Life as a Human Design Manifestor

Introduction

I am writing this article as one Manifestor to another and to all of you who have Human Design Manifestors in your lives. I have been practicing and integrating Human Design into my life since 2008. And needless to say, it has been quite a journey. 

We are a unique breed; just 8 to 10% of the population. And within that 8 to 10%, we are all fairly different from one another according to our inner authority, our profile, our defined centers and channels and our Life Purpose. It’s no wonder that we often feel different from the rest of the world.  And being more statistically rare, there is not as much information available to guide us. 

Within all the diversity of being a Manifestor, there are core energetic principles that apply. These core, common dynamics are what I address in this article. To learn about the specifics of your Manifestor design, reach out for a complimentary 30-minute chat or schedule a Human Design Reading.

Topics in this article:

• Manifestors Are Catalysts
• Manifestors Self-Catalyze
• Is a Manifestor’s Aura Repelling?
• Manifestors Require Information
• Manifestors Are Not Wired for Responding
• Manifesting Is Effortless
• Treat Rejection as Information
• Manifestors Work In Spurts and Bursts
• The Not-Self Theme of Anger
• Conclusion

Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Human Design Manifestors Are Catalysts

A Manifestor’s purpose in the world is to lead, inform and catalyze.  It is normal to associate leading and informing with a person.  But being a catalyst?

Manifestors are human catalysts.  It would be accurate to say that our energy field, our aura, creates an energetic reaction in others without any change in the Manifestor’s energy field.  And yes, we precipitate events.

We do this without trying, just by simply walking in the room and being in proximity to others.

When the Manifestor is holding their energy properly, they can give everyone around them an energetic boost.  As a project manager and then a life and business coach, I‘ve watched over and over again as people leave my space with a new bounce in their step.  Is it from the information or support I have given them?  Or is it a natural by-product of being in my catalyzing field?  I don’t question it any longer.

However, if the Manifestor is highly conditioned and has not done their healing and/or personal growth work, a Manifestor can be more akin to a bull in a china shop.  Or act like the wand in Harry Potter where it explodes the room!

It is the nature of a catalyst to transform the other. The other mutates, transforms, and evolves. This isn’t always a comfortable process. And many people are happy in their own current state; they don’t want change.  So a Manifestor’s energy can be unsettling to be around for some.  As Manifestors we need to not take this personally.

Manifestors Self-Catalyze

Ra Uru Hu’s teachings define Manifestors as initiators.  We do and certainly should initiate.  But I find it even more helpful and accurate to think of Manifestors as self-catalyzing and self-initiating.

Manifestors are the one Human Design Type that does not operate in direct response to the outer environment.  It is an internal stimulus that is correct for us. We have to pay attention to our own internal spark.  The auras and Inner Authorities of the other Types all operate in response to external stimulus. That external stimulus engages their Inner Authority.

Unfortunately most of us have been socially trained as Generators to respond to the external environment.  Many Manifestors are disconnected from the correct functioning of their aura and Inner Authority which is the source of their sacred truth.

This was certainly true for me. I was a well-conditioned pseudo Generator for the first 55 years of my life.  I ultimately reached the point of utter exhaustion and could not stop the downward spiral of my energy and health. At this that I had been working with Human Design for over 8 years and certainly understood the theory. But understanding the theory intellectually is different than incorporating that theory into daily life.

For years I had been operating over the top of my own inherent energy levels and totally in response to the world around me. I was a top-notch people pleaser and I had a strong inner critic that used words like, “I must, I better, I have to, and I’m supposed to”.  While I had made good ground on extinguishing those habits, it wasn’t enough.  It didn’t get to the heart of the matter.

Had I really integrated being a Manifestor into my daily habits and way of being? I began to believe that I hadn’t and that prompted me to take a leap of faith, putting all my eggs into my Human Design Manifestor basket.  My leap?  I took a year off from responding to the outer world. I gave myself permission, actually strict orders, to only get into action if the spark, the nudge, came from within me.

So for a good year I only got into action when I felt energy welling up inside me. I didn’t do the dishes (I must), I didn’t accept social engagements (I better), I didn’t press forward on business plans (I have to) unless the energy and impetus came from within.

That year taught me so much. I was able to drop my automatic habits of getting into action due to external prompting.  I was finally able to recognize and partner with my inner Manifestor spark. My health improved greatly. My capacity to be engaged with the world in a healthy way (for me) expanded. Looking back I can see how totally consumed I was with responding to my environment and how detrimental it was for me as a Manifestor.

