Ep 6: The Projector Energy Type

Sandy: Welcome to Human Design Field Notes. This is where we learn human design in a way that's simple, fun, and actually useful in real life. The kind of thing you can try for yourself, talk about with your girlfriends, and before long, you'll want to know everyone's chart. And I'm not just teaching it, I'm testing it too. I'm rebuilding my coaching business using my own human design and I'll be sharing the field notes as I go. The experiments, the insights, the wins, the mistakes, and probably a few things we can all have a good laugh about. Because human design isn't meant to be stared at on a chart. It's meant to be lived. I'm your host, Sandy Connery. Let's see where this takes us. Welcome to episode six. We're talking about projectors today. So we're continuing our look at all the five different energy types. And in this episode, we're going to talk about what a projector is, what it's like to be in the presence of a projector, how to be in relationship with a projector, how to be in alignment if you are yourself a projector. And at the end, I'm going to also share how not to be seen as a know-it-all if you are a projector. In the population, there are about 22% of us that are projectors. The purpose of our projectors are they are our guides, our seers, our teachers, our leaders. They can deeply see through people and systems and recognize what needs to be fixed. Their purpose is to guide us, to see patterns, to see what other people miss, and get things working better, get things like recognizing patterns and getting us to be as a whole more efficient. So their aura is really interesting. They have it's depicted as like circular but also like comes to like a cone or to a point and that point can be aimed at people and it so it feels very like piercing or penetrating. It's like focused and it absorbs you. it's like they can with this sort of cone on their aura, they can just do do like lock into one person and really read them deeply. It feels I have so many projectors in my life, so I have felt this. it feels like they've like reached inside you and grabbed your soul. They you just feel deeply seen. they are designed to work with or focus on. one system, one problem, one person at a time. So projectors will often feel if they are in an in an environment with a lot of people, a lot of activity, a lot of things going on, that can be extremely draining for them because they're not designed to work in big chaotic environments. They're really good at picking up on subtlety and reading between the lines and they can see such potential in you. So Natural qualities for of a projector are they have a very keen intuition. They deeply understand people and they always have insight and guidance. I think it's always good to have a few projectors in your life. projectors need a lot of rest. They have they don't have the ability to go, go, go. They have more focused, concentrated output, and they tend to be a much more kind of relaxed person than us generators. They really want to be recognized for their opinions, and we'll talk more about that in a second. They are so good at asking questions, and they really do thrive in one-on-one situations because they can feel very seen and very very heard. My sister-in-law is a projector and I actually was with her yesterday and I was with her in the afternoon. And in the morning, I was thinking to myself, nobody asks me about what I'm doing. Like in true generator style. Generators love to be have people around them that are excited about what they're excited about. And I was just thinking, like, now that I've decided I'm you know doing human design and a way I go and I'm starting this podcast. Nobody is asking me about it. Like how is it going? What are you doing? Which is fine. I just was more of like an a of observation like nobody asks me what I do or how how my work is going. And I was with I was with her yesterday and she said, So what are your days look like? And I was just So happy. I felt so seen because I was literally thinking like nobody cares about me or what I'm doing that morning. And here she is. And she's not like, so what are you doing? No, she asked a better question. She said, So what are your days look like? And I was just so happy to describe to her how I've set up my day and and you know what I'm what I'm focusing on. And I just I did, I really felt super seen. by her and she's like looking at me and intent on me and focused on me. Love projectors for that. So their energy is designed to be seen for what they can perceive and refine. Projectors are here to guide the world's energy, not to force it But to guide it. I do want to spend some time talking about projector energy, what their output looks like, how it best works, because burnout is happens most in projectors. So projector energy, one of the mistakes that happens is projectors try to act or work like generators or many gens. There's a over like I think 75% of us are either generators or many gens we have this sacral energy i'm a generator that we that fuel us and allow us to work very hard when it's things we love when projectors are around that type of work they kind of borrow that energy and feel like they have a lot of energy but they don't it's not going to work their energy is really focused and it is high Highly perceptive of the world around them, but it's not unlimited like a generator. So you don't have that regenerating energy to work with. Your energy is going to come in focused bursts of like insight and clarity, and you need to manage it. And that means that you can't work 12 hour days, that you shouldn't be working 12 hour days. That is a recipe straight to burnout. So you are going to work best in short focused sessions rather than multiple 12-hour days. Somebody who is working very focused on a project in alignment is going to be much more productive than a projector who's working a 10-hour day. So the