Well, hello there! If you’ve landed on this post because you’re trying to understand these weird, new terms you’re not alone. There is so much jargon in Human Design, it’s like learning a whole new language!
So, in about 1000 words (or so 😁) I’m going to explain what these terms mean so you can start to apply the gold that Human Design contains to your own life.
First: Let's look at the numbers (aka your Profile)
6/3 Self-Projected Projector
On your Human Design chart, there is a number that is usually displayed in such a way that it looks like a fraction. (It’s not a fraction but it does appear that way!)
This is known as your Profile and it can tell you incredibly useful things about your inbuilt character.
Your Profile has two numbers and they both reveal something about how you relate to other people and life in general. There are no better or worse Profiles there is simply your natural tendency for how you’re designed to do this life.
If your Human Design chart shows that you’re the same Profile as listed in the title of this post then this means the following...
The most important things to learn about your Profile as a 6/3 very much depends on the age you are as you read this. It also depends on how well you were supported to be your authentic self as a child. So, for this short introductory blog post, I’m going to share some points in small chunks so you can grab the bit that feels most relevant to you. Ready?
Overview: Traditionally known as the “Role Model/Martyr”, you’re here to experience a lot, a lot, a lot in your lifetime and ultimately become an extremely wise role model for the rest of us.
You get better and better with age (like a good wine!), but it’s essential that you learn how to pull the lessons out of your many (weird and wild) experiences and not shame yourself for the things you didn’t get “right” the first (or fifth!) time.
If you had a very challenging childhood where you were criticised for the many mistakes you made and told any version of you’re ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ or ‘broken’, then the way to improve your life at any age is to heal your shame. You’re not broken. You are supposed to learn things the hard way. That was your path in this life.
Phrases about your life that might resonate if this was your experience:
Chaos. Crazy. Messed up. F*cked up. I break things. I can’t stick with anything. Nothing ever works. Too hard. What the f*ck?!?! School of hard knocks. Figuring things out eventually. Trying to fail forward. Trying to learn from my mistakes. Trying to see the bigger meaning behind everything I’ve lived through.
If reading any or all of these phrases or words make you feel like I’m inside your head or have been a fly on the wall in your life, the next three paragraphs are the recommendations I have for you to make your life work a bit better moving forward. (And if they don’t resonate, then you can skip down further in this post to the next set of italicised words).
If you’re a young adult up to age 29 (ish): You’re learning through doing, and it’s supposed to be messy. Learn how to embrace the chaos, laugh at the messiness of life, and roll with the punches. Please know that life will settle down a little as you slide into your 30s. As this transition happens, it may feel completely weird; it’s supposed to feel very different. There’s nothing wrong, you’re just slowing down.
If you’re in your 30s or 40s: Prioritise healing your wounds, your pains and any hidden shame. This is your peak time to reflect, integrate and gain a bigger perspective on the many experiences you’ve had and mine them for gold! But to do that, you have to heal your precious heart, mind and soul, and as many of the things you’ve been through as you possibly can.
This would be a very good time to learn and master a healing tool so that you can deliberately work through the crap you’ve been through. Please know that the more diligent you are during this healing phase, the more likely you’ll be able to do the thing you came to Earth to do.
If you’re in your 50s or older: This is the time designated for you to be a role model for the rest of us and to show us what it really looks like to be yourself. But this may feel impossible if you haven’t healed your painful past. What do they say?
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” So, if you’re alive and breathing, it is not too late. Start now and know that the more you actively care for your tender self, the better role model you’ll be for those around you who are ready and waiting to learn from you.
If you were well supported to be your weird and wild self in childhood, then you’re still going to be on a crazy, adventurous ride, but it’s probably not anywhere near as painful as your 6/3 siblings above have had to endure. But you are still going to have (or have had) more experiences in the first 30 years of your life than most people have in an entire lifetime!
Phrases about your life that might resonate if your childhood felt pretty safe and you were allowed to be yourself:
Adventurous. Epic. Wild. Crazy. Awesome. Many experiences. Many jobs. Many lovers. Many friends. Many lessons. I fail forward fast, and it’s my greatest strength! There are no mistakes, only learning opportunities. My sense of humour is my saving grace.
If those words resonate with you, then this is wonderful news. There’s a good chance your parents did an exceptional job with a kid who was born with a challenging life path! If you got off to a great start, that’s so great and here’s how you can make your life even better…
If you’re a young adult, anywhere up to age 29 ish: Lean into the craziness. Embrace the chaos. Let yourself make and break as many bonds (with friends, lovers, jobs, business, etc) as you need to in order to stay true to yourself.
