Human Design is a rich system of self-understanding that draws from various traditions, including astrology, the I Ching, Kabbalah, and the chakra system. One of the most important aspects of Human Design is the concept of Authority, which serves as your internal decision-making guide. Emotional Authority is the most common authority, influencing nearly half of the population. This guide delves deeply into the concept of emotional authority in Human Design, how it works, and how to apply it in everyday life. We will explore the role of the emotional wave, the influence of the emotional solar plexus, and how this authority impacts your decisions.
What is Your Authority in Human Design?
In Human Design, your Authority is the key to making decisions that align with your true self. It refers to the part of your body that you can trust to guide you in making choices, whether big or small. Rather than making decisions from the mind, which can be influenced by conditioning, societal expectations, or fears, Human Design teaches you to tap into a more reliable part of your being.
There are several Human Design authorities, such as Emotional, Sacral, Splenic, and more. Each one has its own unique way of guiding you. Understanding your authority is crucial because it helps you move away from conditioned decision-making patterns and align with your authentic self. To find out your specific authority, you can generate your Human Design chart here.
What is Emotional Authority in Human Design?
Emotional authority is the most common authority in Human Design, present in about 50% of the population. It is governed by the emotional solar plexus, which is responsible for processing emotions and feelings. Individuals with this authority are not designed to make spontaneous decisions. Instead, they need time to allow their emotions to settle, gaining clarity as they move through the highs and lows of their emotional wave.
Unlike other types of authorities that might encourage immediate responses, those with emotional authority in Human Design need to wait for emotional clarity. This waiting period helps them avoid making decisions based on fleeting feelings, such as excitement or frustration. The key lesson for those with emotional solar plexus authority is patience—trusting that clarity will come with time.
The Emotional Wave Explained
In Human Design, emotional waves refer to the natural fluctuations in emotions that occur due to the activation of channels linked to the Solar Plexus. There are three types of emotional waves: individual, collective, and tribal. Each wave behaves differently, with the individual wave marked by intense mood swings, the collective wave associated with creative highs and lows, and the tribal wave connected to family and physical experiences. Understanding these waves can help manage emotional decision-making.
1. Individual Emotional Wave
The individual wave is marked by its unpredictable and intense emotional highs and lows. If you have this wave, you might experience feelings of melancholy without any apparent external cause. This wave is often described as an internal process that fosters creativity and deep self-reflection. It is connected to channels such as 55-39 (Channel of Emoting), which can lead to powerful emotional expressions when influenced by outside factors or internal states.
People with individual waves often oscillate between feelings of emotional clarity and deep sadness or introspection. These swings are a normal part of the individual emotional experience, and they are necessary for personal growth and creative expression. The key to navigating the individual wave is to accept these fluctuations without attaching too much significance to any particular emotional state. Waiting for the emotional wave to pass will help bring clarity to decision-making.
2. Tribal Emotional Wave
The tribal wave is tied to the dynamics of relationships and community, and it is often focused on family, partnerships, or group interactions. This wave is slower and more stable than the individual wave, but it can build tension over time, especially in situations involving unmet expectations or unresolved conflicts. It is linked to channels such as the 19-49 (Channel of Synthesis), which governs emotional expectations within close-knit relationships.
For those with a tribal wave, emotions often revolve around themes of loyalty, support, and physical experiences. When these emotional waves rise, they are often triggered by external factors such as a breach in trust or unmet needs within relationships. While the tribal wave builds tension slowly, it can lead to emotional outbursts if the tension isn’t addressed. This type of wave requires careful attention to the dynamics of your personal and group relationships, as resolving conflicts early on can prevent emotional blowouts.
3. Collective Emotional Wave
The collective wave differs from the other two in that it is tied to the broader community and collective experiences. This wave is connected to channels like 41-30 (Channel of Recognition), which deals with emotional desires and fantasies, often associated with shared experiences or societal goals. People with this wave tend to experience emotional highs when they are excited about new opportunities or future possibilities, but they may also feel lows when these expectations don’t align with reality.
The collective wave is often driven by creativity, dreams, and the pursuit of shared goals, making it an essential part of progress and change within society. However, the downside is that people with this wave can sometimes feel emotionally flat or disillusioned when things don’t go as planned. The challenge for individuals with a collective wave is to remain patient and grounded, allowing their emotional highs to settle before making decisions or forming judgments.
How does Emotional Authority Work?
Emotional solar plexus authority requires time for the emotional wave to pass in order to reach a place of clarity. Here’s how it works:
1. The Initial Reaction: When faced with a decision, your first emotional response may be intense. You may feel a surge of excitement, anxiety, or even anger. These are fleeting emotions tied to the high or low of your emotional wave.
2. Waiting for Clarity: Instead of making a decision based on this initial surge, individuals with human design emotional authority are encouraged to wait. Over time, emotions will naturally shift and stabilize, and you will gain a more balanced perspective.
