Principles of High Desert Human Design

Empowerment

High Desert Human Design is a celebration of the Human Design System, the life work of Ra Uru Hu. In keeping with the spirit of Ra's teachings, we at HDHD are dedicated to upholding the empowering use of Human Design. We are committed to maintaining this spirit of empowerment against any and all uses of Design knowledge to disempower others.

We support freedom of belief and the freedom to question, disagree, and explore. We reject any understanding of Ra's teachings as authority over others, with absolute respect for Inner Authority. We reject labeling others as Not-Self or making any assumptions about whether someone is "living their Design" or not. Similarly, we frown upon any judgment of how long someone has been experimenting with Human Design.

While this is not an exhaustive list, we reject anything disempowering to the individual, such as fear of reprisal or excommunication from a community, pressure to conform or behave in certain ways (e.g. sleeping alone), or labeling actions in Human Design terms. It is natural to want to use this incredible system of knowledge to label things, but we have to be careful that our labels do not disempower ourselves and others. Reframing our entire identity in Human Design terms is sure to miss some important details.

At the end of the day, empowerment is simply about honoring and respecting each other without prejudice, and encouraging free and open thought. I think of this one as the "anti-cult clause." Any time we are experimenting with deep mystical knowledge that pushes us to the fringes of the knowable, there is a risk that people will take that knowledge as a way of gaining power over others. This is how cults are formed.

Ra was an incredible messenger of this knowledge in that he, for the most part, did not fall prey to the power games other mystics succumbed to when formalizing their knowledge into a system. There were times when he parted ways with detractors, but he always remained empowered in his own right to communicate his vision.

We are committed to maintaining his ethos of empowerment of self and others through:

• Remaining vigilant for any prejudices and cult-like thinking
• Watching out for unconscious conformism and assuming others have to share our beliefs
• Continued reminders of the value of consent
• Correct use of labels (not labeling others as a way of writing them off)
• Allowing others to come and go from the Human Design community without question
• Politely refraining from analyzing whether others' actions are from the true self or are "Not-Self"
• Not putting Ra or anyone on a pedestal as an authority figure
• Encouraging students of this knowledge to be generous in their teachings and, whenever possible, to give back to the community without expectation of financial return
• Being on the lookout for pyramid schemes, unethical selling or cult-like payment structures
• Encouraging free and open thought

Growth

The principle of Growth is about willingness to learn. We at HDHD believe that having a growth mindset, a term popularized by Carol Dweck, is an important aspect of living authentically as yourself. You can only really trust your Inner Authority if you are open to learning, as it will continually teach you.

But, oftentimes people think they are committed to learning but have not truly adopted a growth mindset. For this reason, it is important to describe some of the values that having a growth mindset entails. Commitment to growth includes such values as trusting that improvement is possible, that we can expand our abilities and nothing is wasted, that curiosity and self-reflection are important, that the success of others is inspiring rather than threatening, and that all experience has value. It is about approaching every challenge with a willingness to learn and an appreciation of the intrinsic value that challenge brings.

Service

Being of service is one of the highest values a person can embody. True service does not look for reward, nor is it calculated to gain any advantage. It is to give freely in the spirit of charity and hospitality. We should all strive to be of service to the best our abilities in areas where we have talents and skills that can help others. Being of service is a way of giving back to the world, showing our gratitude for the gifts we have received. If learning is the in-breath of life, service is the out-breath.

Authenticity

We believe that showing up as a whole, honest person is an important value. The slogan of Theosophy is There is no religion higher than truth. At HDHD, we believe in showing up authentically, practicing honesty and sincerity, and only then, practicing detachment.

Empathy

We encourage deep listening and understanding where others are coming from, taking on their internal frame of reference as if it were your own.