Making money off of spirituality

[GreatSpirit]

Does anyone think its wrong or shady for someone to say they are spiritual and make a living from it? I'm not going to say it's 100% wrong, or that it's 100% right.

I mean, if I'm having a spiritual talk with someone and I give my own little discourse, I'm sure as hell not going to say "and by the way that'll be $30" or demand some kind of repayment. I think that's horrible and a slap in the face to true spirituality. This is what really bothers me about fortune tellers and gurus, in that they want to live "off of the grid" yet cannot sustain a living without the ones they claim to enlighten unless they can be 100% self sufficient. Authors and lecturers fall into this as well.

[Unbound]

We seek within.

[Patrick]

I do not even understand why we would want to do accounting of what we share or do for each others. Money seems very archaic to me. But obviously, I still do not really know how to function without it in our current world. And I try, I really try. I guess we are just not ready yet.

[Goldenratio]

People are used to things having a cost, no free lunch and all that.
Just offering wisdom with no charge or even no manner to donate even if the person wants to makes people doubt its veracity.
Charging *something* makes people take it seriously.
Some people charge quite a bit for their special brand of insights

[Cyan]

I do not even understand why we would want to do accounting of what we share or do for each others. Money seems very archaic to me. But obviously, I still do not really know how to function without it in our current world. And I try, I really try. I guess we are just not ready yet.

Either way works, No accounting between anyone, or full accounting between everyone. The systems in between is what gives us all those gandalf the gray hairs.

[Charles]

I'm a DOM (Doctor of Oriental Medicine), and a CHt (Certified Hypnotherapist). And I've charged and not charged and given discounts (elderly and single mothers usually). And I definitely found that free rarely works.

Some exchange needed for people to believe that what I do is worth something. This is more true for hypnosis than for acupuncture, but it is true.

My father was a Dentist, and he told me the same thing.

Sometimes I tell what I charge, hear about the difficulty, offer to work for whatever they can afford, and am refused! Such an offer seems to demean my work.

When I began I was poor, and I assumed everyone else was too, so I charged less than any of my peers. After a point I simply had to face the fact that my food and shelter and clothing weren't free, even though I'm a nice person.

So I grew up, and I charge the usual going rate. (Though some in my fields are disgusting expensive, and I'll never go there.) Still offer discounts, but nothing free.

Actually there is always an exception to the rule, one patient I saw for years, who finally passed away. I still think of her, and miss her.

[Patrick]

I do not even understand why we would want to do accounting of what we share or do for each others. Money seems very archaic to me. But obviously, I still do not really know how to function without it in our current world. And I try, I really try. I guess we are just not ready yet.

Either way works, No accounting between anyone, or full accounting between everyone. The systems in between is what gives us all those gandalf the gray hairs.

At least if we had proper accounting, it wouldn't be so bad I guess. But right now, what the Elites are doing with the monetary system is so obvious that I am always amazed when some other selves still have confidence in that system.

[zenmaster]

I'm actually glad to pay for services, knowing it will help them survive and possibly afford more leisure time. If money and money exchange becomes a blocking issue, inappropriately distorting the quality of service (to me), I'd seek elsewhere.

[Plenum]

I'm actually glad to pay for services, knowing it will help them survive and possibly afford more leisure time. If money and money exchange becomes a blocking issue, inappropriately distorting the quality of service (to me), I'd seek elsewhere.

yes, if it's the genuine article, then why not pay for someone's time?

after all, if one has an income stream oneself (work or otherwise), why begrudge someone else a payment? one doesn't expect free services elsewhere in society

[xise]

I'm happy to pay for spiritual services! Light workers need to eat too, you know

[ChickenInSpace]

Anything I regard as help I could never set a price on. I understand the need for reciprocality or exchange and would be open to any kind of exchange deemed fair by other self.

However, I do not work with spirituality as such so it's still a highly hypothetical situation for me =).

[Charles]

These days I'm old. Retired from Traditional Chinese Medicine (though still licensed, and occasionally do it as called for). But I am still working as a hypnotherapist (mainly because I can sit doing that).

The hypnosis I offer, is to take people to their sanctuary. They tell me what/where that place is during intake: It can be a beach, a jungle, a palace, a cave, a spaceship, anywhere . .

And once wandering around in their place of peace and privacy and clarity and calm and safety: I tell them to ask for their best teacher, specifically a Light Wisdom Healer who knows and loves them, or an Enlightened Light Being who knows and loves them . . . .

Then questions and answers and learning and growth commences.

I charge.

I'm the only hypnotherapist doing this work that I know of. As usual I charge less than most of my contemporaries. And that's all there is to it.

I eat, I require clothing and shelter and water. And that's all there is to it.

My purpose is to help people Graduate/Transcend/Transform/Harvest/ into a lighter dimension. And then, simply by having them exist on this planet, I hope they help to encourage other souls to do the same.

It is, in my mind, spiritual work. And I charge. Reasons given above (on 9/3/12, my previous contribution to this thread).

[Lycen]

In my eyes it comes down to how you feel about it, what are you distortions in regards to it. If you see it as ok it's ok if you see it as bad it's bad. What motivates one to do it for payment, is it greed or need, the intent behind it IMO is what matters the most(?).

[BrownEye]

A spiritual person offers services for a price, but never completely turns down an individual in need that cannot afford. I donate at times even though I cannot afford to do so. As far as actual healing, I do not charge as it is enjoyable experimentation, which in some ways I would pay for the opportunity to do so. Some day it may become a "job" or a way to feed myself. Then my perspective shall change.

[caycegal]

I've so many mixed feelings about it as I see some, but not all, of you do. Essentially, for me there is no rule - whatever feels right at the time is what I go with.