The Not-Self
Writing is not something that comes to me easily. My thoughts usually meander and outpace my ability to put them into form, whether spoken or written. Encouraged by a temporarily defined Ajna and Throat (by Uranus in gate 17, harmonic to my three activations of gate 62) and the positive response we got from the last Transmission, I’m going to continue to point out what to me are the most glaring misunderstandings in the world view of “Jovian” Human Design. These misunderstandings are sold as absolute truth and are therefore dangerous to the sincere seeker, particularly since they are cloaked in very seductive terms that at first sight actually seem to make sense.
The “not-self” is one of them, one that I find to be particularly damaging to those trapped by the idea because its misunderstanding is just as fundamental as the idea that you have to learn to “live your design” or become someone “you’re meant to be” but actually aren’t (see issue 20.03). (It seems that the "Jovian" not-self is co-opted from western Buddhism where Anatta is often translated as not-self. To my understanding, Anatta symbolizes something that is entirely beyond Human Design and its body graph and therefore has simply no relation to the not-self discussed here.)
I can see where the misconception is coming from. If you look at your body graph, it’s easy to think that the color is who you are and the white is who you aren’t, particularly if you’re taught convincingly. But quite a "genius" was required to elegantly label those white areas the “not-self,” attach the stigma of something undesirable to them and encourage their rejection.
The truth is, of course, that you are going to have to reject approximately two thirds of who you are if you want to subscribe to this belief, and that is a recipe for an unhappy and burdened life that unnecessarily expends far too much energy fighting itself. And that, I have to say it once again, is the lunch of priests of all guises throughout the ages, because misery is easily exploited in this very life and inexpensively rewarded in a fictitious afterlife.
This life is described by the entire body graph, all 64 gates, all centers, all channels, all awareness, not just by the colored parts. It consists of approximately a third natal imprint and two thirds of experience and conditioning. Experience and conditioning are messy, they are mostly incalculable and come at you with no warning, you can't control them and even being aware of what's going on is a piece of work. And then you can't easily subdue them with labels and slogans, nor look them up in the “Rave” I Ching. As a result, conveniently, all that is summarily covered with the giant label “not-self” and condemned to rejection.
Yet, conditioning is an unavoidable and dominant part of who you are. At any time in your life you are the sum of a core of predispositions and all of your life experiences. These life experiences are making you who you are, hone your perception and understanding, polish your humanity, make you grow. They do not deserve your rejection, but your welcome, your embrace, your suppleness, your cooperation, your intelligence, your love.
In hindsight, is there really an experience in your life you'd have rather missed? Isn't the whole juice of life coming exactly through those white parts in your body graph? You don't grow through the fixed, reliable, colored, aspects in your design, but through the experience, the unexpected, the improvisation. Sure, some of it may be unpleasant or painful, but, if you check carefully, more often than not most of the pain is caused by the effort of trying to avoid and reject the experience rather than the experience itself.
There is no “not-self,” there is only lack of awareness and acceptance of the totality of self that you are.
And this is my segue to Zen. Zen Human Design means using the Human Design System in the only way that makes sense, to assist in practicing the art of awareness and acceptance of what is. Those white two-thirds of your body graph are the placenta that connects you to the other, to life itself; they’re integral part of your totality, something to become aware of, to watch, to understand, to marvel at, and to love.
Love
Chaitanyo |
Centers, Conditioning & Consciousness
With the recent start of the current iteration of her Centers, Conditioning & Consciousness class, Zeno addresses her largest group of students ever. There are almost forty participants from the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Israel, India, New Zealand and Australia! It is gratifying and encouraging to see that her message and understanding of a sane and useful Human Design System finds such widespread echo.
The range of participants is from total beginners to experienced analysts and teachers, which illustrates Zeno’s point that the material covered in this class is so fundamental that it is crucial to understand every other aspect of Human Design. You skip it at your own peril; you may get lost and are bound to return to it sometime in the future.
The lessons of the last two Saturdays are already available as replays, so it’s still possible for you to jump in and catch up to the live lessons if you feel so tickled. Really, you may end up knowing a lot of Human Design that is easy and applicable and useful, just as many others have in the past. To make it a bit easier for some, we’ve temporarily reinstated the three contribution levels. How about you jump in right now?
The material covered in the CCC class is chapter 2 of Human Design Revealed and Zeno plans to continue with live webinars systematically through the following chapters once the current CCC is concluded by the end of May. Those who know of Zeno’s condition (?), and especially those who experience her struggles in class or even in person, know that this is no small thing and admire her dedication and determination to create a complete class library of Zen Human Design while the going is good. These classes are precious. You'll do far better in these upcoming classes if you have the foundation of the CCC class.
More info on the CCC class
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