homogenized diets + human design
Artwork: unknown
I figured there was no better time to speak more about the Primary Health System in Human Design, your Determination + homogenized diet culture than at the beginning of a new year when we are inundated with plans, protocols, resolution bait hooks, and discounts on courses touted to fix a laundry list of symptoms and/or support weight loss, and said to work for everyone.
This is an area I feel comfortable speaking for a couple of reasons. One, nutrition was the first facet of wellness I began to study on my own over 20 years ago and two, in efforts to feel better in my own body, I have tried most of what’s out there. While I have recommended personalized protocols and intuitive eating for awhile, it wasn’t really until I discovered Medical Astrology + Human Design, and began to work with them more meaningfully, that it began to verily sink in. In all areas of our life, there is no one sized fits all.
It’s hard not to get excited when you read a testimonial of someone who shares the same symptom(s) as you…. say this thing, this diet, this protocol, this way of eating, this herbal tea was THE THING that finally “fixed” XYZ. They had tried all the things, but THIS was THE thing.
We want to feel better. We not only want to feel better, but we want to feel vital, full of energy. We want to be free of aches and pains. We want to think clearly. We want to have balanced endocrine systems, etc.. We want to radiate with well-being. But, it’s unfortunately not always that easy and many folks on the “this cured all” bandwagon are still riding through their honeymoon phase because anytime we switch up our diet and it includes eating more whole foods, and less processed foods and sugar, we are going to feel better. In many ways, and for many, it is just that simple (though we can always lean in to differentiation to bring greater well-being). And, for some of us, it’s not. For whatever reason, be it genetics, epigenetics or our cosmic imprint, some of us struggle to find the answers we seek. I think that’s because the keys are written into our Design, not in homogenized ideas, but in the nuance and uniqueness of our own biology.
One of my favorite book introductions is the one to Letting Go by David R. Hawkins. It literally made me laugh out loud in resonance. He lists off several pages of how we seek answers outside of ourselves. Not only had I tried much of what he shared but I had certifications in several. When we constantly seek outside, for someone to tell us this is the magic thing that will work for you, will work universally… that will make you thin, happy, heal, cure ______, etc.. we are on the wrong path. It doesn’t mean there is not value in many of the answers we find. But there is no panacea and I believe the best guides and tools turn us back to the answers within.
“Once you have been conditioned in this life it’s quite an ordeal to remove that conditioning. It is a step-by-step process. We’re so deeply homogenized in the way in which our society operates. Individuality in its purest sense is frowned on by society, in society everybody wants you to go their way, and everybody wants to feel secure because they can operate in a group together. Everybody wants to take those kinds of decisions that have support from others because they’re afraid of the consequences of what might happen if they stand on their own. There is an enormous fear in this life to stand on your own and make your own decisions. Everybody is looking for somebody to guide them, looking for somebody to help them, looking for somebody to tell them what to do.”
We want to come back to listening to our bodies and personalizing our wellness journey. The heart of human design is differentiation, it is moving away from the homogenized ideas of right and wrong into a deeper felt sense of individuality. While I still read loads of health books and research because I think there is much to gain from learning about the magic of blue zones, knowing the damaging effects of PUFA’s or reducing inflammation, etc… and I love hearing about new insights… I drink my celery juice in the morning because right now it makes me feel really good and it makes sense to me. I take the things that experientially work for ME and that resonate with my Authority + intuition (while supporting my uniqueness) from all I read and leave the rest. I’d invite you to do the same with this piece. ;)
Artwork: Klaus Rinke
Outside of Human Design (which includes Astrology), there are many ways we can get to a more personal place in how we support ourselves. Whether it is intuitive eating, epigenetics, blood type, Traditional Chinese Medicine, more specialized medical astrology (more to come on this) or Ayurveda. Most doctors today are taught to cut or prescribe. It’s rather heartbreaking to visit most allopathic doctors and recognize the disparity and complete lack of homeopathic, herbal, holistic or alternative knowledge. Doctors are more likely to give you a prescription than tell you to move your body, meditate, get in sunlight, breath other biomes or ask about your diet. Unless you are visiting the Gyno, most doctors will not even ask about your cycle which offers key indicators for women’s health. They lack knowledge of a woman’s infradian rhythm or a Projector’s need for something different. Most experiments are only based on male bodies or post menopausal female bodies. I could go on and on and I am not trying to knock Western medicine, it has its place, but doctors used to actually be trained in astrology because of how helpful it was in diagnostics. While we make great innovations, we also seem to step farther back from basics, as well as individualized approaches. There is no better time to learn about how to support yourself.
