Authority

If you want to understand human design better, one of the best places to start is understanding how energy flows through your chart. Once you understand your type and your strategy, the most logical next step is to understand your authority. 

The Hierarchy of Authority

If you think of your nine energy centers like a team, there actually is one that's in charge. This is where you go first when you are wanting to manage your energy or make decisions. Go to the energy center. That is the authority, the one that's in charge before you check in with any of the other energy centers. We call this the hierarchy of authority. So if you look at your chart, the very first center that you have defined in this hierarchy is going to be your authority.

So, for example, if you have the solar plexus defined, you are an emotional authority. If it's undefined, you're not emotional and you're going to skip over, you're going to be sacral authority. If that's not defined, then you're not a generator or a manifesting generator. You're going to skip over and you're going to be splenic authority. And it just goes through all of the energy centers.

Emotional Authority

Say, for example, you have your solar plexus, sacral, and spleen defined. You're going to be an emotional authority. So the very first thing that you do before you make a decision is to check in with how you are and where you are emotionally.

Because if you're on an emotional high, you're going to want to say yes to everything. Everything is so exciting and yes, yes. And if you're on an emotional low, you're going to want to say no to everything. And then a day or two later, maybe a week later, you're like: ‘Why did I say yes to that? That's not exciting anymore!’ Or: ‘Why did I say no to that? That actually wasn't so bad.’

So you have to know with emotional authority where you are on your own emotional scale before you move over to the sacral. If you're an emotional authority, then you check in with the sacral and you say: ‘How does my gut feel about this? Does this light me up or does this deplete me? Does this make me feel excited or does this make me feel like crap?’

Once you have an answer from the sacral, then you can go check in with the spleen and say: ‘Okay, what do I intuitively know? What is my instinct telling me? What is my intuition telling me?’

The flow of energy continues until you get to the ajna. 

Pressure Centers

The root and the crown at the very top are not part of the hierarchy. They are the only two pressure centers in your human design body graph.

So if you are feeling pressure to make a decision, if you are feeling stressed? If you're feeling pressure to move things forward? Pressure to know the right answer? Pressure to do the right thing? Then you are not in your authority and it's time to go back to square one. 

That's how the hierarchy key of authority works.

Note: "Lunar" Authority Reflectors will have no defined centers within the chart.

Questions to ask by authority:

• Emotional (Solar Plexus) Authority: “Have I waited at least 24 hours before making this decision?”

• Sacral Authority: “How excited do I feel right now?”

• Splenic Authority: “Is this good/safe/healthy for me?”

• Ego (Projected or Manifested) Authority: “What's in it for me? What will I get out of this?”

• G Center (Self-Projected) Authority: "Is this aligned with where I'm going in life?"

• Environmental (Mental Projector) Authority: “Will this be in a physical location that feels energetically aligned for me? If not, what refinements can I ask for?”

• Lunar (Reflector) Authority: “What influence is the moon having on my drive to make this decision right now?”