The Blueprint of You: A Beginner’s Guide to Human Design with Jen Allen

Welcome to the Real Life Momz podcast, where we put ourselves on the top of our to-do list. I'm Lisa Foster, your host, and today I'm here with fellow mom Jen Allen, and she is a human design consultant and is here to help us discover the world of human design. So, hi Jen.

Welcome to the show. Hi, Lisa. Thank you so much for having me. I am always thrilled to talk about human design, especially with other people who are excited about it. I am so excited about this topic because I have tried to figure it out and it is really overwhelming. I do the sites where you, you know, can put your name, your birthdate and things in, and you get this thing, and I don't even understand what the thing is.

But before we dive into the thing, I'm gonna have you just tell us what exactly is human design and why it actually can help us. Yeah. Well, human design [00:01:00] is like a map or a blueprint of your energy. It is your authentic energy. It shows you where you are consistent, what you are here to bring to the table.

And where you are not consistent, where you're taking in the energy of other people and are maybe trying to be someone else other than who you are. So it's a really powerful tool for self-awareness, self-acceptance, self-trust, and ultimately self-love, which I feel like. So many people are lacking all of those things because they don't really understand who they are and who they're here to be.

So they're kind of scrambling around trying to be like this person or that person, or just taking on what society told 'em they should do and how they should be. And then a lot of people are just walking around really unfulfilled and [00:02:00] frustrated and angry and bitter and disappointed with life. And so human design helps you really clearly see.

This is why you do what you do. This is why other people do what they do, and that's great. You don't have to be them. It's really a powerful decision making tool and helps you even though it's, it can be pretty mindy at first, especially as you're learning about yourself. You're can get up in your head of like, oh, this is why I do it.

This is who I am, right? Um, but ultimately the whole goal is to let your mind have that to chew on so you can come back to your body, because that's where you're meant to actually make decisions that are gonna keep you in alignment. Wow. Okay. So first of all, if I knew that there was a map to my life, like my energy, like where has this map been?

Geez. Right? Like everyone needs that map. It's crazy. But I have [00:03:00] seen the map and it's a bit confusing. Mm-hmm. So we are, we will dive into that. But my first question is why is it your, and maybe you know this or not, I don't know, but why is it your birthday, where you were born and like the time mm-hmm.

That makes up the map. Yeah. Well, human design is actually a more modern system. That is a synthesis of several other systems. So we've got the esoteric, so we've got astrology, the Hindu Braman Chakras, the Kabbalah Tree of Life, and the Chinese eing. So those are all wrapped up into the system, which is why you're seeing.

So much detail, so much nuance, so many layers to it. And in addition to that, we've got the esoteric systems of quantum physics and biochemistry and genetics and astronomy and how all of this is really, really how the world is mapped out. [00:04:00] And. So that's why it's based on your birth time, your birth location, and your birthdate, because that's going to tell you what was happening in the cosmos, the time you were born, and what your imprint is, your energetic imprint, which is what forms the map.

Okay. So someone who was born on my birthday in maybe the same place at the same time. Mm-hmm. That could happen. Mm-hmm. Right? Like the same Yes. That can happen. And this is, why would you have the same imprint? Yeah, you have the same imprint. If you, if you were born, well, even seconds apart, you can have a slightly different imprint.

'cause it goes really, really deep. There are actually over 2 billion different ways. That a chart can come together. And so yes, if you were born in the same hospital at the exact same moment as someone else, you're gonna have the same imprint. However, what you're not gonna have as you grow up [00:05:00] is the same conditioning.

You're not gonna have the same choices. You're not gonna have the same parents telling you, this is how you should be to survive and be successful in this world. And so with those differences, every single person. Is absolutely unique. Mm-hmm. Because there is this combination of the imprint and how you're working with the imprint.

