Senses in Human Design
While Quantum Human Design and Dr. Karen Parker do not teach Human Design Sense, you may encounter these terms in your journey with Human Design. Quantum Human Design encourages you to always assess information using your Strategy and Authority in determining how to apply, or not apply, this information to your life’s path
Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt that something was “off”? Or trusted your gut about a person before they even spoke? What if these weren’t just random hunches, but your body’s sophisticated guidance system at work?
In Human Design, there are six different senses that extend beyond the traditional five senses we are familiar with. These senses – smell, taste, outer vision, inner vision, feeling, and touch – operate as heightened sensory abilities that can guide everything from daily decisions to major life choices.
Whether it’s tingling when you enter a room with weird energy, smelling when something doesn’t seem right, or being able to taste a hit – we’re more familiar with these subtle sensory experiences than we think. Understanding how these senses work can help you tap into reliable guidance that’s always available to you.
What is Human Design Sense?
Human Design recognizes that we all have access to six different senses that operate as “super senses” – heightened sensory abilities that help us navigate the world with greater clarity and confidence. These senses provide immediate feedback about what is beneficial for our well-being and what isn’t.
Unlike regular intuition, which can feel vague or unreliable, these senses offer consistent and specific guidance. They operate beyond logical thinking, giving you immediate information about people, places, opportunities, and decisions.
These senses work by helping your body naturally process and interpret information from your environment. By bringing awareness to these subtle sensory experiences, you can start to validate those feelings and use them to expand your understanding and improve your decision-making.
This isn’t about replacing logical thinking, but instead adding another layer of intelligence to your choices. When you understand how these different senses operate, you can experiment with them to see which ones resonate most strongly for you.
The 6 Human Design Senses Explained
There are six senses identified in the Human Design system.
1. Smell – The Discernment Sense
What it is: “Smell” in Human Design speaks to an individual’s ability to decipher and understand the world through their sense of smell. This isn’t limited to physical aromas, but could also relate to metaphorical “sniffing out” situations or people.
What it is: When using the sense of smell, you use your nose to gather information about the world. Tuning into how something smells to you – good, bad, interesting – helps your body calibrate itself to determine if that thing (or person) is beneficial to you in the moment. You might find yourself naturally smelling food before eating it, being particularly sensitive to artificial fragrances, or using phrases like “something smells fishy here” or “that smells like success.”
You may be more sensitive to scents than others and find overwhelming fragrance environments (like department stores or candle shops) draining. Conversely, you might be drawn to specific scents that feel nourishing or calming to your system.
How to use it: Pay attention to smell wherever you go. If you don’t like the smell of someone, something, or some place, trust your nose to guide you to the right people, places, and food. This applies beyond literal smells – trust when something doesn’t “smell right” about a situation, opportunity, or person.
Tips to strengthen it: Breathe through your nose consciously, avoid artificial fragrances whenever possible, and give yourself permission to leave environments that don’t smell pleasant or right to you.
2. Taste – The Refinement Sense
What it is: The sense of taste in Human Design relates to the inherent ability to discern and appreciate various flavors, which extends beyond literal taste to include discernment in multiple aspects of life.
How it manifests: People operating through taste cognition are often highly discerning about food quality and may be naturally drawn to being “tastemakers” in their communities. There’s a constant process of refining the palette and selecting things that provide the same satisfaction as an incredible bite of food.
You may notice changes in taste sensations when meeting new people or entering unfamiliar environments. If a person or experience leaves a bad taste in your mouth, it’s important to trust that instinct and honor that the person or experience may not be right for you. You prefer to sample things before committing and may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available.
How to use it: Apply your natural discernment to all areas of life, not just food. Notice what “tastes good” to you in relationships, work opportunities, and experiences. Trust when something leaves a bitter taste, even if it looks good on paper.
Tips to strengthen it: Breathing through the mouth can help people operating through taste cognition tune into their environment and inner knowing. Practice mindful tasting and avoid artificial flavors whenever possible.
3. Outer Vision – The Aesthetic Sense
What it is: Outer vision in Human Design speaks to the ability to perceive and interpret the external world visually. This extends beyond physical sight to an understanding of how things appear metaphorically.
