Show Notes This week’s episode is a raw, real-time exploration of what it’s like to navigate 34-20 week (the channel that connects sacral to throat and gives everyone temporary “Do” energy), combined with Mercury retrograde and a major personal announcement. In this episode: * What 34-20 week is and why you might be feeling extra expressive/productive right now * The transition from Gate 34 (Great Power) to Gate 9 (The Taming Power of the Small) * Why Thanksgiving dinner might feel awkward this year (astrologically speaking) * The Gate 54 Capricorn curse: finishing projects and immediately forgetting they exist * ANNOUNCEMENT: The Embodying Your Design workbook is finally here! * Understanding the “transmission effect” in living wisdom traditions * Why different schools of astrology can all be valid (integral consciousness in action) * Upcoming major transits: Pluto returns to Gate 41 (Dec 5) and nodes enter 37-40 (Dec 23) Resources mentioned: * Guide to the Gates (updated for 2025) * Embodying Your Design Course (workbook included) * The Inner Sky by Stephen Forrest * 36 Faces (decan reference) The 34-20 Channel: Thunder Over Heaven Meets Wind Over Earth All right, so today is Wednesday, the day before the colonizer’s holiday. It’s been quite a Mercury retrograde for me, and I have a lot to share—though some things are still marinating that I’m not quite ready to reveal yet. (Stay tuned for early 2025!) I’m experimenting with a new podcast format today. After several attempted episodes this week that didn’t quite flow, I decided to record while doing chores around the house. Very zen, very householder energy—chop wood, carry water, and so it goes. Understanding 34-20 Week It’s 34-20 week, and I need to talk about it. If that’s an unfamiliar celebration (it’s not actually a holiday), let me explain. Gates 34 and 20 are opposite each other on the mandala. Gate 34 sits at the beginning of Sagittarius, and Gate 20 at the beginning of Gemini. They’re programming partners—when the sun is in one, the earth is in the other. Same with the nodes. What makes this channel special: It’s one of only three channels that are programming partners, and THE only one that creates automatic “Do” energy by connecting the sacral directly to the throat. The archetypes: * Gate 34: Thunder over Heaven—Great Power (shadow: force, gift: strength, siddhi: majesty) * Gate 20: Wind over Earth—Observation (shadow: superficiality, gift: self-assurance, siddhi: presence) If you know anyone who’s an early Sagittarius, they’re probably a lot of fun. All the 34-20 people I know are constantly doing things, always have projects, always looking for something new. This week we all get a taste of this energy because it’s in the collective field. I haven’t been able to sit down and record because I’ve just been doing constantly. The Personal Impact: Bridging My Split This transit also bridges my long-term split. Right now I have Uranus in Gate 8 connecting my hanging Gate 1, and Neptune in Gate 25 connecting my hanging Gate 51. So I have this island between my heart, G-center, and throat. Then separately, I have my natal sacral-root-splenic configuration. But during 34-20 season? That bridges the split and opens the door for my natal definition to express. It’s been an interesting six days. Combined with Mercury retrograde activating all the outer planets having their big conversation right now... yeah, it’s been A LOT. The Transition: From Great Power to Small Steps Tomorrow (Thursday) at 1:00 PM Eastern, the sun enters Gate 9—”The Taming Power of the Small.” We go from great power to tiny steps, from thunder and majesty to wind and patient determination. After six days of so much bubbling energy wanting to be expressed, there might be an awkward hangover. Maybe vulnerability regrets. Maybe things got said early in Thanksgiving dinner that you’re now writing checks your body can’t cash. But that’s just the energy. That’s the power of these systems—they contextualize and give us a framework for understanding the challenges and choices we set ourselves up for in this life. The Gate 54 Capricorn Curse Speaking of understanding patterns... I need to talk about something I discussed with my therapist today. As a Gate 54 Capricorn, I have this tendency to work really, really hard on something, stay singularly focused, complete it, and then—poof—my mind is a blank slate. Zero memory that I just accomplished something. Onto the next thing. Part of this is having Gates 5, 9, 34, and all these Sagittarius placements. I get heads-down on projects, work intensely, finish them, and immediately forget they existed. So I have to remind myself: Calm down. Remember what you just did. Maybe talk about it because people might actually care. The Big Announcement I’ve been working really hard on something this year, and it’s finally done. The Embodying Your Design Workbook