Beginner's Guide to Human Design

Human Design Learning Resources

How should a total beginner begin their journey into learning about Human Design? This is a question that I meet time and time again, so I decided to write an answer to it here that I can send people to read, instead of rewriting it over and over.

Human Design is a complex system, but the charm of it is that you don't actually need to know much to get started. The whole idea is that it's an experiment, so anyway, you're supposed to test out how it actually functions in practice, for you personally. That said, of course you need some foundational building blocks (Strategy and Authority!) and there are those who just love to learn and dig deep into a new area. This post is mainly aimed at those kinds of people. So below are some of my recommendations of a few learning resources to get started. But do feel into yourself what resonates with you. There's no right or wrong path in general, just the right or wrong path for you. If you're more of an experimenter and a "learning-by-doing" type, maybe it's enough for you to learn some basic guidelines to follow - again, your Strategy and Authority - and then simply test out those in your own life. If that's the case, you can read more about Strategy and Authority in this post. Or you can of course alos learn more through the resources listed below.

Get Your Chart

The very first step for learning Human Design is to get your own BodyGraph or chart - the "user manual" that describes the mechanics of your energy and the role you're here to play in this life. Many websites have their own "get your chart" tools and there are also phone apps. Below is a list of a a few websites and apps where you can grab a BodyGraph for free, or with an email signup (you can unsubscribe later). Some of the websites also give you some basic descriptions for free, and by comparing the descriptions on different sites you can learn to notice the different approaches and views into Human Design.

Website & App: https://www.geneticmatrix.com
Website: https://www.ihdschool.com/get-your-chart
Website: https://www.myhumandesign.com
Website: https://human.design/get-your-chart
Website: https://neutrinoplatform.com/home
App: https://neutrino-design.github.io/Neutrino-Design/

The original source

In the beginning of your learning journey I recommend looking is the learning resources on the website of International Human Design School, the organization that is also in charge of analyst certification in Human Design. They have a web page for beginners where there's some basic info and links: https://www.ihdschool.com/newcomers

Jovianarcive also has a bunch of learning materials: https://www.jovianarchive.com/Human_Design/Why

The reason I usually suggest starting with ihdschool or jovianarchive is that you start out with a glimpse of how Human Design is described from a more "original" source, and then have an easier time discerning where different people add their own interpretations on top. This does not necessarily mean that these sources are the only or truest authority, just the place where Ra Uru Hu (the person who first channelled the Human Design system) decided to archive his materials. And yet, some people don't resonate with Ra's way of describing and then it's simply best to look for other sources.

Different Teachers

There's a lot of different people talking about Human Design each bringing their own flavor. But it can be very subjective whose particular way of teaching/describing resonates with you. One page that is often recommended for beginners is myhumandesign.com which has the benefit of very approachable video materials, but with the drawback that some of the descriptions are not totally accurate, at least seen from my perspective. This doesn't mean there can't be value there, but use your discernment. Other websites for Human Design analysts or teachers include (but are not limited to) https://reikimarco.com, https://www.k80lyn.ca and https://humandesigncollective.com These are just a few to show examples of different approaches to Human Design, but there are many more out there.

One thing to consider in learning Human Design is whether it is important to you that the person holds an analyst certification or not. International Human Design School is in charge of the certification program, and on their website you can read about what is included in the Professional Analyst Training Program. In addition to IHDSC There are also other analysts that offer certification programs. The benefit of the certification is that you know in clear terms what the person is proficient in and have a kind of "proof" in the form of a certificate. If a person has a certification, they will usually write about it on their website and post a little icon with the text "certified professional". If they don't have the icon and don't write anything about certification they are usually not certified. But be aware that a certification does not automatically mean that a person is more knowledgeable in Human Design, and it does not tell you whether you will resonate with a person or not. I would still suggest feeling into that as the first priority when choosing a teacher or analyst.

