This gate is located in the Spleen centre. Its harmonic gate is Gate 16: The Gate of Skills, which forms the Channel of the Wavelength when connected with Gate 16.
This gate is known as ‘The Well’ in the i’Ching.
It is called the Gate of Depth or the Gate of Wisdom in Human Design.
There is a great capacity, like a deep well, accessing the necessary resources, solutions and talents that we need.
Low expression of gate 48:
The fear of inadequacy or the fear of not having enough depth lives here. Feeling that you don't know enough, that you don't have enough experience, that you don't have enough money to make you feel safe, feeling a deep sense of lack overall.
You may fear that you won’t be able to call upon your wisdom when you need it.
You might spend a lot of time, money and energy on trying to find the answers outside of you, when the answers have been inside all along.
You may fall into this fear when you stop seeing options for things and only see lack.
In order to tap into the well that provides for you, you must trust that there are things at the bottom of the well that are helpful for you. You must trust that you have the answers and the necessary depth.
Spend time confronting your fears, befriend the fears of inadequacy, and they no longer feel as intimidating.
From a Gene Keys perspective, the shadow of this gate is inadequacy as you have already read about. In the repressive side of the Shadow, the characteristic is Bland. This is the characteristic of being too afraid to look at the fear in our body, and living on the surface instead, following whatever instructions and advice others have to give us like sheep, giving away our autonomy. Never giving ourselves the opportunity to find our own wisdom, stripping the opportunity for the world to benefit from that wisdom.
On the reactive side of the Shadow, the characteristic is Unscrupulous. This is the characteristic of being so afraid that they project the fear outwardly. Using knowledge to manipulate others, and instilling fear in them. It is because of this type of behaviour that we are perpetually in a state of reinforced fear in the world.
If you don’t have Gate 16 defined but you have Gate 48 defined, you may not be able to recognize the depth of your wisdom. In other words, you may not understand how to apply your wisdom practically for the world.
“As you learn to trust that an answer will always emerge at the right moment in your life, your sense of fear and anxiety gradually begin to fade... The icing on the cake is that your resourcefulness unleashes a great tide of inner creativity that provides extremely elegant solutions to all manner of questions and issues in your life. The force field of which we have spoken is nothing less than the pattern of Life as a whole. As you begin to trust life and your place within the greater weave of this pattern, your natural gifts spontaneously emerge. You begin to realise that you are capable of far more than you ever dreamed Possible. When you move in rhythm with life it reveals its own hidden timing which is always perfect. It may not always conform to your mental dreams of how your life might or might not work out, but it does leave you feeling deeply fulfilled.” - Richard Rudd, The Gene Keys
High expression of gate 48:
Harnessing the great wisdom that is so natural to you even though you may rarely see it yourself.
Trusting that the right solutions to your challenges come when you are relaxed, when you least expect it.
Trusting that your body knows the truth, and that your body has the answers.
You may experience an intuition around beauty and design and you want things to be designed with good taste.
Embodying resourcefulness and a spiritual way as well as a practical way.
Using your depth and wisdom and service of others, sharing it when others ask for it, not hoarding it.
Allowing yourself to go into your inner depths.
Intuitively knowing how to express your mastery and talent.
If you have this gate defined, you have the capacity to become a great mentor for others, helping them go deeper into cultivating their talents.
In the Gene Keys, the Gift frequency is Resourcefulness and the Siddhi is Wisdom.
Systems change lens:
Think about the feeling of inadequacy, and multiply that to the masses. So many of us have a fear of not knowing enough or not being experienced enough. We begin to hoard money, courses, material goods all to feel that we are adequate enough.
Imagine a world instead where the majority of us felt that we are completely adequate, that we are the greatest resource we can be for ourselves and others. Where we all had a healthy relationship with our fears of inadequacy, knowing that that may never disappear, but having full trust in ourselves as we carry on our day-to-day lives.
This energy is about an intuitive prompt for elegant solutions. This is not a mental energy that is about thinking with the mind.
“Every human is designed to prosper because life itself is prosperous. Prosperity is an entirely different phenomenon from wealth. To prosper, all a human being needs is a little more than enough, whereas to be wealthy means to have a lot more than enough.” - Richard Rudd, The Gene Keys, pg.373
Maybe solving our metacrises or addressing them, or slowing them down doesn't come from logical thinking, maybe tuning into our intuitive well of resourcefulness can support the process.
Reflection prompts:
Write down all of the thoughts that stem from a sense of lack and inadequacy.
Right down areas of your life where you feel like you do trust yourself, trusting that your inner knowing, and inner wisdom will come right when you need it.
Say this affirmation, “I know that somewhere deep down, there is a well of wisdom in me. As I learn to face my fears, I will find the strength to drop the bucket into the well, and trust that whatever I bring up in the bucket is exactly what I need in the moment.”
What areas of my life do I crave more depth?
What areas feel too superficial right now?