In Human Design there are 20 Gates of Fear.

Fear is not our enemy; in Human Design Fear gates are alarm systems that are set up in our body responding to certain internal or external changes (and sometimes- lack of change).

When fear hits us- we are contracted and reactive. When we bring awareness to our fears we take back control- not over the world, but over our own understanding of the world; leading us to choose how we act consciously.

Human Design 3 types of Fear Gates:

• Survival Fears - originating from the gates of our Spleen Center, with the purpose of keeping us alive and healthy.
• Emotional Fears - originating from the Solar Plexus, teaching us vulnerability, empathy, and intimacy.
• Mental Fears - originating from the Ajna Center, leading us to question knowledge, logic, and belief.

What are my Fear Gates?

Have a look at your Human Design Bodygraph (you can generate your chart here for FREE), and look into your Spleen, Solar Plexus, and Ajna Centers. In order to make your list of Fears - It matters not if that center is defined or not, what matters is if the gates there are defined or not. (defined gate= circled in black).

After making your list of Human Design Fear Gates and reading their meaning- you might feel as if you have a fear that isn't on that list.

There are several reasons why that might be the case:

• This gate, that feels would be an obvious fear, is actually relating to your Genetic Trauma, or other traumas in your Human Design bodygraph (discover more about trauma & Human design HERE)
• This gate, the one that feels like it's describing your fear- is an open gate that was influenced by growing up or being around people with that fear gate in full blown activation.
• This gate that you don't have is located inside an undefined center, meaning- you do not have constant access to that center's power, and therefore taking on fears that are not yours.

Enjoy reading more about the fear gates we have in our Human Design; feel free to journal about them, or contemplate on their affect on your life, or the lives of those you love. And if you feel ready to take these fears head-on and might need some assistance- scroll down to find the Fear Gates journey, a guided PDF covering much more information about each of the 20 Fear Gates, with notes on how to better spot them, and journaling questions to help bring true awareness into these fears & take control over them!

Splenic Fears

The Spleen is your moment-to-moment intuitive awareness — it keeps you alive.

Its fears are instantaneous body alerts: “Is this safe? Is this healthy? Will this help me survive?”

These fears come as whispers of instinct, and they disappear as quickly as they come.

They’re not meant to linger or loop mentally.

When your Spleen is Defined- these fear will show up quick, hitting you like an instinct, however- they can be easily transformed into a calmer sense of alertness - "I know this fear is here, I will pay attention to it when the time is right". The defined spleen might also cause you to ignore your fears, or "feel fine" about living with them, and people around you will probably not realize you're afraid at all.

When the Spleen is Open- you absorb and amplify other people's fears. Fear might feel very confusing, and linger longer as it takes you times to realize where this fear originated from. When your fear gates are active you might hang on to people, places, or situations that are not healthy for you - simply cause they feel familiar, and therefore- safe.

List of Splenic Fear Gates:

Gate 18 - Fear of Authority - being afraid of criticism or condemnation, that might cause you to be overly critical of yourself or of others. Seeking, and at the same time trying to avoid, an authority figure.

Gate 28 - fear of Death - being afraid of meeting your end after living a meaningless life. This is a fear that constantly tells you- you have to find something meaningful in your life, something worth dying for.

Gate 32- fear of Failure - you are so afraid to fail that you find creative ways to NOT do the thing that might fail. For that reason, I often refer to gate 32 as "The Gate of Procrastination".

Gate 44 - Fear of the Past - or to be more accurate "fear of the past repeating itself". As a Splenic Fear- this fear of the past is often related to something material in nature: loss of possession, loss of employment, or even being homeless, or not having enough money for food or medical care.

Gate 48 - Fear of Inadequacy - you're afraid that you haven't dug "deep enough" into a topic, or that others will perceive you as someone without inner depth- and therefore not listen to you or protect you.

Gate 50 - Fear of Responsibility - a fear that you'll fail people that are under your supervision or care that leads you to either take on too much responsibility- or avoid it all together.

Gate 57 - Fear of Tomorrow - a fear that might also be phrased as Fear of the Unknown. This fear can lead one to spend every day dreading of the next, afraid to end a day, afraid that tomorrow might bring change you didn't see coming, and often framing change as danger in your mind.

Emotional Fears

The fears that are hidden within the gates of our Solar Plexus are emotional, and are often called "relational fears" - as these are fears that are triggered in the context of other people. Will they love me? Will they accept me? These fears, triggered by relationships, conflicts, or past traumas, are either ones that would manifest externally as people pleasing, or internally- as hiding one's true self from the world.

