What does it mean to contribute? To facilitate? To be an agent of change? It can seem like a menial job, but without the facilitators, nothing gets done. Without the agents, editors, and directors, the artist’s work never sees the light of day. So, when a whole new way of thinking, living, being comes into view, how do we step up and become the agents of that change? The answers are in the Human Design Chart.

Last time, we explored Hexagram 23, learning how to find our voice in order to transmit concepts and insights that have the potential to change the world. Now, the sun is moving into Gate 8, which we call “Contribution.”

We’re in the throat center here, and each of the 11 gateways in the Throat Center has a particular voice. Gate 23 was the first gateway in the Throat Center, and its voice is: “I know!” And the voice of gateway 8 is, “Trust me.” The 8 knows what the destination looks like, it knows what we’re aiming towards, but don’t ask it how we get there. Don’t ask for rules and blueprints and instruction manuals. Just trust me.

Where the 23 was about communicating and transmitting novel concepts and ideals, gateway 8 is all about inspiring trust and providing possible outlets for those who foster and create these novel concepts and ideals. We can think of gateway 8 as the agent. There are artists out there with novel expressions to put out into the world, and the 8 says, “I’ll sort it out for you. I’ll direct the course of your activities. I’ll give you the right scripts. I’ll open up the right doors so you can express and expose your creativity in the world.”

Let’s see how this works as we look at Gate 8 in the Human Design Chart line by line:

First Line: Being Authentic

The first line is called “Being Authentic: Being candid will attract all those who wish to contribute.” Your forthrightness attracts everyone who wishes to engage and co-create with their gifts. So, the foundation for this gateway is essentially to be straightforward with people. Be forthright about the fact that you don’t necessarily know how it’s all going to turn out, but that you will hold the space until it does.

You know that your efforts must be offered without concern for obvious rewards. You have this gift of bringing people together, of marshaling the energies, of aiming the energies, and you have a very particular way of doing it. But you’re in it for the game. You’re in it for the play. But be careful of overextending yourself. You compromise your integrity by volunteering out of turn, becoming exploited or spurned.

As much as you are a leader, someone who can see how things can go forward, you’ve got to find the right balance. Consult your Human Design Chart, trust your own Type and Authority. There are certain circumstances in which it’s totally appropriate to offer that leadership, and other times where it’s better to do absolutely nothing at all.

Second Line: The Friend

The second line here is called, “Being the Friend: Friendliness is an expression of the highest human ideal.” We’re in an age where friendship counts for so much. It’s so important to have people that see us in the right way. People who guide us forward or hold our hands when we’re in a difficult situation in life.

Friendship means many different things to many different people. But here, your natural way of expressing friendship is by holding the space for creative endeavors. It’s just in your nature to give guidance and give friendship and open that space for others.

You naturally empower others through your presence and contributions. The word “natural” is such a big part of the second line, which always has a very natural, easy way of going about things. And here you naturally befriend others who need your guidance, who need you to represent them in some way or other. Your expression of friendship is intrinsic in your nature.

Third Line: Indulging

Here, the third line is called “Indulging: Contributing with a passionate indifference.” It’s a curious phrase, passionate indifference. It looks like you’re all in, like you’re totally involved, concerned, and invested…. but not so much.

You express your apparent interest, but often without necessarily ever committing yourself. And you rely on techniques to impress others in ways to avoid getting overly involved with them. Third lines always have an issue around contribution and commitment. They always like to have the door open, ready to leave if necessary. So here, the third line says, “I’ll be your agent. I’ll do whatever’s needed here, but if I’ve got something else going on, I might put my attention somewhere else altogether.”

You need to constantly check the basis of your commitments and the company you attract. You have this ability to really help people go ahead with their creative endeavors, but what is your motivation? Are you drawing the right people to you? Are you really seeking to offer this advantage to people, or is it just a job, just something you do?

Fourth Line: Statesmanship

Fourth lines are always looking to draw other people into a mutual agreement

whenever possible. You want to bring in every point of view and meld them together in a way that works for everybody. And here the line is called, “Statesmanship: Empowering cooperation by welcoming every individual contribution.”

You give heartfelt encouragement to each individual to contribute in their own unique way. There’s one thing to be really clear about when it comes to the individual circuitry, especially the voices in the individual circuitry. And that’s that they’re not expressing things that are necessarily aligned with the collective.

They’re not concerned with things like committees and councils and groups of people that are working things out, and generally giving in to the lowest common denominator. So, the fourth line here is looking to get everybody else’s different contributions and concepts and ideas and marshal them into a cooperative arrangement that can move forward in which everyone is uplifted and empowered in some way. That’s the essence of statesmanship. It’s really a powerful gift.

You promote everyone to raise their standards through your contributions and example. The statesmen can stand head and shoulders above everybody else because that’s just how they are in their life. They hold things to a high standard. But, on the other side of it, if you work outside the box, if you negotiate, your contributions may or may not be appreciated by others. Sometimes you just cannot lower your standards, and it requires some serious maneuvering to get everybody on board. But, in the end, that’s the work of the statesman.

Fifth Line: Benevolence

The fifth line is called “Benevolence: Attuning to how, when, and what to co-create.” Fifth lines are always in this role of potential leadership. They have the overview of everything. They can see all the potentials, where things could go, how things could be sorted out.

So, the fifth line here is looking to see how best to make this huge step up into something new and different. A step that takes us out of the logical side of things where we’ve got to fight our way through, or out of the collective side where we follow the same old pathways we’ve walked forever. How do we make it worthwhile for everyone? What’s the timing? What’s the attitude that’s needed to get everybody on board here?

Your abundant and kindly manner gifts everyone who is drawn to you. People with Gate 8 with the fifth line will know that when you’re kind to people, when you recognize them, when you pay attention to what they’re offering and how to draw that creativity out of them, they step up. Everybody steps up.

Your persistent contribution is ultimately appreciated, whether you know this or not. Sometimes it might feel like no matter what you’re trying to do, it never seems to come about. But you’ll find that there’s actually a huge appreciation for your efforts in getting people on the same page, even if things don’t work out exactly as planned. The destination is one thing. How to get there is another.

Sixth Line: Reevaluating

The sixth line is called “Reevaluating: Constantly encouraging harmonious environments.” You encourage others to trust you that they can do it, that we can do it, we can manage it together, we can make this jump.

You participate best when you appreciate the vital nature of all empowering contributions. It’s about spreading a very wide net and seeing the effect of all the different contributions that can come together. You comprehend the essence of creative contributions that bring benefits for everybody. It’s such a blessing when everybody feels like they’ve contributed something. No matter what their role is within it, they’ve been involved in a creative endeavor, in building something, some new structure, some new understanding, some new set of ideals.

On the other side of this, you can become tangled in dramatic personal interactions that result in regrets. You’ll often find that you’re the figurehead overseeing whatever changes and shifts are taking place. And you have to watch out for getting too involved and tangled up in other people’s concepts of what’s allowed, what’s not allowed, and how things are “supposed” to be.

We’re entering into the age of the individual. We’re all having to stand up in a very different way than we have in other ages. And we all have to stick up for ourselves, because as our collective systems come unglued and all the traditional things start fading away, we have to step into the new, we have to step into something different. And the 8th gateway, with its role of holding it together, getting everyone to contribute, getting everyone on the same page, it’s quite a big job, but totally worthwhile.

So, there we are, that’s Gate 8. We’ll check in again soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how your Human Design Chart informs and shapes your life, get your Free Human Design Report today.