Human Design Authority for Manifestors

You’re going to hear these words again and again in your Human Design journey: "Follow your strategy and your human design authority!"

Part of the magic of Human Design is that if you do those two things, you will be in alignment with your unique path. (If you need a refresher on strategy, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Informing as a Manifestor.) 

While following strategy and authority sounds simple, in practice it can be a bit more complicated. That is why I’ve spent the last several years developing tools to help Manifestors go deeper into their unique process. You can not skip learning about your authority in Human Design cannot be skipped.

This blog post will help you identify your Human Design Authority and how that particular authority works.

Let’s dive in. 

What Authority means in Human Design?

Authority in Human Design is the definition in your chart that gives you access to reliable decision making. In a Human Design chart, (also called a bodygraph) you will see nine shapes that we call centers. Each of these shapes has the potential to be filled in with a color, or to be white. What is colored in is called our definition, and it stays the same throughout our lives. This means that no matter who we are around or what the astrological weather is, we have a consistent connection to the energy of those areas. Using your authority helps you make decisions from your unique consistency. Rather than being influenced by your mind or the people around you through your undefined centers.

The throat center is always defined for Manifestors. Meaning it is filled in with color and the sacral center will always be white, or undefined. Those two things are consistent among Manifestors. However, it is all of the OTHER defined centers in your chart that reveals what your unique authority as a Manifestor is.

Types of Authority in Manifestors

Now, if you’re looking up your bodygraph online, it’s likely that the chart you receive will have some kind of written key that tells you what your authority is. For Manifestors, this will be either:

• Solar Plexus/Emotional Authority
• Ego Authority, or
• Splenic Authority.

When we’re talking about authority we are talking about making the correct decisions for you. Contrary to most of the teachings in the Western world, no one is actually designed to make decisions from their mind. The truth that Human Design shares with us is that we each have access to a deeper wisdom of what is right for us. That wisdom comes from making a decision based on our authority and knowing how that authority functions to direct us to our next right decision.

Let’s get into each of the authority types. 

Human Design Authority types for Manifestors

Solar Plexus/Emotional Authority for Manifestors

Emotional authority is the most common authority on the planet. Approximately 53% of people have a defined solar plexus. If you have a defined solar plexus you automatically have emotional authority because of how powerful this center is. If you are a Manifestor with emotional authority it means that you make decisions over time. A commonly used and helpful phrase for this is,

“There is no truth in the now.”

When it comes to making correct decisions for you, especially medium-sized or larger decisions, you want to take your time. This is because you are seeing the world through the lens of an emotional wave. Some days you wake up and feel good for no reason, some days you wake up and feel bad for no reason. This is your emotional wave at work, chemically taking you from melancholy to excitement and back again. 

When to make a decision with a Solar Plexus/ Emotional Authority?

While there are so many aspects of this emotional wave we could go into, let’s focus on decision-making. You are designed to wait for clarity when making a decision. This happens because your emotional wave needs to get to know and feel into all of the aspects of that decision.

Over time, and through feeling into that decision on different points of your wave, you will come to a place where you feel neutral and ready to choose. At the end of this wave for a particular decision, nervousness drops and you feel calm, clear or simply emotionally neutral. As a result, the choice you make from this place is the one that feels emotionally correct for you. You won’t feel 100% certain. However, you will feel a sense of calm and that this choice will make you happy. As you experiment with your wave and make decisions from it, it’s easier to trust that your process is enough. Trust that you don’t have to feel 100% certain for things to work out and to make great decisions for yourself. 

Splenic Authority for Manifestors

If you are a splenic authority, you have an undefined emotional center and a defined spleen in your bodygraph. This authority is relatively rare, as it can only happen in a minority of Manifestors and Projectors. The definition that you rely on to make decisions is the splenic center. A center connected to survival, fear and intuition.

This is a very primal authority that acts as a sixth sense. It uses your body and the space around you to sense whether something is safe or unsafe, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad for you as a human. Your spleen is processing tons of data and information. Feeding you a signal that often says something like, “This isn’t safe. I shouldn’t be here.” 

How does the Splenic Authority works?

The tricky thing about splenic authority is that it doesn’t work on reason or logic. It’s below the surface and feels like spidey senses that you can’t quite make sense of with your mind. After that, there is no mental certainty around your decisions, just in instinctive sense or reaction that comes from your body. This means that you are on a journey of deep self-trust. You have to listen to your intuitive hits. Knowings that feel right in the moment, but only make sense to your logical mind in retrospect.

Splenic authority comes in a visceral sense. For instance, a body knowing, or in a quiet voice that whispers “Yes” or “No” or “Get out of here.” The more connected you are to it, the louder it tends to become. When you are first getting started it can be difficult to hear. The knowing or voice will only speak once and not repeat itself. So, it is imperative to practice being really present with yourself and with your body in order to hear it.

In conclusion, Splenic Manifestors are designed to make decisions in the moment. Not to second-guess themself. 

Ego Authority for Manifestors

Ego authority, the most rare authority for Manifestors. In addition, it happens to be an authority that only Manifestors possess! If you have ego authority, it means that you have a defined will and an undefined solar plexus and spleen.

The ego center, also called the heart center, is one of the four motors in Human Design. A defined ego represents consistent connection to willpower and worthiness. 

What does Ego authority means?

Ego authority means that you are making decisions from your ego. In other words, from what you really want or desire. The way you know what you really want or desire is by speaking it out loud. Also, speaking out loud helps you come to clarity around what you want, and after that, your decision. When you say the words out loud, whether to another person or just the universe, it brings you clarity. You can hear in your own voice if it’s something that you truly want, or if you aren’t actually motivated by it. 

When you are truly desiring something, you have the willpower to achieve it. You often get a physical surge of willpower after the decision is made. This surge gives you the energy to see the decision or creation through. Ego authority is powerful and feels more certain than the other two Manifestor authorities. At first, this authority can often feel uncomfortable for female Manifestors that have been conditioned by patriarchy to not express or go after what they really want. 

Mastering Your Process of Making Aligned Decisions

Becoming masterful at making decisions using your authority is something that happens with experimentation and over time. It can be hard to let go of your mind’s control and start making decisions from a deeper place within you. However, it is absolutely worth the initial discomfort! Start with small decisions now. As a result, you will be more confident to use this powerful tool when it really counts! You will be amazed at the synchronicities, experiences and results you will get from listening to your authority. 

PS - To go deeper into the nuances of these authorities, I created the Manifestor Masterclass #3 all about decision-making. We cover all of the Manifestor authorities! AND I share more detailed information, tips to connect with your authority and how to troubleshoot if you are having trouble accessing your authority or trusting it. You can find this Masterclass in the Manifestor Masterclass Bundle.