I feel like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is missing something. I feel like it is missing being able to understand your relationship with God/the Universe/All. I’m not sure if it should actually top the pyramid or perhaps it should be the base, or perhaps….
…the more you understand your relationship with All and have faith in God, the other needs actually start to dissolve into known givens….
Actually, I think with a few core beliefs, we start to take care of the needs. So let’s approach it like scientists.
IF, we believe (as I do, and perhaps you don’t):
1. God is in everyone and everything.
2. The entire world is interconnected. Your thoughts and actions affect the world you experience and influence.
3. Your inner attitude and thoughts will change your experience of the physical world. You are a co-creator of your experience. (Yes, I 100% believe in the Laws of Attraction.)
4. You are a unique being, created with the gifts you have to serve a purpose in the universe. Embrace who you are while allowing others to be themselves; to learn and grow with their gifts, at their pace.
5. The universe always provides me what I desire or a path to what I desire. (Sometimes we just need to Unscribble it to find that path.)
6. Our actions can be out of love or ego. When we follow love, we all benefit. When we follow ego we struggle and feel pain.
THEN…
The need for Self-Actualization –
1. Morality – When we see all as one, we work to build the all. We naturally act in moral ways that help and build one another up, instead of tear them down.
2. Creativity – We see our Self as a co-creator with divine. We no longer have the need to create, because we know we are constantly co-creating with God.
3. Spontanaity – We are free to act spontaneously, for we are living more in the present, with less worry for the future and regrets over the past.
4. Problem Solving – Problems are no longer problems, just opportunities in disguise.
5. Lack of Prejudice – When we see all as one, we have no need for prejudices. Our friend down the street is not just our brother, but us.
6. Acceptance of Facts – We no longer see the world or the situation as wrong. It is as it is, as it should be, as we co-created, in order to help us grow and expand.
The Need for Esteem
1. Self-Esteem & Confidence – We know we are part of all. We are loved, we are wanted, in this we find confidence.
2. Achievement – It is no longer about our egos. Individual achievement is about your ego, not your connection with all. Or perhaps you now measure achievement differently.
3. Respect OF Others – Of course you respect others; all is one. You accept others as they are, where they are, in life.
4. Respect BY Others – Again this is ego based. You no longer need their respect. You know you are being you and being the best you can be. It no longer matters what others think.
The Need for Love/Belonging
Before we even get to the list, you know you are loved by God and you know you belong, because if you were not needed here, you wouldn’t be here!
1. Friendship – When you act out of love and generosity, as you would when you are secure in your relationship with God – of course people will want to be friends with you!
2. Family – As you accept more, you see how family does not have to be blood relationships. You can form your “family” with whomever you choose. And the players may change over time, and there is nothing wrong with that.
3. Sexual Intimacy – Sex is great, but as we have discussed, there is more than one way to fulfill any desire. The true desire behind sex can be many things. When you know there are options to fulfill your desires – well, you know you have options. Knowing you can fulfill your desires often helps to dissolve the focus on the perceived lack.
The Need for Safety
1. Of Body, Family, Health, Morality & Property – If you know you are a co-creator of your experience, you will create an environment that is safe. When is the last time you really felt unsafe?
2. Of Employment & Resources – Two quotes from Erik Butterworth’s “Spiritual Economics” make the point:
“A person who keeps conscious that the divine flow is ever centered within one has faith that limitless substance will find expression through him or her in the form of creative ideas, ingenuity, the will to work, and a security of work opportunities.”
“The Universe owes you a living! Yes, we are saying owes you a living. Note: We are not saying the world owes you a living. Actually, the world owes you nothing. You are a creative expression of the Universe, with the responsibility to let your light shine. Thus you owe the world a life. But in all the many ways you apply yourself in the world, the Universe owes you complete support.”
The Physiological Needs
(Breath, Food, Water, Sex, Sleep, Homeostasis, Excretion)
This one is harder to see, but let me share some great thoughts from a few others to delve into this:
From Deepak Chopra’s “The Third Jesus: The Christ We cannot Ignore”
“God will provide…
‘And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, you of little faith?’ Matthew 6:27-30In the sermon on the mount, Jesus offers an idea so simple and revolutionary that it overturns everything we assume about existence. The idea is this: let God take care of everything. In this verse, even the most basic necessity, clothing, is given over to God. But Jesus knew that the making of clothes requires work. So, what could he mean by saying that God provides it?
The crux of the matter is freedom. If you are free from the burden of toil, worry and suffering, you can see that everything is provided by nature. Normally we think of ourselves as complex creatures, the exact opposite of lilies in a field, because our existence depends on struggle. In Jesus’ eyes this is a mistake. Since we are closer to God in our ability to be aware, God provides for us even more than he provides for plants and animals. But the way he provides isn’t the same. Being conscious we receive our sustenance through the mind. The physical world itself came from God’s mind and when we draw close to God, all of creation becomes part of us. In a very real sense, we are clothed by divine glory. Without faith, this glory is hidden from sight. We feel that the world is separate from us. And often hostile to our needs. It is necessary for Jesus in his higher state of consciousness to hold out a vision that will free us from this limited perception. Once that happens, we find ourselves basking effortlessly in glory. Like the lilies of the field, believe in a vision, but…
strive first for the kingdom of God and all of these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:33-34
…He has built up to this moment .. be declaring that God takes care of all the necessities of life – food, clothing, shelter… [Jesus says to:] Work towards the highest vision. The Kingdom of God is an inner state. Instead of pointing to anything in the outer world, Jesus points here -where reality is created and therefore where it can be fulfilled.
But remember…
“God can do no more for you than God can do through you.”
-Erik Butterworth, “Spiritual Economics”
I must admit that I started this post with the intention or thought that knowing God and understanding your relationship to all was just part of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs… but I let it flow out, and lead me where it would. (I love it when that happens!) Now it seems like our relationship to All is the basis through which all your needs could be met.
This one is making my mind spin… I’ll try to think on it more and add more later. 😉
BUT, I will contend that by working the Unscribbling process you are creating the same mind set as above. And as we know, the book presents it in a non-religious or spiritual way.
Takeaway: The “needs” dissolve with faith and understanding.
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unscribbling.com 