Here is a brief look at a celebrity’s Human Design chart, focused mainly on that person’s defined channels. Channels are just one of many aspects and layers of a chart. Our purpose here is just to give you a quick glimpse, through Human Design, into this person’s energy dynamics. This is not a full review of a chart. (Article co-written with Karen Flaherty)

As an actress, humanitarian, mother of six and romantic partner of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie lives the life of the Manifesting Generator who can make a mere mortal’s head spin.  She effortlessly seems to combine her unending activities, her talent, her beauty, and her articulate and compassionate wit and will to achieve her goals.

As a 3/5 profile – the Martyr/Heretic — she has experienced quite a lot during her 36 years on the planet but also thumbed her nose at many of her naysayers. She has lived on both coasts and traveled the world; acted in dozens of films—winning awards after years of “practice”; and had turbulent relationships with her father and first two husbands. She has “tried on” many different looks, personas, tattoos and relationships. As the Heretic with an intention or philosophy to universalize, she is taking a stand as a young humanitarian on behalf of a number of causes around the world. She and Brad describe their breakfast table as a “mini United Nations”, and they like it that way. A recent 60 Minutes interview portrayed Angelina as a woman on a mission as she was completing her directorial/writing debut film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey”.  True to her chart, she was described as compassionate (Gate 50), in control (Gate 21), a gifted storyteller (Gate 56), charismatic (Gate 20), focused (Gate 9) and content (Gate 58) with all that has led her to this juncture.

The themes in Angelina’s life are illustrated beautifully in her defined channels – Charisma, Judgment, Transitoriness and Money:

1. The 34-20 is the Channel of Charisma. Enough said! This channel with its direct line from the Sacral to the Throat gives Angelina the sustainable energy and ability to multi-task that she needs to write a movie, hold a baby on her hip, make dinner, and converse with Brad or her agent – all at the same time! As long as she’s busy doing what she loves, she’ll never run out of steam.
2. The 18-58 is the Channel of Judgment. This channel may as well have the sub-title “humanitarian” for Angelina. It is all about improving and correcting anything that may not seem quite right in order to bring people closer to the joy of life.
3. The 35-36 is the Channel of Transitoriness. The Gate 35 is sometimes called the “Jack of All Trades” and this energy loves to rack up lots of varied experiences. The Gate 36, called “Crisis”, sometimes shows up as someone who won’t tolerate boredom and so creates “crises” to keep herself amused. Angelina seems to run from one project, adventure or country to the next in rapid succession, most likely to keep any possible boredom at a distance.
4. The 45-21 is the Channel of Money. This combination of the Gate of the Queen (45) and the Gate of the Treasurer (21) leads to an innate confidence that is both regal and in control. Angelina is here to make money through the power of her will and her presence – and she has done quite well in that role – commanding some of the highest acting salaries in Hollywood.

While these themes sound busy just by reading them, they pale in comparison to the way they’ve actually played out in her life. Angelina has packed a lot of artistic success, philanthropic contribution, and maternal care for her adopted and biological children into her first 36 years. It will be interesting to see what else this powerful Manifesting Generator has in store for her public and private lives in the future.

We also can feel despair, revenge, depression, anger, sadness, pessimism, and cynicism, among others.

Quite a range! This rich emotional experience distinguishes us from the animals with whom we share this planet…. at least as far as we currently know. Many animals do share basic feelings with us—happiness, sadness, pain, fear, tenderness, caring and love.

But the complex tapestry of deep emotions seems to be our realm.

How These Emotions Affect Our Relationships

While our depth of passion enhances our life experience and deepens our bonds with the people in our lives, our emotional range can also be a source of much strife, stress, and emotional wounds in our relationships.

Although emotions are just one piece in the bigger picture of our relationships, they are undoubtedly the most dramatic, and perhaps the most impactful.

Human Design reveals a very useful understanding of our own emotional experiences and of the emotional dynamics in relationships.

With this understanding, we have tools to handle our own ups and downs and to master the emotional dynamics in any relationship (romantic partner, parent-child, co-worker, etc.).

Is Your “Emotional Center” Defined?

On your personal Human Design chart (click here if you don’t have one yet), look at the large triangle on the lower right side of the “body graph” diagram. If it is tan/brown in color, then you have a Defined Emotional Center (called the Emotional Solar Plexus).

This means you have a consistent flow of emotional energy in your life. Sometimes you’re UP and sometimes you’re DOWN, and the rest of the time you’re in between—but you always have some level of emotional experience.

Emotional energy has a wave-like cyclical pattern of ups and downs. You are always “putting out” or emitting emotional energy, and this is completely normal for you. You have an endless source of this energy so you never run out.

While you may be sensitive to other people’s energy in other parts of your chart, you don’t actually take in other people’s emotional energy. You have your own consistent emotional experience, and your unique “wave” pattern of ups and downs. For some, these waves are subtle and barely noticeable. For others, your waves are dramatic highs and lows.

Is Your “Emotional Center” Open?

If the large triangle on the lower right side of the “body graph” diagram is white, then you have an Open Emotional Center.

