Awesome Daniel commented: “I truly appreciate your suggestions. It makes sense. Practical and intelligent. In fact, your blogs have helped me to believe in LOA. As I said I really love your blogs. But when I saw that you are selling your stuff or trying to make money off it, it does question your credibility that you are just trying to help people. You know this is one of the main complaints of anti-LOA people. Seriously, why do you guys try to sell the stuff? You can just genuinely try to help people (if that is what you’re after) without any monetary motives.”
Dear Awesome Daniel,
Thank you for asking this question publicly as well as respectfully. Usually, when someone addresses this topic, they do so in a way that I can’t publish (i.e. they’re total douchebags about it). I have a lot of light workers and healers in my audience, and I’m certain that many of them struggle with the idea of charging for their services. So I’m more than happy to give you my take on the subject from that perspective.
In my blog post on Charity, I addressed the false belief that doing something good for others is only valuable if it involves sacrifice on the part of the giver. The idea that a gift is only really valuable if it’s caused the person who gives it some kind of pain or suffering is, quite frankly, ridiculous to me. Not only does giving under those circumstances lead to a great deal of guilt for the recipient (who wants to receive gifts that have come at such a price?), but it greatly limits how much can be given (if I am depleted each time I give, I can’t give for long before I run out of energy/money/life.) I think the points I made in that post perfectly tie into this one.
When someone asks me why I charge for my services, they generally hold the belief that I would be better serving humanity if I gave my services away for free. But, it’s that assumption really true? Let’s break it down a bit, shall we?
What if I gave it all away for free?
First of all, I do have to make a living. Until we all agree to live in a resource based economy, I need to have some kind of income stream so I can pay my rent. Could I make money doing something else, something less spiritual, something I’d love less than what I do right now? Of course. I could go back to the corporate world and make a pretty damn good living. Of course, then I wouldn’t be able to dedicate very much time to what I actually want to do.
- I’d be able to coach only a small handful of people, perhaps one or two at a time, instead of the dozens I’m currently able to help.
- I’d be able to write only a couple of blog posts a month. There would not be a library of hundreds of blog posts, articles, audios and videos available for free on this site.
- I wouldn’t be able to spend hours and hours raising my own vibration and reaching higher and higher levels of understanding that I can then share with you. Self-development takes time. The retreats I go on aren’t just for pleasure. These are my continuing education seminars.
- I wouldn’t be authentic. This is who I am. This is what I’m meant to do. I practice what I preach. Forcing myself to do a job I don’t really want to do isn’t in line with any of that.
- I’d be too tired to really connect most of the time. I can’t write unless I’m inspired. When I coach, I enter into an altered state. Not only did it take me quite a few hours of practice to learn how to do that, but I have to be in a high vibration in order to accomplish that. I need time and space and the right environment to make that happen. Exhaustion isn’t conducive to that.
By dedicating myself to this work full time, I’m able to help far more people for free and otherwise, than I could if I had another job. I also wouldn’t be able to work at the level at which I do if I spent a significant portion of my day being distracted by a job that wasn’t aligned with Who I Really Am.
Should all spiritual services be free?
But isn’t it simply wrong to charge for any kind of spiritual service? Shouldn’t all light workers and healers and teachers work for free? Shouldn’t we all be content to live in poverty, subsisting on donations, content with the idea that our sacrifice is worth it so that we can help others?
I don’t believe so, no. Let me tell you why:
Poverty isn’t conducive to helping others. Who do you think can help more people, a billionaire or a pauper? That’s a pretty easy question to answer, isn’t it? The more money someone makes, the more people they can help, period. Living in poverty isn’t conducive to helping others. It simply means that there’s a belief that you can’t be a good person and also have money, which is a false belief. Why would the Universe set it up like that? Why would particularly the best among us be required to have the least? Shouldn’t it be the other way around (it actually is, but we mess it up by believing otherwise).
