I am completely fascinated with Human Design, but it is the lines and profiles that truly have my mind blown. Not only because they give a great insight into your personal brand and what content can be the most magnetic based on your profile lines. (You can check out more here.)

It is even more fascinating because it is literally how we perceive ourselves and how others see us, which is always slightly different. And as I am observing my clients, my family members, and people who I am blessed to have in my world, my 1/3 profile mind wonders, trying to research and investigate and find the way to help them live the life that feels correctly aligned.

Of all the lines, the most mystical to me is line 5, and there is no surprise.

This is a very different line, and people with a lot of line 5 energy – in their profile and if they have a lot of line 5 in other areas of their design – have a true potential to “save the world” with their unique, and often against-the-grain vision. But most of the time only strangers see that amazing energy, and while they pick on its seductive, magnetic leadership pull, they start projecting their own assumptions and expectation on that line 5 – click here to read more later.

And that is where the tricky part is. People with line 5 live in projections of others – and polarising ones. The closer people know them – they seem to be more likely to project their own “issues” expectations and visions on to the line 5. In this article I will tell you my personal stories, and then we will look at some public figures too, to get really deep at this complex mechanics and what it is living in the world of projections.

The Projections Game

I observe it first hand as my projections on to my late husband (a 3/5 profile) could get really nasty,  and then they switch to seeing him as a hero, only to switch back again at some point.

I remember when we met how I really saw him as the next best thing since sliced bread. Smart, charismatic, bold… my kind of person. He was such a unique talented music producer and music technology educator. And he was so influential on others – a rare experience. His Alumni expands to some globally known experts in the music industry. Funny story talking about the 5th line/ Heretic doing things unpredictable against the grain. He once refused to go meet Michael Jackson, who was in living Ireland in the studio owned by the same company as the college he ran.  I mean, who would refuse to meet Michael Jackson? Yet for my Les, MJ was “just a singer.”

So Les went out for dinner with the producer that worked with MJ on his tracks at the time instead and then drove home to me.

But now after almost two decades together, I only have a memory of all that because his journey took a slight downwards turn with a massive recession in Ireland in 2008 that destroyed music industry almost instantly, a stage IV cancer battle in 2017 and then move to Estonia in the middle of the pandemic, not having the opportunity to network locally… Let’s just say I retired him early.  But to be fair, this affected my projections. I tended to project all my “issues” or disappointments his way in the last years. I am so grateful for discovering Human Design as it gave me the awareness I needed to save this marriage on a daily basis.

Because it is not about the person I am with. It is about ME and my hopes and disappointments. Projections.

The Karmic Mirror

Line 5 karmically designed to reflects what others want/think/hope. But most of the time we do not see beyond the mirror’s surface – and this can make a person with line 5 feel very vulnerable, insecure and even victimised by the world around them. Or the opposite, start believing in the positive projections so much that they convince themselves they are a saviour instead of a “bringer of a solution” that distinguishes the role of line 5 for the humanity.

We are so powerfully pulled in by Line 5’s seductive aura, that we project our hopes and dreams on them, and we feel they have the solution that will help us. Whether that solution is actually what a Line 5 person can offer is a completely different story.

Just recently, I discovered that in my first marriage, I was married to a 5/2 Reflector. And that gave me an even deeper understanding of line 5 energetics when it is a personality line – on a more intimate level. When I met my first husband, I totally projected at him that here was the end of my (long life story of) heartbreaks, and I felt like from then on, the happily ever after awaited. I was the initiator of the relationships (totally against my Projector’s strategy), and 2 weeks later, I was the one to propose marriage. I think being a Reflector, he was mimicking my projections, and we did get married about a month from then.

How did I know it was a projection? Because deep down, I knew this relationship was incorrect on many levels. On the surface, it was almost perfect. He was tall, and so incredibly cute, with a soft and friendly personality. He made me feel really loved and comfortable. But there were things I refused to admit, although they were things that generally mattered a lot to me: he was inarticulate, not intellectually exciting, and he was from a different – let’s say UNCOOL – demographics group that I normally would completely avoid hanging around with due to clash of worldviews.