This means you are designed to take in the emotional energy of people around you, and amplify it.

Although you of course have normal human feelings, you don’t have your own consistent source of the passionate and emotional highs and lows that the Defined Emotional Centers experience and broadcast out.

But you DO experience those ups and downs in an amplified way when you are in the presence of emotionally defined people. So it can be very difficult (and confusing!) to distinguish your own feelings from those emotions flowing into your experience from outside of you.

In fact, it can be downright overwhelming, un-balancing and emotionally painful when you assume that all those jumbled, confusing emotions are your own.

You may even appear to be “the dramatic one” in a group or family, but you are simply amplifying and expressing all of their emotional energy. Those aren’t your emotions.

There is a predictable behavior pattern associated with this Open Center:  trying to keep everyone happy and avoiding conflict. However, this isn’t healthy as it keeps you from speaking your truth or standing in your own power.

The good news is that there is tremendous potential for wisdom in the Open Emotional Center. You can take in (and amplify) every possible human emotion and can become very wise about emotions and the experience of emotional energy.

 Combined Energy in Relationships

When two people are in any type of relationship, their energies affect each other. The details of this can be seen by looking at their Human Design charts and creating a “composite” chart that blends their two charts together (which can be done manually or with special software).

When we look at their relationship from this perspective, we can see their areas of resonance and harmony, and their areas of potential challenges. We see where they come together to form complete channels of energy, and how those channels affect their experience in the relationship.  We see how the “definition” and “openness” in each chart affects the other chart.

For example, if one person has a Defined Emotional Center and the other has an Open Emotional Center, there are some predictable issues they can address and manage through their awareness and understanding. Other emotional combinations also have predictable impacts.

The bottom line is….any relationship can work—with the correct understanding of the energetic dynamics….and a little patience!

In our next issue, we will explore the ways that Open and Defined Emotional Centers affect each other in relationships. Although the Emotional Center is just one small aspect of many energies in a Human Design chart, it carries great impact. Understanding its effects can make a significant difference in any relationship.

You are warmly invited to share your awareness of and experiences with your own Emotional Center, whether Defined or Open, in the comment box below!

Let’s face it, most of us are not good at keeping New Year’s Resolutions for very long. Or sometimes, even keeping simple promises.

And for the most part, it’s actually not our fault!

If you haven’t read my article about the Will Center (which governs Will Power energy) that appeared in the November issue of this Ezine, you can read it here on my blog.

A full 87.5% of the human population has an Open Will Center, which means all of those people (which most likely includes you or someone you love) do NOT have inherent Will Power. (Keep reading to see if this is you.)

It can be hard for those of us with Open Wills to stick with things ….

          So, What To Do?

How can YOU move forward with positive momentum into 2012, and arrive at the end of this year feeling accomplished and satisfied?

Here are some RADICAL suggestions for Do’s and Don’ts.

          Don’t Set New Year’s Resolutions

Usually they just make us miserable and ultimately do more to undermine our self-confidence than they do to move us forward.

However, if you DO have a Defined Will Center (the small triangle near the center of your Human Design chart is RED), then set all the resolutions you want (although even you may have trouble sticking with those you are not truly committed to).

But if that small triangle in your chart is WHITE, why torture yourself? You don’t have consistent Will Power energy to keep you on track. And most of us are not motivated by negative reinforcement anyway (at least, not sustainably motivated).

So if you didn’t set any, good for you.  If you did and you’re struggling, give them up!

          Resolutions Are Inherently Negative

Most of the time, resolutions are designed to FIX something we don’t like or want to change about ourselves. This implies there is something wrong with us, so we start out at a serious disadvantage in the first place.

On January 1, I read an article in my local paper quoting brief interviews with New Year’s revelers on Main Street the night before. When one lady was asked if she had a New Year’s resolution, she replied, “I don’t need one, I’m perfect.”

I actually love that response! If we all started from there, we could simply choose one or two things we would like more of in the coming year, like “better health, a slimmer body, more energy, a clean, organized garage.”

This positive ‘carrot’ approach is far more sustainable (even with no Will Power) than the negative ‘stick’ approach of “lose 25 pounds, quit smoking, get off the couch, get rid of the junk.”

          DO Focus on BEING and Setting Intentions

One very effective positive approach is to focus on whom you would need to BE in order to do or have what you want.

Another approach is setting an intention rather than a specific and measurable goal. This can give you the wiggle room you need in order to make and learn from the necessary mistakes that are part of the process of figuring out what works for you.

For a full explanation of both of these approaches, see the blog post I wrote a year ago.
http://humandesignforsuccess.com/oh-no-not-another-new-years-resolution/

          DO Create a THEME for the Coming Year

My experiment for this year (a natural thing for me to do as a “1/3 Profile,” which means I’m investigative and experimental!) is to set a personal Theme for 2012.

Like intentions and “being,” a theme takes away the rigid parameters of goals and our failures to meet them.

A theme gives positive direction and underlying intention, while allowing for many paths to fulfill that Theme. There isn’t even a particular end state to reach, as there is with “being” and, to some extent, intentions. A theme is simply ongoing.

