I would love your opinion on accepting $

I started a while back helping a few friends. I am a medium amoung other things. They had questions about their loved ones who had passed. I did my thing and acted as what I like to call a telephone....relayed messages and answered questions. I have also helped to clear out spirits who were not welcome in homes by either making them leave or helping to provide them comfort. I have done all this for free. I have always felt it was wrong to accept money. Word has gotten around and now I have people wanting to see me A LOT, and they are people who I dont know now. Money is tight and I have a new job. My evenings are not as expendable as they once were. The sessions last anywhere from thrity minutes to 3 hours. I love to help, and have helped many people now. I have always felt that this was a gift that God gave me and gifts are to be given not sold. However, money is tight, and several of these people want to give me something. I can not figure out where I would stand on acccepting $ as a gift. I would love to hear your opinions.

reply to post by mrsdudara


I have always felt that this was a gift that God gave me and gifts are to be given not sold





god and the church have no problem taking anyone's money - why should you..?


personal.paypal.com...

reply to post by yeahright


Hmm Well said and good point. I suppose I just feel as if $ takes away from the experience. Also I struggled when I was kid about the good/evil aspect of it all. ON one hand I dont want people to feel like they owe me. My reward should be knowing that I helped while also learning a bit more about myself in the process. But the other part of me thinks this IS starting to take up my time. I also have to deal with the consequences. It can be very taxing on me. I genraly can not sleep the night after.... at all. And when you have to get up early to go to work it can be a bit much. I SHOULD just be happy that so many people want to listen and want to ask questions. I SHOULD just be happy knowing that I have helped someone. After the session I am. But during the time before when I know I am giving up time with my kiddos and sleep I think maybe it wouldnt hurt to accept....ya know.

Im torn.

If your going to be offering a service which you will be charging for then your going to have to set yourself up as a small business (well if you don't want to be looking over your shoulder for the Tax Man)
I'm not sure how the gift idea would work in a legal sense, but I assume that the IRS wouldn't leave a loophole like that open, so I'm guessing that you would have to pay tax on the gifts.

As for the moral bit, the people are paying for your time, not for your gift so I wouldn't worry about it, I am naturally quite good at playing the guitar but I don't mind charging for guitar lessons

Originally posted by facelift
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god and the church have no problem taking anyone's money - why should you..?

Awesome! I Laughed out loud on that one.

I havent been to church in so many years because of that. I do not want to be like that.

Your heart is in a good place, but in truth, there is no such thing as a free lunch (TINSTAAFL).

In most religions, even their God(s) require a price of some sort to even hear something as simple as a prayer, thus the origin of offerings.

Although those coming to you for help should be offering ahead of time to compensate you for your time and trouble, such a practice is rather antiquated in Western Society. As such, it wouldn't be improper in a moralistic sense to ask for a gift of compensation, on a sliding scale so as to not exclude providing of help to those who may not be able to afford compensation.

I work in an industry where we routinely bill out time for any kind of interaction or support with our customers. I personally don't bill out time for support, especially if it didn't distract me from my workflow, unless it is something inanely stupid that wasted my valuable time...i.e., a Stupidity Fee. The reason I mention this is because...well, have you ever read the story about the person who gave a mouse a cookie? People in Western Society don't value generosity, but rather they take advantage of it. However, those same people place value upon that which has an actual financial cost. For instance, I once taught a class out of a Community Center for $1 a term to students to cover the cost of handouts. I only had 3-5 people ever show up each term and most of them didn't value the class. Later, I was invited to teach the same class at a Private School which charged students $750-1500 a term to take my class (despite my protests). I had 90+ people signing up for my class, all of which were insanely devoted to studying the material each week, despite being deluged with a significant amount of material over such a brief span of time. I didn't want monetary compensation for what I was teaching, but discovered that without asking for such people did not see worth in it unless they were monetarily vested. It was a valuable lesson I had to learn that was contrary to my own sense of ideals.

At least you're thinking about it. I would think if you removed yourself from the issue and did not set a price or actually ask for a contribution, that might be the best position to be in. I've known budding artists with the same issue, thinking it was unfair to ask for money for what is actually great art! On the other hand, you don't want to go the Sylvia Browne route. Good luck.

if theyre going to offer you a donation, tell them to just cover the cost of your gas, hell its getting more and more expensive to drive anywhere

reply to post by schuyler


Yeah, that charlatan charges $500.00 for a 30 minute READING!!!!!!

Seriously?!?!?! for 30 minutes?!?! That is a rip off. I have only done 1 that was that short. Most average an hour or two.

