‘Gene Keys’ Combines Chinese Philosophical Text and Astrology to Map Your Personality

It’s always a thrill to decode your personality through different means—Myers-Briggs types, astrological charts, Ayurvedic doshas, and so much more. But the Gene Keys are the next level of personality mapping, for when you’ve tried everything else and are in search of something new and different. The system, drawn from Gene Keys: Unlocking the Higher Purpose Hidden in Your DNA by Richard Rudd, is a personality and transformation system along the lines of astrology, but using the 64 archetypes of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination text, instead of the 12 signs of the zodiac. (So, basically, you’re one out of the 64 archetypes.)

“It maps a person’s psychological and spiritual makeup as imprinted at birth (like astrology) and suggests the 64 qualities are thus imprinted in our DNA,” says Gene Keys expert Daniel B. Holeman. “According to Epigenetics, DNA is modified based upon its environmental input.”

The idea of the Gene Keys is that they’re numbered human qualities that get modified based on frequency, or your energetic vibration. There’s a “Shadow” that’s expressed at a lower frequency, while the same quality is expressed as a “Gift” at a higher frequency. So for example, a trait like “Greed” at the Shadow frequency turns into “Aspiration” at the Gift frequency. They’re referred to as “keys” because they’re considered an encoding that can unlock your higher potential and transform your Shadow into a Gift.

“It also emphasizes the transition from Shadow behavior to Gift, Shadow not being ‘bad,’ but more just an immature expression, and maturing involves the authentic evolution to serving the Whole, [or] giving of one’s gifts to others—not as something we should do, but as a natural step in spiritually growing up,” says Holeman. “The book can be used in deep self-inquiry such as the Golden Path, or also as an oracle to tune into what may be [happening] in the present moment for a person to contemplate and look into.”

So wait, what’s the Golden Path? In essence, it’s the path to becoming the most mindful, evolved, fullest version of yourself. Which, yes, sounds like a tall order, but your first step is as simple as knowing your birth time.

Your Gene Keys profile puts you on the Golden Path

“Based upon your birth information there is a profile, or chart just as in astrology, which lays out the prominent qualities or themes in one’s life—including your higher purpose and other areas of your unique personality,” says Holeman. “It is the ‘Golden Path’ which illuminates the profile and walks you through the process of using it for transformation and self-realization.”

But how do you access your Gene Keys profile? Super simple: Go to the official website and enter in your birth information, including time, date, and location. It’ll share with you different Gene Keys that focus around things like your life’s work, your evolution, your radiance, and your purpose. For example, my life’s work is Gene Key 27, and it shares that my life’s work is about “giving support and nurturance to others,” but never at my own expense. Which, incidentally, is extremely on point.

Anyway, if I want to pursue this path to self improvement, the idea is that I use the profile as my guide—and there’s supplementary material to get me there.

“The Golden Path is an experiential process which usually takes months to go through, which walks you through your [path] step by step,” says Holeman. “There are three stages, call ‘Sequences,’ as they are done in a specific sequence, like layers of an onion, each with several steps and sub-steps, with written material, audio, and video [supplements].”

So let’s very briefly illuminate you on what those sequences are before you start your journey.

The Activation Sequence

This is where it all begins, kids. The Activation Sequence is the first phase of the Golden Path, and it’s as simple as really reading up on your keys.

“Once you activate your purpose and establish more ‘core stability,’ you are no longer trying to fill that [void] by seeking things outside you, as living your purpose creates a true fulfillment from within,” says Holeman.

The Venus Sequence

The Venus Sequence is more about doing the work and “addressing the deepest wounds that cause us to guard our hearts and react in relationships,” Holeman says. “This [Venus] Sequence takes you deep into those wounds so you are no longer triggered by others in relationships [and] can remain more stably in your heart regardless of what life throws at you.”

The Pearl Sequence

“Once you are living more on purpose and from a more solid heart, you go to the third sequence—the Pearl Sequence,” says Holeman. “This is about how to best share your unique Gifts with the world and live in prosperity.”

“When you go through the steps, it’s common for reoccurring issues to show up or be re-experienced with a new lens.” That clarity is meant to invoke a gradual shift that creates a higher frequency of you “living your greater potential with healthy relationships and prosperity,” says Holeman. “The Golden Path is the real treasure, the gold mine, of the Gene Keys system.”