THE 64 GATES OF HUMAN DESIGN

1 [Gate of] SELF EXPRESSION / [Hexagram] THE CREATIVE

[Tag line of the Gate] Creation as a primal force. The energy potential to manifest inspiration
without limitation.
[Short description] Enormous creative potential, an artist attracting attention. The "I have to
do things my way" approach.

2 DIRECTION OF THE SELF / RECEPTIVE

Receptivity as the primal base through which any response is determined. The root of action.
The innate knowing of and alignment for where someone or something needs to go. The gift
for innovative and highly creative guidance.

3 ORDERING / DIFFICULTY AT THE BEGINNING

The fundamental challenge of initiation is to transcend confusion and establish order.
You have to respect that bringing order out of chaos is a process that takes time; always ready
to do something new; need discipline to wait for the right moment and conditions for their
potential to emerge.

4 FORMULISATION / YOUTHFUL FOOLY

The energy to beguile and succeed despite ignorance. Freedom from retribution.
The need to resolve / answer questions; but it’s only a concept and has to be tested & verified;
possible anxiety when your mind doesn’t understand something; answered questions always
replace by new ones.

5 FIXED RHYTHMS / WAITING

The fundamental attunement to natural rhythms. Waiting as an active state of awareness.
Need fixed rhythms, routines and habits in life; following them gives a sense of security and
keeps them healthy.

6 FRICTION / CONFLICT
The fundamental design component of progress. The law that growth cannot exist without
friction.
Designed to be discriminating emotionally and sexually; here to learn to control the flood of
emotions; this gate is a guard that governs when we are open or closed to intimacy.

7 THE SELF IN THE INTERACTION / THE ARMY

The point of convergence. By design, the need for leadership to guide and order society.
Inborn impulse to lead through the correct rhythm. Power behind the throne. Gift of knowing
where one (or something) needs to go and the authority to take it there.

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8 CONTRIBUTION / HOLDING TOGETHER

The basic worth realized in contributing individual efforts to group goals.
Gift of knowing how to draw people’s attention to a truth & yourself; need to express your own
individual contribution; need to promote something.

9 FOCUS / THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL

Potential can be fulfilled through detailed attention to all pertinent aspects.
Capacity to focus and detailed work

10 BEHAVIOR OF THE SELF / TREADING

The underlying code of behavior which ensures successful interaction despite circumstance.
Your life is an expression of your uniqueness; the gate of the love of oneself and love of life.

11 IDEAS / PEACE
A harmonic condition in the individual or society that permits assessment before renewed
action.
Mind with constant stream of changing ideas, which can bring peace and harmony to other.
Most of which are never intended to manifest in your life, but to be shared with others.

12 CAUTION / STANDSTILL
The quality of restraint and the importance of meditation and inaction in confronting
temptation.
Naturally cautious about others understanding you clearly; extremely articulate when in the
right mood and then they can also strongly impact others emotionally, can hear their emotional
quality when they hear themselves speak.

13 LISTENER / THE FELLOWSHIP OF MAN

Universal ideas and values in an ordered framework which inspires humanistic cooperation.
Natural listeners; often hear what others do not; always hearing other people’s secrets; natural
recorders of history who attract sharing experiences from others.

14 POWER SKILLS / POSSESSION IN GREAT MEASURE

The accumulation and retention of power through skilled interaction, coupling grace with
control.
Your creative potential lies in loving the work you do; power to go in your unique direction
(gate 2) or empower the direction (2) of others. Skills & commitment to drive new projects;
must do only what you love.

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15 EXTREMES / MODESTY
The quality of behavior which expresses the proper balance between extremes.
Need to adjust & adapt your rhythm to changing circumstances; no fixed rhythm in life,
embracing different rhythms & extremes & extreme behavior; thrive on diversity and need to
remain constantly fluid; the Love of Humanity; very magnetic presence.

16 SKILLS / ENTHUSIASM
The great art of enriching life by the harmonic channeling of energy.
Can never get enough skills; skilled in having many skills; honing artistic or scientific skills
through repetition.

