This forum is officially closed. It will however remain online and active in a limited form for the time being.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Tarot

A catch-all forum for the things that don't seem to fit elsewhere. (please see guidelines)
Forum rules
FORUM DESCRIPTION & GUIDELINES:
This is the place for Topics, Discussions, Questions, Opinions and things that don't seem to fit within an existing category on the forum.

*IMPORTANT: Please help keep things focused. Feel free to post what you want here as long as it relates to the spirit of the Cult of Tarot. That means Cards of all kinds, Occult, Spiritualism, Astrology etc.

Please don't post technical issues here. For help with technical issues send an email to: support@cultoftarotforum.com or PM Joan Marie or visit the tech assistance forum.

Thank you so much
Post Reply
User avatar
Joan Marie
Forum Designer
Sage
Posts: 5306
Joined: 22 Apr 2018, 21:52

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Tarot

Post by Joan Marie »

I was looking this morning at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and it suddenly hit me that it is a parallel to the Tarot suits.

If you aren't familiar with it, or even if you are, there is a pretty good and succinct description of it on Wiki

Basically, it is an explanation of how we develop (or don't) psychologically. It is most often represented as a pyramid, although Maslow himself never represented it that way.

In pyramid form it looks as if we move through a progression of stages although most psychologists agree that the stages constantly overlap in life.

The pyramid is shown most often in 5 stages.

Maslow's_Hierarchy_of_Needs2.svg.png

What struck me is how those stages can correspond to the 5 suits of the Tarot.
(No doubt someone has already thought of this and there is very likely a deck out there call Maslow's Tarot or something similar.)

I would categorise it like this:

Psycological Needs - Coins (Pentacles)
Safety needs - Wands
Belonginess and Love - Cups (obviously)
Esteem Needs - Swords

Self Actualisation - The Major Arcana

There is probably a spread out there for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but I wonder if attaching the suits to the different categories might not yield some interesting results.

Has anyone tried this?
Do you agree with my connections of the suits?
Button Soup Tarot, Star & Crown Oracle available @: Rabbit's Moon Tarot 💚
User avatar
Pen
Sage
Posts: 525
Joined: 01 Jun 2018, 08:50

Re: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Tarot

Post by Pen »

I believe that somehow the tarot taps into something so deep and basic that it's possible to apply it to just about everything. Your comment about overlapping reminded me of dear Nemia's thread about Ikigai, Here - I printed out the diagram and used it as a spread a few times - I found that the overlapping parts make interpretation clearer. I guess Maslow's Hierarchy could be used in the same way. I do hope Nemia is OK - she hasn't been here in a while. We share a birthday (although I'm older), and it's coming up soon.

ikigai.jpeg
ikigai.jpeg (32.93 KiB) Viewed 847 times
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream...


Edgar Allan Poe

Fig Tree Press

Pen's shop at MPC
reall
Sage
Posts: 223
Joined: 22 Jun 2019, 11:34

Re: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Tarot

Post by reall »

just to say great topics & diagrams! Thank You both! :D
Post Reply

Return to “Misc. Tarot Topics & Discussion”