How Our Core Narrative Shapes the Way We Navigate Life

Dear wild-hearted wanderer,

Last week , we began exploring the idea of a core narrative—the recurring story tied to our undefined centers in Human Design. For me, this has been a deeply personal journey, uncovering the ways my undefined Ego Center has shaped so much of my life and decisions.

This week, I want to bring the concept to life in a different way. Sometimes, seeing how this plays out in someone else’s story can make our own patterns feel clearer. These undefined centers don’t just shape the way we respond to life; they’re the birthplace of the narratives that drive our decisions. They can help us reveal the core thematic that shapes our conditioned patterns and behaviors.

The Ranking of the Open and Undefined Centers

Each undefined center carries a specific theme, and the center that ranks highest in your chart often becomes the foundation of your not-self narrative. Here’s a quick look at these themes in order of influence:

• Heart/Ego Center: Seeking worth and value

• Solar Plexus: Avoiding confrontation and truth

• G/Identity Center: Fixating on finding love and direction

• Spleen: Holding onto what isn’t good for you

• Ajna: Pretending to be certain

• Head: Thinking about things that don’t matter

• Root: Always in a hurry to be free of pressure

• Sacral: Not knowing when enough is enough

• Throat: Trying to attract attention

Shawn Mendes and the Undefined G Center

Today, I want to illustrate this concept through someone whose story has unfolded under the scrutiny of the public eye: Shawn Mendes.

Shawn Mendes is a singer-songwriter whose soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics have resonated with millions around the world. Rising to fame as a teenager, his journey has been one of navigating love, identity, and self-discovery—all themes that weave through his music and his life with a deep sense of vulnerability and honesty.

But even if you’re not a fan of his music, there’s something deeply relatable in the themes of his journey. These are the matters of the undefined G Center, which happens to be the strongest influence in Shawn’s Human Design chart.

The Story of the Undefined G Center in Action

While we don’t have an exact birth time for Shawn, his Human Design chart reveals one main consistency—an undefined G Center, the diamond-shaped center in the middle of the bodygraph. The G Center governs themes of identity, love, and direction, and for those with it undefined, the not-self mind tends to fixate on finding these things externally.

Shawn’s journey reflects these themes beautifully. In interviews, he’s spoken candidly about feeling lost and anxious, especially outside of the roles he plays in relationships or his career. Even so, his external success seemed to have already decided the path ahead. And this inner disconnection ultimately led him to make a life-altering decision in 2022: cancelling his world tour.

His lyrics in “Who I Am” capture the emotional weight of this decision:

In a recent interview with Jay Shetty, Shawn opened up about the aftermath of cancelling his tour and the deep disappointment he felt in letting people down—especially as someone who values community so profoundly (a theme reflected in his 40-37 Channel of Community in Human Design).

For Shawn, his tribe is an integral part of his life and sense of connection. Yet, he also acknowledges that he had placed all his eggs in one basket, tying his identity entirely to his role as a superstar. Stepping away from recording and touring gave him the space to explore who he was beyond the expectations and pressures of that identity. And part of that journey was to let others hold space for him. This is something he addresses in his song “Heavy”:

In that same interview, he describes aimlessly driving during that time of his life, leaning into something bigger than himself:

Later, in an interview with Zane Lowe, he reflected on the clarity that came from choosing himself over external expectations:

Choosing Alignment and Truth

Shawn’s story is a powerful example of the themes that emerge with an undefined G Center—the search for identity, love, and direction. These recurring patterns aren’t flaws or failures; they’re invitations to look deeper, to pause, and to reconnect with what feels true. By stepping back and choosing himself, Shawn broke free from the external expectations that had defined him for so long.

His decision to cancel the tour was more than just an act of self-preservation—it was a moment of surrender and self-trust. It allowed him to explore who he was beyond the roles and identities others expected of him. This journey wasn’t easy, but it offered him a reference point for navigating future crossroads—a reminder that choosing alignment and truth is always worth it.

His story reminds us that we all have the ability to pause, reflect, and rewrite the narrative we’ve been living. By understanding the patterns in our own charts, we too can take steps toward aligning with our most authentic selves.

Your Core Narrative Is Not a Flaw

This is the power of understanding your core narrative through the lens of Human Design. It offers you a map through which you can cultivate a deeper level of self-awareness. Every undefined center in your chart carries the seed to shape your not-self mind, but one center stands out as the strongest influence. Identifying this center and its themes can be incredibly freeing—it allows you to see the patterns for what they are: conditioned stories, not truths.

Your core narrative is not a flaw; it’s a reflection of your design. Each undefined center invites this kind of reflection and contemplation, but when it’s driven by the not-self mind, it can become a loop that keeps spinning. 

This new album is his way of claiming who he is and reintroducing himself to the world. And, according to Shawn, even that doesn’t define him as he’s realised, his identity is everchanging. And that’s OK.

In my opinion, this deep and profound self-exploration has resulted in a really honest, evocative and relatable album.

Have you listened to it yet? What do you think of it? Hit Reply and let me know. I’d love to share favourites with you.

What Stories Are Shaping Your Life?

Every chart holds a story waiting to be uncovered. If you’re ready to discover the hidden patterns shaping your life and step into alignment with your truth, let’s dive into your Human Design together.

Through a 1-hour Human Design session, we’ll explore the story that’s shaped your life and how to navigate it with clarity and self-trust. After our session, you will receive a written recap with insights, reflections and prompts to help you dive further.

Get in touch here to book your session and let’s explore the narrative that’s been shaping your life.

I can’t wait to inspire you to make sense of your past patterns and weave it into something empowering.

Sending you a deep and nourishing breath,

Silvia

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