Money and spirituality are often perceived as uneasy bedfellows and there is a good deal of controversy surrounding this topic. I remember when I first started out as a fledgling reiki practitioner. I consulted with a woman healer I greatly respected who told me I should not be burdening my spiritual gifts by charging money, that being my own boss was a bad idea and that essentially, money and spirituality are like oil and water… they don’t mix.
Ironically, she charged hundreds of dollars for an hour of her own time. Young, starry-eyed and still very much caught up in the people-pleasing paradigm, I gave my power over to her, took her advice to heart, and felt extremely deflated as a result. I truly believed that her insights were correct because I saw her as wiser and more experienced than I. After my session with her I was more confused than ever and had trouble seeing a path forward for myself.
Over time, my perspective about money shifted and evolved- mostly with the help of inner work. This article has been years in the making because I still feel like I have growing to do in this area and I’m not certain it will ever be ‘complete.’ Continuing to unplug from negative internalized messages running in the periphery of my psyche is a work in progress. Here are some of the most salient lessons or revelations I have learned so far.
1. Money is neutral + it’s an energy exchange
Ultimately, money is an energy exchange and its essence is neutral. Just like technology, it’s a tool we can use. It isn’t inherently good or bad. It all depends on what you do with it.
2. Improving your relationship with money & abundance involves changing your beliefs
It can take effort to wade through and unlearn some of the money messaging you may have received over the years that keeps you in a state of scarcity, fear or disempowerment. But taking the plunge and doing the inner work will allow you to transform your beliefs about money and therefore improve your relationship with it moving forward. After taking several classes and courses on this subject, the three techniques I’ve found the most helpful are: journaling, affirmations and EFT.
Journaling allows you to intimately explore your beliefs about money, where they originated from and what you’d prefer them to look like instead. You can use affirmations for abundance, as if you find them helpful and resonant. EFT is another useful method to heal your money wounds and alter your mindset so that you can successfully dissolve blocks. With EFT, you don’t even have to unearth where the beliefs came from if that seems overwhelming.
Our relationship with money can hold up a mirror to issues surrounding our self-worth. True worth comes from within. You are a divine being and you are inherently worthy. You don’t have to do, be or accomplish anything to prove your worth.
Once your unhelpful limiting beliefs have been recognized and/or released, decide what you do want. Consider re-defining what prosperity, success and abundance mean to you- it’s not always measured in dollar signs. Perhaps it means freedom, the ability to travel, tending to your own vegetable garden, etc. It will look different for everyone. What has the world told you that you have to be or want? How is this different from who you truly are?
Now, you can open and allow abundance to flow into your life, plug any energy leaks where you might be siphoning your power away, and take aligned action. Approaching money with playfulness, curiosity and the innocence of a child will enable you to call more abundance in.
3. Your intentions matter when charging for your spiritual gifts
Many people get tripped up when it comes to charging for their spiritual gifts. This is a hot-button issue and it’s not always clear cut. One of the most important steps you can take is examining your intentions and being very honest with yourself. Are you offering your gifts from a place of purity and service, or are you motivated by materialism, external validation, or perhaps even power and prestige? Depending on your answer, your results may vary.
People can intuitively sense your true intentions and the energy behind what you’re putting out into the world. Becoming too materially-focused can actually prevent you from accessing certain spiritual initiations. When you are showing up from a heart-centered place of authenticity to share your gifts, the Universe will rise to support you.
Remember that money is an energy exchange. People assign value based on how much you charge, so if you provide your services for free or offer very cheap prices, they may perceive you as less-than-stellar at your job or not worth their time. Obviously, over-charging is the opposite side of the same coin and another practice that is best to avoid. Charge what you feel is fair, regardless of whether it is considered low compared to others in your niche.
Especially when you are first starting out, I recommend asking your spirit guides or higher self how much to charge. Their guidance can be extremely helpful and often results in pricing that feels aligned and resonant. You can always raise your rates once you have gained confidence and experience. Approaching pricing in this way can also enable you to overcome the all-too-common obstacle of imposter syndrome.
You incarnated here for a reason. You have a purpose and gifts to give to the world that no one else can do quite like you can. That is the essence of service- to discover what we love and offer it to humanity with a pure heart.
4. The Law of Divine Paradox
Are your dreams aligned with your highest truth? Go after your goals and dreams because you want them to augment your already beautiful and ecstatic life, not because you would feel dejected and depressed without them. Fear, desperation or needing a particular outcome to attain bliss or peace generates an energy that is poisonous to our well-being. It’s important to realize that external pleasures like money or fame will never truly make us happy. All desire is actually desire for God; to know God is to experience true joy and freedom.
The Law of Divine Paradox states that you can get what you want as long as you realize that you don’t need it to be happy. The more that you look to the material world to provide you with fulfillment, the more you shackle yourself to it. You are holding yourself captive because you’re creating a reality where you’re stating that you can’t be happy and successful unless you have x and y or achieve z.
When you are fixated on what you don’t have, when you feel like something is missing, you magnetize more lack and spend your time yearning for more, unable to experience satisfaction until you fill the void. This vicious cycle of incessant longing and striving for more will only keep you feeling empty and obstruct your ability to receive. Make the shift in consciousness to valuing what you do have, appreciating the good that’s all around you and expressing gratitude for the riches that lie in the present moment.
The Universe contains an infinite wellspring of possibility and abundance beyond our wildest imaginings. When your sole objective is to live with optimism, faith and trust, your deeper desires will be satisfied inherently- you will already be whole, complete, fulfilled. Everything will unfold in accordance with divine timing.