Ah, how we're working with the imprint. Okay. That seems like the key, and now I understand why I didn't get it, and it was so complex because as you've described, like all the things that go into it, I was like quantum physics and like distr. I was like, well, no wonder I didn't get it. I consider myself a smart human being and I was like, whoa, this is way out of my league.

It's a lot. Okay, well I gave you those things for myself, right? Yeah. And you gave me this amazing. 35 page printout that I think I wanna [00:06:00] share on this podcast a little. Yeah. Because it has the map and the map itself. I don't fully understand and I think there's a lot of us that get really tangled in this.

So if we can pull it up, maybe you can share some of it. I am open to share whatever you want. Yeah. Of my imprint. I am putting that out there and I'm learning with you guys. So let's, let's take a look. So this is the document that before someone has a one-on-one session with me, I send them because I want you to read through it and get a sense, I used to actually walk through it.

Step-by-step, by step with people, but that actually is not how I am designed to work. And so, um, I'm here to really be pulled from. And so I, but I also want people to have the foundational information. So that they are on the same page. Because when you look up your human design online and you're getting information pulled from all these different places, you don't really know how [00:07:00] reliable the source is.

And it's really a, a holistic picture so you can start pulling together these pieces. Like I've given you a lot of the pieces of information and it's funny 'cause even in these 35 pages, it's really just the tip of the iceberg. But it's so much to take in. Um, and I don't expect. Anyone to take all of it in at one time.

It's something that you understand and kind of peel back the layers over time and just start witnessing. Does that resonate? Is this accurate? And you're playing with it, you're exploring it. It's not a finite truth because like I said, this is the imprint of your energy, the map. It's not who you are.

You are a human being in this world, but it can really give you a sense of why. Why you're coming up against what you're coming up against, or why you're so different than your child or your spouse, and helps you really understand each other on a deeper level. So what we're looking at is [00:08:00] your imprint.

That's your chart. We call it the human design body graph. Because if you look at it, it looks like a body. So you've got a head and you know, if you're looking down, it just looks like a body sitting there almost in like a lotus position. And so when I talk about how there's these different esoteric systems represented, what you can see on this map, are the, you can see the planets, and we also consider the north node and south node positions in your chart on the left side and the right side. The personality side is where things were in the cosmos, the day and moment you were born. Mm-hmm. That is what we call your personality or your mind. This is how you consciously probably feel about yourself.

Those things are probably more familiar. And then on the other side in red is your design or your body. And this is actually an imprint from about [00:09:00] three months before you were born. And these two things come together to create your body graph. So we've got these unconscious parts of you. And what's interesting is a lot of times the unconscious parts of you are what other people see in you.

That's things that people will say to you that you're like, what? That's like you don't resonate with it as much until somebody says it and you start having this self-reflected consciousness about it and you're like, mm-hmm. Oh, that's so interesting. I did do that. I never noticed that I did that before until they mentioned it and now I'm starting to see it.

So it's really fascinating because it does give you some clues into things that you otherwise. Weren't necessarily aware of. Now I'm seeing a lot of numbers in these. Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of numbers. Those numbers are actually linked to , the eing.

So the [00:10:00] 64 hexagrams of the eing, and each hexagram actually breaks down into six lines, so we get really finite. So that top number of 55.1. That is your conscious sun. That's actually one of the most prominent parts of your design because the sun is actually giving us the most energy when we're born. So you're imprinted with that.

It's gonna be far more prominent that the other ones, that they all play an important role. They play different roles depending on. What planet they are attached to and what line they're in. So yes, we've got 64 hexagrams which we call Gates in human design. And if you look at the body graph and you look at, I, we might be looking backwards, but if you look at the, to, to me, well, to me, when I'm looking at it, it's the bottom right.

Yes there that you, you went right to it. That's [00:11:00] the emotional solar plexus. And you can see almost just below your arrow there is a black line and that line at the end of it, it says 55. That's where that number shows up in the body graph chart. So it's like mapped to that. Okay, all of the numbers are always in the same spot.