3. Achieving Emotional Clarity: After the wave has passed, you will feel more grounded and clear about the decision. This clarity often comes in a calm, knowing sense, rather than a dramatic emotional shift.
People with emotional solar plexus authority are designed to take their time, and once they learn to honor this process, they often find that their decisions are much more aligned with their true desires and needs.
How does Emotional Authority Impacts Decision-Making?
Because people with emotional authority in Human Design experience emotional waves, they cannot trust immediate feelings to guide their decisions. This authority impacts decision-making in several key ways:
– Time is Essential: If you have emotional authority, you should never feel pressured to make decisions in the moment. It is vital to give yourself time to process your emotions fully.
– Clarity Comes Gradually: Decisions will not be clear until you’ve ridden the full emotional wave. What seems like a good idea in the high of excitement may feel completely wrong during a low point. It’s only after the wave passes that true clarity emerges.
– Detachment from Extreme Emotions: Learning not to act on extreme emotional states is crucial. Whether you are feeling overly excited or deeply sad, those with emotional authority need to step back and wait for their feelings to stabilize before committing to a decision.
Applying Emotional Authority in Different Life Areas
-Career and Work
In professional settings, individuals with emotional solar plexus authority need to take time before committing to new roles, projects, or partnerships. While others may be able to decide quickly, you need to let your emotions settle before saying “yes” to a big career move. This waiting can prevent regrets later on.
-Relationships
In relationships, emotional authority can be both a gift and a challenge. You may experience emotional highs and lows that can make it difficult to navigate romantic or familial dynamics. Being open about your emotional wave with loved ones can help them understand that your emotions are temporary and not a reflection of the relationship itself.
-Health and Well-being
Emotional authority also plays a role in personal health decisions. Whether choosing a healthcare provider or deciding on a treatment plan, giving yourself time to gain clarity is essential. Rushing into a decision could lead to choices that are not aligned with your true emotional state.
-Major Life Choices
For big decisions—such as buying a house, moving, or making significant investments—those with emotional authority human design should give themselves ample time. This may involve waiting several days or even weeks to feel completely clear about the best course of action.
Common Challenges and Solutions
Challenge 1: Feeling pressured to make decisions quickly.
Solution: Communicate with others about your decision-making process. Let them know that you need time to reach clarity and will not rush.
Challenge 2: Emotional overwhelm during the wave.
Solution: Practice mindfulness or journaling to help you track your emotional wave. This can create more awareness of your emotional patterns, making it easier to manage intense emotions.
Challenge 3: Impulsiveness in the heat of emotion.
Solution: Remind yourself that emotions are temporary. Whenever you feel the urge to act impulsively, take a step back and revisit the decision when you feel more balanced.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
– Making Decisions Too Quickly: Acting on emotional highs or lows often leads to regret later. Always wait for clarity.
– Ignoring the Emotional Wave: Suppressing or denying your emotions will only delay the decision-making process. Embrace the wave, knowing that clarity will come.
– Relying on Others to Make Decisions for You: While it can be helpful to seek advice, remember that your authority lies within your emotional solar plexus. No one else can experience your wave or make decisions for you.
Conclusion
Navigating life with emotional authority in Human Design can be both empowering and challenging. The key is learning to trust your emotional wave and giving yourself the time you need to reach clarity. Whether in career, relationships, health, or major life choices, human design emotional authority provides you with a powerful tool to make decisions that truly align with who you are.
To deepen your understanding of your personal Human Design, you can explore your chart here and download the Human Design App to start living in alignment with your true self.
By embracing your emotional authority, you can make decisions that not only reflect your authentic self but also lead to greater peace and satisfaction in all areas of life.
FAQ
The rarest authority in Human Design is Lunar Authority, which is only available to those with the Reflector energy type. Reflectors make up less than 1% of the population, making Lunar Authority exceptionally rare. This authority operates uniquely because it does not rely on any inner authority such as sacral, emotional, or splenic, but instead follows the cycles of the moon. Reflectors are designed to make decisions over a full lunar cycle (approximately 28 days), giving them time to fully process and absorb the energies of the environment around them.
Lunar Authority works by reflecting the state of the community, and those with this authority need to tune in to how they feel over time, experiencing different aspects of life throughout the moon’s phases. This allows Reflectors to gather a holistic view of a decision before committing to it. Since they are deeply connected to the lunar cycles, Reflectors are advised to wait through the entire 28-day cycle before making major decisions, giving them clarity on the best course of action.
This authority contrasts with other types that make decisions faster, but Reflectors need the gift of time to ensure that their choices align with their highest potential. Because of the inherent variability in their nature, patience and careful reflection are key to their decision-making process. Understanding and honoring this unique rhythm allows Reflectors to live in harmony with their design, ultimately making choices that serve their well-being and the collective good.
To find your emotional wave in Human Design, you first need to know if you have Emotional Authority, which is determined by the definition of your solar plexus center. The solar plexus center represents emotions, moods, and sensitivity, and when it is defined (colored in) on your chart, you automatically have Emotional Authority. There are three main types of emotional waves, and understanding which one you have helps you navigate your decision-making process.