How it manifests: Those operating through outer vision are particularly sensitive to the aesthetics of the environment around them. There’s a natural draw to visually appealing environments and discomfort or inability to focus in spaces that don’t look good.
Aesthetics, aesthetics, aesthetics! This cognition is all about visual stimulation. When you’re in a place that is subjectively appealing to you, it may heighten your intuition. You might notice visual cues that others miss, like being drawn to strike up a conversation with someone because of their beautiful scarf, or feeling called to explore a street because of attractive architecture.
How to use it: Trust your visual instincts when making decisions. If something doesn’t look right to you, pay attention to that feedback. Create beautiful spaces in your home and work environment, as this supports your cognitive function.
Tips to strengthen it: Surround yourself with visual beauty, curate your environment thoughtfully, and give yourself permission to leave places that are visually unappealing to you.
4. Inner Vision – The Imagination Sense
What it is: Inner vision in Human Design involves an inward focus, a keen sense of intuition, or the ability to envision possibilities and outcomes in one’s mind’s eye.
How it manifests: Those operating through inner vision often have vivid imaginations, and many were daydreamers in their childhood. This cognition shines when allowing yourself to go within. This can be closing your eyes for a moment while making a decision, and the answer becomes clear.
You don’t need external validation or tools like vision boards – imagination itself is the manifestation tool. You may receive insights through images that appear in your mind during conversations or situations, and you may prefer low-light, quiet environments for processing information.
How to use it: If you’re wondering what is right for you, try closing your eyes and imagining what you want. Use this same approach for any decision – close your eyes, go within, and see what emerges. Trust the images and visions that come to you.
Tips to strengthen it: Practice visualization, spend time in quiet environments, and honor your need for solitude to connect with inner vision.
5. Feeling – The Energy Sense
What it is: The feeling sense in Human Design is characterized by deep attunement to emotional and energetic sensations. Feeling cognition is not about emotions, but rather the overall vibes and frequency of things, what’s being picked up from the external environment.
How it manifests: Those operating through feeling can walk into a room and immediately orient themselves to the “vibes” or energy in that room. They’re designed to be tuned into auras, energy fields, and electronic frequencies. There’s often high sensitivity to surroundings – smells, sounds, lights, electronics, and overall vibes.
You may be sensitive to your surroundings – including smells, sounds, lighting, and even electronics. Being sensitive to the environment doesn’t mean being a sensitive snowflake who’ll cry at the slightest sign of inconvenience. It means being aware of your surroundings. You can sense people’s energy without them having to say a word.
How to use it: Pay attention to the feeling of a space and make sure it feels good in your body. If a person or environment feels “off,” trust that information and remove yourself if possible. This sense helps identify what is energetically supportive versus what is draining.
Tips to strengthen it: Consider sleeping and eating away from electronics or putting your devices on airplane mode. Spend time in nature to recalibrate energy sensitivity.
6. Touch – The Tactile Sense
What it is: The touch sense in Human Design relates to sensitivity to tactile sensations and physical contact. It extends beyond the physical to a profound understanding of others and the environment.
How it manifests: Those operating through touch gather information through their hands. There’s often a tendency to constantly touch things in the environment, perhaps keeping something small in their hand to play with.
You might prefer to touch fabrics before buying clothes, shake hands with people to get a sense of them, or enjoy preparing food with your hands. If you want to understand someone, try shaking their hand or touching their shoulder, as you can gather information through your hands.
How to use it: Touch, prepare, and eat food with your hands when possible, and touch fabrics and clothes to assess whether you want them on your body. When you touch someone, you can often feel whether they are right for you or not.
Tips to strengthen it: Engage your hands more in daily activities, touch surfaces and textures mindfully, and trust the information you receive through physical contact.
Putting The Human Design Senses Together
Now that you understand the six Human Design senses, you can experiment with them to see which ones resonate most with you. Start by observing how different senses show up in your daily life and notice which ones feel most natural and reliable.
Begin with low-stakes decisions, such as choosing what to eat or which route to take, and notice the information different senses provide. You can apply this approach in any situation. Notice what you’re picking up on and start listening to those subtle cues.
