a song I am loving:
2.13 am, June 28th 2019, Koror, Palau.
That was the date and time I officially bought the Arawme domain.
If you had asked me then, I would have told you that Arawme was never meant to look the way it looks today. It was never meant to be about Human Design or soul-led business, or more specifically, Projectors.
27-year-old Sylvia would never have thought of having a second business creating a physical product either.
All I wanted was to start a public blog to uplift, inspire, and empower others. I wanted to share the tools that had helped me through my second spiritual awakening. I wanted to share topics that were so intimate to me. I wrote mostly for myself because somewhere in my healing journey, I knew someone would benefit from it too.
Read more of it here:
During that time, Human Design had not landed in my life.
I did not know I was a Projector; I did not know anything about soul-led business; I did not know how important recognition was for a Projector; I did not know how fear of being seen was a receivership block.
What I did have, though, was an enormous tower of self-doubt and an impeccable dose of courage that I seemingly pulled out of thin air.
What I had then was not a desire to be recognized, but a readiness to be seen for who I was for the first time.
Being recognized vs. being seen
As you already know, as Projectors, we desire recognition, but not necessarily to be seen.
Recognition precedes every invitation. When we are correctly recognized, an energetic opening opens up in the interaction with another. Recognition primes us for the right invitations (people, opportunities, resources, and environments) to land in our favor.
We want someone to notice our depth, our perspective, our gifts, our way of seeing as a natural guide. But when someone actually sees us— it can feel strangely uncomfortable. Because recognition and being seen are not quite the same thing.
Being seen carries the vulnerability of being revealed.
It feels exposing. All-encompassing.
Being seen for our brilliance, depth, and embodied wisdom is one thing, but what about being seen for our failures, our wrong choices, our ever-changing niche, our ever-changing identity, our ambition, our grief, our uncertainty, our contradictions, our confusion, our softness?
What if they see me and do not like me?
What if no one agrees with me?
What if this makes me seem crazy for sharing/documenting these?
What if they see me and expect something else from me? (line 5 things)
What if this visibility brings more commitment and responsibilities?
What if more people see me and I can no longer disappear when I need to?
What will this look like with my relationships?
What if being fully myself leaves me alone in the world?
The fear of being seen —feeling inadequate, insignificant, and unworthy —is a societal byproduct of staying in the familiar, where we may have overstayed in social constructs and assumptions about what is deemed acceptable, and where standing out poses more risk/vulnerability than fitting in.
This familiarity provides us with a perceived sense of safety, of feeling sheltered and protected, but leaves us far from feeling empowered and authentic. This inadequacy eventually shows up in our lives through our unfulfilled professions and relationships, creating dissonance and dysregulation in our mental and physical health.
This familiarity holds us back from what could otherwise be possible.
Being seen in safety
I recently had the honor of working with a 6/2 emotional Projector. I saw her Design; she has 7 defined centers and 7 channels (the channel of Awareness, channel of Structuring, channel of Inspiration, channel of Awakening, channel of Perfected Form, channel of The Brainwave, and the channel of Family).
I knew right off the bat how wise and profound a guide she would be. She told me she had been studying and exploring Astrology and Feminine Embodiment for multiple years and is now pursuing a certification in Ayurveda.
But she said she barely spoke about it to anyone.
She has given a few friends free astrology readings, but that is it.
This is the fascinating middle ground that I observe in many Projectors.
You are not exactly hiding, but you aren't fully revealing yourself either. Your expression feels visible enough. Curated in safety. Not too destabilizing. Shielded enough in case you fail, or become judged, or worse, all of it together.
During our work together, we discussed the difference between being seen and being recognized, and what both require of her right now. She felt so inspired that she completed a blog article and was preparing to share more of her stories publicly through a website.
Being seen begins with self-recognition
Being seen does not get easier overnight.
It does not get easier, even when you have done it a hundred times too. I know amazing speakers/presenters/authors who still carry anxiety before a public speaking event/book signing/conference. I know best-selling authors who still experience writer’s block every now and then. I know multiple artists who still doubt themselves with every piece of art they make.
They just learned not to let their fears get bigger than their why.
They adopted better coping mechanisms by building a toolkit of practices and tools to support their nervous system through each discomfort.
They remember why they deserve to be seen.
And you can too.
So here is a perspective shift I have for you:
What if being seen is the only way others can interact with/witness/observe your essence, your gifts, and your wholesomeness?
What if being seen teaches and inspires others with the same doubts (who are a few steps behind you) to do the same?
What if being seen is less about vulnerability and more about teaching you the art of recognizing your worth, your gifts, and the courage that is latent within you?
What if being seen is exactly what you need for YOUR next level?
What if when you focus on self-recognition, being seen no longer seems so daunting?
What if being seen is the only way correct recognition and invitation can find you?
Do THAT thing that scares you
So do the thing you've always wanted to, but held back each time.
Maybe it is wearing that red dress you bought but never got an occasion to wear.
Maybe it is taking yourself to the dreamy restaurant by yourself.
Maybe it is creating a username on Instagram, or buying a domain.
Maybe it is buying that microphone or an iPad.
Maybe it is writing your soul out on a Google document.
Maybe it is picking up that pencil or paintbrush again.
Maybe it is sitting in silence with your writing practice for the book you always had in mind as an author.
Maybe it is waking up at 7 am for gym every day.
Most of these rarely look dramatic. And you may wonder: do they have anything to do with overcoming the fear of being seen?
These are the exact steps required to build that muscle of doing hard things gently whilst building self-trust rooted in self-recognition.
Most of all, do it for yourself.
No permission is required—at all.
And over time, each time you trust yourself and act on your desires/nudges, your mind collects evidence and receipts that challenge the old paradigm that once locked you in lack and fear; your subconscious posturing is reprogrammed, and the ceiling of your new identity no longer feels unattainable.
I saw a quote the other day by an expander of mine, Gisele Azad; she wrote so beautifully:
Some of us don’t create to be seen.
We create to finally see ourselves.
The Projector Remembrance (TPR) is a 12-week, small-group Projector mentoring container.
Centering around the technology of Human Design and Neuroscience,
TPR is for soul-led Projector women who hold the readiness to wholeheartedly uplevel, ground in their Projector resiliency, and expand their confidence in their Projector divinity alongside an empowered Projector women community.
We begin next Spring.
Unearthing Projectorhood | Musings of a Projector
A safe space dedicated for Projectors like us to feel seen, live from recognition,
and not the hustle anymore.
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