Last time, we explored the Life Themes with the Sun in Gateway 9, the Gateway of “Focus”. Now, we move on into Gateway 5, the Gateway known as “Waiting”. What are we waiting for? We’re waiting for the right timing. Everything has its right timing. It’s when the birds fly south. It’s when the fish swim north. It’s when the flowers bloom. It’s when the fruit falls from the tree. Every single thing has its natural timing. So, we’ll see that this 5th Gateway plays an enormously important part for us in that it attunes us to Universal timing.

So, with that in mind, let’s have a look at the Human Design Life Themes associated with Gateway 5:

The Personal Life Theme: Consciousness

The Conscious Sun is now in Gate 5, and the Earth is in Gate 35, the Gateway of “Progress”, which is always looking to move things on towards a place of fulfillment. On the Unconscious side, we have the Sun in Gate 64, the Gateway of “Diverse Possibilities”, and the Earth in Gate 63, known as the Gateway of “Doubts”. And here we find ourselves in the Personal Life Theme of “Consciousness”.

Gate 5 – Waiting – All aspects of life are subject to the rhythm and timing of the Universe.

Gate 35 – Progress – Advancing, through experience, in an unceasing drive to explore every aspect of human nature.

Gate 64 – Diverse Possibilities – In expansion there is no absolute correctness and yet there is always a pressure to find balance.

Gate 63 – Doubts – Critical Perception; Constantly refreshing your view in a world where there is always change.

Here, we have this interesting dynamic where Gates 5 and 63 are both in the Logic Circuitry, while Gates 64 and 35 are both in the Abstract Circuitry. The Logic Circuitry is very much future-facing. It’s all about following a methodical progression which moves things forward. On the other hand, the Abstract Circuitry looks backward a little bit, always looking to make sure that we’ve connected the dots.

So, people with this Life Theme are always in a state of expanding their consciousness. They’re always reaching out, looking to see if we’re being fulfilled in this lifetime, if we’re in touch with the natural rhythms of life. And since they have Gates 64 and 63 in their Charts, they’re also able to expand other people’s horizons. They’re able to fill in the blanks in other people’s stories and offer another perspective, maybe a better way to approach things that’s more likely to bring them fulfillment. So, this Life Theme is really sitting in the middle of it all, having the experience of life around us.

Notable people with this Life Theme: Walt Disney, George Custer, Margaret Cho

The Fixed Life Theme: Rituals

The Sun moves on into the fourth line of Gate 5, which brings us into the Fixed Life Theme of “Rituals”.  It’s also been called “Habits”, but I prefer “Rituals” because a habit is something you just do by rote. You do the same thing over and over and over again. Whereas a ritual is a much more refined process of engaging with something that has a meaning for you.  

So, we still have Gate 5 here which is all about moving through life in accord with one’s own inner rhythm. And we still have the Earth in Gate 35, which says, “If I’m going to have experiences with other people, are these experiences going to lead us to fulfillment?”

Gate 5 – Waiting – All aspects of life are subject to the rhythm and timing of the Universe.

Gate 35 – Progress – Advancing, through experience, in an unceasing drive to explore every aspect of human nature.

Gate 47 – Realization – The process of constantly filtering the contents of your mind to reach the “Aha! moment”.

Gate 22 – Grace – The emotional energy of grace enriches life through beauty, benevolence, and nobility.

Now, the Unconscious Sun has moved into Gate 47, the Gateway of “Realization”, or “Trying to make sense out of life”. And the Unconscious Earth is in Gate 22, the Gateway of “Grace”.

Gate 47 has also been called the Gateway of “Oppression” in that the more you try to study something, the less sense it makes to you until finally you point your attention elsewhere and all of a sudden you get the resolution. Gate 22 the Gateway of “Grace” involves both being gracious in life, as well as carrying the ineffable quality of grace. Grace is something that’s indefinable. You know it when you see it. You’ll recognize it in those people who can effortlessly flow through a situation that might be extremely difficult for everyone else.

So, this particular Life Theme of “Rituals” is involved not only in the physical attunement with grace, but also in recognizing that grace is something that can flow through us, that we can become a medium for being gracious in life. So, again, I prefer the word “Rituals” in that there’s an emphasis here on being in attunement with one’s own timing regardless of everybody else’s great ideas and suggestions about what you should be doing. It’s about being true to what you sense is essential for you.

The Interpersonal Life Theme: Separation

The Sun then moves into the fifth and sixth lines of Gate 5, which opens up the Interpersonal Life Theme of “Separation”. By now, the 5th Gateway recognizes that there’s a natural timing to things, and how to work according to Universal timing. And the fifth and sixth lines, with their natural wisdom and leadership qualities, have the ability to see that things work out better for people when they’re encouraged to use the right timing.

The Earth remains in Gate 35, the Gateway of “Progress”, but by the time you get to the fifth and sixth lines it’s perhaps a little bit more discerning about what experiences are likely to bring a sense of fulfillment, a sense of progress, a sense that something has really been learned from a particular experience. Gate 35 is very reluctant to do the same thing over and over again. It’s looking to move on and try something different. So, this Life Theme of “Separation” is setting itself up so that while it can accord to natural rhythms, it’s not just going to go along with things simply because that’s what everyone else wants.

In my experience, people with this Life Theme can engage fully, but fifth lines have to be really careful not to be rescuing everyone around them because they feel the weight of expectation. Whether or not to get involved in somebody’s situation has to come from a clear inner resolve. Hence the Life Theme of “Separation”—Inevitably there’s going to be a separation from everyone else’s expectations of what you can do for them. There’s going to be a connection into the spirit level that perhaps other people don’t really recognize. It might not serve other people’s needs all the time, and it might cause you to disappoint their expectations, but it’s something that will be essential to you in your life and in your work.

Notable people with this Life Theme: David Carradine, Nicki Minaj, Jim Morrison, Kim Basinger

That’s the essence of the Life Themes associated with the 5th Gateway. 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 and audiobook platforms.

If you want to find out more about Gate 5, 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.