Originally posted by mrsdudara
I started a while back helping a few friends. I am a medium amoung other things. They had questions about their loved ones who had passed. I did my thing and acted as what I like to call a telephone....relayed messages and answered questions. I have also helped to clear out spirits who were not welcome in homes by either making them leave or helping to provide them comfort. I have done all this for free. I have always felt it was wrong to accept money. Word has gotten around and now I have people wanting to see me A LOT, and they are people who I dont know now. Money is tight and I have a new job. My evenings are not as expendable as they once were. The sessions last anywhere from thrity minutes to 3 hours. I love to help, and have helped many people now. I have always felt that this was a gift that God gave me and gifts are to be given not sold. However, money is tight, and several of these people want to give me something. I can not figure out where I would stand on acccepting $ as a gift. I would love to hear your opinions.

There is a saying that goes something like, "Money is the root of all evil"........unfortunately everything we need to survive can only be had with money. (Yes even hunting and fishing licenses cost money). Survival doesn't ask can I, may I please survive! There is no political correctness or Geneva convention when it come to survival.
Do Animals ask the gubberment if they can buy a license to hunt so they can live? Do they punch a clock 9-5? That is where they (Governments and Corporations) are pushing us to and it is only a matter of time and the lack thereof before man reverts to survival tactics.

Although I have no gift myself, I am fascinated by psychic mediums, and have consulted them, and talked to them. They all talk about how draining it is, and how over a period of time, they are able to perform fewer readings per day. It can be exhausting and time consuming.

I have no problem whatsoever with paying for these services. We all have our gifts, and we must all make a living. I really don't see what your dilemma is with this. Go for it.

One very famous medium I contacted charged $1,000 for an hour. It was very helpful to me, rang true, and I was quite happy to pay him. I was not in the least "ripped off". He is at a point in his life where he has to limit the number he can do by the month. So, the consults cost more.

Another, less well known medium charged $200. for one hour. With this, I was also very happy with the result.

So, I advise to lighten up on yourself a little. There is nothing wrong with accepting money, and you don't necessarily have to have a flat fee. Charges can vary according to how you feel everything went, or I'm sure you would be very fair about this. My two.

This is simple. You put a container that is not see-through, or a box that is lined with a dark bag that you can draw-string closed (be sure that it is not shallow because you do not want the amount deposited to show). Then put a small sign that is short and sweet, "Love Offerings Accepted".

This way you never have to ask, and they never have to guess what your value should be and they can base the amount on their own needs and what they can offer. Obviously one person will feel you are worth less but that should not be a reflection of you and you should never take such expressions personally, only accept all and any amount as if it were more than you deserve. Spirit will reward you!

Don't be surprised when you find personal things of great value placed in there, rings, trinkets, and such, as these are more valuable than money! If you get checks, try to get the check to their bank if you do not have the amount to cover in your own account just in case one should bounce. No sense in causing yourself fees over such things.

Maybe it would help to remember what "money" is.

It is a universal system to easily exchange energy between two parties.

reply to post by mrsdudara

However, money is tight, and several of these people want to give me something. I can not figure out where I would stand on acccepting $ as a gift. I would love to hear your opinions.

That you give or have given of yourself, with no prior requests nor sought-after remunerations, speaks volumes with regards your soul, character, person and being ... IMO

Take what's offered and seek no more than you have in the past - a sated desire to help/aide/assist others along their way.

clapped. starred and flagged ... as you've always seemed rather genuine in concern and righteous to your word.

I see nothing wrong with accepting money as a gift. Your time and talent are valuable and if some one chooses to give a gift or donation I see no harm.

...if bad juju is the just reward for accepting money, theres nothing you can do to circumvent it and justifications wont matter - but - thats a big if, if you believe in such things...

...theres an old story about a ndn medicine man who came upon hard times and decided that providing better for his family was more important than the old warning that if you sell your gift, you tarnish it and that'll piss off the spirits, who will then make sure you not only lose your gift but suffer for it...

...this guy saw lots of his people pandering to white tourists with no ill effect, so he figured that warning was just bs... its a long story of his trials and tribulations but suffice it to say that he lost everything and died a lonely broken man...

...its just an old story - have no idea if its true or not - and, yeah, i know, its not exactly supportive but, if you believe in such things, maybe it's more supportive than it appears to be...

...good luck with your decision...

I like the idea of a box or bag that is not see through set out with the "Love offerings accepted" sign. I think I will do that. I just can not bring myself to charge. For close to the same reasons as the medicine man. Im not so much concerned with myself, but it being disrespectfull to the one who gave me this gift and the spirits who need the services from it.