Life is a play, a game, and 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.

Last week, we explored Hexagram 50, which showed us how we use our values to elevate and support our communities. Now, the sun has moved on to Human Design Gateway 28, which has a very different flavor. The 28 is transformational by nature. It is innovative. It is different. It is not about going along with the regular “tried and true.” It’s about breaking new ground.

Why The Game Player?

In India, there is a word “Leela.” And Leela, 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 always lays out the foundation for the entire Hexagram. 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 is, are you going to push them aside and not bother with them, react to them in fear, or are you going to play? And through that playing, are you going to find the celebration, find the dance within whatever it is life is presenting to you?

Attuned to the needs of the moment, you attend to either useful or to unhelpful factors. And there’s the key: the needs of the moment. We’re in the present tense. When you attune to the needs of the moment, you get 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, you have to maintain clarity and strength in order to stay engaged. Sometimes it seems so much easier to opt for harmony rather than facing life’s challenges head-on. But in the end, it just means you’ve opted out of the game.

Second Line: A Friend in Need

The second line is called “A friend in need: Finding & offering assistance in tough times in unusual places.” 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.

You fulfill your needs by aligning yourself with any source that is willing to assist you. 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, or some encouragement from another source.

Sometimes that support might come from an unexpected place. It’s just part of the natural way of a second line. You can go outside the box. You intuitively know where to find the best assistance, whether you make ‘obvious’ choices or not.

Third Line: Being Daring

The third line’s always dance right on the edge of things. They are natural-born risk-takers. They’re the first ones in. They’re going where nobody’s gone before. Here, the line is called “Being Daring: Relying on your own wits when facing an unknowable future.”

When faced with a challenge, do you react or respond? 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 for what it is: just a part of the game. Reacting brashly or fiercely can cause you to lose touch with your present reality.

The key is to stand your ground and have the self-discipline to listen to your intuition for guidance, especially in times of struggle. You might feel pushed to just go with the crowd and follow someone else’s way out, but again, when you do that, you’re not honoring your own truth, your own game.

Fourth Line: Be Strong

The fourth line always has the potential to be very influential in other people’s lives. We are all in this moment of engaging in the present tense, in personal empowerment. So, of all the lines, the fourth line has a certain fragility about it. You can second-guess yourself. The fourth line can very easily fold when faced with a lot of criticism. That’s why the line here is called “Being Strong: Finding extra inner resources to learn and grow.”

In the game of life, you have to be strong. It’s your life. And that’s the bottom line here: trust in yourself. Find that extra inner reserve to be strong within 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.

Confusion is almost guaranteed by attempting to think your way through difficulties. When you try to think your way out of trouble, you start bringing in the coulds, the shoulds, and the musts. You can very easily spin out into all these mental obligations and lose touch with your own reality. You lose touch with that spontaneous approach to life that comes through being strong and trusting in your own nature.

Fifth Line: Trusting

The fifth line is always in the 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 you need 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?

By constantly seeking personal benefits in your life, you appear to be unreliable to others. There’s always the possibility of taking advantage. Since you have that leadership potential—the ability to see more of the game than other players—you have the potential to make plays that turn things to your benefit at the expense of others.

Sixth Line: Grandeur

The sixth line here is called “Grandeur: Questing for greatness sometimes “gets you in over your head.” It’s a fabulous game, this game of life. And in this game, questing for greatness means sometimes getting in over your head and 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 make us 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.