Here’s the truly “radical” piece of this article:  my Theme for 2012 is RADICAL SELF-LOVE.

Sometimes to achieve balance, the opposite extreme of something must be implemented for a while—not as a “fix” but as an evolution…in order to move forward.

To my delight, I’m finding small and lovely ways to implement and support this theme in my life. And I’m planning some bigger ways later in the year….all without the pressure of doing it a certain way by a certain time.

I love the freedom this gives me to create, to breathe, to explore, to discover, to balance.

Here’s to freedom! 
Please let me know what YOUR theme is for this year, in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.

Here is a brief look at a celebrity’s Human Design chart, focused mainly on that person’s defined channels. Channels are just one of many aspects and layers of a chart. Our purpose here is just to give you a quick glimpse, through Human Design, into this person’s energy dynamics. This is not a full review of a chart. (Article co-written with Karen Flaherty)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the most famous civil rights leader of the 20^th century. As a Manifesting Generator, he had the sustainable energy to make things happen and the voice to be heard. It was his potent combination of charisma, passion and ideas that won him many supporters and a substantial number of detractors. He created beautifully written speeches and delivered sermons with his resonant voice. People were mesmerized by his articulate summation of the facts and the inspiring vision he had for a future of racial equality.

A number of factors in his chart came together to embolden this young man to take on the risks and challenges that he did. In addition to his defined channels described below, the Gate 59 aided in making him a creative and attractive figure, the Gate 22 added charm to his presence, Gate 19 made him personally sensitive and also sensitive to the plight of others, the Gate 11 provided him with an unending supply of ideas for the tasks that lay ahead, and the Gate 45 gave him an almost regal bearing and innate leadership qualities. The Gates 37 (Harmony) and 52 (Stillness) may have contributed to his unflinching belief in “fighting” for civil rights in the most peaceful ways possible.

The major themes in Dr. King’s life show up in his defined channels – Charisma, Struggle, Preservation, and Acceptance.

1. The 34-20 is the Channel of Charisma. With attributes for multi-tasking and making his voice heard, Dr. King used his inherent power and charisma to accomplish much in his short life. That sustainable energy kept him going when the frequent travel, civil rights marches and speeches day after day would have exhausted many others.
2. The 28-38 is the Channel of Struggle. His struggles as a child of the South sparked a peaceful revolution. He struggled throughout his life with prejudice but also learned which of the battles of the “war” were the ones worth fighting for. He usually chose carefully and, as a result, prevailed.
3. The 50-27 is the Channel of Preservation. This channel helped Dr. King to preserve the values he grew up with, while changing the values of the country in small increments. His sense of personal responsibility was something that he exemplified and instilled in all of his followers.
4. The 17-62 is the Channel of Acceptance. Is the Channel of Acceptance really about Acceptance? Or is it about details and opinions — knowing the details of everything in your world and then knowing how to apply them for the greater good? This is a collective channel – one that applies its effect to the world. In this regard, Dr. King was able to lead a detailed and all-encompassing nationwide movement that continued well after his assassination.

Sadly, he was killed before the Gate 8 came into full force in his chart (around age 40) that would have further fueled his drive to make a big contribution to the world. But he was certainly expressing that energy while he lived, and it’s inspiring to think about how much more he might have accomplished if he’d had a full life span.

Many of the attributes that made Dr. King a charismatic leader show up in his Human Design chart. However, the effect that he had on so many lives can’t really be seen in a chart, and yet can be imagined as a potential for each one of us.

Birth info: March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany, at 11:30am
Passed:  April 18, 1955 in Princeton, NJ at the age of 76

Here is a brief look at a celebrity’s Human Design chart, focused mainly on that person’s defined channels. Channels are just one of many aspects and layers of a chart. Our purpose here is just to give you a quick glimpse, through Human Design, into this person’s energy dynamics. This is not a full review of a chart. (Article co-written with Karen Flaherty)

Background

In 1999, Time Magazine named Albert Einstein “the Person of the Century.”  He grew up in Germany and Italy, studied in Switzerland, and later worked in the patent office in Bern, yet many from Einstein’s early life would not have anticipated that particular distinction. The combination of his upbringing, education, isolation and disdain for authority led to unusual situations for this sensitive and intellectually curious person.

Background

In 1999, Time Magazine named Albert Einstein “the Person of the Century.”  He grew up in Germany and Italy, studied in Switzerland, and later worked in the patent office in Bern, yet many from Einstein’s early life would not have anticipated that particular distinction. The combination of his upbringing, education, isolation and disdain for authority led to unusual situations for this sensitive and intellectually curious person.

Two crucial moments occurred in his youth. At age 5, he was shown a compass and wondered what the invisible energies were that forced the needles to move. At age 12, he devoured his first geometry book.

By age 16 he was obsessed with the question: “What will happen if you race alongside a light beam?” (www.biography.com). By age 26, in what many called his “miracle year” of 1905, he had published four major papers that laid out his theories of general and relative relativity, photoelectric effect and mass-energy equivalence. Not too shabby for someone whose teachers agreed that he would likely not amount to anything!