Money is spiritual. Of course, materialism for the sake of materialism isn’t a good idea and often causes a great deal of damage. But that doesn’t mean that money, in and of itself, is bad or not spiritual. The energy of money is actually deeply spiritual, and an inability to receive it will cause a great imbalance. Think about it: energy has to flow. If energy flows out, it must also flow in. Otherwise, there’s depletion. If you are giving but aren’t able to receive, you will create an imbalance in your life. You can receive the love of the Universe in many different ways. Money is just one, and a convenient one, at that. Why is this one form of energy so unacceptable? Well, it isn’t. Unless you think it is.
Being poor doesn’t make you more enlightened. Sure, there are many religious organizations that will have you believe that there’s virtue in being poor, while they secretly stuff their pockets with cash. But never mind them. There are a lot of spiritual schools of thought that genuinely believe that solitude and poverty will allow the spirit to rise. And I don’t disagree completely. I do think that if you go live in a monastery and give up all material possessions, it could help you to achieve greater clarity. But, I don’t believe that it’s our mission in life to sit in a dark room and meditate. In fact, I don’t believe that the West has it totally wrong. While our brothers in the East have mastered the discipline of the mind, and our sisters to the south (as in Central and South America) have a deeper connection to nature, we, in the Occidental world have a great understanding of physical pleasure and comfort (yes, I know I’m generalizing. Don’t get too caught up in the geography of this point). Sure, we’ve taken it WAY too far, but imbalances are present in all schools of thought. None of us have it “right”. I believe that the time has come for us to marry all these disciplines and find the balance between the extremes.
We’re here to enjoy the physical, WHILE being attuned to nature AND knowing the power of our own minds. And if we’re to do that, we have to make peace with materialism and learn to work with it in a balanced way, rather than demonize it. It’s ok to make money, it’s just not ok to rape the earth and destroy entire cultures to get it. Nor is it necessary to do so.
Making money in an aligned way sets a great example. If we want to move towards a world where all people allow themselves to choose the path that’s aligned with their hearts and their passions, we have to set some examples. Many people choose not to go down that path because they don’t think they can make any money this way. I’d like to prove them wrong. I think that the more businesses we have that show us that we can make money while being happy and making others happy, the more people will allow themselves to do the same. It will go from being a nice pipe dream to something that’s actually possible in people’s minds. We don’t have to make a choice between having a nice life and being fulfilled. We can do both.
One of the reasons why we have so many unethical and destructive corporations is because of the belief that you have to be a total douchebag to make money. I plan to personally prove that paradigm wrong on a huge scale. And there are many who are already doing so. More and more companies are proving that you can treat your employees and customers like stars, provide a kick ass service AND make a lot of money, while often even setting up foundations to help even more people for free. I applaud those companies and envision a world where there are many, many more of them. In fact, I envision a world where people finally wise up to the fact that being aligned is MORE lucrative than being a douche.
People value things more if they pay for them. This is an argument I’ve heard many times, which is why I’m including it here, although I only partially agree. I do think that a lot of people value things more if they have paid for them. In fact, they seem to value services more if they’ve paid a lot. I’ve certainly seen evidence of this. My paying clients generally take their sessions and homework far more seriously than do those who get my calls for free. They have paid money, and now they expect to get results. They’re willing to work more for them. They also respect my time more. I’ve never had a paying client just stand me up. I have had people whom I was helping for free simply fail to show up for a meeting. Were my services suddenly worth less because I wasn’t charging? They certainly seemed to think so.
This doesn’t apply to everyone of course. Some people pay for services and don’t do the work, and some people receive a free service, do the homework faithfully and get amazing results (and, as I’ve focused more on these types of people, I’ve stopped attracting the non-serious ones). This is why I still give away a lot of services for free, and will continue to do so. But it is worth mentioning that A LOT of people are helped MORE when they’re required to pay for the service. Think about it: Are you more likely to read a book you were given for free or one you paid for, even if it was a small amount? Which car do you treat with more reverence, the $500 one or the $100.000 one?
