Hagen Artley

“I always like a big picture context, so let me start there. In many ways, Regenerative Human Design started as a response to our global economic environment. Our economic systems are built on certain principles for dealing with scarcity, and much of what I was taught in business school didn’t feel right to me. Looking for better principles to live by, I became interested in regenerative practices. 

A few months before I started the MA in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher, I traveled to explore permaculture and ecovillage building. During my stay in Portugal a local friend invited me to sit down and listen as she introduced me to my Human Design chart for the first time. She recognized and shared things about me that I felt to be deep fundamental truths, things that had never been validated before. It felt like I had been given permission to be myself in the world – with the encouragement that life was going to be ok. I followed the map, and it brought me to Organic Intelligence. 

First I applied the Human Design system at the College, participating in its learning community where we also grew food, cooked and cleaned together. Co-exploring with the friends and peers whom I lived with, I tracked dozens of charts for a period of almost a year, making day-to-day observations. What it revealed to me completely changed my life, my expectations, and my perceptions of the world. After graduation, I continued the experiment with a team of people that I worked with in the Peruvian jungle.

I was (and continue to be) very inspired by Eliane Cohen and the work at Siendo Naturaleza in Peru. We collaborated on educational projects to mend rural poverty cycles and to protect key ecosystems. I learned a vital lesson there: if we want to have any sustainable quality of life collectively, it is essential that we have energy available to nurture and care for others. To sustain that energy to begin with, we must know how to care for ourselves first. Without Human Design, I would not have understood what this meant for me specifically. I would have burnt myself out for noble causes trying to prove myself, and grown resentful over and over again without realizing why. Instead, I was given a blueprint that showed me my limitations and the specific nurturance that I needed in order to be well. It showed me how to make decisions that would be nourishing for me so that I could have the vitality to be of service to others. 

My practice now is to steep in this lesson for myself while I help others figure this out for themselves. I guide people into the recognition of how their unique energy actually works, and then we explore how it can be used more with more ease and enjoyment. 

I spent a long time living on the generosity of friends, family and kind strangers. I bow to you all with gratitude. I was only able to create this unique offering with your support.

Regenerative Human Design is the beginning of me giving back and expressing the spirit of care that has been nurtured in me. It is also where I hope to learn many new things from you as we work together.”