What makes you say “Yes!” to life? What is that energy that calls us to make commitments to things? Sometimes we call it a “gut instinct,” when we just feel the impulse to go for it. But how can we explain it? That’s where Human Design Gate 29 comes in.

Last time, we explored Hexagram 4, which showed us that sometimes our mental solutions to problems really aren’t solutions at all. Now, the Sun is moving into Gate 29, which we call “Commitment.”

Gate 29 is in the Sacral Center, and as such it brings with it a sense of urgency to move. The original translation from the Chinese I-Ching is something like “the Abysmal,” or “the Deep Within the Deep,” meaning that you can’t get any deeper than Gate 29. And that’s where we get this urgency. It’s an urgency to make some kind of change, some kind of difference… or not!

When Gate 29 commits, something is going to blossom. Something is going to flower from that commitment. Alternatively, recognizing no impulse to move and commit is equally relevant. There’s always the question: “Do I get into this thing or not?” “Should I put my whole sacral energy into something or not?” When faced with an opportunity to commit to something, are you getting a clear “Yes” signal from within? Or are you merely thinking you should say yes, because it’s what’s expected, wanted, demanded of you? Any “shoulds,” “coulds,” “woulds,” “mights,” or “musts” are automatically suspect, in that they contain subtle coercions to follow someone else’s obligations instead of trusting in your own natural response.

When the Sun goes into Gate 29, you’re going to get a real opportunity to see whether your “Yes” is a sincere one. Whether or not this commitment you feel drawn to is really grounded in your own source, or if you’re seeking to go along with somebody else’s rule systems and dictates in life.

Let’s see what we find as we go through Human Design Gate 29 line by line:

First Line: Being Cautious

The first line is called “Being Cautious: Wondering if you can succeed will cause you to wobble.” When you get this impulse to make a change, or to move on, or to make something happen, be cautious of overthinking it.

You might find yourself in a space of hesitation, wondering if it’s a good idea or not, whether it will work out or not. And the moment you get into these kinds of considerations, you’ve found yourself in a mental obligation. It has nothing to do with you. It’s something referred from somewhere else.

You respond to situations according to only what is genuinely needed, or else you invite trouble. You want to be very clear in yourself. We’ve all found ourselves, at one point or another, being dragged into things that weren’t right for us. Whether it’s a career path, or a big purchase, or a relationship, when we aren’t really clear about it at the outset, we quickly find ourselves in trouble.

Being active only according to the requirements of any specific situation. Life is always looking to expand, to grow. And if you are really clear that you are getting a “Yes” from within, and you act on that, you will find those opportunities to expand in ways that are fulfilling for you. That “Yes” will tell you exactly what’s needed right here and now in order to get that fulfillment you’re looking for. But, if you hesitate to commit yourself because of past problems, you’ll miss out on these opportunities.

The past has a way of scaring us into a comfort zone. Things might have blown up in your face in the past, and you find yourself nervous to take big swings. It’s easier to stick to the safety of the tried and true. But this is a call to be present. All that matters is the signal you’re getting right now. Is it a “Yes”? then go for it. Leave the past where it belongs.

Second Line: Kindness

The second line always has a natural, innocent quality. And here, the line is called, “Advancing Slowly: A contentment with gradual achievements.” life moves along in its natural, gradual way. And the second line here is curious to see how things will turn out.

Your endeavors are sustained by proceeding directly and gradually, or undone by rushing. There is the potential to be too hasty; to get involved with things before you’re really clear about them. It looks great at a glance, so you rush to get involved, but soon realize it really isn’t for you at all.

The nature of saying yes with the power to persist regardless of circumstances. The second line is sometimes called “the Hermit” because there’s a shyness about it. But there can also be boldness as well. When the second line is really on its form, it has the power to commit wholeheartedly. When the Sun goes into the second line of Gate 29, it’s going to open up that possibility of the natural “Yes”. Things will be coming your way where it’s really easy to get involved.

However, blinding yourself to real commitments allows you to maintain a sense of harmony. There can be a tendency to avoid the great possibilities available to you. A tendency to want to stick to the safety of your comfort zone, perhaps be the hermit, the shy one, not get involved in other people’s situations.

Third Line: Holding Out

Third lines are never quite sure if they’re going to fully commit to something or not. Here, the line is called, “Holding Out: Allowing decisiveness for change to come in its own natural way.” It’s a call to hold steady until you get absolute clarity. Sooner or later, it’ll all become crystal clear. It may be a day, it may be half a second before the clarity comes, but you’re just going to wait until that moment comes.

