How Human Design opened my eyes to soul-aligned living (as a Projector)

The first time I was introduced to Human Design was in 2019 by my beautiful friend Rachel.

At the time, I quickly read the description of my chart and didn’t feel it resonated that much.

But do you know why? 

It’s because back then I was still so deeply conditioned and my true self was hidden away underneath all the false layers and labels that I had become to believe were mine – but really, weren’t.

It’s only after I quit my job, started my business and went travelling full time in 2022, while being initiated into an even deeper personal growth journey and starting to hang out in online spaces filled with wise, badass and spiritual women that Human Design started to come up again.

I decided to revisit and dive deeper than I did the first time, as I was curious to see what the ‘fuss’ was all about.

And boy am I glad that I did. 

Because the insights that I have gained have impacted my life in the most profound ways.

But before I share exactly what and how, let me first explain what Human Design is. 

Because I know that so many people still haven’t heard about Human Design at all. And if that’s you, I would hate you to miss out on this potentially powerful way to understand yourself on a deeper level, and start living in a way that truly feels good in every way.

So what is Human Design, exactly?

Think of Human Design as a self-discovery tool. It’s a system that combines ancient wisdom of astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, and the chakra system with modern science like quantum physics and genetics.

In simple terms, it gives you a kind of energetic blueprint for how you’re designed to operate in the world. It shows you things like how you make decisions, how your energy flows, where you’re naturally gifted, and how you can navigate life with more ease, rather than forcing yourself to fit into boxes that were never made for you.

What it really is about…  is remembering who you were before the world told you who you should be. And that, my friend, is EVERYTHING.

Getting your Human Design chart

So how do you get started?

Easy. The first step is to get your chart. It’s totally free – you just need your birth date, exact birth time, and place of birth. MyBodyGraph.com is great for this.

Here’s a quick warning for when you first see your chart though. It looks like something straight out of NASA (I kid you not!). A whole bunch of shapes, numbers, lines and colours. But don’t panic. Your chart holds a lot of information but you don’t need to understand all of it right away.

The most important thing to start with is your Energy Type. There are 5 of them in Human Design, and they give you a big clue about how your energy is designed to work in the world.

The 5 Energy Types (in a nutshell)

Manifestors: The fire-starters. Big ideas, big moves. They’re here to initiate and get things going, but not necessarily to stick around for the whole process.

Generators: The life force of the planet. They have this sustainable energy when they’re doing what lights them up. They’re the ones who can go and go – when it’s the right thing.

Manifesting Generators: A mix of Manifestor and Generator energy. Multi-passionate, fast-moving, and not here to follow a straight path. These are your classic “I do all the things” people.

Projectors (that’s me!): The guides and seers. We’re here to see how things can be done better, to direct energy, and offer wisdom – but we don’t have consistent energy like the others. Rest and recognition are everything.

Reflectors: The rarest of the bunch (about 1% of the population). They mirror the energy of the people and environment around them, giving a reflection of how healthy or aligned a community is.

Why this matters

Now here’s where it gets interesting. 

Around 70% of the population are Generators or Manifesting Generators – which means most of society has been built around people who are designed to have consistent, sustainable energy (when they’re doing what genuinely lights them up).

If that’s you, congrats – I’m so envious 😀

However, the problem is that most people aren’t doing what lights them up.

Even Generators and Manifesting Generators have been conditioned by a culture that glorifies productivity, achievement, and constant hustle. So instead of listening to their natural internal cues, they’ve learned to push through, say yes to what they should do, and keep grinding even when it feels off.

And when even the people built for sustainable energy are frustrated and exhausted… you can imagine how it feels for the rest of us.

For those of us with different energetic designs – like Projectors, Manifestors, or Reflectors – it can feel like we’re constantly swimming upstream in a world designed for a pace and way of operating that was never meant for us.

Realising that was one of the most validating, life-affirming, “oh, wow, it makes so much sense now!” moments I’ve had.

And there’s more.

But let me first share what it means to be a Projector, as my a-ha’s will make more sense when you understand the context.

What it means to be a Projector

Projectors make up about only 20% of the population – so yes, not only are we unique, but we are quite rare, too.

Our role in the world is to guide, see, and lead energy, not necessarily to generate it ourselves (so very different from the majority of people).

You can think of us like the directors of a play. We might not be on stage acting out every scene, but we have this beautiful ability to see the bigger picture, spot what’s working (and what’s not), and gently guide others towards a better, more aligned way of doing things.

In addition, we don’t have that consistent, sustainable life-force energy that most of the world runs on. Our energy works in bursts, and we thrive when we honour those natural ebbs and flows instead of forcing ourselves to ‘keep up’ with everyone else with the same level of effort and output. 

It’s often said that Projectors are best suited to working just a few focused hours a day – and the rest should be spent on things that nourish us.

Our strategy in Human Design (which basically means the way we’re designed to best interact with the world and make aligned decisions) is to ‘wait for the invitation’ – which sounded a bit weird and confusing when I first read about it. Like… should I just stay at home, sit around and wait to be invited to things? How am I supposed to run a business and make all my dreams come true in that case?!

In reality, what it really means is recognising that our magic lands best when it’s recognised, welcomed, and invited.

Meaning – when we try to force our wisdom onto people who aren’t ready, it tends to fall flat (and leaves us feeling bitter – which, by the way, is what Human Design calls our not-self theme, or the emotion we experience when we’re out of alignment with our natural energy).

And yep, I sure have experienced that more times I can count!

However, when a Projector is aligned – following their joy, allowing plenty of rest and play (absolutely crucial for us), and trusts in divine timing – our energy becomes magnetic. The right people, opportunities, and ‘invitations’ find us, and everything feels so much smoother.