How His Chart Expressed Through His Life

While Einstein’s brain has been preserved, we can probably see more in his Human Design chart than they’ll ever find in his brain cells. Having both an Open Head and Open Ajna, he had an intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness that would cause him difficulties with rote learning in school. He would be thinking “outside the box”, taking in any information he was given and turning it on its axis.

Einstein could learn something new, delve into it with passion and then just as quickly move onto another topic when that one was disproven by a new book. While devoted to religion at an early age, he was dissuaded from it after reading a number of science books given to him by a young medical student who was a friend of the family. This is a common experience for an Open Head and Ajna—whose perspectives quickly expand when they leave the family nest.

As bright as he was in math and science, he was terrible in most other subjects and was often reprimanded for missing classes due to pursuing his own studies in isolation. It would seem that his completely Open Head (with no gate activation at all) was a wonderful playground for his preferred intellectual activities, but not for what didn’t interest him.

With the gates of Rationalization, Ideas and Opinions as the only definition of his Ajna, he was able to get an idea, rationalize it until the end result he sought justified the means and then form a testable theory (opinion) about it. With his Open Throat, and the activation of the gates for Caution, Influence and Creative Contribution, his writing was accomplished, thoughtful and sufficiently sophisticated by the age of 26 to be published in one of the major physics journals of its time. By 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, and maintained his role as “the most influential physicist” of the 20^th century.

His three defined channels illuminate key themes in his life:

1. The 25-51 is the Channel of Initiation. Linking the Love of Spirit and the gate of Shock, this channel is key to bringing humanity closer to the love of the Spirit through shocking words or actions. Einstein’s theories shocked the world of physics by questioning Newtonian physics, long regarded as the only way to think about physics. Shocking, indeed!
2. The 41-30 is the Channel of Fantasy & Desire. As creative types in any field will attest, this emotional wave that contains both Fantasy and Desire–with a heavy dose of Intensity–goes a long way to explaining the very long and introspective periods of isolation that Einstein became known for among his family and colleagues. He would do his work at the patent office in Bern and then spend the rest of each day alone, writing and thinking.
3. The 59-6 is the Channel of Reproduction and Mating, and can be a great source for new ideas that are literally birthed from the Sacral. The creativity that is born here is the type that ensures the health of the planet, the growth of humanity, and the defense of our species. While a combination of both Intimacy and Tension, it pokes and prods one’s psyche in a continual loop of growth and contraction–which leads to a successful creative process. Of course, not all of us are as successful or creative as Einstein was, but the potential is always there!

Attributes that made Albert Einstein a successful physicist were balanced by attributes that distinguished him as a peace-loving person. He had an innocent nature – most likely from his Incarnation Cross of Eden – that had him question the ways in which his remarkable theories were being utilized. His strong sense of responsibility, echoed and amplified in his Chiron after age 50, had him write a book called “Why War?” in 1933, the same year he decided to stay in the US during a visit to Princeton University. His gate 38 – “what’s worth fighting for?” – likely had an influence on his later theories of war and peace as well.

Why bother learning all this Human Design stuff about yourself?  What good does it really do?

I could go on and on about the profound impact it makes on my clients’ lives, the life-changing difference it’s made in my life, and how it can literally give you a complete ‘paradigm shift’. (That phrase is bandied about quite a bit…. but knowing your Human Design does permanently change the way you see yourself, others, and the world. That is a true paradigm shift.)

But I’m not going to. Instead, we’re going to get really practical.

Knowing your Human Design Type and Strategy gives you a decision-making and action-taking strategy that is specifically correct for YOU. 

It’s not some generic approach. Not something that works for me but probably won’t work for you. Not something based on subjective answers you gave to a bunch of generalized questions.

This is completely specific to you. It’s YOUR PERSONAL energy configuration. The one you were born with. And which doesn’t change over time. The only thing that does change is your expression of those energies. But that’s a topic for another Ezine issue.

Decision-Making and Action-Taking

When you make choices and take actions in a way consistent with your personal energy blueprint, it becomes easy to make the right choices and take the right actions. And I don’t mean morally right or wrong….I mean what is specifically and personally right for YOU.

Right for who YOU are and where YOU are going in life. Right for leading you to your personal and unique purpose for being here. Right for helping you fulfill your role, express the best of you, and live life at peace with yourself and the world.

And at a practical, everyday level….it makes things go better and flow better.

Instead of pushing a boulder up a hill trying to make things happen or feeling like you’re constantly paddling upstream, you learn to float downstream and leverage the power of the current to help you get where you want to go, and have what you want to have. You work WITH your energies, not against them.

Roles and Strategies

The only way to KNOW your Role and Strategy is to know your TYPE, which you learn from your Human Design Chart. Click here if you don’t have yours yet.

There are five different Types, and each Type has its own Role and Strategy.

Some people are designed to work, some are designed to guide and direct, some are here to initiate work and relationships. Most of us (92%!) are here to wait—even if only for a split second—before making decisions and taking actions.

