Sacral Authority in Human Design Explained

Authority influences what you need and, sometimes, the timing to use your strategy effectively to help you make decisions. Every Human Design type has a unique authority. There are four basic kinds of Authority: Splenic Authority, Emotional Authority, Self-Authority, and Ego Authority. All Generator Types have Sacral Authority. When you have Sacral Authority, it means that your gut response lets you know whether something is right for you or not. The biggest challenge with Sacral Authority is learning to trust your instinctual, not intellectual, response. 

Do you have sacral authority? Find out by getting your own human design chart for free.

The Sacral Center

Sacral authority stems from the Sacral Center. Centers are either defined (colored in on your chart) or undefined (not colored in). 

Defined centers have fixed and consistent energy. This energy will always be there for you and radiates out to impact others. Defined centers have their own issues, but in general, they are much easier to deal with than the sometimes traumatic experiences of open centers. To live out the beauty and the deep impact of your defined centers, you have to live your Human Design strategy. It will empower you to always know what to do.

Open centers are white, undefined and mutable. The energy here is inconsistent and depends on your environment and mood. In each of the following sections, there is an affirmation and a question to help you manage your open centers. Understanding the questions of the open centers will empower you to work with your energy instead of being victimized by the energy you take in.

The Sacral Center is one of the most important centers in the Human Design system, and it is the most important of the four motors. The Sacral is the square located toward the bottom of the chart. It is the energy center for workforce and life force energy, and it is associated with the reproductive organs—the ovaries and the testes.

The Open Sacral Center

An undefined Sacral Center has an unlimited capacity to experience life force and workforce energy. The undefined Sacral Center is here to become wise about work and sexuality.

When you have an open Sacral Center, you have the ability to take in and amplify workforce and life force energies for short periods of time. This means that in short bursts, people with undefined Sacral Centers can work as hard as, or even harder than, Generators and Manifesting Generators. Because of this, a lot of people with open Sacrals think they can do more than anyone else. And for short periods of time, this is actually true.

But remember the key word in understanding the energy of the Sacral is sustainability. And a person with an open Sacral Center cannot maintain a high level of energy for a prolonged period of time without really burning themselves out.

What that means is that if you have an open Sacral Center, you are not here to work a Monday through Friday, nine-to-five job. And for most people with open Sacral Centers, hearing that they are not designed to work in the traditional sense is a great relief! That doesn’t mean that if you have an open Sacral that you can’t work or that you don’t need to work. But you will probably do best finding a way to work that has some level of flexibility built into it. 

It is not uncommon for non-Sacral beings to “crash” somewhere around forty years of age and to struggle to try to keep up with their former busy lifestyle. Because sustainability is such an important factor in a non-Sacral being, it is important for you to always ask yourself if you are doing more than enough– to help yourself recognize when enough is truly enough.

Culturally, we have a lot of beliefs about the value and importance of work. A non-Sacral being does not have the energy for sustainable labor. Because of this, many non-Sacral beings get a lot of judgment from others about being lazy or incapable. But non-Sacral beings have their own wisdom and energy to add to the planet. They just work at a different pace.

Non-Sacral beings may also be judged as lazy because of their need for naps and significant amounts of alone time. These sacred times to recharge are vital for their physical health. As a non-Sacral person, you need alone time to discharge the excess Sacral energy from your system. You also need to nap to recharge yourself and revitalize your body. 

Sleep can also be another important factor for people with open Sacral Centers, and it is very common for people with open Sacrals to struggle with insomnia. When you have an open Sacral, it is vital that you don’t wait until you are exhausted before you go to bed. If you have waited for exhaustion, then you have probably waited too long and will struggle to fall asleep.

If you have an open Sacral Center, then you must go to bed before you are sleepy. It is good for you to lie down in bed for at least thirty minutes before you fall asleep. It is okay to read or watch TV, but you should be resting in a reclining position and then going to sleep.

It is also important for you to sleep alone for at least a few nights a week. If you are sleeping with a Generator at night, they will wear you out. Your Sacral Center will not get a chance to discharge all that extra energy, and again, your system will suffer. Of course, this is an issue that you will want to discuss with your partner to find a win/win solution. Always remember, understanding your Human Design and taking appropriate actions to protect and nurture your energy system is part of staying strong and healthy.

The Defined Sacral Center

If you have a defined Sacral Center, it will be red. This red square is what makes you a Generator. The most important function of the Sacral Center is work. When you have a defined Sacral motor, you are designed to work. The challenge is, of course, finding the right work that you love.

Many Generators and Manifesting Generators get frustrated because they hate their jobs and feel stuck in their work situation. This is usually because they have entered into their relationship with their work incorrectly.

The energy of the Sacral Center is in opposition to how most of us have been raised to think about work. In many cultures, we are raised to believe that we have to go out and make things happen. We have been taught to manifest our destiny and we are the only ones standing in our way. 

If you have a defined Sacral, and you go out and try to make things happen, you usually just feel frustrated because nothing turns out the way you had planned. With a defined Sacral motor you are designed to wait for things to show up. This can be very difficult because that Sacral energy hums and buzzes and is just itching to do something. Sacral beings are very busy people. They are designed to be doing at all times. 

The constant drive to be doing something can be extremely challenging for Generator types because the Sacral Center is all about waiting and responding to whatever shows up in your reality. Think about this, if you have a defined Sacral Center, how many times have miraculous and unexpected things happened to you out of the blue? And what happens to you if you go out and try to make things happen? Sacral energy works best if you learn to wait for the right thing to show up and then respond to it. Remember, though, just because it shows up doesn’t mean you have to do it. You do have the freedom to choose.