When your Solar Plexus is Defined - your Human Design Authority is Emotional, and therefore you go through emotional waves. Fears will rise and fall along with the phase of the wave you're currently on. This are often fears of being too much, hurting others, or worse- losing them. On the lows and highs of your emotional wave you can appear to be "too emotional" or completely detached.

When your Solar Plexus is Open - you are taking on other people's fears in relationship & love, often amplifying them. You might find yourself avoiding any conflict, walking on eggshells, or trying to calm down everyone else- in order to calm yourself. These fears can cause "emotional waves" that are not real, not your authority, and not something your body knows how to deal with, and so- cause physical feelings of stress.

List of Emotional Fear Gates:

Gate 6 - Fear of Intimacy - while sounding pretty much self-explanatory, this fear is not just about being close and emotionally honest with other people, but also the fear of being emotionally honest with yourself.

Gate 22 - Fear of Silence - a deep fear that no one will listen to you, hear your pain, understand the depth of your emotions. might cause you to speak louder, emphasize pain, or not speak about your feelings all together. This fear might also cause you to not want to listen to other people.

This fear is also often referred to as Fear of Rejection.

(Note- if you FEEL this fear without having this gate- check to see if you have line 4 in your Design Mars, as that is the Genetic Trauma of Rejection).

Gate 30 - Fear of Destiny - could also be called the fear of fate, or of fatality. This is a fear that relates to your emotional plans- causing you to fear never seeing them come to life- because "Fate got in the way".

Gate 36 - Fear of Inconsistency - also called the Fear of Inadequate Experience, this fear has 2 faces- the first is afraid that a deep emotional connection will not last, the second is afraid that there are no more meaningful emotional experiences waiting for you.

Gate 37 - Fear of Supporting - weird name, I know. The better way to phrase it, perhaps, would be fear of being rejected by your community. This is the fear that people won't feel supported by you enough, or that you won't get enough support from your community, family, or partner.

Gate 49 - Fear of My Nature - in simple words- being afraid that who you are is simply not enough. It is the fear of uselessness, that people will "realize" that you have nothing to offer them, or that you're not strong enough to emotionally support them.

Gate 55 - Fear of Emptiness - this is the fear of losing one's spirit. This fear makes you long for someone to come into your life and awaken your spirit, and at the same time- afraid that this person will leave. It's the fear that you can never be enough for yourself without others.

Mental Fears

These are the fears that are located in our Ajna center.

The Ajna processes conceptual awareness — it’s where we make sense of the world.

Its fears are mental loops — “What if I’m wrong? What if I can’t explain it? What if the future is uncertain?”

These are not survival or emotional fears — they are thinking fears.

When your Ajna is Defined - you have consistent thought patterns and perspectives. Fear shows up as mental fixation — trying to solve what can’t be solved yet. You may cling to certainty or analysis to avoid feeling fear. But, when balanced, you bring clarity and understanding without over-identifying with your thoughts.

When your Ajna is Open - you’re a mental empath — you absorb others’ ideas, opinions, and worries.

Fear can feel like mental noise, confusion, or anxiety about choosing “the right belief.” You may shape-shift intellectually to match your environment. Around people with a clear, calm mind, your thoughts settle and you feel brave and open-minded. Around rigid or anxious thinkers, your fear can amplify — feeling pressured to know or be certain.

List of Mental Fear Gates:

Gate 4 - Fear of Chaos - You experience inner restlessness and constant thoughts that there will never be order in your life. Constantly trying to rationally explain to yourself how to proceed.

Gate 11 - Fear of the Dark - Metaphorical and literal fear of darkness. This can be seen in children as a strong fear of dark places, and in the psychological sense- this is the fear of unknowing what is known to others, you've been "kept in the dark" on a topic.

Gate 17 - Fear of Being Challenged - You are afraid that your opinions will be challenged, so you do not express them, or you express them in a way that will overpower others. This fear makes you constantly search for facts that will support your point of view because you feel insecure.

Gate 24 - Fear of Ignorance - The fear that if you do not find answers to your important inner questions, you will not understand what the truth is. Fear that you will not be able to know the truth. Could also be a fear that others are too ignorant to see what you see clearly.

Gate 43 - Fear of Mental Rejection - Unlike the fear of rejection from Gate 22, this fear is about being rejected for one's ideas. This fear steams from the need to be understood by others.

Gate 47 - Fear of Uselessness - This is not always about YOU being useless for the people around you, but mostly manifests as the constant thought that "nothing makes sense"; everything is in vain. There's a desire to find answers, but fear that these answers will never feel truly satisfying.

You can learn more about the meaning & shadow of each of these gates in the full 64 Gates list, or scroll below and take a tour inside your biggest fears; learning to turn a fear into awareness is crucial for one's health, relationships & prosperity.