Episode 198: Your Human Design Determination
In the last episode, Episode 197, I introduced the Human Design Variables. In this episode, the second installment in this mini-series we take a look at the variable of Determination.
You’ll hear:
What is Determination in Human Design
How it fits into the framework and corresponds to the other Variables
The six kinds of Determination and the tones for each one
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“When you get your physical health right, you energetically free yourself up to focus on other areas - your mental health, emotional health - other parts of your well-being. But if your physical health isn’t up to par, those other parts are going to be compromised because you won’t have the energy to function properly to support all those other parts of you.”
Read the Transcript:
Hello there, my friends and welcome back to The Live Fab Life Podcast. I'm your host, Naomi Nakamura, and I'm excited to get started today!
If you recall from the last episode, Episode 197, I set the context, the groundwork, the framework for the Human Design Variables, which, if you haven't listened to yet, the Variables are the deeper, more advanced parts of Human Design.
I shared what the four Human Design variables are, and that episode kicked off a mini-series that we’re having on each variable.
On your Human Design chart, if you look at the head on the body graph, it’s surrounded by two arrows on the left and two arrows on the right. Those arrows tell you what your Variables are, depending on the color and direction that the arrows are pointing in.
Now the idea behind the Variables is that they’re a deeper level of how Human Design can help us transform and fall into our genius; how we can live our lives in deeper alignment, according to our design, so that we can live in more flow.
Because when we know who we are, when we know what our designs are, we have a better understanding of what our path in life is, and how we can best follow it. It’s how we can live in a way that’s free of preconceived notions of what the world expects of us, of what what the world tells us how things “should” be, of what success “should” look like, or how things are “supposed” to be.
It's a deeper layer of understanding of what our conditioning may be versus what’s truly meant for us.
The Human Design Variables can be summed up this way: “When you’re in your correct environment, it sets up your perspective so it's easier to be motivated and nourished accordingly.”
So today, we’re talking about Determination, and with our Cognition, what we're talking about next week, is how we can nourish ourselves according to our design.
But, before I get into Determination, let’s revisit why digestion and gut health is important. Before I expanded my work to include Human Design, gut health, and digestion was a focal point, and continue to be.
So, if you go to my website, and click on the “Podcast” link, there’s a menu at the top of the page for each category because every episode is categorized to one of the focal topics of the show.
You can click on the Human Design link to get all the episodes on Human Design, and likewise, there’s a link that you can click on to get all the episodes on Gut Health. So, if you want to learn more about gut health, go look at those episodes – there’s more than a handful of them.
The reason I focus on gut health and digestion is because when we take a functional approach to our health, and this is the approach that I take and the approach that I teach my clients to take, we always seek to understand what the root of our problem is.
Instead of merely treating symptoms, we want to take care of the root. It's like when you're doing yard work, and you're pulling weeds, which by the way, is something I find to be an extremely therapeutic exercise. Maybe it's because I don't have a yard, but I find sitting on the grass and pulling weeds to be so relaxing.
But it's like when you're doing yard work and you're pulling weeds, if you just pull the top of the weed, the root of the weed is still in the ground, and that weed can grow back. So, you want to pull out the root of it
The same concept applies to our health. When we’re experiencing health issues, health conditions, things of concern about our health - physically, mentally, emotionally - whatever it is, we want to address the root because if we're only addressing symptoms, the root is still there, and problems can still arise from it.
And, at the root of almost all of health problems in one way or another, can be traced back to the state of our gut - the state of our digestive system.
How we digest what we're eating, what we're consuming and taking in, our body's ability to digest what we're eating. Is the food that we’re eating nourishing us?
We can be eating the healthiest, cleanest food, and yet our body, our health, can still be compromised and be in ill health.
How is this possible? Well, I personally experienced this. Because if our body can’t absorb the nutrients from the food that we eat, then our body isn't going to be able to be nourished. Our body, our organs aren’t going to receive the nutrients that it needs to be able to function properly.
If this intrigues you, I recommend listening to the episodes on Leaky Gut Syndrome, which is something that I had. I’d been eating what I thought was fairly healthy food but as it turned out, I was eating healthy foods that were actually unhealthy for me.
In addition to that, the state of my I say gut, meaning my small intestines was not good, having had SIBO aka Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. So, even though I was eating healthy foods, my body was not absorbing nutrients., So, parts of my body were being starved from what it needed to flourish and thrive.
So, in Human Design, there's this thing that we call Determination. Determination is how our brains are determined to take in nourishment, whether it be nourishment from food, or from information - what we need to nourish our bodies and brains. This is what we call in Human Design - Determination.