Insights that changed the game for me

Let me tell you – all of this was quite a revelation for me.

But first, I had to peel back the layers to truly see that.

Because my entire life, I had taken pride in how hard-working (a term that now literally makes me sick to my stomach because it’s such a toxic paradigm) I was. In my ability to push through, keep going, to go above and beyond, and to keep hustling.

Ugh.

But the reality was that all of this endless pushing drained me. I just had been ignoring my internal cues because of society’s twisted programming, and because we are not taught to listen to our bodies, our intuition or the whispers of our soul.

When I started to reflect and feel into it, I realised why I so desperately wanted to get out of working a 9 to 5. Because being expected to produce output 8 (often more) hours a day goes completely against my innate energetic blueprint. When I think about it now, it feels like a FULL BODY NO.

Yet when I started my business in 2022, the first year I just carried on like I was in a job. In the building phase I was working 8 hour days, almost 7 days a week. Thinking that’s what was required for success.

Oh how wrong I was.

But I have so much compassion for this older version of me who simply didn’t know better. Because how was she supposed to?

The permission slip that provided relief

Once I understood that opportunities come to me when I focus on taking care of myself, rather than hustling – which is such a counterintuitive concept in our modern Western society where rest is treated as a REWARD for working hard – I started letting go of the constant push.

And I began to notice that ‘the ‘invitations’ still kept coming, although I didn’t ‘do’ anything to make them happen. 

It was so incredibly liberating to start approaching life in this new manner. Living slowly, intentionally, joyfully, focusing on rest and joy first.

And despite all the challenges that I’ve faced along the way, life somehow still feels so… nourishing. Because I’m living in alignment with my energetic blueprint.

A little sidenote here. Essentially, Projector energy is quite a feminine energy. It’s intuitive, receptive, deeply perceptive, and thrives on being invited and recognised, rather than forcing or chasing. And funnily enough (or perhaps divinely orchestrated), learning about Human Design and my Projector essence happened around the same time I was deepening my understanding of feminine and masculine energetics. And as a result, things started to truly fall into place for me, as a new, more aligned way of BEING started to emerge.

If you haven’t read it already, in my last post I broke down what feminine and masculine energies are and how understanding the two literally changed my life (opens in a new tab).

A better understanding of my depth

Through Human Design, I also came to appreciate my depth as a true superpower. 

I had always known that I had the ability to see below the surface and notice things most people wouldn’t. And I have often been complimented on my ability to give advice, because of my ability to see nuance and the bigger picture.

When I learned that I was a Projector, and this was part of my cosmic design, it started to make even more sense.

Among other things, this became evident in the branding and website design work I was doing.

First I was a bit surprised when clients, one after the other, kept saying how they were blown away by my ability to capture the exact vision they had for their brand and translate that into beautiful visuals. But I know now that this is simply part of my innate magic.

And with ‘A Delightful Life’ I have taken this even further. Which is why I am now offering my guidance to women who want more out of life, helping them define and create their own version of A DELIGHTFUL LIFE, whatever that looks like them. If this is something that speaks to you, you can learn more about my VIP Day service here.

Other insights from my Human Design chart

But let me tell you – energy type is just the beginning. 

Once you start exploring your chart, you’ll discover so many other beautiful layers that explain why you are the way you are.

Like, I found out I have a 4/6 Profile, which means I’m naturally a connector, community builder and guide, with a life path of trial, wisdom and eventually becoming a role model for others through my own lived experiences. 100% correct.

I also learned that my Splenic Authority means my decision-making comes through instant intuitive hits – quiet, subtle, in-the-moment knowings. I’m still learning to fully harness the power of my intuition, but it’s an exciting and rewarding journey to be on!

Then there’s my Right Angle Cross of the Vessel of Love, which essentially means I’m here to live and lead through love, compassion, and alignment with what feels beautiful and right for me, and inspire other people through my love of life. Also 100% accurate.

And when I looked at my Defined Centers, it made so much sense why I feel certain things deeply, and how I pick up other people’s energy like a sponge in some areas while being rock-solid in others.

For example – my defined Ajna and Throat centers mean I have consistent access to my own opinions and ways of expressing myself, which explains why I’ve felt this urge to create this blog to start sharing my thoughts (and why I can happily ramble about topics I’m passionate about for days).

My defined G Center gives me a strong sense of identity and direction in life – even when external circumstances shift, there’s always a quiet inner knowing of who I am and where I’m headed. Which has allowed me to stay true my dreams and desires even in the toughest of circumstances.

And my defined Spleen Center is all about intuitive knowing and survival instincts, all connected with my Splenic Authority as mentioned above.

It’s wild how these pieces come together, and how your chart can reveal not just how you operate, but why certain things have always felt the way they do.

Time to embark on your own discovery

So there you have it. A quick little overview of how Human Design has changed the way I move through life.

And I hope that through sharing my own a-ha’s, I’ve been able to show you just how much gold is hiding in your chart once you start looking.

And in particular – if you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit into the way the world tells you life should work… maybe there’s a reason for that.

I know for me, Human Design gave me the permission slip I didn’t even realise I was waiting for.

And if any part of this post has made you feel seen, curious, or quietly relieved – this might be your invitation to pull your chart too.

Just a little reminder though: Human Design isn’t meant to be a box you lock yourself in. It’s a beautiful, empowering guide to help you live more in tune with yourself – not a set of rigid rules you have to follow. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and let it be a tool for more freedom, not another rulebook.

Because truly… The more of us living in alignment with our natural energy and our cosmic blueprint, the better this world is going to be and feel.

Which is all I’m dreaming of.

Would love to hear about your experiences with Human Design in the comments!