There were many times when I wholeheartedly fought against nourishing my unique imprint and biology. When I first read The Blood Type Diet I was vegan and I was practically insulted by his recommendations, because as an O Type it was more on the Paleo side. I was already sensitive to soy as well as concerned about the hormonal implications and so I sometimes turned to seitan, a wheat “meat”, for a satisfying alternative when I needed it. It only took a couple of years to develop an intolerance, or rather for it to make itself loudly known. I noticed I was having heart palpitations and anxiety whenever I consumed it and even a week or so following. Instead of remembering what I read in the Blood Type Diet book, I doubled down with raw veganism (though I did quit gluten). I was deeply steeped in the life food movement, making mock tuna salad from sunflower seeds, buying vegan leather shoes, going to uncooked dinners by my raw chef friend at his trendy warehouse apartment. It wasn’t just a food choice, it became a big part of my identity. I read all the books and watched all the documentaries. I LOVE animals. I have Gate 19 as the only definition in my Root and my sensitivity to animals is pretty profound. But when I went to the doctor a couple years later, wafer thin and complaining of fatigue, autoimmune issues and imbalanced hormones, my bloodwork told a story, one I couldn’t ignore. It was VERY hard for me to go back to eating animal products. Even now, I still struggle, and I make peace in the ways that I can, focusing on products that are humane + regenerative, practicing gratitude and implementing more nose to tail where I can, and holding fast to the way Indigenous cultures have consumed while deeply respecting animals and that sacred relationship.
In Human Design, Diet/Determination is less about what you eat (though there is an advocacy for whole foods), and more about the conditions or circumstances. Ra called food the “great homogenizing agent”. We often don’t realize the impact of physical conditioning, we tend to think of it more in psychological terms not from the basic needs of things like sleep + nutrition (which Ra considered our greatest conditioning factors).
“It is an extraordinary thing to see. And it is interesting to understand that it is through food that the limitation of humanity, the present limitation of humanity is simply maintained. In other words, the inability of humanity to be able to break out of being the homogenized herd, and it begins with food.”
Determinations
Determination is about the correct, aligned digestive process for each of us. Not eating according to your Determination (which requires your exact birth time) is effectively homogenizing your digestive system. Following the right Diet leads to differentiated brain function and helps you to absorb the correct nutrition that you need, improving mental function and potential, which aids in bringing out your uniqueness. Additionally it strengthens your sensory abilities including your heightened intuitive sense of Cognition. While Cognition may be your strongest sense, you may have increased access to others through your Tones and Gates. For instance, Gate 44 is the Gate of Smell, so even if you do not have a Smell Cognition, if you have a defined Gate 44, you still have consistent clairolfactance ingress.
There are 6 regimens with dualities. The first 3 have conditions and the lower 3 have circumstances, which are in essence related to the environment in which you eat. Moving through evolutionarily, the higher in number, the more sophisticated the digestive system (which does not make one better than the other).
1st Color - APPETITE (Alternating / Consecutive) - foundational, primitive, simple, one thing at a time
2nd Color- TASTE (Open / Closed) - picky, habitual/repetitive, changes seasonally
3rd Color - THIRST (Hot / Cold) - the temperature of what you are consuming
4th Color - TOUCH (Calm / Nervous) - the energy of your environment
5th Color - SOUND (High / Low) - the volume of your experience
6th Color - LIGHT (Direct / Indirect) - the most sophisticated + sensitive, related to sunlight
One of the things I love to consider is how the Colors relate to each other. For instance Taste is a 2nd Color Determination, and so is a Markets Environment. Think about how those relate to each other when it comes to specificity. And, how that might relate to, and help you better understand, the Possibility Perspective or Hope Motivation. Notice how all 1st Colors relate to security, consider how all 5th Colors might be supported by the power of sound, etc..
littles
While I obviously love Human Design for everyone, beginning early can save a lot of suffering and deconditioning down the road. This is something we can and should start as part of conscious parenting. Diet is BIG conditioning and there are simple ways to lean in. While Environment may not become so important until after your first Saturn Return, Determination is something we can support from the beginning to help with brain development and cognitive abilities, in addition to honoring their Aura’s, getting them into their bodies, and helping them recognize and cultivate their Strategy + Authority. Ra often gives the example of breast feeding a Cold Thirst kid. It seems like such a simple way to support your child’s development but is actually conditioning them and most likely creating digestive upset. Another example would be trying to get a Nervous Touch kid to sit down and be quiet while they eat. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, I always recommend supporting and leaning in in the ways we can.
And, on a side note, I personally include Environment in all children’s readings. How helpful it is to know that a Caves environment kid needs feelings of safety, that building forts with them is a great support, and having teachers put them at the back of the room so they can’t be snuck up on will aid in their feelings of security and encourage focus + presence. However, when it comes to supporting a parents environment or young child, it can be more important for the adult at that time.
in closing
This is not just about feeling good in our bodies but aligning with our intuition. Learning about and integrating your Determination, as well as following your Strategy + Authority, results in heightened awareness + perception which helps us to align with the correct choices + paths in life for our highest good.
Need help figuring out and/or understanding your Variables (including Diet) or how to support a loved one? You can find all the info as a member of The Collective, as part of a session, or through a Variables Field Guide.
MEMBERS access HERE.
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