Your Human Design chart indicates several potential areas of fear, anxiety, frustration, and stuckness. -- Among them are the 7 Gates of the Spleen Center.
Understanding them protects you from fear-based decision-making habits and a life of regret, bitterness, and anger.
When you know the fears of the Spleen Center, you can reduce their impact on your life.
You can grow your self-trust and self-confidence. And the sky truly is the limit!
Self-confidence is believing in your ability to do something.
Self-trust is the ability to make decisions in-line with your thoughts, beliefs, and values.
Understanding how the 7 Spleen Gates can block self-confidence and self-trust and learning the Human Design solution is the goal of this article.
What You Need To Know About Fear
First, sensations of fear and anxiety are natural and normal. - How we respond to them depends on our experiences, awareness, perspective, and ability to reflect and reframe our beliefs - or not.
These sensations warn us of dangerous environments, situations, and relationships - they keep us safe.
These sensations can feel exhilerating and exciting. - They tell us we are embarking on something untested, life-changing, and huge.
The feeling can range from “butterfly” flutters to panic. Our body is simply giving us information.
Next, know that full throttle fear and anxiety can make us to stop, freeze, and retreat (think deer in the headlights). - If there is time, we try to get away from the cause, stop the feelings, and return to normal.
What's not normal is a sensation of doom that consistently blocks you from getting what you want and deserve.
If that is happening to you, it's time to pause and get curious about what's really going on.
Retreating when there are good things ahead, robs you of living life to its fullest.
It stops you from living inside your purpose.
It stops you from making a difference with your presence, in this world, at this time.
Reframe Fear Blocks Into Opportunities For Growth
Fear is a universal reaction or instinct that contributes to our survival and joy of life.
We experience it on a spectrum. - At one end of the spectrum fear keeps us stuck. At the other end... you are fear-less.
Aim for less fear 😉
In Human Design, fear, anxiety, instinct and intuition are valued sensations. - They give us valuable information. We can use our Type, Strategy, and Authority to move us closer to self-trust.
When you see your fear response clearly and choose to use your Human Design compass as a guide, new possibilities and choices appear.
Navigating The Fear Gates Of The Human Design Spleen Center
The Human Design chart identifies many elements that create your baseline personality traits. - Predominately, your potential fears are located in the Gates of the Spleen Center.
Sidebar: The language of Human Design is evolving. Now-a-days, "fear" is commonly referred to as "intuition."
The Spleen Center is the big triangle on the extreme left of your Human Design diagram. - It can be colored in or not. The color matters, but that is a discussion for another time.
The Spleen Center (AKA Fear Center) is about survival. - It is known for its split-second, in-the-moment instinctive response to energy fluctuations. It gives us information about our health, right timing, and danger.
It speaks softly and quickly. You can miss its voicee.
The seven "spokes" jutting off of the Spleen Center are called Gates. Notice that each one has an assigned number. - Let's take a bird's eye look at each Gate.
Use the following questions to gauge where you are on the fear, anxiety, and intuition spectrum of each Gate.
GATE 48 - Fear Of Not Knowing Enough
This wonderful Gate is about depth, mastery, and being prepared to contribute to survival. - It's driven to understand the ins and outs of things so that it's ready to respond to all questions and problems at the right time.
The fear and anxiety of this Gate is that it won't be ready. - It worries that it won't know all the things. It's inadequate. Unworthy. Not good enough.
It goes on preparing and gaining knowledge instead of launching and making way for the next opportunity for depth and mastery.
Procrastination and imposter syndrome are recipes for never getting your gifts out into the world. (Picture the unpublished manuscript, unshared art, or in relationships, the “the one that got away.”)
If this is you, have you noticed that when you explain what's holding you back to your nearest and dearest, they don't understand. - All they see is an exquisite, inspired offering. You've nailed it. - It doesn’t need anything else.
One way to manage the fear and doubt of this Gate is to learn all you can about it and observe how it affects your life in real-time.
My favorite reframe is:
Ask yourself: Do I know more about this subject than 100 people?
If the answer is yes, then it's good enough. - Get it out there. Allow the right people to find you. Move on.
