Shantamo

Gate 30: How desire brings things into being

Shantamo · February 1, 2023 ·

Strong stuff at the bottom of a Chart

In January and February of this year Saturn traverses Gate 30. From Jan 22-27 Saturn activated Channel 30-41 with the Sun, with Venus becoming part of it too. From 13-18 Feb we see Sun and Saturn both in Gate 30, with Mercury in Gate 41 to activate the same Channel. I find it a good reason to have a deeper look at this Gate and Channel, which is the conduit for how desire brings things into being.

The Human Design name of Gate 30 is desire, while its Gene Key frequencies are Desire, Lightness, and Rapture. Desire is the emotional driven energy of consciousness that wants to return home. For whatever mysterious reason. Christians call it sin, while in the east Hindus have called it Leela, God’s play or the divine play. In the act of creation, consciousness has separated from itself, and here it is in the form and wanting to return, wanting to become one again. In Gate 30 the collective evolution uses us individuals as an instrument for this grand design.

Channel of Recognition

Now, in Human Design on the other side of Channel 30-41 is Gate 41. Its Gene Key frequencies are Fantasy, Anticipation and Emanation. Here we find the invitation from the Earth to realize something, to bring it to the material plane. The name of this Channel is Recognition. It’s like the desire wants also to take form. The ancient Chinese name for Gate 30 is the clinging fire. Desire is seen as the clinging fire. This happens when the mind takes hold of this energy, and rides it, and attaches it to a certain object or person. The mind wants the desire to be fulfilled. This brings anxiety: shall I make it, or will I fail? Even if the desire is fulfilled, another one will take its place, and the mechanism restarts.

The dilemma of desire

Essentially this is consciousness that wants to return to its source, while at the same time it attaches itself to outer objects. The energy of desire moves us all, without exception. It is an intrinsic part of the play of life. Denying it is to say no to our own life force. Saying yes to it takes us away from ourselves. How to resolve this dilemma?

On the one hand, this is existence working through us to complete its cosmic motion. On the other hand, desire is an outer manifestation of something inner. This is where the Gene Keys gift frequency of Lightness comes in, which says: ‘Yes we know that it is an inner move, and at the same time it will be reflected in the outer.’

Desire is to be honored. It’s a beautiful energy. But now we are not attached to the result. We know the result is not really what makes us happy. What makes us happy is to be aware of the energy that is stirred up through the desire. This energy, in its wish to fulfill something, is like a fire, and when there is no object left it will merge with the light which it is longing for. Even when that’s a bit mystical, it fits in the context, right?

Pushing against Saturn

So that is the energy here. With Saturn, if you push the desire too much, or if you limit yourself and if you don’t honor the pure fire, Saturn’s going to do something. Saturn is the Guardian of the threshold in the ancient astrologers’ language. The threshold of the inner world. At the end of the way is the door to the inner world. So, if you don’t recognize that, you’ll get attached to the object of the desire. Even if it’s a noble desire, like I want to put a meditation center together so people can come and find themselves. Or I want a tantric love affair. Or even if I want to have several million dollars to do good works. Or just for myself. And when you push it and push it, Saturn will stop you.

If you push, you may find, with Saturn and Sun in the same Gate, that suddenly there’s an obstacle. And if you try to push through that obstacle, you may stumble and fall on your face. That is what literally happened to me. Don’t blame the obstacle. Don’t even blame Saturn. He’s just teaching a lesson here. With Lightness we can live out the desire-energy while remaining playful about it.

Giving yourself to rapture

At the highest frequency you find Rapture and that is the Siddhi of Gate 30, when the desire courses through you. And you are not in the way, it’s just the desire of existence itself. Then you are in the state of rapture. You let yourself just be taken and that desire will find its flow and will find its way into realization as it wants to happen. This is also how it reconnects to the Siddhi of the 41, Emanation. These are things that want to come out of the void and into this existence, and the rapture of desire is the instrument. In this state, there is also an understanding that the object is not separate from the inner anyway. It is all a manifestation of consciousness. Perhaps the Hindu concept of divine play hits the mark here.

