In Human Design, there are a few places we can look to figure out what (and how) you’re meant to share.

In this article, we’ll talk about the main spots to check out – and how you can figure out what yours, specifically, mean for you.

YOUR THROAT CENTER

In Human Design, the throat center is about expression, whether that’s communication or taking action (manifestation).

It is basically an outlet for whatever energy it picks up on – whether it’s from another one of your energy centers, or from an external source.

So while your throat center does show you “what” you’re here to share, it’s really more about what kind of energy you’re here to share, how you’ll do it, and how often you can expect yourself to.

Defined Throat Center

If you have a defined throat center, you will have a very consistent way of speaking and expressing yourself.

This essentially means that you’re basically going to have the same “voice” for your entire life. That doesn’t mean your voice never develops or evolves. However, the defined throat center is just like any other defined energy center: the way it processes and shows up with energy is definite. It’s locked in. So it’s going to show up in quite predictable ways for the rest of your days.

Also, how you speak/what you speak about won’t really change depending on who you’re around. It’s not that you can’t adjust your voice to your audience, but it’s not going to be as natural as it would be for someone with an undefined throat center… because it’s not meant to. The defined throat center already has its own energy that it’s here to express, so it has a buffer against external energy which the undefined throat center would pick up on (whether it wants to or not). You’re here to speak with YOUR distinctive voice, baby. Own it!

You can easily know what you’re here to use your voice for by looking at (1) energy centers your throat center is connected to, and (2) by which channels.

However, like I said before, it’s not exactly a topic – it’s more like the type of energy you’re going to be sharing.

Here are some examples:

First, we have my friend Nico.

Nico’s throat center is connected to his mind, AKA ajna, center via Channel 43-23 (“Structuring”).

The mind center represents certainty, answers, concepts, opinions, world views, to name a few. This means that he’s literally here to speak his mind! And trust me, he does.

Specifically, he’s here to speak through the themes of Channel 43-23, which is all about sharing new, weird, possibly groundbreaking insights that arrive spontaneously.

The insights that come to these people are often pretty… out there, so depending on the audience, he can either sound like an alien freak, or a total genius. It’s actually nicknamed the Freak Genius channel! The keynote for this channel is “I Know,” meaning when he says something, it’s with the certainty that he knows what he’s saying is so. It’s not an “I believe, I think, ehhh perhaps.” It’s pure knowing.

Second, my friend McKenna.

McKenna has her throat center connected to two centers: her emotional solar plexus, via Channel 22-12, and her ego/heart center, via Channel 21-45.

This means she’s here to talk about how she’s feeling emotionally, and what she wants (what she’s driven and motivated to get).

Her throat is connected to her solar plexus through Channel 22-12 (“Openness”), which is known for being emotionally open, compassionate, charming, artistic, and possibly a little dramatic. These people can be quite captivating when they speak. They’re also great at sharing emotion as a way to connect with others and make others feel understood. This fits her perfectly in her career as a professional therapist!

Her throat is connected to her ego center through Channel 21-45 (“Money”), which is about directing others. She’s essentially here to tell the group what to do so that she, and everyone else, can get what they want.

Undefined Throat Center

If you have an undefined throat center, you will have an inconsistent way of speaking/expressing yourself.

This is because the undefined throat center picks up, amplifies, and exhibits the external “voice” energy around it at any given time. When the energy around the undefined throat center changes, so does the way the undefined throat center expresses itself.

I know this sounds like you don’t have your own voice – but trust me, that’s not true. You absolutely have your own voice. It’s simply that the way you share your voice is going to change a lot throughout your life.

Something good to note is that some of the most powerful singers and speakers in the world have undefined throat centers. You’ll just notice that their voices or expressions vary throughout the different eras of their lives. Cher, Taylor Swift, Aretha Franklin all have undefined throat centers.

You also don’t need to expect yourself to have something to talk about all the time (or expect yourself to talk about it in the same way). If you have this in your chart, it’s because your throat center isn’t connected to another center. So unless there’s something “hooking it up” to a center temporarily (a transit or another person’s energy) you may just not have anything to say.

When I first started in content creation, I would freak out if I didn’t have something to post or send an email about… but since I have an undefined throat center, that’s really OK! I don’t need to share until I actually have something to share.

HOWEVER! You can still get clues as to how you’ll be sharing by looking at the gates coming out of your throat center.

These gates are called dormant potentials, and get activated by external sources of energy.

Even though these gates won’t be active all the time like they would be in an undefined throat center, they will be active at many times in your life. That’s because there will be many times when you will receive this energy from some external source.

So while they will not show up consistently, they will show up predictably.

For example:

I have an undefined throat center, but I have Gate 56 defined within it.