quality of your work, engaging with your work, matters more than the quantity. And again, I just wanna emphasize that you because your sacral center is open and you are most likely, statistically speaking, surrounded by a lot of generators, you are going to absorb that energy and believe that you have more energy than you actually do. Okay, let's talk about projector strategy. So, as I've said in the past couple episodes, I'm gonna repeat myself because this is so, so, so important when you want to like really live your human design. Every energy type has a strategy that will bring in the best opportunities for that person. The strategy when you live it helps you move through life with less resistance and more ease and have better timing with things. It's working with your natural energies we just spoke about and not against it. And so when you come across decisions or new career paths or invitations to do something, opportunities, you better understand how you can interact with that situation. So for a projector, the strategy is wait to be invited. Wait for the invitation, whether that's work or relationships or just expressing your opinion. Wait to be invited. The reason that you want to wait for the invitation is so we want our projectors to end up in situations where people really want to know their insight, that it's genuine, that it's like a correct connection. If you start to force your opinions onto other people without that invite, without that genuine connection, it's exhausting for you, You're gonna work harder to get your voice heard. For someone who doesn't even recognize your value. Your value was never seen in the first place. That's also what can lead to burnout when you're just forcing your ideas. You know all this stuff inside you, and you're probably right, but the person isn't ready to hear it, or the situation isn't ready to receive it. You want to wait for situations where someone is truly wants to hear what you have to say. A situation where that energy is like. welcome and received and and not resisted. So that moves us right into signature theme, which is how you know or how what how you're feeling can indicate when you are in alignment. And for projectors, that is a deep feeling of success. So it means you feel like you're being recognized for your gifts, that you are getting invites into the right opportunities. It's like your emotional signal that you said yes to the right things. And when you hear the word success, people often interpret that as like, I'm getting making a lot of money here, I've got the biggest house. It's not about material things. It's not material success. It's the right people, the right place, the right time. I brought my value, I was asked about it, and it was well received. And that feels very like at the end of the day, you're like, yeah, that was a good day. That was a successful day. The opposite of that is the not signature theme. So that is your sign when things are out of alignment. And for projectors, their sign is the feeling of bitterness. It's a feeling of being not being seen. It's a feeling of being ignored or undervalued or unrecognized for what you actually know. bitterness may appear when you share ideas that weren't wanted or weren't asked for, or when you're working like a generator for super long hours and your energy can't sustain it. You're gonna feel bitter because like I'm working this hard and no one's seeing what I'm doing. Or you're in situations where you are dismissed or ignored, right? Not being recognized, not being seen. You could feel bitter. So those two feelings, feeling of success and the feeling of bitter are your signs like on the right track, not on the right track. And I don't really relate to this this word of bitterness. I don't know that I've felt that personally, not very often. But as I said, I have a lot of projectors around me, basically my entire family. and friends and the couple of the clients are projectors and I have one projector around me who is very studied and he is a teacher and he said I heard him say my parents never ask me my opinion And it's literally what I have studied. This is what I am known for. And my parents have never asked my opinion. And this was before I knew about human design. And I remember listening to that and kind of cocking my head and going, what an interesting statement. I have never ever felt or thought, why is no one asking my opinion? Right? Like that is such a projector thing that he was feeling. Bitter. Like, why are they not seeing me for the expert that I am? And as a generator, my thing is like, why isn't everybody excited for what I'm doing? Right. So generator, so projector. But that's that's the bitterness, is like that sense of like not being recognized. Why is nobody actually asking me? Okay, so let's talk about where projectors get stuck. This is gonna I think we've covered some of this, but we're gonna go into a little more detail. So projectors are stuck when they're overworking, like society demands the way society is demanding them to work, like they expect all generators to work. They're surrounded by generators, managed managents, and they are exhausted and they're burned out. I think we've covered that one. They get stuck when they try to force opinions on others. You're trying to make people see. what you see before they're ready to actually hear it. That is so much resistance. And that's where you can be seen as a know-it-all because your opinion wasn't invited. You might be that friend who's like, you're just always giving advice to your friends. Your friends are like, stop, I didn't, I don't need you to explain this to me. Or I don't need your opinion on this, right? Because you are forcing it. You're gonna do a lot better if you wait for that invitation. Projectors can also get stuck when they tempt to do everything all by themselves and not lean into that natural gift of guiding and sharing insight instead