The Graphic Body consists of 9 Centers, and each center of the Graphic reflects an aspect of the human experience, so it has a different value whether it is defined or not. Each center has a biological correspondence with glands or fundamental elements of our physical body. Let’s see in detail what they correspond to.
The 9 centers are:
– Head Center (Inspiration, mental pressure, questions)
Biological Correspondence: Pineal Gland
– Ajna Center (Reasoning, concepts, theories, answers)
Biological Correspondence: Pituitary Gland or Hypophysis
– Throat Center (Communication, manifestation, materialization, contact with the external world)
Biological Correspondence: Thyroid and Parathyroid glands
– G Center (Identity, direction, love, and self-esteem)
Biological Correspondence: Liver and Blood
– Ego Center (Willpower, selfishness, material world)
Biological Correspondence: Heart, Gallbladder, Stomach, and Thymus gland
– Sacral Center (Vital energy, capacity to respond and fully commit to a vocation, sexuality, and fertility)
Biological Correspondence: Ovaries and Testicles
– Solar Plexus Center (Emotional and nervous system, passion, irrationality, emotional intelligence)
Biological Correspondence: Kidneys, Prostate, Pancreas, and Nervous System
– Spleen Center (Immune system, well-being, protection values, health, ethics, and morals)
Biological Correspondence: Spleen, Lymphatic System, Immune System
– Root Center (Body pressure, stress, adrenaline, restlessness, and potential depression)
Biological Correspondence: Adrenal Glands
Definitions
When the centers are connected to each other, or when the gates at the two ends of the channel are activated, a Definition is formed. A definition is what will be reliable and consistent throughout life. There are four different types of Definitions:
– Single: A continuous connection,
– Double: Two separate areas of definition,
– Triple: Three separate areas,
– Quadruple: Four separate areas (very rare).
There is also the possibility of no Definitions (Reflectors), so the Definition is referred to as “Undefined.” The most important thing is that, Definition or not, it leads to the heart of the knowledge of human design and its value for your type.
Open Centers
An open center in your Graphic Body is a conditioning receptor. This receptor has an impact on your mind and creates what the Human Design System calls the Not-Self. The Not-Self creates its own decision-making strategy, leading you to make decisions based on conditioning rather than your true self.
One aspect of conditioning is that it’s only one side of the story. If you’re not aware of how you’re conditioned through your open centers, it’s something that really overwhelms you. It takes away your possibility. On the other hand, when operated correctly and the mind no longer makes life decisions, open centers become a source of wisdom in this life.
Fully Open Centers
Having a fully open center, a center without any activation (dormant gates), means there’s no frame of reference for conditioning. This translates into not knowing, perceiving, or understanding what conditioning really is. There’s no theme to latch onto because it’s simply not a natural part of who you are. And, of course, this can be very confusing.
The danger in having a fully open center is abdication of Authority. We are inclined to abdicate to Authority with this openness because the conditioning of the open Center is incredibly powerful; when the Center is fully open, the experience becomes so confusing that you prefer to hand over decision-making authority to someone else.
However, the beauty of the fully open Center is that it creates an extraordinary potential for wisdom. Without activation to filter incoming energy, there’s no theme to hold onto, no bias toward one thing or another.
And finally, always remember that your Strategy and Authority will take care of you.
The Not-Self
Open centers create their decision-making strategies in an attempt to keep us safe from confusion and pain. However, over time, these strategies become unhealthy, leading us to live a life of Not-Self actions. In other words, a life that is not ours.
In the Graphic Body, there are 64 gates and 34 channels. The centers are connected to each other through 6 circuits and 1 integration channel.
If you want to know which centers you have defined calculate your design here.