Exploring Gate 44 in Human Design: The Gate of Alertness

Human Design
Written By Jahje Ives

Art and Words by Jahje Ives. See this art and more on Instagram @jahjeives.

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Exploring Gate 44 in Human Design: The Gate of Alertness

Your intuitive alertness to patterns of the past helps you to compost your lessons and bloom.


This is the energy of Gate 44, the Gate of Alertness in Human Design, the Gate of Truth in Quantum Human Design™, Coming to Meet in the I-Ching, and in the Gene Keys it is the shadow of Interference, the gift of Teamwork, and the siddhi of Synarchy.

Gate 44 connects us with our past experiences and taps into our instinctive knowing of what patterns need to shift, so we can compost what we have learned to create our future. 

This is one of the 64 Gates in the landscape of the Human Design system where each Gate in the chart serves a unique role, influencing our traits, behaviors, and interactions with the world. Knowing the full story of Gates can provide powerful guidance for personal growth and self-discovery.

The position of the Planets at the moment of your birth determines whether a Gate is defined (colored in) or undefined (not colored in) in your Chart. ⁠

If a Planet was in a Gate when you were born, you will have that Gate defined. Having a Gate defined means this is an energy you experience consistently as a theme that is part of your life curriculum.

If a Gate is undefined you will still experience the themes of a Gate but it will often be in relationship with others or when a Planet is transiting this gate (as Planetary transits activate the energy of a Gate within all of our charts). 

Do you have Gate 44 defined in your chart? Get your free chart here and find out.

Ready to dive deeper? Let’s begin…


Embracing the Gifts

Situated in the Spleen Center, Gate 44, the Gate of Alertness offers powerful gifts of intuition and ancestral wisdom, enabling you to navigate life with a deep understanding of patterns and timing. When we tune into the gifts of Gate 44 we can learn from our past experiences and grow to trust ourselves more and more.

Instinctual Wisdom… Gate 44 holds the gift of instinctual memory. This means you have an innate ability to remember patterns and use this wisdom to make quick, informed decisions.

Clairolfactant Intuition… We’ve all heard the saying something “smells off” and that is a gift that lives within Gate 44. This gate has a strong connection to instinctual memory and the ability to recognize patterns which can be experienced as heightened intuition that can feel almost clairvoyant. This intuition helps in recognizing opportunities and dangers before they fully manifest. Some individuals might pick up on the emotional state of others through scent, even when there is no apparent source for the smell. So if you have this gate and something “smells off”, trust your nose, it knows.

Ancestral Wisdom… This gate also taps into collective and ancestral memory, allowing you to draw on deep-rooted wisdom. This connection can guide you in making decisions that not only benefit you but also honor your heritage.

Pattern Recognition… One of the most significant gifts of Gate 44 is the ability to recognize patterns. This intuitive skill allows you to anticipate outcomes based on past experiences, making you adept at predicting trends or behaviors. This gift can make you a strategic thinker, someone who can plan effectively for future scenarios based on what has been learned from the past.




Navigating the Shadows

Gate 44, The Gate of Alertness, is tied to intuition, survival instincts, and our connection to past experiences. In the I-Ching it is known as “Coming to Meet”, which perfectly represents the energy that comes from recognizing patterns and preparing for what’s ahead. Understanding the dynamics of Gate 44 can help you fully harness the energy of Gate 44 to create a life that honors both your past and your future.

Fear of Repeating the Past… One of the biggest challenges for those with Gate 44 can be the fear of repeating past mistakes. This fear can lead to hesitation or avoidance, preventing you from taking necessary risks. The trick is to look at the past, appreciate all you have learned from it and then come back to your present and remind yourself that your past does not determine your future. Every breath is a chance to begin again… and with all you have learned from your past, chances are the future is going to be so much better. So take a deep breath… and step forward.

Over-Reliance on Past Patterns… While the ability to see patterns is a gift, it can also be a challenge if you become too reliant on the past. This can lead to a resistance to change or innovation, causing you to miss out on new opportunities.

Anxiety and Distrust… The instinctual energy of Gate 44 can sometimes manifest as anxiety, leading to distrust of others or the future. This can create a barrier to forming healthy relationships or seizing new opportunities.

Difficulty Letting Go… The deep connection to the past can also make it challenging to let go of old grudges, mistakes, or relationships. This attachment can weigh heavily on your present and future, keeping you stuck in old patterns. Someone with Gate 44 might struggle to forgive a past betrayal, carrying that burden into new relationships.




Finding Balance

“Gate 44 is the gate of memory; it remembers the patterns for living that have successfully provided for our material needs.”  as Lynda Bunnell shares in the Definitive book of Human Design: the Science of Differentiation.

It also remembers the patterns that have been unsuccessful and if you don’t use that information to move forward you can get stuck in the past. 

I have Gate 44 in my own chart on both sides of Uranus which is the planet that is tasked as our faith teacher and where we can expect the unexpected. It also plays the role of what we are here to awaken others to… and I definitely find this to be true with Gate 44. 

I am often learning from my past experiences and sharing them (like right now) with anyone who needs to hear the lesson in the pain.

Because let me be clear that pain can live in these lessons… but it’s a pain that we can transmute into power.

Or as I like to remind myself when I’m going through a rather painful lesson: 

growth requires discomfort.  



The challenge with Gate 44 is that sometimes people with this energy can become so fixated on the past that they refuse to move forward. They stay tucked away in their reimaginings of what happened and don’t move forward to see how it helped them grow. 

My partner Joe also has this gate and is the model for this illustration. I have found that if I get stuck in rumination about what happened in the past and share them with him, he will often give me the perspective I need to get moving forward.

Joe also has the Gate 26 which is where the willpower to act on the awareness that you receive from Gate 44 lives. So it makes perfect sense that he can help will me out of my “stinking thinking” that has me stuck in the muck of the past.



Together Gate 44 and 26 form the Channel of Surrender which is about learning from the (painful) lessons of the past to create new opportunities and resources to transform the world for us all.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

That is the gift of Alertness, you learn from the past and share what you have found to transform the world for us all.



Are you ready to activate the power of Gate 44  in your life? 

Here are a few questions to contemplate as you do…



To Contemplate

Whether Gate 44 is defined or undefined in your chart I invite you to contemplate the following to deepen your understanding of how this energy shows up in your life and what you might do to further activate it.

  • In what areas of your life do you find yourself repeating patterns?

  • What steps can you take to break patterns if they no longer serve you?

  • What stories do you need to revisit and reframe from your past to empower yourself? 

  • How do you distinguish between instinctual wisdom vs. unresolved fear from experiences so your actions are rooted in clarity not trauma?

  • What has your past taught you that you can use to move forward and share with others to empower them? 



To Inspire

When I sat in contemplation of Gate 44 these words dropped in, a reminder of the power within this gate.



Your intuitive alertness to patterns of the past

helps you to compost your lessons and bloom.


You smell the truth of what needs to be weeded 

and seeded so the garden will thrive.

Let what you have learned 

transform pain into power and purpose

watered by the heart of your experiences.

Keynotes

Traditional Human Design: Alertness

Quantum Human Design™: Truth

Gene Keys: Interference / Teamwork / Synarchy

I-Ching: Coming to Meet

Circuitry: Tribal - Ego

Center: Spleen (Connects to Gate 26 in the Will Center)

Astrology: Scorpio

There is so much more where this came from…

If you loved this post and want to dive deeper into understanding the landscape of your Human Design, Book a human design reading to learn more about how this gate specifically activates in your life and more.

Jahje Ives
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