Life is a play, a game, a dance. We’ve all heard these metaphors before, but what does it really mean to be a player in the game of life? What are the rules of the game? Are there rules? And if so, how do we win? A look at our current Human Design gateway can shed some light on the situation.

 

The sun appears to have moved on into Human Design gateway 28, and the 28 is in what we call individual circuitry. This means that this gateway is transformational by nature. It is innovative; it is different. It is not the regular “tried and true.” It’s about breaking new ground.

 

 
In the Chinese I-Ching, the 28 is called “Preponderance of the Great.” I like to call it “The Game Player.” And what’s the game? The game we call life. Life has all kinds of extraordinary opportunities for us. And the great thing is that we get to figure out what we are going to do with these opportunities. What are we going to do with whatever life presents us?

 

 

Why the Game Player?

In India there is a word “Lila.” And Lila, roughly translated, means “the game of life.” Life is a dance, life is a joy, life is a play. Now, we’re still in the spleen center in the human design chart. And the spleen center is very much about Zen, about being in the present tense. So, the game player is one who can play in this game of life while remaining in the present tense.

 

Let’s see how this plays out in Human Design gateway 28:

First Line: Offering

The first line is always laying out the foundation. It says, “am I involved in this or not? Because if I’m involved in it, I’m gonna go full on into it. If I’m really here for the game of life, I’m gonna play it to the max.”

 

Here, the line is called “Offering: being prepared to deal with challenges.” Life is going to throw out all kinds of challenges anyhow. So, the question for the first line is, are you going to push them aside and just not bother with them? Or are you going to play, and through that playing, find the celebration, find the dance within whatever it is life is presenting to you?

 

It’s about being prepared to deal with challenges and attuning to the needs of the moment. And there’s the key: the moment, the present tense. And attuning to the needs of the moment allows you to attend to either useful or unhelpful factors. It’s that intuitive sense that lets you know you’re either on board for what’s happening, or you’re not interested at all.

 

When faced with challenges, there is the possibility here of not really engaging with and being open to what the challenges represent. Being an individual is a challenge enough on its own because the rules and the disturbances in life are telling you all kinds of different things. So, the individual has to maintain clarity and strength.

Second Line: A Friend in Need

The Second line is about finding and offering assistance in tough times and in unusual places. Again, the individual always attracts unusual circumstances and unusual situations.

 

When life deals you a very awkward hand, the second line, in its very natural state, just says “okay, it’s part of the game, I’ll find a way to play it.” But if the second line is compromised in some way, the natural impulse might be to stick your head in the sand and push the problem away.

 

So, the key here is recognizing that if you feel overwhelmed by the circumstances, maybe you can find a friend, or some support, some input, some encouragement from another source. You fulfill your needs by aligning yourself with any source that is willing to assist you.

Third Line: Being Daring

Third line’s always dance right on the edge of things. They are natural born risk takers in a sense. They’re the first ones in. They’re going where nobody’s gone before.

 

So, the third line here is about relying on your own wits when facing an unknowable future. Do you react or respond to challenges?

 

Let’s be really clear on reacting vs responding. When we react to a challenge, we tend to rely on old or borrowed ways of dealing with it. But, when we respond to a situation, when we engage naturally with a situation, when we use our wits in a situation, we stay in the present tense. We stay in it and recognize it as what it is: just a part of the game. Reacting brashly or fiercely can cause you to lose touch with your present reality.

Fourth Line: Be Strong

The fourth line always has this potential of being very influential in other people’s lives. We are all in this moment of engaging in present tense, in personal empowerment, in a growth point. So, of all the lines, the fourth line has a certain fragility about it. It can second-guess itself. “Are they with me or not? Am I presenting something that engages everybody? Am I opening myself up to a massive level of criticism here?” The fourth line can very easily fold when faced with a lot of criticism.

 

The line here is called “Be Strong.” In the game of life, be strong. It’s your life. It’s about finding inner resources to learn and grow. And that’s the bottom line here: trust in yourself. Find that extra inner reserve to be strong in yourself. You will either combine your intuitive gifts with your inner strength or you’ll collapse under the duress that comes with engaging the world through other people’s points of view.

Fifth Line: Trusting

The fifth line is always in this realm of being able to lead, guide, and teach. Here, the line is called “Trusting: relating clearly with your present environment.”

 

Everything here is about the present tense. It’s about the reality and the intuition at this moment. It’s the little tap on the shoulder that gives you a heads-up in the middle of everything. So, it comes down to trusting in the present tense, because all the clues that one needs are available in the present tense.

 

You can intuitively honor your reality or attempt to restructure it and cause it to collapse. I think we’ve all had a go at restructuring our realities from time to time. But, in a game that is always in a state of flux and movement, the question is, do we play and enjoy the play? Or do we play in such a way that we’ve kind of structured it all for ourselves, second-guessed things, overanalyzed it all, and then afterwards have regrets about it?

Sixth Line: Questing for Greatness

The sixth line here is called “Questing for Greatness.” It’s a fabulous game, this game of life. And in this game, questing for greatness means sometimes getting in over your head, just taking that one step a little bit too far. The sixth line can do that. It can always be out there, the absolute leader of the dance of life. But again, as we always say with human design, check on your Type and Authority. It will always tell you whether or not this is really a game that is calling to you at this particular moment in time.

 

Where we run into potential problems is that questing for greatness, chasing the holy grail, and holding high ideals makes you reluctant to put up with personally degrading circumstances. And sometimes life brings on potentially degrading circumstances. As you undoubtedly know, the dance of life is not always fun and games. The key here is to recognize this dance for what it is, a dance. It’s not a competition. Comparing yourself to others, or trying to “win” the game can suck all the joy out of it, and even potentially bring on depression.

 

The key is to be present in your OWN life. Play it according to your design, your Type, your Authority, and be present. Then of course, you’re going to “win” in the game of life, because you’ll be living life for what it is: an amazing opportunity for so much joy and celebration.

 

So, there we are, that’s the 28th Human Design gateway. we’ll check in again soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about Human Design, and discover how your own Design informs and shapes your life, get your Free Human Design Report today.