If you are exhausted, stop responding to others! Start claiming your beautiful Manifestor self-catalyzing spark as your inner truth.

Is A Manifestor’s Aura Repelling?

This term was applied to a Manifestor’s aura by Ra Uru Hu as the Human Design System was codified.  Is it accurate?  In one sense.  Is it a helpful label?  Not so much. Our society has too many negative associations with the word ‘repelling’ so I avoid using this term.

We Manifestors are certainly not repulsive or distasteful.  And we don’t actively drive others back or away. But our auric field does function differently than all other Human Design Types.  Our auras are hard to pierce; other peoples’ auras tend to bounce off of ours or get stopped.

The analogy that I like to use is that of putting the ends of two magnets together.  We’ve all tried this as kids.  Remember that ‘boing’ feeling?  That you just can’t quite touch the two magnets together?  The two magnets remain separate; they repel each other.

This is the nature of a Manifestor aura.  It is important you don’t interpret this energy dynamic as either good or bad.  It just is.  It is the nature of our energetic field.

This aura does not prevent us from connecting with others.  From being warm and fuzzy and loving and caring.  Manifestors can be deeply loving and passionate.  And, at the same time, we have an aura that ‘boings’ others.

This ‘boing’ is one way that a Manifestor’s catalyzing impact is expressed.  A Manifestor walks through a room and their aura catalyzes the people around them, giving them a little ‘boing’ as they walk by.

A Manifestor does not need to do anything to have this impact on others. It is part of a Manifestor’s way of being.  Chetan Parkyn jokingly, but with utter seriousness, says that every company should just pay a Manifestor to just hang out.  Reap the benefit of the Manifestor aura catalyzing and sparking the entire team.

Another analogy that I use when talking about a Manifestor’s aura is that of surface tension.

The surface tension of water is what makes it possible for an insect to walk on water or a needle to float on the surface or soap bubbles to float. That surface tension creates a layer that marks the division between the water and the air. 

A Manifestor’s aura behaves similarly.  Our auras give us a defining boundary that the auras of other Types can’t fall through or penetrate.

Manifestors Require Information

What do we require from the people around us and the environment?  Information. Information is what a Manifestor craves.  We take in information from the world around us; we taste it and digest it, and may or may not do anything with it. We may not realize that something we took in a month ago is what is prompting a spark today.

Information is the one thing that gets past our dense auric skin. 

Manifestors Are Not Wired for Responding

Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors and Reflectors work in response to their external environment.  They are responders.  These Human Design Types move forward as the external environment is recognized and acted upon by their Inner Authorities.  Manifestors are not responders. We are propelled into action by our inner world, the inner manifesting spark that bursts forth.

Most of us have been trained and conditioned to be responders.  While we are in this false (for us) response mode, it is darn near impossible to recognize and act from our inner spark.

The biggest way Manifestors are trained to respond is via the societal expectation to respond to questions. This expectation is pervasive in our society. Questions are the sweet spot for Generators especially.  Questions activate or don’t activate their Sacral response. Questions in the form of invitations are like honey to a Projector.

“How was your day?” “How are you feeling?” “Are you OK?” “What do you want for dinner?” “Can I get you anything?” “What can I get you?” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The list is endless. Questions make the world go round and are a part of connecting.  But not for the Manifestor.

Manifestors, with our self-catalyzing aura, have no place for questions to land.  Energetically we can’t take in a question through our auric field.  Not in the same way as happens for the other Human Design Types who are energetically set up to take in and respond to their external environment, especially questions.

Do we answer questions?  Sure.  We have learned to answer questions as a matter of survival.  But we aren’t comfortable with them.  Most Manifestors don’t recognize their discomfort until they start practicing their Design.  But children do!

When I work with parents of Manifestor children I teach them how to turn questions to their children into statements.  Statements convey information.  And Manifestors thrive on information. So instead of asking, “How was school?” or “What did you learn at school today”. Turn it around as a statement, “I’d love to hear about your school day.” Don’t expect an immediate response (remember, we aren’t responders) but the child will take in the whole of that statement and come back to you with stories of their day.

Instead of, “What do you want for your birthday?” say, “I’d love to get you something you will enjoy for your birthday”.  “What sport do you want to play?” Turn it around and say, “Let’s go check out Little League today and see if you might be interested.”  Subtly different, but the difference in impact is huge.

My parent clients all come back amazed!  Their Manifestor child is more interactive, able to share more and most importantly, calmer and more grounded.  Information grounds a Manifestor and removes a kind of static from our energetic field. Living in a world peppered with questions is exhausting for us. Think about the energy it takes to travel to a foreign country and navigate in a culture where you don’t speak the language.  

