Paying for Readings and Healings
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 (02:11:03)

Posted by Cougar

Paying for Readings and Healings

From: [url=http://www.shininglite.com ]www.shininglite.com [/url]

Question: Why should people have to pay for psychic readings? After all, spirituality is free so no one should have to pay for it. Are you exploiting God and Angels by asking for money for your time and energy spent helping people?

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Some of people wonder why they have to pay for readings and energy work. They assume that because spirituality is "free" Lightworkers must be exploiting their "God-given" gifts and the spiritual by asking for compensation for their energy and time.

I have no problem at all answering this question! In fact I feel prompted to post the answer on my website to clear up any negativity associated with my receiving compensation for my work. There is a huge misconception that no work goes into doing Lightwork and that, at least in my case, couldn't be further from the truth. I feel that many people degrade and ridicule what I do and this does hurt because my family and I have made a lot of personal sacrifices for me to do this work.

Yes, spirituality is 'free.' And it is a gift. But I do need to honor the time I spend to help people. All people that work for the Holy Spirit need food, shelter, clothing and other necesseties just like any other human. Priests and ministers are taken care of by their parish. This is done so that they have the time they need to devote to God. No one would ever expect a priest, or a minister and their family, to live in a box under a viaduct because their work is for God and God is free. Besides how could they devote their time to the people if they are constantly worried about their safety and earthly needs? God is completely aware that we need shelter, clothing and food while we are here and there is no shame in asking for compensation for work. It is very insulting to me when people think my work is less important or that I am greedy because I am asking to be compensated monetarily for the time and energy I put into conveying messages and spiritual counseling. To me this says that these people feel my work is less important than other traditional vocations such as lawyers, doctors and accountants.

Everyone has gifts. Art talent is also a gift from God but I would never walk into an artist's studio and take a painting because the talent the artist has is a gift from God and therefore should be given away. Artists put time and energy not to mention a piece of themself in their work, just as I do! Accountants have the gift of understanding math, this gift is also from God. No one ever questions that an accountant does not work for free. Doctors are given the gift of healing, surgeons have received the gift of precision work. The gift to heal is a gift from the Creator. We do not get our gifts from any other source but the Holy Spirit. Are doctors, nurses, healers and pharmaceutical companies exploiting illness and disease because they profit from healing people with their knowledge and gifts? Are artists exploiting their creative gifts by selling their creations. Would people be happier if psychics ignored their gifts and instead were doing something they are not as good at? Another question could be, did God give this gift to help others in this way so they could be denied and is it God's plan that these people work in corporate America for people who already have plenty of money in jobs they have no talent for?

It takes a lot of work to do what I do. Anyone can play basketball, but even with daily practice not everyone can play like Michael Jordan in his prime. Even Olympic Gold Medal winning ice skaters fell on the ice many times as they practiced and practiced to be a champion. They may have had the talent but years of discipline and effort made them champions.

It takes work and discipline to be a good intuitive. Most Lightworkers are too sensitive to energy to eat flesh foods, caffiene, chocolate and any food with chemicals in it. I personally gave up a comfortable income and job with benefits including 401k, dental and healthcare to an income that would probably qualify me for food stamps and have no dental, healthcare or other benefits. These sacrifices, plus more, were made so I can do more meaningful work where I feel I am actually helping people.

Being an intuitive and Lightworker means that you must try to live in this world and be in tune with the other side at regular intervals. Coming out of the "Lightworkers closet" can be extremely difficult! You can imagine the reactions people have when you tell them you are taking this path. Many people end up as hermits as it is hard to be balanced between. It's difficult to block out everything that is unpleasant in their environment and the world around them. Along with the beauty of the Holy Spirit and the Divine creations is also the paradox of the ugliness that exists in the world we must live in.

