From Surviving to Thriving, Meeting You Where You Are At: this is the motto of Sur-Thrive Wellness, which I take seriously in my Spiritual Life Coaching sessions. To do this, I will often refer to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to find each person's therapeutic starting point. I am a Reiki Master/Teacher, giving me a strong foundation of knowledge of the Seven Major Chakras. I am aware that I am not the first person who noticed that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Seven Chakras seem to match up and flow amazingly well. A quick Google search showed me that both psychologists and spiritual healers are discussing the similarities between Maslow and the Seven Chakras. Diane Roberts Stoler Ed.D. claims in their Psychology Today article, “Maslow's Hierarchy vs. the 7 Chakras: Interestingly Similar,” that over 76,000 results compare Maslow’s Hierarchy to the Chakras."
In 1943, when Maslow published his paper on the Hierarchy of Needs, many in the Western world had not yet heard of Chakras. In other words, this fascinating meeting of West and East is a coincidence, or the Divine leaving us signposts.
Maslow stated that the three “Lower Order” needs are externally satisfied: Physiological, Safety, and Love and Belongingness. The “Higher Order” needs, Social Esteem and Self-Actualization, are satisfied internally. Based on later writings by Maslow, transcendence is at the top of the pyramid. The Seven Major Chakras are root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown.
When we line the six steps of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the Chakras, we get something similar to this image. I view a few differences, and I will explain them below:
* Image found at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-resilient-brain/201804/maslows-hierarchy-vs-the-7-chakras-interestingly-similar
I will work from the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid to break this remarkable comparison down:
The Root Chakra, or Muladhara, is found at the base of the spine. It is the seat of physical and security needs; it grounds us and connects us to the Earth. The Root is the spiritual seat of safety, finances, basic needs, and wellbeing. Like Maslow’s Physiological needs, the Root Chakra needs to be unblocked and cleared before the channel to the higher needs can be met.
The Sacral Chakra or Svadhisthana is next up the energy channel. It is located just below the belly button, at the site where the inner sex organs sit. The Sacral Chakra is also known as ‘the place of the self.’ This Chakra is where earthly pleasures such as sex, art, and creative expression sit. Without meeting physical safety, the Sacral Chakra can’t be balanced, preventing one from exploring their creative and sexual power. Next up the channel is the Solar Plexus or Manipura, located in the upper abdomen. This is the seat of self-esteem, personal power, and confidence. When you are upset, stressed, or anxious, you may feel the Chakra block in the form of a “pit” in your stomach. I fit this Chakra between Maslow’s Safety needs, bridging this need to open the channel to the Heart Chakra. It isn’t until you meet the needs of physiological, safety, and belonging needs that your energy can flow to your Heart Chakra.
The Heart Chakra or Anahata is located in the chest where the human heart sits in the body. This is where emotions such as trust, love, belonging, and connection to others stem, lining up with Maslow’s Love and Belonging needs. By clearing the Heart Chakra and having our Love and Belonging needs met, we can gain access to our higher needs, developing our Throat, Third Eye, and Crown Chakras.
The Throat Chakra or VIsuddha and the Third Eye Chakra or Ajna are where we gain access to Self-Actualization. The Throat Chakra located in the throat is where our ability to speak up for ourselves, speak our truth, and express our true selves. The Third Eye, located between the eyes, is the mystic energy center. This is our intuition, psychic ability, and awareness. The combination of these two Chakras is what opens us up to Maslow’s Self-Actualization. This self-focused step on the Hierarchy of Needs is where we discover who we are and our purpose. We have our basic needs met and feel safe in our environment. We express love and feel as if we belong within our relationships. We can now express our true selves and have the freedom to discover our life’s purpose.
In 1967, Maslow added Transcendence to his Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow viewed Self-Transcendence as “peak experiences.” Maslow defines Self-Transcendence as “feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than one ever was before, the feeling of great ecstasy and wonder and awe, the loss of placing in time and space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened, so that the subject is to some extent transformed and strengthened even in his daily life by such experiences.” This peak aligns with the understanding of the Crown Chakra, or Sahasrara. The Crown Chakra hovers above the top of the head. The Crown Chakra is pure consciousness, connecting you to the Universe. The Crown Chakra is human Transcendence.
What can we learn from the connection between Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Seven Major Chakras? While it’s unknown if Maslow knew of the Chakras, it is apparent that the universal understanding of the human experience opens one up to Spiritual “peak experiences.” Sur-Thrive Wellness supports the whole person: from meeting physiologic needs to balancing the Crown Chakra on the journey to Self-Transcendence.
My dear readers, May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you be loved.
In lovingkindness,
Krystal Linn RMT, CHt, CLC
* For more information:
Sited Infomation:
“Maslow's Hierarchy vs. the 7 Chakras: Interestingly Similar,” by Diane Roberts Stoler Ed.D.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-resilient-brain/201804/maslows-hierarchy-vs-the-7-chakras-interestingly-similar
Think Big. “Maslow’s forgotten pinnacle: Self-transcendence,” by Matt Davis https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/maslow-self-transcendence/#:~:text=Maslow%20first%20began%20to%20conceptualize%20this%20additional%20level%20in%201967.
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