How does the Human Design System help us to recognize our sovereign nature? How do we come to understand and appreciate our ability to be effective as individuals in life and in our community?

Last time, we explored Hexagram 59, where we found interactions that allow for closeness, openness, and intimate association with others on the most profound levels of life. Now, the sun is moving into Gate 40, which we call, “Deliverance.”

Gate 40 is part of what we call the Tribal Circuitry. And the keyword for Tribal Circuitry in the Human Design System is “support” because it relates to how we support each other in bringing about improvement and growth within our family tribe, community, corporation, client base, etc.

So, in this context of the community, we see that the 40th gateway is all about finding our place in the family and finding out how we contribute to the family. And it has a very particular role to play in this family dynamic as we’ll see in greater detail when we look through each line.

But first, a little bit on willpower, because willpower plays a big part in the energy for this week: In part, Gate 40 is about using willpower to differentiate between struggle and liberation, whether or not we’ve done the right things and made the right commitments. Willpower is an amazing energy. And if you don’t have that center defined, which most people don’t, then while the sun moves through the 40th gateway, you’re going to get this channel by transit (the 40-37). It’s going to be community week, or family week, if you will.

The 40th gateway is reliable. You can be trusted. When you make a deal, or come to an understanding with someone, you’re going to contribute your side of the bargain. But you also expect reciprocation from the other side. So, when the sun goes through the 40, it’s a great time to check in and make sure that you are really being supported in all the effort you’re putting out into the world.

Let’s see what we find as we go through Gate 40 in the Human Design System:

First Line: Recovering

The first line is called “Recovering: The prime need for a hard-working heart is rest.” The 40th gateway is reliable, dependable, and efficient. That’s the whole nature of willpower. The willpower energy is all about getting things done as efficiently as possible. And so, when the sun is in the 40th Gate, you might find yourself committing to things and really powering through them and then needing rest.

After any achievement is complete, you can best consolidate your situation by resting. It’s a great time to be among family and friends, where you’re in a support group where everybody’s fulfilling their part and getting it done. However, it’s very easy for you to get pulled into overexerting yourself. If other people aren’t quite up to your speed, you might want to jump in and help, or do it for them. But it’s important to allow yourself to rest; to find ways to enjoy your aloneness and relaxation after your efforts.

Changing moods can make you question your achievements and miss the call to rest. There’s a tendency to question the efficacy of your efforts; to tell yourself you didn’t quite get it right, that you could’ve done more. Then you suddenly find yourself diving back in, overexerting yourself and missing your chance to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Second Line: Being Conclusive

The second line has a very natural way of committing to things. It says, “I’m going to do my thing and I’m expecting everyone else to do theirs.” Here, the line is called, “Being Conclusive: Moving beyond potentially limiting life qualities.”

Clearly finding your own way in tricky situations assures your ability to handle any disruptions. If something is holding you back or blocking you, you’re going to forge ahead, you’re going to do it. You’re going to find your way of getting through it. And “your way,” whatever that is, comes down to following our own Type and Authority and being sovereign in your own nature.

You have the natural willingness to be true to yourself regardless of distractions, but your sensitivity makes it hard to avoid situations that hamper your freedom. Second lines are always beset by the sense that they’re natural and not sophisticated. You might feel that there’s a more complicated way of going about things; a “better” way. So, you might start to second-guess yourself. But that’s not really the second line’s thing. You’re all about being natural, straightforward, easygoing.

Third Line: Being Whole

The line is called, “Being Whole: Matching your lifestyle with your unruffled inner being.” The third line is always asking: “Is it going to work? Am I going to get my fingers burned again?” And with this 40th Gateway, there’s an independence. There is a deliverance. And there’s an availability of willpower energy.

So, if you’re going to do something, if you’re going to commit to something, you really have to be clear in your own resources, your own energy and your own design. But there is a danger of falling into ego expression here. If you make a display of ego driven willpower, you easily attract problematic company and situations.

