What is the Ajna Center In Human Design?

Let’s explore the ajna center in human design. I’m going to share with you what the ajna center is through the lens of human design. The strengths, challenges and actions of the defined and undefined ajna centers. As well as diving into the voices of the gates of the ajna center. If you are new to human design and aren’t sure if you have an undefined or defined ajna center you can download your chart here.

The Ajna Center In Human Design

The ajna is one of three awareness centers in the body. It is the only awareness center in the body that does not have access to a motor since it is place between the head (pressure center) and the throat (manifestation center).

The ajna is much like an interpreter taking the inspiration/ideas from the head and turning it into useful information for review, research and ultimately communication. Think of the ajna as a processing hub. This is where you process information and prepare it for communication/manifestation in the throat. This center makes sense of the inspiration from the head. It can see the whole and all the different parts simultaneously. The ajna is the capacity to differentiate, discern, and analyze. In short, it is here to do research.

The ajna is the source of our consciousness, conceptualizing, thoughts, insights, opinions, and mental anxiety. The ajna creates awareness around our perception via two processes, one visual and one acoustic. The visual process is concerned with what has been and what might be while the acoustic is associated with pure inspiration and the pressure to known now.

Mental Awareness and The Human Design Ajna Center

Mental awareness was the second awareness to evolve and is the predominate way we view our world. We are taught from a very early age to rely on our thought and our logical way of thinking. The awareness derived in this center is one that can have a long shelf life – a lifetime. For example, when you make a decision from the not-self the mind (head and ajna combined) can replay this decision over and over again for the rest of our lives.

With each replay it will come up with another opinion or suggestion as an option to try. It will be a source of endless options to try. You get stuck in a cycle of suggestions and dead ends. None of these options are correct though since the mind is not here to make decisions. Recognizing this cycle and that the mind is meant to be in service of others is key in breaking free. Shining awareness on this cycle of opinions, options, and dead ends of the ajna is key in getting yourself out of confusion and disappointment.

The ajna center processes information in a this or that way. It weighs two or more options simultaneously. It can look at both the positives and negatives and construct arguments for both sides that are opposing to one another. This is why this center is so tricky to work with because it can convivence you either or. Remember the logical ajna is not here to make decision it is here to simply process information. It will help make clear how many sides there are to consider but it cannot be trusted to make decision.

The ajna center provides us with analytical gifts and is fundamentally dualistic. It present both or many sides to every argument. It will hold truth to both sides. We cannot know our truth or what is correct for us from the mental rationalization and comparison. We must rely on our strategy and authority to guide us to what is best for us at the correct time.

The Defined Ajna in Human Design

The defined Ajna makes up 47% of the population. This mean that 47% of the population has a fixed or a set way of processing the information that they receive in the ajna center in human design. With a defined ajna there is a near constant mental pressure that those with the this configuration must learn to cope with. The defined ajna cannot be free from mental pressure but it must learn to dance with it, reckon with it and tend to it. With this center defined you will always be thinking and processing information, creativity, and influencing others.

The defined ajna you can become dependent on your mind for decision, and it can often logic you out of your authority. This is not correct for you. It is important to use your ajna in service of others and rely on your strategy and authority for decision making. Let’s look at the strengths, challenges and action tips for the defined ajna.

The Strengths of a defined ajna…

• • • Trust your mind – you have a stable mind
    • Inspire others
    • Designed to be certain which can be grounding
    • Rely on your mind to hold and process information
    • Enjoy/love mental stimulation
    • Strong mental ground – not easily swayed or influenced by others.

The Challenges of a defined ajna…

• • • Constantly active mind
    • Mental anxiety
    • Believing your thinking therefor overriding your strategy and authority
    • Inflexible and headstrong
    • Feeling inadequate if you are unable to put your thoughts into action
    • Learning to honor the timing of your information – one person’s poison is another’s medicine – understanding if the person is receptive to your knowledge.

Action tips for an ajna…

• • • Learn to embrace the active mind instead of resisting it.
    • Value your certainty while leaving space for not being correct
    • Training yourself to analyze, receive information and then turn to your authority for your decision making
    • Work with your timing

The Undefined Ajna

The undefined Ajna in human design accounts for 51% of the population. With an undefined ajna there is a fluidity to your way of thinking and processing information. This may present as no set or fixed way of thinking. You can oscilate between, visual, logical and creative thinking not really know what may present itself when.