17 OPINION / FOLLOWING
The ancient law that those who wish to rule must know how to serve.
You form logical opinions in order to be of service; need to organize the solution to your doubts
into a workable concept so that you can express it to others; recognition of patterns, structures
and frameworks.

18 CORRECTION / WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILT

The vigilance and determination to uphold and defend basic and fundamental human rights.
Gift for always seeing the faults in everything & everyone in order to make improvements; you
see what’s wrong, knowing what pattern is flawed & sharing the criticism in order to improve
the world.

19 NEED / APPROACH
That all things are interrelated is apparent and manifested through the action of approach.
Your needs (emotional & material) require successful interaction with others; you pressure
others to bring awareness to the needs of the immediate environment or group; especially
basic needs: food, shelter and sex. Sensitive to the needs of others & mutual support in getting
the needs met.

20 NOW / CONTEMPLATION
Recognition and awareness in the now which transforms understanding into right action.
Can only see life in the present moment, totally absorbed in it; everything has to be now; their
words or actions simply happen in the now. Capable to act now, do something now.

21 HUNTER/HUNTRESS / BITING THROUGH

The justified and necessary use of power in overcoming deliberate and persistent
interference.
Must be materially independent, thrive when given control; need and a gift for being in control,
especially money, food, territory and lifestyle, archetypal managing director.

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22 OPENESS / GRACE
A quality of behavior best suited in handling mundane and trivial situations.
Huge pressure to express their feelings; emotional spirit of the individual transmitted to the
others as mood; deeply social, but depending on the mood; stay home when in the bad mood;
when good they have almost magnetic natural charm.

23 ASSIMILATION / SPLITTING APART

Amorality. The awareness and understanding which leads to the acceptance of diversity.
Your recognition depends entirely upon the timing of when you speak and how can you express
yourself; potentially gifted in expressing your mental concepts in words.

24 RATIONALISATION / THE RETURN

The Natural and spontaneous process of transformation and renewal.
You go over and over things, seeking to rationalize them; mind selecting useful & potentially
inspiring ideas for others.

25 THE SPIRIT OF THE SELF / INNOCENCE

The perfection of action through uncontrived and spontaneous nature.
Your true initiation is to remain innocent despite circumstances; capable of deep compassion
(universal unconditional love); challenges test & deepen your innocence, growing from childish
to child-like.

26 EGOIST / THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT

The maximization of the power of memory applied to the nurturing of continuity.
Maximum reward for minimum output; archetypal salesman, who can use any situation to
present an idea or product in a supportive way for others, but demands reward for their skills.

27 CARING / NOURISHMENT
The enhancement of the quality and the substance of all activities through caring.
Here to preserve and protect themselves and/or others; easily end up scarifying themselves
for the wellbeing of others.

28 GAME PLAYER / GREATNESS

The transitoriness of power and influence.
Always ready to take risks in order to find meaning in life; potential of an individual to know
spontaneously what is worth fighting for or not; fear of life running out; need to find one’s
purpose; if the struggle is worthwhile, then it’s a wonderful process, no matter how hard.

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29 SAYING YES / THE ABYSMAL

The deep within the deep. Persistence despite difficulties has its inevitable rewards.
Power to commit to a process without the need to know where it will take you; the Yes is a yes
to a whole new cycle of things; must be careful not to over-commit yourself.

30 FEELINGS / CLINGING FIRE

Freedom recognized as an illusion and limitation accepted as a fate.
Can never be free from desires; gate of desire, source of all emotional aches and yearnings;
may not know what they’re longing for, but driven to try all kinds of new things and possibly
gain wisdom – or not; impersonal experiences.

31 LEADING / INFLUENCE
The law of friction, whether active or passive, that engenders transference and thus
influence.
Best in showing others how to attain future goals, rather than leading them themselves; very
influential when speaking with the right timing; need to be elected/invited.

