Energy type is the most straightforward concept in human design.
... at least on paper.
There are only five energy types, and you don’t need any special instructions on how to determine yours. It’s listed right on your human design chart, front and center. Part of what’s so beautiful about the human design system is that each new discovery offers new roads to explore… and new questions all along the way. Understanding your energy type is no different – it opens the world in new ways, but it can also tie your brain in knots.
So let’s open it up and explore the five “types” of human design.
By the way, if you haven’t generated your free chart, we really recommend you do so now! All it takes is some basic info and a couple of minutes with our free chart generator. Trying to start your human design experiment without your chart is like trying to climb a mountain without shoes. Sure it CAN be done, but yikes… just wear shoes.
Anyway, back to business.
If you scroll through human design posts on social media, it won’t be long before someone mentions their energy type.
As we explained in “Profiles,” people even introduce themselves AS their type, like, “Hi, 4/1 generator here. What’s the best way to cook Thai rice?” Given this state of affairs, it’s hard to believe that energy type was actually a pretty controversial concept back in the 1990s when the founder of human design first introduced it. Some practitioners balked at the idea of (literally) “typecasting” people in a system that’s all about differentiation.
Yet that’s really the point. People are differentiated on the basis of countless attributes, and energy type is simply one of many. Human design is a multilayered system, and many of those layers are complex and hard to grasp. Energy type serves as an anchor point for understanding the basic way in which you operate as a human being and how you differ from the people around you. It’s not ALL of you – far from it. Your energy type reveals the broadest brushstrokes on your individual canvas. That’s really it.
Energy type is also the great leveler in human design.
The five types cut across race, ethnicity, ability, resources, nationality, background, connections – it doesn’t matter; type groups us together by the tens of millions on the basis of the imprints in our design, the active channels and defined centers (or lack thereof) that have been with us since birth. As we explained in “The Basics”:
“Taken together, the qualities of your nine energy centers determine the primary manner in which you interface with the universe. This is the core of your very nature as an energetic being, what is known in human design as energy type.”
The five energy types are named according to the fundamental way in which they operate within the world around them – with opportunities, choices, and people throughout life.
These five types are:
Manifestors
Generators
Manifesting Generators
Projectors
Reflectors
Each of the five energy types has a unique presence, which in traditional human design and astrology is referred to as aura. A person’s presence is the invisible energy signature of their entire unique design, which subtly influences their interactions with others. It’s the energetic outline of an individual that doesn’t depend on speech or touch or even body language. Although each person’s energetic blueprint is unique in countless complex ways (see “Gates and Lines”), there are only four core energy signatures that form the basis for everyone’s energetic presence:
Manifestors have a closed and repelling presence, which allows them to initiate and take action independently of others, to bypass resistance and forge ahead in life.
Generators and manifesting generators have an open and enveloping presence, which draws in opportunities to respond – to life’s countless little events, sensations, and happenings.
Projectors have a focused and penetrating presence, which drives others to recognize their talents and invite them in – to opportunities, relationships, and events – in order to help orchestrate pieces of a wider whole.
Reflectors have an open and sampling presence, which inspires others to look to them for assessment and perspective.
Your energy type sets the stage for your entire architecture as a unique human being.
When you understand how to live as your energy type, as yourself, you learn to live as the person you were designed to be, far less burdened by friction and stress. This is something we’ll discuss in the final installment of this series: “Strategy and Decision-Making Authority.”
Despite its simple appearance, some of the most enduring and puzzling questions about human design are actually rooted in energy type, questions like, “What does it mean to initiate action?” “What exactly constitutes a response?” “If I’m a manifesting generator, how do I know if I’m cosplaying as a manifestor rather than responding like a generator?!” These are natural questions to ask, and if you find yourself asking them, it doesn’t mean you’re a slow learner or that you’re “missing the point.” It means you’re curious, with a healthy dose of skepticism, but it also means that human design teachers throughout the years (including the founder himself) haven’t always done the best job of explaining certain concepts, and energy type is definitely one of those.
Truth be told, “typecasting” can lead to misunderstanding. manifestors aren’t automatic leaders or simple “idea people” who are designed to sit back while everyone else does the work. Generators and manifesting generators aren’t dull worker bees who can only take instruction but not give it. Projectors aren’t “born bureaucrats” or some other depressing nonsense. Reflectors aren’t a TOTAL mystery.
Energy type is a solid tool for understanding how you’re oriented to interact with energy in this life, but it’s not nearly as straightforward as most human design services would have you believe, and it’s certainly not the bulk of who you are; it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
That said...
Here at HD&Me, we know we can do a better job of helping you understand energy type and countless other human design concepts. Are you interested in learning more about your energy type and what it means for you? Our free Beginner’s Booklet is a great next step. Or maybe you’d like to go deeper. We’ll generate a personalized report for you – over 50 pages packed with information about what exactly makes you tick according to human design. You can learn more about our personalized report offerings on our “Generate My Chart” page.
If you’re not ready to take those next steps, at the very least read the final installment of our introductory series, entitled “Your Life in HD: Strategy and Decision-Making Authority.” It’s arguably the most important!