Winter is Flirting: When the Body Says Yes, a Morning Cup of Chai, and My Obsession with Human Design
Article Published for The Creative Woman Diaries Collection, Written by Casey Balon
Photo by Edward Eyer
Welcome to The Creative Woman Diaries.
Winter is flirting with us here in Saskatchewan, and I can’t help but use the elegance of this morning to dive deeper into a low-key obsession I have had for the past three years — the language of Human Design.
Photo by Valerie Blanchett
Her flirtations catch my gaze:
marble bookends and other beautiful keepsakes.
The vibrant tone of classical music playing in the background, the sweet scent of the chai latte (fresh off the stove) sitting beside my computer, the tempting whisper of Kathrine May’s Enchantment resting on the corner of my maple writing desk (the desk I thrifted for $112 at Village Green).
Just as I redirect my gaze from the books back to the screen, the other books begin to whisper too — Communion by Bell hooks, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, Sundays in Paris, The Alchemist, Kitchen Confidential, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, and The Artist’s Way Every Day. A few of the stories I keep neatly tucked between the pair of marble bookends my brother gifted me for Christmas several years ago.
Polish your candle holder, and wrestle with the weighty questions about home & belonging:
a sprinkle of daily guidance.
Today is October 24th, a bit of an introspective and creative day. The astrological clock has just entered Scorpio season. My birth chart app suggests its time for me to hunker down with my weighted blanket and favourite cup of tea. I have transported both with me into my office this morning.
The daily guidance section in the app begins mildly before diving into deeper waters:
“Polish the candle holder on your ancestral altar. Commit to a regular bedtime routine. And if you’ve been wrestling with weighty questions about home and belonging, schedule a date with your journal or your wisest friend.”
The caverns of my psyche, the contours of my heart:
processing in the midst of the night.
Unexpectedly, I begin contemplating my dreams from the night before. They come pouring in, not quite haunting me, but ruffling my psychological feathers just enough to encourage me to take a deeper look. I open the drawer to my right, pull out the coral Post-it pad, and write myself a note to remember, “Process and journal on last night’s dream.” I close the drawer and continue writing.
I remember how I woke shortly after 4am; my dog Ace (who is about to turn seven in four days) crawled up beside me and snuggled in tight, as if knowing I would require comfort and support to process a few things in the midst of the night.
The first snowfall comes, the air of autumn still lingers:
it’s a game, really.
Our pups have been very active during my writing session this morning. The first snowfall came last night. They’ve been back and forth, in and out of the backyard, playing yet not quite sure what to make of the change in seasons — the air of the autumn still lingers, while the beauty of wintertime gently flirts with us. They run in and out of my office, chasing the sunbeams dancing across the carpet as I type.
It’s a game, really.
And the classical music keeps playing in the background.
When I reach 411 words, Uno, my other one-hundred-pound pup, rests her chin on my right leg, almost in a request. I took them each on their own walk yesterday; hers was quite late (in the dark around 8:45). Despite evidence to the contrary, I hold a sentiment of hope that she feels a little less restless today because of it.
Photo by Uby Yanes
The craving to write is unlike any other craving:
the intrigue of such a symbiotic relationship.
I’ve been craving to write lately — like deeply write. The ideas have been swirling; I almost can’t contain them, but they are still in a way, contained in a way. Each beckoning me to dance with them.
This is where the element of choice comes in. When multiple avenues feel exciting, I get to pause, feel into, and use my visceral experience (and emotional discernment) to make a choice to dance with the ones I choose.
Human Design. That is what I most desire to write about this morning. It is, after all, the methodology I used to make the aforementioned choice. (What an intriguing turn of events.)
Photo by Joshua Rondeau
Emotional authority, and the nuances of when my body says yes:
spilling the tea.
I first discovered Human Design a few years ago (perhaps 2019?); in 2022, I began a six-month business mentorship experience with a Human Design guide.
Over tea a few weeks ago, my friend asked me if I offered Human Design readings. I remember feeling an internal ‘yes’ indicating that is an activity I would enjoy, but offered a quick “it’s not something I want to want to do.”
