The 16 Faces of the Godhead

The 16 Faces are one of the advanced layers of Human Design. You don’t need them to understand Type, Strategy or Authority. They become interesting when you want to dig deeper into the order of the Rave Mandala: Why are certain gates seen as a group of four? What names did Ra give these fields? And what can you take from them without turning a Face into a new identity?

What are the Faces?

In Ra’s Rave cosmology, the 16 Faces form an additional layer of order behind the 64 gates. He linked each field to four gates and to a name from mythological or religious traditions, such as Hades, Kali, Maat or Minerva.

Ra also described these fields as part of a cosmic programming. His ideas about the neutrino stream and larger fields of consciousness play a role here, too. These are statements within his teaching — not a scientifically confirmed explanation of how perception or personality comes about.

Why are they called “Faces of the Godhead”?

At first, the names make it sound as if Human Design assigned a deity to each person. That’s not how this layer should be read. Ra used mythological names to label the fields of his cosmology and described parallels between recurring human themes and religious or mythological imagery.

That doesn’t mean historical religions demonstrably grew out of these 16 fields, or that a particular deity steers your life. A Face isn’t a patron god, a ruler over your fate or something you have to follow or obey. The mythological names are part of the symbolic language of this advanced layer of Human Design.

Why exactly 16?

Each of the 64 gates corresponds to a hexagram made of six yin or yang lines. Within the wheel order used in Human Design, these patterns can be grouped step by step. For the Faces, what matters is that four gates at a time share the same pattern in their lower four hexagram lines.

• 2One lower line: two basic groups.
• 4Two lower lines: four groups.
• 8Three lower lines: eight basic trigram patterns.
• 16Four lower lines: 16 groups of four — the Faces.

Sixteen fields of four gates each add up to all 64 gates. So a Face doesn’t replace the meaning of an individual gate. It simply offers a larger grouping in which four different gates share a common structural foundation.

The 16 fields at a glance

The table below uses the Face names and gate groups from this layer of Human Design. The theme headings are our own editorial summaries of each set of four gates, not official Face names. That distinction matters, because many later interpretations online read as if they came straight from Ra’s teaching.

Which Face belongs to your conscious Sun?

For your personal Face, the focus is on the Personality Sun. The gate of your conscious Sun falls into one of the 16 groups of four. That tells you which Face goes with this Sun position.

That doesn’t mean “You are Hades,” “You’re ruled by Kali” or “Maat determines your life.” Your conscious Sun is an important position in your chart, but it’s only one part of your whole design. So a Face can be read as an additional cosmological perspective, not as a new identity.

The opposite Earth and the other activations in your chart can be placed in this structure of 16 as well. That can show that a chart touches several Face fields. Which is exactly why a single deity name falls short as a personality label.

What can this layer actually offer?

Above all, it can help you understand the inner order of the Rave Mandala better. Reading the four gates of a Face together can reveal thematic similarities and tensions that are less visible when you look at a single gate on its own.

What it can’t give you is a fixed life story. A Face doesn’t predict your career, your partner, your religion, your character or your future. Nor does it replace Type, Strategy and Authority. If you work with this layer, observing is more helpful than identifying with it.

Frequently asked questions

Is this scientifically proven?

No. The cosmological interpretation of the Faces isn’t scientifically proven. The grouping of the hexagram patterns can be traced within the Rave Mandala system; what metaphysical meaning you give that structure is a different question.

Is a Face the same as the Incarnation Cross?

No. Your Incarnation Cross is formed by your conscious and unconscious Sun and Earth and, in Human Design, describes an overarching life theme. You don’t have to fulfill that theme or work through it like a task. The Face is an additional grouping of four in the mandala, read mainly through your conscious Sun when it comes to your personal Face.

Does my Face replace my zodiac sign?

No. Zodiac signs and Faces are based on different systems of order. And the Face isn’t a new personality label that replaces other layers of your chart.

Does every Face have a fixed official meaning?

The Face names and the gate groups belong to Human Design cosmology. The theme headings in our table are editorial summaries and explicitly not official original titles.

Do I need the Faces to apply Human Design?

No. For working practically with decisions, Type, Strategy and Authority come first by a long way. The Faces are a deeper layer for people who want to get to know the cosmological and structural side of the mandala in more detail.