From Illusion to Awareness

Those familiar with Human Design know that understanding our Not-Self—essentially, what we are not—starts by examining the open and undefined areas in our BodyGraph. These are the places where we take in energy from the world, but because this energy is inconsistent, the mind often becomes fixated on it. The mind tries to make sense of what it cannot fully control, leading us to identify with things that aren't really who we are.

Now, let's dive deeper into the mind. The way I see it, slightly different from Ra, is that the mind is formed when the Personality Crystal (which Ra calls the soul) and the Design Crystal (the body's intelligence) come together. These two different aspects make up who we are, but there’s a catch—the mind is only aware of the information from the Personality Crystal, and because of this, it thinks, "This is me." But that's an illusion. The mind doesn't have access to the Design Crystal information, which holds the unconscious wisdom of the body. This lack of connection to the body's intelligence often causes the mind to get stuck in a false sense of identity, as it's missing a vital part of the bigger picture.

What connects these two crystals is something called the Magnetic Monopole. This magnet, located in the sternum area in the G Center, only attracts. It holds together the Personality and Design Crystals, guiding you along your unique trajectory in life. Please refer to this article for more information:

https://www.hearthealthjoy.com/blog/unveiling-the-role-of-human-design-in-consciousness-evolution

This concept got me thinking about the parallels with ancient wisdom from Alice Bailey's teachings. In her books, Bailey explains that the soul is the form-building principle responsible for the blueprint that creates the personality. The personality, made up of the physical/etheric body, the emotional body, and the mental body, is the vehicle for the soul's expression. The soul hangs out on its own plane, so to speak, waiting for the personality to evolve enough to perceive and respond to its vibration.

For many lifetimes, the personality hasn't fully been refined enough to perceive the soul's call. One of the key milestones in this journey is when the personality begins to integrate and align with its highest aspect—the mind. At this stage, the personality becomes attuned to the soul's vibration, but this is also where the challenge arises. A battle occurs between the soul's effort to assert its influence and the lower conditioning that the personality has been exposed to throughout life. The goal is for the personality to overcome this conditioning and come fully under the soul's guidance.

When I look at the BodyGraph, I can't help but see a similar pattern to ancient teachings. For us to operate correctly, we must integrate both aspects—the Personality Crystal and the Design Crystal. The mind has to become aware of both patterns. This integration eventually results in the emergence of the Passenger consciousness—the observer, who is not caught up in the mind's illusions but can watch the flow of life unfold with clarity.

Bailey also has something to say about illusion. She connects illusion closely with the mind, especially the lower mind, which interprets reality based on sensory input and material conditions. She explains that the concrete mind often misinterprets spiritual truths, leading to a distorted perception of reality. According to Bailey, the mind creates illusions that keep individuals trapped in separation and individualism, preventing them from realizing their connection to the soul and the higher spiritual realms. In Human Design terms, I would say that the lower mind can keep us trapped in the Not-Self.

There's a way to look at only the Personality Side of the BodyGraph. By doing this, we can get a sense of who the mind thinks we are—which, as we know, is an illusion and part of the Not-Self.

So, let's take a look at my Personality Side and see who my mind thinks I am!

First, let's take a look at my full BodyGraph:

I'm a Manifesting Generator, as I have a motor (Sacral Center, the red square) connected to the Throat Center (the brown square). This means I'm all about efficiency, fast action, and the ability to manifest in response. However, if you notice, the channel (34/20) connecting the Sacral to the Throat is red, which means it's unconscious.

Now, look at this area that connects the Heart Center (the small triangle on the right) to the G Center (the yellow diamond in the middle). This channel (25/51) is also red, meaning it's unconscious. The Heart Center is all about willpower and the sense of value and worth.

Here's a look at just the Personality side:

My mind believes I'm a Generator, unable to manifest in response, and thinks I operate step-by-step. When I act quickly and smoothly, it has no idea how that even happened!

The Heart Center is undefined for the mind, which means it often feels like no one recognizes its worth. When identified with the mind, I’ve frequently struggled to understand my own value and have felt the need to prove it many times.

Now, take a look at my Throat Center—my mind has no conscious access to it. The Not-Self mind feels like no one notices it. I often felt invisible when I operated as my Not-Self, especially in group settings. When others were being recognized, and I was not, I'd feel like no one saw me or knew my value (Heart Center).

On the left side, you'll notice that my Splenic Center (the triangle on the left) is also undefined. As my Not-Self, I experienced many different fears and wasn't sure about my ability to survive.

This is just looking at the centers, but I can also explore the channels and active red gates that my mind isn't aware of. For example, my mind is unconscious of Gate 16, which represents talents and skills. Interestingly, it's also connected to music and to the Throat Center. I have a bachelor's degree in vocal performance, and music was my career for many years. Yet, I often wondered, "Why did I choose music?" The answer lies in the fact that it's unconscious to the mind.

The fantastic thing about Human Design is that I now have awareness. My mind can recognize this issue and see the unconscious patterns at play. It doesn't identify with them, but it knows they're there. So, in situations like those I described—where I felt like no one recognized me or valued me, and I had the urge to act out, maybe by bragging or acting with bitterness and frustration—I can now pause if those feelings arise and realize: yes, people can see me, and I do have value. It may simply not be the right time for recognition. But that recognition will come when I trust my strategy and inner authority and the timing is right.

What’s remarkable is that as you become more aware and might have to remind yourself of a particular Not-Self issue from time to time, eventually, those uncomfortable Not-Self feelings fade away.

Human Design offers an incredible tool for self-awareness and understanding. By examining the Not-Self and identifying where the mind gets stuck, we can see the unconscious patterns that have influenced us. With its limited view, the mind often clings to these areas of openness, creating a false sense of identity. However, the beauty of human design is that once we recognize these patterns, we gain the power to observe them without identifying with them.

The real magic happens when we follow our strategy and our inner authority and integrate the Personality and Design aspects of ourselves. This integration leads to the emergence of Passenger consciousness—the part of us that simply observes life unfolding without getting caught up in the illusions of the mind.

Human Design and Ancient Wisdom remind us that we are not defined by the mind's fears or insecurities but by the deeper intelligence of the body and soul working in harmony. The more we trust this alignment, the more we become our true selves.