The idea is that when we eat correctly, when we take in information – when we consume according to our Determination, we’re feeding our Cognition aka our super-sense (what the next episode is going to be on). So, if we're eating according to our Determination, we’re feeding are super-sense to work at its best.
But when we're not eating correctly, according to our Determination, our health becomes compromised, and we aren’t going to be in alignment with our design, with our purpose. Our super-sense isn’t going to be as sharp as it can be.
Because if you get your physical health right, you energetically free yourself up to focus on other areas of transformation - your mental health, emotional health, all these other parts of your well-being.
But if your physical health isn’t up to par, those other parts are going to be compromised because you won’t have the energy to function properly to support all those other parts of you.
So, if you think of it, our Determination is our personal dietary regimen of what we need to function optimally.
Now, there’s six different kinds of Determination, and each kind has two sides, which are called “tones.”
The first three kinds of Determination are conditions, and the second three are circumstances. You'll understand what I mean by that in a bit, so why don't we go ahead and dive in.
The first kind of Determination is called “Appetite.”
Appetite is about safety and security. It’s about simplicity and eating as simply as possible, eating one thing at a time, and foods with the least amount of ingredients.
The “tones” of Appetite is Consecutive” or “Alternating.”
Having a Consecutive Appetite is all about needing to be consistently fueled, so you don’t go hungry.
Obviously, we can all go hungry, but you specifically, really need to fuel your body so that doesn’t happen.
Opposite to that is an Alternating Appetite. And if you’re Determination is Alternating, your body burns through fuel at a slower rate, more relaxed pace. So, instead of consistently eating, grazing is a better option for you.
This also applies to how you take in information. If you have an Alternating Appetite, you're about simplicity, so minimalism might be a thing for you. Keeping things simple means that perhaps multi-tasking may also not be a thing for you.
This is how your Determination goes beyond food and how you take things.
The second kind of Determination is “Taste.”
Taste is about being selective, you could even say it's about being picky.
If you have a Taste Determination you have a simple digestive system so seasonal eating, and by extension, seasonal living is ideal for you.
The two “tones” of Taste are “Open” and “Close.”
If you have an Open Taste, then, in addition to keeping things simple and eating seasonally, you also want to be open to trying new things. Since Taste is about being selective and picky, then you want to try different things to know what you like and what you don't like. Once you figure that out, it minimizes your options, keeping things simple because you're someone who can suffer from decision fatigue.
Opposite to Open Taste is Close Taste. If you have a Close Taste Determination, you also need to try new things, but once you figure out your likes, you’re not one deviate from it.
The third kind of Determination is “Thirst.” Thirst is about creativity and transformation, and the tones of Thirst are “Hot” or “Cold.”
If your Determination is “Hot Thirst,”, your system tends to run cold, so you need warm food and drinks to energize you. Those are the kinds of sustenance that’s easiest for you to digest.
This also means that it’s best if your food is alchemized, i.e., is cooked and transformed.
You’re also here for transformation, whether it be your own or being a part of another’s.
Opposite to this, if you have a Cold Thirst Determination then you're someone who naturally runs hot, and cold, fresh and unprocessed food and drinks are easier on your digestive system. Food and drinks that take a long time to cook or heat up are what your body thrives was on.
So those are the first three kinds of Determination and their conditions.
The last three kinds of Determination are circumstances
So, the fourth Determination is “Touch.” Touch is about retreating to get perspective. The first tone of Touch is “Calm.”
If you have a Calm Determination, you need a calm, relaxed and serene environment to digest properly. You do best when eating alone or in a private. Your body is sensitive to external noise, so you do best when you don’t have a lot of stimulation from the outside world.
When you eat and consume information, you want to minimize the noise, distractions, and possible interruptions around you.
Maybe you’re someone who thrives working from home if you don't have a lot of distractions and interruptions there. When you’re in this kind of calm and quiet setting, you’re able to develop your genius. So maybe your best times of the day are in the early mornings or late at night. Maybe that’s when you feel the most productive or the most relaxed, maybe it’s just your favorite time of day.
So, whatever you can do to help create that scenario, whether it be sleeping with an eye mask or using noise-canceling your phones – these kinds of things can help you create that in a calm and relaxed environment that helps you consume and digest in the best way for you.
The other “tone” of “Touch” is “Nervous.”
So, if you have a Nervous Touch Determination then you need a stimulating environment because it’s how you are energized. This kind of circumstance is what helps you to digest your food optimally.
This can look like dining out, eating with others, or even standing up and moving around when you eat. When you were growing up, you may have been told it’s not appropriate to do that but for you, it is.
