Human Design Series - The Archetypes

The basic premise of Human Design is that we embody five energetic archetypes. You'll fall into one of these five, depending on your birth data, and the type is the first place to start working with your chart.

If you take to searching the interwebs about Human Design, you’ll see other sites talking about the "roles" each type is here to play, but I don't like looking at it in that way as I don’t enjoy being boxed in to a label, do you?

Instead, I look at the five energetic types to understand how your unique energy works and interacts with others.We constantly influence each other energetically; for example, think of a time when you walked into a room and immediately felt energized and excited. That's energy and human interactions of energy at play. It also works the opposite way: you've probably walked into a room, noticed the vibe was off, and felt uncomfortable. The more you pay attention to how you feel in your body, the more you'll be in tune with your intuition. 

The Chart

The geometric shapes you see are energy centers, and the activation of the gates (the tiny numbers in each shape) connecting channels to each energy center determines the definition.

Get your chart here to learn your type and keep reading for details.

p.s. If you don't know your time of birth, either try to get it as close as possible (morning, afternoon, night), or if you have no idea, choose 12:00pm. Generally, the Type will be correct even without the accurate time.

Initiator* (Manifestor)

The connection of an energy centered designated as a motor connected to the throat characterizes this archetype. However, the sacral center remains undefined. Because this type doesn't have a defined sacral energy center, they may find that they can't sustain their energy like others do. And, because Initiators are said to be a small part of the population (approximately 9%), they may feel different than others, but not sure why. People with this archetype may feel like they can start many projects but the follow through is tough. They may not love to see these through to the end, preferring to pass them on to someone else, while they go back to idea-generation.

So what do you do with this archetype? If you have this type, you may immediately notice that you’ve always operated in this way - coming up with great ideas and wanting to find someone to take that idea and run with it. It doesn’t mean you can’t follow-through and see a project to the end, that part may just be less fun than coming up with your ideas. Initiators also tend to move very fast. If you have this energy, you may notice that you've worked through everything before taking action because you've accessed an internal creative flow that doesn't depend on outside influences. Basically, you don’t need other people to come up with ideas and usually you have a way forward before you’ve even shared your thoughts.

A big part of having this energy is making sure you’re telling people what you’re doing so they don’t feel left behind!

Alchemist (Generator)

This definition of the sacral center characterizes this archetype, creating sustainable energy. The sacral center is a source of energy and shows the person when they align with decisions. This type does not have a motor connected to the throat, and the lack of the motor connection to the throat, the Alchemist types may get frustrated when trying to make something happen. Don’t worry - you’re not alone, most archetypes can’t “make something happen” the way we’ve all been taught. Wild, right? No wonder so many people burn out of their jobs. The Alchemist types make up about 36% of the population.

Waiting is a strategy for you, and is helped by the you connecting to your intuition through yes/no questions. Knowing how your energy responds to yes/no questions is essential to working with this archetype. The alchemist type also has a unique learning cycle that looks like stair-steps. Generally, a certain amount of learning occurs until you hit a plateau. In the plateau, you can feel frustrated that things aren't moving fast enough and think you're on the wrong path. The plateau is the wrong time to jump off, and the perfect time to tune into your intuition to help you figure out if it really is the wrong path or you’re just gathering energy for the next push.

Time Bender (Manifesting Generator)

A Time Bender is a combination of the Initiator and Alchemist and make up about 34% of the population making the two Alchemist types the largest group of archetypes. If you have one of these two archetypes, you may feel connected to the idea of sustainable energy (i.e. it’s pretty easy for you to work long days without feeling completely exhausted at the end). Along with the sacral definition, the Time Bender type also has a motor connected to the throat.

Like the Alchemist, the Time Bender still has to wait, which can feel frustrating to someone who also accesses an internal flow that doesn’t depend on external influence. The desire to skip steps to get to the answer is a characteristic of the Time Bender. Sometimes, these missed steps have to be corrected, so it helps to be aware of this tendency. The Time Bender has the same stair-step learning cycle as the Alchemist. 

A difference in this type, is that because of the manifesting energy, the if you have this type you may need to learn to inform people around them of your plans.

Orchestrator (Projector)

No sacral definition or motor connection to the throat characterizes the Orchestrator archetype. Like the Manifestor type, Orchestrators do not have sustainable energy. This type is a minor part of the population and, like the Manifestor types, may feel different from everyone else around them.The Orchestrator type tends to take energy around them and process it differently. The type can burn out if they attempt to act as an Alchemist or Time Bender (most commonly, we think we're all supposed to act as Time Benders). Burnout for an Orchestrator can look like hitting a wall after decades of attempting to fit in and work the way everyone else does. If someone with this type doesn't understand their creative energy and is in an environment that doesn't feed that energy, burnout is probably inevitable.The biggest challenge for an Orchestrator is learning how to wait for invitations and which invitations are the ones to accept. This doesn't mean someone with this type sits around during this process. The difference between responding to the environment (Alchemist/Time Bender) and waiting for an invitation is that knowing one's value helps the Orchestrator type choose what to do while waiting. The Orchestrator is also issuing invitations by putting their work out into the world. Another challenge is recognizing that you may need more rest than you thought and must be in tune with what your body needs. Self-compassion and self-acceptance are huge for someone who carries this archetype.

Calibrator (Reflector)

No defined energy centers in the chart characterize the Calibrator type. People with this type tend to be highly sensitive, and their environment can significantly influence their health. They may also feel disappointed because they can sense what needs to change so everyone can live to their fullest potential. Unfortunately, no one is able make someone change, so understanding that this type serves as a mirror is crucial to living a fulfilled life with this level of sensitivity. This type makes up the most minor portion of the population, and may feel very different from most people.The Calibrator type is also said to be a lunar being, meaning that they wait a complete moon cycle when making big decisions. Now, in this world, waiting a month to make big decisions seems slow, so I can see how that would be a foreign concept. For example, who has time to wait a month before deciding to buy a particular house? That strategy doesn't work for most housing markets! I'd love to hear from people with this archetype how they find decision making works best for them. A challenge is to embody what you feel and sense and use that to be a mirror for others. However, it is not your job to fix anything. Another challenge for this archetype is to learn to let go of trying to fix what isn't working, and trust Universe/Source/Diving timing.

*Quantum Human Design™ is a trademark of Karen Curry Parker. Traditional language in parentheses.