Mini-muse 010: Invitation.

Featuring tarot spreads for Human Design types

Hi little coven.

I recently had a lovely conversation with my friend Emma Dunwoody about what ignited my passion for the tarot.

Emma is a (rather, THE), Human Design coach, and she immediately clocked something that had never occurred to me, a casual dabbler in Human Design.

Emma observed that I spoke about — and often write about — tarot cards as invitations to think differently or deeper about creative challenges. It’s not particularly original language, but Emma offered an original framing: “It’s funny that you say that, because, as a Projector, you need an invitation to get to work.”

Looking for the recording of our most recent tarot journaling club session? Find it here.

For the uninitiated, Human Design combines ideology from astrology, the I Ching, chakra work, and modern psychology to offer unique insight into five energetic “types”: Generators, Manifestors, Manifesting Generators, Reflectors and Projectors. Each type has a “strategy” for moving through the world in a way that aligns with our unique energy.

When it comes to getting things done and living out our purposes in the world, Human Design posits that Generators are designed to respond to whatever comes their way — to pay attention to what calls for their attention and sparks their inspiration, Manifestors are designed to inform others of their intentions ahead of taking action — to speak their truth and act on it, Manifesting Generators are designed to both respond and inform, Reflectors are designed to give themselves ample time before taking any kind of action, and Projectors are designed wait for an invitation before taking action.

When I dipped my toes into learning about Human Design a few years ago, I struggled with this idea of “wait for the invitation”. I hate feeling left out, overlooked, or at the mercy of others. The idea that I was dependent on someone else to ask me to speak, share, or take action made me feel powerless and frustrated especially when the reality of running a creative solo business requires us to put ourselves out there, whether we’re invited or not.

But what if it’s not another person’s invitation I’m designed to wait for - but an invitation from my own creativity, through the medium of tarot cards?

The Letter by Amelia Urbach, via Wikimedia Commons

I loved exploring this interpretation of my Human Design type and my calling to work with the tarot personally and professionally. That the cards could be RSVP requests issued by my very own creativity is so empowering and expansive.

Working this way, I can draw a card and let the imagery guide me — invite me — toward my next action. For a long time, this was an implicit part of my practice, but ever since my chat with Emma, I’ve worked to make it more explicit, actively asking myself with each card pull: What am I invited to reflect on, take action toward, and release?

These three questions can also be repurposed for a three-card spread for Projectors. Find below tarot prompts for all five Human Design types:

Generators:

1. What’s going on around me?

2. What is my gut response? (Don’t draw this card at random, instead, intentionally select a card that aligns with how you feel).

3. How can I act in alignment with card 2?

Manifestors:

1. What is my intention? (Try, if you can, to select a card intentionally.)

2. How can I take action toward this intention?

3. How can I inform others of my intention?

Manifesting Generators:

1. What am I responding to?

2. How can I take action on that response?

3. How can I share my intentions?

Reflectors:

1. What feels true for me?

2. How can I sit with that information?

3. What do I need to tune more deeply into?

Projectors:

1. What am I invited to reflect on?

2. Where am I invited to take action?

3. What am I invited to release?

Tell me in the comments:

What’s your Human Design Type and Strategy?

What have you been musing about, lately?

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