The Solar Plexus Centre in Human Design
By Anna de Vries · 10 min read
The Solar Plexus Centre is perhaps the most impactful centre in the Human Design bodygraph. It is responsible for emotions, sensitivity, and many of the mental and relational dynamics in our lives. For people with a defined Solar Plexus: you are emotionally designed on a deep level. For people with an open Solar Plexus: you primarily feel the emotions of others. In this article, I explain both situations and how to work with them.
What is the Solar Plexus Centre?
The Solar Plexus Centre is the triangle on the bottom right of the bodygraph. It is a motor centre, which means it provides energy. In the chakra system, it corresponds to the solar plexus chakra (Manipura), the seat of personal power.
In Human Design, the Solar Plexus Centre has three main functions:
- Generating or absorbing emotions
- Producing an emotional wave (in the defined version)
- Driving depth and passion in relationships and creativity
Roughly 50% of people have a defined Solar Plexus, and roughly 50% have it open. That makes this centre almost unique in its 50/50 distribution.
A Defined Solar Plexus
When your Solar Plexus is defined (colored in), you have an emotional wave. This means your feelings are not static, but move between highs and lows. Important: this is not a disorder or mood swing, it is your natural design.
The emotional wave works like this:
- You have moments of clear enthusiasm or joy
- You have moments of neutrality or heaviness
- The wave moves over hours, days, or sometimes weeks
- Clarity comes after the wave, not in the middle of it
People with a defined Solar Plexus have Emotional Authority (or a variation of it). Their decision-making mechanism: do not decide in the middle of an emotional peak or valley, but wait until the wave calms down.
The Wisdom of Waiting
For someone with a defined Solar Plexus, patience is not an option but a lifeline. Decisions made at a high point often feel rushed later on. Decisions made in a low point often feel too negative later on. Truth lies in the neutral middle of the wave.
In practice:
- Sleep on important decisions for a night
- Sometimes multiple nights or even weeks
- Ask yourself at different moments: "Does this still feel the same?"
- Wait until clarity is stable, not until you are frantically excited
An Open Solar Plexus
When your Solar Plexus is open or undefined (white), you do not have your own emotional wave. But that does not mean you are emotionless. On the contrary: you are an amplifier and sponge for the emotions of others.
People with an open Solar Plexus:
- Feel the emotions of people around them
- Amplify those emotions (a slight irritation becomes rage in them)
- Often avoid conflict and directness
- Tend to want to "keep everyone happy"
This is one of the most conditioned areas in the bodygraph. Many people with an open Solar Plexus assume that their feelings belong to them, when in fact they are largely absorbed from others.
The Wisdom of an Open Solar Plexus
When you learn to recognize that the emotions you feel are not necessarily yours, space opens up. Practical exercises:
- Physically step away from a room where you pick up emotions and check: do I still feel this?
- Ask yourself: "Was I already angry before I saw this person?"
- Do not attach value to every emotion that passes by. Some are simply passing through.
- Learn to say "no" despite the fear of confrontation. It is one of the core life lessons.
The Not-Self of an open Solar Plexus is conflict avoidance. When you recognize and break through this, you enter a deeper freedom.
The Solar Plexus and Relationships
The Solar Plexus plays a major role, especially in intimate relationships:
- Two defined Solar Plexuses: waves that do not always run in sync, with periods of emotional distance
- Two open Solar Plexuses: conflict avoidance on both sides, with things piling up under the surface
- One defined, one open: the open partner mirrors and amplifies the wave of the defined partner
Awareness of this mechanism helps you distinguish what belongs to whom.
The Solar Plexus as a Motor
The Solar Plexus is a motor centre, which means it can provide power and drive to the Throat. When there is a connection between the Solar Plexus and Throat, you gain manifesting power through emotional expression. People with this configuration often communicate passionately, with high impact.
The So-Called "Depth"
Something that is often misunderstood: a defined Solar Plexus does not mean "deeper emotions" and an open Solar Plexus does not mean "superficial". Both possess depth, but in different ways:
- Defined: cyclical depth that unfolds over time
- Open: situational depth that absorbs in the moment
Both are valuable. Both require awareness.
Practical Tips per Type
For a defined Solar Plexus:
- Build a decision-making ritual with waiting periods
- Communicate to others that you need time
- Do not feel ashamed of your wave
- Work with your wave instead of fighting it
For an open Solar Plexus:
- Inquire where your emotions are coming from
- Practice directness in safe environments
- Limit time spent in chronically emotional environments
- Honor your sensitivity as a gift, not a weakness
In Closing
The Solar Plexus Centre is one of the most educational parts of your bodygraph. Whether you have a defined emotional wave or are an open sponge for other people's emotions, awareness brings freedom. The wave becomes navigable, and the sponge learns to filter.
Want to know if your Solar Plexus is open or defined? Calculate your chart for free or check out the broader centres guide.
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