Remember that developing awareness of these senses is a practice that requires ongoing attention and effort. The more you pay attention to and trust the information they provide, the stronger and more reliable they become. We’re constantly getting messages from the world around us that carry information about what is beneficial and supportive to our well-being and what is not.
These senses work best when integrated with your overall Human Design, including your Type, Strategy, and Authority. They’re not meant to replace these foundational elements but to enhance your decision-making process with another layer of body wisdom.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Human Design Senses
Do my Human Design senses change over time?
These senses remain constant throughout your life. However, your awareness and ability to use them can develop and strengthen over time. You might also notice them manifesting differently as you grow and have new experiences, but the core senses themselves stay the same.
What if I resonate with multiple Human Design senses?
Many people notice they have multiple senses that feel quite active. This is normal and can enrich your sensory toolkit. You can explore and develop multiple senses, and it's often beneficial to notice which senses feel most natural and reliable in different situations.
Are these Human Design senses the same as intuition?
These senses are specific aspects of intuition – they're how intuitive awareness most naturally operates. Think of them as intuition's preferred "languages" or channels. While intuition can feel vague, these senses provide more concrete and consistent ways to access inner knowing.
Do children have these Human Design senses?
Yes, children are born with access to these senses, and they often display them very clearly before being conditioned to ignore them. Understanding which senses a child naturally gravitates toward can be incredibly helpful for parents. For example, a child who operates primarily through touch and is told "don't touch anything" is essentially being told not to use their main way of gathering information about the world.
How do I develop these Human Design senses?
Start by experimenting with different sensory awareness practices. Notice which senses give you the most reliable information about people, places, and decisions. Practice using those senses in low-stakes situations first, then gradually trust them in bigger decisions. The key is consistent attention and validation of the information you receive through your particular senses.
The Six Senses of Human Design
The six senses in Human Design are powerful tools that have been with you all along – you’re simply learning to recognize and trust them more consciously. Whether you navigate the world through smell, taste, vision, feeling, or touch, these enhanced sensory abilities can transform how you make decisions and move through life.
These senses are a beautiful aspect of our design that help us tap into new superpowers within ourselves and begin to perceive things on a much deeper level. Start experimenting with these senses today, and discover the wisdom your body has been trying to share with you all along.
The key is to approach this exploration with curiosity rather than pressure. Trust what you notice, honor what feels right, and allow these senses to become trusted advisors on your journey toward living more authentically and in alignment with your true nature.
Want to Learn More About Human Design?
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Remember that we all have ALL of the chart. If the Gate is colored in or defined, it’s part of your Soul Curriculum. If it’s white or undefined, it means you learn about this Gate through relationships with others or through the Transits.
At its core, Human Design is a unique system that offers profound insights into your inner self and how you interact with the world around you. Your Human Design chart is a valuable tool that can help you understand your true nature, discover your strengths and weaknesses, and unlock your full potential.
By downloading and reviewing your unique Human Design Chart you are embarking on a journey of self-discovery that will empower you to make conscious choices in all aspects of your life. Your chart is an Energy Blueprint of your unique energy configuration and contains valuable information about your personality traits, your natural talents, and your life purpose. With this knowledge, you’ll navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and clarity.
Human Design is a deeply empowering system that encourages us to embrace our true selves, rewrite our personal narrative, and live in alignment with our inner wisdom. When we align with our authentic nature, we tap into a wellspring of creativity, joy, and fulfillment that flows effortlessly through us.
There’s More – How To Learn More About Human Design
If you are trying to learn and apply Human Design to your life circumstances, but traditional Human Design rings a little off-key, you don’t quite connect with it, or it feels heavy as you read it. We invite you to explore courses on Human Design, internationally respected and time-tested training courses
These courses will empower you to create a life filled with more money, better relationships, health and vitality, a rewarding career, and experience profound personal transformation.
Do you want to unlock the secrets of Quantum Human Design?
Why not join our on-demand Masterclass and discover the Transformative Power of Quantum Human Design
Curious about the difference between Human Design and Quantum Human Design? Karen Curry Parker explains it in this video:
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