Human Design Projector - 6 Dilemmas for the Newest Human Design Type
First, what is a Projector?
A Projector is one of the five Human Design personality types. It is the newest type according to the system, entering our world in 1781. It is said that Projectors are here to see others and be the visionaries, and we are all in preparation for the great changes set to come forth in 2027 (most of us reading this will be alive during that change, which is wild!).
Although Projectors may have many constellations of defined and open centers, with varying strategies and authorities, all Projectors have an undefined sacral center, which means that we do not produce our own energy. However, it also means that we may amplify the energy of others, in particular sacral beings (Manifesting Generators and Generators), so sometimes Projectors *appear* to have the most energy of all the types, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “super generating.” Spoiler, typically this leads to an exhausted and often very sick Projector.
Projectors are only approximately 20% of the population, and though not the most rare of the personality types, this combination of being a new type and in the minority means that much of the world and the systems we operate within are not built with the best interest of the Projector in mind.
Why are we talking about Projector Dilemmas?
Projectors are in a tricky spot, because most of the world is designed for sacral beings (Manifesting Generators and Generators) who are in the majority (about 70% of the population). Many Projectors are taught starting very early in their lives to go against their natural inclinations in order to suit the status quo. For many, that looks like initiating and over functioning. Additionally, because Projectors see others really well and themselves not so well, we sometimes miss a lot of our own needs while at the same time becoming bitter that others don’t fill our needs as well as we fill theirs.
And therein lies the Projector Dilemma.
(These five dilemmas are in no particular order. In fact, they all equally suck for the Projector!)
Projector Dilemma #1: We need the opposite of what we give.
Projectors are born to see others. It is as natural as breathing. And because it is so natural, Projectors often assume that it is natural to everyone, rather than the gift that it is. Thus, in relationships with non Projectors, especially sacral beings (Manifesting Generators and Generators), we often assume that the other person sees exactly what we need in the way we would see them, and is choosing not to support us.
In reality, if we are in relationship with the 70% of the population that is made up of Generators and Manifesting Generators, the other end of that relationship probably hasn’t seen our struggles or needs in the least. In fact, they would probably be more than happy to support us in any way we needed, if only they could read our minds!
Projectors sort of do read people’s minds, innately seeing the other in a powerful and potent way. But that isn’t reasonable to expect of other personality types, especially sacral beings, who have a lot of internal energy and are chasing personal satisfaction. It isn’t that they don’t want to help, nor is it that they *can’t* help, but they are waiting to respond to something so we have to give them something to respond to.
Which works out pretty perfectly, because honestly we Projectors often don’t need to be seen in the way we think we do. Often, we need supportive energy in the form of acts of service so we can truly let down and rest in the way that most Projectors are conditioned to suck at.
Most sacral beings in relationship with a Projector are THRILLED to provide energy and support if the Projector specifically asks for it in a way they can respond to. But instead of sharing the need, often Projectors see them on the inside, convinced that the person on the other end of the relationship knows exactly what we need and is choosing to be self-involved and ignore us. The bitterness just grows and grows!
Pro-tip, the relief valve is just saying “I’m really exhausted right now and could use some help.” In a healthy relationship between a Projector and a person with a defined sacral center (remember, that’s the Generators and the Manifesting Generators), that statement is all the person with the defined sacral center needs to hear to respond by jumping into action.
The tricky part is that two things never occurred to us Projectors. First, it never occurred to us that the other person can’t see us in the way that we would see them. And second, it definitely never occurred to us that we don’t actually need to be seen in that moment (likely)--we probably just need someone to lend us their energy and you know, do the dishes, so we can rest.
Projectors, get comfortable with the fact that though it isn’t how you give love, you need love in the form of acts of service and that’s perfect, because Generators and Manifesting Generators have tons of energy to give towards that.
Projector Dilemma #2: We control if we get what we need from others.
Our bitterness has nothing to do with other people, it has to do with taking care of ourselves. Since the very thing we often need is energy from others so we can rest, by definition we have to name our needs and unapologetically advocate for ourselves. When we don’t, we become increasingly bitter because we don’t get what we need, but it’s really on us whether or not we insist on taking care of ourselves or abide by our conditioning and try to fit ourselves into a world built for sacral beings.
Most Projectors have been in this situation: We are attending a group event, whether it is a conference, training, wedding, whatever, it doesn’t matter. Everyone around them is so excited for the packed itinerary. Everyone is staying together, sharing rooms, and thrilled by the amount of quality time everyone gets together.
The Projector in the crowd just goes with it. Staying up late, getting up early, flowing with the group and from the outside, having a great time. In fact, the Projector may actually be the one going the hardest, staying up the latest and seeming to love the togetherness the most!
But at some point, whether it is during the vent or right after, that same person starts to feel awful. So tired, so sick, so bitter. Their brain starts swirling, why didn’t we get any alone time? Why does everyone want to constantly talk and pick my brain? Why did everyone want to stay up so late?!
