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Astrology wiki

Explore wiki concepts, word origins, evidence and their connections to traditions and tools.

Meaning, evidence and context

Concepts A–Z

512 concepts, each with a definition, word origins, a brief epistemology and source links. Hover or focus a dotted term to preview it. Tap once for the preview, then follow the entry.

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Subject

26 terms

A
Human Design

Activation →

Also: activated gate

A planetary position assigned to a Human Design gate; one activation alone does not necessarily define a center.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin-derived English noun, technically repurposed.

Activation is making active, from active. The chart borrows this wording for the marking of a gate by a planetary placement.

How we know · epistemology
Positional assignment rule

An activation records that a selected planet falls within a gate sector. It is evidence of that mapping only; determining channels, centers or type requires subsequent graph rules rather than counting the activation as a complete connection.

Human Design

Authority →

Also: inner authority

Human Design’s category for a recommended decision process, derived from center patterns; it does not replace evidence or professional advice.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin through French.

Authority comes from auctoritas, standing or authorization. The system transfers this decision-giving role to its internally named bodily authorities.

How we know · epistemology
Prescribed decision framework

A hierarchy of chart connections assigns a recommended decision process. That assignment is reproducible within Human Design; it does not establish the reliability of a feeling, sensation or timing rule for a particular real-world choice.

B
Human Design

Base →

Also: Human Design base

One of five subdivisions within a Human Design tone; its fine angular scale makes precise birth time important.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Greek and Latin through French; modern technical label.

Base means a foundation or supporting part. Human Design uses this foundational metaphor for a finer subdivision below Tone.

How we know · epistemology
Fine angular subdivision

Each tone is divided into five bases, yielding very small longitude intervals. A stable assignment requires adequate time and ephemeris precision; extra displayed detail does not independently support the corresponding spiritual interpretation.

Human Design

BodyGraph →

Also: body graph

Human Design’s diagram of nine centers connected by channels; planetary gate assignments determine its colored structure.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern coined English compound.

Body plus graph describes the human-shaped diagram. BodyGraph is the originating school's distinctive product terminology.

How we know · epistemology
Rule-derived symbolic diagram

Gate activations and channel connections determine the diagram's colored structure. Those connections can be audited as a graph; the drawing is not an anatomical image or a measurement of energy moving through the body.

C
Human Design

Channel →

Also: Human Design channel

A specified pair of BodyGraph gates joining two centers; the channel is defined when both gates are activated.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
French and Latin word used metaphorically.

Channel comes through French from Latin canalis, a conduit. The diagram uses the conduit metaphor for a connection between centers.

How we know · epistemology
Graph connection rule

A channel is complete when both of its prescribed endpoint gates are activated. This structural condition is reproducible; the theme attached to the connection is a teaching about the graph, not an observed bodily channel.

Human Design

Color →

Also: Colour · Human Design color

One of six subdivisions within a Human Design line; this technical use does not mean visible color.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin through French; modern metaphorical label.

Color has its ordinary visual origin, but the capitalized chart term names a subdivision below Line. It does not name visible wavelength.

How we know · epistemology
Fine angular subdivision

Six colors subdivide each line in the system's hierarchy. The label records a finer positional interval, not a sensed color or measurable aura; interpretations become especially dependent on accurate input near subdivision boundaries.

Human Design

Completely open center →

Also: completely open centers

A BodyGraph center with no activated gates, distinguished here from an undefined center that has activations.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive modern chart phrase.

Completely intensifies the metaphor open; the term specifies an undefined center without activated gates, a narrower use than ordinary open.

How we know · epistemology
Graph-derived distinction

This label requires no activated gates in the center, a narrower condition than being undefined. That difference can be audited from the chart; descriptions of openness remain symbolic interpretations rather than measurements of receptivity.

D
Human Design

Defined center →

Also: defined centers

A BodyGraph center connected through at least one complete activated channel; “defined” is structural, not a rating of ability.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive modern chart phrase.

Defined means given a boundary or determinate form; the system applies it to a center connected by a completed channel.

How we know · epistemology
Graph-derived category

At least one completed channel determines the center's defined status. The rule can be checked directly from activations, but interpreting definition as consistent personal functioning goes beyond what the colored diagram establishes.

Human Design

Design activations →

Also: Design

In Human Design, the prenatal assignments found when the Sun was 88° earlier in longitude, not a fixed 88-day subtraction.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Ordinary English words with a specialized modern use.

