The Wesak Festival in April-May celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha. During this period the forces of awakened enlightenment associated with Buddha can pour into our lives. We prepare for this time by honoring the lessons of the middle way, unconditional love, compassion, truthfulness and mindfulness brought forth by Buddha’s teachings.

Siddhartha, a prince who lived in the 6th century BC in Northern India, left his protected life of luxury and went out into the world where he witnessed intense suffering, poverty, and illness. He embarked on a quest to understand why some were healthy and rich, while others were poor and sick. This quest ultimately brought him to the sacred Bodhi Tree where he awakened to the meaning of life, understanding that he hadn’t lost anything and there was nothing to attain. This was about Awakening: awakening to the truth of who we are. Siddhartha became known as Buddha, the Enlightened One.

This story reminds us that we are all capable of traveling to a sacred place within ourselves and awaken. When we do this we relax and have the potential to tap into something greater than ourselves.

The Bodhi tree, or any tree, is a representation of our sacred selves as well as our sacred journey. A tree’s roots perceive their environment to care for itself to eventually meld with its surrounding matter leaving the limitations of its structure behind.

The branches reach out in many directions, especially to the light. Just like a tree, we are being pulled in many directions: towards the earth for material security, comfort, and tradition as well as towards the heavens for greater and greater states of awareness. When we honor the middle way as Buddha taught, it is easier to achieve this balance.

Human Design offers parallels to Buddha’s journey because of the self-knowledge that this system offers us. Human Design awakens us to greater self-awareness and self-acceptance and some might think of this as the heavens.

We are most content and satisfied when we understand and use our body’s energies as they are designed, freeing us to discover our more sacred attributes. The Human Design Bodygraph is similar to the Kabbalistic tree of life, grounding and teaching us about life’s many pathways. A Bodygraph is made up of 9 Centers, 36 Channels and 64 Gates. Within each Gate, there are 6 lines creating 384 lines allowing us to create a rich tapestry that we can use to understand the diverse parts of ourselves and our collective humanity. We can experience immense freedom when we understand and accept our truths.

In a Bodygraph, the Head Center is at the top and the Root Center at the bottom.  Both of these are pressure centers, creating a physical force that is driven towards our Throat Center where communication and manifestation take place.

Mental pressure from the head that results in confusion, doubt, and inspiration. The Root Center is a pressure and motor center. Here we experience pressure and fuel to evolve, adapt and help us through our most difficult challenges. This center is all about adrenaline, stress and sustained momentum for living.

If our Root Center is defined in our personal Bodygraph, we have a fixed, or consistent way of dealing with the stresses and strains of life.  If the center is open, undefined, we are ideally here to learn how this adrenalized pressure center works. An undefined Root center can easily become overloaded adding extra stress on our bodies. Awareness of these processes and how we are individually designed help.

Depending on how you are specifically designed you may have a few or many of these pressure gates defined in your Bodygraph, but we experience all of these energies or aspects of them. When we imagine ourselves like a tree, living as we are intricately designed, we too can become more awakened in our lives and can deepen our understandings of the teachings of Buddha.

It is interesting to look at some of the specific pressures found n the Root Center - our roots - to see how this energy can get us going. For example, we can be under pressure to be perfect, correct things and make them better. We are driven to find purpose in our lives and transform. For some, there is always a drive to begin new things or transcend limitations. For others, there is a powerful ability to focus and concentrate and, for others, there is a deep drive to find the spirit in life.

If you have the 52 Gate of Inaction, known as Keeping Still Mountain, you may be able to sit as Buddha did and concentrate deeply in your meditation practice. If not, or depending on the other details of your Bodygraph, you may not be designed for quiet meditation. There are other ways you are better suited to connect with your spiritual nature.

If you have the 60th Gate of Limitation present in your Root Center, then you are equipped to deal with life’s limitations. When we accept our limitations, whatever they might be, we are able to transcend them and free ourselves, even a little, from life’s restrictions.

Finally, of all 384 lines in the I’Ching, the most spiritual line is found in the Root Center. The 54th Gate of the Marrying Maiden in the 4th line of  Enlightenment/Endarkenment - the alpha/omega - the beginning and the end. It is the fuel to transform at the purest level. This placement reminds us that we are holistic beings and when we are running our energy correctly, like a tree grounded in the earth, we can reach towards the heavens flowing with ease.

And as Buddha said...

“All that we are is a result of all that we have thought.”

So, honor your authentic nature and your thoughts, fill them with love and compassion and you too will be filled with greater love and compassion for yourself and the world.

The mind can be a major distraction or an incredible source of wisdom. As understood through the Human Design system, the mind is an Outer Authority. It is there to share and inspire, yet is not there to determine our personal choices. The mind can be an incredible unit for processing information. It can be a wise friend, or one of our greatest foes.

The third dimension is a binary that we know so well. It is polarized so that we can consider the good and the bad, the light and the dark. If we let our mind rule our lives, we can easily become a victim of this polarity.

The Human Design system describes this binary with great accuracy. The Bodygraph is a road map that helps us navigate this dimension without letting our minds run the show allowing access to greater truths -  especially the greatest truth - who we truly are. Our individual Bodygraph guides us to make decisions as ourselves from a place of our unique Inner Authority. It also reveals our personal lessons, values and vulnerabilities.

Edgar Cayce, known as the Sleeping Prophet, (1877-1945) taught that there is as much to unlearn as there is to learn. We need to unlearn untruths about our ourselves, about collective histories and about who we are and what we are here to do. Edgar Cayce’s work highlighted many of the untruths about our collective past. Ultimately, we need to determine for ourselves what is true, what is worth learning and what is a distraction. We need to determine what is part of the maya, the illusionary appearance of our world.  