Spiritual skills are still skills. In our society, we’ve come to value highly skilled labor. We pay a premium for expertise. I don’t see anything wrong with that. In fact, I believe the problems arise when we DON’T pay people for their skills. For example, a really good teacher who inspires her students to excellence, and who has acquired the skill to do so, should be paid a premium. The fact that we don’t value this skill is not only beyond me, but at the heart of much of our educational issues. But when we do reward great skill, we provide an incentive for people to do so. We make it more likely that more people will choose this path, and we make it more possible for them to do so. When someone has spent YEARS and tens of thousands of dollars becoming a powerful healer or teacher, why is that skill set suddenly worth nothing? Why would we value a medical doctor’s skill but not the shaman’s? Why do we have no problem paying the lawyer, but scoff at the idea of paying the energy healer? Why is it ok for a polluting, unethical company to grow big and create tons of horrible jobs, but not ok for a spiritual company to become huge and provide tons of awesome jobs and benefit to the world?
But isn’t it our responsibility as light workers to be accessible to everyone?
And now, for the biggie: If you’ve chosen to dedicate your life to helping others, isn’t it your obligation to make sure you can help as many people as possible by making yourself as accessible as you can to everyone?
Well, that’s not actually possible. Here’s why: You can’t help everyone. And you can’t attract everyone. Oh, and you have no freaking obligation. Ever.
The idea that light workers have an obligation shuts down more healing energy than any other. It certainly kept me from being Who I Really Am for a long, long time. I was born with a strong desire to heal. When, as a child, I felt the unhappiness of those around me, I mistakenly thought that it was my job, my obligation to help them. When I couldn’t, because they weren’t ready to let go of their pain, I felt like I was a failure. That led to a belief that I wasn’t good enough, which I’m still cleaning up. The intense desire to help, coupled with the thought that I wasn’t up to the job, caused a great deal of pain. And so, I shut down my abilities, I hid my light, and I became an angry, depressed, introverted, quiet, desperate teenager and young adult. I allowed people to abuse me. I didn’t think I was worth more. After all, if I couldn’t do what I was meant to do, if I couldn’t make others happy, if I couldn’t do my “job”, then what good was I?
It took years for me to realize that I didn’t have a “job”. It had been an intention, a desire, but never an obligation. And when I finally allowed myself to be happy even when others weren’t, I started truly helping others. My joy inspired their joy. My pain hadn’t been able to do that. I’d felt like a failure as a child because I thought I could/should help everyone. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t up to me to help them. I couldn’t assert good energy into their reality. All I could do was make myself available to those who were ready to receive what I could flow through me. I could volunteer to do this, and then let those who were ready for my particular brand of energy come to me. They had to attract the help, and if I didn’t volunteer, someone else would. Their help was not contingent upon me.
I also realized that I wasn’t here to save the world, because the world doesn’t need saving. The Universe has got this. Each one of us has more guidance than we can comprehend. And we can choose to play along in that game or not. There is no obligation to do so. We can choose to, because it’s fun and it feels good, but we don’t have to.
So, you can’t help everyone. And you can’t make yourself accessible to everyone, since the Law of Attraction can only bring you those who are a match to you. If you’re aligned with helping others, you can only attract those whom you can help. If you’re aligned with suffering and scarcity and frustration, you’re going to attract a bunch of people who continuously ask for help, but can’t really receive it. Nothing will drain you faster.
If it’s not WIN-WIN, there’s an imbalance
The bottom line is this: The Universe works on a win-win basis. Actually, it works on a win-win-win-win-win basis. We’re the ones who came up with the twisted idea that things had to be win/lose. But that doesn’t really work, especially long term. If all parties are enriched by the exchange of energy, then there’s no limit to how much energy can be exchanged and how much benefit can be received. If someone has to lose in order for someone else to win, there will always be a limit.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. If that teacher charges more for her services than you can afford, you’re either not quite ready, and/or that’s not the perfect teacher. When you are truly ready to manifest the clarity you’re after, you will manifest it in a way that’s totally accessible to you. It’s not the teacher’s responsibility to make sure you’re ready (that’s not possible).
