Gate 20 in Human Design and Gene Key 20 gives the gift of presence and the ability to react to the present moment. The Shadow is about living your life based on your mind’s thoughts, but the Gift is about speaking what’s true for you in the moment.
Do you remember when Oprah made Eckhart Tolle’s book, “The Power of Now,” a popular sensation? It’s a book all about staying in the present, and what that can do for you.
When I read it, about 20 years ago, it radically shifted me. I would constantly bring myself back to the present moment and feel my body in space. Or concentrate on exactly what was happening, like feeling my hands wash the dishes.
I listened to it while driving, and it immediately calmed me. The road rage I didn’t even realize I had almost disappeared.
Gene Key 20 is my Life’s Work, or my conscious Sun Gate. It’s an important one in my design, and learning to move from all of the thoughts in my mind to the present moment was a huge shift for me. And according to Gene Key 20, it was the beginning of moving from the Shadow to the Gift.
Lessons from Gate 20
Busy, busy, busy - that’s what we are.
We put our kids in all the best activities from a young age. We drive them from place to place, working while they have practice. We have constant chores in our homes that pull our attention away from anything until they are done. But those chores are never done, so our attention is always in multiple places at once.
When we live the life we’re “supposed” to live, we’re too busy working, cleaning, and planning to feel present. Or to feel like we’re fully engaged in our lives. And this is the Shadow of Superficiality.
Superficiality is listening to the mind and conditioning of society rather than your deeper self. You let the mind run the show. When the mind tells you to do something, you add it to the to-do list.
But the mind never lives in the present moment. It’s ruminating on the past or making plans for the future. If it’s thinking about something happening in the present moment, it’s usually trying to figure out how this situation will affect you in the future.
And because your mind is not in the current moment, you may second guess something you want to do or say. While the energy is there to share an idea, your mind may worry about what others will think, stopping you from sharing. You hold back your authenticity.
Wisdom from Gate 20
On the other hand, at the Gift frequency, you live in the present moment. You trust that if an idea comes to you, it’s meant to be shared. And you move forward with actions that are coming from your authority, not your mind.
The mind will always be there telling you what you should or shouldn’t do or say. Gate 20 Wisdom comes when you start putting your mind in the back seat. It’s not the driver; something else in you carries the wisdom of your soul.
Living from the now gives the Gift of Self-Assurance. You trust yourself and your ideas, and you don’t worry about what others will think or what will happen in the future. You take each present moment after the other. You implicitly trust your ability to handle what is happening now.
It means you can stop worrying about everything.
When you live from this Gift, you understand that life itself has a plan for you. There is something you’re uniquely able to do. When you stop making mental plans or overthinking your end goal, you can follow the current of life. Life will lead you where you’re meant to be, and your mind doesn’t need to plan it.
When an action occurs to you and resonates deep inside, you can do it without stress. But the only way to avoid stress is by not letting your mind interfere. Your authority may give you a definite yes to something, but your mind will want to complicate it. Practice separating mind thoughts from soul-given thoughts, so it’s easier to follow the current of life. You don’t need to fight the flow of life with your mind’s plans.
The more you practice taking action in the present moment, the easier life becomes. You can stop worrying about the future or decisions that need to be made, because you learn to trust that the things that need to happen will happen in the moment they are meant to. Your life becomes synchronistic because everything lines up and happens in almost magical ways.
The confidence you get from knowing it will all turn out in the end gives the Gift of Self-Assurance. You can relax into knowing things will be OK, and you can give up trying to control all of the details around you.
Finding Balance
From personal experience, I think reading “The Power of Now” is a great start for moving from the mind to the present, or from the Shadow to the Gift of this Key. The benefits of this gate happen when you’re living in the moment.
What is it that helps you stay present? Maybe it’s a meditation practice or setting a phone reminder to come back to the now. Take deep breaths and concentrate on exactly what is happening. Where is your body making contact with something - the floor, a chair, your clothes? Feel the sensation of those things against your body, and you’re living in the present moment, rather than thinking about something that may or may not happen in the future.
Gate 20 is in the Throat, so a lot of what needs to happen in the moment may have to do with your voice and communication. Stop planning what you want to say so that you get it perfect. Practice free speaking your thoughts, and you may find you speak more eloquently than you thought.
