Type and Strategy in Human Design

Understanding the Four Types

Type and Strategy are the foundation of Human Design. They are the keys to understanding how your energy operates and how you can navigate life with less resistance and more alignment. If you’re new to Human Design, this is where you begin. Everything else in the system builds on this foundation.

Let’s start with Type. There are four Types in Human Design: Generators (including Manifesting Generators), Projectors, Manifestor, and Reflectors. Each Type has a unique way of interacting with the world, and each has a specific Strategy for making decisions and taking action. Your Type is determined by the configuration of your BodyGraph, which is calculated based on your birth data. It’s not about personality or psychology—it’s about mechanics. It’s about how your energy works.

Human Design Generator (and Manifesting Generator) Type

Generators are the dominant Type, making up about 70% of the population. They are the life force of the planet, the builders. Generators have an open and enveloping aura, which means they are here to respond to life. Their Strategy is to wait to respond. This doesn’t mean sitting around doing nothing—it means being present and aware, allowing life to come to them. When something shows up in their reality, they can respond with their gut, their Sacral energy. Generators are here to find satisfaction and avoid frustration. When they follow their Strategy, they tap into their immense energy and creativity, and they can sustain themselves and others.

Human Design Projector Type

Projectors are about 20% of the population. They are here to guide, to see, and to understand others. Projectors have a focused and absorbing aura, which means they are designed to tune into the energy of others. Their Strategy is to wait for the invitation. This doesn’t mean waiting for everything—it’s about waiting for recognition and invitations in the areas that matter most: relationships, career, and major life decisions. When Projectors try to push or force their way, they often meet bitterness. But when they wait for the right invitations, they can find success and fulfill their role as guides.

Human Design Manifestor Type

Manifestors make up about 9% of the population. They are here to initiate, to get things started. Manifestors have a closed and repelling aura, which means they are not here to be influenced by others. They are designed to act independently and to bring new things into the world. Their Strategy is to inform before they act. Why? Because their energy can be intense and impactful, and informing helps to reduce resistance from others. When Manifestors don’t inform, they often meet anger and pushback. But when they do, they can find peace and move through life with greater ease.

Human Design Reflector Type

Reflectors are the rarest Type, making up just over 1% of the population. They are the mirrors of society, here to reflect the health of their environment. Reflectors have a resistant and sampling aura, which means they take in and reflect back the energy around them. Their Strategy is to wait a full lunar cycle—about 28 days—before making major decisions. This allows them to experience the full range of influences and gain clarity. Reflectors are here to find surprise and avoid disappointment. When they follow their Strategy, they can live a life of wonder and delight.

What Strategy Really Means

Now, let’s talk about Strategy in more detail. Strategy is not a philosophy or a belief system—it’s a mechanical process. It’s about how your energy interacts with the world and how you can align with the flow of life. When you follow your Strategy, you reduce resistance and open yourself up to the possibilities that are correct for you. It’s like having a user’s manual for your life.

The Generator Strategy: To Respond

For Generators, the Strategy to respond is about tuning into their Sacral energy. Generators are not here to initiate—they are here to respond to life. This could be a conversation, an opportunity, or even a feeling in their body. When they respond, they activate their life force energy and align with their true path. It’s a process of trust and patience, of allowing life to come to them.

The Projector Strategy: To Wait for the Invitation

For Projectors, the Strategy to wait for the invitation is about recognition. Projectors are not here to do—they are here to guide. But their guidance is only effective when it’s invited and recognized. When Projectors wait for the right invitations, they can step into their role as leaders and advisors. It’s about quality, not quantity—waiting for the right opportunities rather than chasing after everything.

The Manifestor Strategy: To Inform

For Manifestors, the Strategy to inform is about creating harmony. Manifestors are powerful and independent, but their energy can be disruptive if they don’t communicate. By informing, they let others know what they’re doing and why, which reduces fear and resistance. It’s not about asking for permission—it’s about creating transparency and ease.

The Reflector Strategy: To Wait a Lunar Cycle

For Reflectors, the Strategy to wait a lunar cycle is about clarity. Reflectors are deeply influenced by their environment and the people around them. By waiting 28 days, they can see the bigger picture and make decisions that are aligned with their true nature. It’s a process of observation and reflection, of allowing time to reveal the truth.

The Power of Living Your Strategy

The beauty of Strategy is that it’s simple, yet profound. It’s not about trying to change who you are—it’s about aligning with who you are. It’s about trusting your Design and letting go of the need to control or force things. It’s about experimenting with your Strategy and seeing what happens. Human Design is not something to believe in—it’s something to live.

When you begin to follow your Strategy, you start to see the mechanics of your life. You start to notice where you’ve been conditioned to act in ways that are not true to you. You start to feel the difference between resistance and flow. It’s a process of deconditioning, of shedding the layers of who you think you should be and discovering who you truly are.

This process takes time. Human Design teaches that it takes about seven years to fully decondition and align with your Design. But even small steps can make a big difference. The more you experiment with your Strategy, the more you align with your true nature. And the more you align with your true nature, the more you discover your unique purpose and potential.

Beginning the Human Design Experiment

Type and Strategy are the foundation of Human Design, but they are just the beginning. Once you understand your Type and begin to experiment with your Strategy, you can explore other aspects of your Design, such as your Authority, your Centers, and your Profile. But it all starts here. It starts with understanding your Type and living your Strategy.

So, what’s your Type? What’s your Strategy? And are you ready to experiment? Because that’s what Human Design is all about—it’s an experiment. It’s a journey of self-discovery and self-empowerment. It’s about living your life as yourself, not as who you think you should be or who others want you to be. It’s about being you, unapologetically and authentically. And it all begins with Type and Strategy.