My personal balance
Of course, I’ve had to grapple with this question myself. I have a strong desire to help as many people as possible, and I believe that making this my business instead of just running it as a hobby actually helps me to do that. I also provide a great deal of information for free, not because I think I have to, but because it makes me feel really good to do so. I plan to always provide multiple ways for those who are ready to access my products to do so, with scholarships and sponsorships, for example. I’ve found the balance that works for me – I provide the maximum benefit I can, while making sure I don’t deplete myself, so that I can continue to grow and evolve and give in bigger and bigger ways.
Each of us has to find that balance for ourselves, but I think the biggest mistake we can make as a spiritual community is to think small. If we’re going to change the world, we have to be willing to play on a big stage. We have to be willing to use money and the economy for GOOD, instead of just lamenting that others aren’t.
Don’t tell the douchebag CEO to do it differently. He can’t hear you. Go start your own spiritually aligned company and make a crap load of money while helping others, and show them that it can be done and is, in fact, more lucrative than their destructive way. Show them they don’t have to be afraid. They can be Who They Really Are. They can be enriched, not depleted. They can win, instead of losing. We all can. And that’s actually the way it’s supposed to be. When shall we start? Should we continue to hold on to the idea that spirituality has to come at great sacrifice? Or should we finally bring it into the mainstream? Wouldn’t it be better to find the balance between mind, body and spirit, instead of selectively mastering only one at a time? Shouldn’t we finally start to encourage and compensate those who provide true value? Instead of asking “Isn’t it unethical to charge for spiritual services?”, wouldn’t it better to ask “Is it ethical to charge for services that aren’t spiritually aligned?” Isn’t it time that we chose to win-win-win-win-win? I think it is. And that’s why I charge for my services. 🙂
Hi Melody, First of all thank you very much for creating a blog on my question 🙂 (feels good) also for adding awesome before my name 🙂 I did not event think that you would post my question
Well, I completely believe that “If you are gooat something, never do it for free” And, I dont hate money making, in fact I love it
The questions I had in my mind, when I asked that question was.. Since you are a master of this art, you are supposed to attract money quite easily and should not have a problem with money at all. So, you would be in a position to help people genuinely for free. But you did answer that pretty clearly
Anyway, it is really difficult to find out if some one is chargin money to continue doing spiritual help or using spiritual LOA stuff to make money. Because this LOA provides a great opportunity for unscrupulous cheaters as the whole premise is that you have to believe unconditionally. If this does not work for their clients, they can simply say “may be you did not believe enough ” 😉
Thanks again for the detailed answer. I can surely say that I am more into LOA now 🙂
Melody… You are so fantastically inspiring! I think I love you! No… I know I LOVE you!
Thank you so very much!
Hi Melody,
Brilliant post! I completely agree and will share this post as I found it very helpful.
Everyone has a choice – I choose to dedicate my time fully to Spiritual Life Coaching as I love helping people to break their limiting beliefs and become the stars of their lives and I choose to charge for my services! This post really helped me to feel completely okay with my choice. Thank you!
Hi Melody:
I have just read this post, thinking it would answer the questions I have been grappling with in my mind. However, it didn’t do so; instead, it just inspired me to ask them here.
This is very speculative, but do you believe that if someone was extremely resistance-free, they could sort of have a “pay what you want” business model and still make all the money they could ever want? For example, if mostly Resistance-Free Robby decided to sell a book that he thinks is worth 20 dollars, but one could buy it for whatever they can afford and are comfortable buying it for, Robby willl still make tons of money just by trusting that he will be rich and awesomeness will occur?
