# Traditional Astrology vs. Human Design

By [Kate Magoc](https://paragraph.com/@kate-magoc) · 2023-08-30

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I'm writing this post so that anyone interested in getting a reading from me can understand my perspective a bit. That said, I'm a student of these systems, not a master. And as I continue to learn and develop my practice with them, my views may shift and sharpen. But for now, let's dive in and untangle some theories.

Astrology and Human Design are both tools and practices that weave cosmic contexts together with the human experience to help us understand our own self-concept and our relationship to the more-than-human world.

But that's a mouthful.

What I mean by all of that mumbo jumbo is that these systems were created to help us understand the unseen world so we can navigate it in a way that's best for us.

Both systems are deeply complex and mystical. But they can also be beautifully simple and immediately actionable depending on how you take them in. While it is my personal view that astrology encourages the development of a relationship with the divine, it's also my view that Human Design exists for those who don't believe in the divine. And both ways of being and seeing are okay. In fact, that diversity of perspective should be celebrated.

There's a reason why there are very few people who practice both Traditional Hellenistic Astrology and Human Design. It's because the foundational beliefs don't neatly intermingle. Even though astrological timing is the basis of a person's Human Design body graph, the systems diverge once you start to unpack the debate of signs vs. causes.

What's that debate all about, you ask? Well, ancient astrologers believed that the planets were signs or omens that could help us see patterns in the stars that act as a mirror for terrestrial events. While Human Design posits that the stars actually emit what’s called a neutrino field which is filtered by the planets. And that can cause us to be designed in a certain way from birth. As the planets move around the sun, they continue to filter the neutrino field which causes us to feel different energies at different times.

I'm Mercurial by nature. And a heretic by design. So while I can see the stark contrast between the beliefs of the ancient astrologers and the radical perspective of Human Design's controversial founder, Ra Uru Hu, I think both systems are worth experimenting with. I work with both in my own life and they've been incredibly supportive as I've moved through dark periods of depression, through intense changes, and through my own journey of aging.

There is a lot more to say on this topic. But I wanted this post to be a quickie. Just something I can point people to when they want to know the difference.

If you're interested in getting a Natal Astrology reading, or a Human Design bodygraph reading, you can find a link to book in my bio. As always, thanks for reading.

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*Originally published on [Kate Magoc](https://paragraph.com/@kate-magoc/traditional-astrology-vs-human-design)*