In a recent conversation inside the Human Design Map portal Q + A, I clarified what the sacral actually says "YES" to and why the spleen never says YES. (If that splenic thing got your panties in a wad, keep reading!).

Since this topic comes us quite often, I thought you might appreciate my "off the cuff" explanation. It has been edited for the sake of creating a more universalized context + even more clarity. If you are a map client, you can read the full discussion inside the "Ask The Team General Q + A" section of your portal.

The Sacral Response

The sacral is responding to the world around you; it is responding to the need for “new life.” And it isn’t telling you whether something is “right.”

All stories of right and wrong are thoughts in the mind; they are judgments that the ego makes. There actually isn’t a right or wrong thing to do. There is only ever what we are doing. And everything we are doing is FOR US and the expansion of our consciousness.

Even in the case of the ego authority projectors or manifestors, it is about personal rightness (soulful expansion of their human identity), not a collective one. Because, again, right and wrong are only ever subjective judgments.

So, when I say in response, I mean, literally to the world around you.

Is the world is asking you to do the thing? Is something in your environment (not your head or ego) saying...
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✨ this needs to be done
✨ this wants to be born
✨ build this
✨ grow that
✨ birth that
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Then, and only then, is your sacral is saying YES, I have the vital life force necessary to see that through and I would LOVE to do that? Is there a fire in your belly and a burning in your loins?

AND – this is very important – a sacral "yes" does not mean that you won’t face challenges or experience wanes in the sacral fire.

The sacral is the creative source of life. Notice how all of the gates in the sacral are in either fire or earth signs. Those mechanics matter and they are showing us the function of the sacral:​
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​The sacral is responsible for making babies, growing gardens, building shelter, and caring for the sick, the young, the elderly, and the dying.

Think about the inherent commitment in those things.

Birthing/raising a child is not without its ups and down. The farmer rarely goes on vacation because the animals must be fed. The gardener is battling pests and protecting the garden from predators. The builder discovers some unforeseen circumstance that changes the trajectory of the build. The heartbreak of watching someone you love die.

None of those "sacral things" are without their challenges or moments of absolutely hating the next step that MUST be taken to sustain life. But that isn't what matters to the sacral:

When the sacral really LOVES something, it LOVES the whole of it – even the challenging parts. The LOVE moves the energy forward.

And here this:
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The love is there EVEN when:
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✨ the excitement is gone
✨ the diapers are dirty
✨ there isn’t a single speck of energy to feed the chickens
✨ the hornworms have eaten every single tomato plant.

The sacral LOVES the journey of the decision; not just the idea of the decision. Because the real satisfaction -- the real love -- comes from facing challenges along the way of creating new life.

So, a sacral saying YES is the deep human desire to reproduce saying YES to give birth to new life. And birthing new life is a journey of ups and downs. Not a blissful skip through a field of flowers.
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Just because shit gets real or you have dips in energy does mean something has gone wrong and you should quit. If you still LOVE it, even when it gets messy and real, that is what matters.
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Your actual sacral response is tapping you into that:
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The world needs it AND you would love to foster it's development.

The Spleens Role in Decision Making

(Note: I bring up the spleen because this particular map client was wondering if she was making "yes" decisions from her spleen and that comes up for a lot of people.)

The spleen NEVER says yes, at least not in the long-term committed way. And anything you might have heard about splenic intuition is likely wrong, mechanically speaking.
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A more appropriate term for the “intuitive” function of the spleen would be “the survival instincts of the body.”

The more “woo woo” intuition happens all over the chart, especially in our undefined/open gates, channels, and centers, not just in the spleen.

And, if someone has a defined spleen -- especially a projector type - all of those other "sixth senses" will be filtered through the spleen. Not because the spleen determines if something is "true" but because it is making sure that the body is staying safe.

That said, the spleen only “cares” about safety of the body in this right now moment; the spleen does not "care" about the future.
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The spleen assesses the present moment, with a tiny little pinky toe in the very next step, and discerns if it is safe to proceed OR if the body needs to defend (fight), run (flight), or freeze (play dead).

Because of this function of the spleen, it cannot say YES to a long ahead future; the spleen is only ever saying YES to STAYING ALIVE RIGHT NOW.

It keeps the body safe and defends (fight aka NO) or runs (flight aka NO) when a threat to safety is PRESENT. Focusing far out into the future is actually very mis-regulating (aka unhealthy) for the spleen.

Which means that, as I teach my splenic map clients, the spleen is saying NO (aka not safe, do not proceed, fight, flight, or freeze). Or, it is saying NOT A NO (it is safe to proceed FOR NOW) but that is not a "yes" the same way a sacral is. It just means it is safe to proceed NOW.
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If you are "hearing" YES, as in commit, go all in, see something through to the end, you are not hearing your SPLEEN; that is not the function of your spleen. You are most likely hearing a conditioned will, sacral, or ajna. And deciding from conditioning -- while not "wrong" in the bigger spiritual picture -- will change the quality of experience you have and the outcomes you get.

I hope this clears up any confusion you might have about mechanics and function of the sacral response and the spleen when it comes to decision making.
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As you all know, I am not a die hard fan of Ra, the original channeler of the Human Design system, and I rarely agree with his interpretation of things (aka the meaning he made from the mechanics).
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But, I am a die hard for understanding the actual mechanics (aka function and correspondence) of the chart rather than just an interpretive understanding based on what you've heard someone else say or the surface level language.

For one, when you base your understanding solely on someone else's interpretation (including mine or Ra's!), rather than mechanics, you are actually being conditioned by that person -- instead of listening to your own inner wisdom.
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And the same is true about the surface level language of Human Design.
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The meaning we give words is based on our own internalized filters -- no matter what the dictionary says a word means or what someone speaking words means. Humans are meaning making machines and our brains naturally (through logic) match things that "seem" similar. So, if we are basing our understanding on our internalized meanings, we are deepening pre-existing conditioning, and still not getting to the core our inner wisdom.

Either way, when you don't separate out meaning from mechanics, you will absolutely keep spinning your wheels. It won't click and you'll just be taking on new conditioning or perpetuating old conditioning.
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The deconditioning magick happens when we get crystal clear on what our inner wisdom is telling us -- not what our chart says, what someone else told us, or what we think is right according to others or our ego.

That's why I created the MAP Method for deconditioning inside the Human Design Map portal. It gives you concrete tools for going within and discerning your own inner truth -- independent of what you (or anyone else) think your chart means.
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And the MAP method takes you deep into the "mechanics" of making LASTING change that is aligned with your inner wisdom. Plus, you'll get ongoing access to Q + A with me and the MAP Team, as well as get access to all previous portal discussions. You won't be left hanging. You'll be supported all along the way.

If you are already a map client, go to the section of your portal called "START HERE: MAP Method for Deconditioning" and start your deconditioning journey. If you aren't a map client, buy your map + portal access by clicking here and you'll be on your way.

Until we meet again, Christie Inge 5/2 Splenic Projector born in the LAX of the Clarion 2 (57/51, 62/61) Creator of the Human Design Map + Portal.

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