Last time, we explored the Life Themes with the Sun in Gateway 20, the Gateway of “The Now”. Now, we move on into Gateway 16, the Gateway of “Selectivity”. Gate 16 is part of the sequence of Gates in the Throat Center, each of which being a distinct voice. Gate 16 is also receptive. It’s receiving things that it can then express. It’s also in the Quarter of Civilization. So, the voice here asks, “How do we engage with each other? How do we connect and communicate in order to make things happen?”
With that in mind, let’s have a look at the Human Design Life Themes associated with Gateway 16:
The Personal Life Theme: Planning
With the Conscious Sun in Gate 16, we find ourselves in the Personal Life Theme of “Planning”. The previous three Gateways (23, 8, and 20) were all in the Individual Circuitry, while Gate 16 is part of what we call the Logic Circuitry, and logic is always looking towards the future, it follows a logical method to arrive at the best possible outcomes. It can recognize at a glance what’s going to work and what isn’t. And this can rub people the wrong way. It must be remembered that logic is not personal, logical expressions are always about systems and potential ways things can get done. Someone might come up with what they think is a great idea and then Gate 16 comes along and says, “Nope. This is a complete waste of everyone’s time.” Certainly Gate 16 can gauge if a proposed concept is valid or not, but the trick is to express these things in a way that doesn’t upset people. If Gate 16 is habitually critical it will soon find itself isolated within society.
Gate 16 – Selectivity – The ability to evaluate and identify endeavors that have relevance and promise.
Gate 9 – Applied Details – An inherent attentiveness to everything, whether it brings satisfaction or not.
Gate 37 – Family – Clear interrelationships are necessary for the stability and wellbeing of everyone.
Gate 40 – Deliverance – Using willpower to differentiate between struggle and liberation, you attain what holds value for you.
The Conscious Earth is in Gateway 9, the Gateway of “Applied Details”, which is always looking to have all the bits and pieces lined up so things can work beautifully. So, this Life Theme of Planning is always wanting to get involved in whatever it is that looks like it has a good future. And Gate 9 says, “Hang on, let’s wait until every last detail is in place before we get started.”
On the Unconscious side, we have the Community Channel, which is made up of Gates 37 and 40. And this Channel is in the Tribal Circuitry, so it’s deeply involved in supporting the community. So, I’ve always said that having this Life Theme is like trying to ride two horses at once. One horse is very logically inclined, always focused on the future. And the other one’s saying, „Hang on a minute, we need to consider everybody else, our tribe, our family, our community, our company, etc.“ So, there’s always this little bit of a balancing act for this Life Theme.
Notable people with this Life Theme: John F. Kennedy, Gladys Knight, Melissa Etheridge, Annette Bening, Noel Gallagher
The Fixed Life Theme: Enthusiasm
The Sun moves on into the fourth line of Gates 16 and 9, and we enter the Fixed Life Theme of “Enthusiasm”. The fourth line always marks a kind of changing point within every Hexagram. Lines one, two, and three are all very personally involved. But the fourth line wants to get other people involved and pulling in the same direction. So here, Gate 16 is not only looking to see which potential endeavors show the most promise, but also how we can combine our resources in order to see these endeavors through to the best possible conclusion.
Gate 16 – Selectivity – The ability to evaluate and identify endeavors that have relevance and promise.
Gate 9 – Applied Details – An inherent attentiveness to everything, whether it brings satisfaction or not.
Gate 63 – Doubts – Critical Perception; Constantly refreshing your view in a world where there is always change.
Gate 64 – Diverse Possibilities – In expansion there is no absolute correctness and yet there is always a pressure to find balance.
Gate 9 again asks “How do we make this work? What are the key details that need to be in place in order to make this happen?” Meanwhile, the Unconscious Sun has gone into Gate 63, the Gateway of “Doubts”, and the Unconscious Earth has gone into Gate 64, the Gateway of “Diverse Possibilities”. So here we might pause to consider other options and different courses of action, or we might begin to doubt the entire endeavor altogether. So, people with this Life Theme are often caught between this huge enthusiasm and energy to go forward with something, or this this feeling that they might not make it, or it might not be worth their while.
The Interpersonal Life Theme: Identification
The Sun then moves into the fifth and sixth lines of Gates 16 and 9, and we find ourselves in the Interpersonal Life Theme of “Identification”. Again, Gate 16 is always looking to see what’s going to work, and what’s not going to work. There are so many different things that could be played out in this lifetime, so many experimental things that could happen. But people with this Life Theme are singularly focused on where they want life to take them, and who they are bring with them and guide along the way.
The fifth and sixth lines have to do with wisdom and guidance. So, people with this Life Theme have to learn how to let people down gently. Again, when someone comes in with what they consider to be an amazing idea, a person with this Life Theme might immediately recognize that it’s not going to work. But, how do they break the news to them gently? In a way that doesn’t discourage or stifle them?
Other notable people with this Life Theme: Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, Brooke Shields, Morgan Freeman, Heidi Klum
That’s the essence of the Life Themes associated with the 16th Gateway. If you want to learn more about Life Themes, you’ll find them all in the Book of Destinies, part of the Human Design Trilogy which is available in all good bookstores and audiobook platforms.
If you want to find out more about Gate 16, we encourage you to dive into our blog series on the Book of Lines.
And if you’d like to learn more about how your Human Design informs and shapes your life, get your Free Human Design Report today.