Is the Channel of Charisma a Tantric Overachiever?

Shantamo · September 2, 2021 ·

The Channel of Charisma (or Being Busy) : 20-34

This is the only direct connection, or ‘direct flight’, between the life energy of the Generator center and the manifesting capabilities of the Throat center. Of the six next-closest connections – so to say with one stopover in another center – three go through the Self center, which gives us our sense of purpose and direction, our place in the greater whole. They all involve a stage of transformation of the life energy before it can be manifested. That manifestation then has an element of guidance, of sharing with others. The other three include the Emotional and Spleen centers, which is a story in itself.

Manifesting

Not so the 20-34; it is pure life energy expressing itself. It does not think, it does not tune in, it does not consider others. It finds fulfillment in action. People with this Channel are the essential Manifesting Generators. The Manifestor element, the one which initiates the action, needs to learn to inform others before they act. They do not always manage, the impulse to act can be too strong. In that case, they do well to apologize if there is a negative consequence for someone else.

If you are with a 20-34 person, accept their apology. It’s a bit different when they use ‘I can always say sorry afterwards, but I have done it anyway’ as a strategy. Then we have moved into mental territory, away from the pure energy of this Channel.

Generator

Manifesting Generators need to learn to honor their Generator part too. Once they commit their life energy to something, this part will complete it, even if they drop down from exhaustion afterwards. This exhaustion happens when the Manifesting part has moved too quick, without checking back with their life energy. This check-in is not mental, it is an energy process, and it can be very quick once you’ve got the knack of it.

Two-thirds of humanity has the Generator part active, and they know from birth how to do this. Our upbringing, with its emphasis on thinking, conditions people away from this natural knowing. When Generators unlearn these mental habits, their life force rises up by itself and they ‘just know’ when to say yes or no.

Generators and Manifesting Generators are Human Design Types, along with Manifestors, Projectors and Reflectors. Each Type has its own strategy. Knowing your strategy assures that you use your life energy in the most efficient and satisfying way. We explore this deeply in a Human Design reading.

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Other Influences

There are two other possible influences on the Channel of Charisma. They are gate 57, the Gentle, and gate 10, Treading. These gates, when defined, add their own Channels with gate 20 or 34, or with each other. Three or four gates can also combine here. When the 20-34 is activated with one or both of these other gates, its flavor changes. This is really an interesting corner of the Human Design Chart!

Pure Energy

The non-thinking, pure energy part of the 20-34 is mesmerizing. It is also called the Channel of Charisma. The gates that constitute this channel, 20 in the Throat and 34 in the Sacral center, are opposites in the Wheel. Their axis goes through the center, from where all manifestations – the 64 hexagrams – originate and into which they disappear. We could say that in the middle is a black hole, like in our galaxy. From one side matter disappears there, while probably from the other side it is a white hole, where things come out.

The hexagrams of the 20 and the 34 complement each other; you could also say that they annihilate or melt into each other. They are a kind of natural, unconscious tantric partners. Perhaps that contributes to the fascination of this Channel. An interesting side-note: of all the gates that come out of the Sacral, only this one is considered non-sexual, because it is pure life energy. It’s called the gate of Power.

Natural tantrikas

So are people with this channel natural tantrikas? In a way yes. The question is whether they are aware of it. Although a plant or animal is naturally in tune with existence, it seems they miss the self-reflection to know this of themselves. I would say that the ’20-34s’ need to follow the same path as the rest of us here, in terms of being aware of the union of opposites. I define tantra here as the union of opposites, and the tantrika as one who has realized this union within themselves. The sexual union is an outer manifestation of this, and several tantric traditions use it as a starting point.

The Prophecy of Ra

Are you into prophecies? Here is a little bit of the Human Design prophecy (yes there is one, it came through Ra and Steve Rhodes has given an excellent description of it in his book: ‘The Prophecy of Ra Uru Hu’). Ra postulates 2027 as the year of the Great Change, when the world moves into a new era of 400 years. In this period, people with the 20-34 will be at the forefront of what’s happening. Their inborn ability to ‘merge without thinking’, or even being aware of it in our sense of the word, may be pivotal in the new direction of life on this planet.