It's just a matter of do you have it activated or not in your chart, and anything that's colored in and activated in your chart is a consistent energy that you have access to. Anything that's white or open, or we call it undefined, that's where you're taking in energy from others and also different transits because these planets are still there and things are still moving around.

Just like. Astrology when things are moving around, we're getting impacted by them. We feel a little off some days, and you notice when you're with different people, you [00:12:00] feel different. You feel different around them. Your, your energy is merging with their energy for that short amount of time. Nice.

Okay. So yeah, so almost like, it's funny 'cause I'm looking at these colors and I'm like, wow, there's nothing on my head. You know what? There's nothing on my head either. Okay. I was like, oh no. Is that okay? I dunno. Yes, apparently. I'm glad, glad you said that because a lot of people will look at the body graph and they will make judgements about it and that is totally natural because we are raised in a society that is looking at things and it's looking for more and less and comparing.

The beauty of human design is you're learning not to compare. You're learning only. To really appreciate who you are and appreciate who other people are because we all, if we were all doing what we were here to do and being who we're here to be and letting other people do the same, like society would be incredible.

'cause we wouldn't be stepping all over each other and not using our gifts and talents. [00:13:00] We would be letting other people shine in their way. But where you are undefined is where you're wise or learning to become wise in these energies 'cause you don't have them consistently in you. So with the undefined, those top two centers, undefined, that's your head and your ajna.

You're here to take in inspiration from others. You're here to see what truly is inspirational. What's worth spending your mental energy on and what's not. And then with that sounds like me too. Yeah. Yeah. And, and it can be with the undefined head and the undefined ana, it can be really good to take breaks from taking in information.

Mm-hmm. Because you can easily get into information overwhelm and overload because you're trying to figure out like, what is the thing that's gonna inspire me now? What's the, what's the thing that's important for me to think about? Because it's just, it's coming from outside of you and you're amplifying that.

So like you find yourself, you [00:14:00] know, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling or reading. I read a lot of books at the same time. Reading too many books at once. And you sometimes you just need to put it down and get out of a space where you're taking in things because really your mental state naturally is quite calm.

It's very like chill. Except for, it's often like, I need inspiration from somewhere. I need it from somewhere. And so you're seeking it. So recognizing it's about that, recognizing when you've got these shoulds. And like how that's making you feel. It's really taking a step back, how do I feel when I'm taking in too much information?

And honoring that. Not every question is yours to answer. You don't need to be the one who's inspiring everyone. You're here to recognize who's inspiring and share that. And, um, the other center below that, the Ajna Center, very, um, similar because it's also, it's up here in the, in the mind and it's about [00:15:00] forming opinions and having ideas and having realizations and insights and answers and being really.

Process oriented and having a, a specific way that your brain works well. If it's undefined, you're here to take in from other people and see like how does their process work? How are they structuring things? What are their ideas? What are their opinions? And it's taking in and being able to see both sides.

And feel it. Sometimes with that undefined ana, it can feel like, oh my gosh, I don't have a leg to stand on. I don't have a dog. In the spite I don't have an opinion on this. Um, I should have an opinion on this. I should have something to say about this, but I'm not certain because I can see that side and I can see that side.

I don't wanna say the wrong thing, but I want people to think I'm smart. And smart people have an opinion and they know what they're talking about. That's not what this is about. With the undefined ajna, [00:16:00] you're here to be fluid and to change your mind and to take in more information and to build upon that and to understand why certain people see things a certain way, and when you're with them, you're likely to see it more their way, and then you're with the next person, you can see it their way.

I totally get that. Honestly. I see why I am open there. That is exactly me. So that was cool to see. Now I'm gonna scroll down a little bit because now I know that you kind of get put in a category. Is it that you can tell me what the real name is? Yeah. But this emotional manifesting generator, I know that you get put into one of these.