Use your Human Design Strategy and Authority. They help you wait calmly and in peace for the right time, environment, person, and invitation to share yourself and your genius with.
GATE 57 - Fear Of The Future And The Unknown
Gate 57 is often described as the most psychic Gate in the Human Design Chart. - It's energy is immediate, present moment clarity about what is needed to survive.
When compared to the other 6 Spleen Gates, it has the most "in the now" response.
It is very personal and is not dependent on analysis, lessons from the past, or caring for others.
Fear and anxiety can happen here when you know the survival implications of your intuition. - You will feel the weight of its responsibility.
The fear might say:
It's easy to run away from responsibility.
It's easy to pretend your intuition didn't just give you a signal - a warning.
It's easier to push it out of your mind and do nothing. Especially because the intuitive signal is fast and quick.
I invite you to get curious about the gifts of your Gate 57.
It’s about welcoming the future and being ready to lead at the right time.
Trust that you are prepared and ready.
You will know what to do when the time is right.
PRO TIP:
To decrease the freeze or flight sensation, STAY IN YOUR LANE. The lane of your Human Design Type, Strategy and Authority. - They ensure you enter the right leadership opportunities at the right time (AKA when you are ready and when the world is ready for you).
GATE 44 - Fear Of The Past Repeating Itself
The intuition in Gate 44 guides you to say and do the right things at the right time so you and others get what you need to survive.
Its resources are lessons, systems, and survival skills from the past. - Which ones still serve us, which ones need an update, and which ones are no longer needed.
It's known for its honesty, integrity, and intolerance of deceit, or not. - It's the truth teller.
It has an uncanny ability to sense unscrupulous or two-faced intentions.
Its survival function helps you and others avoid harmful situaions, relationships, and decisions.
Fear in Gate 44 can look like, but is not limited to...
A personal history of pain or generational trauma. Conscious or unconscious memory of such experiences increases your sensitivity to unsafe people, environments, and situations. -- A quick warning sesation is normal and maintains your safety, but if your radar is always set on high alert, it causes distress, retreat, and isolation.
Ancestral intuition or unconscious memory is useful when negotiating for yourself or others and you sense deception or danger.
Ancestral intuition is limiting and isolating when it prevents you from taking a job, moving homes, or leaning into that juicy new relationship or friendship, etc.. - It takes the fun out of life.
One way to moderate the trust/distrust features of this Gate is to let your Human Design guide you to the best situations and relationships... in the first place.
As you rely on the intuitive messages of this Spleen Gate, you'll find it sharpens the skill of using your Strategy to make real-time decisions. - It acts like a radar or compass.
GATE 50 - Fear Of Letting People Down
Do you have a knack for knowing what people need?
Are you driven to meet their needs whether they’ve asked for it or not?
Do you find it hard to say no and usually bend over backward to please others?
The gift of this Gate is instinctively knowing what others need before they do. You feel pressure to caretake, and you are loved and admired for it.
Anxiety and fear happens when you don't feel free to say no. It happens when you can't meet someone's need or your efforts are ignored or rejected.
A fearful Gate 50 reasons, "If I don't do this for you, you will be mad at me. You will think less of me, reject, and leave me."
This is called co-dependency. - The recipient's gratitude and pleasure soothes the givers fear and anxiety. And vice versa.
Living in the fear of this Gate means you will fail to live your own authentic life to the fullest.
The fear of saying No and causing disappointment is
a huge block to living a life that feels like your own. - It takes courage to face it down.
Your Human Design has the secret to saying No with confidence and choosing when and with whom you will share your caretaking talent.
When you say No after applying your Strategy and Authority, it has an empowered energy that is difficult to argue with.
GATE 32 - Fear of Failure
Imagine having an unveiling party for your big, beautiful dream come true, .but nobody shows up.
The ones who do show up are wet blankets. They scoff and criticize. - It's your worst nightmare.
Gate 32 is where many great ideas go to die. You've missed windows of opportunity beause unless you are certain you cannot fail, your big thing won't see the light of day. - Anything less than perfection and celebration is too painful to contemplate.
I know. It sounds irrational. - But for many, fear of failure is a persistent block to launching.
