HUMAN DESIGN: Projectors and Athleticism
Yes, we’re athletes. Yes, we do things differently.
As I worked the starting line of the 2024 Lake Placid IronMan this morning, I began wondering how many of these triathletes were projectors. Long form endurance work is no joke, and yet running/biking/swimming can be solo time for projectors to discharge the energies that they picked up throughout the day. This got me thinking about my own and my partner’s journey in athletics as splenic energy projectors.
An energy projector simply refers to projector types in human design that have 1 or more motor centers defined. Motor centers are the root, solar plexus (emotion), will (heart), and sacral centers. The sacral is the only of this list that give rise to generator/mani-gen’s consistent and reliable life-force energy. The rest of those centers are inconsistent, yet powerful pulses of energy that course through us. For me, my defined energy center is my root center, which attaches to my spleen center (my authority).
A no-motors projector, or simply put, a projector does not have any of these centers defined. However, that does not mean that are lacking energy athletically. It just means they do not consistently feel that pulse within themselves. It comes from outside of them, where their motor centers are influenced by the energy of others. My best friend is a splenic, no-motors projector who has been a 3 sport athlete with plenty of energy coursing through her. She thrives off the invitation of others drawing her into competition and she excelled in soccer, basketball, and outdoor track & field. When I briefly lived with her, we often fed off each other’s energy and would frequently hike, do yoga, and work out together.
So, who are the most well known projector athletes? The only two I could find were the revered Serena Williams and the controversial Lance Armstrong. Both of these sports (tennis and cycling) are not what I’d consider the biggest or most popular sports but they do have one thing in common. They’re technical and require a solo-effort instead of a team effort. I find this interesting and auspicious. They also represent sports that require vastly different energy systems physiologically. Tennis requires explosive bursts and technical, intuitive reading of the opponent. Cycling require long-sustaining energy over time.
Lance was an energy projector, with a defined root that I presume helped him feel those undeniable bursts of energy to complete long distance bike races. However, it’s unsurprising to me that a projector ended up entangled in a controversial doping mess. We do not have access to sustainable life-force energy, especially if we’re not invited into it. Perhaps a generator, mani-gen, or manifestor in a creative cycle would be able to surge through the race throughout its duration, Lance likely felt his energy wane relatively quickly. I can imaging how amazing it felt for him to, for the first time, actually experience sustainable energy during competition. It’s a shame that he was stripped of his titles and felt the need to sidestep his way to success, but gives us insight into the internal workings of being a projector with limited energy. He is also an emotional authority, and I wonder if he let the top of his emotional wave convince him that doping was the only way, whereas if he waited to make the decision to do so, he would likely have come to different conclusions to support this success.
Serena is a no-motors projector with self-projected authority, meaning she needs to speak her truth out loud in order to detect it and know how to proceed in making decisions. Since projectors are adept at reading other and penetrating into their auric field, it’s unsurprising to me that she has risen in the tennis world. While she has no defined motor centers, that doesn’t stop her from being well known for being an explosive and highly competitive athlete. She’s a phenomenal example of how open centers are not merely places for influence and conditioning, but centers of amplification. I can imagine in her early life, she soaked up competitive energy around her from her competitors and family, fueling and amplifying her desire to win.
My partner and I, both as energy projectors, played sports growing up and ended up most frequenting the positions that allowed us to embrace a solo spotlight as well. CJ, a projector with a defined will center, ran track in college. His defined will center gave him an intense competitive edge and will power to blaze past opponents. He mostly ran the shorter races, using the burst of energy to carry him through it. I was a lacrosse goalie for 8 year. My longevity in the position is attributed to the fact that I did not have to move much while I played. My job as a projector was to read, predict, and respond to the invitation of a shot. It was the perfect position for me. As an adult, I found that exercise and fitness was absolutely integral to my health and wellbeing.
As a splenic projector with a channel between my root and spleen centers preoccupied with health, my journey with athletics feels obvious. Hiking, lifting, yoga, body-weight exercises are all part of my repertoire. When I found CrossFit, and frequently derived a sense of invitation from each and every class, I found a way to utilize the bursting energy pulses of my root center. My body craved that mesomorphic movement. Fast over short distances. Heavy weights. A good hard sweat. Although there were times where I was quite consistent, attending 2-3 classes a week and reaching amazing goals physically and physiologically, I never felt incredibly committed to one way of working out.
Finding the energy to start as a projector can be excruciatingly difficult if we’re not already blissful and utilizing our energy appropriately elsewhere. When I started working full-time as an athletic trainer, there wasn’t a shot in hell that I would also be working out consistently. I had nothing left at the end of the day. I would feel so defeated seeing my coworkers go downstairs to the gym to lift on their lunch break because I felt like I was barely holding my head above water. The times in my life I was most consistent with my fitness were also the times that I had the most freedom and flexibility with my work and schedule. I didn’t have a dog or a partner with children. I had time, energy, and enough solitude to build up my energy stores. Often times I still had to drag myself in, which I never regretted at the end of a class.
As far as diets go, I never could be consistent with one specifically. And it took me a while to realize that it’s actually better for me to listen to the innate wisdom of my splenic authority which can guide me to what’s healthy and safe for me to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. That relationship has been healing for many years and I wish every projector could know that they don’t have to commit to something strict and protocol-intensive to see results in their fitness. My most fit and healthy I was eating dessert once a week and had an intuitive, balanced, whole food diet that was flexible to my needs and activity levels. That still feels best for me as a splenic projector. I lean into my spleen as much as possible to feel what’s best for me instinctively at any given moment, while working to silence any mental conditioning that tries to dissuade me into thinking through it logically and bypassing my body’s wisdom. When I heed the nudges from my body, I am always more energized, happier, less full/bloated, and more content with my weight.
In a deeper analysis of my chart, I also have calm digestion. This indicates to me that I best digest nutrients and experiences in a calm environment. I need the setting to be chill, quiet, and relaxed. I need time after to also be still. This is true for events in my life too. I typically need a considerable amount of time (days to weeks) to process and decompress busier times where significant things occur. I get quiet, I process, I digest, and I come out feeling more wise and understanding of the unfolding of my life. The same is true for my recovering physiologically. I need more downtime and rest than most and that’s specific to my design time.
Knowing my chart deeply and applying my strategy and authority consistently gives me the ability to make decisions that help me manage my energy appropriately and that is really the story of a successful projector. We need make wise decisions in alignment with our energy, so we can manage it and have enough time in the day to do things that fill us up and let us be in bliss. For me, that’s the true recipe for success when it comes to having a rich and fulfilling fitness journey.