Groups. What is, what is that about? Yeah. What is the classification? Yes, yes. There's so many different terms in human design and there's so many different categories, which is really funny to have a whole bunch of categories for something that's saying you're totally unique but you do need words and information to help you understand.

The different parts of who you are. Um, [00:17:00] manifesting generators often really don't like being put in boxes, so it's like, no, I'm all these things. Um, and that means you're a manifesting generator. So yes, so we actually have, in human design, we have four different auras and five, some people will say four different types or five different types.

Now. The generator type is one of the four types. The manifesting generator type is debatable. It, I think it's a fifth type because there are such differences between a generator and manifesting generator and how the energy works because manifesting generators are faster, they're multitasking, they're not really doing.

They're not here to do one thing at a time and build on it as steadily as [00:18:00] generators. And also I'm a manifesting generator. So listen, I knew, I knew that I loved you five times in my book We talk, but I always bring it back to. You're a generator first, because of how the energy works, it's really important because there is a type called a manifester.

There is a projector and a reflector. So really we have manifester, projector, reflector, generator, and it's all about how your energy works and how people feel your aura and. Your strategy for how to have opportunities come to you and start recognizing when your energy is aligned and when it's not. And so as a manifesting generator, you're really working with the generator strategy.

But I do like to give some caveats because it is slightly different. Yeah. Okay. Now this is so great, but like, how do people start playing [00:19:00] with their human design? Yeah. You said you, you know, play with it earlier. And I'm like, so how do you play with it? How do you play with, well, you start learning first about what we were talking about, about your type, and the strategy of your type is a good way to start playing with it, especially as a manifesting generator, I would say. Because the strategy is really to wait to respond to life. And I will tell you one of the hardest things to do for most people is to wait. And most people, their strategy is to slow.

Down and start paying attention to what is happening around them. And so for our generators and manifesting generators, which are a large amount of the population we're here, like with the energy to sustain our work, as long as we are excited by it and build things like [00:20:00] it's really important for us to make sure that we're putting this big energy that we have into the right things.

So we're waiting to actually respond to life instead of what our brain is saying, you should do this, you should do this, you should do this. That's really what it's about, is starting to understand and having a different relationship with the mind and recognizing the information that's coming from our body.

So that's one of the first things to play with is. We call it your strategy. So for a generator or manifesting generator, start paying attention to when you're initiating things and trying to force things to happen because your mind thinks you should be doing it. Anytime you hear should in your brain or it come outta your mouth, that's a good moment to pause and check in with your body and feel if you actually have the energy to sustain what you're about to do.

So that's a good place to start. And then also your [00:21:00] authority is the next, which is how you're meant to make decisions. Oh, okay. Okay. But just checking in with our body mm-hmm. When you check in with your body mm-hmm. What are we feeling for? Well, that's a great question. And it depends on your chart.

Mm-hmm. That, that map Yes. Depends on that map. Mm-hmm. Um, because most of the people probably listening, a lot of people are probably generators, are manifesting generators. The first thing to pay attention to. Is gonna be your gut response. Mm-hmm. You're truly here to listen to your gut. And your gut is going to be like, when you have that feeling, that's kind of expansiveness when somebody gives you an option and you're like a yes and you feel the energy kind of well up, and you lean in and sometimes you go, Uhhuh, yeah, I wanna do that.

Or they ask you and you very quickly will feel like, oh. No, and kind of a [00:22:00] pulling back or a clenching in your gut. Often what happens for most people is it's a very quick moment between that and then your brain saying, oh, but, so it's really this interception of paying attention to the sensations in your body and what is it telling me if you're feeling pulled back or pulled in or clenched up?

You don't have the energy for what you're about to commit to. And that's fine. You can always push it. You can. And see that's the play part. Mm-hmm. The play part is let's you know, f around and find out like, okay, so my body told me not to say yes to that, but I feel like I should. And so I'm going to then reflect back.