For all the others, watching and experiencing people with this channel, aside from being inspiring, and sometimes exasperating, can be a window into things to come. And for those who have this channel in their Chart: you have something good coming up for you!

Human Design Types and energy

Shantamo · April 30, 2021 ·

Your Type, one of the three main Keys in Human Design, describes how your life energy functions. If you do not know your type, you can request a free Chart here, and I will send your Type Description along with your Chart.

To know how your type interacts with other types can be really useful. It helps to understand that many difficulties between people are no one’s fault. Or, seen from the positive side, it shows us the best ways how we can work and live together.

Basic Introduction to Type Interactions

There are five Types. Here they are, with the approximate percentage of the total population for each of them :

Manifestors	11%
Generators	34%
Manifesting Generators	33%
Projectors	21%
Reflectors	1%

These can be categorized in two main groups: Manifestors, Generators and Manifesting Generators are energy Types, while Projectors and Reflectors are non-energy Types.

The energy types have centers activated in their Chart that want to do something, manifest something, or both. They are pre-programmed for action. Doing makes them happy and then, at the end of the day, they can enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Does this mean that Projectors and Reflectors, the non-energy Types, are just hanging around, waiting for the other ones to put food on the table, and maybe a beer as well? Actually, it is good if they allow this side in them. They often feel something is wrong with them, because the vast majority of humanity -more than 75%- is so active. They then try to be just like an energy type, forcing themselves to a higher pace than is good for them. Their body does not like this, so it often leads to health challenges. Moreover, they are missing the role that is meant for them. What could that be?

Back to the energy types: if they do not have anything meaningful to do, they become dejected and feel useless. Their energy level decreases and they feel an unsatisfied sense of tiredness at the end of the day. They can actually get kind of grumpy. Because they tend to be so involved in their activities, it is not so easy for them to take a step back and see how what they do fits into a bigger context. They end up moving in a circle, having forgotten how they got into it and what could be the sense of it all.

Here non-energy types can help. They naturally stand back from life a little, observing what goes on, and often wondering about it. They can sense the bigger picture, and what the energy types would need to do to realign themselves. They are potential guides. But they need to wait for the permission of the energy types to be guided. With that yes, a beautiful synergy happens. The energy types provide the life force, the non-energy types contribute the overview. They are equal, and together they can create miracles.

This is not to say that we cannot be happy and fulfilled on our own. It is a description of the general dynamics between groups of people and how they can support each other. A little understanding of the other type can make our interactions much smoother, and so raise the energy level of the whole group.

The fixed personality Profile

Shantamo · September 12, 2017 ·

Here we look at the Chart of a Fixed Personality Profile, a rare happening in the world of Human Design. Profiles describe the way we see ourselves and the world around us, which determines how we relate to the world.

There are twelve Personality Profiles. Most of them are primarily self-oriented, while for a minority the other comes first. Fixed Profile people are in the middle between these two.

While in Astrology the sun moves through twelve signs, in Human Design it goes through the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese wisdom system. Each Hexagram represents an area of life; in a Human Design Chart you will find it as a Gate. These are the small numbers, from one to 64, in the squares and triangles in your Chart. You can see them in the Chart image below.

Example of the correspondence between Zodiac sign and Gates — Example of the correspondence between Zodiac signs and Gates. Sagittarius matches the Human Design Gates between 10 and 14.

Fixed Profiles are the first in a new Hexagram; in them the essence of that particular life experience shines through. I will not tire you here with the mathematical reason why they are so rare; however, I will say that their unique position gives their personality unique characteristics. To know these is good both for them and for the people sharing their life.

