The Geometry of Purpose
A major aspect of Human Design that I found challenging to understand when I got into my experiment was the Incarnation Cross. It was difficult to find much information about it other than a short paragraph that was vague and generalized.
With this being the Science of Differentiation, it didn’t make sense that all of the explanations for the Incarnation Cross didn’t take into account someone’s Type, Profile, Definition or Variable Configuration.
I only started to make sense of my Incarnation Cross after I had been following my Strategy and Authority for at least a year. As I started to live more as my authentic self and remove the layers of conditioning that I had put on throughout the years, my true self started to emerge.
I began to witness how my Cross of Cycles was writing the script of my life and how the 4 gates that make up my cross are central themes in that storyline.
One of the biggest shifts that allowed me to really witness my Incarnation Cross play out in my life was shifting my definition and perspective on “purpose.”
For the first couple of years in my Human Design experiment, I believed that the system could give me all of the answers of what to do with my life. In many ways, Human Design became my authority- I would turn to the system to tell me what to do, because I was so afraid of doing it wrong.
I found Human Design shortly after my Saturn Return as I was making my way up to the roof as a 6/2 Profile. The first 30 years of my life had been traumatic and I was ready to start healing from that 3rd line experience of the first stage of life.
My Saturn Return showed me how unhappy I was at my corporate job, the relationships that were one sided, that alcohol had become my primary coping mechanism, and the disconnect and hatred I felt toward my body. This is what I set off to heal as I moved onto the roof and discovered Human Design.
I looked to Human Design to tell me what my direction in life was supposed to be (hello undefined G-Center) and what I found was that it gave me more questions than answers. I began to question everything in my life as I deconditioned.
Many people talk about the Incarnation Cross as your purpose, which gives the impression that it will tell you what to do in life, but from my experience, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Your purpose in life is not about what you do and thus the Incarnation Cross will not outline a specific path for you to follow.
I believe the purpose of life is to learn how to live fully as your authentic self so that you can share the gifts of your design with others in a way that only you can. The purpose of life is differentiation, and this is what the Incarnation Cross describes, when looked at holistically in the context of your Profile, Definition, and Variables.
True purpose is found in giving yourself fully to each moment, rather than having to do with your career or any achievement. Purpose is not something that you’ll find in the future, because your purpose is right here, right now, in this moment.
Your purpose IS THIS MOMENT and bringing your true self into each and every moment.
Ra described the Incarnation Cross as something that is planted from the Saturn Return to Chiron Return and then fully lived post Chiron Return. This is a process that takes time, patience, and awareness.
There is no guarantee that you will live out the purpose of your Incarnation Cross. When you are living as your differentiated self in the world, the cross takes over your life. “We don’t awaken to our cross, we awaken it.” -The Definitive Book of Human Design
There is no cross that is better or more valuable than another. They all serve a unique role that contributes to the whole.
There are 192 different Incarnation Crosses. This can be broken down into 64 Right Angle, 64 Left Angle, and 64 Juxtaposition Crosses.
When you break it down even more, there are 16 different right angle crosses with 4 different versions. The version of the cross depends on the quarter that the Sun falls in. For example, the Right Angle Cross of the Sphinx 2 has their Sun in the 2nd quarter. Someone with the 3rd version would have their Sun in the 3rd quarter.
The Left Angle Incarnation Cross has 32 different crosses that have 2 different versions. For the Left Angle Cross, the number doesn’t correspond to the quarter of the year that the Sun falls in, but rather the half of the year it falls in. The first version of a Left Angle Incarnation Cross will have the Sun in either the 1st or 2nd quarter and the 2nd version will have the Sun in the 3rd or 4th Quarter.
For example, I have the Left Angle Cross of Cycles 2- this doesn’t mean that my Sun is in the 2nd quarter. My Sun is actually in the 4th Quarter. Instead, it means that this is the second version of the Cross of Cycles, which falls in the second half of the year.
There are 64 unique Juxtaposition Crosses. Each Juxtaposition Cross has a unique name that is deeply connected to the Personality Sun gate.
The type of incarnation cross that you have is all about the geometry at which your conscious and unconscious design collide.