How did that turn out? How did that turn out for you? Was it everything that you anticipated it would be? Were your expectations met? So that's a really good place to [00:23:00] start and other people have different sensations depending on, on their body graft. But I would say most people are here to start by listening to their gut.

And then the other piece is about 50% of the population is emotionally defined. So when it says you're a one three emotional manifesting generator mm-hmm. It also means you're going to be paying attention to where you are emotionally. In addition to that, so you might have a gut response that's a yes right now, but it's also, are you emotionally feeling really excited?

Are you emotionally up? Because when you're emotionally up, you're gonna say yes to a lot of things that you ultimately don't have the energy for. So even if it's a gut response, as an emotional person, we encourage you to sleep on it. And depending on how big the decision is, if it's, anything that's gonna be time, money, energy of a big portion.

You get to decide like what that is. 'cause you can play with it in the smaller realms too. [00:24:00] Sleep on it and see how you feel about it the next day and the next day if possible. Because where you are emotionally is gonna drive that same thing. If you're feeling emotionally low, it's gonna be like, I don't wanna do anything.

No, absolutely not. The next day you might have been like, why did I say no to that opportunity? I was just in a bad mood. I was just feeling, really dejected or, you know, sad or melancholic and. You know, the world was colored black yesterday, and why did I say no? Now I feel good. I feel even keel.

Like I feel clarity. I would, yeah, I would've actually liked to do that. So yeah, there's a, a lot of different elements to start paying attention to and playing with even at, even with this very. High level, basic foundational information. Yeah. I mean, that makes so much sense. I'm like, totally like, yeah, I, I do feel that exactly what you say.

Mm-hmm. And. I should sleep on it. But, so when I do sleep on it, actually sometimes I'm like, okay, wait, I, I need to [00:25:00] just put this down and then I wake up the next, sometimes you never come back to it. Yeah. Or the next morning I'm like, oh, awesome. I know what I should do, you know, and I'll, I'll do it.

So I love that. Yeah. Now I like, uh, email, emailing yourself links before you buy something. Yes. You know? 'cause they try and get you on, on these platforms where they try and get you real quick. It's, I just send myself links if I'm thinking about buying something. And I will say probably 90% of the time I don't end up buying it.

Buying it. Yeah, exactly. I like that. Now, does seasons and the change like spring, summer, fall, affect everything? 'cause you said it's like planets and stuff coming in. Mm-hmm. So does that change some of what we feel? So not in a seasonal way. The, when you look at how those numbers move through the cosmos mm-hmm.

Those do [00:26:00] the different planets do pass through those gates regularly. Mm-hmm. All year long. So depending on what your chart looks like and where the planets are, you can. Have different activations that are happening sometimes for a short period of time, sometimes for a long period of time. And so you might notice that you are feeling a certain way for a few days this month, and then it's like next week that whatever that was seems to go away.

What is today? I haven't looked. I think we're still, yeah, we're still, the sun right now is really interesting because in the fall equinox or the autumn equinox, the sun is in gate 46 and the gate, and gate 46 is this kind of serendipitous energy and this wanting to have like experiences in your [00:27:00] body.

It can be very like, this is a time of year where people might find they want to use their body in a healthier way. It's about the love of the body. Um, the other side of that can be people. Starting to think about their body more closely. Maybe they're not happy with how their body looks and then that can drive them to like wanting to work out.

Um, I have a friend, actually I have two friends who have Gate 46 prominently in their charts, and they are both fitness coaches. Hmm. And it's just really interesting to see. So that kind of transit can happen because the sun, especially as I said, the sun brings the more powerful energies passes through each gate, every about 5.7 days.

And so, yeah, you can just feel it. And you know, some people really like tracking it and seeing like, how do I feel, you know, this week or today? And again, it will depend on your chart and what it's hooking up to or [00:28:00] not how much you would feel it compared to someone else. Yeah. So interesting.

