Last week, we looked at Gateway 52, the Gateway known in Human Design as “Mountain”, which was all about stillness, patience, and calm. Now the Sun has moved on into Gateway 39, which we call “Provocation”, and that’s exactly what it does, it provokes, it pushes buttons, it upsets, it teases, it gets people’s attention.  So, we’ll see that this is a time where people are easily touched off, people are provoked very quickly and very easily.

So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at the Life Themes associated with Human Design Gateway 39:

The Personal Life Theme: Tension

So, we see that the Sun is entering Gate 39, and on the opposite side, we have the Earth in Gateway 38, which is the Gateway of Opposition, which in this case means opposition to stupidity, opposition to BS., opposition to unfairness, etc. On the left side, we have the Unconscious Sun going into Gateway 21, the Gateway of Control, The Hunter/Huntress, and on the right side, the Unconscious Earth going into Gateway 48, known as “The Well”, or the water source. So, this opens up the Personal Life Theme of Tension.

• Gate 39 – Provocation — finding your way through obstacle

• Gate 38 – Opposition – Standing for authenticity against unfairness

• Gate 21 – Control – Being very clear on what holds value for you in your life.

• Gate 48 – The Well, the unending source of knowledge.

The two Gateways on the Conscious side, 39 and 38, are very much in the Individual Circuitry, so naturally, they are aligned with doing your own thing. They’re not interested in being compromised by other people’s suggestions or ideas. They’re also both located in the Root Center, which is known as the Center of Pressure in Human Design, a pressure to get out and do things. So, this Life Theme of Tension involves the pressure to make sure life around us is in tune.

So why “Tension”? Isn’t tension a bad thing? Isn’t it frustrating, restrictive, stressful? Not necessarily. In fact, tension is essential in life. For example, if you’re going to play the guitar, there’s no point if the strings are not in the right tension. It’s going to sound like a mess. Same thing if you go sailing. If the yards aren’t tense enough and the sail is not held at the right angle, you’re not going to go anywhere. So, tension is an essential aspect of keeping life in balance. And people with this Life Theme are generally invested in addressing essential imbalances in life.

You’ll notice that a lot of people have lost their sense of spirit. They’ve gone a bit dull in their lives. They’re stuck on a treadmill, doing the same stuff over and over. And people with this Life Theme of Tension can very easily come along and push their buttons to get them back into their spirited nature, get their energy back in tune.

One thing to remember if you have this Life Theme is that it’s important to find ways to relax. Tension has a way of building up, and it can be very difficult for you to unwind. Things like meditation, massage, walking in nature, standing under a shower, and having a good laugh and a good sense of humor, can really help cut through the tension of constantly being involved in putting things back in balance.

The Fixed Life Theme: Provocation

Here, we have Gate 39 in the fourth line, with the Conscious Earth still in Gate 38, while the Unconscious Sun has moved on into Gateway 51, and the Unconscious Earth into Gate 57.

• Gate 39 – Provocation – Energizing Spirit, finding your way through obstacles.

• Gate 38 – Opposition – Standing for authenticity against unfairness.

• Gate 51 – Shock – Growth through disruption and drastic changes.

• Gate 57 – Intuition – Splenic awareness and intuitive clarity.

All four of these Gates are in the Individual Circuitry. So, provocation is going to happen here because people with this Life Theme like to go their own way. They simply don’t abide by rule systems or go along with belief systems. They’re aimed towards what is truthful, what is right, regardless of the beliefs, traditions, or consensus thinking standing in their way.

People with this Life Theme have to be encouraged to live their own lives on their own terms. They have to hold the course. Which means they’re not necessarily going to get along with everybody all the time. But at the same time, provocation doesn’t necessarily mean picking fights.

In its very simplest form, provocation is a way of getting somebody’s attention, a way of reminding people of their spirited nature, their passion, their engagement with life. You might just push a few buttons to see what happens. To see if there’s any life, any juice, anything that needs tuning up. Provocation can be as simple as that.

The Interpersonal Life Theme: Individualism

 We move on into the Interpersonal Life Theme. And we’re specifically looking at the fifth and sixth lines here with Gates 39 and 38. The fifth line is always oriented toward offering leadership and guidance, while the sixth line is very much focused on overseeing everything and making resources available to everybody. The Life Theme of Individualism makes for a completely personal, individual, and innovative presence in life.

People don’t always get you, they’re not quite sure what you’re up to. You’re capable of bringing about all kinds of novel possibilities in life, but you do so in a way that is definitely outside of the normal rules and belief systems.

Interestingly, this Life Theme includes the United States of America. This is the Life Theme that was playing out on the 4th of July in 1776. So one might say that the Foundation for America is individualism. And we’ve seen this play out in this country’s history time and time again.

And in our current day, where were seeing more chaos than usual, we’re moving out of the age of the Collective into the age of the Individual. So, standing up for individual rights is a very, very important thing. We’re moving past the whole idea that are lives should be tightly managed by governments and religions, and we’re moving into this age of people realizing that their lives belong to them and should be lived in their own way.

That’s the essence of what this Life Theme stands for: Standing up for yourself in your own very individual, modern, modest, clear way.

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.

If you want to find out more about Gate 39, 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.