When you know exactly how to operate in life for YOUR greatest ease and success…it changes everything!

Below are the basic Roles and Strategies for each Type. In a Human Design Reading with me, we would spend 30 minutes or so talking about YOUR Role and Strategy, so you completely get it and know how to use it. But the summary below will give you enough to get started.

From this list you’ll also begin to understand the ways in which some people are so different from you.

If you are a Manifestor…

• You are here to make things happen; you are the only Type designed to initiate action directly from ideas.
• You have a “motorized” Throat Center enabling you to impact people and be more easily heard than other Types.

Manifestor Strategy:

• Inform those in your ‘impact field’ before you take action; wait only for your own sense of timing.

If you are a Generator…

• Generators are the workforce of the world, with sustainable life force energy for working a job, raising children, etc.
• Your Defined Sacral Center gives you internal guidance on decisions and actions that are correct for you.

Generator Strategy:

• Wait to respond with your Sacral sounds (uh-huh is yes, uhn-uhn is no) before making decisions/taking action.

If you are a Manifesting Generator…

• You are also the workforce of the world, with sustainable life force energy for working a job, raising children, etc.
• Your Defined Sacral Center gives you internal guidance for making correct decisions; your “motorized” Throat gives you impact and effectiveness.

Manifesting Generator Strategy:

• Wait to respond with your Sacral sounds (uh-huh is yes, uhn-uhn is no), then inform those in your ‘impact field’ before making decisions/taking action.

If you are a Projector…

• You are here to manage, guide and direct others and their activities.
• You are not designed to work a regular job; you don’t have sustainable energy.

Projector Strategy:

• Wait to be invited into major choices in life (jobs/career, marriage, moving, etc.); wait to be recognized or asked before sharing your wisdom, advice or opinion.

If you are a Reflector…

• You are here to reflect the well-being of your community, family, etc., and be an early warning signal of any trouble.
• Can be very wise about human potential.

Reflector Strategy:

• Wait 29 days before making important decisions, then take all action needed.

I invite you to comment on what you’ve learned about yourself, and/or the results you’ve had if you’ve applied your Strategy in your life. Also, feel free to share this information with your friends. (I’m happy to run charts for them too!)

If you’re intrigued and would like to learn more about a Full Human Design Reading with me, click here.

Classic lose-lose-lose situation.

When we make a promise or agreement with someone and then don’t keep it

• we usually feel bad about it,
• the other person often is upset with us,
• plus our reputation in the world (not to mention our self-esteem) usually suffers from it.

The Challenge

I recently participated in a 3-day personal growth workshop where the importance of keeping our agreements was explored. Part of our homework was to keep ALL of our agreements for 30 days.

Right. No problem, I thought. I consider myself accountable and of high integrity.

It wasn’t until I actually got very conscious of EVERY commitment, promise and agreement I’ve made lately, both formal and casual, that I saw I have some issues here. I was surprised.

The worst area was in promises to myself. Those are the easiest to blow off. And it’s easy, but dangerous, to be oblivious to the self-damage that this does on so many levels.

I’m sure I’m not alone in all of this.  <wink wink>

So, what’s the solution?

Not make any promises or agreements?

Well, actually—energetically speaking—that is a correct solution for the large majority of us! Allow me to explain.

Will Power Energy

One of the nine Energy Centers in Human Design is the Will Center (also sometimes called the Heart Center or Ego Center). It is the source of our Will Power energy.

Will Power is the energy to make ourselves (or compel others) do things that we (or they) didn’t really feel like doing.

Here’s the interesting part:

7/8 of the population (87.5% of us!)

DO NOT HAVE INHERENT WILL POWER!

This seems rather ironic in our “pull yourself up by your boot straps” and “go manifest your destiny” society! We value (and reward) Will Power.

Yet so few of us have it.

Those of us who don’t have it can and do take it in and amplify it (it is an Open Center for 7/8 of us), so we “borrow” it and can use it temporarily but we don’t have it consistently.

That’s Good News and Bad News

The good news is that it lets us off the hook!  At least it explains why most of us have such a hard time keeping all of our promises.

The bad news, and the question that my clients are always asking me, is….”so how am I supposed to get anything done if I can’t rely on Will Power?” 

Fortunately, Human Design gives us the answer.

If You Have Will Power …

If you have a small red triangle just right of the middle of your Human Design Chart*, then you HAVE Will Power energy and it is energetically correct for you to make promises. You have the inherent Will Power to help you keep those promises.

Making and keeping promises, agreements, commitments, etc. serves to strengthen your self-esteem and your personal power and value in the world.

If You DON’T Have Will Power…

If the small triangle just right of the middle of your Human Design Chart* is white, then you DO NOT HAVE Will Power energy. The way for YOU to get things done, to stick with an exercise or eating plan, etc., is to follow the STRATEGY that is specifically correct for your Human Design Type.

That Strategy is shown on your personal Human Design Chart*, it’s explained in the special report that comes with the Decision Maker’s Kit that I give away on my website, and it’s covered in depth in a Full Human Design Reading with me.

