Being Authentic in the Generator's World
If you are a Manifestor (Innovator Career Type), Projector (Advisor Career Type) or Reflector (Evaluator Career Type), do you find yourself tired more often than not?
As one of the approximately 33% of humans who are non-Sacral, If you are chronically tired or often exhausted, this Human Design article might be one of the most important you ever read. Suspend your judgment if you are new to Human Design... experiment and see for yourself.
The primary thing non-Sacral Beings have in common is the lack of definition in the Sacral Center. However, the similarity stops there. Non-Sacral beings can be as different as night and day—indeed, 1% of the population are Lunar beings, the Reflectors. They are here to be the evaluators of who is different, and they experience life very differently compared to the rest of us who are what Ra termed "Solar beings."
We Projectors, Manifestors and Reflectors, we non-Sacral beings, have a tendency to be addicted to the Generator's yummy sacral energy. What happens when we identify with this live-force and amplify it for long periods of time is we end up living not as ourselves, but as false super-Generators, and end up burned-out. If you're a non-Sacral, do you recognize this?
Imagine a really hard-working, overzealous super-worker who never knows when to quit when it comes to work, play, and sex. Perhaps slaving after others, thinking we need to do something ourselves or it won't be done right.
We non-Sacrals just never know when enough is enough. We can be ignorant of (when we are younger) or distraught about our inability to keep up sustained activity without severe detriment to our health. Chronic levels of energy depletion, fatigue, physical and mental exhaustion, burnout, and frequent illnesses are often the results. Lack of self-esteem because we can't keep up with the pace of the world (this is especially true for the non-energy Types, Projectors and Reflectors).
We live in a homogenized world inundated with messages such as "You can do anything you put your mind to," and "Nothing worth having comes easy" with varying beliefs exalting the virtues of hard work. However, this world does not know that some of us are simply not built to be vitalized by work or find it energizing, even when we may truly enjoy what we do.
The Work/Life Balance Myth
There's a flawed assumption in our western society that "work" is draining and non-work is automatically restorative. It's not true.
Can you remember a time in your life when you became so completely absorbed in and energized by a task that it just didn't feel like work?
Can you remember a time when you came back from the holiday and felt like you needed to recover from your vacation before going back to work?
Doing what you love for work and play, as well as intelligently managing your energy is good advice no matter your Type. However, it is essential for non-Sacral beings to manage their time and precious energy in a way that supports their body that is vastly different from a Generator’s.
It can be a real eye-opener to stop the running on the treadmill of "keeping up with the Joneses," to take stock of your life and allow yourself to enter into anything only according to your Strategy and Authority, rather than what your mind thinks you should do.
What I found personally is that it took a long time to let go of from the guilt-ridden feeling I had that I needed to work really hard to prove my value as a person.
What you may find as you begin to enter into more things that are in alignment with your true essence is your life becomes more vitalizing to you instead of draining. Rather than being dragged down by resistance that comes when you are operating from the mind, there is a vibrancy, a sense of clarity and purpose that emanates from your being. You become more at ease in your skin. The decisions you make lead to the perfect balance of restorative or depleting activities for you. You begin to live your true purpose.
No Manifestor, Projector, or Reflector has a mechanism for knowing when to quit. When deeply conditioned, we can ignore our body’s warning signs and “keep on keeping on” until we simply, physically, literally just can't go on anymore. This is one of the most dangerous things you can do as far as your health is concerned if you are non-Sacral. You need to create boundaries around business and mating, even things you do for fun. Implement healthy habits and use protective techniques that honor the inconsistency of your energy. You're not here to labor hard, but rather, to learn to be wise about work and the efficient use of energy.
Work Tips for Non-Sacrals
Delegating and outsourcing are wise practices for a non-Sacral. Remember that you are not the one to be doing, doing, doing and going, going, going all the time. An objection that may come up is—"but someone needs to do all these things! If not me, then who?" My answer to this is that you may have to change your mind about how your live should be lived. Are you ready for a real change in perspective, and therefore, your experience of life? Here's the secret: You've got to learn let go of believing what your mind is saying inside your head about yourself to be the end-all-be-all of Truth for you.
It’s helpful to learn to manage your energy more efficiently through following Strategy and Authority rather than initiating from the dictates of your mind. You mind is here to measure and be of value to others, NOT to make decisions for you about your life. Learn the values of planning and prioritizing, as well as refraining from over-committing—which can happen when you don’t know when enough is enough.