What looked like a great time turns into the flu or something as soon as they get home when everyone else is back to work sharing pictures of the epic time they had together. And that same Projector is left recovering and bitter as hell that they didn’t even get their own room.
The dilemma here is that no one knew the Projector wasn’t having a blast! No one could have ever guessed that we needed downtime and were overstimulated, because we were the first one up and out and the last one to bed! Yet, the Projector needed accommodations–we needed space to ourselves, down time and rest, but we never asked.
At the end of the day, the responsibility lies on the Projector to request what they need and not to feel selfish about it. The conditioning tells them they are being high maintenance to need their own room, go to bed early, and not want to participate in every event. But the reality is, everyone would probably have been fine with it and it was only us standing in our own way and making ourselves sick.
Pro-tip. Just ask for what you need, pay the extra money for the space and comfort. If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford the trip, because it’ll cost way more to be sick for weeks or months after. The irony is that all the non Projector people would probably love to support you to stay healthy and be more comfortable, but they won’t if they don’t know.
Projector Dilemma #3: Though we see others accurately, when we have needs we often mistake them with crisis or shortcoming.
If I had a dollar for every Projector client that said they thought they were having a mental health crisis, and I said, maybe you just need to rest for a couple of days…I would be very rich! While Projectors are out there seeing everyone so accurately, we can’t for the life of us see ourselves or our needs. With all our open centers, it’s so easy for us to over function and deplete ourselves of all energy and resources and that feels horrible. But our first thought is never “maybe I need to rest, I'm exhausted.” Nope, it’s always “I’m not doing enough, I have no motivation what is wrong with me.”
We immediately jump to self-shaming, and get so busy with that that we rest even less! More than likely, the reality is the Projector’s undefined centers had enmeshed so heavily with others that we lost track of who we actually are and that’s exhausting. Likely we weren’t taking care of ourselves and were over functioning in one direction or another, and it’s taking time for us to drain all of the Other out of us.
It’s our conditioning that has us jump right to shame. What if we were value-neutral about the whole thing?
Maybe we are just tired.
The breakthrough in this dilemma comes from when we accept that all the feelings we assume are sick, not enough, or somehow letting someone or something down are merely indicators that we are perhaps overly enmeshed with the Other or we have been pulled towards the Not Self. It’s not that there is something wrong with us, these feelings are just our body’s way of asking for something different.
What if that was okay? What if we just rested?
Ten bucks says most of those feelings, intrusive thoughts, and shame based narratives won’t seem as big a deal after you’ve rested and eaten some protein.
Projector Dilemma #5: Rest helps productivity
And then we get to the heart of the issue. A Projector is way more productive than most others, but needs a ton more time to rest.
Wait, did I say that right? How can that be true?
A Projector sees things quickly and efficiently and if we are aligned with our strategy and authority we just get it done. But to be able to actually act, we need a lot more rest in between so that all of that vision can flow through us. Honestly, that’s less of a dilemma and more than a lucky break. Everyone on the internet says “a Projector gets what others get done in 8 hours in 3-4 hours.” Now, I’m positive that is not a scientifically backed number, but if it’s even close to true, how convenient! We can use the other four hours in the “work day” to rest and still come out ahead.
The dilemma here is actually not about the system of efficiency, it’s about how conditioned we are to not see rest as part of the work cycle. We assume that it is somehow a deficit and that if we can do it in half as much time that must mean we should just do twice as much every day! Repeatedly. Until we…die?
Instead, Projectors must value rest as a part of our own personal productivity metric, and de condition the part of us that equates productivity with time spent rather than value added.
Projector Dilemma #6: We see everything but can’t say anything without an invitation.
This one hurts every Projector in every corner of the world. We are all out there just spewing our vision and our aura onto everyone and everything, and then bitter AF when most people tell us to shove it.
The reality is, it doesn’t matter if we see it, we can’t say it without an explicit invitation, which includes recognition.
Example: “You are really great at X, can you tell me what you think about Y?”
When in doubt, bring those aura’s in Projector friends. For many of us that involves a physical visualization of pulling ourselves into our body and…doing nothing! There’s a very specific physical sensation when we are entangling with too many energies at once and often this leads to exhaustion and bitterness for a Projector who is scrambling to see and connect with everyone around them, when no one has asked.
Conversely, the second we fully retract and simply attend to ourselves, invites typically begin flowing! Likely because we aren’t as penetrative and feel more accessible to the right people, who do recognize us. Those invites, full of recognition, feel so much better and typically when we see the Other within a relationship like that, it feels great to everyone.
The dilemma, though, is that we don’t just stop seeing simply because someone hasn’t asked. In fact, we are probably seeing even more than we can consciously put into words. But, there are skills and techniques that can protect us from ourselves, ensuring that we only offer our limited energy and vast vision to those who are ready to receive it.
Because when we are properly invited, what we see is so valued by others, and it feels so good to give.
Craving Projector-Specific Guidance? Head over HERE.
More Insights on Human Design and Projectors
