Getting Paid for Spiritual Work (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

Getting Paid for Spiritual Work

[stephencp]

I think that for many people, feeling bad about charging for something "spiritual" isn't the core issue. The real problem is charging something for ANYTHING. If you currently work for someone else, ie. are an employee then you are letting your employer do the hard work of convincing people to pay something for something else of value.
A massage person who enjoys thier job in a company that charges for massages would likely also feel bad about going out on thier own and "charging" for massages. It's the same service but now THEY are asking for money for thier service instead of relying on someone to do so.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics

[Nneka]

Erin, that was a very timely post. Since my reading, I have been thinking about my roadblocks to combining money with spirituality.

One thing I've come up with is that I have this belief that I will corrupt the message. That is, I will try to water it down to be more palatable.

I also have reservations because I think that everything I have to say is within you. However, as I type this I hearing the voices saying that I am serving as a reflection. I am also bringing it out of people. Bringing it to the surface where it can be examined and addressed. I'm also helping them to apply it in their lives. All of these things are services, and like you said, they do have value. I would say they have considerable value.

[Michelle]

In my case, expecting to be well paid means I am expected to deliver my service (singing) at a certain standard. Scary stuff. This is something I resist (and perhaps lightworkers in general) due to the imagined pressures, and having to give up "cloud time".

If you are poorly paid it is easy to say the work doesn't matter or not do one's best.

[spirited]

If you don’t charge for your spiritual services, you will have to “slave away at a desk job” as you say. How does that serve the greater good?

This is not a binary choice. You could also, for example, start seeing your job as "slaving away". You could make a real difference for your coworkers and customers by being friendly, by really listening, by just being that person that smiles at them and treats them as a real human being. You could be the catalyst for change that completely changes company culture, or at least your direct colleagues. Never underestimate the value ordinary people in ordinary jobs can have for other people.

[Erin Pavlina]

spirited: Definitely true. In this case, she was asking specifically about wanting to give readings as a psychic and leave her desk job behind.

But yeah, spiritual people in any job will make a wonderful contribution.

[emf]

What advanced degree should I go for this year?

[Cassie]

I've always viewed money and spirituality as being very intertwined. Money is an (unforunate) necessity in our society. People who have guilt complexes for sharing their natural gifts for money are not always seeing the full picture. As Erin eloquently pointed out, money can be used as a tool to serve a greater good in society.

For example, I am a very spiritual person. I am also very passionate about ecological issues and biodiversities. If I share my gifts and natural talents to establish wealth, I can then utilize that wealth to help salvage delicate and severely damaged eco-systems.

I believe it's about knowing your purpose and where your ultimate end goal lies.

[Erin Pavlina]

Yes exactly! I would rather see an army of wealthy lightworkers than a cadre of wealthy ego-driven people out for only themselves.

I really feel like Lightworkers have a responsibility to be stable financially so they are not living in fear of starving. Once the fear is lifted, they can do their best work.

[Isis Kali]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Yes exactly! I would rather see an army of wealthy lightworkers than a cadre of wealthy ego-driven people out for only themselves.

I really feel like Lightworkers have a responsibility to be stable financially so they are not living in fear of starving. Once the fear is lifted, they can do their best work.

I also think that getting paid for what you do or say gives you quick, tangible evidence that your work is worth something. Also, there really is no glory in starving, and Spirit gave us gifts for a reason.

[stephencp]

"Money is an (unforunate) necessity in our society."

If you maintain this attitude about money, I fear you'll never have much of it.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics
TSTN | The Success Training Network

[ballhit]

Originally Posted by stephencp

"Money is an (unforunate) necessity in our society."

If you maintain this attitude about money, I fear you'll never have much of it.

I fear you think your poo doesn't smell!

[helgi]

The fear of someone judging you as greedy or materialistic, for charging money, is probably an aspect of spiritual ego. Of wanting to appear 'spiritual,' and thus living through a mental image of yourself as a spiritual person.

Which is really just another form of social conditioning, albeit a much more subtle one.

I'm reminded of Mother Teresa's prayer:

...
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
...

[Eternal Wayfarer]

This is my path- I chose to do it for nothing.

For all that I possess, my heavenly father gave unto me. As all is a part of God, I am merely doing his service. For me, not you, I find it silly to charge my heavenly father back for what he has given me. All I know is that when I am ready, he will present it to me.

I was more of a jungle creation, 30 over years on when I look at my physical incarnation, I have an IT systems build at home; I didn't study any Information Technology stuff. I don't really know the terminologies used, I just know what to do when I am facing a problem. I go around servicing IT related stuff for nothing, they are usually the ones who can't afford repairs from shops; and this is not the only skill I possess.

As for my material requirements, I'd rather leave it all to the divines to take care of it; and I have a simple job that also provides 'service' indirectly.

Point is there is nothing wrong with the way things are practiced, it is better to be comfortable with your practice than to adopt another that makes you unhappy. One way or another, we are still servicing God. Which way do you choose to do your lightwork, what really matters is to yourself and not others, each grow according to the light within each self, I'm sure lightworkers are well aware of that.

[Allison]

Money is just a form of energy, and in a way the extent of your material wealth can be seen as the degree of power you theoretically have to manifest the higher qualities within material reality. And why else are you here?

I'm glad this false dichotomy between the spiritual and the material is beginning to go out of style. The more spiritual people accept the material world as okay, and the more materialistic people accept spirituality as okay, the more balanced everyone will be, individually and collectively. This is good.