*If you don’t have your Free Chart and Free Decision Maker’s Kit, click here.

There isn’t room in this post to cover the Strategy for each Human Design Type, but I will devote a future post to discussing them.

In the Meantime …

If you do have Will Power in your Chart, carry on making promises and keeping them. Also, go easy on the rest of us who are not designed to “just do it” like you are. And please don’t try to extract promises from us, then judge us when we fall short on them. But also recognize that your Will Power energy does empower the rest of us when we’re near you.

If you don’t have Will Power in your Chart, please stop beating yourself up about promises not kept and start being super selective about the promises you do make. Whenever possible, avoid making any promises or commitments at all (seriously!). No sense in re-creating the lose-lose-lose scenario we started with.

In an upcoming blog post, we will explore the Strategy for each Human Design Type, so you’ll know the correct way for you to enter into agreements and commitments.

How do YOU cope with having an Open Will Center?
What is it like to have a Defined Will Center?
Enter your answers below, I’d love to hear from you!

**Would you like to help somehow but don’t know what to do, apart from sending some money if you can spare some?

**Are you concerned about the growing probability that Japan’s nuclear radiation will affect most of the world’s air, water and food supplies, but you really don’t want to feel helpless or like a victim?

Fortunately for all of us, there is a surprising new source of deeply spiritual yet practical solutions for empowering ourselves in the midst of all this AND offering meaningful help to those still in the disaster areas.

You’ve probably heard of Edgar Cayce, the “sleeping prophet” who channeled specific health information as well as universal and spiritual knowledge for over 40 years until his death in 1945.

Well, he’s back.

For the last few years, the energy of his soul/spirit has been channeled through a woman named Bente Hansen. It was “Edgar” who made the connection with her, and he has chosen to meld his energy with hers (a fascinating process described in her new book) to facilitate the channeling process.  Bente compiled and condensed the vital information from these ongoing channelings into her new book Edgar Speaks: Inner Transformation, Journey to 2012 and Earth Changes.

As I read the book, I was astounded at the clear and loving wisdom conveyed in its pages. I was particularly amazed at his description of how OUR personal shifts into higher vibrations not only help us but also help anyone and everyone we focus on.  He used examples of a major earthquake and a tsunami! This information was channeled in May 2009, yet it applies perfectly to our current world situations.

Here’s the gist of what he says about this:

-media coverage of a disaster sensationalizes it and leaves us feeling powerless

-powerlessness lowers our vibration, then we really are powerless to make a difference

-when we observe what is happening and ask how it fits into the larger scheme of changes taking place around the globe (and apply a broader understanding–that he hints at–of death as a joyous, often intentional, transition), then our vibration raises

-with a higher vibration we can visualize and send healing energy to the people and the situation we wish to help

-they feel the energy and become empowered to do what is needed

-there is no need for us to take on their suffering or to feel we must “save” them; we simply send them love and healing from our hearts

-we feel empowered and are able to make the greatest contribution we can possibly make to help those in need (and help ourselves in the long run).

This was from just 1 1/2 pages of the book. I’ve included the full excerpt (with the author’s permission) below.

If you’d like to learn more, the book is available from Amazon here.

The author is teaching a 6-week teleclass series beginning March 30, “Change and Inner Transformation – Overcoming Obstacles to Achieving Success”, in which she (and Edgar) will help us break through the limitations that prevent us from manifesting the changes and abundance we desire.  Learn more here (scroll down to 6 Week Teleseminar section).

[Full disclosure: I benefit in no way from purchases made through these links. I provide them solely for your convenience, and to share this resource of hope, wisdom and guidance with you.]

With love for you, for all of us, and for our magnificent planet,

Evelyn

P.S. You may wonder what all of this has to do with Human Design. Quite a lot! I find Bente and Edgar’s work to be remarkably consistent with everything I know about Human Design, and I’m already using this knowledge to support the Readings, coaching, group sessions and courses I provide.

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Excerpted, with author’s permission, from Edgar Speaks: Inner Transformation, Journey to 2012 and Earth Changesby Bente Hansen.

How is it possible to effect positive change within your body’s vibration through mindful consciousness?  An example of how this could be achieved would be with the advent of a major catastrophe, such as an earthquake.  What is the common reaction when this happens?  First of all, the event is screened on television twenty-four hours a day, as it is broadcast repeatedly.  The news becomes sensationalized.  How does that leave you, the viewer, feeling? In one word – powerless!  Whatever has happened is of such great magnitude that there is very little you can do to change the situation.

Consequently it is easy to become consumed by the energy of the tragedy.  The casualties, massive destruction and devastation displayed on the television screen are likely to overwhelm your senses.  A classic example of this was the major tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean several years ago.  Your energy vibration changes immediately upon feeling powerless.  The vibration lowers.  In some way there is an energy of, ‘Well, it has happened.  I hold a lot of grief for those who suffered.  Maybe I can send some money to help restore their lives’.  That is about as much as you can do, or it is as much as you think you can do.  Instead, when a major catastrophe like this occurs, observe it happening, and then ask, ‘How does this catastrophe fit into the scheme of things?  Was this disaster or catastrophe meant to be?  Did those souls who participated in the event do so willingly knowing full well before their incarnation that they would experience this?’

