Reflectors in Human Design are distinguished in the Bodygraph by having no Definition. The rarest of the types, Reflectors make up just over 1% of our population. If you had five close Reflector friends in your lifetime, I would tell you that is a lot. But that was not always the case. There was a time when the Reflector was the dominant type on earth. It all has to do with the precession of the planets in our solar system. The current arrangement of the solar system is producing more Generators and Manifesting Generators. It is neither good nor bad. It is our natural evolutionary path. With the rise of the Generator type, our population and material civilization started to explode. We had all these builders arriving, and we just kept building upwards from there. But who qualifies our creations, and who runs the assessments? Here is where the Reflector steps into the picture.
As a Reflector, you have no Definition, no channels or centers defined in your design. With no centers defined, you have no Inner Authority either. The most consistent thing in your life then becomes the Moon. Here is where your Strategy as a Reflector originates; to wait for a lunar cycle. Definition in Human Design is all about consistency, and consistency is what we can rely on if we work with our design correctly. That is what Strategy and Authority are. As the Moon moves through your chart, it creates electromagnetic connections between your hanging Gates. This transit creates a very consistent pattern that you can track accurately. Because you are so receptive, you can perceive and feel the Moon's influence on you profoundly. All the other types would indeed find benefit in this exercise of following the Moon, but, as a Reflector, it is of the utmost importance for you. After all, it is the most consistent pattern in your life. As the Moon transits through your chart, you will likely experience most of the other Types and have several different Authorities. The idea is that after each lunar cycle, you would have synthesized your decision by reflecting on it through the lens of the Types and Authorities given to you by the Moon's transit.
If you are new to the Human Design System, this can be a daunting task especially. You must know each of the 5 Energy Types and 6 Authorities because you become all or most of them during each lunar cycle. What is more important, however, is the necessity to wait. You may not need to wait for an entire lunar cycle but for you waiting is vital. The fast-paced lifestyle of modern-day cities is not suited for Reflectors. You are probably much more comfortable in the countryside or nature. You are like a river; you need to be in the flow of life, as it were. It is always best to give yourself time to reflect before doing anything important.
The Yin/Yang binary of the Reflector is Yin below and Yin above, completely receptive. There is no Yang to provide support to Yin. Therefore allowing others to support you is beneficial. The Manifestor brings support through action and force, while the Reflector brings support through guidance and receptivity. Being all Yin, you are here to provide essential wisdom that can only come through receptivity. Having no definition means you are very open but at the same time very prone to conditioning from others. It would do you well to learn all the Not-Self themes of all the centers and how the mind becomes amplified through your entire system. These themes will also assist you with discerning between correct and incorrect conditioning and your lunar authority versus your mind.
You uniquely live your life, and no one can tell you how to live it. There will be conditioning around being like the other types, but you have to swat them away whenever you realize it is happening. But you have innate objectivity that allows you to look at energies passing through you. You must be objective without attaching to your experiences. Feeling other people's emotions and fears can be hard at times, rest assured, but what you must understand is that you are like a sponge absorbing everyone's energy and processing it within you. Like a sponge, you can wring these energies out and remain intact. This experience can be what it is, or it can be a source of turmoil within you. Your openness is here to teach you, as well as others, about all aspects of life. And you will always add your unique flair to all your reflections. This uniqueness will be appreciated by those who know you well.
Your aura is sampling and repelling. In a sense, it protects you from becoming too overwhelmed by others' energy while still being able to get a feel for them. For the most part, you probably feel most comfortable in your own space or with the company of someone you trust. Reflectors generally have a tight-knit group of trusted confidants who can be relied upon to be a soundboard and provide advice or guidance. This process can help you decondition your thoughts, like a salt bath for your mind. The trick for you is finding the right balance between a helpful party and a crutch. If you bombard someone with your problems, they will likely not reciprocate and ignore you. On the other hand, others can find the same crutch in you for their problems. And the balance then is between when to focus on others and when to focus on yourself.
Your Signatures as a Reflector are Surprise and Disappointment. Being ignored or overlooked will ultimately make you feel disappointed with life. You are essentially in a purposeless state when being ignored as your existential question in your life is; who/what stands out? That is your purpose. By seeing who and what stands out among the crowd, you bring transformation and upliftment by gauging the quality and providing your unique wisdom. Here is the heart of Surprise, that moment of spotting the potential and watching it transform. In a world with so much stuff, the Reflector is here to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Engaging with others can be an ordeal at times. You are either prepared for engagement or not. Forcing yourself to engage with someone when you do not have the energy can have unexpected consequences. Be true to yourself and how you feel. A real friend will understand that it is not a personal choice against them. You may find people lean on you or offload on to you, but energetically you are just open to receiving it. If you meet a stranger and they offload their life story onto you, they are not necessarily expecting or wanting to; your aura and receptiveness are inviting it in. Others see themselves reflected in you; they feel seen by you. It is a powerful effect to have on people.
You are a great synthesizer and simplifier. You get people, environments, and situations because you become them. Fair warning, you can become lost in where and who you spend most of your time around. Alone time will help you keep true to yourself without the influence of other people.
You should be able to use this post as a guide to help you begin to explore your openness as a Reflector. I hope you found it utile and insightful, and if so, share it with a Reflector friend. If you are interested in having a Human Design reading, contact us.