And yet, I was so pulled into by that sweet seductive aura with a promise of forever being in love… His friends thought I was a weirdo, and they actively tried to steer him away from me (again projecting whatever they were at him). So did his mom. Wow, that was a drama queen performance of the century. But when I look at it from a Human Design perspective, none of us really saw who this guy really was. Not only his Reflector aura was so dense, but with his 5/2 profile, he was bound to be a karmic mirror for anyone in his world – everyone had some sort of hopes or expectations from him. I don’t think anyone was there FOR HIM as such, including me.

A side note, these days, I am totally negatively projecting on my 5/1 brother-in-law. It is the opposite of being pulled in. I have this sense of not wanting to be in his aura at all. I have been avoiding family gatherings for the last few years because of that. Completely uncalled for and without a valid reason in any way. Just a negative projection because he once asked me about my business and questioned its validity… He is a guy who spent all his life as an employee in the corporate world, he just failed to understand what it is like to create your own life through your business… I knew it, yet he triggered something, the sound of shattered glass in my heart, and I have been feeling that I am projecting at him so negatively, that it makes it difficult for me to be present in the same space with him. Like a cold war! And he does not even know about it (probably suspects, though.)

5/1 and 5/2 profiles are called transpersonal – as they are here not for their own personal journeys like most other profiles (except for 4/1, which is the only fixed fate profile in the Human Design system). Line 5 is here to condition the other. To impact the other. One important difference betweek 5/1 and 5/2 profile people is that 5/2 tend to withdraw a lot and they are self-motivated, rather than a projection-motivated. So they often have less drive to be making an impact – until they self-recognize that specialness in them.

But 5/1 is a profile that can be truly seen as a savior by the masses, when they reveal their special gifts. A lot of people suspect Jesus Christ to be a 5/1 (most likely a Manifestor), and yet we also know the dark side: Stalin, Hitler, and these days Putin, all 5/1s. And they are often known for very controversial reasons (Madonna) and create a very polarised public opinion (like Elizabeth II, the late Queen of England) – that can even switch from positive to negative in a flash.

Do you know how they idealized Stalin (Emotional Generator 5/1) in the Soviet Union? My mom grew up singing songs about him as a child in school. It was a weird time of mixed fear and blind loyalty – right up until he died and then he was immediately announced a “tyrant” by the next in line – Nikita Khrushchev, who became very vocal in his “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences” speech, just 3 years after Stalin’s death.  In the speech, Khrushchev was sharply critical of the rule of the deceased General Secretary Joseph Stalin, particularly with respect to the purges which had especially marked the last years of the 1930s. Khrushchev charged Stalin with having fostered a leadership cult of personality despite ostensibly maintaining support for the ideals of communism. The speech was shocking in its day. There are reports that the audience reacted with applause and laughter at several points. (Projections, again!) There are also reports that some of those present suffered heart attacks and others later took their own lives due to shock at the revelations of Stalin’s use of terror.

And this to me is such a great examples of immediate switch of projections. I bet the same will happen in the modern Russia when it Putin (5/1 Splenic Manifestor) will have passed. Right now, the amount of propaganda and blind loyalty to his rule is devastating – look what is happening in Ukraine. But I bet he will be condemned by his own people some day – and it will be at a GRAND scale too.

And another excellent example of a 5/1 Splenic Manifestor is, of course, the creator of the Human Design system – Ra Uru Hu (born Alan Robert Krakower).

So many people have looked up to him as an ultimate guide, a savior! Indeed, this system – no matter if we are open or closed to how it came to our awareness or how inaccurate the science references may sometimes be. (My daughter is doing her Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, and there were many raised brows when I talk about neutrinos and other “sciency” stuff I read from Human Design sources.) Despite all that, Ra had a massive impact on humanity. I genuinely believe that. I choose to answer his call sharing his message and empowering others. Daily.

