What Your Human Design Environment Can Teach You About How You Thrive
Think about your favorite place. How would you describe it? What sort of rooms does it have – are there rooms? What does it feel like? What essential components make you feel safe, happy, inspired, nourished? We all have different takes on what our ideal environment would look like and many times your happy place reflects aspects of your Human Design.
The environment layer of your Human Design lives in the substructure of the variables. Like cognition and motivation, this variable goodness is derived from what is called color. Rather than referring to actual colors you can observe on your chart itself, the colors show up as numbers (confusing, I know) but if you get the meaning of the numbers down you can discern which environment is recommended for you without needing to see an advanced chart (like those created in the Pro version of Genetic Matrix).
Looking at your chart, the environment color is found in the lower-left triangle. Residing on the design, or unconscious, side of your chart, this speaks to how your body takes in information from your external environment. Understanding the significance of your Human Design environment gives you insight into where your body feels most safe and relaxed. The idea is the more stable you feel in your environment, the more you’ll be able to hear your intuition, tune into your authority, and just feel overall awesome. Who doesn’t like that?
The Human Design Environments
1. Caves
Similar to the energy of the 1st line, the Caves environment is all about creating safety and security. Finding a space that is cozy and protective can be extremely soothing for someone with a caves environment. If you think about the historical significance of a cave as a place where people could hide to be safe from the elements and dangers of the outside world, you can start to understand the underlying needs of this environment type. Create a space where you can control who comes in and out. People with a caves environment don’t enjoy being surprised when they are in their space. An open floor plan office or a glass house would be super unsettling to a caves environment. Sitting with a solid wall behind you or sleeping in the corner of a room might put your nerves at ease. The ultimate goal here is to make a space that feels secure. The more a caves environment person feels comfortable, the more they will be able to recharge and access their creativity.
2. Markets
If you have a Markets environment, you should explore and create a space that is both comforting and stimulating. If you think about a marketplace, there are many different foods, textiles, smells, sounds, and people. This Human Design environment is all about being able to pick and choose what feels best for them. Working in a bland cubicle or living in a monotone home will not fly for this environment type. Your environment is all about sampling and trying different elements that make you feel grounded and at home. Put on the radio and listen to music from different cultures, play around with textures and fabrics, invite friends over to cook new cuisines. Your environment is as unique as your tastes – aesthetic and food-wise! Lean into what makes you feel most alive.
3. Kitchens
The Kitchens Human Design types thrives when they have a multitude of different “ingredients” to play with. This environment is all about alchemy. Mixing together different ideas, cultures, tastes, smells, and textures is the particular genius of this type. You like to be in the middle of the action, creating a unique recipe for what feels most supportive to you. Think of the Kitchen environment as the central gathering place where all different sorts of people come together. You can see connections and complementary energies that others may miss. This may look like working in a coworking space where you can collaborate with a variety of entrepreneurs or living in an area that is rich in diversity. Your creativity thrives when you’re able to mix and match, creating a space that is uniquely and distinctly yours.
4. Mountains
You don’t need to literally live in the mountains if you have a Mountains Human Design type – but there is something to having a high perspective that suits you. Being able to see the full picture of your environment is soothing to you. This may look like setting up shop in the attic or seating yourself by a window that gives you a full view of your neighborhood or office. You like to be tucked away but still have access to the big picture. Open spaces help to settle your being and engage with your body’s intelligence. This could mean living out in the countryside or simply organizing your home with an open floor plan. Experience with heights and perspectives and see what comes up for you.
5. Valleys
Valleys is one of my personal favorite Human Design environments because it is incredibly social. This environment type pulls from the old significance of Valley towns. These were spaces where people would gather on their travels, sharing ideas, news, foods, and wares of different sorts. This environment is all about the exchange of energy. There is also an accoustic tie to this environment. You may like to hear the sound of other people talking or music off in the distance, but in a way that allows you to choose whether you want to engage or not. The most important thing is something needs to be going on around you – and you get to decide what feels most supportive to you. Fun fact: People with Valleys environment tend to love some good gossip or to unwind watching reality TV. No judgment here! Feeling like you are part of other people’s stories and in the know is super supportive for this environment type. Go forth and Bravo!
6. Shores
When it comes to Human Design environment types, shores tends to have the most space for creative interpretation. Shores are all about spaces where two different landscapes or things come together – think of a shoreline where water meets land. There is change built into the environment. Being in a place where you can experience a multitude of settings will be supportive for the Shore environment type. This may mean sitting by a window, working in a city office that overlooks the water, watching sunsets, anywhere you can have a foot in two different realities. You may consider painting the walls of your home different colors to give yourself the feel of transition as you move throughout. I have also heard that changing outfits to mark the change from one part of the day to the next can be fun for Shores environment. I love the idea of painting portals on your walls or playing AR games to experiment with the potential of this Human Design environment type. Get creative and explore what feels most exciting to you!
Hardscapes Versus Landscape
If you’re having trouble connecting with your Human Design environment, it can be helpful to know that numbers 1-3 are hardscapes, the construction of the places, while 4-6 are landscapes, which focus more on the feeling or the energy of the space. For people with a caves, markets, or kitchens environment, creating a space that mimics this archetype will be soothing. In the case of mountains, valleys, and shores, it’s all about putting yourself in the center of a scene and allowing yourself to engage and interact with your surroundings. Hardscapes are often more practical while landscapes are poetic. That doesn’t mean you can’t dabble in and out of this binary, but rather this is an invitation to explore and discover what feels right in your bones.
Arrow Facing Left or Right?
Within the environment types, there are also two options for how the environment will present itself based on whether the lower left arrow is pointing left or right. There are a lot of nuances here so I won’t get into all the details but as a general rule, if your arrow is pointing to the left your environment tends to invigorate you. You may also find that you like to be very active and thrive when you have a regular routine around physical activity. If your arrow faces to the right, your environment is meant to be relaxing and you seek out calming spaces. This can also indicate that you prefer to follow the cues of your body and only do intense activity when you feel inspired. These are all high-level insights so feel free to experiment and see what works for you!