posted February 27, 2009 01:19 PM         

I am a bit nervous about this and would like a bit of guidance.
The reason I am a bit apprehensive about doing this is because for years, I totally believed that you read the cards for someone in need and you do not charge them because reading cards is a gift to share. What is your thoughts on this?

I am wondering if any of you who read cards, for a living or just because, could help me out with some Sage advice.

I have already started the process of becoming certified to actually do this at the fairs. I am just a bit nervous and could use some wise advice.

posted February 27, 2009 01:58 PM         

There's been discussions about this before, and I'm sure someone can post a link to one of them.

Evidently there is at least one school of occult or new age thought which asserts that it is profane to charge money for rendering (what are traditionally considered) spiritual services, like tarot readings, energy healings, and the transmission of esoteric teachings. They believe it is okay to charge for providing more mundane services, just not the ones they hold sacred. To me, this appears to be a perversion and misinterpretation of an older, much higher teaching.

My personal opinion is that, ideally, it is always best not to charge for anything. The ideal human being can survive and thrive without charging for his or her services. Since spirituality is concerned with ideals, we find the highest spiritual teachings promoting poverty and charity. But ideal teachings are there to point the way to perfection, and are not expectations to be obeyed. For almost every person in the world, it is necessary and acceptable to charge for goods and services rendered.

Naturally, many things must be taken into account to determine an appropriate monetary value for particular goods or services... But, without getting too involved, a simple rule of thumb is: If the good or service is uselful and beneficial then it is worth something. I don't see the point in making rigid, dogmatic distinctions between exoteric and esoteric goods and/or services. Everything corresponds to the spiritual realms. Why would it be permissible to charge money for spiritually bankrupt goods or services, while refusing payment for providing truly enlightening goods or services? That makes no sense to me, and it seems to discourage people from practicing and promoting the most spiritual activities and concerns; the bulk of most people's time is spent earning a living, so it would be silly to consecrate this time to purely "non-spiritual" activities, and, even more absurd, to imagine that this is actually a spiritually superior stance to take.

I believe the confusion must have arisen when people assumed that the spiritual ideal applies only to explicitly spiritual concerns. In fact, the ideal is true for all things: The highest path is charity; in spiritual and material things; there is no separation. But, if you cannot be charitable in earthly things, how can you be charitable in heavenly things? If you absolutely must earn and appropriate money for yourself, better to earn it by doing the work of heaven.

I've thought for myself on this matter, and these are the conclusions I came to. May you think for yourself and attain to your own conclusions. The most important thing is that you act in accordance with your own understanding; even a universal truth can mislead you, if you do not understand and believe in it; whereas, even a personal truth can move you in the direction of spirit, if your conscience approves of it.

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." ~ romans 14:5

posted February 27, 2009 05:57 PM         

I'm a strong advocate of doing what we love or at least like for a living. I like being a spiritual adviser. I didn't charge for a long time because I didn't feel worthy yet and felt like I was doing a spiritual internship in a way. But a time came when I felt more confident in my skills and there were more people to help, so it was a natural progression for me to start making a bit of money for my services. And I had no remorse about it.

Maybe it is not the same for everyone, and to each his own. For myself, I feel we are given gifts and are expected to use them, and it's like a muscle - the more we use it, the stronger it becomes. So the only way for me to get better is to keep using my gift, and develop it, and I'd like to do what I am good at for a living. I personally loathe working a 'regular' job, and need to work for myself, so this personal choice, for me, feels right, and I feel at peace that I am on the right path doing so.

Like HSC, I see no difference between spiritual and material. We manifest the spiritual into the material each day, and that includes money. Money in and of itself is not evil, it's how people use it which can be.

If I were charging an obscene amount of money or lying to my clients about my gifts being something they are not, then that would not be ethical in any way. I do see this a lot around me, and people, needing miracles, do get taken in from time to time. But for me, I am just a reader, and doing what feels right as work, and I do feel that I am on the right path....and for this reason, I am also starting my own personal business and website counseling people because it's time. So there's been no dilemma for me about it.

But I think in the end it is up to you. If it feels wrong to charge, then don't. However, it can be an issue of self-worth as well, to where 'I don't feel good enough taking this money'...I've gone through this from time to time, and struggled to assert to myself that I am good enough to do what I love and make a living doing it.
Hope that helps