An Intro to Human Design | Interpreting Gates & Channels | The Planets | Part 3
Remember the Weird Sandwich Metaphor I used to describe how all these different points of information (unconscious design vs. conscious personality, planets, and lines of the hexagram) all come together to flavor how we understand and experience each gate and channel? Today we're going to finish unpacking another one of those layers in the Weird Sandwich: the planets.
To review: In Human Design, each one of our gates chills out with a specific planet or celestial body. That planet's astrological symbolism and mythology provide CRUCIAL CONTEXT into how we experience the gift or lesson of that gate.
EXTRA CREDIT: If you have a copy of your astrological natal chart, you can even take this info a step further: when Saturn, for example, is back in your natal house, the lessons and gifts of your gates and channels chilling with Saturn are going to be even more prominent around that time. Or if Mercury is in Retrograde, that might also impact how you experience the lessons and gifts chilling out with Mercury.
To start off though, let's dig a little deeper into each one of the planets to gain some insight into their symbolism and mythology and how they potentially influence our charts, following the order the information is presented in the bodygraph from mybodygraph.com. (n.b. some software systems present the planets in a slightly different order, so always defer to the symbols next to the gate and line information for the most accurate analysis).
SATURN (discipline, judgment, discernment)
Anywhere Saturn appears in our charts is an indication that through this gate or channel, we're going to be held accountable for the consequences of our actions. Saturn brings an energy of discipline and discernment and begs us to live up to our own values and morals. Just like a judge delivering a sentence, consequences follow when we act outside of our integrity, violating our own moral compass or personal laws.
URANUS (unusualness, chaos & order, science)
Real talk: Uranus is my favorite planet in our solar system because it is via Uranus that we let our freak flag fly and give expression to what makes us individual, unique and unusual. Uranus is known as the earthquake planet, and its influence shakes us out of our complacency and makes room for the new, the chaotic, the strange and the fantastic. The gates and channels that chill with Uranus push is to live our life as the bravest, most honest, unique version of ourselves.
NEPTUNE (art, creativity, spirituality, illusion)
Neptune is all about surrender. It's one of the trickiest energies to pinpoint in terms of how it expresses itself in our lives. We can get clues from looking at where Neptune lives in our charts and recognizing when Not-Self behaviors (Frustration, Anger, Bitterness, and Disappointment) occur with respect to the gifts and lessons of those gates. Because Neptune is associated with spirituality, the gates and channels this planet touches can be a profoundly important teacher.
PLUTO (truth, transformation, psychology)
Even though Pluto has been downgraded from formal planet status, it still brings strong energy to our design. Think rebirth, metamorphosis, transformation. Pluto is all about truth as it's by looking the truth square in the eye that change is fueled. Pluto touches the truest parts of us and teaches us to find light in the darkness, hope in the shadows.
What gates in your chart are impacted by Pluto? Which are chilling with Saturn? What questions do you have about the gates and channels associated with Uranus in your chart? Let me know in the comments!
Sources:
Curry, Karen. Understanding Human Design. Hierophant Publishing, 2013.
Parker, Karen Curry, et.al. Abundance by Design. GracePoint Matrix, 2016.
Parker, Karen Curry. Human Design Activation Guide. GracePoint Matrix, 2018.
Parkyn, Chetan. Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born to Be. New World Library, 2009.