The 7 Human Design Authorities
Human Design authorities help make decisions.
But here's where things get tricky.
When I talk about authority with clients, they ask me, "How do I know whether I'm doing it right?"
No Human Design authority is based solely on logic.
A trap people fall into is that they force themselves to think about how their authority should feel. They want to make sure, through logical assessment, that they're using their authority correctly.
✨Protip: Look in hindsight. When you read your authority below, take a step back and see where that authority has worked with you in the past.
To find your authority, generate your chart using The Wild Pixel’s chart generator.
Find how your authority works below 👇🏼
Emotional Authority
Emotions have incited wars, resulted in violence, created marriages, etc. Emotions are complicated, which is why it's hard to pin down what the emotional authority is like.
The generic way Human Design readers talk about the emotional authority is that this authority comes in waves. Sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're down. But it's more complex than that.
Some people experience the emotional authority like a rollercoaster. It goes up and up, and then it suddenly drops.
Or someone might feel consistent through the day but have little bursts of intensity, such as bubbles popping in the bath.
So, if you have an emotional authority, I invite you to sink into it. Look in the past and determine what has happened when you've allowed yourself to be swept away by those waves.
💡On trauma: 50% of the population has an emotional authority. Of those people, consider how many may have emotion-related trauma. This stuff can be uncomfortable. While I am not an emotional authority, my authority has also dredged up fear and trauma, which gave me something to speak to a professional about. That happens. Knowing yourself and being in alignment comes with knowing what you've been through and what is looking for better alignment.
✨Not an emotional person: People who don't resonate with being an emotional authority tell me they're "not an emotional person." They consider themselves closed off, disinterested in anything emotional, and don't see themselves as emotional.
On one end, we're still, as a society, damning of people who show emotions, calling them weak. On the other hand, some people, like the Stoics, don't like to dwell on emotions.
If you fall into this camp, I invite you to step back, disengage with your emotions, and watch them like a movie. What's the plot? What's happening? What's making your heart race, and what's making you throw the controller in disappointment? This is an entryway to working with your emotional authority if you don't identify with emotions.
Sacral Authority
The sacral authority is exclusive to Manifesting Generators and Generators. Since both types have an enveloping, scooping aura, it's constantly bringing in things for the sacral center to respond to.
The sound made by the sacral center is usually child-like, sometimes making up its sounds and words to communicate (especially for classic Generators). If you're a Manifesting Generator, that sacral voice bubbles up through your mouth, giving your sacral center language close to or identical to your speaking voice.
The sacral center is directly tied to reproduction and reproductive organs. Clients say that when their sacral center approves, they feel a turned-on sensation (not the same as getting h*rny).
Some hear grunts, "Uh huh, nuh uh," like a child explaining what type of snack he wants.
I've also heard that the gut feeling can be "cold" to a no like the nerves are cramping together. Or it's this voice in their belly.
I like to imagine it's like a talking belly button, but I'm not a sacral authority 😥
Splenic Authority
Splenic authorities are exclusive to Manifestors and Projecctors. This authority is tied to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
This authority is also tied to the fight-or-flight system, so it's essential to tune into what your health considers safe.
Also, what you consider health to be.
You wouldn't eat nuts with the latest health fad if you're allergic. So you don't have to force a state of health for the sake of your authority if it simply isn't right.
The splenic authority is primal and only concerned on a moment-by-moment basis.
Imagine a raw piece of chicken you bought but didn't cook that night. Two days go by, and you'll do what everyone else does: sniff and poke the raw chicken to see if it's still good.
That is an example of how the splenic authority manifests.
The sniff and poke only works for that moment, right? Two more days later, you'd have to sniff and poke again, right?
That's how the splenic authority works. When interacting with something, you'll get internal, intuitive messages from moment to moment.
Ego Authority
The ego authority is exclusive to the Manifestor and Projector types. This authority is based on willpower and feeling a pull towards what's worth fighting for or committing to.
This authority is the balance between living to work and working to play. The ego authority is locked in when it's time to go to work but will turn everything off and hang out on the beach when it's time to play.
The Manifestor version of the ego authority is called the ego-manifested authority. This is about informing as a Manifestor, except it's a blurt. There's no mental or logical process behind this. The Manifestor feels it, speaks it, and it's done.
In the post about Human Design types, I mentioned that Manifestor types can't be in environments where other people try to control them. The ego-manifested authority takes it one step further: even the Manifestor can't control its own voice.
The Projector version of the ego authority is called the ego-projected authority. Projectors are designed to be invited. When the ego-projected authority is responding to an invitation, the question is, "How much are you paying?" There needs to be some form of compensation that the ego-projected Projector is willing to work for.
Keyword: willing. In Human Design, the ego is the house of willpower. Hence, willing.
Self-Projected Authority
The self-projected authority is exclusive to Projectors. This authority is based on the G center, which houses love, direction, and identity.
This is an authority that blurts things out. Self-projected Projectors are usually taught that they "speak without thinking," but that's how this authority works.
It's based on what the Projector identifies with and has nothing to do with who they mentally believe themselves to be.
Don't confuse this authority with the mental authority (the one below this section). The mental authority interacts with the environment, but the self-projected authority listens to the "self." Hence, self-projected.
This authority rambles. It will talk and talk until the decision comes together. It's common for this authority to talk at people rather than with people. Because of this, self-projected Projectors are encouraged to let people know whether they want the other person to listen or to chime in.
Mental Authority
The mental authority is specific to Projectors and is one of the rarest authorities.
It also works differently from other authorities because all other authorities, except the Reflector's lunar authority, work internally. They feel something within their body and use that as an inner compass.
The mental authority is an outer authority. It throws things into the world and sees what boomerangs back. This can also be seen as an echolocation - speaking and interacting with what's in the environment to assist with decision-making.
The challenge is that of all authorities, the mental authority has the strongest connection to their mind. But if you've read the opening to this blog post, you've read that none of the authorities are based on logical reason and the mind alone.
The mental authority must feel safe and healthy in their environments. That's where they can receive outside information that can echo in their mind.
Some mental authorities like to have a trusted circle, just like a business owner has a board of advisors. However, it's important to remember that advisors are like people holding files. At the same time, it is the business owner (mental authority) who makes the final decision.
Lunar Authority
The lunar authority, sometimes called no authority, is exclusive to the Reflector type. This is also the same as the Reflector's strategy.
Reflectors are here to sample their environments and collect information from the people around them. Through processing this information over time, matched with the moon's phases, the Reflector understands whether the environment and the people in those environments are aligned.
They also need to know whether the people in those environments are healthy for them. Otherwise, Reflectors can feel physically ill. They are the first responders when something is wrong.