Design names the pre-birth side of the system's chart; activations names its marked placements. This is authored chart vocabulary.

How we know · epistemology
Prenatal solar-arc convention

The earlier chart is found by solving for an 88° solar-longitude difference. This is a defined computational rule, not a measured developmental threshold; a fixed number of days will not always reproduce its activations.

G
Human Design

Gate →

Also: Human Design gate

One of sixty-four Human Design zodiac sectors associated with an I Ching hexagram and a BodyGraph location.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Old English word used as a chart metaphor.

A gate is an opening or entrance. Human Design applies the entrance metaphor to a numbered position on the BodyGraph.

How we know · epistemology
Symbolic angular partition

A planetary longitude selects a gate under a fixed sector map. The gate number and placement are checkable, while linking its hexagram theme to a person's behavior is an interpretive association supplied by Human Design.

Human Design

Generator →

A Human Design type with a defined Sacral center; the system associates it with responding rather than a medical energy level.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin-derived agent noun, technically repurposed.

Generator names something that produces, from generate and Latin generare. Human Design borrows the productive-energy metaphor for a type.

How we know · epistemology
Sacral-based graph category

A defined Sacral places the chart in the Generator family under Human Design rules. The label supports the system's recommended practice of response; it is not evidence of a particular amount of stamina or a required occupation.

H
Human Design

Hanging gate →

Also: hanging gates

An activated Human Design gate that is alone in its prescribed channel because its harmonic partner gate is not activated in the selected chart view.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive modern English compound used in Human Design.

Hanging modifies gate in an image of an endpoint left without its paired connection. The sources document the current technical phrase; no claim is made for an ancient or non-English origin.

How we know · epistemology
Graph-derived endpoint state

This label records one active endpoint and an inactive harmonic partner under the selected birth/design graph and node convention. It can be audited from the endpoint ledger. It does not show that a person lacks something, needs another person, or will have a particular emotional or relational experience.

Human Design

Human Design →

Also: Rave astrology

A modern symbolic system combining a zodiac gate map with a nine-center graph; its personality classifications are not biological measurements.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern authored English system name.

Human Design is Ra Uru Hu's system title. Design evokes a patterned human blueprint; the title is a modern naming choice.

How we know · epistemology
Modern esoteric teaching

The originating school defines a consistent mapping from astronomical positions to gates and a graph. Reproducing that map establishes internal consistency; its type descriptions and decision guidance require separate evidence if presented as facts about a person.

Human Design

Human Design definition →

Also: Definition · split definition · single definition · triple split definition · quadruple split definition

The connected groups of defined centers in a BodyGraph; splits count disconnected groups, not psychological fragmentation.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin-derived English noun, technically repurposed.

Definition comes from defining or setting boundaries. Human Design reuses the word for the connectivity of completed channels.

How we know · epistemology
Connectivity classification

Counting connected groups of defined centers produces the definition category. Graph splits concern the diagram's paths; they do not demonstrate fragmented identity, a need for a particular partner or incomplete personal development.

Human Design

Human Design profile →

Also: Profile

A pair of line numbers from the birth and design Sun placements, such as 4/6, linked to the system’s role descriptions.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
French/Italian-derived English noun, repurposed.

Profile originally describes an outline or side view. Here the word names the paired line designation used as a character outline.

How we know · epistemology
Paired line classification

Two Sun-line assignments produce the profile pair, using birth and design positions. Small changes near line boundaries can change the label; role descriptions attached to the pair are interpretive themes rather than biographical observations.

Human Design

Human Design type →

Also: Type

A category derived from BodyGraph connections; this engine distinguishes Manifesting Generator within the Generator family.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Ordinary classification term in a modern system.

Type derives from Greek typos, an impression or model. Here it names a class within Human Design's own classification.

How we know · epistemology
Rule-based typology

Type follows the school's hierarchy of Sacral definition and motor-to-Throat connections. Correct classification verifies those graph rules; it does not establish that the resulting behavioral description reliably distinguishes people outside the model.

L
Human Design

Line →

Also: gate line

One of six divisions within a Human Design gate; it is an angular subdivision rather than a physical line on the body.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Latin through French; translated diagram term.

Line comes from linea, linen thread or line. Its system use inherits the six-line structure of an I Ching hexagram.

How we know · epistemology
Nested symbolic subdivision

The gate is divided into six equal angular parts, with each part assigned a line theme. This makes the number calculable; the theme's fit to a person is not established by the precision of the subdivision.

