Gate 39 — Provocation

Meaning of Gate 39

A Root Center gate tied to the pressure to provoke yourself and others. It gives the ability to stir people up and bring them out of stagnation; the trap is provoking at the wrong time and causing nothing but irritation.

In the system, a gate is always at work if it is active in the chart — at the moment of birth (Personality) or about 88 days before it (Design). If the other gate of its channel is also active, the channel is defined, and the theme of the gate becomes part of the person’s consistent energy.

Where the Gate Sits

• Center: Root Center.
• I Ching hexagram: hexagram 39, Jian.
• Position on the wheel: from 9°30′ Cancer to 15°07′30″ Cancer.
• The Sun in Gate 39: roughly from July 1 to 7 (the dates shift by a day from year to year).
• Neighbors on the wheel: Gate 52 comes before it, Gate 53 after it.

The Six Lines of Gate 39

Each gate is divided into six lines. The line shows how the gate's theme plays out in a particular person; in the chart it is written after the dot — for example, 39.4.

• Line 1: Holding Off the Challenge. The first line senses when provocation is still premature and prefers to understand the situation first. Its restraint is thought to earn respect; the trap is waiting so long that the impulse fades.
• Line 2: Difficulties Not of Its Making. The second line meets obstacle after obstacle, although the cause lies not in it but in circumstances or in duty to others. In the system, its ability to shake up a situation shows when it goes to meet a difficulty for the sake of a common cause.
• Line 3: Returning to Its Own People. The third line provokes change, runs into resistance and returns to where it is supported. Such returns are thought to be not a defeat but part of the experience; the trap is taking every obstacle as a personal challenge.
• Line 4: Gathering People Before the Push. The fourth line understands that a wall can't be moved alone and first looks for support among acquaintances. In the system, its provocations work more strongly and more fittingly when there is a circle of like-minded people behind them.
• Line 5: Help in a Hard Hour. In the hardest situation, the fifth line becomes the one around whom helpers gather. A solution is expected of it; it is thought important for it not to carry everything alone but to accept support from those who responded.
• Line 6: Coming Back to Help. The sixth line could stay out of other people's difficulties, but others need its experience. In the system, its example is coming back in time and stirring up a stagnant situation, choosing what is really worth taking on.

Channels

Gate 39 is one half of a channel. A channel is defined when both of its gates are active — in one person or, in a couple, across two people.

• Channel 39-55 “Emoting” — the partner gate is 55 “Spirit” in the Solar Plexus. The channel gives deep shifts of mood and creative sensitivity. Melancholy here is thought not necessarily to be a problem: inspiration is often born of it, if it isn't rushed.

All the channels are on the channels page, and Human Design compatibility shows what arises between the charts of two people.

An Honest Look at the Method

Human Design was created in 1987 by one man, Ra Uru Hu, and its claims have never been scientifically tested. We describe the rules of the system as they are and write the interpretations in our own words, not as knowledge about you.

Related in This Section

• Gate 38
• Gate 40
• All 64 gates
• Channels
• Centers
• Profiles

Frequently asked questions

What does Gate 39 mean in Human Design?

The name of Gate 39 is “Provocation.” A Root Center gate tied to the pressure to provoke yourself and others. It gives the ability to stir people up and bring them out of stagnation; the trap is provoking at the wrong time and causing nothing but irritation.

How do I know if I have Gate 39?

Build your chart in the Human Design calculator: in the list of activations, each gate is written with its line after a dot — for example, 39.3 means Gate 39, line 3. If Gate 39 isn't on the list, it is open in your chart.

How is Gate 39 related to the I Ching hexagram?

The gate number matches the hexagram number: Gate 39 is hexagram 39, Jian. The image is the same, but in Human Design the gate has its own short name and an interpretation tied to its center.