of doing. They are so driven to be recognized that you could start to do anything, even the wrong thing, just to get that feeling of recognition. And the last point where they get stuck around getting stuck is measuring their self-worth by productivity and the quantity of work. versus recognizing that your value, what you are here to do, is your insight, your ideas and your opinions. So your worth is not your hours of work, but what your your insight that you can share with others. Okay, if you have a projector in your life, here's how you can best support them. Here's how to be in relationship with a projector. give them feedback. tell them how you value them and appreciate their opinions. That recognition that they're they so deeply seek, it's just so, it feels so good for them if you can say, my God, I just love the way you think. They can they feel closer to you when they can talk about deep stuff. They want to go deep, right? They see the world like nobody else does. They've got ideas. This is not shallow. This is deep. Talk to them about deep stuff. Listen to their opinions. Take what they say seriously. their ideas are important. And when you truly listen, they again they see they feel recognized, they feel seen, they feel validated. They, because of their energy type, they mean they may need time to recharge. So honor them. Let them go have a nap in the middle of the day. It's okay to have a nap. Invite them to speak. So if you are in a group, if you are around the dinner table, ask them what they think. Invite them to speak up. That's what they're looking for. That's what you know they've got something to say. so invite them and and include them in the group. If you have a child as a projector, as I do, recognize that their energy will fluctuate through the day. They need more they may need more sleep. And they will have such a strong preference of things and they will know what is best for them. And I wish I knew this as my son was growing up. I always saw this in him that he just He had strong opinions. He always knew things that I didn't know how he knew. He always had you know, even just like going to Tim Hortons up here in Canada, and he I'm like, what donut would you like? And he's like, that one. And he would just know. He would never be like, maybe. And I'd be like, what about that or that or that? And he'd be like, no, that one. And he just always knew what was best for him. And he also just had opinions and ideas about the world that I didn't teach him. Like I don't know how he knows the things that he knows. When he was a teen I would be like, why does he have these ideas of how the government should work or how the you know, like bus or transit should be available to everyone for free? Like, where are these opinions coming about the world that he's barely been in? versus asking me the parent for my like how does the transit system work and why isn't it free for everyone or whatever it is? I just where does he get these ideas from? I remember thinking, like, what's wrong with me as a parent that he's not asking me things, asking me how the world works, he's telling me. But now I understand that's totally who he is. He's got strong opinions, he's got incredible ideas. I love hearing him talk about how he thinks the world should be run. And I again I wish I knew that when he was younger. So for all of you with children who are projectors, ask their opinion. That is my best, best, best advice. All right, so let's talk now about living as a projector out there in the wild. Here are my best tips for living in the field as a projector. So your attention is your currency. Your attention is your currency. That is your superpower. So protect it. Not everyone deserves access to your insight. Be selective as to who you share your insights with. Kind of be a little, you know, mysterious. Become that underestimated person around the table. When it comes to rest for projectors, make sure that you are rested. Take the breaks in your routine, take the breaks in the week, whatever you need to do to set up your schedule, that you are rested. The more rested you are, the more effective you are. And sleep. Projectors sleep. It's best to get into bed before fully tired to unwind and to let go of unwanted or other people's energy. And in human design it also states that it is best to sleep alone, if possible, as a projector, because of the type of aura that you have that can really pierce or penetrate someone else's energy while they're sleeping. It can be very disruptive to sleep with a projector. Bitterness. When you feel that bitterness, see that as a sign that is something off. And it is not a permanent way of life or permanent state of being. This is simply a signal. So go back to the strategy that we talked about earlier, and ask yourself where are you giving advice that's maybe not wanted or not invited? Make sure you do wait for that invitation. Or where are you? Bitterness can also occur when you are pushing too hard and not energy not honoring your natural energy. So where have things kind of gone off track? That bitterness is a sign. Take a look at your life and you just course correct. And you you want to do things that start to give you that success, that feeling of success. I want to talk more about invitations. Because I think understanding this out living as a projector, understanding what invitations look like is really important. So as we said before, the invitation is not passive. it's actually the goal of that is like putting yourself in front of the ideal audience so that they know about you, they know about your expertise, your brilliance, and they can let you in. So if you are a university student, write the most amazing essay so that your teacher professor notices you so that you were invited maybe to be a teaching assistant or to teach a workshop or to whatever opportunities may be there. For work, if you are, I don't know, a writer, go start