32 CONTINUITY / DURATION
The only thing which endures is change.
Inborn instinct for the true value of anything or anyone, checking is the ambitions (gate 54) is
worthy or the effort and leads to continuity of life. Financial manager; conservative by nature,
knowing that restrain ensures continuity and long-term success.

33 PRIVACY / RETREAT
Active withdrawal and the transformation of a weak position into a strength.
You need regular time alone in order to reflect on the past; power to express the experience
and its underlying lessons/secrets, but need to withdraw into privacy to process the experience
yourself first.

34 GATE OF POWER / THE POWER OF THE GREAT

Power is only great when its display or use serves the common good.
Generally independent and self-centered, but not having to feel guilty about it; vital energy
that emerges naturally; urge to display how different one is from others; busy; self-
empowerment.

35 CHANGE / PROGRESS
By design, progress cannot exist in a vacuum and is dependent on interaction.
Sample many different things in life in order to learn from them; ready to try new experiences;
hunger for something new; if they jump into something new without following their S&A, crises
is usually the result.

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36 CRISIS / DARKENING OF THE LIGHT

The rule of cycles in which decline is a natural but not enduring stage.
Here to grow through profound & intense emotional experiences and turbulences; here to
learn to handle emotional experiences; intense change that can be both very exciting or deeply
overwhelming, but brings great wisdom if S&A is honored.

37 FRIENDSHIP / FAMILY
The manifestation macro and micro - cosmically of the organic nature of communities.
You need recognition through family or community; you hold the family/community together;
natural nurturer; friendships build on a bargain.

38 FIGHTER / OPPOSITION
The ability to preserve individual integrity through opposition to detrimental forces.
At your best when against odds; natural born warrior; love a good fight; always ready to stand
up for your independence; pressure to fight for your individuality and against anyone/anything
who’d want to take it away.

39 PROVOCATION / OBSTRUCTION
The value of obstruction in provoking analysis, assessment and reevaluation.
Here to provoke the spirit (gate 55) and emotions of others by not cooperating; stubbornness.

40 ALONESS / DELIVERANCE
The point of transition between struggle and liberation.
Need to balance work and rest; always sought after for your ability to work hard within a
community/family/business; breadwinner.

41 CONTRACTION / DECREASE
The limitation of resources which maximizes development of potential.
Gate of fantasies and dreaming, driven by constant urge to experience new feelings; impulse
to do something new; excitement and/or thirst for destiny; pressure that is often experienced
as restlessness.

42 GROWTH / INCREASE
The expansion of the resources which maximizes the development of full potential.
Imperative to always finish what you’ve begun; power and the commitment to follow anything
all the way through.

43 INSIGHT / BREAKTHROUGH
In order for achievement to be maintained a new order must be fairly established.
Gift for expressing yourself in a unique and creative way; only know what you’re interested in
and are not necessarily interested in what others know; gate of Deafness.

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44 ALERTNESS / COMING TO MEET

The success of any interaction is based on the absence of any preconditions.
Instinctive knowledge of the capabilities of others; archetypal personnel manager; can see
gifts/skills and potential of others; nose for people.

45 THE GATHERER / GATHERING TOGETHER

The natural and generally beneficial attraction of like forces.
King or Queen, here to oversee the future and wealth of the community; tribal leader who
gives the final seal of approval to the new law; educating others in how to come together for
the wealth of community.

46 DETERMINATION / PUSHING UPWARDS

Good fortune that may be perceived as the result of serendipity but derives from effort and
dedication.
Always in the right place at the right time when you let go of their expectations; it’s about
loving the perfection of experience - no matter how unpleasant, every experience is right. Love
of the body.

47 REALIZING / OPPRESSION
A restrictive and adverse state as a result of internal weakness or external strength or both.
Understands life through relating to their personal experience; huge pressure to conceptualize
past experiences, mind full of images, collage. Patience and S&A will lead to realizing the
lessons of history and relieve the pressure.

48 DEPTH / WELL
The necessary and qualitative foundation that is a prerequisite to establish the common
good.
Born with the wisdom so natural that you rarely see yourself; fount of the wisdom, sharing new
solutions for things/problems.

