When embracing your human design, your authority is one of the core elements that can be the most helpful and immediately implementable. Your authority is like your decision-making compass, showcasing how you are specifically designed to make decisions.
There are seven possible authorities in the human design system. In this blog post, we’ll break down what authority in human design is all about and what your authority means to you.
First things first, let’s recap what human design is all about.
What is Human Design?
Human Design (HD) is a spiritual tool that looks at a variety of spiritual traditions and modalities, including the positioning of the planets when you were born to create a map of your body and how energy flows within it (aka your ‘BodyGraph’).
The key to understanding human design is knowing that this is not like an enneagram or personality test that tries to sort or categorize you into a tidy box – EVERY soul is unique, and HD reflects that.
Your HD Bodygraph is like a map of your soul that shows you how you energetically function, how to make decisions best, how you’ll learn best, how you will most effectively have your message heard, the greater themes you’re going to face in life, and the greater role you’re designed to embody in the collective.
What is My Human Design Type?
There are 4 core ‘types’ and 1 ‘subtype’ in Human Design, with your type showcasing the unique energetic aura you bring to the collective:
New to Human Design? Find out your type + what it means about you in this free guide!
What is Authority in Human Design?
Your authority informs you exactly how you are designed to make decisions based on your unique, energetic flow. Your authority will guide you in making aligned decisions that, if made using your authority, will be right for you (even if they’re not what you initially desire or expect).
According to Human Design, we are not designed to make decisions with the mind but with our bodies. Your authority aligns to a particular energetic centre in the body, and illuminates the best way for you specifically to make decisions.
1. Emotional Authority
Emotional authority, which corresponds with our solar plexus, differs from most of the other authorities in that it doesn’t tell us how to make a decision but when.
Those with Emotional/ Solar Plexus authority are designed to allow themselves to ride the full emotional wave of a big decision (such as where you’re going to live, who you’re going to enter relationships with and what jobs you will take) before making that decision from a place of relative neutrality.
This doesn’t apply to the day-to-day little decisions like what to eat or wear… just for those major life decisions.
As someone with emotional authority, I can confidently say that embodying emotional authority allows you to avoid under or over-committing – and from committing to things not meant for you. If you have this authority, get comfortable asking for time and space to make a decision rather than feeling you have to answer on the spot; you’re not designed to do so!
Types that can have Emotional Authority: Manifestors, Manifesting Generators, Generators and Projectors
2. Sacral Authority
Our sacal centre (corresponding with the gut in the body) produces the life force energy we need as a society to create. That’s why this authority is unique to our society’s great builders + doers: Manifesting Generators and Generators.
Those with sacral authority are meant to ask their sacral yes or no questions to clarify how they feel about a big or small decision. This will be felt as a physical response in the gut and will take time to reconnect with, as we’ve been conditioned to not trust this type of incredible bodily guidance.
Types that can have Sacral Authority: Manifesting Generators, Generators
3. Splenic Authority
Our splenic centre is our intuitive centre that provides instant, spontaneous guidance. Oftentimes, we miss the guidance of the spleen because it doesn’t repeat itself, and it only speaks at the moment. Those with splenic authority are designed to tap into *and follow* their intuition.
Types that can have Splenic Authority: Manifestors and Projectors
4. Heart Authority
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f you have Heart/ Ego authority, you are designed to make decisions based on whether you want to do something and if you feel you can commit to it. It’s tricky for those with this authority to tap into it because we’ve been conditioned to believe that it’s selfish to make decisions this way, but when you have Heart authority and prioritize decisions that support your desires, these decisions will also benefit your community or tribe. When you follow this authority, you embody powerful leadership qualities.
Types that can have Heart Authority: Manifestors and Projectors
5. Self Authority
Self/ G authority is unique to Projectors, rooted in the G centre – our centre of identity. Those with Self-authority are designed to make decisions by talking them out loud with an impartial sounding board. It’s not that you necessarily need advice – you need the space to clarify how you feel about a decision before making it and possibly be asked guided questions to help you gain clarity. If you have this authority, you need to hear yourself out loud to know how you feel about something.
Types that can have Self Authority: Projectors
6. Mental Authority
This one can be confusing, especially because, as I mentioned earlier, no one is meant to make decisions with the mind in human design. But this authority, unique to Projectors, means that you need to be in the correct environment to make a decision.
If the energy of a space isn’t feeling good and right for you, it’s not the space to make a decision. This is because someone with mental authority is very energetically open in their design, thereby susceptible to absorbing the opinions and energy of others.
Types that can have Mental Authority: Projectors
7. Lunar Authority
Finally, there’s the Reflector’s authority, which is Lunar. If you’re a Reflector, you must have lunar authority, and if you have lunar authority, you must be a Reflector!
That’s because Reflectors, the rarest type in human design, have all energetic centres open or undefined – they feel very different every day and therefore are designed to wait for a full lunar cycle (about 1 month) before making a major life decision – every few days checking in to see how they feel about the decision before reaching an overall sense of clarity.
For simple day-to-day decisions, Reflectors can tap into whatever their preference is.
Types that can have Lunar Authority: Reflectors
Uncover Your Magic with Human Design
This free guide shows you how to uncover your human design, what your type says about you, and the unique gifts you bring to the world.
More on Human Design
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3 Ways Human Design Improves Your Life + Relationships
Meet Lauri
I’m a 4/6 Emotional Projector who coaches clients around the world in pursuit of their souls purpose or creative business through alchemizing the tools of human design, mindset & spirituality. With a background in copywriting and marketing, I use my insightful gifts to also provide deep guidance and clarity on sharing your message with confidence.