a Substack, start writing your blogs. You've got to put your work out there so that you can be invited to write the book. if you run your own business, Get your work, your ideas, your opinions down on social media, start working on LinkedIn or create a YouTube channel, any of those public channels that where people can notice you and hear you and invite you into that next aligned opportunity. Or if you're like a teacher or professor, do the most amazing lectures so that people are talking about you. People are noticing you and inviting you into your next thing. And I want to end with like how to not be the know-it-all, which is often a label that gets thrown around on projectors. in order to not be the know-it-all, we want to stop forcing you need to stop forcing your opinion on others. Stop chasing recognition. Know that your presence alone changes people, As soon as someone's in front of you, near you. They feel different. And as soon as you can stop chasing, that's when you are going to allow the right people to find you. You are going to pull in these opportunities and these invitations when you stop trying so hard. You know that you see things before other people do. You can see instantly what's wrong with a business or a system or an idea or a person before anyone else does. So you need to resist that temptation just to blurt out the insight because it's not going to land. Hold your observations. Be that mysterious person, as I said, be underestimated and wait until that moment when someone asks you the questions. And that right there is a skill for projectors. and I want to share one last story with you about how projectors work versus how generators work. I'm a generator, as I said, my sister in law is a projector. And this summer I found myself without a job and I was like, my God, I don't know what to do. What am I gonna do? And she said, just just relax, just do nothing. It's gonna be fantastic. It's like the summer off. Like how amazing is that? And I remember thinking, yeah, yes, you're right. I should just lean into this. Like how amazing. I have the summer off. and then I was like, but no, like, but l truly, what Like actually what am I gonna do? Like like specifically, like what would I do? And she was like, Well, you can just go for coffee, you can go for walks, you can go to your favorite bookshop, you can go take yourself for lunch, you can get in the garden, you can read a book out in the backyard, and I'm like, Yeah, mm-hmm, I can yes, that sounds amazing. and then I'd come home and I'd be like, walking around here like w what what am I going to do? And I it it just felt so unnatural and so wrong. And I told myself a story that, you know, you don't know how to rest and you've been working hard for all these years and now you you're just socialized to think work is it, is the only way of being, but actually you need to learn to rest. You learn to le you need to be okay without having work in front of you. Like something's wrong with you. Just relax. And it didn't work. Like I couldn't do it. and now I can see that that was a projector talking about how she operates, how her energy works in the world. Just like la-da-da. And you know, super relaxed. And me as a generator, I have no energy if I am not focused on something that I love. It just doesn't work. And it doesn't have to be work. It doesn't have to be paid work, but I would need a project or something to really dive into that I'm super excited. And that was the that was the the disconnect. Like I wanted to do what she was saying, but there was no cell in my body that was okay with just like going for lunch, you know, and and hanging around. And, you know, maybe for a week or for a holiday, that's fine. But like forever and ever, like this is my life. I actually remember walking around my house going, like having nothing to do, going, Is this my life? Is this my life? And to some of you, you might be saying, my God, that sounds amazing. For me as a generator, it was not amazing. It was terrifying. So anyway, needless to say, I have found human design. This is my new passion. This is the direction I'm taking my business. Very excited about it. Before you go, there's one more thing I want to mention. I have started a wait list for human design reading. So if you are interested in diving more into your design, we can look at your energy type, your strategy. If you're struggling with something, we can look at how human design can help you. I'm would be thrilled and honored to do that for you. You just need to go over to sandyconnery.com. Currently, it is a wait list. And as soon as I open that up, you will be the first to know. Because I am relatively new to human design, I am making these sessions, I'm having these sessions price at a very discounted rate. currently rates go from like 200, 250. I've seen it all the way up to $1,500 for an hour. I haven't quite nailed that price down yet, but it will be definitely much less than than that. So it is an opportunity to get your your chart read at a at a very reasonable rate. And if you're interested, again just head over to sandyconnery.com, go to human design reading, and you'll see the button for wait list and I'll let you know as soon as I open that up. Okay, that is it for today. Thank you for listening to the episode on projectors. Next we are going to conclude this energy type series by talking about reflectors. See you in the next episode. If you're ready to start learning your own human design, grab your free chart at sandyconnery.com. And if you want some help making sense of your particular chart, you can book a private human design reading with me. We'll connect all those dots and talk about what your design actually looks like in your real life. You can book that at sandyconnery.com too. And if you're enjoying the show, make sure you subscribe and share it with a friend. Now go get your chart and let's get you living your human design.