The Enneagram + Human Design: A Personal Story
Aug 22, 2024
by Karrie Brandt
My Enneagram Journey
I first started learning about myself through the lens of the Enneagram in 2018 after discovering that I am a Type 1. So much about myself began to make sense. It gave me such a clear and accurate way to see myself, including parts that I had never considered or contemplated much, like my core fears and desires, how I functioned through my center of intelligence, and traits I take on during times of stress versus times of growth. I realized that this tool was showing me my own deeply ingrained personality, or ego structure, that had mostly been conditioned into me (and possibly some aspects are biologically part of who I am.) But then what? Once we see our ego structure clearly, what's next?
Transformative Awareness
I began to recognize my own unhealthy behaviors and reactions to situations. Noticing these moments allowed me to make a different choice–to react differently than I had for most of my life. I started to see changes within myself as I continued to understand and see myself more clearly, more deeply.
My Introduction to Human Design
In 2021, I randomly saw someone who I followed on Instagram mention her Human Design energy type, and I was intrigued. I had never heard of it before, so I entered my birth info into a website, got my body graph, saw my energy type was the same as hers, and then closed it because the information was so confusing, and I had no idea what I was looking at! A few months later, I was taking a business course, and there was a module about Human Design and how understanding ourselves through our designs could impact us as entrepreneurs. After learning the basics through that module, I was hooked! For me, this seemed like the complementary framework to use alongside the Enneagram in order to better understand who I was born as before conditioning shaped my personality.
Discovering My Projector Energy Type
The first piece of Human Design that resonated deeply with me was my energy type of Projector. I had always felt that my energy couldn't keep up with others. As a child, I even thought I might have a hole in my heart because a classmate with that condition wasn't as energetic as other kids, and that's how I saw myself as well. The more I learned about myself through Human Design, the more everything about me made sense.
Life-Changing Insights
Understanding my Projector energy type has been life-changing. Having this complete picture of myself and discovering new things through experimentation has profoundly impacted my life. Combining the insights from both the Enneagram and Human Design has provided a comprehensive understanding of who I am and how I can grow.
By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire others to explore these tools and embark on their own paths of self-discovery.
All the best,
Karrie