I often refer to the Profile in Human Design as the seasoning of a design. The salt and pepper and spices that flavor it. All the aspects in a chart have characteristics or architypes. Gates for example represent things like having opinions (17), capturing detail (62), or emotionally connecting to spirit (55). Centers represent things like how you see/feel about yourself (G/Self), how you value your worth (Heart/Will) or how you get things started (Root). Channels, for example, represent things like saying yes and pushing thru (29-46) or contemplating and having an experience (36-35). Yet all of these aspects in a design are flavored by the profile. A third line design is going to flavor all these characteristics with experimentation. So getting to know your profile is an important step in understanding your design because it is going to frequently come into play in how you navigate the world.
Each profile is made up of 2 lines that come from the Sun and Earth gates in a design. I like the representation below in order to understand the evolution of the profile lines.
6
5 Outward Focus
4
————–
3
2 Inward Focus
1
If we start at the bottom with the first line, we have the most inwardly focused energy. The metaphor I see in my mind is someone looking down at their feet or belly. They are trying to find foundation on where they stand or where they are going to stand.
Continuing the metaphor, as we move up the lines the tilt of the head is rising. Line 2 is still inwardly focus but more aware of the others out there. That is why it manifests as the hermit, having alone time but also being aware of the others and accepting invitations to get called out.
Line 3 is still inwardly focused on the experiment or experience. But most experiments/experiences involve the other so there is even more awareness here. How does it turn out with the other?
When we get to line 4, now we are outward looking. The 4th line is the opportunist and the opportunity is thru the network. Scanning your network for 4th lines is imperative to harvest the opportunities.
The 5th line is fully looking out and is projected. I often think of the old fashion Grand opening lights in the sky. There is a projected magnetism from 5th lines that draw others in. It is like they are standing in a spotlight, energetically.
Lastly, the 6th line goes through it’s life cycle, from looking inward the first 28 years, to looking outward from 28 to 51, and then coming off the roof and looking on to what’s next after 51.
So it is important to understand the view of life that each line has, as described above, to understand the potential direction and impact the profile line will create.
Here are some key notes for each line.
1. The 1st line is foundational, looking or digging for information to feel comfortable with what you are doing or going to do.
2. The 2nd line needs down time to process or integrate what you have studied or experienced. Because of the down time, the 2nd line needs to hermit or have quiet time to process.
3. The 3rd line is experimental or experiential. There is no straight line thru life. You need to try things out and see what works and what does not. You have never failed even though the world may judge you for some of your experiments did not turn out so well.
4. The 4th line is foundational through the network. Your friends, family, people you work with, your job or what you do and where you live are all part of your foundation. Your network provides the opportunity so if any of the network items mentioned are changing or coming to an end, you may feel uncomfortable until the new foundation is built.
5. The 5th line is projected energy and is magnetic. People are drawn to 5th lines. But the 5th line has a natural complexity to it. Because of the complexity, a 5th line person takes much longer to truly get to know. This can result in the 5th line feeling projected on and you may want to escape the projection.
6. The 6th line has 3 life stages. 0 to 28 years it is experimental and inwardly focused. Around 28, the 6th line goes up on the roof and becomes observational. Watching others out in the world and how they navigate it. At ~51, the Chiron return, the 6th line comes off the roof and steps into the Role Model phase where you move forward with things that are of value to them.
Every profile is made up of 2 lines. So it is the blend of both the lines that truly shape the profile.
In this image you can see where the profile comes from in the chart. For this chart, the 2nd line, the small 2, is present in the personality Sun and Earth gates, 27.2 and 28.2. On the design side is the 4th line in the Sun and Earth, 41.4 and 31.4. Thus this design has a 2-4 profile. To learn more about profiles you can check out the podcasts here.