The third line has a tendency to separate the accomplishing of the task from the actual issue at hand. It wants to just exert its willpower and go it alone. And in doing so, you might accomplish what you’re trying to get done, but you will also end up distancing yourself from the company around you—your family, your tribe, your community.

Fourth Line: Reality Checks

The fourth line is always outgoing. It always has a certain fragility around it; the fragility of wanting to be supported or wondering if support will be there. It says, “Are they going to like what I’m doing here? If I put out my effort, am I going to get the input from the rest of the community?” Here, the fourth line is called, “Reality Checks: Honestly reviewing a tendency to include unrealistic partnerships.”

You bypass problems when you only encourage those who have similar aspirations to you. Before you make any agreement, or any bargain, or sign on the dotted line, you have to be clear that if you’re putting your energy forward, you’re going to get the reciprocal support and agreement from the other side.

So, the key word here is “reality checks” because it involves the need to review your tendency to involve yourself in situations where you don’t get the support you merit. There will be times when you think you’re working in concert with others, and it seems like everybody is on board and pitching in and in agreement, and then you find out that isn’t the case. That’s why the emphasis here is on realizing that perceptions change constantly, and you need to drop all alliances that limit your freedom. However, there’s a tendency to persist with old friendships and habits long after their relevance is exhausted. There’s that sense of security in old partnerships. There’s a comfort in having that shared history. But is it really serving you? Is it serving them? Is it worthwhile?

Fifth Line: Liberating

Fifth lines always have a leadership quality. They are the teachers and guides. They have the possibility of seeing a little further afield. And here, the fifth line is called “Liberating: Being clear in your separation from outside interference.”

In a world full of hazards, you require that all your associations are supportive and relevant. The key here is in recognizing that in any commitment (whether it’s with family, a company, clients, business associates, etc.) there’s always a possibility that the other side is not going to come through with their end of the bargain. There is an enormous difference between rescuing—a classic 5th Line characteristic—and supporting.

So, the fifth line has to be absolutely clear that the only way things are going to work is if everybody’s on the same page. You have to be clear that you’re only going to make agreements with people who will hold up their side of the deal.

You have the confidence to let go of relationships that hamper your freedom, but you can have a tendency to trade your liberation for the support of people who often interfere in your life. So, when the sun goes into the 40th Gate in these coming days, it’s an opportunity to see who’s hampering you, who’s interfering with your life, and get really clear on whether or not you need to keep your alliances with them. If not, maybe it’s time to move on. Maybe it’s time to find a different community. You have the confidence and ability to do that. It’s well within your power.

Sixth Line: The Definitive Stance

Here, the sixth line is called “Definitive Stance: Freedom is realized through conclusive removal of obstacles.” The sixth line can see everything that’s going on and know if it’s likely to be a good deal or not. It knows if the arrangements, contracts, partnerships or associations are right. And if they aren’t, the sixth line is prepared to scrap it and move on.

Your clear conviction purposely removes all barriers that hamper your liberation. You use your willpower to really decide who and what holds value for you and eliminate people, situations, and roadblocks that get in your way. This opens you up to have the freedom to commit from the heart to the things that really hold value for you.

The danger here is that removing obstacles as a rule in life can cause you to use unnecessarily severe measures. It’s important to be very clear that there’s a possibility of dismissing people and things without any real consideration. Ask yourself: “Am I dismissing this person because they really aren’t holding up their end of the bargain, or was it an impulsive move on my part?” It can be a scary thing to realize that you have to put an end to an association that perhaps once had value for you. There can be a certain volatility in recognizing you’re not amongst your people anymore.

They key is to check in with yourself. In terms of the Human Design System that means checking in with your Authority. If your clear in your Authority, you’ll know if a relationship or situation is right for you or not. You might find that it may be time to move on. It may be time to find a whole different community, but it may also be a time to see how blessed you are to be in this community, because there is a valuable reciprocal energetic relationship here.

That’s Gate 40. 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.