I know that this would be a difficult state to get into if it is even logical, and I am not trying to say that you should do something like this, I am simply speculating upon the possibility, and if you can give them, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Also, what are your thoughts on the idea that we all have the resources within ourselves to solve our problems? I know this may be difficult for you to actually comment on since you are selling services, but if people could slow down, get rid of the “limiting belief” that they need others to help them spiritually, and really expect awesomeness, then is it possible that that’s what they will get?
Thank you for considering this.
i guess what is important is that you are willing to give something out of love no matter how big or small it may be. it doesn’t matter how big or small it may be, what is important is that you give it whole-heartedly. f
In gratitude Melody 🙂
Namaste
This value thing is bugging me lately… and here it is again.
Cars. I just had to sell my “cheap old” car and i’m missing it. Had a bad debate over it’s value, too. No great story around that car, i just liked it a lot. I don’t get nor treat things by price tag, i simply get what i like and treat it all equally (in some people’s opinion) too well.
I’ve seen it in people, too. The free candidates didn’t show or didn’t do their homework. Make them pay and it gets better.
With charity i’m through. I have a whole lot of stuff to give away, good stuff. The charity organizations say they don’t need it, they want cash only… who knows what for.
People around don’t want it, they keep complaining.
Tried selling some after that. Ugly experience as well. Selling ain’t my game.
I’m actually expected to throw things like a 1yr young healthy dish-washer and a big freezer in the trash – and pay for them to take it away. Seems i have issues with value big time. I know i have to practice LOA in terms of people attraction, but lately i’m more attracted away from people in general. No offense. And sorry about the curve off topic. Charity, free, cars, value – all words on my list these days.
Btw i’ve read that sometimes you end up in an area with too much poverty/negative consciousness and your best bet is to get the hell outta there. Which is what i’m doing. Thus the big give away fail.
I have signed up to the membership site, I have purchased the calls prior to signing up and I am currently having monthly coaching sessions. I read all the blogs posts…… and the value of all of this to me has been priceless. I remember saying on my last coaching call if Melody doubled her prices (or more) for her services I would happily pay because her style is so easy to understand its impossible not to get everything you need from Melody to make your life amazing. xxx
Amazing post Melody! It’s definitely one of your best.
Yes, you deserve to make money off the information you are giving. Yes, it will be treated better if someone pays you for the information. This is your time that you are using to write this information down.
The difference between a you, Melody and a lot of the self-help gurus is you are not repackaging. Most of the self-help gurus out there, buy their first or third book but not all of them. Why? They are repackaging everything they told you in the first book or third book. Retreats are fun but usually not worth it. (Save your 3k weekend for Vegas.)Reading the book (the first or the third) with a group of friends is just as helpful. Your friends or reading group can help you see the information given in a different light.
People don’t generally see spending money as just a circulation of energy. (Ask anyone who has ever used the phrase “the buck stops here”.)
The heart of the matter is, people don’t enjoy paying for any services. Services are not tangible. You can’t touch services, you can’t put them on a shelf or wear them. The recipient of a service knows (logically) that you are spending your time teaching, doing or showing them something…. Butttttt… Time is free… We all have it…. right?
Melody, I love your ability to clarify things. I appreciate that you provide the blogs for free. I signed up last week and have been sharing your information with friends and family. I cannot wait to schedule a session with you and happy to add to your income! After all, isn’t what we pay out energy that comes back?
My happiness scale has increased so fast in the last week. Thank you for the awesome guidance.
Lots of hugs to you.
Anne
Wow. It’s taken me a ridiculous amount of time to unravel most (not all, yet) of my problematic issues regarding money, worth, deserving . . . the usual entangled mess. Posts like this one are like lanterns in the dark, holding more wisdom and direction and truth than entire books or week-long workshops or courses. Melody, your ability to distill huge topics down into a handful of words is breath-taking — and you’ve done it again with this post. I sometimes think our relationship with money tells us everything we need to know about our relationship with ourselves and our life-energy.
