Core Wounds in Human Design - How to Identify and Work With Yours
As we slowly emerged on the other side of the Mercury Retrograde, I must confess that I felt pretty overwhelmed during this retrograde.
My core wound of denial has been put to the test, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions as forgotten memories have surfaced.
Memories of all sorts of stuff that I have denied feeling in the moment and instead tried to put away over the years emerged.
And when all this happened during the recent Mercury Retrograde, which influences our communication, I had to simply try to surf the wave instead of drowning in it.
What is a core wound?
Every one of us has a core wound in our Human Design chart, which you can locate in your March placement on the design side of your chart. It is the decimal number behind the gate, which is called a line in Human Design, that defines your wound.
It is a wound that has a tendency to be triggered in you.
You will feel a reaction in your physical body, which defines the way you act in certain situations.
This wound is said to be based on traumas from previous experiences in your life, and it is something that might hold you back from growth.
Why should you look into your core wound?
When you get to know your core wound, you also get access to more knowledge about yourself.
For instance, have you ever had a reaction in your body that did not make intellectual sense to you?
Let's say your friend tells you how sad they are that no one responded to their latest post on social media, and you instantly feel your cheeks blushing red with shame, even though you have not seen the post. Your body reacts, but you think to yourself that it does not make sense since you did not even know what your friend posted about.
Or your team member at work only invites a few from the team to join a private birthday celebration at home, and you did not receive an invitation. You tear up at the workplace toilet, even though you are not close to your college and she only invited 3 out of 10 from your team. When you get home, you spend your evening deeply processing why you were not invited, and once again, you feel like that insecure girl in 5th grade that you have tried so hard to suppress.
A core wound that is triggered can bring back memories that you did not know that you still hold on to.
And the beauty of knowing your core wound is that you get a chance to heal what needs to be healed.
You can also understand why some situations trigger you and why your partner is not triggered by the same situation at all.
The core wounds
Let us look into the 6 different core wounds in Human Design.
Core wound #1: Suppression
If your design March placement shows [GATE].1, your core wound is suppression.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
Whenever you feel that you do not have enough information, you might find yourself looking for safety one way or another. Can others have more knowledge and information than you on a topic, in your opinion? This might trigger your core wound. The suppression can lead to a deep feeling of insecurity as you will not see yourself as knowledgeable.
How can you heal the core wound of suppression?
Instead of pointing your finger outward, take a look inward and examine your patterns, reactions, and feelings. Be curious about what emerges for you. Accept the fear that you might have around the need of always having to know everything.
You are knowledgeable in general, and we all know this to be true about you.
Core wound #2: Denial
If your design March placement shows [GATE].2, your core wound is denial.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
You might be poked by your core wound should you experience a situation where the emotions are too difficult to deal with in the moment. You, therefore, deny what emerges for you instead of dealing with it.
As a person who wants to live a life filled with ease in every way possible and who prefers to express a pure light into the world, it can be easier in the short term to simply deny whatever unpleasant emotion that comes up for you in an uncomfortable situation.
No hidden agendas, please! You prefer to respond to higher frequencies where you can be yourself and where everything flows. Your core wound can be triggered in situations where the frequency is low and filled with agendas that you do not fully understand.
How can you heal the core wound of denial?
Look into the mirror of your relations. How do your relations mirror your surroundings? This will help turn any anger into passion. Instead of instantly denying the feelings in a given situation, sit with them.
You are a pure and true light in this world, and we love that you light up our ways.
Core wound #3: Shame
If your design March placement shows [GATE].3, your core wound is shame.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
It comes naturally to you that you are constantly experimenting, trying, and failing. In this learning process, you can sometimes be bedridden by shame. Another miss? Yet again, a failed mission? What have you missed out on this time? Are others pointing out that you have failed once again, whilst you consider it learning?
Your wisdom comes from all your experiments, but you can find it shameful if you, on the outside, appear to be unsuccessful in every attempt you make.
How can you heal the core wound of shame?