And yet, when it became a “business” for him, there is a lot to be said about the quite disturbing limitations and restrictions placed on the followers who wanted to learn and teach the system. And I have personally seen videos and read posts from several analysts publicly revoking their certification and sounding really disappointed with their experiences in Ra’s IHDS world. Polar opposite to how they started and considering how much they invested.

I am not saying that it was the case for all people. Some continue seeing Ra as the best thing since sliced bread. I drift between the projections. I had a massive off switch, but somehow, recently, I found lectures that made me feel inspired by him again. These days I see through the fluff of those innuendoes I mentioned. I have no interest in certifications (this is just a money making scheme, that’s all), but the system Ra developed has transformed my life, my business and my world and I am here to point at and open the door to it to the others in my world.

It is fascinating to observe, and I am trying SO HARD not to get dragged into it, but then… this is the Projection Field at play, full force.

And yet sometimes by “falling”, a 5/1 can bring attention to an important for humanity issue and even shape a new way of thinking. At the end of the day they are here to “save the world” but there is no guarantee for them to get all recognition or even often to control how they are impacting others. That is I think what I am observing most evidently.  Managing their reputation (and brand reputation in marketing) is paramount for a 5/1.

I love the examples my friend Robin Winn uses in her new book “Understanding the Profiles in Human Design”

“Think about Ellen Degeneres, who, early on in her career, was the darling with her own show. In 1997, after four successful seasons of the sitcom Ellen, she came out as gay. Initially her ratings skyrocketed only to plummet in the fifth season. As a result, the show was cancelled. Acting as the Heretic, she messed with society’s image of a straight world. Ultimately, she ushered in a new order, which included gays and lesbians becoming prominent on television. More recently, Ellen admitted to being boxed in by her overly nice reputation. When employees went public about harassment and a toxic workplace, Ellen had to publicly address the issues. Her image took a hit.”

And yes these are extreme examples, but if you are a 5/1 – have a think if you are acting too rash, or stepping on others toes just to prove that you KNOW or have the SOLUTION? Or maybe you are just speaking up in the wrong timing? Without waiting to speak when invited?

I feel that even referring to these names above, I am also projecting something that may not be the absolute truth, but I won’t go there. I just know that some of my clients are 5/1s, and with this article, I want to help you understand your 5/1 profile as much as possible because often, people with this profile can feel lonely or even invisible. Or paranoid that nobody gets them. Which is actually their biggest issue.

Stop Hoarding your special gifts!

There is a special interest/special gift that every 5th line person has, but here lies the bigest dilemma – and the most important secret to who will get recognised and rewarded for this gift (for example in your business) and who never will get there. And it comes from understanding the mechanics of how the 5th line should be nurtured, or NOT nurtured correctly, so as an adult you can become aware and try perhaps nurture yourself to unleashing that specialness – correctly.

From Ra Uru Hu comes a very potent description of the 5th line process, I suggest you read it slowly, pause and think. I highlighted what I feel is crucial in bold:

“For me, the 5th line psychically is deeply damaged in terms of the way it operates on the planetary plane. You can see that in the Security Strategy. When you’re looking at the Security Strategy you’re looking at the Distributor/Hoarder. One of the things about the 5th line being is that it has to be this whole business about “I can’t; you can” is so they distribute their specialness.

One of the things that happens is if they’re treated in a mundane manner—in other words, if what they can do isn’t special, but if what they can do is what anyone else could be asked to do in those situations, so forth and so on—eventually that specialness as a potential in them doesn’t get distributed. They hoard it. They hold onto it. They keep on holding onto it. And they become more and more repressed, and more and more paranoid.

And they get to the point where somebody is coming at them with their protection—and here in the 5/2 it’s just classic because they just withdraw—when they get people that are coming at them it’s not simply what do they want. It’s “What do they want? Don’t they know I don’t have anything?” That’s the net result in the not-self. “These fools. What do they want? I can’t deliver that. I don’t have anything special for them. I don’t have the thing that they need. I’m not going to be able to save them. I’m not going to be able to help them. I’m not going to be able to do any of that. I have to be concerned with my own survival, so I’m going to hoard and hold onto things and protect myself.”

