Are you open to the idea that the exact moment of your birth really matters? If astrology speaks to you at all, even a little bit, then keep reading. And if you’re skeptical about astrology altogether like I used to be, then definitely keep reading, because the following is especially for you.

This story comes to us from our go-to Human Design coach, Ahram Arya. Human Design can be tough to grasp until you unpack your own chart with someone like Ahram, after which — in our experience, its impact becomes wildly clear. Join Ahram for his next free workshop, August 4 to dip your toe in and see what we mean! Register HERE.

Human Design coach, Ahram Arya

The moment and the place you were born really does matter. At that instant, each planet was passing in front of a very specific section of outer space. From each of these sections of space came a stream of cosmic information, and as the planets took up these streams, they added their own special signature to each transmission before beaming the final bundles of energy into your newborn human body. This is how you received your horoscope—your personal timestamp from the solar system as you reported for duty on planet Earth.

This timestamp activates and programs your body with conscious and unconscious characteristics which you have for life. So says astrology, and so says the science of Human Design which appeared in a revelation in 1987. Human Design is an extremely complex system compared to astrology alone, but astrology is an essential component of the system, because it is the clock which sets up your program. Your Human Design gives you a ton of information about yourself, including a map of your chakra system called the Bodygraph, and a personal operating
system for making better decisions. You can look up your chart on several free sites, including at jovianarchive.com.

Learning your Human Design can be a little overwhelming at first, so let’s break down how western astrology and Human Design fit neatly together:

For example, let’s say you were born on July 23, 1990 at 12:00 pm in New York City. This means you are a Leo, because at that time, the Sun was passing in front of a wide section of the sky which belongs to the Leo constellation. Across this transit, the Sun picked up Leo’s cosmic stream of information and relayed it to Earth. As you probably know, the Sun passes in front of each of the 12 Zodiac signs for approximately 30 days at a time, and so, anyone born during these 30 days in any given year is a Leo.

But what do you get from knowing that you are a Leo, exactly?

For many astrology skeptics, they are quick to point out that the information they get from the Zodiac is not very impactful. For example, a common experience is that some aspects of your birth sign might land with you while other aspects don’t—not to mention all of the other planets and their supposed effects upon you, or lack thereof. A talented astrologer could help, but why is so much left up to someone’s interpretation? Some skeptics admit that there may be some truth behind astrology, but in their experience, it’s just not accurate enough to be very useful.

But what if this problem for astrology skeptics is not about the supposed mechanics of astrology, but rather, for them—it’s about the lack of precision? If that describes your experience too, then here is where Human Design might turn you into a convert:

According to Human Design, there are 32 kinds of Leos, 32 kinds of Virgos, and 32 kinds of every other sign! That’s because instead of dividing the sky into just 12 pieces of pie like the Zodiac, Human Design slices up the sky into 384 very narrow sections. And so, the Sun passes through each one of these important sections in less than a day, every 22 hours and 49 minutes or so. So what does this fine level of detail tell you about yourself? Quite a lot, actually.

But before we get to those details, let’s dive into the meaning of the 384 sections, because they represent the base knowledge of Human Design itself. This component of the system is known as the I’Ching, the mysterious code of wisdom from ancient China. The I’Ching is a wheel of the universe with 384 spokes. Each spoke, or section, defines a range of outer space less than one degree wide, and from that range comes a cosmic stream of information carrying its energy, archetype, and characteristics.

What happened in the revelation of Human Design was that for the first time in recorded history, the wheel of the I’Ching was overlaid onto the established Zodiac calendar, and the two systems were synchronized together as one. The I’Ching set its 384 spokes within the 12 Zodiac signs, and when you divide those numbers, you get the 32 distinct sections within each sign as mentioned above. In the language of Human Design, each of these 384 sections is called a “Line,” and they are stacked into groups of 6 Lines called a “Gate.” The 64 Gates of the system are
spaced around the Zodiac accordingly, and the Sun moves in front of each Gate for about 5 days, 17 hours.

What also came through in the revelation of Human Design was that each Gate was linked to a specific chakra in the body. When a planet is hovering in front of a Gate in the sky, that Gate gets activated in the body. This relationship between planets, Gates, and chakras formed the Body Graph, the centerpiece of the system.

So now, let’s look again at the example of being born on July 23, 1990 at 12:00 pm in New York City and what that means. From the Sun’s position alone at this moment, here is what Human Design tells you…

How you shine in the world with your special gifts: This specific birth time activates an energy in the Throat Chakra. And so, you are here to stimulate others by using your voice, telling interesting stories which attract attention and create stability for you and your cause. As a wandering storyteller-philosopher and a casual historian, what you teach us about life includes some facts of course, but the unique lessons you talk about come with your brand of color. Your story-telling expands horizons and helps humanity progress. The way you attract attention can be innovative, unusual, and
even genius, which eventually guarantees your support. But if your story-telling provokes or disturbs your audience, your tendency to attract attention can be self-defeating.

*In Human Design, this birth time lands in Leo – and in Gate 56, Line 5 of the I’Ching.

Your purpose in life: To other people, you might seem a bit distracted or focused elsewhere, but this is because you are set on drawing attention to your projects by stimulating the conversation, telling stories, and linking activities. Your tales have the potential to captivate audiences young and old, as you mix wonder and realism. You want to keep life interesting, to have new experiences that expand belief systems, and you want to be the spokesperson for humanity’s evolution.

*In Human Design, your purpose comes from your Incarnation Cross.

Your personal style—and the role you play in group dynamics: The spotlight on you might
seem very bright, and that is because other people might believe that you are some kind of savior, ready to solve their problems. People might hang on your every word, and want to listen to your sometimes heretical point of view. You are here to influence large groups of people and strangers, and when you inspire others, you own the spotlight. But when you fail, you receive all the blame. And so, it is very important that you only speak about what you truly know. You fulfill your destiny by assisting others first, and in this way, you get whatever you need. You enjoy long hours of introspection, investigating and studying what interests you so that you can eventually become an authority in your field.

*In Human Design, this is the 5/1 Profile, the Heretic–Investigator.

When you combine the wisdom above with the rest of your Human Design, you get the complete code to being your best self and making your best decisions with purpose.

Join Ahram’s free monthly workshop about special topics in Human Design and how to use them in your life right now. Want to learn more right away? Read all our stories with Ahram HERE.