A quick comment about the fear of being taken advantage of: no one takes advantage of us without our cooperation. If we find we have been “had” (and haven’t we all, in some way at some time or another?), that in itself is a valuable lesson that is probably worth every penny of what we think we’ve been conned out of — it tells us pretty clearly where our energy lies, and, really, is there anything else we need to understand?
The facts you’ve covered in this article are spot-on! I agree that if you want to make a change in the world on a bigger scale, doing this via a business is the most effective way – which means using money for the Good. Thanks so much for sharing your views!
Hello Melody,
I totally agree with this post but have some remarks about the following example you used.
Think about it: Are you more likely to read a book you were given for free or one you paid for, even if it was a small amount? Which car do you treat with more reverence, the $500 one or the $100.000 one?
As far as the example of the book is concerned: Some forty years ago an old lady presented me with two books that still stand in my bookcase and almost fall apart because of the countless times I have read them. They mean more to me than most of my other books, both because of their contents (which have a value of its own, quite apart from any monetary value) as because of the reason she gave them to me. The gift proved that she had really seen me, as a person, and she had understood that I needed to read those books.
This aspect is also missing in the example of the cars. The one which costs only 500 dollars might very well be the present from parents to their son for his sixteenth birthday. These people will never be able to even consider buying an expensive car. But this boy will be very proud of his first car regardless and take excellent care of it and show it to whoever is willing to look. The expensive car may be car number six or seven, belonging to a millionaire to whom 100.000 dollars is pocket money and not really important. It will probably not receive his personal care at all and he will certainly not be proud of it.
When something is a gift, it totally depends on who has given it and why. If it is a gift from the heart, it will be very precious.
I think that in looking at this subject also people’s attitude to money is important. Do they own it or does it own them. In the latter case I feel that eventually everything will turn out unsatisfactorily, whatever one does for a living, but if what people do for a living comes straight from the heart, then everything will be fine because they will be in alignment.
I feel that when people have Daniel’s question, it is a sign that they should investigate their own attitude towards money. I know, because I still have some issues in that respect myself.
Love,
Anny
A very interesting read.. I was only talking about this yesterday as I was reading on fb how people say they don’t charge for their services.. Being a Medium.. As its a gift from god and it shud not be abused.. But surely if you don’t charge you are abusing yourself and your are also saying you are not worthy or allowing a monetary exchange or at least some kind of energy exchange I.e. food or a swop in something .. Of course I do feel if one has lost a child if I was a medium I would never charge for that service so I would find a balance.. I also found that when I offer free services, I do tarot.. People go to you then another free tarot then another free tarot reading which is not good..
We live in a materialist world where everything has a price you cannot survive without money end of… And having a gift and doing it for free you are hurting yourself because u then have to eat cheap food etc.. So in the end u will end up in healthy and will not be able to help anyone.. It’s all about charging for your time and everyone’s time is worth something.
Melody,
I have been reading your blog for 4 months now. Just the posts that you write. I already feel like I have turned a corner in life. I am still learning the ropes, but your material has helped immensely. My outlook to look at things is changing and I have you to thank for it. All this just from the free stuff, so you are changing lives!! Hopefully one day I will start using the paid services, but for now the other stuff is enough. Thanks for all that you do. Smooshy hugs!!!
Melody, you are awesome!!! Thank you for being here and doing what you do!!
If you can do spiritual work yourself, do it. Grow spiritually, learn Reiki, meditate, DO something to help yourself. If you can’t, PAY. Money is energy. If you don’t give, you can’t receive. Easy as cake.
I can’t get over how in this day and age anyone thinks it is wrong to be paid for services! Energetically that is so misaligned to basic truth that it astonishes me that there are people who purportedly are awake to their spiritual nature who can simultaneously hold that belief.
Many musicians, artists, dancers, actors… (eh… you get the gist) earn income doing what they love to do for a living, what brings them joy and fulfillment. Do we expect them to do it all for free too? People forget sometimes that these individuals paid their dues, too. Some took lessons, went to university, got certifications… all things they had to pay for. And none of that guaranteed that they could earn a living doing what they loved. Rather, hard work and perseverance were among the things that helped them find their place. And now others want them to give away what they’ve paid their dues for? Don’t they have to eat and pay rent or a mortgage, too?
