The Role of Authority in Human Design

In Human Design, we’ve talked about Strategy as the way your energy interacts with the world, bringing opportunities and people to you. But how do you know which of these opportunities are right for you? This is where Authority comes in.

While Strategy helps guide your general path and brings life’s possibilities to your door, Authority helps you determine which of those opportunities are truly right for your unique design. It takes the decision-making process out of the mind and brings it back into the body, where I believe the vast majority (95%) of your wisdom lies.

We live in a world that heavily values logic and the mind’s ability to analyze and plan. But our minds can only take us so far. The mind gathers information, assesses options, and creates strategies, but it doesn’t always know what’s right for us on a deeper, long-term level. Authority is where the real magic happens—when we learn to trust our body’s inner signals to guide us in making decisions that feel aligned and authentic.

Let’s explore the different types of Authority in Human Design and how each one can help you make decisions that are truly right for you.

The Different Types of Authority in Human Design

1. Emotional Authority

For those with Emotional Authority, the key to decision-making lies in waiting for emotional clarity. Your emotions operate in waves, meaning you experience highs and lows before reaching a neutral point. You’re not meant to make decisions in the heat of the moment, whether you're feeling excited or anxious. Instead, wait until you’ve ridden the wave of your emotions and arrived at a calm, neutral place. Only then will you have the clarity to know what’s right for you.

• Red Flags for Emotional Authorities: Prioritizing speed and/or impact over emotional clarity.

• Mantra: “There is no answer for me at this moment.” OR “Clarity comes to me over time, and I will just feel it.”

2. Sacral Authority

If you have Sacral Authority, your decision-making power comes from your gut response—an immediate, instinctual reaction. I am a Sacral Authority, so I encourage people to tune into the buzz, whir, and vibration in their lower abdomen when understanding the sacral response. If the whir is going, the sacral center is saying “yes.” If it’s off, the sacral is responding “no.” If you’re unsure of the whir, the sacral is saying “ask me later.” There’s no need to overthink—your body knows what’s right for you.

• Red Flags for Sacral Authorities: Prioritizing politeness or avoiding uncomfortable feelings at the expense of your sacral response.

• Mantra: “This will be less fun for everyone if I try to be polite.” OR “I accept the simplicity of “yes”, “no”, “ask me later”.

3. Splenic Authority

If you have Splenic Authority, decisions are made in the moment through instinct and intuition. Different from the sacral response, the spleen speaks quietly, often as a subtle sense of what feels safe or healthy. It’s a spontaneous, moment-to-moment knowing that doesn’t rely on logic but rather on an immediate sense of what feels right. The challenge with Splenic Authority is that its voice is so quiet it can be easy to overlook, so it’s important to cultivate trust in your first instinct.

• Red Flags for Splenic Authorities: Being focused on consistency over what feels right. Anxiously asking if it’s fear or intuition.

• Mantra: “When I find myself in a room/place, I know I’m there for a reason.” OR “I do not need to justify my needs changing.”

4. Ego (Heart) Authority

If you have Ego Authority, your decisions come from a place of personal will and desire. This is about asking yourself: Do I really want this? Is this a good deal for me? Your Authority is connected to your heart and what you are motivated to do from a place of self-determination. For you, it’s important to be clear about your desires and make decisions based on what you genuinely want, not what others expect you to deliver.

• Red Flags for Ego Authorities: Resentfully gritting your teeth to complete something you don’t want to do just to keep the peace or prove you can do it.

• Mantra: “What’s in this for me?” OR “Knowing I can’t quit, do I want to see this all the way through?”

5. Self-Projected Authority (G Authority)

If you have Self-Projected Authority, you make decisions by speaking them out loud. Your truth comes through when you verbally process your thoughts and feelings, often revealing what’s right for you when you hear yourself talking. It’s important for you to be in environments where you feel safe to express yourself and have people around who can listen without giving advice.

• Red Flags for Self-Projected Authorities: Hearing “all sides” when you need to make a decision.

• Mantra: “When I say it, I just know it.” OR “I value my own voice.”

6. Mental Authority (Environment Authority)

If you have Mental Authority (also known as Environment Authority), your decisions are best made by considering your surroundings. Your environment plays a huge role in how you feel and how clear you can be. When you’re in the right space and surrounded by the right people, clarity comes naturally. It’s important to take time, talk things through with others, and feel into the energy of your environment before making major decisions.

• Red Flags for Mental Authorities: Feeling anxiety or under pressure to come to a conclusion.

• Mantra: “I have the time and space I need to sense calm.” OR “I wait to feel clarity over anxiety.”

7. Lunar Authority (Reflector Authority)

For those with Lunar Authority, decision-making requires patience and time. Reflectors are deeply influenced by the cycles of the moon, and your Authority encourages you to wait a full lunar cycle (about 28 days) before making major decisions. This gives you time to experience different phases and reflect on how you feel at various points in the cycle. Your clarity will come over time as you observe and engage with the world around you.

• Red Flags for Reflector Authorities: Feeling pressure to have clarity on someone else’s timeline. Ignoring long-term patterns for momentary answers.

• Mantra: “Time reveals my truth.” OR “I trust the wisdom of the moon’s cycle to bring me clarity.”

Action Points

This week, pay attention to how your Authority is guiding your decision-making. Notice the signals your body sends—whether it’s an emotional wave, a gut response, an intuitive whisper, or the need to be in the right environment—and see if you can begin to trust those signals over your mind’s logical reasoning.

Authority is all about honoring your body’s wisdom and learning to trust that your decisions don’t have to be driven by the mind. This is not about a perfect score—the more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in making choices that are truly aligned with your energy and your life path.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into your own Authority and start experimenting with how it shows up in your life, I’m here to help guide you through the process. Together, we can explore practical ways to trust your body’s wisdom and make decisions that are truly aligned with who you are.