the design of a civil rights leader
A new perspective on Dr, The Reverend, Martin Luther King Jr's Human Design Bodygraph Chart
One of the most influential civil rights and equality leaders of our time, Martin Luther King Jr's human design chart holds a wealth of knowledge of what it means to be a justice-driven leader.
Examining the charts of public figures can help deepen our understanding of the human design system and observe how these elements manifest in real life.
In this article, I'll explore some of the key elements of Martin Luther King's human design chart to uncover what we can learn about leadership, ethics and showing up for our teams and communities.
Let's dive in.
A very brief intro to Dr King
In case you've lived under a rock your entire life, Dr Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968.
Born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia to an educated, middle-class family, Dr King was the third in a line of prestigious Baptist preachers, following in his father and grandfather's footsteps and becoming a minister himself.
He became known as a skilled orator and passionate activist with a charismatic stage presence and a commitment to nonviolent resistance against oppression.
5/1 Profile - The Saviour/Researcher
MLK was a well-educated man. He came from a college-educated family and from childhood obtained a solid education both academically and theologically.
He gained a doctorate from Boston University and it is well documented that he felt that he needed to have a strong foundation for his theological and ethical values - very much a Line 1 sentiment to have. It is perhaps less well-known that Dr King was also well-educated in medicine and law.
Additionally, while MLK was dedicated to service and activism, he became a leader in the civil rights movement when he was asked by other ministers to take on a leadership role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott - a role that nobody else wanted.
Thus MLK was, in true line 5 fashion, called out to lead.
Mercury in the Gate of Wanting
I always found it interesting that MLK's conscious mercury was in Gate 19.5 (Wanting/Sacrifice).
This is literally a gate of "revolution and upheaval when the needs of the community aren't met". This is a gate that is about meeting your (and your community's) fundamental needs - food, water, safety and security, and territory.
With Mercury here it governs his communication, thoughts, ideas and ideals, and short-distance travel.
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK's entire career was about what needs to change to meet the needs of the Black community. He travelled widely throughout the United States and sacrificed much of his own safety for this purpose, rallying Black people and communities to demand justice, equality and change.
Left Angle Cross of Obscuration
Without diving too deeply into this concept, you can think of your human design incarnation cross as your life theme. It's not something that you act on but rather a natural manifestation that comes from you living as your true self.
The incarnation cross comprises the top 4 gates in your human design bodygraph - your personality sun, personality earth and design sun and earth.
MLK's incarnation cross is known as the Left Angle Cross of Obscuration.
"This cross deals with themes of bringing things out of or into obscurity... The 62nd gate communicates perceived truths. The 61st gate seeks to understand the mysterious or unknowable. These two gates alone carry the Obscurity theme, but this Cross is tied together with the 50th gate, which carries the blueprints for ethics and intimacy, and the 3rd gate, which carries the codes for potential new forms of cooperation."
- Brynja Magnusson
With this incarnation cross in his human design, MLK had an amazing ability to communicate universal truths and was a renowned and charismatic orator and writer.
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Concerned with the ethics and values of the community, he used his voice to draw attention to the ways that these values were subverted in society, specifically at the expense of Black communities. He had a talent for communicating how we could create a more ethical, loving and caring society for all people.
"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Interesting side note: another great civil rights and social activist, Nelson Mandela, was also born with this Cross.
Wrap up
As leaders, there is much we can learn from Dr King and the way he led fearlessly, dedicated himself to service and used his voice to advocate for the needs of his community.
We can take these lessons and apply them to our own journeys to becoming more ethical and compassionate leaders.
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