Celebrating originality as the Sun exits Gate 8

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It’s late May on a Friday evening along the river in Boise, Idaho where little kids and dogs are splashing in the water. Throngs of people cruise on bikes, sit in outdoor wine bars in dappled sunlight, or munch on savory fare from local food trucks. The world of living things comes alive in late Taurus season. 

Yesterday, while I was out in this mix soaking up the vibrant celebration of life, I kept noticing extremely unique people. For example, a woman was loading two toddlers on the back of a bicycle that had a giant tail of peacock feathers.

Another woman in a bikini, decorated from head to toe with tattoos, nonchalantly pushed a baby in a stroller. And an elderly man sporting a rainbow-dyed Salvador Dali mustache walked by, rock music blasting from somewhere on his body.

How fitting to witness all this as the Sun was transiting Gate 8 (the Gate of Contribution), where creative self-expression, personal style and charisma come alive. As its name implies, the energy here highlights what one can contribute to the Collective, even though it is part of the Individual circuit of the bodygraph. 

This is because human evolution happens literally one individual example at a time; this is the hallmark of Individual energy in the Human Design system. In the case of Gate 8, the Individual “models” a unique perspective or way of being. If this perspective proves empowering to others, it will catch on and mutate the Collective. This is the contribution.

Gate 8 is located in the Throat Center, and it reaches down for Gate 1 in the G Center. Just as they say “All roads lead to Rome,” the Throat is the busiest center in the bodygraph. It is the hub into which all the circuits of our design funnel. It is our very center of communication, expression and manifestation.

Those with the 1-8, called the Channel of Inspiration, have the ability to change the way things are done simply by expressing themselves authentically. They are magnetic, innovative and often quirky, and can sometimes be perceived as rebellious. 

As with all three channels in the Penta (those that connect the Throat to the G Center), the 1-8 attracts a lot of attention and can be very influential, especially within the family dynamic. However, this is all done without any agenda of influencing anybody. Its energy is concerned only with empowering the Self and is generally not competitive. 

Doing research for this post, I read that performers who go by their first name – like Adele and Dwayne Johson “The Rock” have Gate 8. I dug a little deeper and discovered that Cher and Madonna do as well, and that Shakira and Bjork have the full channel. (Happy Birthday Cher!)

It’s important to keep in mind that the Collective is generally unsympathetic to the oddities of the Individual, which is another way to say it is concerned with maintaining the status quo. Still, Gate 8 can have an influence with their unique panache, if the timing is right and the mutation proves beneficial. 

Correct timing is a recurring theme of the Throat Center in general, but especially so with the Individual gates. Furthermore, the gifts of Gate 8 need to be recognized to be fully realized, because the channel is not connected to any motor of the bodygraph. 

Of course, all human energies operate on a spectrum of high and low – or rather pleasant and unpleasant – expressions. In the case of Gate 8, the tendency towards melancholy is real, because the Individual inspiration is on a pulse.

When the pulse is off, we can feel dull. To borrow from Gene Keys language, the shadow expression is mediocrity, while the higher expressions are style and exquisiteness.

The Gate of Contribution, as I mentioned earlier, falls at the tail end of Taurus (barely peeking into Gemini). The artistic, charming Venus rules Taurus, lending even more creative significations to the gate.