There is no need to filter what you’re thinking for others. People will see that you’re authentic, and it will help them be more authentic with you, too. Using the gift of living in the present moment will help you connect more deeply with others.
Mind - Gate 20 and Focus
When your mind feels busy and is jumping from thing to thing, notice what you’re thinking about. It’s most likely something that happened in the past, or you’re planning the future. But the only moment that exists is right now.
I did a meditation on Insight Timer that allowed me to stop my mind for the first time. It felt amazing, and I started chasing that feeling. In the meditation, she has you look at a black screen, and when you have a thought, you see it on the black screen. That process really worked for me, and pretty soon my mind was the black screen.
When you have an experience of turning off the mind, you start to realize
- How good it feels not to have the mind directing your life
- How many thoughts you have that are unnecessary!
Our intention creates our life. Try the meditation that worked for me. Try other things that appeal to you. Give yourself moments when you aren’t constantly thinking, and then your intention will be to slow the mind because you know it feels so much better in the now.
The mind loves to think about the past and future. But the gift of Gate 20 is living in the present moment. Try cultivating a present moment practice to help bring you back to the now.
Body - Gate 20 and Health
Many of our health issues occur from not listening to our bodies. We decide on a meal plan that leaves us depleted. Or a workout plan that leaves us stressed or burnt out.
Or we’re so emotionally exhausted that the only food we want to eat is chocolate cake.
Another benefit of living in the present moment is that you can listen to what your body needs. Do you need rest? A salad? Or maybe that piece of dark chocolate is calling your name.
Our bodies know what they need, but we have become so disconnected from them. We think we need to follow what that person on Instagram did, or what our trainer at the gym recommends. But no one knows what you need better than you do.
When you slow your mind down and stop thinking about what you should do, what your body wants is likely a lot less complicated than your mind thinks it should be. When I’ve talked to Inner Voices about this, they usually want fresh food and to dance or do something fun.
Health doesn’t have to be elusive and difficult to achieve. Stay in the now moment and listen to your body.
Spirit - Gate 20 and Your Life Purpose
For me, Gemini season is one of the most difficult times of the year to calm my mind. I watch my mind jump from thing to thing, topic to topic.
So it’s fitting that the purpose of Gate 20, which is the beginning of Gemini season, is to live fully in the now moment. What we’re meant to do in the world is often our biggest lesson. So moving from one of the busiest minds in the Zodiac to living fully in the moment is a huge challenge for someone with Gate 20. But it’s also very rewarding.
Our mind focuses on us as an individual. We assign ourselves tasks to help advance our lives and meet our goals. But when we live in the now, we’re present to the consciousness that exists inside all of us. And we become a part of the collective.
You’re meant to live your life in the present moment.
Gate 20 and Parenting
As parents, we want our children to succeed and be successful adults. We constantly consider what we can do or say to help them in their future.
“We can help him become the best baseball player so he can get a scholarship and play in college!”
“If we go to this high school, he’s far more likely to get into a good school.”
We’re projecting our thoughts and dreams on our kids. But according to Gate 20, the best thing to do is be with your kids now. Listen to them, be fully engaged in your conversations with them, and help them moment by moment when things come up.
It seems counterintuitive, because how will they succeed if they don’t have anyone helping them plan their future? But they will become a more present, confident, and successful person with a present parent. And so opportunities will fall in their lap instead of needing to plan for them for years.
When it comes to your kids, you don’t need to plan ahead. Stay in the moment. What can you do for them now?
Gates and Centers
Gate 20 is located in the Throat Center. The Throat Center gives us our communication style and helps us manifest what we want in life. From the perspective of the 20, that comes from living our lives and communicating from the present moment.
Channel 20-10: Integrity
Channel Type: Projected
Circuitry: Integration
Centers: Connects Gate 20 in the Throat with Gate 10 in the Identity Center
Gate 20 gives the gift of staying in the now, while having Gate 10 means you know who you are. Together, this channel allows you to speak your truth.
However, this is a projected channel, which means this skill will work best when you’re invited to share. If you’re constantly speaking your truth and it’s not landing with people, it might mean that you’re not expressing yourself at the right time.
