Inner Authority: Material Willpower
Ego Authority: The Will To Do Something
"Ego authority is very limited in the way it can occur because of the hierarchy of the authorities. In order for the ego to be the authority the chart CANNOT have a defined solar plexus, or a defined sacral, or a defined spleen. This means that there are only 2 channels that can activate the ego as authority: The 45-21 channel and the 51-25 channel.
Ego authority is the authority of the will, of willpower. The ego center is essentially a 'me' energy. This is not to be confused with the 'self' of the G center. This is rooted in possession. Possession of things and of place. Who‘s first? Me. Who‘s in charge? Me. Who owns this house? Me.
Two Channels
There are two channels that create ego authority are the 45-21 and 51-25. This first channel is a manifested channel, and therefore anyone with 45-21 ego authority will be a manifestor. Of course, this is provided the sacral, spleen and solar plexus are not defined. The second channel is a projected channel and as long as the G center is not connected to the throat (which would make them an ego manifestor) people with the 51-25 only are ego authority projectors.
45-21 Material People
The dynamics of the 45-21 energy are straightforward. It is the focus of 'me‘ on material plane and the control that comes with that. This channel is called the Money Channel but it‘s not simply about money. It‘s about all of the elements of holding the community together in a particular order. This involves education and where one sits in any given status based organization.
In terms of authority, it means that such a person has to have the willpower to support their decision, to bring their will energy into play. There can‘t be any waffling about it. This person has to be able to forcefully say, with heartfelt conviction, 'This is for me. I will do it.' This is, after all, a manifesting channel. They have to have the complete conviction that they can control the endeavor, whatever it is.
The ego authority, if the person decides to get a Ph.D. for example, they must have the full force of their will over an extended period of time. To do that, they must begin with a strong sense of will towards the goal. There must be a clear goal and utter conviction that they can reach the goal."
- Excerpt from IHDS - Cartography 4 - Authority (p.16)
In recent articles and discussions on the HumanDesign.Live network, the topic of Free Will vs No Choice has come up frequently. I'm also encountering it these days in interaction between people who have the Ego of the Heart center as their Inner Authority and those who have an Undefined Heart center altogether. Telling people with this Inner Authority that Free Will is an illusion and that therefore they should give up on imposing their willpower and manifesting their control is unlikely to lead to any success. They have no choice but to establish material control by making a commitment to a goal. It seems to me that for them, this illusion of Free Will isn't going anywhere.
The revelation of the Heart center was one of the most liberating insights Human Design brought to me when I first began studying the system. I was in an environment where a lot of new age spirituality was going on all over the place. I had sat in sanghas and participated in various group healing modalities where people came together to address 'the problem' of the ego, its perceived selfishness and tendency towards 'separation'. And the leaders of these circles had constructed a whole detailed logical process of step by step trying to eliminate it.
Defined Ego Center the Human Design System
To learn there was such a thing as a Defined and an Undefined Heart center, and that there was a significant distinction to be made between correct and healthy Ego and an amplified Not-Self distortion was absolutely mind-blowing to me. I have a fully open Heart center and I had been so seduced by these practices of demonizing the ego and habitually trying to shatter the ego of others at the slightest manifestation. Looking back now, it was terribly misguided and plain unaware. And I have a suspicion that a Free Will vs No Choice conversation could head in that direction too if we aren't careful.
The struggle of inconsistent Willpower that most of humanity experiences sets us up for envy and jealousy in the Not-Self. Those of us with the Heart center undefined see the Materialists who can consistently manifest their will on the material plane, who can assert their 'me' above anything else in their life, and then there's the instant temptation to condemn those beings because when 'we' try to do that things go sideways.
The paradox to see is that the Ego serves its Tribe, that the 'me' of the Materialist is a function of its place in the hierarchy, inevitably supporting the community in its material wellbeing in one way or another. Their Willpower comes back around full circle. While in the Not-Self that 'me' becomes a self-serving menace in its blind disregard for others.
When introducing newcomers to Human Design, this is often a very humbling conversation to have with people who have Defined Egos, listening to the abuse they have faced from people overreacting to them for no good reason (and it is particularly painful when these people are Projectors). People who try to break the ego of the other in the attempt to prove themselves superior (spiritually or otherwise). And if they can't then they suddenly fall into a black hole of their own insecurities, ironically looking toward the Defined Ego for some external validation of their worth.
This dynamic is a radical misunderstanding of how things work, and it is a blindness to who people really are. The correct Ego is an incredibly beautiful thing. I thank my lucky stars for the Defined Egos that have supported me and stood up for me throughout my life. I now enjoy watching the egoic masks emerge in order to face social challenges. It is deeply impressive to me to witness someone consistently putting their heart forward to maintain their own integrity, or on behalf of whatever or whomever they represent.
At first it can be a bitter pill for the Not-Self to swallow; to sit in the presence of a Defined Ego and come to terms with the fact that this other being has what you will never have and being put in one's place in this way. Yet, once accepted this becomes very sweet. You were never meant to compete with them.
Once you can be who you are and the other can be who they are, your awareness can be free to witness the beauty of their process of proving what they're here to prove, seeing how the Ego is applied to that end. It's no longer about 'oh I wish I could do / have that'.
Once you've accepted your place, the hierarchy stops being a problem and the superiority/inferiority complex can start to dissolve. Nourishing resources can begin to flow downstream to you, and from you to others, in the way that is just right.
Enjoy your movie,
Hagen