is here. [In the recording, Katherine shows both books—Guide to the Gates and the new workbook] This is why I haven’t been actively selling the course—I was waiting for the companion workbook to be finished. It’s print-on-demand, you can order it, it gets shipped to your house. Here’s what happened when I did the work in this book: It brought things into crystal clear focus—not just about how I relate to people, who lights me up, why I have conflict with certain people—but also about the different eras of my life. Anyone who’s known me for five minutes knows I don’t stay the same for long. I’m always growing, changing, turning into somebody new. But this workbook helped me understand why and clarified eras I felt weird, guilty, or shameful about. The amount of shadow work you can do with this book alone is probably worth a decade of therapy. (I’m not making medical claims—just sharing how profound it was for me.) How to Use the Workbook It’s $44.44 if purchased separately, or included with the Embodying Your Design course. You could go through it in a week, but I recommend taking 1-2 months, especially if it’s your first time with Human Design. It’s meaty. The print is large so it won’t hurt your eyes. There’s lots of blank space—that’s intentional. Get it out on paper instead of squirreling it away where some AI will find it. The Transmission Effect: Living Wisdom vs. Memorization This brings me to something important about how we engage with these teachings. The Transmission Effect is when you’re reading about a Gene Key or archetype, deeply understanding it, feeling it... then you close the book, and the next day when you try to explain it to a friend, you’re completely at a loss for words. This happens because the I Ching is a living holograph—a fractal teaching that exists externally from any book trying to capture it. No book will ever fully contain this wisdom. When you’re reading, you’re steeping yourself in the wisdom. The more you tune into the subtle frequencies behind the words—not just the linear black-and-white letters—the more you access the true transmission. Don’t Just Memorize We don’t want to keep going back to books saying “but here Richard Rudd said this!” It’s about understanding the underlying archetype yourself, getting in touch with the fractal. When you find yourself at a loss for words, pause. Tune into the fractal before you speak. For those teaching what you’re learning: It’s great to teach while passionate and fresh. You solidify your learning through teaching. But distinguish between: * Your ego-driven word salad * Channeling the actual transmission Learn to be a clear channel. Make sure your transmissions aren’t polluted with service-to-self, attention-seeking, or energy vampire dynamics. Soaking In vs. Wringing Out Think of yourself like a sponge. You soak up information, but you also have to wring it out—write, publish, create, share. Not in a capitalist sense, but in a frequency of sharing gifts, knowledge, power. I’ve been in a “wringing out” phase for months, creating the course and workbook. Now I’m in a “soaking in” phase—reading new books (finally picked up Stephen Forrest’s The Inner Sky), thinking about what I want to learn next, allowing spaciousness. The Pendulum Swing in Astrology I’m realizing that different schools of astrology—modern/psychological, evolutionary, Hellenistic/traditional—are all valid. They have different scopes of practice and relevance. This is integral consciousness in action: Yes-and. Both-and. Using the open house system (use what’s appropriate for your current practice). But paradox doesn’t mean everything is true. We can hold complexity without sliding into relativism. What’s Coming December 5: Pluto returns to Gate 41December 23: The nodes enter 37-40 for the next 4-5 months The 37-40 channel (Solar Plexus to Heart) is one of the three opposition channels. It’s a blessing for community: * Gate 37 (Family/Wind over Fire): Friendship, being together, community * Gate 40 (Release of Tension/Thunder over Water): Aloneness, doing it yourself We’re going to have this collective 37-40 for Christmas season and beyond. Thunder over water meeting wind over fire. A storm on the sea, and logs on a campfire nourishing each other. A Grounding Practice for 34-20 Energy If you’re feeling pent-up, ungrounded “Do” energy right now, try this: Ground yourself: Plant a stake in the ground. Imagine roots growing from your pelvis or literally visualize pounding a stake into the earth. Hold onto it. Let the excess energy ground out. Replenish: Imagine a golden sun above your crown (eighth chakra). Fill it with everything you need for today. Call back any energy you’ve left anywhere. Let it pour down through your crown, filling your entire physical and energetic body. When comfortable, release and open your eyes. Final Thoughts The holidays are busy. Mercury ret