So it’s very important to see that the dysfunction comes very early. And in some ways it’s easy. After all, it’s a great game to play with your 5th line child: “I can’t; you can. I can’t; could you?” Because all you’re doing is that you’re raising up of the well- being, the strength, the internal strength, the psychic strength of this being.

But really to understand that if that’s not done, they’re hoarders. I was one of the great hoarders of all time. I’m a really smart guy. I had enormous amounts of knowledge nobody had access to long before the Voice. All kinds of knowledge nobody had access to. It was just hoarded away.

I didn’t see myself as special. Freak, yes, my design is Individual; special, no, I never see myself as special. I wasn’t raised that way. I wasn’t raised properly as a 5th line Manifestor at all, at all. Nobody ever said to me “I can’t.” It was like: “Oh my God, don’t give him a license to do things.” What I got was: “Everything is under control; don’t F88k around. It’s all under control. Do what you’re told. When you’re old enough you can leave.” So, please understand the level of dysfunction in the 5th line. It’s huge.

Emotional Resonance; remember in looking at Emotional Resonance basically you’re looking at the frequency of the spirit as it relates to the quality of what life is; the ups and downs of the nature of being. And you can see here that this is something that will fluctuate between Selflessness—and selflessness is the only way you can universalize anything—or Selfishness.

And you can see how easily this binary operates based on whether you’re going to have a healthy 5 or a dysfunctional 5. A dysfunctional 5, the Hoarder, they’re going to be very selfish. They’re going to use their special gift for themselves. Well, it’s useless.

Imagine what that would be that I get the Human Design System given to me and I never show anybody. I just use it myself. This is the risk that we all have when we have 5th line beings who aren’t raised properly, because they’re not giving us access to all this stuff. They’re not.

When you know deeply in Human Design that every human being is unique, that each of us have something essential to contribute to the whole, if you’re a 5th line being you have something to contribute. You do, in the nature of what’s correct in your being.

And to see very clearly that when that selfishness rules, and most 5s are deeply selfish, they’re holding onto what they think is their specialness and they’re forced to hold onto it because nobody else has really recognized it. And they’re paranoid that nobody ever will. So, that specialness doesn’t come out and nobody gets the benefit.

And instead of being those that are automatically attractive in times of crisis when you need them, they’re not anymore. They’re not attractive at all. They’re selfish. They’re practically invisible. They hold back their auras from you. They’re not going to give you anything; nothing.

So again, this is one of those things to see about the quality of their life is that you’ve got two billion people who are basically deeply selfish. That’s a real problem. That is now the universal principle. It is, after all. It’s the universal principle on this planet. It’s a universal principle that’s been brought by all the dysfunctional not-self vibes. This is their message to the world.

So when you’re dealing with educating the mother about the life of a 5, know how powerful an agent of propaganda the mother is for the specialness of the child. This is the kind of child that loves to hear its mother on the phone saying “I couldn’t; she did. I couldn’t do this and Jane just came in and she just did the whole thing and it was really incredible.” And little Jane is up in her room going “Hey, that’s cool.” Or your next door neighbor comes over and they’re whining about that they have a problem and they say, “Oh, Johnny knows how to do that. Johnny, Johnny, could you go over and help Mr. Smith, blah blah blah.” Oh they love that. And they go over on their own and say “You want my special gift now, do you?” And they get such a reward because they can do it. The reward is the recognition “Hey, you’re good. That’s great. Thank you, blah blah blah.” This is how you get rid of their selfishness. It’s not enough within the household to say “I can’t; can you?” Not only do you have to be a mother that debases herself in front of her children, but she’s got to do it in public. She’s got to tell other people “I couldn’t, but she could.”