Immediately upon undertaking this perspective the energy vibration changes because you are endeavoring to understand the larger picture.  Once that level of energy is focused on the situation you are in a position to consciously bring your attention to the area disaster.  By visualizing it through your mind’s eye and from there opening your heart center, you are able to send healing energy to the people and the situation.  You can consciously send that healing energy for as long as you choose, remembering that in reality there is no such thing as time-space.  Whatever your intention is, it happens straight away.  The recipients of your energy healing feel it.  They too become empowered to do what is needed.

Being in that state of empowerment helps you understand that the human condition experiences the whole gamut of emotions, situations and thoughts.  There is no need to make any judgments.  Nor is there any need to feel as though you have to save people or take on their suffering.  By being empowered you begin to understand the larger picture.  At the same time you are able to send loving healing energy that is yours to give freely.  This way you make the greatest possible contribution.  Your energy body’s vibration changes dramatically when you have that conscious awareness of how to focus your attention and energies.”

There is actually a Human Design explanation for the strange energetics surrounding this particular holiday occurring at this specific time of year, but that’s not my topic for today.

What I want to share is a way for you to reconnect with the passion and romance you used to feel with your partner—in spite of the weird energy (and all the commercial hype)—and to keep that passion going.

If you routinely have a totally happy and satisfying Valentine’s Day … good for you! (But read on, because this tip can make it even better.)

But for the rest of us, instead of a day of blissful romance and tender love with our partner, we sometimes end up with unfulfilled expectations, disappointments, and maybe even thwarted intentions. Not very romantic.

I’ll cut right to the bottom line. Besides feeling loved and accepted by you (if your partner isn’t feeling those from you, then work on those FIRST), what your partner most wants to feel is … appreciated.

[By the way, this tip isn’t just for romantic partnerships. Try it with your parent, your child, your business partner, your best friend, a family member, or anyone you’d like to have a better relationship with.]

Don’t YOU like to feel appreciated…for the person you are, for all you accomplish, for the skills and talents you have, for the contribution you make? For the thoughtful extras you do that seem to go unnoticed?

Doesn’t it soften your tension, ease your stress and warm your heart a bit when someone says, “Thank you” or “I appreciate what you’ve done,” and really means it?

HOT TIP FOR VALENTINE’S DAY … AND BEYOND!

Say (or do) at least one thing EVERY DAY that lets your partner know that you truly appreciate him or her. Start RIGHT NOW.

You may have heard this idea before, but I invite you to deeply engage with it. Embrace it with clear intent and nothing short of dedicated commitment. (Often, the simplest solutions, done consistently, are the most effective.)

Express what you love about this person. What you know you can count on them for. What they do that helps your life be better. Find something nice to say to them—every day.

It works best if you’re subtle and genuine about it. Make it natural, and it will become more natural the more you do it.

The change in your relationship will amaze you. I’m willing to bet it will rekindle some of that original passion you both felt.

HOW TO MAKE THIS REALLY EASY

Okay, so sometimes it won’t be easy to feel or express appreciation.

In fact, when we most need to express appreciation (because it would shift the energy of an interaction from negative to positive) is precisely when it is the hardest thing to do.

Here is a simple technique that will serve you well in those times (and for the rest of your lives together).

Get a piece of paper, a notebook, your journal, a 3 by 5 card … anything that works for you … and make a list of the things you love and appreciate about this person.

It’s easiest to begin when you’re feeling good about them and your relationship, but start right now anyway.

Remember what first attracted you to them. What thrills you about them. What impresses you about them. And what you TRULY appreciate about them.

Write as many things as you can. Fill a whole page, and start another one. Add to your list every time you think of something, and READ THIS LIST OFTEN.

Use your list to help you express appreciation every day, and add to your list as you spontaneously find new things to appreciate about them.

Then, when you MOST NEED to feel and express appreciation for them (when it’s hardest), look at your list and reconnect with what you love about them. Then communicate with them from there.

THE BEST PART

Here’s part of the transformation I promised in the title of this post: the more in touch you are (daily is good) with these feelings of appreciation, the MORE YOU WILL ELICIT MORE OF THOSE WONDERFUL ATTRIBUTES FROM YOUR PARTNER, MORE OF THE TIME.

YOU don’t change their behavior, but their behavior will change.

Because when YOU have a consistently high vibration of appreciation about that person, YOUR behavior will actually change … and then so will theirs.

The tricky part at the beginning is to ignore aspects of their behavior that you don’t like and don’t want. Yes, I said ignore. What you resist, persists. If you are irritated, angry, disappointed, hurt, sad, or exasperated, you are having a negative reaction (which is a negative vibration) to their behavior, and you’ll only attract more of that unwanted behavior from them.

It’s simple Law of Attraction. When you regularly express the vibration of appreciation, you’re putting LOA to work for you deliberately and with a positive outcome.