M
Human Design

Manifesting Generator →

A Generator subtype with a defined Sacral and a motor connected to the Throat through defined channels.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern compound type name.

Manifesting adds the making-visible or bringing-forth sense of manifest to Generator. The compound names a subtype in the originating school's vocabulary.

How we know · epistemology
Generator subtype convention

Sacral definition and a complete motor-to-Throat path determine this subtype. The path can pass through intermediate centers; the classification does not by itself establish greater speed, productivity or an obligation to multitask.

Human Design

Manifestor →

A Human Design type with an undefined Sacral and a motor-to-Throat connection through defined channels.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern specialized agent noun.

Manifestor is built on manifest, make evident or bring into expression, plus an agent ending. It is a system type name, not an ancient chart term.

How we know · epistemology
Connection-based graph category

An undefined Sacral plus a motor-to-Throat path produces this category. Its association with initiating and informing comes from the teaching, rather than evidence that people with this graph possess a unique causal power to initiate events.

P
Human Design

Personality activations →

Also: Personality

In Human Design, the birth-time planetary gate assignments, conventionally shown in black; this is a system label.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Ordinary English words with a specialized modern use.

Personality names the birth-time side of the chart; activations extends the idea of making something active to marked gates.

How we know · epistemology
Birth-chart mapping within Human Design

Planetary positions at birth supply the black activations under the system's gate map. Calling this layer personality or conscious describes its assigned role; it does not show which traits a person consciously recognizes or actually displays.

Human Design

Projector →

A Human Design type with some definition, an undefined Sacral and no motor-to-Throat connection.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
English agent noun with Latin roots.

Projector derives from project, to throw or put forward. Human Design reuses the word as a type name; ordinary projection is only its lexical background.

How we know · epistemology
Connection-based graph category

The chart has some definition but lacks both Sacral definition and a motor-to-Throat path. The assigned guidance about recognition and invitations is a practice within Human Design, not proof of limited ability to act independently.

R
Human Design

Rave Mandala →

Also: mandala

Human Design’s circular arrangement of sixty-four gates around the zodiac, distinct from ordinary zodiac-sign divisions.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Modern coined name plus Sanskrit loanword.

Mandala comes from Sanskrit maṇḍala, circle or disk. Rave is the school's distinctive name; its deeper naming rationale is not established here.

How we know · epistemology
Assigned zodiac–hexagram correspondence

The system places sixty-four gates in a prescribed order around the zodiac. Coordinates determine the selected sector, but the association between that sector and an I Ching theme is inherited from the teaching rather than astronomical observation.

Human Design

Reflector →

The Human Design type with no defined centers; this is a graph classification, not a clinical trait.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
English agent noun with Latin roots.

Reflector derives from reflect, to bend or turn back. The type name borrows the image of reflecting one's surroundings.

How we know · epistemology
Absence-of-definition category

No completed channels means no defined centers and yields this type. The graph condition is unambiguous under fixed inputs; it does not show that a person lacks stable traits or literally absorbs other people's characteristics.

S
Human Design

Strategy →

Also: Human Design strategy

A type-specific practice recommended within Human Design, such as responding or waiting for invitations; it is optional reflective guidance.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Greek through French and English.

Strategy ultimately concerns generalship, from Greek strategos. Human Design adapts the planning word for its type-specific way of engaging.

How we know · epistemology
Type-based reflective practice

The originating teaching recommends a different approach to engagement for each type. A person can examine its usefulness through experience, but a matching type label alone does not demonstrate that following the strategy improves decisions.

T
Human Design

Tone →

Also: Human Design tone

One of six subdivisions within a Human Design color; it is not a measured sound frequency.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Greek through Latin; modern metaphorical label.

Tone ultimately comes from tonos, tension or pitch. The system borrows this musical/sensory word for a level below Color.

How we know · epistemology
Fine angular subdivision

Six tones subdivide each color under a fixed mapping. Their sensory and cognitive associations are part of the teaching; the angular calculation does not measure hearing, neural processing or a physical vibration.

U
Human Design

Undefined center →

Also: undefined centers

A BodyGraph center without a complete activated channel; it may still contain one or more activated gates.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Descriptive modern chart phrase.

Un- negates defined. In this specialized vocabulary a center can be undefined while still containing an activated gate.

How we know · epistemology
Graph-derived category

The absence of a completed channel gives this label even when some gates are activated. It identifies a structural condition; it does not establish weakness, suggestibility or a deficiency in the corresponding area of life.