Who Created Human Design? Where did Human Design Come From? Who is Ra Uru Hu?
I know that when I found Human Design I was curious—who is this mysterious Ra Uru Hu character? Where did Human Design come from? Here is an excerpt from my book, A Modern Guide to Human Design, where I share about Ra Uru Hu, all the existing systems he used to create the Human Design chart, and my opinion on whether it is cultural appropriation or not.
What the Heck is Human Design?!
First, I want you to know that Human Design is not a religion, belief system, or cult. Human Design can be utilized alongside any religious or spiritual practice because it does not demand that you accept a mystical origin story, believe in God, or elevate a guru. Learning about Human Design doesn’t require you to believe anything. As long as you’re willing to begin observing yourself and the people around you, you can begin to decide if Human Design feels useful for you. At its core, Human Design is a metaphysical science, experimented with and validated by each individual.
What makes Human Design a science? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, science is a “systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” In the case of Human Design, we are studying and experimenting with human behavior using a system based on complex calculations that start with our exact birth date, time, and location. Those calculations classify us into Types and make recommendations for how we can thrive as our unique selves.
Experimentation is the foundation of Human Design. Each aspect of our chart is merely a recommended experiment, and—as with many things in life—we shouldn’t accept anything as truth until we have observed how it works when we implement it in our life. In my experience, many people feel an immediate sense of recognition when discovering certain parts of their chart. It’s like Human Design is putting into words something they’ve vaguely felt their entire lives. In other cases, the chart introduces an entirely new concept that they must try in order to see if it creates more ease, flow, aliveness, and meaning in their lives. Each aspect of the Human Design chart is a hypothesis; it’s up to us to come to a conclusion.
Who is Ra Uru Hu?
That said, the Human Design system does have its own “out there” origin story. In January 1987, a Canadian man living in Ibiza named Alan Krakower heard what he called a “Voice.” For eight days and nights, he claimed he received transmissions of information that became the foundation of what we now know as the Human Design System.
Krakower eventually changed his name to Ra Uru Hu, which he felt fit his identity as the founder of Human Design. For the next twenty-five years, until he died in 2011, he continued to build on this foundation, adding new material and traveling the world to teach. Krakower/Ra Uru Hu eventually created a certification program for Human Design practitioners, and his estate manages his books and prolific library of lecture recordings to this day.
Do we all need to accept Ra Uru Hu’s story and agree with everything he said and did to benefit from Human Design? No. The way I see it, this is merely his truth. Each of us is entitled to our own beliefs about mystical experiences. While Ra Uru Hu may have founded Human Design, the System is not about him. It is not about elevating or following anyone. Instead, it is about elevating our own inner guidance, personal truth, and experiences. It is a tool we can each utilize in a way that works for us, free from dogma, outside control, or rules. According to his students, Ra Uru Hu always said, “Don’t believe a thing I tell you; try it for yourself.” This statement sums up a healthy approach to learning about Human Design.
What Systems Did Human Design Borrow From?
However it came to be, the foundations of the Human Design chart are a complex mash-up of the astrological wheel, the Chinese I Ching, the Hindu Brahmin chakra system, and the Judaic Kabbalah Tree of Life. Human Design is an archetypal system, meaning it uses symbols of common human behaviors—like the hunter and gatherer, or the reluctant leader—to help us understand our nature. Many of the archetypes you will find in your chart come from these traditions.
This full Human Design chart is different from the chart that you will see on most chart calculators, and it’s not necessary to use this version of the chart when viewing yours. However, I wanted to show you this version because it illustrates how each system is incorporated.
The Human Design chart uses the 360-degree astrological wheel and the twelve signs of the Western Zodiac to calculate the planetary energies at play when we were born. Each planetary placement falls in one of the sixty-four gates, which flavor that planet’s effect on our BodyGraph, which is the illustration of our nine centers.
The ancient Chinese I Ching was one of the first books ever written. It functions as both a philosophical text and a divination tool; traditionally, you can read the book alone or consult the corresponding numbered hexagram after casting yarrow stalks to determine a sequence of numbers. In Human Design, the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching each lend meaning to one gate. However, while each line, gate, and channel has an archetype, Human Design also assigns a practical application to each gate and channel that was not part of the I Ching.
The Hindu Brahmin chakra system’s seven energy centers inspired the nine centers of the Human Design BodyGraph. However, Human Design posits that we shifted from seven-centered beings to nine-centered beings in the late eighteenth century. The nine energy centers of the BodyGraph draw on some of the same concepts as the chakras but have also evolved to have their own meanings. The Human Design chart expands on the Hindu Brahmin chakras, adding new chakras (known as centers) like the Spleen, Ego Center, and G (Identity) Center, as well as changing the meaning of the Solar Plexus and Heart.
Human Design echoes the Kabbalistic Tree of Life’s ten or eleven nodes and the twenty-two lines that connect them in the BodyGraph’s sixty-four gates and thirty-six channels that connect the nine energy centers. Like the Tree of Life, the gates and channels create a link between the archetypes and energetic expressions of the energy centers—however, the Human Design BodyGraph does not follow the same structure or meanings as the Tree of Life.
Overall, philosophy and archetypes underpin the Human Design chart, but the actual chart makes recommendations for how to make decisions, how to eat, how to interact with other people, and what to focus on in the world (among many other things) that are not part of these original systems.
Is Human Design Cultural Appropriation?
Because the Human Design system borrows from ancient wisdom traditions from all over the world, it is essential to ask: Is Human Design cultural appropriation?
When exploring Human Design—and anything stemming from a culture that is not your own—it’s important to acknowledge, respect, and educate yourself about where those practices, customs, or ideas come from. That’s why I’ve included some introductory information about the esoteric systems that Human Design draws on, and if you’re interested in learning more, I highly encourage you to take a look at the books in the Resources section as a place to start. In addition, Ra Uru Hu’s foundational texts cover each of these traditional systems and how they contribute to the Human Design chart.
I feel that the way that Human Design utilizes ancient esoteric systems differs from stealing from a culture’s art, clothing, ideas, spiritual practices, or food and repackaging it for a dominant culture’s audience. While the wisdom of these ancient systems informs Human Design, the Human Design system offers many new concepts, applications, and ideas. As discussed, Human Design is a science, and sciences draw on the discoveries of previous experiments, credit them, and continue to build on the knowledge. In the end, though, it is vital that all Human Design users continue to understand Human Design’s origins and pay homage to the original systems that Ra Uru Hu borrowed from.
So, what do you think? Are you open to a system like Human Design? Leave your comments below!
-Rachel