Punya Kaufeler, editor of the Oshonews website, was willing to let her Chart be an example. Here it is:

Human Design Chart of Punya Kaufeler — Punya Kaufeler’s Chart

The Fixed Profile is indicated by the superscript on the first line of the two columns: 4/1.
Punya’s incarnation theme is that of the Driver. She needs to find her own personal truth in life and, relying on that inner knowing, points the way to others. The knowing is purely individual, she cannot back it up with scientific data or other collective knowledge. Moreover, she is being driven as well: by a need to make some kind of change in the world.

So I see two hinge points in this Chart: the urge to find one’s own truth and then the challenge to share it. Being a Projector, finding the right environment to share her insights is essential. With a receptive audience, she can express her innate wisdom and receive the recognition that she as a Projector needs. The many activations in Punya’s Throat and the position of Mercury in the Channel of the Thinker give her various avenues of expression.

Her voice is one of leadership ‘I point the way; it is up to you if you want to follow’. It is not Punya’s job to make others follow her lead, in fact, that may well turn out to be a tiring business for her. It is helpful to stay in contact with the ‘small still voice’ of the Self, her Authority in Human Design, to make sure that her leadership remains in tune with her inner truth. When she gets out of touch with her Authority, some moodiness or dogmatism may color her voice. Punya has the Line of ‘the Artist Alone’, meaning it is helpful to retreat and feel herself part of the creative flow of the universe. It is possible that she receives guidance (which she will tend to conceal) and also that she creates some work of art in these times of retreat.

Fixed Profiles have both a strength and a fragility. Their strength is they are ‘hard-coded’ to their destiny, their Incarnation Theme. Deep inside they know what they are here for and how to do it. Also, they will share this determined knowing with a sweet heartfulness. In the face of strong opposition or misunderstanding they can be ‘broken’. They start doubting themselves and can retreat from the world, withholding their gifts.

Human Design is often a turning point for these people. It brings a new understanding of who they are and a recognition of their uniqueness. Of course, Human Design can be a turning point for everyone. Because all our designs are as unique as we are ourselves.

Nelson Mandela

Shantamo · May 7, 2015 ·

Nelson Mandela was born July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, a village not in the Human Design software but close enough to Durban to give a reliable Chart. So I’ve used Durban as his birthplace.

Of the five Types in Human Design, Nelson Mandela is a Projector, a Type with the potential to direct the energies of the ones around him, provided he is invited to do so and feels that his qualities are recognized. Projectors have the ability – and the need – to stand back from the general goings-on, sense where the collective energy needs to move and then offer their guidance and, in the case of Nelson Mandela, also inspiration.

Nelson Mandela's Human Design Chart — Nelson Mandela’s Human Design Chart

He has the Channel of Logical Leadership (7-31), with the Sun, which represents 70% of our energy, in Gate 62, giving him the capacity to look far ahead and envision and communicate in a logical way the steps needed to reach a future that will be bright for all. When he steps into leadership, the strong placement of Jupiter and unconscious Pluto in the Gate of Humanity (15) encourage him to do so with humility and in service of his highest ideals.

The question of integrity in leadership – and in a deeper sense: what being a leader really means – must have accompanied him throughout his life. With his 5/1 Profile, others will have expected him to lead, whereas in his interior life he may have harbored doubts if he was the right person to implement the new values he sensed coming from his being. His purpose in life, described by his incarnation theme of Obscuration, is to bring in new values in a way that is only later recognized by the general public. Inner reflection could give him confidence, clarity and realignment with his own inspiration. He needed these to take on the role of the leader and hold up the banner of inspiration. It is quite possible that he had a secret way to access his guiding Spirit.

In the first half of his life, until 1961, I would say that Nelson Mandela was learning to find his inner resources; that which he could rely on in the face of changing circumstances. Once he found them, they were like a rock-solid foundation, enabling him to be the role model of integrity and unification that he was.

When he was elected president in 1994, Saturn had a chance to test him: Will you use your power primarily for your own benefit? Or can you apply the Mana you now have to empower and teach others by giving them the highest example, and then retreat from your position when the time is right? I think history makes it clear that Nelson Mandela passed that test gloriously.

Live footage from a 1980s concert against Apartheid