There are so many gifted individuals in this world, and a great number of them have highly developed abilities like Melody has. Some charge for their services and some don’t. Many that don’t still have other side projects for income. And then there are of course others who exploit their gifts not unlike phony TV evangelists. I’m not saying all those who are led to service in the church are phonies, but enough are that people are skeptical. I think these select few have left a lot of people gun-shy with a bitter taste in their proverbial mouths. It can cause the legitimately good-intentioned gifted ones to be lumped into that category by proxy. This is sad.
It’s also sad that people struggling with money issues tend to view those who are doing all right in that department with scorn and scrutiny. I by no means am saying this from a place of rolling in money; quite the contrary. But I think many are envious and resentful deep down and maybe feel cheated that they think they themselves can’t earn money doing what fulfills them. They have limited beliefs that they must work in jobs they hate in environments that stifle their spirits. (Perhaps they’ve never stopped to ask themselves how much of this is self-sabotage).
Anyhoo… I digress a bit.
In my opinion, Melody has struck a great balance with this site. She offers a wealth of material on the blog here for free, and I have certainly learned much. For those who want something more in depth or are ready to go to the next level, she charges a fair fee. For the time, energy, and effort Melody devotes to this awesome blog and her services, why shouldn’t she be compensated? She’s gotta have a roof over her head and food to eat just like everybody else. And isn’t there a cost involved for maintaining a web domain without ads all over the place? Hmm.
Very well stated, Ayla!
Melody, I have to say that before discovering your blog, I never believed in spiritual services. Most of them call claim to predict your future, others to be able to make spells, do/undo magic. I find them all charlatans and after giving a few tries, never bothered my mind with them again.
But things are different with your blog! What you write about the LOA makes SO MUCH sense. The Orthodox religion I grew up with, God as an entity, never resonated with me. I found here answers for most of my question, and bless you for that !
You do a tremendous wonderful job and you deserve every cent. I contemplate getting a call with you one day, although “I choose not to do this right now” 🙂 – see, changed my way of saying things already.
And yes, I never resonated with self-sacrifice and suffering in order to help others. The whole “saint” mentality and attitude. It’s great that you get to help people, AND help yourself and your vibration all together. Keep up with the great job, and the inspiring articles!
Brilliant as always – very well put. Wishing you the best always.
John
Loved it! And these comments are all really great!
“a world where people finally wise up to the fact that being aligned is MORE lucrative than being a douche”. Yes, I hope that is where we are heading, at least, I see that happening, albeit very slowly.
The calls and free audios are awesome, Mel. A lot of us do deeply appreciate and benefit from the free stuff, please know that.
Hi Melody!
Your site is wonderful and provides an amazing resource for everyone, and your services are worth every penny!
That said, my resistance is in line with Karin’s, in that I’ve seen people taken advantage of by unscrupulous ‘experts.’ To me, that’s the risk you run when you make spirituality a business. Of course, people have to be willing participants and have attracted the experience, but that doesn’t make the outrageously expensive fake ‘spiritual healers’ any more palatable. In the same vein, to me Christianity lost a lot of its validity when it became more about cathedrals than about feeding people. Just as in any business, there are genuinely helpful people and there are people out for a quick buck from someone who is vulnerable. Because now it’s a business.
Deliberate Receiving is the most generous AND the most truly helpful website and blog I’ve ever found. Melody, you are both amazingly gifted and genuinely helpful, and you totally deserve everything you receive. If anyone can lift spirituality into being both ‘right work’ and lucrative, I’m positive it’s you!
Hug,
Carole
I can understand the question but there is a huge difference between this site and others. All one needs to do is read past posts to figure that out.