People with an undefined ajna may struggle to get into action because they aren’t certain. They may also struggle with all the details and let those details get them hung up from moving forward.

The wisdom and depth available with an undefined ajna is beautiful. It is powerful and potent however when you are have an undefnied ajna you must learn to dance with mental anxiety that you experience. Most of it is not yours. Since with an undefined (or open) center you are taking in the energy of the defined ajna and amplifing it. The undefined ajna is tricky because it shoulds you. You “should” be doing this. You “should” be doing that. You can discover more about should’ing yourself here. 

The Strengths of an undefined ajna …

• • • Can be wise and discerning about which information is worth processing
    • Multiple ways you can process information
    • Flexibility in the ways and lens you look at life
    • Can have a photographic memory

The Challenges of an undefined ajna …

• • • there is no consistent way of thinking or processing information
    • struggle to hold onto thoughts, ideas, and information
    • can appear ungrounded mentally
    • comparing yourself to others

Action tips for an undefined ajna …

• • • Learning to clear the conditioning of the ajna – meditation and therapy
    • Becoming a witness to your thoughts (detach from your thoughts) to find grounding & stability
    • Journaling or talking out loud to yourself

The Gates of the Ajna Center In Human Design

With the ajna center through the lens of human design we can look at the gates that reside within the ajna center and the mental anxieties associated with those gates. Below you will find the 6 gates of the aja along with what it sounds like in the wild. You may notice this energy in yourself or others.

Consider what does this actually sound like in the real world? Or as I like to say how does this present itself in the wild?

What are the word tracks that we may actually hear from another human?

What is the mental monologue in the ajna that is happening within?

What does this look like, sound like, and how does it present itself?

Human design is a powerful tool, and far too many people look at it from the perspective of theory and philosophy. They miss the point of bridging it into actually living, running a business, and holding space for the human’s experience in all of it.

None of the theory, philosophy, or study of human design matters if we can’t actually leverage it, use it, understand it and apply it to our lives to improve.

Today I thought I would share some insights about what the ajna center sounds like in the real world. With practical word tracks, you can listen for and/or become aware of when you say them in your own life.

 The Voice of the Ajna Center

The ajna is an awareness center which drives the mental anxiety of being misunderstood and the anxiety to communicate with clarity to others.

Gate 47 – Realization – Synthesizing things together particularly “how” things come together from the past.

“Based on what I’ve read/studied, here’s how it should be done.”

Gate 24 – Rationalization – Over explaining and or logic’ing – detail orientation

 “Let me explain. I did this because x and y and z. And because this makes sense if I go down this path then x, y, and z should happen.”

Gate 4 – Answers – a reaction or response to a question, statement, or situation – may or may not be the correct answer – often future based

“I know the answer to that. This is what we should do.”

Gate 17 – Opinion – Perspective often based on fact and/or logic

 “in my opinion, it is best for us to do x first then do y because of the bigger picture goal/strategy we have in mind.”

Gate 43 – Insights – Drop-ins or out of the blue intuitive guidance/awareness.

“I know this might seem strange or out of the blue but I just had this drop in (or message) come in and it is regarding your business. Do you mind if I share it with you?”

Gate 11 – Ideas – Creativity & inspiration around thoughts, direction and action not necessarily based in fact.

“I have so many ideas and I can’t decide which one I want to do. I could do this or this or this or this. I want to do them all.”

Working with the Ajna Center in Human Design

Whether your ajna center is defined or undefined learning to work with the ajna center is a key part to living your human design experiement. We experience the ajna as mental pressure and anxiety which can cripple us from taking action. It instills doubt, uncertainity, overwhelm and causes us to freeze. Learning to cope with, reckon and tend to the ajna becomes the challenge. I see the ajna center come up over and over again in my work with clients and students as well as on social media. I see this center and its not-self and should’ing themes everywhere. It is a dream killer.

Reckoning with this center is a high priority if you are going to truly live in alignement with your human design strategy and authority. This center is in part a place where I see entrepreenurs give their power away. They logic and should themselves instead of relying on their strategy and authority. Feel free to drop any questions you have below and if this resonates be sure to let me know.

If you enjoy this content and want to dig deeper consider joining the Human Designer Reader Training program – HD Wild or HD Your Biz. 

If you enjoyed this article you may be interested in these articles:

Should’ing Yourself in Business

How to Use Human Design in Your Business

Human Design & Productivity

Human Design Marketing & the Voices of the Throat

Human Design Head Center