Celestial Mechanics Part 1
A 6-Week Exploration of Celestial Mechanics - Without a Computer or AI
with Leela Swann-Herbert
6 Weeks, Saturdays at 18:00 UTC
Dates: March 13 - April 17, 2027
$600
Online Zoom Classroom
You already know the BodyGraph. You recognize the Centers, Gates, and Channels. But do you understand how the map is actually constructed?
Today, it is effortless to press a button and have software generate a chart. But without understanding "the old ways"—the ephemeris, manual calculations, and the precise relationship between the Rave Mandala wheel and the actual sky—the chart remains flat. You are just pressing buttons, disconnected from the profound physical mechanics of the cosmos.
Celestial Mechanics I is a journey into celestial navigation. Designed for Human Design experimenters already familiar with the BodyGraph, this 6-week course takes you off the computer and into the sky. You won't just learn the mechanics; you will calculate, feel, and build them by hand.
This comprehensive course pairs an in-depth exploration of this advanced Human Design skill with the rare opportunity to receive live, personalized feedback on your experiment. The 12-hour curriculum alternates weekly between 2-hour online lectures and 2-hour interactive discussions.
Because practical application is the focal point of the discussion classes, this alternating format gives you time to integrate the mechanics between sessions and to bring your questions and practical, lived observations to the group, so you can make the most of personalized feedback.
Ready to step away from the software and learn how the map is truly made?
with Leela Swann-Herbert
6 Weeks, Saturdays at 18:00 UTC
March 13 – April 17, 2027
Live online Zoom classes: approximately 1.5 to 2 hours
Includes weekly download links for audio and video recordings of all classes, all course slides, and worksheet templates
Celestial Mechanics Part 1
From Flat Chart to a Map of Space
The Rave Wheel is not an abstract concept—it is a literal projection of the solar system's plane. We begin by orienting the wheel to the cosmos and mapping the ecliptic and celestial equator, so you can clearly see why the wheel is structured as it is.
The Heart of the Mechanics: Hand Calculation
To truly grasp the system, you must build it. You will learn to navigate the ephemeris and calculate your Personality and Design by hand. This mechanical process reveals a profound truth: the Design is not a "second chart." It is the same sky, read at a distinct moment in the body's development—roughly 88 degrees before birth. Once you calculate this prenatal point by hand, the entire system reveals itself in a new light.
The Clock of Humanity: Global Cycles & Precession
We will explore not only the transition from the Cross of Planning to the Sleeping Phoenix but also learn how to calculate this shift. By observing the Precession of the Equinoxes, which advances roughly one degree every 72 years, you'll follow the 25,920-year cycle as the vernal equinox moves through different gates and lines, influencing mutations and transforming global consciousness.
Course Progression & Syllabus
This 6-week course separates the conceptual from the technical, ensuring you understand what you are looking at before you learn how to build it. Each week includes lectures, discussions, and practical exercises to apply the mechanics.
Taught by Leela Swann-Herbert — an IHDS-certified advanced Human Design Teacher with over 20 years of experience, trained directly by Ra Uru Hu.
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Moving from a flat chart to a map of space.
Understanding the ecliptic, the celestial equator, and the tropical wheel.
Understanding Direct and retrograde motion
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Introduction to the ephemeris, time zones, and the tools of celestial navigation.
Hand-calculating the Personality: Sun, Moon, Earth, Nodes, and the planets.
Finding the 88-degree prenatal point and calculating the Design: Sun, Moon, Earth, Nodes, and the planets.
The Quantum of the BodyGraph and experiencing the physical reality of the two moments in time.
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The mechanics of the Precession of the Equinoxes
Tracking the precession movement through the Rave Wheel.
Calculating the Global Consciousness Cycle of the Sleeping Phoenix by line.
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A calculator and a Human Design Ephemeris for your birth year and the prior year. The best resource I’ve found for a print Human Design Ephemeris is a series of 25-year Rave Ephemerides from Zen Human Design, available from their website or Amazon:
What You Will Take Away
A Hand-Crafted Chart: By the end of this course, you will have a fully hand-calculated, hand-drawn copy of your Rave Chart.
Mastery of the Old Ways: The ability to calculate any chart using only an ephemeris and manual calculations—completely independent of AI or software.
Global Cycle Tracking: The mechanical know-how to independently track the slow movement of Global Consciousness Cycles.
A Grounded Perspective: A permanent shift in how you view the BodyGraph, transforming it from a 2D graphic into a living map of our solar system.
Celestial Mechanics I with Leela Swann-Herbert
6 Weeks, Saturdays at 18:00 UTC
Dates: March 13 – April 17, 2027
Tuition: $600
with Leela Swann-Herbert
6 Weeks, Saturdays at 18:00 UTC
March 13 – April 17, 2027
Live online Zoom classes: approximately 1.5 to 2 hours
Includes weekly download links for audio and video recordings of all classes, all course slides, and worksheet templates
