I will be the first to admit that this is getting into pretty advanced levels of your human design chart. While digging down into the details is fascinating, it is important to see your human design chart as a whole picture rather than individual pieces of a puzzle. If in doubt, always live according to your energy type, strategy and authority, and trust everything else to fall into place automatically.
Your ideal human design environment will be most accurate if you have your exact birth time. Despite the names, environments are more about energetic qualities than physical locations. In short, if your preferred environment is caves, there’s no need to move into a hobbit house. You don’t need to relocate to the Mediterranean if you’re a shores type. It’s more about small things you can do to bring the energetic qualities of your preferred environment into your everyday experience.
The basic premise is that the right energetic environment allows you to unconsciously tap into greater levels of your natural genius. It’s like putting yourself in the right place allows you to see the right stuff so you can take right and aligned action. In other words, you activate synchronicity by being in the right environment.
If you are unsure which environment applies to you, you can check your human design chart here.
How do I work with my preferred human design environment?
The best place to start is by understanding the energetics of your preferred environment. Then look for ways to add this energy into your everyday life. You might switch the places where you work or relax in your home, such as moving your home office from the basement to the first floor if you’re a mountains person. You could move your desk to a different location in the same room. You might add elements of your preferred environment to your existing spaces, like using a room divider and creating a cozy nook if you’re a caves person. You can also apply this to the spaces that your children hang out in, such as their bedrooms or favourite relaxation spots. This can be especially helpful of your child’s chart has a lot of open energy centres, which makes them very perceptive to the energy around them.
But it’s not like every family member needs a completely different space – there are ways to transform the communal areas of your home to cater to more than one preferred environment.
So, if I don’t need to move to a place that matches my preferred environment, how do I leverage this intel in everyday life?
Let’s look at what each environment means:*
human design environment
Caves
You are someone who favours enclosed spaces. You like to know the boundaries of a place and not feel too exposed. Caves doesn’t mean tiny, dank spaces. Think more cosy hobbit house vibes. You like to feel safe, contained and in control of who enters your space and who doesn’t.
Good things come to you when you can embrace being in your metaphorical cave. You can relax when your space feels like your sanctuary. You might enjoy natural or indirect light to give you comfy vibes. You prefer closed doors and like to sit with your back against the wall so you can see who is coming into your space.
For more ideas on adding a “cave” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between selective and blending caves.
caves
Markets
You are someone who enjoys busy places where people come together. You like to be “in the room where it happens” (Hamilton) – the place where there’s people, communication and an exchange of information or products. You enjoy transformation and innovation. If there’s a better way to do something, you’ll be looking for it. You like to change things up so you can continue to feel energized.
You likely come to life at work (provided you enjoy your place of work and the people around you) or at community events. If you have a child, they might really thrive in their school or other educational environment (again, provided they enjoy it) or in social places like playgrounds or soft plays. “Thriving” isn’t just about achievement, academic or otherwise. It’s about feeling engaged and stimulated by your environment. It’s like your creative capacity expands when you put yourself “out there”.
You enjoy open plan offices, co-working spaces or cafe working.
For more ideas on adding a “market” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between internal and external markets.
markets
Kitchens
You are someone who loves being in places vibrant with the alchemy of creativity. This could be art studios, workshops, brainstorming sessions, round tables, boardrooms, co-working spaces or actual kitchens. You love feeling connected to the creative process, surrounded by people who thrive on the same. You might create with physical materials (art, craft, food, etc) or conceptually (graphic design, writing, architecture, marketing, etc).
You are all about connections and finding people to co-create with. Being in community energises you. Spending too much time alone and disengaged from your creativity can make you feel flat and uninspired. You may enjoy working and creating on your own but love being surrounded by other creatives doing the same.
Tune into your favourite gathering places: Do you feel most alive in busy cafes, actual kitchens or living rooms, open plan offices? Spend time in the spaces and with the people that let you slip effortlessly into your creative zone.
You also highly sensitive to the humidity (or lack thereof) in the spaces you frequent.
For more ideas on adding a “kitchen” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between wet and dry kitchens.
kitchens
Mountains
You are someone who thrives in high places. This can be actual mountains but also any place that is higher up: top floor rooms, 4×4’s (SUV’s), standing desks, spaces with wide open views. Any place that is one step removed from the buzz of life allows you to see things from a higher perspective. You thrive when you step out of the “doing” to regroup and reconnect to the higher purpose of your actions. Time alone disconnects you from the “caffeinated squirrel” buzz of everyday life and let’s you recalibrate to what is really important to you. You are generally self-certified and don’t take on too much feedback from other people.
You like exposing yourself to new experiences that give you a sense of awe and wonder. You might like spending time in mountainous topography or places that let you view the world from above. Travel in general, and solo adventuring in particular, could be the thing that refills your energetic cup.
Breathwork can be an important way to reconnect you to your sense of self when life gets busy and your brain feels overwhelmed. Mountains are generally associated with clean, fresh air so getting out for walks to clear the cobwebs is a great way to shift your energy and top up your oxygen levels.
For more ideas on adding a “mountain” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between active and passive mountains.
mountains
Valleys
You are someone who loves feeling connected to life. You adore being in the thick of things, close to where the action is happening. You learn from being around people and exchanging information. You thrive on literal and energetic feedback from others. Connection, community and interaction are what make you thrive. Feeling heard, and making sure others are heard, also ranks high on your list of values.
You are highly acoustically attuned and like having your “ear to the ground”, gathering intelligence. Because of this auditory sensitivity, the sounds in your environment are really important to you. You can at times feel acoustic overwhelm and may need to temporarily retreat to a quiet space or detach yourself from the buzz of your environment by using noise-cancelling headphones.
In terms of physical spaces, you like being low to the ground (i.e. ground floor offices or living spaces) or sitting on the floor.
For more ideas on adding a “valley” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between narrow and wide valleys.
valleys
Shores
You are someone who loves being in places where different environments meet. This could literally be the land meeting the sea or any place where one topography borders another: cities turning into urban space, fields meeting forests, a river valley giving way to hills or even the places where one city neighbourhood shifts to another. You also thrive in places where lots of different nationalities intermingle, such as big cities, flea markets or even airports.
You are adaptable and open to change. Any place that makes you feel expansive is good for you. If you do not have access to places of changing environment, a panoramic view over a city or open landscape is equally nourishing. You like to experience boundaries without being bound or constrained by them.
You are stimulated by contrast and might enjoy shifting from one place to another within your environment frequently in order to avoid stagnation. You might be drawn to places of transition in your home, such as hallways, terraces, conservatories or outdoor spaces. Adding water features to your home can be a nice way to add variety and bring nature indoors.
For more ideas on adding a “shore” vibe to your existing environment, you can register your interest for my upcoming human design environment ebook in collaboration with a mystery interior design expert. This ebook also elaborates on the difference between natural and artificial shores.
shores
* As always, have fun, experiment, take what resonates and leave the rest.
