Quarters and Godheads of the Human Design Mandala
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Discover Your Human Design System Godhead
within the Rave Mandala
Human Design System Article by Laveena Archers
Laveena Archers, Human Design System Teacher
Would you like to take a moment to be inspired by the breathtaking beauty of the Human Design System Hexagrams that is the Rave Mandala? And in the process, discover the thematic of your personal Life Purpose fulfillment?
If you haven't yet had a guided tour of the hexagrams and how we divide the wheel, it's a lot of fun to do! Let’s take a preliminary exploration together. First I'll demonstrate my personal discovery, guide you through the structure of the wheel, then invite you to find your Godhead, okay?
I remember what is still a wondrous moment in my decade+ of contemplating Human Design's Rave Mandala. It came during a class with Alokanand Diaz Del Rio, when he explained how, when you are not awake or aware, you are conditioned to live out the dead myth of your Godhead.
My Godhead is called Kali. She is known as the Destroyer of false Devotion. Kali is the goddess of time and brings the death of the ego, the illusory self-centered view of reality that, should you have a personal perspective like myself, you may be deeply identified with. I certainly was.
Gate 30 is also known as the Gate of Desire.
My Personality Sun is in gate 30 "Clinging Fire" The Gate of Feeling "Freedom recognized as an illusion and limitation accepted as a fate." Ra Uru Hu
Kali's homogenized image of a destructive force was no stranger in my life. Before Human Design's virus took hold and gave me some semblance of patience, my emotional nature was so volatile and uncontrollable that I regularly (at least monthly) lashed out when my feelings reached a boiling point. Pity the poor person who happened to be standing nearby! Spontaneous emotional decision-making left a trail of physical and emotional destruction in my wake. From physical items to relationships, the bitterness of false promises and broken dreams weighed me down to the point of suicidal ideation during low waves from all the not-self suffering and "poor me, why me" of my Martyr mind.
My conscious process in this life is fueled by the desire to imagine a new experience, and the Channel of Recognition, with its focused energy to recognize feelings, is my way of consciously witnessing the wild ride of this life's journey.
I share an energy that is contagious and through meeting the Fates regularly, my mind is here to learn to discern truly what doesn't work and universalize it for the benefit of others. This is how I fulfill my Life's Purpose as an "Innocent Instrument of Fate who can step in and Change the Fate of others through Experience, Discovery and Learning" as a Cross of Contagion 1. The one stands for the Quarter of Initiation, which is the first Quarter in the Wheel.
“True angels/godheads (as "frequencies of awareness") are technically all androgynous to some degree. Even when we see all Yang (unbroken) or Yin (broken) lines in a hexagram, every binary must ultimately bow to the union of opposites, which is why the first (all yang) and second (all yin) hexagrams split the wheel as a polarity.” Elad Sky
"We didn't invent these forces. We are genetically imprinted by them... " Ra Uru Hu
Let's see if I can help you to grasp the hexagram wheel structure and begin to understand what it says about the theme of your fulfillment in life.
I'd like to draw your attention to the outer ring of the wheel, to the 64 hexagrams. Look to the top right, and you will find hexagram 1 (right above the blue M looking Astrological symbol for Scorpio in the image below).
Notice there are six solid lines—six Yang lines. Now, let your eyes follow the movement of the hexagrams counterclockwise halfway around the wheel until you reach Hexagram 2.
The Rave Mandala
Notice the Hexagram "chops"—six yin lines, a precise polarity of Gate 1’s six Yang lines. Did you keep an eye on the bottom or 1st line as you moved around the wheel? If not take a glance now. Come back to Gate 2, and continue your counterclockwise discovery of the movement of the Hexagram chops as you reach 1 again.
Did you notice in the first half of your visual journey that the foundation of all the hexagrams was Yang (solid lines)?
And in the second half, their foundation was all Yin (broken lines)?
You just discovered how the wheel is divided in half, a basic polarity of the mandala structure.
You may also have noticed that the polarity pattern of Gates 1 and 2 continues. The perfect opposition in the wheel is maintained throughout the entire Rave Mandala. If you are familiar with the G Center gates from taking a Living Your Design Program or your personal studies, you know that the G Center is home to two critical Incarnation Crosses. These crosses are the Sphinx (direction gates, which Hexagrams 1 and 2 are part of) and the Vessel of Love (our transcendent love gates). Here are the eight gates representing the eight houses of the I-Ching, dividing the 64 hexagrams of the wheel into eight equal portions.
Human Design System Rave I-Ching Gates 1 and 2
When we activate the gates of these two crosses, we see their arms symmetrically reaching out to the borders of the Rave Mandala. This is the G Center (see image below with all the gates colored in to show their position in the Human Design Mandala). The G Center's physiology is the Liver and blood. It delineates the function of our physical Identity, our sense of Direction in life and our experience of Transcendent Love.
