3 awesome Human Design books (for different levels + needs!)

If there’s one question I’ve noticed people ask me over and over again – whether they’re brand new to Human Design or they want to dive deeper – it’s this:

“What books should I get?”

Which I totally understand, because while there is a ton of great HD content out there, it’s hard to know where to start… mostly because no one tells you. But some of the resources are much better for beginners, some are better for going more in-depth, some are better for specific topics, etc.

So here are the 3 books I always recommend!

(note – I put these in the order I think you should buy + read them.)

BEST FOR BEGINNERS –  Understanding Human Design: The New Science of Astrology: Discover Who You Really Are by Karen Curry Parker.

Super user-friendly, and has almost everything you need as a resource to understand your (or someone else’s!) design. This is a really good one for learning the more basic, functional side of Human Design, i.e. what your design means in the “real world” and how to use it in the day to day.

Karen studied under Ra Uru Hu, the founder of Human Design, and she’s a very worthwhile person to learn from. She makes all the most important aspects of a Human Design chart – like energy type, authority, the energy centers, and the 6 profile lines – really understandable. 

She also has a complete list of the gates + channels, along with some info about circuitry, which is one of the most common things people ask me about. Although those are a little bit esoteric, I think they’re still helpful.

BEST FOR INCARNATION CROSSES – The Book of Destinies: Discover the Life You Were Born to Live by Chetan Parkyn.

“WHAT DOES MY INCARNATION CROSS MEAN??? PLS?? HELP ME!!!!” is a question I get a lot, because the IC’s tend to be really difficult to understand/get information on. 

I think this book is a godsend. Each of the 192 crosses are included; and Chetan does a really good job of not just giving more grounded, in-depth descriptions, but also giving you some context as to why your incarnation cross has the theme it does.

BEST FOR DEEP, TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING – Human Design: The Definitive Book of Human Design, The Science of Differentiation by Ra Uru Hu and Linda Bunnell.

If you’re someone for whom it’s really important you know all the foundational, fundamental, and technical parts of Human Design, this is for you.

Unlike the others, this is an actual textbook – and when it says “definitive,” it’s not lying. Written by both Ra and the dean of the International Human Design School, it’s very in-depth. It’s fantastic for people who already know the basic idea of Human Design are ready to dive deeper into the “why” of Human Design, and it covers all the energetic, mechanical background for HD that often isn’t covered in beginning books (or any other book, really).

It’s amazing, but because it’s so technical, it is NOT where I recommend you start – otherwise you’re going to get confused and probably discouraged – but once you understand the system on a more every-day level, this is the macdaddy for getting a true grasp of HD.

What about you? Do you have any HD books you love? Tell me!

Love + joy,

Ariana

P.S. If you’re BRAND new to HD, I actually always first direct people to my *totally free* free, in-depth HD101 guide here where I give away a ton of crucial HD info (in both written AND podcast form!). 

It covers both the basics + some more advanced stuff, puts things into really accessible language, and it’s helped a lot of people finally understand their chart. 

You could probably give yourself a little mini reading with this info alone!