Part of me loves to think of the Human Design chart like a giant circuit board. Each gate represents an electric potential with the channels acting as the conduit that enables the centers to light up. It feels very 3rd grade Science Fair potato lamp to me – in the best way possible! The ability to transform unseen characteristics, energy, or forces into a lived and observable experience ~chefs kiss~.

If you have worked with the channels and gates in your chart to better understand how your particular energy operates, then you are wonderfully set up to dig into the circuit groups. Circuitry in Human Design points to the thematic nature of the chart structure. The channels are rooted in The Tree of Life in the Zohar/Kabbalist tradition and illustrate how different spheres of being interact to create your lived experience. Pretty cool, huh? Understanding the makeup of your circuitry can help you understand what dominant themes show up in your design. This baseline further colors the influence of the channels and gates.

For example, the 23/43 channel, the channel of structuring, is all about being able to take abstract information and data and communicate it in a way that feels like a “breakthrough.” The signature of this channel is being able to present information and ideas that are often ahead of their time, hence the nickname “genius to freak.” If you have this channel that experience in and of itself may feel like “yeah ok… but WHY?!” because it can be hard to communicate at times, especially if others aren’t open to thinking outside the box. How do you ground this experience and turn it into one that is empowering? Well, consider the fact that this channel is part of the Knowing Circuit. This energy grouping exists outside the plane of logical reason. You know what you know and there is no other way about it. I have worked with many people who have this channel who understand that they have access to a deep and inexplicable knowing but have simply lost confidence in that power over time. Getting back to the essential nature of this channel – and recognizing the theme of the circuit to which it belongs – enables them to reaffirm and trust that their ideas and insights are indeed groundbreaking … it may just take some time for others to catch up. All they need to know is that their wisdom is valid and they feel empowered to carry on blowing people’s minds. Voila.

With this background in mind, let’s jump into the different energy circuits in Human Design.

Individual Circuit

The individual circuit carries the energy to be different. Through your unique process of self-discovery and empowerment, you inspire others by your example. This circuitry may inspire the “crowd” but it is not meant to necessarily be part of it. The primary gift of this circuitry is being an example of a new way of being. It can be a lonely experience at times, but trust that you are here to show others there is another way.

This circuit is made up of three sub-circuit groups, Knowing, Centering, and Integration.

Knowing Circuit: Individuality

CHANNELS: 61/24, 43/23, 8/1, 2/14, 3/60, 39/55, 12/22, 38/28, 57/20
Description: The Knowing Circuit plainly just knows. There is an instinctive trust that one’s own ideas, impulses, feelings, intuition, and direction are correct, or not. This energy is not based on logic or any form of perception. This may seem like a confusing concept if you don’t have any gates or channels in this circuitry. Developing deep self-trust and validating those inexplicable pings that direct you along the way is key to working with this energy.

Centering Circuit: Anchoring

CHANNELS: 10/34, 51/25
Description: The Centering Circuit is a rather spiritual circuit grouping if you ask me. It’s all about recognizing that your own desires and passions are an expression of the divine. The 34/10 hardwires the power of the sacral “knowing” to the identity center. By following the impulses and direction of the sacral, you are led toward the right people, places, and experiences your soul came here to explore. Similarly, the 25/51 is rooted in an understanding that there is a universal force that expresses itself in the most unexpected ways. This circuitry connects the individual to something much bigger – a powerful experience.

Integration Circuit: i am

CHANNELS: 57/10, 57/20, 20/10, 20/34
Description: The Integration Circuit is often called one of the most mysterious circuity groupings because it doesn’t technically exist – it’s more so a collection of channels that didn’t fall into the other circuit groups. That doesn’t make it any less impactful, however. Integration is about self-empowerment. Deeply intuitive and sometimes called the “embodiment of the soul,” this circuitry demands that you listen to your own intuition and guidance to connect with a higher calling. People with this circuitry are here to serve as a mutative example. Quite simply, this circuitry knows that we are all part of a collective, spiritual whole but get to live out unique lives – it drives us to reconnect and claim the strength of both.

Tribal Circuit

Moving into tribal circuitry we start to see the energy and skills needed to survive as a collective whole. Tuning into the patterns of the past with an eye on what helped keep everyone safe, secure, and thriving, tribal circuitry is attuned to the needs of others. Values, reproduction, material resources, nurturing, and caring all live in this circuit group and if you have a dominance of this circuitry you may find it challenging to separate yourself from the needs of others. The key with working with this energy is finding a balance of give and take. Creating a close group of people or family around you may feel supportive, but you might also dream of breaking free of the obligations or traditions that come with these relationships. You are here to create your own terms around these themes and find a way to care for yourself and be supported in the same measure that you care for and support others.

Ego Circuit: Material

CHANNELS: 45/21, 40/37, 49/19, 54/32, 44/26
Description: The ego circuit is all about managing resources, contracts and agreements, leadership, and ambition. Ruled by the heart center, the core of all these values is being able to serve the collective in a way that is beneficial for all involved. While some may look at the ego circuit as being materialistic and driven by ambition, it holds the potential to truly “lift all boats.” Providing the strong values, understanding of what works and doesn’t, and keen sense of how to develop collective strength through resources and meaningful productivity, this circuitry sets a powerful example for a group’s success.

DEFENSE Circuit: Protection

CHANNELS: 50/27, 59/6
Description: The defense circuit is often described as being very primal it is the tension of creation, destruction, nurturing, friction, sexual reproduction, and so much more. This circuit balances the splenic awareness of what it takes to nourish and provide for others with the solar plexus’ desire for intimacy and deep knowing. It is important to be mindful of your needs when dealing with this energy because you may be prone to giving too much of yourself or getting lost in powerful emotions. It’s also said the defense circuit can pierce the aura of others, which I take to mean it’s interested in blending with the energy of another in a profound and meaningful way.

Collective Circuit

When we get to the collective circuit in Human Design, things start to zoom out. The individual circuit focuses on the personal experience, the tribal circuit is concerned with close groups, and the collective circuit is interested in the big picture and broad impact. Collective circuitry is comprised of the logic and sensing sub-circuits that combine intellectual understanding with more subtle feeling energy that aims to provide a holistic approach to change. People with collective circuitry are able to see clear patterns and assess what works and doesn’t – this can be on an individual or group level – but the primary goal is being able to apply learnings for the benefit of all.

Human Design Circuitry: Exploring Beneath the Channels

Individual Circuit

Tribal Circuit

Collective Circuit