49 REJECTION / REVOLUTION
Ideally the transformation of forms based on the highest principles and not simply for power.
Your principles may cause you to reject or be rejected; gate where the principles of any
relationship are established - and you reject those who don’t accept these principles; gate of
divorce & revolution.

50 VALUES / THE CAULDRON

The value of historical continuity. Values which serve and enrich the present and the future.
Here to establish or challenge values or responsibilities within society; inbuilt sense of
responsibility to the community; upholding or challenging laws that determine the wellbeing
of community.

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51 SHOCK / AROUSING
The ability to respond to disorder and shock through recognition and adaptation.
Can deal with shock and also shocks others through their courage. Need to test themselves in
order to be best or first at something; very competitive; loves going where no one else dares,
beyond themselves.

52 STILLNESS / KEEPING STILL

Temporary and self-imposed inaction for the benefit of assessment.
Deep staying power, as long as you find the right outlet through which you can be of service
(gate 9); locked pressure to remain in one place without moving.

53 BEGINNINGS / DEVELOPMENT
Development as a structured progression that is both steadfast and enduring.
Constant pressure to begin something new; potentially deeply bored and trapped when stuck
facing the same old situations.

54 AMBITION / MARRYING MAIDEN

Interaction in its mundane social context but also ones mystical and cosmic relationships.
Great drive to be materially successful, to get ahead, move up the social ladder and attain
higher status/ drive to make money; driving materialistic force in the community and business.

55 SPIRIT / ABUNDANCE
Abundance is strictly a question of spirit.
Deeply melancholic, musical and/or romantic; must honor its moods; emotional highs and
lows; looking for the perfect emotional state and or the perfect spirit/abundance (but needs
to accept what is); very acoustic.

56 STIMULATION / THE WANDERER

Stability through movement. The perpetuation of continuity through the linking of short-
term activity.
Using your own past experiences to illustrate your concepts and stimulate others; storyteller;
only interested in getting an emotional reaction from your listeners.

57 INTUITIVE CLARITY / THE GENTLE

The extraordinary power of clarity.
Intuitive awareness that always ensures survival & wellbeing; deepest intuitions; attuned to
vibrations & sounds.

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58 VITALITY / JOYOUS
Stimulation is the key to joy.
Love of challenging authority simply for the joy of the challenge; drive to improve things around
you; vitality to challenge conditioning. Do that which brings you joy.

59 SEXUALITY / DISPERSION
The ability to break down barriers to achieve union.
Driven to reproduce, whether that be children or creativity; desire to be sexually intimate.

60 ACCEPTANCE / LIMITATION
The acceptance of limitation is the first step in transcendence.
Fuel for mutation, pulsing pressure that empowers gate 3 to bring lasting changes into the
world (that’s gate 3); pressure to mutate. Need to accept limitations.

61 MYSTERY / INNER TRUTH

The awareness of universal underlying principles.
Under mental pressure to resolve what is unknown; mutative inspiration with potentially
lasting impact on others; great thinker who love unknown but has to accept some things are
unknowable.

62 DETAILS / PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL

Caution, patience and detail produce excellence out of limitation.
Eye for details & always need to know the facts; organizes and labels things to come up with
clear formulae; can pick out precise details in complex situations.

63 DOUBT / AFTER COMPLETION

In the spiral of life, all ends are beginnings.
Scientific, naturally skeptical minds; question the validity of everything & pressure of needing
the answer; don’t trust something until they can prove it for themselves.

64 CONFUSION / BEFORE COMPLETION

Transition, like birth, requires a determined strength for the passage through.
Constant mental pressure to make sense out of past issues /events; need to accept confusion
as part of their life; very visual minds; try to resolve their experiences, but can’t do that without
47th gate.

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Names and tag lines of each gate come from the Rave I-Ching by Ra Uru Hu.
The short gate descriptions also come mostly from Ra Uru Hu
and partially from Richard Rudd (Circuitry). They were compiled by Jakub Stritezsky.

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