It was a yes, and I was using my mind to fight against the current.
Life was offering me an invitation to ‘respond to’ (‘responding to’ life is the way my Human Design strategy is explained), and my emotional authority was giving me the subtle sweetness of excitement to support my desire to serve in this way. This sensation stabilized over the course of a few days, and I continued to wonder how I would most like to listen to this nudge.
Photo by Susan Wilkinson
When the whisper is getting hard to deny:
a language I could inherently speak.
I dove back into Jenna Zoe’s recent book, “human design – the revolutionary system that shows you who you came here to be”, to read about my strategy and authority. Her book, her app, and another paperback a mentor recommended to me in 2022 are resources I access several times each week.
It was becoming hard to deny — I was fully enveloped by my design and the designs of all the people in my life. It felt like a language I could inherently speak. It wasn’t challenging or forceful to understand. It fully felt true (and of devotional service) in my bones, and in my body.
Photo by Joshua Rondeau
When familiarity breeds contempt:
the creative potency and underbelly of Gate 1.
I didn’t want to hop on the bandwagon because it seemed like everyone else was doing it, and I don’t love doing “what everyone else is doing” when it comes to career and creative expression. The funny thing about this quality is: You can see it in my Human Design chart itself, as well as my Western astrology chart. It’s called Gate 1 in Human Design, the gift to create new things (“newness and originality” sourced from creative genius).
Zoe describes it like this: “You’re a highly individual, independent person who needs to regularly feel like they’re coming up with something new, or contributing to new things, to feel truly alive and happy.”
The underbelly of Gate 1 is that, on occasion, those with that gift may lean towards being a rebel without a cause, or try to be contrarian without a need to be contrarian. Those with this gift are intended to ride the death and rebirth cycle of creation, understanding that going deeply inward is a part of the process.
I could trust the wave of my emotional experience. It was safe, and the deepest parts of my body knew it.
Photo by Laura Landers
Getting to the root of the inclination:
I decided to dive into a deeper inquiry.
As a self-proclaimed Ravenclaw, learning has always been such a delight; figuring out how to do it in a way that is truly supportive and aligned with me has, historically, been another story.
I took myself through a series of four questions, focusing on my bodily response and emotional authority:
1) Do I truly desire to take the coursework and study to become an HD reader, OR do I prefer to dive deeper into integrating specific concepts of my own chart into my own life? (This gave me a clearer picture of which avenue felt the most exciting for me.)
2) Would becoming a Human Design guide be of deepest support to the people in our community? (What are some intriguing and innovative ways I could weave this into our current body of work?)
3) Is taking the Human Design courses something I want to commit to right now, OR are there other areas of focus in my career that feel more alive and important to me, my family, and the company in this season? (What would be most fulfilling to prioritize and devote to during Q4 of the year?)
4) How could I have the most fun with this area of study right now? How could I liberate myself from the way I think I should do it so I can free myself up to do it in the most optimal way for me, my family, and the bigger mission that is carrying me in this season?
Sparking passion through the illumination of life themes:
best believe i’m still bejeweled.
Not thirty seconds later, I found myself refamiliarizing myself with my “life theme” – that of the Right Angle Cross of Contagion 3, which expresses a particular flavour of alignment (including skills, my specific essence, relating, work, and expression). From this lens, my purpose is to be someone who shares what I am currently ignited by to “spark passion and interest in others”, also known as the ‘natural enthusiast’.
Jenna Zoe’s book illuminates further:
You’re here to spread the word about whatever you are excited about. It’s not just the subject you are talking about that people benefit from, but the injection of positivity you offer as you speak. In order for that to happen, you have to make sure you are following what excites you, rather than what you think others want to hear, or what is cool or good or right. Share whatever your body and self are passionate about today in this moment. That’s your secret sauce to success. Keep spreading whatever you’re into, and don’t question it.
Well then, if that isn’t the biggest piece of confirmation, then I don’t know what is.
— Written by Casey Balon, Editor-in-Chief of Casey Jacque
Let’s Connect: Instagram @iamcaseybalon, e-mail casey@caseyjacque.com
Photo by Nicole Romanoff
