The Human Design System & The Book of Lines: Gate 3, Innovating, Lines 1-6

What does it take to innovate? To create something new, new ways of being, living, thinking? To have a vision and stick with it, no matter how it turns out, no matter what others think of you? The Human Design System sheds some light on the process of innovation.

Last time, we explored Hexagram 42, learning how to recognize opportunities for expansion and growth in our daily lives. Now, the sun is moving into Gate 3, which we call “Innovating.”

Innovation is very much part of the human experience. We go through dramatic shifts in our history and our lives where the old ways of doing things simply doesn’t work anymore, and it’s in our nature to try to make something new, something completely different.

If you have the 3rd gateway in your chart, you’ll know that you have this drive to innovate, to move things forward. And you’ll of course encounter some resistance. A lot of people will push back, they’ll want to stick with the traditional tried-and-true way of doing things. So, there’s a lot of trust involved in innovation. Trust in yourself, in your Authority. Whether or not you have anyone else’s support, you’ve got to stay with it.

Let’s take a look at Gate 3 in the Human Design System, line by line:

First Line: Realism

The first line provides the foundation for the whole Hexagram. And here, the line is called, “Realism: embracing the whole picture in front of you.” This is about reviewing things objectively, taking in the whole panorama.

First lines always have this tendency to get deeply involved. They dive into things. And it’s very easy in that space of total commitment to get into a place of worry and anxiety. By stepping back, taking an objective view, you clear up the confusion.

Trusting that confusion becomes clarity, you do not lose sight of all potential outcomes. Innovating is about going into something totally new. We’re not sure what the destination looks like. It’s not a matter of wanting one specific outcome or another. We’ve got to be aware of all the potential outcomes. Anything can happen here.

Second Line: Maturing

Second lines always have a natural quality about them. They tend to skirt over things, not really getting involved. And here the line is called “Maturing.” It’s essentially saying that it’s time to get involved, get focused, and trust in your own personal evolution. We’re not here living somebody else’s life. We’re not here following somebody else’s path. We’re here to do our own thing in this lifetime.

You either trust in your own personal evolution, or you rely on the advice and ways of others. There can be a tendency to defer, to look elsewhere for the answers, to consult the experts and the advisors. But they don’t have a connection to your evolution. They have their answers, not yours.

You have the potential for personal growth and maturation if you trust your own ways. Nobody ever encourages you to be true to yourself. In school, church, social and professional indoctrination, etc., you learn how to do things according to somebody else’s plan. But all of us have an inner truth within us. Just trust in yourself. That’s the bottom line.

Third Line: Scrutinizing

Sometimes, third lines find things out the hard way. They’re the experimenters, the pioneers. They jump in head first. Here, the line is called “Scrutinizing: finding out what works and what does not.” It’s about getting really clear on what’s involved in innovating. What’s the groundwork that’s needed? What’s the structure and organization of whatever it is you’re getting involved with?

Prospering in life comes about through recognizing evolutionary laws and their timing. There are certain evolutionary laws. Things play out in their own seasons. There is a timing to everything, and that includes all sorts of innovation, technological and otherwise. So, the third line here is about doing your due diligence and scrutinizing the whole landscape of what it is you’re doing.

New ways are more easily introduced when you seek the most able and willing assistance. It is key that you surround yourself with those who really have the goods, those who understand the whole concept of innovation, those who can look after themselves. Third lines can be gamblers, but you don’t want to gamble on that, because your ideals will suffer.

Fourth Line: Associating

The fourth line is influential. It wants to bring other people on board and foster agreement and accord. And here, the line is called, “Associating: realigning with your real sense of purpose.”

What is your real sense of purpose in this lifetime? Did you come here to grow? Did you come here to evolve? Did you come here to expand your consciousness? Did you come here to be in love with your life? It’s about finding those things and people in your environment that really aid you in your sense of purpose.

Your self-assurance and trust, or lack thereof, will invite or reject valuable guidance in company. When you’re operating from a place of self-assurance, your vibration is clear. Your frequency is clear. And when your frequency is clear, and you’re living according to the Human Design System, according to your Type and Authority, you naturally attract the people and influences that are thoroughly beneficial for you, and you’ll dispel the ones that really don’t work for you at all.

Fifth Line: Interpreting

The fifth line is always in this place of being able to oversee things. It’s the guide, the leader. And here, the line is called “Interpreting: detaching from anticipated results, when implementing a new order.”

Again, the thing with innovating is that you really don’t know how it’s all going to turn out. In fact, these things almost never turn out as expected. So, what the fifth line is saying is that while the possibilities are amazing, detach yourself from the expected results. Of course, you want to put your best intentions behind it, but just be open to how the thing turns out.

In any effort to organize there is the possibility of your intentions being misinterpreted, but your assured individual stance withstands any disagreements and establishes order. This is about staying true to yourself and your vision, despite the potential naysayers and doubters. It comes from within, from a place of individual authenticity, not from the projections or input or expectations of anybody else. The minute you start to try to reconcile everybody else’s problems and issues, you lose your focus.

Sixth Line: Renewing

The sixth line is called “Renewing: in all new endeavors, remember to keep realigning with your vision.” Sometimes the innovative vision is a lifelong vision. And the sixth line here is saying stick with it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it’s turning out the way you anticipated, stay with it, don’t fall into despair, let’s see if this thing can get realigned.

You have an inner appreciation that ordering is a process that unfolds in its own way. Again, this is about that inner understanding that innovation is a process, it’s an ordering or reordering that unfolds step by step in its own way. You have the vision for what’s happening, but innovation tends to take on a life of its own. It’s going to turn out how it turns out. Just keep an eye on it, stay with the vision.

Innovation requires quite a bit of focus, quite a bit of attention, and an awful lot of trust. Trust in yourself, in your vision, and in the process. But you’ll know that amazing feeling when you’ve brought about an innovation. You stayed with the process, you trusted, you followed it through, and suddenly there it is, you’ve done it. It’s such a powerful experience.

So, there we are, that’s Gate 3. We’ll check in again soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how the Human Design System informs and shapes your life, get your Free Human Design Report today.