Human Design Profiles
A profile is two numbers in a chart, such as 2/4 or 6/2: the line of the Sun at the moment of birth and the line of the Sun 88° earlier. Here you'll find where the twelve profiles come from and what the six lines mean according to the system; the chart calculator will show your own profile.
What a profile is
In Human Design each gate is divided into six lines, just as an I Ching hexagram is divided into six lines. A profile is made up of two lines of the Sun. The first number is the line of the Personality Sun: the black side of the chart, the moment of birth. The second is the line of the Design Sun: the red side, the moment when the Sun stood 88° earlier, that is, roughly 86.6–92 days before birth.
According to the system, the Personality is the conscious part: what a person knows about themselves and identifies with. The Design is the unconscious part. It shows in behavior and in the body, and others often see it more clearly than the person does. That is why 1/3 is read as follows: consciously an Investigator, unconsciously a Martyr. The profile is believed to describe not the mechanics of decision-making but the manner in which a person walks their path and relates to people.
Why there are only twelve profiles
If the lines were taken independently, there would be 36 combinations. But the Design Sun always stands exactly 88° before the Personality Sun. A line spans 56′15″, that is 0.9375°, and 88° equals 93.87 lines: 15 full hexagrams of six lines each plus another 3.87 lines. So the offset between the two lines on a circle of six is always the same.
Stepping back almost four lines is the same as moving forward around the circle by a little over two. That is why the Design line ends up two positions further on than the Personality line (1/3, 2/4, 3/5, 4/6, 5/1, 6/2) or, if the Personality Sun sits at the very end of its line, three positions (1/4, 2/5, 3/6, 4/1, 5/2, 6/3). The first happens in about 87% of cases, the second in 13%. Hence the frequencies: six profiles occur in about 14% of people each, and the other six in about 2%. Our calculation over 4,000 random dates gives the same figures.
The six lines
| Line | Name | What it means according to the system |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investigator | Looks for a reliable foundation and studies a subject until it feels on solid ground. Its insecurity is resolved through knowledge. |
| 2 | The Hermit | Natural abilities the person doesn't notice right away. It needs time alone, and others see its talents and call on it to show them. |
| 3 | Martyr | Learns by trial and error. A mistake here is a way to find out what doesn't work; bonds often form and break. |
| 4 | Opportunist | Builds life through a circle of acquaintances. Opportunities come through people it already trusts, and change is easier when there is a secure base. |
| 5 | Heretic | Raises expectations in others: they see in it someone who will solve the problem. Practical solutions and reputation matter to it. |
| 6 | Role Model | Three stages: trial and error until about 30, observing “from the roof” until 50, then living as an example. Strives for authenticity. |
Lines 1–3 form the lower trigram, and according to the system they are “personal”: turned toward what the person studies, can do and tries out themselves. Lines 4–6, the upper trigram, are “transpersonal”: turned toward other people, their expectations and the role of example. The system links the stages of the sixth line to the Saturn and Chiron returns.
The twelve profiles
| Profile | Lines | Cross angle | Share of people |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/3 | Investigator/Martyr | Right Angle | ≈14% |
| 1/4 | Investigator/Opportunist | Right Angle | ≈2% |
| 2/4 | Hermit/Opportunist | Right Angle | ≈14% |
| 2/5 | Hermit/Heretic | Right Angle | ≈2% |
| 3/5 | Martyr/Heretic | Right Angle | ≈14% |
| 3/6 | Martyr/Role Model | Right Angle | ≈2% |
| 4/6 | Opportunist/Role Model | Right Angle | ≈14% |
| 4/1 | Opportunist/Investigator | Juxtaposition | ≈2% |
| 5/1 | Heretic/Investigator | Left Angle | ≈14% |
| 5/2 | Heretic/Hermit | Left Angle | ≈2% |
| 6/2 | Role Model/Hermit | Left Angle | ≈14% |
| 6/3 | Role Model/Martyr | Left Angle | ≈2% |
A profile's name is made up of the names of its two lines: the first is conscious, the second unconscious.
Cross angle
The profile sets the angle of the Incarnation Cross. The cross itself consists of the four gates where the Personality and Design Sun and Earth stand; the gates give it its theme, and the angle determines how that theme is lived.
- Right Angle — profiles from 1/3 to 4/6, about 64% of people. According to the system, this is a path of personal destiny: meaning unfolds through the person's own story, and encounters with others matter but do not determine the direction.
- Juxtaposition — only the 4/1 profile, about 2% of people. Fixed fate: the path follows one steady line, intermediate between the personal and the transpersonal.
- Left Angle — profiles 5/1, 5/2, 6/2 and 6/3, about 34% of people. Transpersonal karma: the path unfolds through encounters with particular people, and these encounters change both sides.
In a chart, the angle is visible in the name of the cross: “Right Angle Cross of the Sphinx,” “Left Angle Cross of Masks.” Learn more in the section on Incarnation Crosses.
Harmonic lines
Each line of the lower trigram echoes the line three above it: 1 with 4, 2 with 5, 3 with 6. In the system such pairs are considered harmonic. They can be described as one and the same motif turned toward oneself and toward others: the Investigator looks for a foundation, the Opportunist passes it on to acquaintances; the Hermit keeps the talent, the Heretic brings solutions out to the public; the Martyr experiments, the Role Model shows the result of experience.
Every profile has a mirror profile whose two lines are both harmonic with its own: 1/3 and 4/6, 1/4 and 4/1, 2/4 and 5/1, 2/5 and 5/2, 3/5 and 6/2, 3/6 and 6/3. And all six rare profiles are built so that their own lines are harmonic with each other. Harmonic and shared lines are taken into account in Human Design compatibility; Ra Uru Hu left no ready-made tables of “compatible profiles” — they were compiled by later practitioners.
An Honest Look at the Method
Human Design was created in 1987 by one person — Ra Uru Hu. A profile is calculated precisely: it is arithmetic based on the position of the Sun. But the descriptions of the lines and profiles have never been scientifically tested, and we present them as the rules of the system, not as knowledge about you.
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Frequently asked questions
Which profile is the rarest?
The title most often goes to 4/1: it is the only Juxtaposition profile and occurs in about 2% of people. But by the calculation, 1/4, 2/5, 3/6, 5/2 and 6/3 are just as rare — about 2% each, because the Design line is shifted three positions in only 13% of cases.
How do I find my profile?
Enter your date, time and place of birth into the chart calculator: your profile will appear in the “Profile” tile. The Sun moves into the next line roughly once a day, so without an exact time your profile may turn out to be the neighboring one.
Can your profile change with age?
No: it is calculated for the moment of birth and doesn't change over a lifetime. According to the system, the only thing that changes is how the sixth line expresses itself — it has three stages.
Which matters more — profile or Type?
According to the system, Type, Strategy and Authority come first: they describe how to make decisions. The profile adds to them the role and the manner in which a person walks their path.