A Lord of the Rings Analogy of Human Design

This post was inspired by my elementary school sons asking me what I do for a living. I told them I tell people about their archetypes, like if they’re more of an elf or a hobbit type.

I’ll update this post with my new answer in a few years when they hit middle school.

Before you dive into this post, make sure you know your Human Design type. If you’re not sure, put your birth info into myBodygraph and look for where it says “type.” If you’re unsure how to use the software, here’s a guide to what you’re looking at.

How Lord of the Rings Helps with Misconceptions about Human Design

When we approach things like personality tests, we expect to be told that we’re good at something or we’re terrible at something else. Or we’d have an affinity for a specific role in life or some form of fixed destiny.

You’re not a one-dimensional character walking a predictable path. You’re complex and filled with multiple possibilities at any given moment.

Look at the characters in Lord of the Rings.

Are any of them truly best suited for the task of destroying the ring?

No, not alone.

Every member of the Fellowship needed one another because each member played a specific yet dynamic role throughout their quest.

So as you read this post, I don’t want you to think that you’re better suited to be a follower than a leader or that you’re aggressive solely based on what you read about your type.

Instead, I encourage you to contextualize what you’re reading into what’s already happening in your life.

Generators + Manifesting Generators: Hobbits

Note: Since Generators make up 70% of the population, we generally separate Generators into Classic Generators and Manifesting Generators. They’re still under the “Generator” type.

Hobbits are happy-go-lucky creatures who just want to toke it up and drink tea.

They’re enjoying their day-to-day lives until one day, a problem arises, and they’re confronted with whether they’d like to respond (a Generator type’s authority) to this problem.

In this example, the problem was that one of the Hobbits, Bilbo, was seduced by the ring of power and responded by keeping it. This foreshadowed the years that would come when the burden of destroying the ring would be asked of Frodo, Bilbo’s much younger cousin.

Frodo was asked to courier the ring because others feared that they would be too tempted by its power. When he finally got to his destination, a meeting of the races was called to determine what should happen to the ring. A fight broke out because whoever accepted the task of destroying the ring seemed certain to die.

So as Frodo watched everyone fight among himself, he raised his little hobbit hand and responded by saying, “I’ll do it. I’ll take the ring to Mordor.”

The thing about Hobbits is that despite their stature and how little anyone could expect from them, they have an uncanny ability to endure. They have a stubborn willingness to put in the work, even if they do not seem outwardly threatening.

This reflects the defined sacral center, which only occurs in Generators and Manifesting Generators. These types have a regenerative and consistent source of energy, allowing Generators to find ease in work that aligns with them.

“All wizards should have a hobbit or two in their care—to teach them the meaning of the world, and to correct [the wizard].”

– Gandalf the Wizard to Merry the Hobbit, The Two Towers

Projectors: Wizards

Projectors are wizards, absorbing the world around them and channeling their energies before projecting it.

The most memorable Lord of the Rings wizard is Gandalf. Gandalf, no matter how wise or experienced he was, couldn’t give advice unless the other invited him to do so (the Projector authority).

They watch everyone stumble. The wizard and the Projector wait patiently, working on their masteries before someone genuinely wants their help.

Gandalf has been around long enough to see how the rings of power have impacted Middle Earth. He reminds everyone not to touch it, wear it, or mess with it, but the others rarely listen. They must learn to exist until they are asked to share. Even Gandalf is susceptible to the ring’s seduction – Projectors don’t always take their own advice.

Projectors have piercing and penetrating aura, which is why waiting for recognition and invitation is important. Otherwise, the Projector will experience bitterness when the other person rejects or ignores them.

To expand on a Projector’s masteries, Projectors are not considered an energy type the way Manifestors and Generator types are. Instead, Projectors are here to manage the energies of the other types, serving as a guide. But Projectors are rarely waiting for other people to believe in them. They’re waiting for other people to be ready for them.

Gandalf travels, hones his magical wisdom and enjoys smoking his pipe while he waits. He’s not sitting there sulking that no one is inviting him. He’s waiting for those ready for him to look into their souls and guide them.

Frodo: Before you came along, we Bagginses were very well thought of. Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.

Gandalf: If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door.

Frodo: Whatever you did, you’ve been officially labeled a disturber of the peace.

Manifestors: Humans

What is more human than a need to conquer, fight for what you believe in, or to pave the way for a better quality of life?

The human race in Middle Earth is a classic example of the power and failure of man, which parallels the experience of Manifestors. In the old days, humans ruled, establishing authority and having it torn down by those who challenge it.

In the Lord of the Rings universe, it was a human who was too weak to destroy the ring, despite encouragement from an elf (Reflector type). That human succumbed to the ring’s seductions.

Depicted above is Aragorn, another human, who sets out to do what his forefather couldn’t. He paves the way, so others don’t repeat the failures of their ancestors.

He took the initiative to find Frodo and the hobbits, informing them of how dire their situation was (a Manifestor’s strategy).

Like a true Manifestor, Aragorn would sooner die than betray the fellowship. He mapped out his journey, and nothing was going to stop him. He lead them as they grieved together through loss and unrelenting weather.

Manifestors are capable of being the backbone of a cause lending their powerful voices to those who can’t.

They are might be lone wolves who can stay in the shadows. They can also immerse themselves in the right motley crew.

“My friends, you bow to no one.” – Aragorn to the Hobbits, Return of the King

Reflectors: Elves

The rarest Human Design type and the only lunar type, the Reflectors reveal the true nature of any environment they step foot in.

Elves and Reflectors do not operate on the same timeline that the rest of the other types. In Middle Earth, elves are hundreds of years old and deeply invested in their ancestral magic. It’s infused into weapons and medicines, including what they gift to non-elves.

This mirrors the Reflector’s magic of sampling the energies and environments they’re in. They come off passive but are the first to know when something’s not right, like a carbon monoxide detector.

Reflectors, like elves, tend to keep to themselves until they feel it’s time for them to come out. They need space to understand the environment around them. For other types, a lunar cycle feels like a long time. Reflectors, in their ageless wisdom, don’t feel it. They take the time to coax answers and experiences by navigating the environment they’re in.

Throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you meet different elves, from Legolas, who directly joined the Fellowship, to Arwen, who brought Frodo to Rivendell, and Galadriel, who wielded one of the rings of power herself.

Elven and Reflector bodies are instruments of health. They can physically feel the conditions of others around them. They know when someone requires love, guidance, firmness, or force.

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