Gate 56 (“Stimulation”) is all about metaphors, stories, distractions, and lightness/levity, among other things. Unsurprisingly, I share a lot of stories. I also explain things through story (or examples, or hypothetical, fantasy situations). I tend to speak metaphorically, which means that I can struggle to communicate with people who take everything literally; however, I have a gift for helping others “get” a concept when it’s been difficult for them to understand it through dry facts. In fact, when people like to learn from me, that’s usually why.

This energy is technically only “on” for me when a transit, or someone else’s aura, provides me with the energy of the defined throat center. However, when I do get that energy, the way I’ll express it will be through the energy of Gate 56!

Side note – With Gate 56, I also love to add little jokes to lighten the mood and make what you’re learning more engaging. I’m the kind of person who could totally just add the word “butthole” to this article because I think it’s funny.

(Butthole).

Unconscious Throat Center Gates and Channels

One thing to note:

If any gate, channel(s), or part of a channel coming out of your throat center is unconscious (which will usually be shown in red), you may not realize that you talk/speak/express yourself this way.

That’s because it’s, well, unconscious.

The thing with unconscious gates and channels, though, is that while YOU don’t see yourself this way, the people around you are quite likely to see it.

A good example of this is the founder of Human Design, Alan Robert Krakower, AKA Ra Uru Hu. Like Nico, he had Channel 43-23, but it was entirely unconscious for him. He often didn’t really realize that he was having or sharing his freak-genius downloads until he encountered peoples’ responses.

YOUR MERCURY GATES

The next thing we’ll look at is your mercury gates – which, like in astrology, represent what you are meant to express and communicate. It also represents your mind, so it might be something you think about or focus on a lot.

They give you a little extra on the “how” as well.

Conscious (personality) Mercury

Your conscious mercury gate is the main theme you’re here to talk about, and will notice yourself talking about. In Gene Keys, it’s fittingly labeled as your “Relating” sphere.

For example, I have my conscious mercury placement in Gate 18 (“Correction”).

Gate 18 easily identifies and points out what’s wrong, or what isn’t working – i.e., what needs correcting. It can lean towards perfectionism, and sometimes be annoyingly exacting, but it does this for a reason: so that we have systems, processes, organizations and “ways of doing things” that serve us all in the best way possible. It’s also about challenging (and fearing) authority, because when you challenge a system, you challenge the powers that keep it in place.

I can 1000% see how this shows up in my life!

First off, I teach Human Design, which is all about challenging external authority by living as your own authority.

Second, I am very focused on being as accurate and exacting as possible in how I speak. In Gene Keys, the gift of Gate 18 is “Integrity” – and staying in integrity with the truth is very, very important to me.

Third, I do have a fear that the “authorities” are going to attack me and tell me I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. Even though I try to be as correct as possible with what I share, the way I teach Human Design is still a little controversial, because I openly disagree with some of the traditional approaches to this system. I challenge it. I don’t teach and share this stuff in exactly the same way as the old guard. I’ve seen Human Design hardliners discredit, knock down, and attack people like myself. As a result, I’ve felt a lot of pressure to get everything absolutely right, to protect myself from someone saying, “Don’t listen to this idiot. She’s here to lead you astray.” Luckily, I’ve done a lot of work on that fear, and it’s definitely getting better.

Lastly, since I was a little kid, I’ve always sounded like I’m challenging authority. It was not well received by the lady who ran my daycare center. Get over it, Diane.

Unconscious (design) Mercury

Because you have two sets of planetary placements in your Human Design chart – one from your birth time, and one from approximately 3 months before your birth time – you also have another mercury gate.

Your unconscious mercury gate is what you talk about or express, but probably without realizing. Human Design teacher Eden Carpenter calls it the energy behind what you’re saying.

My unconscious mercury is in Gate 53 (“Starting Things”).

This gate is about… well, exactly what it sounds like it’s about. However, it’s also all about freedom and expansion.

It’s funny, because it wasn’t until I really thought about my mercury gates that I realized how accurate this is.

While I speak (and think) a lot about challenging norms, and the authorities that come with them, my message with Just Follow Joy is one of personal expansion and freedom. By helping people see that certain systems, norms, and authorities just aren’t serving them, I help them claim themselves as the authority in their lives. That’s the real reason for, and the true energy behind, what I say and teach. I want to help people find freedom, growth, and expansion into their highest selves by breaking down systems that are holding them back from doing that.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC THROAT CENTER, MERCURY GATES, AND MORE

The Just Follow Joy library has courses, videos, guides, and bundles to help you understand any part of your Human Design chart, on demand! Check it out

What You’re Here to Talk About (According to Your Human Design Chart!)