Abraham
Maslow (1908-70) was a psychologist who became famous
for his hierarchy of human needs. When he developed
his theory in the 1950s, he predicted the transformation
of humanity into a realm of spiritual transcendence,
but he had no idea just how soon this would develop
into a major movement.
Maslow's
hierarchy of human needs shows that basic human needs
have to be fulfilled before people can attend to higher
needs and values.
First,
the basic physiological needs of food and shelter
must be catered for in order to ensure survival.
Second,
once food and shelter are obtained, safety and security
must be achieved.
Third,
acceptance by others is sought, in both the social
and romantic senses. To fulfill this 'belonging' need,
people become part of a group, a tribe, an extended
family or a community.
When
these deficiency, or outer-directed, needs are satisfied,
then the individual works to acquire self-respect.
Recognition by others produces self-esteem.
Once
the outer needs are fulfilled, the inner-directed
need for self-actualization comes into play. To self-actualize
means to become the best you personally can be.
Self-actualized people include those who have achieved
material abundance, and also those who, as a decision
of personal power, have chosen simplicity over the
pursuit of further abundance. At some point, when
a person says, "That's enough" to the endless
pursuit of additional financial security, then they
become free to accomplish anything that inspires their
inner joy the most.
Self-actualization
is achieved after the individual ceases to have deference
to hierarchical authority, and instead matures into
the ability to make their own rules of personal responsibility.
Personal responsibility is always more powerful and
effective than any system of imposed rules. For example,
you can threaten to punish someone if they steal and
hope that the threat works. But, a self-responsible
person simply wouldn't steal because they would feel
empathy for the loss that a would-be victim would
feel. They simply wouldn't have the heart to do such
a thing to another person.
It's
a matter of increased maturity. When a person abandons
the impositions of external authority and becomes
their own, self-directed authority, then they become
far more functional in the world. This is, in fact,
a higher state of consciousness, one which provides
a higher vista of awareness. From this expanded vista,
they see clearly how they as an individual can best
serve humanity.
In
this state of awareness, the person acquires the ability
to think and analyze situations independently. As
a result, new and creative solutions spring to mind.
They have enough self-esteem to be able to clearly
see their own needs, skills, strengths and weaknesses,
and from that they see where they can best be of service
to humanity.
Once
basic needs are fulfilled, the next values to require
attention relate to being. The first of these being-values
is self-actualization, which is the instinctual need
of a human to make the most of their unique abilities.
Above
that, Maslow placed transcendence, which he considered
a spiritual value. Traditional universities typically
presume that spiritual matters are beyond the understanding
of their students, so they present the Maslow hierarchy
of human needs differently. They present it with self-actualization
as the ultimate human goal, and omit the transcendence
stage beyond that.
The
being-values of self-actualization and transcendence
are the higher, more beautiful aspects of human consciousness.
They include unconditional love, altruism, inner joy,
a love of nature, the development of intuition (in
males as well as females), idealism, and a sense of
wisdom which springs from within. These skills develop
the right-brain functions of creativity and intuition.
In
the 1950s, Maslow believed that only 2% of the population
had achieved self-actualization. The mid-1960s changed
all that when masses of people began the search for
the higher values, such as unconditional love and
spiritual wisdom. Today, that core group of progressive
society has blossomed from 2% to over 20%, and is
climbing every year.
The
Shift is not a temporary by-product of the baby boom
generation, or any other generation of modern society.
It is not a passing fad. It is not going away. It
is a cosmic pressure that is unfolding and relentlessly
increasing the frequency of all consciousness upon
the planet.
It
is a part of the plan of Infinite Being that we progress
to the next stage of conscious human achievement.
The Shift is, to put it simply, the most wonderful
transformation in recorded history. This is where
humanity gets to build, literally, Heaven on Earth.
_____________________________________________
Owen
Waters is an international spiritual teacher who has
helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers
to understand better the nature of their inner being
and their infinite potential. For more than forty
years, his life has focused upon gaining spiritual
insights through extensive research and the development
of his inner vision.
He writes a spiritual metaphysics newsletter that
empowers people to discover their own new vistas of
inspiration, love and creativity. Spiritual seekers
enjoy his writings for their insight and clarity.
Owen Waters' first book, The Shift: The Revolution
in Human Consciousness was published in November 2005.
Owen
was a featured speaker at the Midsummer New Energy
Conference in July 2006. For a free copy of
Owen’s e-book, "Follow the Yellow Brick
Road," complete with an update on the 12-stage
map of human consciousness, go to: http://www.infinitebeing.com/free