If you are stuck in the black hole of fear of failure, here is a reframe suggestion:
The sensation I feel tells me I'm on the brink of birthing something new, brilliant, and beautiful. It says "Keep going. People are waiting. Your time is now."
The vibration I feel is not trying to stop me. It's anticipation of what's to come.
I am here to make a contribution. This is my contribution. - It's up to me to complete this task.
I also recommend that rather than using your Human Design manual to review why you're stuck and keep missing the boat, use it up front, to make wise decisions about which contributions are right for you. This will ensure an easier journey toward your big reveal.
GATE 28 - Fear That Life Has No Meaning Or Purpose
The energy of Gate 28 is the drive to find meaning. That is, find which of life's struggles are worth the effort of a good fight.
You are driven toward challenges, confronting issues, and stubbornly fighting causes.
You're known for your endurance, bravery, and willingness to "die trying."
You've earned the title "The Game Player" because you are exhilierated by the challenge of surviving the fight.
When all is said and done, you become an inspiration and resource of what's worth fignting for and how to survive it.
The fear in this gate is the sense that time is running out for you to live up to the promise of Gate 28.
Bordom, anxiety, and the sense that you are not living up to your calling as a Survivor of Struggles, will cause you to dive into battles meant to be fought by someone else. - That's a serious waste of your energy.
Moving from struggle to struggle in this way is not sustainable. It can damage your health and more.
Abundant energy is yours when you use your Human Design Strategy and Authority to choose the right struggle and stand up for the right people and causes at the right time. - You will have all the energy you need to make a difference.
In the bargain, you get to protect your health and live to fight another day!
GATE 18 – Fear That Things Will Never Be Perfect Enough
Is it painful to watch people do things the “wrong” way when you know a better way?
Do you get increasingly agitated when meetings don’t run smoothly, plans fall apart, or people drop the ball?
Gate 18 sees things that need correcting and instinctively knows the right solution.
People with this Gate experience internal pressure to jump in with suggestions or completely take over. - The pressure is very uncomfortable and they are anxious to relieve it..
Having a nose for imperfection, flaws, and weakness is a superpower. But it becomes a double-edged sword when it's based in fear and anxiety. - The good you are trying to do can backfire and cause pain.
This happens when Gate 18 is used to correct others before it’s asked for. - No matter how well meaning and solid your correction is, it feels critical. You and your ideas will be ignored or forcefully shut down.
It's not rational or personal. It's energy.
It can also happen when the spotlight of your corrective superpower turns into unreasonable self-criticism AKA perfectionism.
Perfectionism will keep you from doing great things in your life, business, or career because nothing is ever good enough.
It can even derail perfectly good reationshps because no one can ever measure-up to your standards.
If perfectionism gets in your way, I encourage you to talk-it-out and get guidance from a professional so you don't miss out on what your life has to offer.
To satisfy your Gate 18 ability without damaging relationships, I recommend using your Human Design to confirm whether your “corrections” are wanted before offering them.
Pro Tip: Even when your wisdom is asked for, the prudent choice is to zip your lips. Gate 18 has tricky energy. Just sayin'.
Conclusion
If you have read to this poiint, you've noticed the potential for impact each Gate has. They build upon each other. - We need all of the Gates at peak performance - not shying away from the power of their contribution.
Each fear sensation (intuitive hit) advises that you are on to something and must keep going. - If you stop, we'll never know what change, improvement or influence you may have had.
When you reframe fear as intuition, you can feel the vibration in your body change.
You've moved from cowering to expanding into self-knowing and self-trust.
You are willing to follow your intuitive voice knowing it always knows what is right for you.
And yes... to fully embrace this new way of looking at fear will take time and conscious effort.
In the beginning you must slow down and find out how your intuition "speaks" to you.
But don't sweat it.
Be gentle with yourself and simply notice when you have trusted your intuition, said No to debilitating fear, and.... Something new and amazing happened. Cheers to your success!
If you would like my help recognizing and navigating your fear and intuition signals so you can get out of your own way, and make your valuable and unique contribution to the continued survival of humankind, click here.
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BRIGITTE KNIGHT, RN MA
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