And of course, this is magic for the 5th line child. It’s going to take a Human Design mother to be able to do that, because it’s quite a thing to do that. It’s not a natural thing. It isn’t. We all know that. That’s not a natural thing. Yet, at the same time to really understand that—again in my description it’s not about that you have to take this to some extreme. It’s about recognizing that these children need to have universal praise as an instrument for them to recognize that their worth is universal. It’s not just in the little families. It’s not a 4th line theme, after all. It’s a 5th line theme.

So, there is this need to get that out. There is this need to be able to tell the other and make sure the child knows this. To be able to involve the child in understanding that this gift that it has, that it can be called upon to deliver that there are others that are going to be interested in this gift.

And of course, as you see your children develop, your 5th line children, you’re going to see that by the time they end their first Saturn quarter, about the time they’re 7 1⁄2 to 8 years old, that they start to develop specific interest in certain things in which they do have the potential of specialness. You need to encourage it. You need to encourage whatever it is, even if it’s something that’s only going to be temporary. Remember, they’re open to transpersonal karma, they may get turned on to very odd things. But the thing is let them develop that and then let everybody else know, sort of. Be their agent. “Oh, Jamie is doing painting classes,” or God knows what. “Oh you should see it, it’s wonderful. She could do one for you,” and on and on and on and on….

Remember, the Awareness Resonance is about the intellectual tools, the intelligence tools. It’s something to be clear about that no 5th line is going to develop the discipline they need in life unless they feel strength in their specialness, whatever it is. There is never going to be discipline brought to them.

I have been in my life the most undisciplined human being. I have broken so many rules and laws and you name it; so undisciplined. And now since 1987 I have been so disciplined in my specialness; so disciplined.

It’s one of the things to understand about the 5th line in its nature is that discipline only comes when they’re identified with their specialness. And that’s something that can be nurtured in the young. And when you don’t have that you just have rebellion, because every 5 coming into the world knows that the only reason they’re getting projection is that everybody else is an idiot and useless.

Just like their mother who says “I can’t; can you?” Every 5 know that. Every 5 knows that humanity should be really redesigned, revamped, new models, fix the whole show. So, it’s one of the things to understand that the rebellion is natural. So, if you’re a mother and you’re not going to pay attention specialness of your 5, you’re going to have rebellion on your hands. It would have been a lot easier for my parents to have seen that I was special and done that number with me—I can’t; can you? — than do have dealt with my rebellion which was not nice to deal with; messy, messy, messy, messy, lots of problems, lots of anxiety, lots of everything, because that’s what you get.

So, it’s one of those things to understand when it comes to this theme of Discipline/Rebellion in most cases you’re only dealing with rebellion because the discipline can only emerge when there is a sense of specialness. That draws out the discipline and removes the rebellion.”

Ra was not the most clear communicators out there, but how potent is his message here? If you are a 5th line person, OWNING your specialness, leaning into it for strength and confidence, this is what will give you confidence, this is what will make you magnetic. And yes maybe you were not nurtured to this, but look at Ra’s story – he admits how all over the place he was, despite his natural inteligence, but when the Human Design System came to him – his speacialness through it – he focused on ditributing it and discovered such discipline, he had never had before with anythign else. And through distributing the specialness into the collective (sharing with others) he received recognition – which is the gift, the sweetest reward for any 5th line person.

So what is your specialness? 

And here the most important thing is to really master following your Type’s strategy and specifically Authority. This will help discover or recognise your specialness and if you are actually hoarding or distributing it, It will help pass by the most harmful situations and find the opportunities where your incredible potential to impact the world can be made without damage.

And – just as a mentioned before, it is so vital to manage your reputation and to build the good solid brand presence for a 5/1. You never know who will offer the opportunity for you to fulfil their purpose – so focus on getting visible and getting in front of strangers! You may not be as successful with the people close to you and familiar to you as they are with people they know less well. This should be your main focus in your marketing – growing your reach and showing up in an authoritative way, fully owning that leadership energy that precedes you.

We can explore more inside your personalised Marketing Blueprint By Design™ – click here to find out more.