And then there is the personal development work that goes along with the lessons on the path. I must always face the truth and I do so because my directions come from the Holy Spirit. I had to clinically die to finally come to terms with doing this work. The Holy Spirit is who told me I am supposed to do this work and that's what I am doing: following Divine direction. The Holy Spirit told me that it is understood that I am a single mother of two children and that we need food, shelter and clothing and modern necessities to survive. The Holy Spirit told me to accept money for what I had done for free for 17 years.

I strive to get the TRUTH of situations and that includes owning my own truth and speaking for it. My readings are very much involved with getting people past their blocks and taking the steps to personal development that will make their life better. I am not a fortune teller and hope this is conveyed on my website.
To just work with your intuition there is no reason to do devote your entire life to this work as professional psychics do. Anyone can use intuition for enhancing their own life and getting Divine guidance will enable one to be grounded and centered while also being spiritual and open. Just ask the Holy Spirit for protection and light to surround you and then ask the Divine or your guardian angels your question mentally and then trust what comes to mind, even if it's not what you want to hear. It's an innate sense and we all have it. And, that's why I have provided so much information on my website and newsletters about empowering yourself to do the work and get answers and to enhance feelings of Divine support and guidance.

I suggest anyone who desires to practice prayer and devotion to contact God and Her angels. BUT, if someone wants someone else to take their time and energy to get the answer for them, then they must compensate that person. Here's an analogy I use: You can go to the store, buy your food (and remember, God provided you with dirt, seeds and tools to grow your own food so if you balk at the convenience of paying for it, you can use your free will to grow it, harvest, package it for storage yourself) and then come home, make it yourself and clean up your mess afterward. BUT if you go to a restaurant, you expect someone else to buy the food, prepare it, serve it and then clean up after you--you know payment is expected for this service as no restaurant could stay in business if they gave their food away. They certainly be able to get anyone to show up to cook and serve it for no compensation. Just because God gave them the gift of being a artist in the kitchen doesn't mean they should have to give away the food they prepare.

If someone truly can't pay for their reading then I may try to barter but only if I can use their service. I may have no need for a tree trimming, real estate planning or the crafts they make. When you receive payment for work, you are exchanging your experience for money. I can't tell you how many gifted Reiki healers I know who have lost thousands of dollars setting up a practice, renting space, decorating and buying equipment (just the table can be $500+ and most states require insurance too) only to have people say that they shouldn't have to pay for it. Their guilt of not feeling worthy of compensation repels them being able to help anyone and they end up feeling defeated and never use their healing gift.

Let me speak my truth here: no matter what anyone's talents and gifts are, it is essential that they ask for money in return. Just as doctors with the gift of healing, lawyers with the gift of persuasion and language, carpenters have the gift of building and accountants with the gift of understanding numbers, workers in non-traditional vocations too must exchange their gifts for money. Money was invented to replace bartering. You may not need the services someone wants to barter with and instead, money is used as a substitute. You may be an energy healer, massage therapist, make crafts, be psychic or have been gifted with another talent that does not translate into a traditional vocation. No one can let that it’s non-traditional block receiving money for time and energy spent.

I can't think of anyone who would show up for their job if they were not paid unless they had a disposable income and no other time commitments. In my experience, it’s the people who have enough money to pay for services who are the most likely to cry poor. Their personal sense of entitlement makes them try to find a bargain everywhere they go. Truly poor people are usually too proud and understand the value of time and money and will offer a barter. If I sense someone truly can’t pay for services than I'll ask them if they'd like to trade for something they can do for me (filing, paperwork, house cleaning errands, etc.) or if I know them well, ask that they donate their time to a favorite cause or pay the favor forward.

Contrary to what people may think, most psychics and energy healers work very hard for very little in return. I limit the amount of readings I perform so I don't rush and get tired plus I spend hours of time, not to mention the preparation time fasting and in meditation. This work can be very draining in it's own way. After a couple hours many Lightworker's energy crashes. Sometimes I need to take a break from doing this work and get grounded. Being in this profession is definitely not the easiest job to have and indeed, coming out of the "psychic closet" is a feat in itself.