Are you an adult Manifestor? Stop expecting yourself to respond to questions promptly. You have my permission to not be an automatic responder. You can take the time you need.  Ideally, you can train your closest friends and family to stop asking you questions and starting making statements.

Manifesting Is Effortless

Manifesting does not take effort. I cannot state this enough.

Manifesting is an event. Manifesting happens.

A Manifestor does not need to push.  A Manifestor does not need to ‘try hard’.  In fact they shouldn’t.  A Manifestor pushing is like using a sledge hammer when you just need your light-weight finish hammer for a precise little tap.  When a Manifestor pushes they get out of the zone of manifesting and into the frequency of ‘trying’.  When we are trying, by definition it hasn’t happened yet. When we are trying we are standing in the belief it hasn’t and may not happen.  Right?  Pushing and trying hard = not manifesting.

When we manifest, it is here, now.

Whenever I try hard, nothing good ever comes of it. It is only when I relax and get in alignment with my aura and Inner Authority that the magic starts to happen. Trying hard puts me into the frequency of fear but when I am one with my Inner Authority, engaged with my own inner truth, I am in trust with the Universe.

I have Splenic Inner Authority. I have to trust my intuition, my instincts and my sense of taste. Splenic Inner Authority isn’t always in the ‘on’ position; it shares information with me in its own timing.  It doesn’t talk to me on demand. So I have learned to be in flow with my splenic senses. Trusting that I will get the information I need when I need it.  And in the meantime my only job is to be happy, be engaged with the things I already know are correct for me, and take care of my health and well-being.

I have wanted to write this article for over a month now.  I created the outline. And multiple times I have opened up this file intending to complete the article.  But the words weren’t coming forth. This time, I opened up the file, read the outline….and started writing.  And I haven’t stopped.  It is time.  My manifesting energies are ‘on’. I know that I will complete the article now.

When the energies weren’t there, I just closed up the file and went on to something else. In the past I would have gotten harsh with myself. I would have criticized myself for not knowing enough to write the article, or for being tongue-tied, or for being lazy and not able to get it together.  These days I just know it wasn’t time to manifest.  I no longer worry or make up a negative story about myself.  

And today, specifically, I know that it is indeed time. The article is coming forth through me. There is no effort. No trying. It is just happening in the now. My ego has to step out of the way. I just have to be who I am and speak my truth.

This happens all the time now. I set an intention, step out of the way, and it manifests. No ‘trying’ just flow.

Treat Rejection as Information

We have a unique relationship to rejection and it is critical that all Manifestors learn to reframe ‘rejection’ and turn it into ‘information’.

Think of it. We are here to initiate and start stuff from out of the blue. The rest of the world responds.  Some percentage of those responders are going to love what the Manifestor puts forward, some don’t care, and the rest are going to hate it or object.  This is the nature of responding. Yes?

We Manifestors, living in a world of responders, need to not take rejection, or those negative “hate it” or “not for me” responses personally.  It isn’t personal at all.  It is the other’s organic response.  It is information.

However, depending on your childhood and early adult experiences being a Manifestor, you may already be conditioned to take the ‘no’ in life personally.  It can be transformed; you can learn to reframe the way you receive responses from others. And it is truly liberating when you do.

I certainly struggled with handling rejection. I took all responses personally indeed. I took positive responses as evidence that I was doing something right or good.  And I took negative responses as evidence that I was doing something wrong or bad.

As I learned more and more about Human Design and how our energies interact with one another, I gained perspective that people’s responses to me and my activities were informative. Now I know when someone doesn’t give me a positive response that they “just aren’t my people.” And wow, I don’t have to spend any more effort on them. Whew, that frees me up to be with the people I know get me and want me in their world.

Manifestors Work in Spurts and Bursts

We have to remember that we don’t have consistent access to Sacral Energy.  As Manifestors we have an enormous power that comes forth through us.  A bulldozer type of power.  But it doesn’t have the constant staying power as that of a Manifesting Generator.

This is not a bad thing at all!  This is what is normal for a Manifestor.

All Manifestors have at least one motor center connected to the throat (emotions, root, will), some have all three.  So each Manifestor has their own relationship to the amount of forward moving energy flowing through them.

Myself, I have just the Root Center connected to my throat. I spent years grasping for sacral energy that I didn’t have constant access to. I really depleted myself and must be very mindful of acting on my true level of energy.  When I am on, watch out! I will likely run you over.  But then that burst subsides and I coast for a bit.  I never know when the Manifestor burst will come, I just know that it will.

