Last time, we explored the Life Themes with the Sun in Gateway 23, the Gateway of “Assimilation”. Now, we move on into Gateway 8, the Gateway known as “Contribution”. Both of these Gateways are in the Throat Center, which means they are voices, each with different ways of expressing themselves through speech. So, we had Gate 23, which is the voice of “I know”. And now, we’re going into Gate 8, which is the voice of “I contribute”. And what is it looking to contribute? Gate 8 wants to create expansion, create possibilities, create connection, to draw people’s energies together, to orchestrate and bring about creative endeavors.
With that in mind, let’s have a look at the Human Design Life Themes associated with Gateway 8:
The Personal Life Theme: Transference
With the Conscious Sun in Gate 8, we find ourselves in the Personal Life Theme of “Transference”. On the Earth side, we’ve got Gateway 14, the Gateway of “Prosperity”, also known as “Possession in great measure”. Gate 14 is involved in pooling resources, drawing them together and figuring out what to do with them. So while Gate 8 is looking for ways to bring about something creative, Gate 14 says, “These are the resources that we can use to bring about expansion in everybody else’s life.”
Gate 8 – Contribution – Inspiring trust and providing outlets for those who create novel concepts and ideals.
Gate 14 – Prosperity – Learning to embody easy in situations involving property, wealth and affluence.
Gate 30 – The Clinging Fire – The infinite and unshakeable quality of desire.
Gate 29 – Commitment/The Automatic “Yes” – Making commitments from a place of grounded sincerity.
The Unconscious Sun is in Gate 30, the Gateway of “The Clinging Fire”, those burning desires and experiences in life that really bring us that sense of fulfillment. We also have the Unconscious Earth in Gate 29, which is a Gateway with many names to it. It’s the Gateway of “Commitment”, it’s the Gateway of “Saying Yes”. It has this energy to it that is always ready to get involved in things and put things out into the world.
And that’s really the whole idea of “Transference”. This Life Theme is also known as “Contagion”, which sounds a little ominous but is really just about passing things along. It’s that experience when you find something really worthwhile, and you can’t wait to pass the torch, pass the flame to somebody else. You want to put it out into other people’s lives and empower them the way you’ve been empowered. So, people with this Life Theme are the torch bearers. They pass the flame and energize other people.
Notable people with this Life Theme: Megan Fox, Pierce Brosnan, Janet Jackson
The Fixed Life Theme: Contribution
The Sun moves on into the fourth line of Gates 8 and 14, and we enter the Fixed Life Theme of “Contribution”. Now, for people with Gate 14 with the fourth line, it’s very important that they have something that makes them feel secure in life. it may be a cat, it may be the way they’ve organized and decorated their living space, it may be a bank account, but whatever it is, it’s always available. So, for them, the foundation of being able to contribute is that they’re very centered, clear, and secure in their own life.
Gate 8 – Contribution – Inspiring trust and providing outlets for those who create novel concepts and ideals.
Gate 14 – Prosperity – Learning to embody easy in situations involving property, wealth and affluence.
Gate 55 – Abundant Spirit – A spirited nature has the means to access abundance in all of life’s arenas.
Gate 59 – Intimacy – By dissolving barriers we establish union
On the Unconscious side, we’ve got the Sun in Gate 55, the Gateway of “Abundant Spirit” and the Earth in Gate 59, the Gateway of “Intimacy”. You could say Gate 55 is the Sacred, and Gate 59 is the Sacral. All of a sudden, there’s a very different game in play here with this Life Theme of Contribution. It really wants to put things out into the world where we can all work together, and we can all benefit from our work. It doesn’t matter what level of life we’re operating in, whether we’re totally attached to the body (the Sacral) or we’re much more involved in the spirit side of things (the Sacred), there’s that possibility that we can all contribute to the world around us in a way that uplifts our sense of achievement in it all.
The Interpersonal Life Theme: Uncertainty
The Sun then moves into the fifth and sixth lines of Gates 8 and 14, and we find ourselves in the Interpersonal Life Theme of “Uncertainty”. Here, Gate 8 finds ways in which people can best contribute their energies, while Gate 14 is expanding the potential for wealth and wellbeing in people’s lives, helping them to feel more grounded and competent in what they’re doing. So this Life Theme is very good at pointing out to other people how they can be uplifted in their lives and made to feel more at home here, more involved in life in the world.
People with this Life Theme can often guide others to reach further than they’re used to reaching. It can give them the sense that the world is not a desperate place, but a place where many things can happen if one is grounded, if one is prepared to contribute and be involved.
So the 8th Gateway overall is looking to bring about contribution in the world. It wants to bring people together to do something creative, something new, novel, different. And everyone needs encouragement on some level. Nobody has ever been told that they’re enough on their own. But people with this particular Interpersonal Life Theme of Uncertainty are very good at pointing out how things can take place and how everybody can contribute in a particular way to make it all happen.
Other notable people with this Life Theme: Cher, Joe Cocker, Tony Stewart
That’s the essence of the Life Themes associated with the 8rd 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 8, 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.