Human Design Authority: How Do You Make the Best Decisions?
Throughout our lives, we’re often taught to make decisions by weighing pros and cons or relying on our gut feelings. But what if your decision-making isn’t meant to stem from your gut or your mind?
Understanding our unique decision-making styles—and those of the people around us—can be incredibly supportive and transformative.
In Human Design, your authority reveals how you are specifically wired to make decisions. This aspect of your design is arguably one of the most crucial, as we face decisions daily. It’s something we can start integrating into our lives right away.
How To Find Your Human Design Authority
Manifestors, Generators, Manifesting Generators, and Projectors all have authority in their charts. Reflectors do not have defined centers in their charts, which means they lack a specific authority apart from their Reflector strategy.
Lookup your Authority here
Inner Versus Outer Authority
Authority is divided into two categories: inner and outer.
Inner authority refers to your body’s inherent wisdom and intuition. The challenge with inner authority lies in silencing the mind and tuning out external influences. You possess inner authority if you have a defined Spleen, Solar Plexus, Sacral, or Ego center.
Outer authority involves gaining clarity from your environment and using others as sounding boards. Only 3% of the population has outer authority, which includes Mental Projectors and Reflectors. Those with outer authority are meant to share their perspectives and insights with others. Mental Projectors can clarify their thoughts by discussing them with others, while Reflectors follow their strategy of waiting for a lunar cycle before making decisions.
Emotional Authority
Those with an Emotional authority have a defined Solar Plexus, which serves as the center for emotions and feelings.
They are designed to experience the full range of emotions, continuously riding an emotional wave. It’s not necessary for them to seek meaning or understand their feelings while they are in the thick of it; they are simply meant to create space for their emotions without questioning or demanding answers. They can trust that clarity will come in time.
They should avoid making major decisions in the heat of the moment—particularly during emotional highs or lows. Allowing themselves the necessary time to process the emotional wave will ultimately lead to greater clarity. The saying “sleep on it” really works for those with an Emotional authority.
Guiding question for people with Emotional authority:
Does this make me feel happy?
Sacral Authority
Individuals with Sacral authority possess a defined Sacral Center which is the hub for creativity, sustainability, and sexuality.
They are naturally designed to respond to life around them, experiencing a gut feeling that expands in excitement and contracts when they feel disinterested. When they commit to something, their Sacral activates, providing the energy needed for active engagement. It’s crucial for them to respond only to what truly excites them; otherwise, they might find it difficult to maintain that energy over time.
If they experience hesitation, it’s a signal to pause before making a commitment. The response from the Sacral authority is straightforward—either yes or no. A useful exercise to better understand the specific sensation of the Sacral response is to ask themselves (or have someone else ask them) closed-ended questions. The Sacral thrives on responding to clear options, and having this authority means their knowing is immediate and in the present moment.
Guiding question for people with Sacral authority:
Do I really want this?
Splenic Authority
People with Splenic authority possess an instinctive guidance system that continuously directs them and ensures their safety. The spleen functions as the center for survival, health, and intuition, operating with a focus on the present moment and an intuitive pulse that responds in real-time.
Those with Splenic authority have a clear sense of what is right or wrong for them at any given moment. This guidance often manifests as a quiet voice or an inner knowing that may be difficult to articulate to others. They are designed to be fully present in the here and now.
Guiding question for people with Splenic authority:
Does this feel right?
Ego Authority
Ego Authority is associated with either Manifestors (those with ego manifested) or Projectors (those with ego projected). Individuals with this authority have a defined heart center, which serves as the source of willpower, worthiness, and desire.
Those with Ego Authority must acknowledge their desires and gain clarity on what they truly want. Their most aligned decisions emerge when they unapologetically pursue the true desires of their heart. If their heart isn’t invested in something, it’s a no. Conversely, if their heart feels drawn to something, it’s a yes—no matter what their mind might be telling them to do.
With a defined heart, they have the ability to commit to anything they desire. However, if they convince themselves to do something against their true desires—essentially allowing their mind to take control—they will struggle to sustain that commitment. The energy simply won’t be there because it’s not aligned with their true desires.
Guiding question for people with Ego authority:
Does this benefit me?
Self-Projected Authority
Individuals with Self-Projected authority have both the Throat and G-centers defined. The G-center serves as the energy source for direction, love, self-identity, and purpose, while the Throat center facilitates communication and action. For those with this authority, gaining clarity on decisions often requires them to “see” their thoughts reflected or projected through others.
They find that articulating their decisions out loud—whether to themselves or to someone they trust—leads to the best outcomes. While they don’t need others’ advice to make a decision, this process acts as an energetic untangling, creating space for clarity to emerge within them. It’s essential for them to express their truth openly and without filters.
Guiding question for people with Self-Projected authority:
Does this bring me closer to my purpose in life?
Mental Authority
Individuals with Mental (or Environmental) authority possess a defined mind, along with a defined head or throat, or both. This allows them to gain clarity by discussing their thoughts and feelings. This process helps them release pressure and reflect the amplified energies back to themselves.
Due to their undefined centers, being in an environment or surrounded by people where they feel comfortable and at ease can make a significant difference. Mental authority is considered an outer authority because it requires them to express what’s on their mind externally. Having someone to hold space for them or being in supportive environments where they feel seen and recognized will help them sort their energies in a more aligned manner.
Guiding question for people with Mental authority:
Does this feel right?
Lunar Authority
Reflectors are the only type with Lunar authority, as they lack any definitions in their charts.
They move through the transiting energies, completing a cycle roughly every 28 days, much like the Moon. Throughout this period, they can experience the different energetic authorities, gaining valuable insights from each phase until the lunar cycle ends and starts again. For Reflectors, tracking these transits can be particularly beneficial when making significant life decisions.
Giving themselves enough time to make decisions creates room for insights and clarity. However, it’s essential to recognize that this extended reflection is primarily for significant choices; they don’t need to wait a month to decide what to have for dinner or whether to go for a run, for example.
Guiding question for people with Lunar authority:
Does this feel right?
___________
✨ Curious to learn more about your unique Human Design?
The best resource is our custom guidebook, a 80+ page tailor-made book dedicated entirely to your individual Human Design.
Get your guidebook