So why would someone choose not to be certified? Well, there are a number of reasons. First, certification programs are very expensive so that might simply not be an option for some people and they need to find their learning resources elsewhere. Another reason is that people without certifications have the benefit of being able to connect Human Design to a broader range of areas, as the certification requires that a person does not mix other areas into the Human Design framework. This is also my own reason for choosing not to get certified. I simply want to stay open and hold the personal belief that this kind of mutation is beneficial, because, hey! Human Design itself consists of a bunch of different areas of knowledge. Who's to say it has to stop there? And yet, I would not recommend studying with a non-certified person if you are someone who wants things done very much "by the book" and find comfort in knowing there is an official organization that checks the particular person's way of teaching/analyzing Human Design. But for more experimental approaches you may need to look beyond certified analysts. Again, there is no right or wrong way of doing it. Feel into yourself what resonates with you.

Videos

If videos is your cup of tea then there are a bunch of Human Design practicioners sharing information about Human Design on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.

Personally, the beginner level learning videos on the IHDSChool website really helped me to have some foundational understanding about the core building blocks that make up the Human Design system. You can find these videos on the ihdschool free resources library (look under "webinars" in the menu) or as a playlist on their YouTube-channel.

In addition to these beginner level videos, can simply go to YouTube or TikTok and search about a chosen subject, or just about Human Design in general and will be able to access lots of different perspectives and ways that Human Design is described. Again, use your discernment, but do go for the ones that resonate with you personally. One of my own favorite Human Design-youtubers is Richard Beaumont, who regularly posts videos about Human Design on his YouTube channel, humandesigninfo.

A Beginner-Friendly Book

If you're into books, Chetan Parkyn's book of Human Design is also very beginner friendly, with clear descriptions a bit warmer in tone than Ra Uru Hu's way of describing. In my understanding, this book does not give a completely accurate view of mental projectors and reflectors, so if you are interested in those areas I would recommend to complement with other sources. The book also includes different names and descriptions for gates and centers than the ones described on ihdschool, which can be seen as either misleading or expanding on the possible interpretations. Personally I would land on the latter, so I think this book gives a good place to start for new beginners to Human Design, who resonate more with Chetan Parkyn's way of writing.

Going Deeper

After the basics, if you're interested in going even deeper, I suggest investing in The Definitive Book of Human Design as it uneraths the mechanics and deeper layers of Human Design, and provides you with the official names and descriptions (not more right or wrong in my opinion, but again, good to have awareness of so that you can more clearly see where different interpretations..differ.) In my personal experience, this book has proven to be a very useful reference book to have, while I also complement it with some additional materials from other sources, such as the writers and youtubers mentioned above.

Teachers and Social Settings

Different people learn different ways, and some may be more drawn to self-study while others know they learn best in a social situation. While I am a person who generally likes to learn independently, nose deep in a book, I have also grown to appreciate the opportunity to learn with teachers and in social settings, as this gives the opportunity to discuss areas that confuse me and to deepen my view beyond what a book can share.

For the process of finding a teacher, I again recommend you to feel into how that teacher's approach resonates with you, and if certification is important to you, then do ensure that the analyst is certified. But personally I made the decision of studying with a non-certified practicioner simply because their teaching style was so helpful to me and because I knew from observing their work that they take great care to present the informaiton in a way that respects the source materials while also adding further nuance to it. Which is the way I like to learn things.

If you speak another language than English as you mother tongue, I wouldn't discount the value of finding a Human Design teacher that speaks your original language. I have studied Human Design in my mother tongue, Finnish, with a Finnish Human Design practicioner whose teaching style I really resonated with (Marinka/Theta Moon) and have found that her clear and elaborate descriptions in Finnish have helped me to understand Human Design more deeply, while also developing a more personal connection to it.

If you're not so interested in studying with a teacher but would like to join some kind of a community or social setting with other people interested in Human Design, there exists Facebook groups and Discord servers dedicated to Human Design. My favorite Discord community for Human Design is the Eev0lveE Community, but there are many others. If you want an invite to that discord community or some further suggestions about specific teachers or resources get started with Human Design, feel free to email me at minnamari@mysterious.studio The goal of this post is to present a few different starting points, but it is of course not a comprehensive list. But, hopefully it has given you some useful tips for beginning your Human Design journey!