Money is a funny thing. People are so attached to it and so fearful of not having enough. There is a belief that money is what brings us happiness, or at least if we do not have enough, we can’t be happy. Those are thoughts, and none of them are true. Many people in this country and all over the world are cash/money poor. They do not have money to eat, have a house, travel, have a car, or healthcare, and they are still happy people. There are also people who have a ton of money, more than they could every spend or use, plenty to eat, and plenty to spare, and they are never happy. In fact some of them spend so much time worrying about losing their money, that they cannot be happy even a little bit. There are also many in between who have some, and enough, and still are so afraid and worried about it, that they also cannot be happy. It really is dependent more on how you view money, what is enough, and what you need to be happy, that actually allows the space for happiness to occur.
Money is also funny because it has no intrinsic value. The paper or metal it is printed on has very little value on its own. It’s only value is what we place in it by faith. Also, the more we electronically pay for things, the less actual money is exchanged, so has even less value on its own. We spend so much time worrying about numbers going up and down, it hurts. I am in no way suggesting that not having enough money to buy necessities in life is good or easy. I am suggesting that how you deal with the money you have is the key to having a happy and satisfying life.
For me, I make a daily practice of putting money in its place. I say daily practice because I do have to constantly remind myself that money isn’t actually real. It is a construct of society, that is a necessary evil in some cases, or at least it is at the moment. I also remind myself that no amount of money can be enough or not enough depending on how we think of it. I chose daily to always believe there will be enough for what I need and a little more for stuff I just want.
My belief is based on balance. I believe that the universe and all the energy in it is naturally seeking balance. I choose to put my energy into the world in ways that support and enhance the quality of life for others around me. Some belief systems call it Karma, and that might be the most like what I believe. I believe that life happens in balance. If I put in my energy in positive ways, it will come back to me in positive ways. The Christian religion has a belief system like this also. I am not that familiar with other religions other than Buddhism and Christianity, but I suspect there is a system like this in all or most of them.
There are two qualifiers to this. One is that there is no way any human can only put in positive energy to the universe. We are human. When we cease to be human, then perhaps we can be perfectly positive 100% of the time. The game is then about balancing the energy as best as you can. The second thing is we tend to get attached to how we want that energy return to look. That is the bigger issue many people have. If I get attached to it looking like money, and then I don’t get rich, or I lose my money, then I get sad and think the belief system does not work. In truth, what will happen will be what is a balancing exchange of energy, that can look like anything from a kind word, to money for your work, or for emotional support. What is balancing is what you can expect, being able to accurately produce what you want as balance, you may not be able to get that. Our higher selves are in charge of bringing about the balance in our lives. They will see what we need, and will ensure that we have it. What we need in order to fulfill our purpose. Trust me when I say that most people have more than they need, so getting your balance may very well not look like you think it should. That is why I do my best to stay open to what that will look like, and have to remind myself all of the time that is my goal. Mostly because I already have more than I need.
Getting paid for my support and spiritual guidance has become a topic of conversation of late. I have been asked what I charge for a consult or reading, or for a class that I am teaching, etc. I have chosen a response. (Please read all the way to the bottom of this post if you have gotten this far. You may feel that I am judging those who do not subscribe to the following views. That is not true. Please read all the way down.) My purpose is to be a support and guide for people seeking to connect their soul to other souls, and to connect better to their higher selves. If that is my goal, and I if am doing it well, you will be able to figure how to balance your energy yourself. I will not need to tell you how to do that. I trust my higher self to take care of my balance. I put in what I need to, and open up to receive what I need to, meditating and focusing on being open to what that looks like.
That means I do not have a fee schedule. I have a commitment request. You decide what our time together is worth, and then you decide how to balance that out energy wise for you. What you receive, you put back. It does not have to come back to me. It might go forth to someone else, which is also fine. What comes back to me as my balance need not come only from you. I receive many gifts and input of energy from around my life.
Think about passing on the knowledge you gain, doing something physical in exchange (So much yard and house work in my life. If not for me, for someone else who needs it.), or giving me money. That also works. You may also find your own way to give back, and do a combination of anything you like. My only request is for you, and the universe, that you find a way to create a balance of what you receive, you return. Energy you get, you put back. That is all. That is my fee schedule. If money is makes sense to you, then do that. If you have other ideas, do them. If you want to talk through what that looks like for you with your higher self or me, do that. I do not require it. I request it, again, for you and the universe and the sake of balance. I trust I will have what I need.
One more thing, if this is not how you do fees or payments for your work, you need not feel or think that I think you are wrong for doing it differently. I also do not think that the reason you have to have fees because you aren’t trusting enough. I do NOT believe that. This is what I believe works for me right now. Your higher self will tell you how to get your return and balance, and that might be by charging set fees. That is not wrong. It is what makes sense for you. I’m only saying this is for me, in my current place, and what I am told will work for my balance.
I do not judge people who have fees, even really large ones. Truly, I do not. There is a place for all types of energy exchanges. Some people need to pay really high fees to balance their energy, for example. They may have taken a lot out of the universal energy pool, so paying a high fee to someone to balance it, is exactly what they need. I do not know who that is or pretend to know. I trust that you will know what is right for you to balance you out. Charging or paying fees is one way to do it. The way I am describing it, is only one other way. All of them are good and needed.