And since you’re expressing who you truly are, any criticism of what you say may feel especially personal. An attack of what you say feels like an attack on who you are. But know that not everyone will feel the same way as you, and that’s OK.
If you have this channel, it’s especially important to surround yourself with people you respect who make you feel safe to share your truth.
If you have Gate 20 but not Gate 10, you may be living in the present moment, but you question whether your thoughts and ideas are truly yours. It will help to surround yourself with people who can be their unique selves, so you can more easily do the same.
Channel 20-34: Charisma
Channel Type: Manifesting Generated
Circuitry: Integration
Centers: Connects Gate 20 in the Throat Center with Gate 34 in the Sacral Center
Gate 20 connects you to the current moment, while Gate 34 gives you the energy to do the things that excite you. Together, this channel makes you shine when you’re doing things you love. You may thrive with time alone to do what you want.
You also likely have a lot of energy. You may want to stay busy because of all the energy flowing through you, but make sure you’re doing the things you want to be doing. Otherwise, you may end up doing things just so you don’t get bored.
Channel 20-34 is the only manifesting-generated channel in Human Design. That means that every person with this channel is a Manifesting Generator. (However, not all Manifesting Generators have this channel.)
Fun fact, if you want to think about how Human Design works: All people born between May 20 and May 26, and November 22 and November 27 are Manifesting Generators because of this channel. The 20 and 34 are opposite each other on the wheel and also form a channel. When the sun is in one of the gates, the Earth is in the other, so both gates are activated during these dates.
If you have Gate 20 but not Gate 34, you may find there are many things you want to do in the moment, but you may not have the sustained energy to do them. Don’t burn yourself out trying to do more than you can at any moment, and it may benefit you to work with people who have the energy to make things happen so you can participate, but not do all of the work yourself.
Channel 20-57: Spontaneity
Channel Type: Projected
Circuitry: Knowing
Centers: Connects Gate 20 in the Throat Center with Gate 57 in the Spleen
Gate 20 helps you stay present, while Gate 57 gives you the gift of intuition and knowing what’s good for you in the moment. Together, the Channel of Spontaneity gives the gift of sharing your intuitive knowings. You can easily see what is happening at a deeper level and understand the dynamics of a situation before others.
The 20-57 Channel is another projected channel, so if you share your intuitive knowledge without being asked or before people are ready to hear it, you may be dismissed or ignored. It may make you feel misunderstood.
One of the best uses of this channel is knowing what to do in a crisis. Your intuition tells you what needs to happen, while Gate 20 helps you stay in the moment and express it. In a crisis, it’s easier to let go of the mind and stay fully in the now.
If you have Gate 20 but not Gate 57, you may feel the need to share your knowings in the moment, but you’re still unsure what to do. Don’t force the ideas about what comes next. When it’s ready for you, you will know the next step to act upon.
What is the Difference Between Human Design Gates and Gene Keys?
Human Design gates and Gene Keys come from the same energy and placements in your chart. Human Design focuses on channels and which energy centers are defined or undefined, revealing how our energy flows and how we’re meant to use it.
Gene Keys add a spiritual lesson on top of that. In Gene Keys, we flow from the Shadow to the Siddhi through the Gift. As we evolve as humans, how we portray each Gene Key changes as our frequency changes. Based on the current density of Earth, we’re all more likely to show the Shadow side. And if you’re an enlightened being, you will show the Siddhi. As you move from the Shadow to the Siddhi, you will show the Gift.
How to Interpret a Gene Key and Human Design Profile
The quickest way to understand what your profile says about you is through a reading. I love to mix astrology, Human Design, and Gene Keys into my readings, which I have found to give the best explanation of a person’s gifts, shadows, and life purpose.
If you’re not ready to do a reading, you can go through the gates of your Human Design profile and understand those energies. Those are the archetypes that are influencing your life. And you’ll likely see them more and more as you learn what is affecting you.
Knowing that Gene Key 20 and staying in the present moment are big lessons in my chart, after writing this, I’ve decided to reread “The Power of Now.”
Staying in the present moment is good for everyone, but especially for people with very strong minds. If you’re constantly thinking about everything, consider reading Eckhart Tolle’s book along with me.
The more we catch our minds thinking thoughts that aren’t helping our lives, the better our lives become.
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