If the line of your conscious Profile is lower on the hexagram than the line on the unconscious side, then you have a Right Angle, which means your geometry sets you on the path of a Personal Destiny. This includes 1/3, 1/4, 2/4, 2/5, 3/5, 3/6, and 4/6 Profiles. The majority of people, approximately 64%, have a personal destiny since 7 out of the 12 Profiles are Right Angle.
Personal Destiny means that your process is designed to be self-absorbed so that you can focus on self-exploration and work out your own challenges in life instead of being highly influenced by others. You’re not here to be absorbed or influenced by someone else’s process. This doesn’t mean you can’t be in relationship with others or that these relationships won’t be impactful, but they will not alter your movement through life. This is like the research and development department that is designed to dig into things, explore, re-experience, and gain new perspectives.
Those with a 4/1 Profile, which is only about 2-3% of the population, have a Juxtaposition Incarnation Cross that acts as a bridge from the right to left angle. This puts them on the path of a fixed fate, which is intimately connected to the gate of their Personality Sun.
Fixed Fate is neither personal or transpersonal. You are fixed in your movement in life according to your Personality Sun. This is like a train on a track that is set to a specific destination. The 4/1 Profile has a strong impact on those who they stay connected with for extended periods of time, becoming a part of their fixed fate.
If the line in your conscious Sun/ Earth is higher on the hexagram than the line in your unconscious Sun/Earth then you have a Left Angle, which means your geometry sets you on the path of Transpersonal Karma. This is about 33% of the population.
Transpersonal Karma means that the fulfillment of your purpose cannot be done alone. This doesn’t mean that you’re dependent on others, but that the connections in your life can have a profound impact on you and change the direction of your path.
Ra talked about Right Angle Crosses as entering this incarnation with a veil that is drawn over the experiences of past lifetimes, so they are not aware of why they connect or are drawn to specific people. Left Angle Crosses maintain a connection to past incarnations and thus often feel an unexplainable familiarity with people, places, and experiences. “While the Right Angle creates karma, the Left Angle cleans up the karma that has been created.” -The Definitive Book of Human Design
Of the Right Angle Incarnation Crosses, there are 2 very unique Profiles- the 1/3 and the 4/6. The 1/3 Profile is the only Profile where both lines come from the lower trigram and the 4/6 Profile is the only one where both lines come from the upper trigram.
The 1/3 is the 1st Right Angle Profile and it starts the whole process with mastering the process of the self by digging into the information, getting to the bottom of things, and empowering itself to experiment, learn from trial and error, and discover new and more efficient ways of being.
The 4/6 is the final right angle profile before the 4/1 juxtaposition profile bridges to the left angle. The 4/6 takes all of what has been learned through this personal process and externalizes it to its network and community while also holding a vision of what’s to come.
The 6/3 Profile is another fascinating Profile as it’s the bridge from the Left Angle to the Right Angle. It’s the bridge from the end of one process to the beginning of something new. The first Profile, the 1/3, and the last Profile, the 6/3, both have a 3rd line body, showing that the process begins and ends with trial and error.
Looking below the Personality Sun/ Earth gate and line, you’ll find your Motivation, which will color your Incarnation Cross.
Your Motivation is how your mind is designed to make sense of and conceptualize what you’re seeing. This is the true cognitive potential of your mind and is also what sets you up on the path of your specific Trajectory. This is how your mind becomes an ally as it honors its differentiation.
Motivation, which is an aspect of your Outer Authority, is how you can create differentiated value in the world. Everyone is designed to see things differently and then to make sense of that in a unique way. This is how you express your true cognitive intelligence and share your unique experiences and perspective to inspire others by what you have learned. When this is coming from your differentiation instead of homogenization, you share something that others have been waiting for and that they will find value in.
This is why I believe that our purpose in life is to be our differentiated self, because this is where we can make a positive contribution to the world and fulfill the unique role of our incarnation.
What does purpose mean to you? How is it reflected in your Incarnation Cross?
If you’re looking to be held and supported through your journey, here are ways we can create magic together right now:
- Illuminate Your Incarnation Cross
- Listen to the newest season of the Uplifting Podcast on Right Angle Crosses
- Join Embodiment By Design: my free community on Mighty Networks with resources to support you in your Human Design and Gene keys journey