All right, well, you have so much information. What is one thing that the listeners can maybe start doing today? I would say look up your chart. There's a lot of free software out there and some will give you information and again, read through it, see how you feel. That's why I provide so much information in my forms because it's a lot and kind of when you're piecemealing it, it can be hard to.

To understand. But yeah, there's certainly some great software out there that I think it's my human design is a good one that will at least start telling you some of these bits and pieces. It will even tell you what I believe that one will tell you some information about your ideal environment.

Mm-hmm. And, there's like, [00:29:00] 'cause it gets really, really in depth and you can start playing with that too. But it doesn't go as far in detail as I would like. But yeah, look up your chart, see what it looks like. Start recognizing that wherever it's white or open, that doesn't mean you're less than.

It just means that's where you're open and taking in energy and becoming wise, and those places that are colored in, those are your natural gifts and talents and that's what you're bringing to the world. And so I always encourage, look up your chart. I know it can be overwhelming and don't feel like you have to know it all.

Yeah, don't feel like, because like I said, you can just, a lot of you probably look it up and go, oh, I'm an emotional generator, or I'm an emotional manifesting generator, and you've already, from this episode, got a few key pointers on how to work with that energy. Yeah. And if they didn't, where can the listeners find you and what do [00:30:00] you offer?

Yeah, so I've got a couple of different places they can find me. Um, my website right now really is my substack, so it's jen allen human design.com. And I talk about each month the energy that the sun is passing through, and it's a good way to learn about the different gates and what that energy. Looks like in your chart.

Um, and also there's some other links for how to find me on Instagram or Facebook. I'm more more on Instagram. And then I have, if you did wanna book with me to dig into the chart and start understanding what the nuances of it are. It's my. My sessions are at nurture Your Nature hd.com, and I do offer it's session packages.

So there's, you would get that document like we just saw for you that was for you, 35 [00:31:00] pages. Some people. Or even longer. It just depends on what's going on in their chart. And so you would get that initially to, to start having an understanding of that. And then it's three sessions, so it's a package of three sessions at a time.

You can always book three more if you want, but because it's a lot of information, I like to go through what we can get through so you can really take it in and then step away. And, you know, use it practically for a week or so and then come back and ask me any questions. What's really fun is, um, I also can look at your kids' charts, your spouse's charts.

We can look at your charts together. So once people start understanding their energy, a lot of times they're like, okay, so this is who I am. Now why is my kid doing this? Because I thought they, that they were supposed to be just like me 'cause they're my kid. It's like having a blueprint for your baby.

It's amazing. Mm-hmm. Um, and so it's powerful, powerful for relationships and compassion when it comes [00:32:00] to understanding each other. So yeah. So those are two places to find me if you are in Colorado. I am actually in Broomfield, Colorado, so in between Boulder and Denver. And I'm gonna be having an intro to human design event here in Broomfield on October 12th where you can get some questions answered.

And I'm going to go through the four slash five energy type. In detail, in depth so that you have an understanding of what each of those looks like. And we're gonna talk about what that looks like if it's a child, like if your child is this energy type, because you very likely will have a child who's a different energy type than you.

And so understanding why. Their energy doesn't seem to work like yours and how to work with them can be really powerful and empowering to both of you. So that I'm gonna be doing on [00:33:00] October 12th. That's awesome. And I, I love that you do almost the whole family 'cause you're so right. It's, it can be different and then it's easier to understand each other.

So that's so great. So thank you. And thank you so much for coming on the show and making some sense of human design. It is complicated. There is so much. Mm-hmm. But I, I definitely think you gave so much value today. So thank you so much. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this episode. If you wanna learn more about Jen and everything that she offers, just click on the link in the show notes. And if you've been listening to this episode and really wanna see those charts,

just visit real life momz.com and watch this episode there so you can see all the tools that we talked about today. And until next week, keep carving out time for yourself and keep putting yourself on top of your to-do list. I.