Our G Center molds or defines our identity within the pattern of the totality, giving us our place within it and our connection to it. Gate 2 is the location of the Magnetic Monopole, which holds the Personality and Design Crystal together in the illusion of separation from the totality. Your G Center is the home of your Higher Self.
We can divide the 64 gates of the wheel not only into half and eighths as we have seen but into quarters (as well as 16ths, which is where we discover the archetypal themes of the Godhead).
Each Quarter of the wheel is determined by grouping the hexagrams according to their foundations.
In thinking of each of us as a cell in a larger organism, you gain a sense of how we are all here to fulfill a unique role, a unique purpose, working together correctly. Your purpose is revealed through your Incarnation Cross; your costume described by your profile lines of those four gates. The theme of your incarnation cross comes from the Quarter where your Personality (Conscious) Sun shines.
Crosses of the Vessel of Love and the Sphinx
Each of the Sphinx gates (1, 2, 7, 13) in the wheel set the foundation for the 16 hexagrams in the Quarter. Every Quarter ends with a gate of the Cross of the Four Ways (24, 33, 44, 19)—these are the doors that close each Quarter. Midway between each Sphinx and Four Ways is a Transcendent Love gate which set the frequency of how we are empowered to be love through sharing our being with others within that Quarter.
Image via Human Design Canada
So in keeping with my personal example, in the quarter of Initiation, we have purpose fulfilled through the Mind.
This Quarter begins with Gate 13, giving us our shared experiential direction as humans, through the role of listening to the secrets of the past.
13 The Fellowship of Man - The Gate of the Listener
Universal ideas and values in an ordered framework which inspires humanistic cooperation.
The Quarter of Initiation's Transcendent love is shown by Gate 25, giving us our way of being empowered in the universe, innocently, unconditionally loving through others that great unknowable force that we are all a part of.
25 Innocence - The Gate of the Spirit of the Self
The perfection of action through uncontrived and spontaneous nature.
The Quarter of Initiation is closed through Gate 24, the first mutative, empowering Way., designed to take the pressure of wanting to understand the Mysteries of life and help us conceptualize and know them. Is it possible to know the unknowable?
24 Return, The Gate of Rationalization
The natural and spontaneous process of transformation and renewal.
The Rave Mandala: Quarter by Quarter
Every hexagram in a Quarter shares the same bottom two hexagram chops—in other words, all hexagrams in a Quarter have the same first two lines. This foundation determines the thematic that links the hexagrams in a Quarter together and shows us the theme of how our conscious purpose in this life is meant to be fulfilled.
Here are the foundation hexagram chops establishing the foundation of each Quarter:
The Four Quarters
YANG/YIN
In the Quarter of Initiation (Gates 13-24), we have the theme of Purpose fulfilled through Mind. The foundation here is set by the Gate of the Listener, “the Fellowship of Man”—Yang (spirit) pushing upward into Yin (form). When we activate all the gates of this Quarter we see that the only definition in the bodygraph would be the Channel of Initiation. Those whose Personality Sun is in the Quarter of Initiation are here to wake up first. They are initiated through the development of Mind, and, in turn, initiate others according to the nature of their particular Cross and Profile.
YIN/YIN
In the Quarter of Civilization (Gates 2-33), we have the theme of Purpose fulfilled through Form—through manifesting. The foundation here is set by the most Yin hexagram of all, the Gate of the Direction of the Self, “the Receptive”—therefore it is Yin over Yin. When we activate all the gates of this Quarter we see that there would be no definition in the bodygraph and that all 11 Throat gates are present. This is the world of manifestation, where mind is concretized into form.
YIN/YANG
In the Quarter of Duality (Gates 7-44), we have the theme of Purpose fulfilled through Bonding. The foundation here is set by the Gate of the Role of the Self in Interaction, “the Army”—the Yin/Yang. When we activate all of the gates in this Quarter we see that this forms three channels bringing definition to the bodygraph, creating the only pure emotional Generator through the Channel of Mating, along with the Channel of Discovery and the Channel of Abstraction. This is the world of fertility and bonding—your relationships with others.
YANG/YANG
In the Quarter of Mutation (Gates 1-19), we have the theme of Purpose fulfilled through Transformation. The foundation here is set by the Gate of the Expression of the Self “the Creative”—of course, Yang/Yang. When we activate all the gates in this Quarter we have only one definition, the pure Generator with the Channel of Exploration. This is the world where anything can happen—it’s about the process of living (like the rest of the wheel is) but here it is also about the process of transformation and accepting death.
Now that you have discovered the Quarters, it’s time to break them down into the 16 Faces of the “Godhead”. There are four Faces per Quarter—four distinct nuances of each Godhead. These names put a face to the thematics shaping humanity. There have been many names for these faces in different cultures over the eons. The 16 archetypal themes inherited from our 7-Centered ancestors impart their qualities to the four respective gates within each Godhead. Note every Godhead’s hexagrams share the same first four lines.
