Types of emotional waves in Human Design
I felt called to dive into the emotional wave with you today, something that I see as one of the pinnacle components of Human Design. In full disclosure, I have an undefined Solar Plexus, and therefore don’t experience an emotional wave, but I know that when people discover they have an emotional authority, that this in itself is life-changing. You may have spent your entire life feeling like you can’t trust your gut, you’re indecisive, not intuitive, too emotional or unstable, too moody and so finding out about your emotional wave brings a huge sigh of relief as you realise there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just different.
But even within the fact that you have an emotional wave, this too can be further distilled into different types of emotional waves depending on which channels you have defined (remember a channel is where one energy centre connects to another).
But before we dive into the different types of emotional waves, let’s first consider the foundations of having an emotional wave, and therefore, an emotional authority.
The Solar Plexus is the centre of emotion and feelings. Having this defined means your emotions fluctuate internally and independently to external circumstances. This fluctuation in your emotional state is referred to as your emotional wave. Some times you may be in the high of your wave where you view the world through a ‘glass half full’ lens, other times you may be in the low of your wave and view the world through a ‘glass half empty lens’, and others you may be neutral where you see the glass of water just for what it is, a glass of water.
When it comes to decision making and your emotional authority, your emotional wave means there is no clarity in the immediate moment. You may be presented with an opportunity and in the high of your wave, want to say yes and lean in enthusiastically. But in the low of your wave, you may be presented with the same opportunity and your glass half empty outlook means you are more inclined to say no. This is where it is best for you to give yourself time to cycle through your wave before committing. This is what saves you from saying yes when you really mean no, or saying no and missing out on what could have been an aligned opportunity for you. By giving yourself time, you can cycle through your wave until you reach a space of clarity and neutrality where there is no emotional charge to the decision.
And this can be really hard. You may never feel 100% certain and confident about a decision because you hold a memory of the doubt you experienced in the low of your wave or because in the neutral place, you don’t feel the pull strongly either way. But this is the point. To come to this place of neutrality where there isn’t an emotional charge to the decision.
With that being said, let’s break this down a little further into the types of emotional waves including Source, Individual, Tribal and Collective because each wave is experienced differently and has slightly different nuances and flavours which shape what is most likely to trigger your lows and what can help you ride it through.
So if you have an emotional wave and are curious to start working with it instead of fighting against it, let’s dive in….
Human Design Source Wave: 59-6
Source Wave (59-6)
Channel 59-6 connects the Solar Plexus with the Sacral centre and is the more subtle and less intense of the emotional waves and is considered the source of all waves. This wave is experienced as a slow and steady rise and fall and is highly connected to the person or people you are with. You may feel more intense emotions, either high or low, when with other people and come back to neutral when alone and in your own energy.
Human Design Individual Wave: 39-55 & 22-12
Individual Wave (39-55 & 22-12)
Channel 39-55 connects the Solar Plexus with the Root and Channel 22-12 connects to the Throat centre. As the name suggests, this wave is high individual to you rather than being open to influence or triggered by external circumstances or your relationships. The individual wave is almost like staccato pattern where you can feel mostly neutral just sailing along and then experience these occasional dramatic spikes up to an emotional high or down to an emotional low. The high or low of the wave tends to run its course quickly and when in the high, you may be drawn to extroversion, socialising and outward energy and when in the low, drawn to introversion and solitude. This wave is closely connected to creativity and you may find solace in using the low of your wave to express and create whether through music, art, writing, dance or another creative outlet. There is also a tendency with this wave towards melancholy and almost a desire to try and ‘even out’ the wave in search of the perfect mood. Be mindful of trying to manipulate and bring yourself out of the melancholy with dopamine hits from food, scrolling, alcohol etc. and instead learn to ride the wave, trust the tides will turn and the low won’t last forever.
Human Design Tribal Wave: 19-49 & 37-40
Channel 19-49 connects the Solar Plexus with the Root and Channel 37-40 connects to the Ego/Will centre. These waves are usually felt as building pressure over time, almost like small waves which double up on each other creating one mammoth wave. And then the pressure is eventually released when the waves breaks and crashes into a low with a big outburst of emotion. This wave is connected to whether your emotional needs are being met in your close relationships and whether you feel valued, appreciated and recognised in your efforts to meet the emotional needs of others. You may experience these ‘small waves’ as micro-annoyances or points of contention where you’re not having your needs met or not feeling valued and these snowball into each other until the straw breaks the camels back and the wave breaks leading to a a big release and emotional outburst as the wave crashes down into the low. This particular emotional wave is particularly sensitive and receptive to physical touch and you may find that this makes the lows more manageable. To master this wave, communication and addressing points of tension or conflict early at the first niggle is key as this may help dispel the big emotional outbursts. It can also be helpful for you to be clear on what your needs are and communicate these, particularly with a partner, as ultimately the cause of you crashing down into the low of your wave stems from the heartbreak of each unmet need accumulating into something bigger.
Human Design Collective Wave: 41-30 & 36-35
Chanel 41-30 connects the Solar Plexus to the Root and Channel 36-35 connects to the Throat Centre. This wave is often described as an escalator as it tends to build up to the high of the emotional wave, as if you were going up an escalator, before bottoming out and crashing abruptly into a low. Collective waves are strongly connected to desire and needs, particularly for the collective. You have the ability to dream the big dream and have high hopes of a desired outcome and if this doesn’t come to fruition it can trigger a deep crashing wave. It can be helpful for you to follow the Buddhist approach of mindfulness and ‘detach from the outcome.’ Ultimately cultivate the ability to still dream the dream, but also be present, be in the here and now and let go of the need for it to happen exactly the way you want when you want, lean into trust and open yourself to outcomes you may not anticipate.
So that is the four types of emotional waves - Source, Individual, Tribal and Collective. And while I shared a few tips for each wave individually, my overall advice regardless of what specific wave you have, particularly in the beginning of your Human Design journey, is to track your wave. Pay attention to it. Notice where you are in your wave. And I really think make this tangible, write it down, write it on a calendar or diary or have a specific way in which you document and track your wave because your wave will be unique to you and it’s only when you really understand your wave, what it feels like for you, how quickly it cycles, what triggers it, what helps you through it…that you can feel able to ride the wave rather than battling against it.
So I hope this has allowed yourself a little more understanding, grace and compassion for the unique way you are designed to move through the world and make decisions having a defined Solar Plexus and emotional wave. As I said in the beginning, knowing and understanding your emotional wave is truly a life-changing component of Human Design and a piece of the puzzle which can bring so much clarity and compassion - not only for yourself if you have an emotional wave, but also for the people in your life if you know they have an emotional wave.
With love,
Alice x
If you are curious to dive into this more deeply, you may like to listen to this podcast episode…
And if you’re looking for a more personalised approach, you can book your reading HERE and let’s dive deep together.