Confront your problems with commitments. Learn to laugh at yourself. Perhaps easier said than done, but practice taking yourself and life less seriously. Take the pressure off yourself.
You are never failing, even if we let you assume that we think you are. Thank you for keeping on trying and failing so we can all benefit from your learning.
Core wound #4: Rejection
If your design March placement shows [GATE].4, your core wound is rejection.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
Relationships are a big deal for you. Friendships, networks, and community are all circles of trust that you love to lean into. You will respond the best to integrity, honesty, softness, and even romance.
So what happens when you feel rejected? If you do not get the expected invitation, promotion, or raise?
Instead of being rejected, you might end up rejecting first. This way, you do not have to feel the pain of rejection; at least, that is what you trick yourself into believing.
How can you heal the core wound of rejection?
You are the only one who can heal your heart. Be gentle to yourself. Work on your self-esteem. Be curious about what situations trigger the wound of rejection.
You are important to so many of us, and we never intend to hurt you when we do not involve you. And if we do reject you for some reason, know that you do not need to reject yourself in the same go.
Core wound #5: Guilt
If your design March placement shows [GATE].5, your core wound is guilt.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
You are a person who often sees practical solutions, and you have force, power, and leadership. By listening, you can go from being a tyrant to showing true leadership. And by listening, I advise you to filter out what is encouraging to you from what is meant as manipulation.
If you are to be completely honest with yourself right now: Are you aware of how others try to, or even succeed in, manipulating you? Or do you manipulate yourself so others do not have to?
With the core wound of guilt, you can get exploited by others who use manipulation as a weapon to silence you. And you will not just be silent. You might be feeling guilty as hell without totally understanding why. No wonder that you do not always understand the feeling of guilt, as you might not have done something to feel guilty about at all.
How can you heal the core wound of guilt?
Pay attention to how you manipulate yourself and if you let others manipulate you. Practice self-compassion and, most importantly, forgive yourself and others.
If your guilt comes in the way of you, know that we might have manipulated you into believing you need to be guilty. See through the manipulation and connect with your inner leader to call out any BS.
Core wound #6: Separation
If your design March placement shows [GATE].6, your core wound is separation.
How can this wound manifest itself in you?
If you find yourself withdrawing from situations you normally would join in on and isolating yourself, you might experience a triggered core wound of separation.
When triggered, you can find yourself being arrogant, reserved, and not available. You dream of withdrawing from it all. Of course, you are allowed to have a break to regain yourself, but if you separate yourself from your community for a long time after a triggering episode, you will also miss out on the opportunity to heal this wound.
An example of a triggered core wound of separation could be this.
Let’s say that you are in a business meeting where a team member provokes you. It instantly reminds you of your upbringing, where your brother bullied you for years. The memories flood over you, and you instantly excuse yourself before you leave the business meeting, even though you were the one to organize the meeting in the first place. You promise yourself that you will never interact with this team member ever again. You prefer isolating yourself from them. This is a situation where your core wound is keeping you from healing from it.
How can you heal the core wound of separation?
Pay attention to when you find yourself separated from your tribe or when you avoid getting involved in a matter. Visualize your highest vision in your physical body as a feeling or an image. How can you overcome the urge to isolate yourself in separation when your wound is triggered?
We love having you around and hope that you will communicate instead of separating yourself from us.
I can share that my core wound denial was deeply triggered by a person’s hidden agenda a few weeks ago. And I was unable to stop all the memories of what I had previously denied. The memories rushed through my body like a pain train, giving me nightmares and whatnot.
My emotional life was like muddy water for weeks. But now, as I have gained clarity, I can finally see the pattern of what has been going on for years. All that I have denied has created nothing but hurt over the years, and now I am in the process of freeing myself from it all.
And here is the thing: Healing your core wound demands patience.
Often, it is easier to use our old tracks instead of carving out new ones. Be curious about what might trigger your wound in your everyday life. Be kind to yourself in the process. Stay curious.
Remember as well that human design is meant to be an experiment and a tool for personal growth and development, so use your knowledge on core wounds with a curious attitude instead of a regimen to follow.