Our biggest challenge is to see through the maya and know what is worth our time and what is not. Life is full of contradictions: when to talk and when to be silent, when to take action and when to reassess, when to sleep and when to dream, when to have humility or when to have self-confidence, when to interact with others and when solitude serves us. It is also about having a deep appreciation for life, yet not fearing death.

We must know when to listen to our minds, and when our mind scatters our energies. Remember- we never want our minds to ruin our day- we must be vigilant with our thoughts and impulses so we can discriminate and navigate our lives with ease experiencing an abundance of love, peace, understanding, gratitude and compassion, most of all for ourselves.

Ideally, we want to experience the ever-present now- let us be clear - it is not about walking around in a constant state of perfect relaxation, but it is about being present in our bodies in the moment, the mystical Now, while honoring our unique nature. In this way we can neutralize the polarities that often are present in this third dimension.

When we establish an identity that is strong, and true, we engage in a deeply spiritual practice. It is up to us to determine what is real, what is of value individually and collectively, and what we need to do so that our souls can dance upon the earth.

When we embrace the Human Design system, we understand how the mind is designed to be used. First, let us address what the mind is not- it is not meant to drive us crazy, or others crazy. It is not meant to send us on wild goose chases, or say ‘yes’ to things that our body’s cellular intelligence doesn’t agree with. It is not meant to distract us from our intuition, inner knowing or personal power. Our mind is not meant to make us anxious, feel inundated with oppressive thoughts, or full of self-doubt. All of this unnecessary thinking can cause tremendous stress in our bodies.

This is not the master plan.

The purpose of our mind is to be a source of wisdom and an outer authority for others. The best way to express our mind has everything to do with timing. In understanding how we are designed to make choices we are more effective in being in the right place at the right time with the right people to express our wisdom and inspirations.  

Our decision making process is mapped out for us in a Human Design Bodygraph in what is referred to as our Strategy and Authority. When we practice making decisions from our unique Inner Authority -not through the strategies of mind and rational thought -we take pressure from ourselves.

The mind is made up of two centers: the Head Center, on the top of the Bodygraph, and the Ajan Center, the center just below it. The Head Center accumulates a lot of mental activity creating pressure to ask and answer questions everyday.  There is a collective pressure to know “why?”, “why are we here?” or “why do people act the way they do?”.  This constant mental pressure causes us to take action that might not be correct for our highest good and we can experience much stress in our lives. We should always return to our Strategy and Authority to best finalize decisions or take action.

The Ajna Center, the other component of the mind, is where we process information over time. We can make mental choices from our egos, fears or lack of emotional awareness, and these decisions can last a lifetime. Alternatively, we can process the mundane and inspirational thoughts that enter our Head Center, and allow the Ajna to review, research and communicate this information. This is the optimal way to use our minds.

The mind ideally is a back seat passenger, observing, questioning, inspiring the thought process, but it is not in charge of the car. When we are operating at our best, our mind is in harmony with the rest of our body. Our mind can then be free to act as a witness, observing and reflecting on all the stimulation we experience. Again, the mind is not there to make our personal decisions because it can not always be trusted.

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) known as the Sleeping Prophet famously said,  “Mind is the builder”, indicating that our thoughts have power and can direct and create our existence - for good or for bad. We can align our minds with our hearts and tap into what many call Universal Mind, or the Source, or God. This occurs when we are grounded in our bodies, the power of the earth, and our hearts are open. Then we are functioning as a well oiled machine and can use the knowledge that Human Design affords us. We can navigate our lives with less mental stress, freeing our minds from its burdens so it can contemplate, share and build on universal truths.

As we change and grow into our future selves, we will shift from a reliance on thinking, rationalizing and weighing different options to a life navigated by our cellular intelligence. In this way we gain our true power and put our minds in their place.

And, don’t forget don’t let your mind ruin your day…

Spirituality is an inner knowing of something greater than what we see or realize in our day-to-day living.

Our spirituality is eternal. It is part of us that just “knows stuff”. It is the part of us that knows where that parking spot will be, or who is calling before the phone rings. It is the part of us that feels a connection, a fellowship with nature, with each other, with other times and places and with bygone civilizations. In this way, we experience synchronicity,  the right information or inspiration comes to us at the right time.

There are many ways to explore this inner knowing, just like there are flavors of ice cream, styles of dressing, or philosophical beliefs. Some of the easiest ways to explore spirituality are spending time in nature, breathing deeply, singing, dancing, and laughing.

We can also deepen our understanding of our spirituality by exploring our nightly dreams, various forms of divination, and a deeper knowledge of our personal numerology, astrology, Kabbalah and Human Design.

All if these esoteric sciences help us to understand ourselves at deeper and deeper levels.

Knowing who we are and what we value releases a ton of creative energy into our lives.

Awakening to this inner knowing is a process. Sometimes it happens in quantum leaps. Other times it is slower - as it is supposed to be. If we changed all the time at the same high rate, we couldn’t maintain our 3rd dimensional structures. We would just be our ashes and shoes.

The more value we have for life, the more splendid life is.  The more creative we are and the more we are connected to our Divinity.

Values matter. Do you value your body? Your home? Your family? Your community? Your government? When we spend time exploring what we value, collectively or individually, the more value is returned to our lives.

Certainty and synchronicity confirm that we are on our spiritual journey. We love when we find the parking spot, or know who is calling before the phone rings.

Yet, it is really during times of uncertainty, personal growth or crisis that we are closer to our free will, our divinity. When we know who we are and what we value in turbulent times the path is much clearer.

Understanding your Human Design Bodygraph, will allow you to easily identify who you truly are, what your personal laws are, and what you truly value.

When we define our values, what matters to us, how we think and what we love, we create a powerful spiritual practice and we feel satisfied, creative, and peaceful and our soul is happy.