded diagram illustrating the human body with numbers, symbols, and arrows, titled 'Super Duper,' dated March 4, 2009, showing details about energy fields in London, England.

Defined/Open Gates and Channels: Turning again to “Super Duper”’s chart, notice the red/black connection between the bottom square (Root Center) and the triangle to the right (Will/Ego). Since it is completely colored in, it is a Channel, formed by the two Gates (19 and 49)

Diagram of human body with labeled lines and numbers representing energetic points, titled 'Super Duper,' dated March 4, 2009, in London, England.

On the left side, the connection coming off of the Spleen to the Throat, Gate 48, is white, but the other gate, Gate 16, is connected to the throat and is black. This is not a complete channel, as one gate is black and the other is white.

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