With my upcoming Conscious Relating with Human Design webinar training, and Cecil B. Demille lifetime achievement award recipient Oprah’s recent inspiring speech at the Golden Globes, and rumors of her running for office in 2020 – I wanted to share in this essay one of the core concepts of Human Design – the 9 Energy Centers and their status as Defined or Undefined in us. The focus is on Oprah’s open throat center.
The throat is one of 9 “energy centers” in the Human Design bodygraph, which function similar to chakras. An understanding of the Nine Centers is essential to interpretation of a Human Design bodygraph. Similar to the chakras, these nine centers represent primary energetic matrices, which also include specific biological associations such as glands and organs, in addition to their more purely energetic symbolism.
Knowing which centers are Defined or Undefined in you and how to navigate this definition most consciously, is the real crux of Human Design’s empowering wisdom. Definition also shows us our Inner Authority for making key decisions in life, as well as gives us our energy type, such as Generator, Manifestor, or Projector. But the foundation rests in the the definition of the 9 centers.
Defined Centers represent areas which have reliable and consistent energetic flow for us. In essence, we strongly identify with these centers. They are how we condition the world around us. They are the filters through which we perceive and we cannot remove these filters. Thus, even though we may be empowered, we may also be limited by that which defines us.
On the other hand, Undefined Centers are a foreign land for us. They represent areas of fascination, discovery, and education in this life, without an attachment to a specific expression. The challenge with Undefined Centers is our intrinsic insecurity in these areas. Since we do not have reliable energetic flow through these centers, we are not quite certain how to function with them. Thus we may compensate by trying to become like those in our environment who have these centers defined. Subsequently, these undefined centers become prominent sources of conditioning in our lives, often occurring in our early upbringing through parents, siblings, teachers, friends, and extended family.
Just as in astrology, a planet in a sign, house, or aspect can be navigated with intention and consciousness or in reaction, defense, or ignorance, I like to think of the potential expressions of energy in Human Design as a frequency of possibility. I use the terms Shadow, Neutral, and Luminessence to describe the frequency spectrum which one can apply to any aspect of their Human Design bodygraph.
In the chart of Oprah Winfrey, we see that she is a very “defined” individual. She has a strong sense of who she is and she will very much define the ambience of the room with her presence. But her throat is undefined. We wonder, how can a talk show host have an undefined throat center?
In her shadow expression, Oprah talked over guests and did not allow them to finish, which is the compensations of the undefined throat, tying to force words where they aren’t invited. But in her higher expression of her undefined throat, she patiently waited, and probed her guests with the right question. Active listening and accurately reflecting what the other is saying is the real gift of the undefined throat center. Oprah amplifies a guest’s statement in a loud, boisterous, passionate commentary to the audience, and thus, does not offer her own opinion, but rather enlarges what the other has said. Undefined Centers can always amplify the Defined Centers in their environment, for better or worse.
Where are you Genetically Defined or Undefined? Receive the liberating and empowering insights of your Human Design consultation here.