- Tribal Wave: This wave is tied to relationships and connection, particularly within family, friends, or community. It rises and falls based on how needs are being met or unmet in relationships. When you’re in this wave, emotions can oscillate between hope and disappointment, especially around loyalty and support.
- Individual Wave: This emotional wave is highly internal and tends to rise and fall without any obvious external triggers. People with this wave can feel melancholy or sudden inspiration. This wave emphasizes personal emotional experiences that can seem random to others.
- Collective Wave: The collective wave is based on shared experiences and patterns within society. It moves in cycles of progress and reflection, often leading to emotional highs or lows based on how things are evolving on a larger scale.
You can find your specific wave by looking at the channels connecting your solar plexus to other centers in your chart. Each type of emotional wave operates in a cyclical manner, so having awareness of your wave helps you understand when to wait out emotional highs and lows to gain clarity.
The least common Human Design profile is the 2/5 profile, also known as the Hermit/Heretic. This profile represents a unique combination of two seemingly contradictory traits. People with this profile are natural introverts (2nd line), who crave alone time to recharge and deepen their understanding of the world. At the same time, they possess a strong, magnetic quality that draws others to them for guidance (5th line). The combination of these traits makes the 2/5 profile rare, as fewer people carry this specific energetic configuration.
The 2nd line, often referred to as the Hermit, reflects an inner need for isolation and self-reflection. These individuals learn through their own process, without needing much external validation. They are naturally gifted at what they do but may not realize it until others point it out. This “hermit” quality makes them sensitive to external pressure, as they prefer their own space and flow.
On the other hand, the 5th line, known as the Heretic, projects a problem-solving energy and attracts people who see them as capable of offering solutions. 5th-line individuals often find themselves in leadership or advisory roles, where they are called upon to guide others. However, because of the tension between their need for solitude and the constant pull to be of service to others, the 2/5 profile can experience challenges in balancing these opposing energies.
This duality makes the 2/5 profile rare and distinct, requiring those with this profile to develop healthy boundaries while still allowing their natural gifts to shine when the timing is right.
The difference between Sacral Authority and Emotional Authority in Human Design lies in the centers that govern decision-making and the processes involved.
Sacral Authority comes from the defined sacral center, which represents life force, energy, and gut instincts. This authority is found only in Generators and Manifesting Generators. People with Sacral Authority make decisions in the moment based on the sacral response. This response is non-verbal and manifests as an internal “yes” or “no” feeling. It may show up as a gut reaction, a feeling of excitement, or a lack of energy for something. Sacral Authority operates best when it responds to direct questions or options, like “Do I want to do this right now?” Immediate clarity often comes through physical sensations or sounds, such as “uh-huh” (yes) or “uh-uh” (no).
Emotional Authority, on the other hand, is ruled by the solar plexus center and requires time for clarity. People with Emotional Authority do not have access to instant decision-making because emotions fluctuate in waves. They need to wait for emotional clarity before making any decisions. This authority is common in many Human Design types, including Generators, Manifesting Generators, Projectors, and Manifestors. Unlike Sacral Authority, Emotional Authority requires riding out emotional highs and lows to see how you truly feel once your emotional state has settled. The key difference is that Emotional Authority relies on waiting and reflection, while Sacral Authority is about immediate gut response.
Understanding the distinction between these two helps individuals honor their decision-making process and live in alignment with their true nature.
Making decisions with Emotional Authority requires patience and an understanding of the emotional wave cycle. Unlike other types of authority that can offer immediate clarity, Emotional Authority operates through the solar plexus center, where feelings fluctuate in waves. This means individuals with Emotional Authority are not meant to make decisions quickly or in the heat of the moment. Instead, they need to wait until they have achieved emotional clarity.
Here are key steps to making decisions with Emotional Authority:
- Ride the emotional wave: Emotional Authority means your feelings will move through highs and lows. At the high point of the wave, everything might seem exciting, while at the low point, it could feel overwhelming or negative. It’s essential to wait for the middle ground when your emotions are neutral before making any significant decisions. This can take hours, days, or even weeks, depending on the nature of the decision.
- Avoid impulsivity: Emotional Authority individuals must resist the urge to act on impulse, especially when they are in the peak or trough of their emotional wave. A snap decision made in either extreme is often not aligned with their true desires or best interest.
- Give yourself time: Unlike Sacral Authority, which allows for in-the-moment decisions, Emotional Authority thrives on time and reflection. Give yourself the space to feel all aspects of a decision before committing. This might mean telling others you need time to process, which is essential for reaching clarity.
- Recognize clarity: After the emotional wave has passed, a sense of calm and certainty will emerge. This is when you will know you’re ready to make a decision that aligns with your true feelings.
By embracing your emotional process, you can avoid making choices based on temporary emotions and instead act from a place of wisdom and emotional balance.
