Human Design: The Foundation
The Birth of Human Design
Human Design was founded in 1987 by a man named Ra Uru Hu (born Alan Robert Krakower). Here is the backstory:
Ra was a former advertising executive living in Montreal Canada. In January 1987, over the course of eight days and nights, he experienced a profound mystical event — what he described as a “Voice” or a direct transmission from a higher intelligence.
During this intense visionary state, he received a flood of complex information about a new system combining astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalah, the chakra system and genetics. This was not just theory it was a living practical guide to understanding human energy and decision making.
Ra called this transmission “The Human Design System.”
Astrology
Astrology is one of the core pieces in Human Design. It’s the part that shows where the planets were at the moment you were born. Each planet carries a different kind of energy — like communication, drive, emotion, or transformation — and in Human Design, these are mapped to specific gates in your chart.
But Human Design takes it a step further. It doesn’t just use your birth time — it also looks at the position of the planets exactly 88 days before you were born. That’s because Ra believed this is when your unconscious design is imprinted — kind of like the energetic blueprint of your body and how it naturally operates.
So your chart has two sides. The black side is your conscious personality — who you know yourself to be. The red side is your unconscious design — the part of you that works behind the scenes, influencing how your energy flows without you needing to think about it.
Using astrology this way helps build a full picture of who you are: the you that you know and the you that’s humming quietly beneath the surface. Both matter. Both are you.
The I Ching
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese text that’s been used for thousands of years to explore change, patterns, and decision making. It’s made up of 64 hexagrams — symbols made from six lines that each represent a different theme or energy.
In Human Design, these 64 hexagrams are mapped onto the bodygraph as the 64 gates. Each gate represents a specific energy or trait that you might carry. So if a planet was lighting up one of these gates at the time you were born, that energy is part of your design.
Ra used the I Ching because it’s basically a guide to how energy moves and transforms. It’s deep, ancient, and very much about flow. When you blend that with the planets, your birth moment, and the 88 day mark, it starts to build a really personal energetic map — kind of like your own cosmic fingerprint.
The Kabbalah
Kabbalah is a mystical tradition that comes from Jewish teachings. It’s all about understanding the spiritual structure of the universe and our connection to it.
The part Ra brought into Human Design is called the Tree of Life. It’s a diagram made up of ten energy centers connected by pathways. Each part of the tree represents a different aspect of life — like wisdom, strength, emotion, creation, and so on.
Ra noticed that this Tree of Life had a similar layout to the energy flow in the body. So in Human Design, he used this structure to help map how energy moves between your centres — from ideas to actions, from instincts to expression.
It gives another layer of meaning to how we process energy and how our different parts work together. It’s like a spiritual wiring system for your whole being.
The Chakra System
The chakra system comes from ancient Indian teachings. It’s all about energy centres in the body that help keep everything flowing — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Traditionally, there are seven chakras, each linked to different areas like communication, creativity, intuition, grounding, and more. But in Human Design, Ra expanded this idea. He said that in 1781, something shifted in human evolution, and instead of seven chakras, we now have nine centres.
These nine centres are what you see on the Human Design bodygraph. Some are similar to the traditional chakras, and some are new — like the splenic centre for intuition or the ego centre for willpower.
The idea is that each centre has its own type of energy, and whether it's open or defined in your chart tells you how you take in and express that energy. It helps you understand how you’re built to operate and where you might be more influenced by the world around you.
Genetics
The last layer that Ra wove into Human Design is genetics. But not in a medical or scientific way — more like how your energetic blueprint connects with deeper codes that are already within you.
He linked the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching to the 64 codons in human DNA. Codons are like instructions that tell your body how to grow, respond, and function. The idea is that these same patterns of energy are mirrored in both the I Ching and your DNA — like nature and spirit speaking the same language.
So when Human Design talks about gates and channels, it’s also talking about your natural programming. These patterns help explain why you feel drawn to certain things, how you express yourself, and what makes your energy totally unique.
Ra believed that your chart is more than just personality or traits — it’s literally written in your energetic DNA. And that’s what makes Human Design feel both mystical and incredibly practical at the same time.
How All the Pieces Fit Together
Human Design is like a recipe that mixes a bunch of ancient ideas to help you understand yourself better.
Astrology shows where the planets were when you were born and what kind of energy they bring. The I Ching adds 64 different energy types called gates that describe parts of your personality. The Kabbalah Tree of Life helps explain how these energies move around inside you, like a map of your inner world.
The chakra system shows the main energy centres in your body, but Human Design adds a couple more to give a fuller picture. Genetics connects all this to your DNA — meaning these energies are actually part of your body’s blueprint.
When you put it all together, you get a map called the bodygraph. This map helps you see how your energy works, how you make decisions, and what makes you unique.
It’s not just some idea on paper — it’s a practical tool to help you live in a way that feels right for you, with less struggle and more flow.
Here’s how the systems break down:
Astrology shows your planetary energies at birth
The I Ching adds 64 gates that describe different energy types
Kabbalah’s Tree of Life maps how energy flows inside you
The chakra system reveals your main energy centres, with two extra added in Human Design
Genetics connects all this to your DNA, making it your energetic blueprint
My Thoughts
I find it really interesting how Ra brings together so many different systems into one Human Design chart. Each system on its own can only show you part of the story, but when you combine them all, you get a much fuller picture of who you are and why you are the way you are. It’s more detailed and in-depth than just one thing alone.
After looking at my own Human Design chart and comparing it with the people around me, I can see how well it relates. It has even taught me new things and given me suggestions on how to best equip myself in life — things that just make sense. I think it’s a fascinating topic and I’m excited to keep learning more.
If you want to explore your own chart, here are some great websites where you can start for free:
One thing to keep in mind is that knowing your exact birth time is important for the most accurate Human Design chart. But I totally get how this can be tricky — not everyone knows their exact time, and sometimes even your family might be unsure. I’ve felt that way too, questioning if the chart is really “mine” if the time isn’t perfect.
The good news is that even if you don’t have your exact birth time, you can still get a lot of insight from your chart. Some sites let you experiment with different times or use a general time to give you a solid starting point. So don’t let not knowing your birth time stop you from exploring this amazing system.