Each Manifestor has their own relationship to the amount of, and timing of, forward moving energy flowing through them. We each have to be mindful of that inner spark, that inner burst.  And we have to be mindful of when it is in the ‘off’ position.  When we operate over the top of our energy and our energy is in the ‘off’ position, we are damaging our health. If we aren’t mindful our body will teach us a lesson via a health crisis.

Every Manifestor has an ‘off’ switch.  It may not last for long, but it is there. We are here to be the catalyzer of action, of events. We can be implementers, help something get up and running. But when it comes to on-going operations and (shudder) on-going maintenance, best that we turn those roles over to someone with sustaining energy. Find partners that complement our energy for the things are want to create in life.

Are you a younger Manifestor? Please set yourself up for success in the energy department. Start now to watch the ebb and burst of your energy. Refrain from pushing through your energy lows. Find work and careers that honor your energy needs.

Are you an older Manifestor? Got some health issues that aren’t resolving? Take a look at the way you are using your energy. Are you in total alignment with the ebb and flow of your Manifestor energy? Are you even in tune with it? Are you over-obligated in life? Are you trying too hard to makes things happen? (Remember, manifesting is effortless).

When Manifestors seek out my services every single one of them has been exhausted.  Most are over-obligated and feel powerless or guilty to alter past commitments.  Right-sizing life is crucial and can be done.  Entering into future obligations correctly and from your Inner Authority makes all the difference in the world.  If you would like to explore these ideas with me, I would love to have a conversation with you.

The Not-Self Theme of Anger

Each Human Design Type has a Not-Self Theme. Understanding your Not-Self Theme helps you stay in alignment with your inherent energy and to release conditioning.

The Not-Self Theme for a Human Design Manifestor is anger. Which means when a Manifestor experiences anger they are not following the energetic strategy of their Human Design Type.  A Manifestor’s strategy is to inform and initiate.

So an angry Manifestor is either feeling thwarted from initiating or the Manifestor is resisting their own inner drive to Manifest and possibly has expectations that someone else will do the manifesting instead.  When we aren’t fully empowered it is easy to project our feelings and needs onto another. So in the case of Manifestors, they can project the desire onto another.  “Why aren’t they doing x, y, or z!!”

As a rule, I don’t get angry all that often, and certainly never at another person as this was strictly forbidden growing up.  But I can get angry at things and objects and that anger can flare from out of nowhere!

A number of years ago I had gathered enough self-awareness to do my own experiment with anger.  Anytime I would experience that flare of anger, I would pause and check in with myself. I didn’t ask myself why I was angry.  I asked myself what it was that I wasn’t manifesting or that I wasn’t willing to manifest.

Every time I would do this introspection the answer was obvious. There was something I wasn’t willing or brave enough to manifest.  Or I was waiting and hoping that someone else would do the manifesting for me. Every time. It got so obvious it became humorous.

I don’t experience anger much at all these days. I haven’t for years. Either I am willing to step up and manifest something, or I am not. I am now clear that it is my choice to move forward or not and it doesn’t get bottled up inside of me and expressed as anger.

So I invite all Manifestors to press that virtual ‘pause’ button and check in with yourself when you experience anger.  Anger is simply a signal. A great signal. We can use it to bring awareness to our current circumstances and get clear about manifesting or not manifesting. We don’t need to have anger run our lives. We can use anger as information, which is what a Manifestor craves.

Conclusion

The innate power of a Manifestor is formidable.  We can make anything happen.  However, so many Manifestors are energetically compromised by believing they have the staying power of a Generator.  Most of us operate incorrectly, living in response and not consistently connected to our self-catalyzing nature. This leaves us drained, exhausted and, if not angry, frustrated with life.

It is totally possible to get in alignment with our Manifestor Design and live a life that is wildly successful and fulfilling.  We have to reframe our perceptions of how life works, but that is what it takes to embrace our unique energetic design.

Parents, if you have Manifestor children, please know how unique and special they are.  They really do operate to a very different set of rules.  I am happy to have a talk with you about what it takes to parent a young Manifestor in a way that is healthy for them.

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Catherine Rivers is a Human Design Master Professional Consultant and a Certified Professional Coach. She brings to her clients 20 years as an Information Technology Executive, 16 years as a life and business coach and 13 years of deep study of Human Design. Do you seek transformation? She is a natural catalyst; intuitive, profound and effective. You can find her at www.catherinerivers.com.