Exaltation and Detriment in Human Design

In a Rave Chart, exaltation (up arrow) of a celestial body or node means that the energy of the Gate activated by this celestial body will manifest in a person in the most spectacular and vivid way (via the Line of this Gate). Ideally, one cannot fail to notice these characteristics - such a person not only enjoys their work, but adores it and is well aware that they are better at it than others. By the way, this is sometimes accompanied by excessive pride, which impedes future growth.

The gate of a planet marked by exaltation endows a person with a predisposition to certain qualities, which, however, require constant work and polishing. Simply put, one can be born with a talent for painting, but that talent will never be realised unless they pick up a canvas and brushes. Constant practice, on the other hand, inspires a person and leads to the development of this and other talents.

A planet's detriment (down arrow) represents a Gate whose energy is in an "uncomfortable" position for itself and tends to manifest its worst characteristics. However, this does not guarantee that they will manifest — it all depends on the individual. A detriment only denotes a tendency, a predisposition. The negative qualities of a Gate marked by a detriment are much easier to manifest than the positive ones. A Gate in detriment necessitates more work on character and development (compensatory), but it can ultimately lead to much greater success than, say, the same Gate in exaltation.

The juxtaposition (star) is an intriguing phenomenon, similar to the compass arrow when several magnets act on it at the same time. In this configuration, the Gate's characteristics are constantly manifested in extreme positions, never stopping in a single position. It literally goes from extreme to extreme; a person can be extremely talented one day and completely untalented the next. In this case, it would be impossible to "force" the Gate to manifest in any particular way — instead, a person should learn how to interact with any manifestations of their personality, not trying to remake them, but trying to harmoniously fit them into their life and direct them in the right direction.