BACK TO VALENTINE’S DAY

So, it’s the special day and you’ve only just started this whole process. Maybe not enough time yet for miraculous transformations to occur.

Give this a try: feel and express your appreciation toward your partner … and don’t expect anything from them. Don’t set yourself up for any disappointments today—just appreciate and enjoy anything and everything that’s positive and loving, and let the rest go. Easier said than done sometimes, but use today as a powerful opportunity to practice this if you need to.

Also try this: YOU do something romantic and loving and thoughtful FOR your partner (and still expect nothing in return). This lets YOU set the tone. Then enjoy and appreciate your own efforts and positive intentions on this, regardless of your partner’s response.

These two actions form the other transformational aspect of this tip. By doing one or both of these actions, you’ve shifted the burden of expectation off your partner’s shoulders. Who wouldn’t appreciate that!

Your partner will no longer feel pressured and stressed about how to please you or satisfy your expectations (tasks which may be quite daunting for them), and they—and you—are MUCH more likely to have an enjoyable, relaxed … and even romantic … time together.

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I hope you found this tip useful and valuable. Please let me know your experience with it by leaving a comment or emailing me at evelyn@humandesignforsuccess.com.

For more ideas and information about operating more effectively in your life and improving your relationships, request your FREE Human Design Chart which will also subscribe you to my bi-monthly Ezine “Design Your Life for Success.”

But for most of us, New Year’s Resolutions fall by the wayside pretty quickly. Ever wondered why that is? I have. Perhaps because I’ve had more than my share of failed resolutions.

We are told to make our goals in life specific and measurable. But maybe we make them TOO concrete. For example, lose 20 pounds, quit smoking, or meditate daily. As soon as we get off track (which is usually within a few days), the self-flagellation of failure sets in, all feels lost, and the resolution is quickly abandoned. Or, renewed vigilance is mustered and we steam forth for a while longer only to have lack of results or lack of sustainable effort finally derail our commitments for good.

So I’m taking a different approach this year. If you are a veteran of failed resolutions, I invite you to join me in exploring this fundamental shift in thinking.

For starters, my focus this year is on intentions rather than specific and measurable results. An intention gives you some wiggle room and allows you to practice getting consistent at something, thereby avoiding the early (and often devastating) pronouncements of failure. If you want to lose weight, stop smoking or start meditating it means that you either:

1. don’t know how
2. know how, but aren’t doing it
3. are ‘sort of’ doing it but not consistently enough for the results that you want.

In any of those cases, you need practice (which includes trial and error) to figure out what is going to work for you. Setting an intention can give you the space to make and learn from the necessary mistakes that are part of this process.

But just having intentions may actually give too much wiggle room. Fortunately, I have another fundamental shift up my sleeve.

I’m concentrating on BEING instead of DOING or HAVING. Losing weight, quitting smoking, and meditating are all about DOING. Desired income levels, new cars, and relationships are all about HAVING.

THE transformational question is:  who do you need to BE in order to HAVE or DO what you want?

An important corollary question is:  what is the true purpose or driving intention behind what you want to HAVE or DO? 

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you have an intention to meditate regularly. (You’ve already taken my suggestion to drop the specifics of meditating daily, or even X times per week.)

What is the motivation behind your desire to meditate regularly? Maybe it’s to relax or de-stress. You’ve read that meditation is great for handling stress and you know you need that in your crazy, stressful life. Or maybe you want to connect with your spirit guides or your inner wisdom, and your teacher/guru says you must meditate. Or maybe you just want to do this as a spiritual practice in your life.

A more powerful intention than “meditate regularly” would be to focus on the WHY behind the intention.

I intend to BE relaxed and at ease.

I intend to BE connected to my spirit guides and inner wisdom.

I intend to BE more spiritual.

These intentions allow for many paths to achieving them, not just meditation. They can open you to new possibilities, and to a deeper and richer exploration of who you are being and who you WANT to be.

When you find yourself in a stressful situation, your intention to be relaxed and at ease may lead you to reframe the issue so your reaction is calmer, or may help you find a different approach so you can diffuse the other person’s reaction.

You probably won’t be able to run out of the room and go meditate to calm you down. You may even discover that listening to your favorite music is more effective at de-stressing you than meditating. You wouldn’t have learned that if your focus had been on DOING meditation.

It’s entirely possible that you could meditate every single day this year, and not be any more relaxed or any more spiritual than when you started. You could just be DOING meditation and checking it off your to-do list.

Focusing on BEING will allow your intentions to unfold without restricting HOW they can be fulfilled. Appropriate action will flow from BEING. But BEING comes first.

So think about who, what, and how you really want to BE this year, and set an intention or two or three. You don’t want too many to start with. Just a few that really resonate and feel good to you. Then, let the unfolding begin!

A dear friend of mine shared with me her favorite saying:  the more you unfold, the less you unravel. I love that.

I wish you many blessings of joy, health, prosperity and unfolding in 2011. (Hmmm, who would you need to BE in order to HAVE those blessings?)

Warmly,
Evelyn