The 16 Faces of the Godhead - Free Introduction by Ra Uru Hu
Quarter by Quarter is a Human Design home-study program created by Ra Uru Hu. In contemplating the mandala, Ra noticed that the mandala structure was evenly split into 16 archetypal themes that he labeled the Godheads - each Godhead’s four gates are very closely biologically related to each other.
Filled with history and stories, this program enriches your understanding of Gates from the broader perspective of their relationships to the Quarter and Godhead they belong to, as well as their relationship to each other. Ra takes you on a journey through the wheel in a logical progression beginning with the Quarter of Initiation.
Click here to download to the introductory audio to this program, the first whole lecture, absolutely free. Or you can play it right now (but there are illustrations in the download).
What's Your Human Design Godhead?
Below, look for the gate of your Personality Sun to find your Godhead and its theme. This archetype is what keeps you from recognizing how deeply conditioned your perceptions are about your life. Where you can get into trouble is taking the conditioning to its distortion and thinking that your Godhead is THE God.
Human Design Mandala Quarter of Initiation - purpose fulfilled through mind
Click image to read more about the Quarter of Initiation
Kali—The Destroyer of False Devotion Gates: 13-The Listener, 49-Principles, 30-Feelings, 55-Spirit
Mitra—The Evolution of Consciousness Gates: 37-Friendship, 63-Doubt, 22-Openness, 36-Crisis
Michael—The Angelical Mind Gates: 25-Spirit of the Self, 17-Opinion, 21-Hunter/Huntress, 51-Shock
Janus—The Fertility of Mind Gates: 42-Growth, 3-Ordering, 27-Caring, 24-Rationalization
Click image to read more about the Quarter of Civilization
Human Design Mandala Quarter of Civilization - purpose fulfilled through form
Maia—The Mother Goddess Gates: 2-The Direction of the Self, 23-Assimilation 8-Contribution, 20-The Now
Lakshmi—Goddess of Beauty and Good Fortune Gates: 16-Skills, 35-Change, 45-The Gatherer, 12-Caution
Parvati - Goddess of Domestic Bliss Gates: 15-Extremes, 52-Stillness, 39-Provocation, 53-Beginnings
Ma'at—Goddess of Truth, Justice and Cosmic Harmony Gates: 62-Details, 56-Stimulation, 31-Leading, 33-Privacy
Human Design Mandala Quarter of Duality - Purpose fulfilled through Bonding
Thoth - God of Wisdom, Writing and Time Gates: 7-Role of the Self in Interaction, 4-Formulization, 29-Perseverance, 59-Sexuality
Harmonia - Goddess of the Family Bond Gates: 40-Aloneness, 64-Confusion, 47-Realization, 6-Friction
Christ Consciousness Field - “Love Thy Neighbor” Gates: 46-Determination of the Self, 18-Correction, 48-Depth, 57-Intuitive Clarity
Minerva - Virgin Goddess of Warfare, Arts and Crafts Gates: 44-Alertness, 28-The Game Player, 50-Values, 32-Continuity
Click the image to read more about the Quarter of Mutation
Human Design Mandala Quarter of Mutation - purpose fulfilled through transformation
Hades - God of the Underworld Gates: 1-Self-Expression, 43-Insight, 14-Power Skills, 34-Power
Prometheus - Thief of Fire and Benefactor of Humanity Gates: 9-Taming Power of the Small, 5-Fixed Rhythms, 26-The Egoist, 11- Ideas
Vishnu - God of Monotheism Gates: 10-Behavior of the Self, 58-Vitality, 38-The Fighter, 54-Drive
The Keepers of the Wheel - Guardians of the Wheel - The Hidden Gods (from themselves) Gates: 60-Limitation, 61-Inspiration, 41-Contraction, 19-Wanting
Another way of explaining these Forces is that your conditioned mind tends to interpret the Maia according to your Godhead. When in a "not-self" state, making decisions from your conditioned mind, you can end up living out the homogenized, dead myths of your Godhead, rather than shining with the uniqueness of your authentic and differentiated holistic self.
Following Strategy and Authority keeps you from getting trapped in your Mind’s illusion derived from the conditioning forces streaming through your individual Godhead. Have you seen this at work in your life? How has it shown up for you? Please comment below.
Are you ready to dare to differentiate into the unique being you are here to be?
Join the tribe, let's journey together!
Originally written for, home of the Human Design System, Jovian Archive under the name Andrea Abay-Abay. Updated and republished with permission.
A study group from mid-2018 to walk us through the thematics around the wheel:
Have you taken Living Your Design and Rave ABC’s yet? Then you’re ready for Rave Cartography!