Accept that things get done when they get done—and it’s all ok. Mastering the discipline of following your Strategy and Authority provides correct timing and discernment.
Each non-Sacral is here for a very particular purpose according to their unique design. Manifestors are here to initiate and inform and have impact. Projectors are here to know others, advise and guide the process. Reflectors are here to be barometers of the health of their community and let us know how everything is going.
No matter how enjoyable or vitalizing you may find your work or play, you are not designed to sustain consistent effort or output of energy over the long term without adequate periods of rest (generally more than what sacral beings require). What works best for non-Sacrals is living a lifestyle that provides a unique balance. What you do to support yourself materially needs to allow you the flexibility of controlling when and how you work, and compensates you according to the value you bring to the table. Caring for your body and respecting its limitations are critical to your health and well-being as a non-Sacral Type.
Though everyone can be prone to overwork and fatigue through over commitment, non-Sacrals need to pay special attention to get regular and possibly prolonged periods of rest to avoid burnout. All Types find different kinds of activities assist their recovery. Participate in the activities that renew your energy, rather than add additional stress or drain you.
Dispelling the Energy Vampire Myth
Ra would often joke about us as “parasites,” saying that Generators are the Life-Force of the planet and that without them, life would perish. A common misunderstanding of the mechanics that arises among newcomers (which can happen when words or phrases can be taken out of context and spread) is that non-Sacrals are energy vampires.
When you look at a Human Design bodygraph, you can see the juxtaposition of the neutrino imprinting (which is colored in) with your receptivity (which is white). The white areas are where you are receptive to conditioning—you amplify that energy. Just as giving someone a hug doesn't drain the love out of them, but creates more feelings of love, so too do our undefined centers amplify the energy of the beings we are around. Just as a non-emotional being amplifies the emotional energy of the defined Solar Plexus being, we non-Sacrals do not drain Sacral beings of energy but rather, magnify it.
Frequency Distortion
When you turn speakers up very loud, the sound becomes distorted; so too can that sacral energy get distorted within you if you are amplifying sacral energy beyond your capacity to handle it. It can then be draining to others who are experiencing your frequency in a way that is not in alignment with your true nature.
We all put into others the frequency of our Aura; our definition is what we are broadcasting. ANY person can be "off" in frequency, and taking that in can be very uncomfortable where you are open. This can be why you feel drained rather than energized when you are around other people, or if you are in their presence for too long.
Just as you as a non-Sacrals is not designed to work hard for extended periods, neither are you designed to be exposed to the power of the Sacral amplified in your system 24/7. A Generator’s powerful energy can “fry your circuits” if you don’t give yourself breaks from it.
To know when enough is enough, follow your body by using Strategy and Authority in decision-making. Living your design allows the body's innate knowing to guide you. This is preferable to using the deeply conditioned mind which leads you off our true path and often into dangerous territory. Switching to following the body is a difference in frequency you can FEEL in your form. Fatigue, burnout, and exhaustion are frequent body signposts when you do not manage your personal energy resources wisely. You aren't designed for the Generator lifestyle.
Sleep Alone
One of the more controversial (to newcomers) yet highly recommended and valuable practices the Human Design System has to offer is sleeping in your own Aura. Experiment with distancing yourself from the Aura of others at a set bedtime. Not only will this allow your system the break that it needs to discharge the energy of others, but it will allow you space and time to wind down and ease yourself into sleep.
You may find that this break gives you time for your system to settle and to clean out your Aura.
Your body can more fully recharge and rejuvenate when you are not revved up by being around others. Your sleep time is when you are most vulnerable to conditioning. Give yourself the gift of space to go to sleep alone—see how it works to improve your energy levels over time.
Strategy and Authority
Are you ready for a change in your life? Would you like to try something really different and see if it works? Follow Strategy and Authority to establish healthy boundaries around the themes of the Sacral; particularly in work, play, and sex. Rather than being always available for these things, be very discerning in using your inconsistent energy. Following Strategy and Authority are the only ways to protect you from falling into the trap of the mind and living out the homogenization of the conditioned world.
When you trust in your design, you'll get the most fulfilling life—the career, friends, experiences, places to live and lovers that are exactly right for you. Trust the process of watching rather than attempting to control your life movie. Experience your differentiation—the life you were born for, that only your authentic self can live.
A version of this article appeared originally on JovianArchive.com under the name Andrea Abay-Abay, updated and republished with permission.