Think about someone you may have known in school who maybe didn’t appear to be focused and was often scolded, disciplined, or labeled a “bad student” because of it. Yet, this person retained and comprehended what was being taught, even though their behavior appeared to be indicated otherwise, based on societal norms of what being focused is “supposed” to look like.
They just operated differently than what was considered “normal” – it doesn’t mean they didn’t learn anything. And this is how conditioning can impact and influence us and why it’s important to have grace and compassion for ourselves, as well as with others.
The fifth kind of Determination is Sound. Sound is about intimacy and sharing.
The first tone of Sound is called “High,” and a High Sound Determination is about being best stimulated through acoustic noise. That acoustic noise is how your body is nourished and supports how you digest and consume things.
If you have a High Sound Determination, you best digest foods with complex and rich flavors, when there’s a lot of sounds going on around you, and/or when there's a lot of information coming at you.
You learned best by hearing, so podcasts and music are your thing.
This is one reason why, when I say start a client session, especially when it's the first session with the client, I always give my clients the option of how they want to conduct the session because we all process and take in information differently.
I present 3 options:
No screen share, just us conversing Screensharing their Human Design chart and pointing out the different elements as we talk through their chart I prepare 25+ page PDF for each client that’s essentially their own personalized Human Design Handbook, where I break down the different elements of their chart. This is something that I send to them after the session. Some of them prefer to screen share that so they can see the words as I’m speaking to them because it’s how their brain best processes so it’s how they can best comprehend what I’m saying.
It's also why after the session I sent my clients a copy of the audio recording, or the video if they request it. I also include a transcript of the session, much like I do transcripts of each podcast episode in my show notes because again, we all taken information differently; our brains are nourished differently, and I want to provide options to my client in whatever way is best for them.
This is what I think of when it comes to Sound Determination.
The other tone in Sound Determination is “Low Sound Determination.”
Whereas High Sound Determination thrives when a lot of information and noise is coming at them, someone with a Low Sound Determination is sensitive to that.
These folks process best when noise is at a minimum to low volume. Low sound folks prefer foods that are simple flavored in relaxed environments.
The last kind of Determination is “Light” and it’s about sensitivity to light exposure.
If you have a “Direct” Light Determination, then you’re someone who thrives and functions best when the sun is out. You’re likely an early bird and best enjoy your meals during the daylight. In fact, unhealthy for you to go to bed right out after a heavy meal. It’s not best for your digestion.
Figuratively, those with a Direct Light Determination have clarity, very clear points of view, seeing things in the “right” light and bringing a lightness to things.
The other tone is Indirect Light.
If you have an Indirect Light Determination, then you’re probably a night owl because you function best at night. Your best meal of the day is dinner, meaning you may need a lot of food throughout the day. Going to bed after a heavy meal isn’t going to damage your digestion as it does for others. You may also be someone who intermittent fasting might be ideal for, because it’s not ideal for everyone.
So, there you have it - the six kinds of Determinations and each of their Tones.
Let’s do a quick recap:
Appetite: Consecutive or Alternating Taste: Open or Closed Thirst: Hot or Cold Touch: Calm or Nervous Sound: High or Low Light: Direct or Indirect
Now, remember, Human Design is all about body, mind, and emotional awareness, and your Determination is another level that we can help us transform to our highest level of awareness and our best selves.
So, in essence, our Determination teaches us how we can have a relationship to what we're consuming – food, information, and otherwise.
As I shared in the last episode, this part of Human Design is what really hooked me into it, but don't forget, this is advanced level stuff, so always go back to your Type, Strategy and Authority.
There are times when I feel that different parts of my Human Design conflict with each other. When I feel that way, I try to go to a deeper level of awareness through observation, but I also remind myself that everything still comes back to my Type, Strategy, and Authority, and If I'm following those three things the other parts will fall into place.
Now, if I've totally overwhelmed you because you’re still new to Human Design and haven’t quite grasped your Type, Strategy, and Authority, I have a guide on my website, my “Get to Know Your Human Design” that you can download for free. It walks you through how to get to know the basic parts of your chart. It's right on my homepage and when you download it, you'll get an email with a code that you can use to get 15% off your first reading with me. As always, thank you so much for joining me. Can you see why I find this part of Human Design beyond fascinating?! And we're just getting started with this mini-series!
Have a great week and I'll see you right back here next time! Bye for now!
Naomi Nakamura is a Health x Human Design coach who’s creating a healthier society through aligned energy.
She blends a bespoke mix of Functional Nutrition and Human Design to help others shift into alignment to leverage and correctly manage their energy to support their body, mind, and spirit.
She believes that when we embrace our authenticity and lean into our bio-individuality, we naturally live a life of freedom, empowerment, and optimal health.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
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