Finding that caution gives perspective over life’s demands, you still feel the impulse to proceed. Third lines are here to experiment. You want to try out everything. Sometimes things don’t work out and you get your fingers burned, but that’s just part of the third line process. The end game is fulfillment. And the way third lines find fulfillment is through getting involved in all kinds of different experiments and experiences.

There can be a reluctance to make commitments due to your expanded, even unrealistic sense of caution. You have the potential to overthink things; to expand and extrapolate a situation when in reality it’s quite simple. The importance of clarity here cannot be overstated. You might not want to get involved with something because you think it’s going to cause you trouble. But the clarity coming from your own Type and Authority will know exactly what and who it is that really calls to you.

Fourth Line: Committing

The fourth line is called “Committing: Being clear about your challenges brings relief quickly.” The fourth line is very open to opportunities. It can always see some possibility of how things can be melded together; how people can be brought on board. There is a clarity of commitment that says: “We can do this. We can make this work.”

You have the discipline to commit yourself totally to the simplest and most direct processes. Human beings love to make life complicated. We really do. Whether it’s with gadgets and technology, or just in our interactions with each other, we love overthinking everything. We love to make life extra complicated. But here we have an opportunity to see things clearly and just go for it.

To avoid difficulties by downplaying their relevance, you can miss opportunities in your life. The commitment of the fourth line can be downplayed a bit in order to paper over the cracks and avoid unwanted tension. But the problem is, when you do this, you might get some momentary sense of harmony, but without your total commitment, your big “YES!”, you miss out on the greater possibilities for expansion in life.

Fifth Line: Being Restrained

Fifth lines always have a leadership quality. They can see the possibilities and the potential outcomes. And here, the fifth line is called “Being Restrained: Moving into and through a cycle with clarity.”

So, what do we mean by the word “cycle”? Right now, we’re in this particular circuit within Human Design that we call the Abstract Circuit. It starts at the bottom of Human Design Gate 53, where new beginnings open up into a whole cycle of experiences. And by the time we get to Gate 29, we’re looking to say “Yes” to things that will add to the cycle and ultimately bring fulfillment. So, the fifth line is concerned with making this practical. It asks: “how do we go about this?”

Your clear commitment is enough to avoid excesses, otherwise you get exhausted by indulging. All of us have overcommitted to something at some point in our lives. We know how draining that can be. The fifth line is very sensitive to this. So, it’s important to be really in touch with what it is that’s going to happen here. How is the fulfillment going to unfurl itself?

You have a clear responsiveness to say “yes” with a persistence that somehow brings completion. When you’re clear in your response to something, you’re not simply reacting to it, you’re engaging with it. You’re using your intelligence and all your abilities to engage. So again, it all comes back to clarity. If you have that clarity to say “yes” in the first place, you’re on good footing to engage with things in a way that brings about fulfillment.

Sixth Line: Entangling

There’s always an expert quality about sixth lines. They know how to deal with things. They know how to solve problems. Here, the sixth line is called “Entangling: First, clear your path in front (the future) and behind (the past).” Here, you are clearing out the baggage so that you can travel lightly into situations that are fulfilling.

What can happen for the sixth line is that it gets bogged down. It’s like a snowball. It starts off in a very small little ball at the top of the hill, but by the time it gets to the bottom, it’s tangled up with everything. So, you have to be really careful to clear your path ahead of you, make sure that there’s an opening for things to happen. And clear the past, so you’re not dragging a whole bunch of excess luggage with you.

You have an instant “yes” to get involved in anything, anytime. But be sure that it’s actually important. We’re constantly being loaded down by things that are supposed to be “important”—politics, war, religion, etc.—and while these things are important on some level, the most important thing is to be true to ourselves in any situation that comes our way.

The power to persevere that makes no immediate sense, often allows you to realize your goals. You won’t always know how it’s going to turn out. It might not make much sense to you at first glance. But if you trust in yourself and your own inner clarity, you’ll realize that it just works for you, and the “why” of it all doesn’t really matter.

The sixth line is really reminding us that Gate 29 wants us to say “Yes” to life. It’s not always the easy option. It doesn’t always feel safe and secure. But, “Yes” is a magical word. “Yes” means expansion. “Yes” means success in terms of being really fulfilled in life. But the foundation of it all is to be absolutely clear that the “Yes” you feel is solid and sincere.

That’s Human Design Gate 29. We’ll check in again soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how your Design informs and shapes your life, get your Free Human Design Report today.