If you’re in your 30s or 40s: This is your “settling down” time, where you withdraw from the messiness of the world and become more reflective. Now is the time to observe humanity without getting so involved (you still will from time to time, just nowhere near as much as in your youth), to integrate your experiences, heal any trauma caused by broken trust, accidents or misadventures, and through that process become more objective.
You can expect people to start to ask your advice far more often from about 30 onwards. And this will only increase over time, especially if you’re very diligent about healing and integrating.
If you’re in your 50s or older: It’s Role Model time, baby! Around age 50, you’ll get pulled back into life and all its busyness, and it will be your time to shine. You may feel reluctant to lead, but you have an absolute gold mine of wisdom and stories for days. So lead in whatever way feels authentic to you, knowing that the most important ‘job’ you can do is to be yourself unapologetically.
This is the time when you finally get to share the valuable wisdom you’ve been accruing your whole life. When you get to share with people what does and doesn’t work when it comes to life’s biggest challenges. Expect to spend the rest of your days being an example that the rest of us can look up to because you did the work to become the most perfect version of you that you can be.
Second: Let's look at the first term (aka your Inner Authority)
6/3 Self-Projected Projector
The term Inner Authority acknowledges that you have your own innate authority within you. That is, you are designed to be the expert on your own life. It tells us how you’re designed to make your best (that is, most correct and aligned) decisions in your life.
While there are a few factors that influence how each individual person is designed to make decisions, one of the most important ones is the info contained in your Inner Authority.
The one or two words right after the Profile numbers (as shown in this blog post title) is the Inner Authority. If this is yours then let me explain what that means, in a simple way, right now.
Self-Projected actually means what it sounds like: You’re designed to “project yourself” outward to know what you want.
To explain further, if this is your Inner Authority it means you need to talk out loud about what, in your heart of hearts, you really want.
Speak it out. Keep talking about the opportunity ‘til it’s clear.
If the thing feels good to talk about and you feel strong as you speak, that’s a ‘yes’. If the thing makes your throat constrict and you feel bad talking about it, that’s a ‘no’.
Third: Let's look at the last term (aka your Type)
6/3 Self-Projected Projector
The last part of this series of words we use to describe you in Human Design is your Type. Broadly speaking there are five Types.
(Although some HD teachers prefer to teach four Types many of us have found that splitting the population into five broad groups is more helpful. If you’ve seen this difference between teachers, or you do in the future, please know whether it's four or five, it’s not worth losing sleep over.
Type is an imperfect way of splitting 8 billion people into different groups. While the exact right way to split us into different segments might be imperfect it's still incredibly helpful, hence why most HD teachers on the planet teach about the concept of Type. So, let's get back to the blog post as we re-focus on what’s truly helpful.)
Your Human Design Type refers to how your aura (or energy field, it’s the same thing) behaves or interacts with other people. Some people are here to start conversations, others are here to respond, and one group of people are here to do a bit of both. Some are here to take other people in deeply so they can understand them really well, while others are here to be a mirror for the people they meet.
No one Type is better than any other; they are all just a little or a lot different from the others and are all here to do different things in this life.
A Projector is here to do life entirely different to most people. If your Human Design chart says this is your Type then you naturally, without any effort see and feel and sense things that others miss.
You’re here to guide other people with the things that you know. It’s an incredibly deep and powerful gift but for you to know which people you are here to guide in this life you need a sign.
That sign will be some kind of invitation. The people you’re here to help with your insights and intuition and ideas will make it known to you that they really want your help. Not just anyone’s help but yours specifically.
Note: For you to stay healthy (or become healthy again) you’ll need to find a way to guide others that honours the immense value you bring to the table. Ideally, you’ll only guide those who truly value you and your ideal work will be one where you are paid very well for far less effort than a “normal” job demands.
6/3 Self-Projected Projector 🗹
And that's it! In one short blog post, you've now had a basic introduction to your Profile, Inner Authority and Type, and I even snuck in some info about your Human Design Strategy 😉
Inspired to learn more about Human Design?
Every word in this post was written by Caroline Southwell.
While AI is useful for many things it's still not very good at explaining the depth and nuance of Human Design. Instead, human beings who have been learning about and experimenting with the Human Design system for 10+ years are much better teachers of this content.
To learn more about your very human teacher, check out this page here.
ABOUT
Caroline Southwell supports conscious individuals to create lives and businesses they love using Human Design and Trauma-Informed Tapping. Learn more about her here.