Defined Sacrals are designed to wear themselves out every day. They should be experiencing exhaustion and then falling asleep. It is very important to sleep when you are exhausted. If you are waiting for your second wind, you are running on energy that you don’t really have, and eventually, your health will suffer. If you have a defined Sacral and you are having a hard time falling asleep at night, that simply means you did not get enough physical activity during the day. You may want to consider moving your body more on a regular basis. Generators need to burn out their Sacrals.

The Sacral Center contains the energy for sexual encounters and for raising children. Your defined Sacral gives you the energy needed to bring children into the world and still have the energy to raise them to adulthood. This sustained energy is vital for our survival as humans. 

The real key to understanding Sacral energy is to understand that a defined Sacral Center gives a Generator access to sustainable life force and workforce energy. This is very important to remember because it is one of the key differences between a Sacral being and a non-Sacral being.

The Sacral Response

Trusting your gut is terrible advice–unless you have Sacral Authority. Sacral Authority shows up as a Sacral Response. This response is a visceral sensation in the body. Someone experiencing this response gets a clear “yes” or ”no” feeling in the lower part of their body when presented with an opportunity. 

How To Access Your Sacral Authority

A challenge for those with Sacral Authority is getting in touch with their bodies in a way that they can then access their Sacral response. Practices such as yoga, weight lifting, running etc. can assist those with Sacral Authority because it helps them get connected to their bodies. When presented with an opportunity they must bring awareness to their bellies/lower part of the body to experience the “Yes” or “No”. 

Sacral Authority Versus The Mind

Our minds can be tricky places when making decisions. If you have a Sacral Authority, your strategy requires you to trust your gut feeling- in the moment. Don’t wait to make decisions, and don’t let your mind confuse you. It takes practice to truly tap into your Sacral response. Trust your body’s response in all situations and don’t feel the need to explain your choices. 

Sacral Authority Versus Your Emotions

When you are trusting your Sacral response it will show in your emotions. Correct decisions will lead you to feel radiant and satisfied with your life. While incorrect decisions will lead to frustration and weariness.  

Many with Sacral Authority can be easily swayed by other people’s emotions so it is very important to make sure that you are not swept away by another’s feelings. An opportunity may feel exciting due to the energy radiated from the person presenting it, but your Sacral may tell another story. 

Sex And Sacral Authority

Sex and Sexuality can be a challenge for both the undefined Sacral and the defined Sacral in their relationships. Remember that undefined energy has few limits in how it can be experienced, but defined energy is somewhat fixed.

The undefined Sacral can have a variety of sexual experiences and even preferences. But an undefined Sacral in the aura of a defined Sacral will always be a reflection of the other person. If you have an undefined Sacral and you’ve had a variety of sexual experiences, your open energy is probably why. It is crucial for the undefined Sacral to enjoy the sexuality of their defined Sacral partner because it is unlikely to change much over time.

Splenic Generated Sacral Authority

If you have a defined Sacral center and a defined Splenic center, in your chart, your authority is Splenic Generated Sacral Authority. Your Spleen gives you an intense and immediate awareness while your Sacral responds energetically. 

Sacral Authority And Generators (Alchemists)

Sacral Authority applies to Generators who do not have a defined Solar Plexus. Generators with Sacral Authority often experience shame around their responses.  As children, they are taught that it is not polite to respond to questions with guttural responses 

(“Use your words”)  such as: “hmmm”, “ ah-hunnh”, or “ un-un”, but these noises are an expression of what the body is telling them. Generators must connect with their body so they can re-learn how to trust it. 

Sacral Authority And Manifesting Generators (Time Benders)

Manifesting Generators have a defined Sacral center, like a Generator, but they also have a motor connection to the throat that Generators do not have. Motor connections to the throat allow Manifesting Generators, and Manifestors, to manifest and take action. The motor connection brings a powerful energy that can lead a Manifesting Generator to engage with an opportunity before tuning into their Sacral. Without the Sacral response, a Manifesting Generator is at risk of pouring energy into something that is not right for them which in turn leads to frustration and anger. 

How To Empower Your Sacral Authority

In a perfect world, those with Sacral Authority would only have to answer Yes or No questions. They would only have to choose between two things. To empower your Sacral Authority, drop into your belly to allow your Sacral to speak to you. Ask yourself Yes or No questions so your Sacral center can engage with the opportunities around you. 

Decisions can get tricky because your mind is going to try and step in with logic. Logic will not work for you because you are designed to trust your gut’s immediate response and you may not be able to explain that response.

Trust in your strategy, and authority, while giving yourself the practice of trusting yourself again. Allowing yourself to trust your Sacral response, after years of cultural conditioning, is a radical and powerful act. How many times have you tried to make a Pro/Con list? How many times did that work out for you? Your Sacral has your best interest in mind and will always give you a clear “Yes” or “No” if you let it speak. 

Is your Sacral Center Open or Defined? Get your free chart here to find out.

If you want to explore other Centers in the Human Design Chart, you might like this post

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Note: The names in brackets above are the Quantum Human Design (QHD) names for these Types. QHD helps us to reframe the ‘Not Self’ or conditioned self in Human Design to explore the potential of the deconditioned self and to live more in alignment with our inner truth.

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