I think that Daniel was so blown away by all the super helpful and free information on this site that he forgot that Melody can’t (yet) manifest a basket of fish and so needs to earn some money to buy her stuff.
If there was an award for having an awesome soul you would win it Melody, and I HUGELY thank you for the free help you provide. Seriously.
Thank you for this Melody. This is something I’ve been seriously struggling with lately as I contemplate taking my own blog to the “next level” (huge step, bringing up lots of my own resistance issues… fear and self-doubt being the biggest ones). You’ve given me lots to think about over the next few days.
When I interpret astrology charts or do tarot readings, I operate on the basis that the person I do them for can value them as they wish. In other words, I don’t have a set price. Typically, people value what I do pretty well without me ever having to tell them how to value it, plus, they have to think about what the information they got was worth.
I have had one instance wherein I did some tarot for a lady who opted not to give me anything and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. This told me a couple of things about what she values, and also told me how she expects energy to flow. I will give her the benefit of the doubt and read once more for her, and if she does the same thing again I will be prohibited from helping her additionally simply by her own relationship to give and take.
Usually, people value what I do with money. I have yet to have anyone come in and offer to swap me what their skill set is. It’s funny that that doesn’t even cross most people’s minds.
The reason I do things this way is because many of the skill sets I have developed I was aided by the universe. I didn’t have to “pay” anyone to receive them, and I don’t want to exclude anyone that needs my help on the basis of income.
If it truly is all about energy, then it should all balance out as long as a person reminds mindful of the balance between what is given and what is taken.
Good “Morning” awesome Melody and awesome Daniel!
I would like to thank you both for this amazing question and post. I think many people “struggle” with this question….including myself, at first. When I first saw that Melody had begun charging for certain services, I, too…felt exactly the same as Daniel. That, somehow, Melody, you had lost your “credibility”. However, at the time, I didn’t overthink it to much. I just thought well, if you don’t think Melody should charge for her services then…don’t buy them! 🙂 And on I went about my life, still receiving all the awesome free postings.
Then…about a week ago I saw that Melody had done a phone call with a woman who has MS. As I have been chronically ill with Fibromyalgia for two decades this piqued my interest. I thought..wow, I REALLY need to hear this call. My next thought was $10.00 for a phone call? (9.99?). Are you serious? The next thought that popped into my head was…whoa…wait just one minute. Are you saying you don’t think you are WORTH $10.00? Because if not, you have WAY more problems than you think you do. So, I immediately purchased the phone call. I am so glad I did. I spent that one hour of my life, on my bed, crying and listening. To date, this short, 60 minutes of my life, moved mountains, that I have been trying to move for years. I have spent thousands of dollars on doctors and counselors over many, many years. These years and money spent do not even begin to come close to how much energy was moved in that one hour. It is only a short week later, and I am blown away by how much inner peace and happiness I feel, from that energy just dissipating into thin air. I am light, really, really light. And content. And the energy that has been holding me down? Continues to just drift, right on out of my body. The “worry” energy, just “wisping” away.
All this to say that, coming from the receiving end of actually purchasing Melody’s services, my life is changed in a way, that years and thousands of dollars never even touched. And needless to say, my perspective on charging for “spiritual services”, has done a complete turn around.
Am I worth $10.00? You bet your sweet ass I am, baby. I’m worth a million. Plus infinity. And beyond. 🙂 <3
Snarky!
Oh man I am so SO glad you wrote this blog post. I get asked…chided…called all kinds of names because I do not NOT charge for my time.
It does nothing for a healer who knows that this is what they are supposed to be doing, for us to do what we were born to do for free. It is because of the politics of religion that were set in ancient times that this happens all the time – the assumption that because our skill-set comes from a place where you cannot be granted a piece of paper saying that you do what you do is real, is what you were meant to do, that we do not need to be paid.
I get very, very insulted by this assumption – the very one that tells without saying to the general populace that what we do is not valuable, and my experience has been that people LOVE free but also bad mouth free.
You know I Love You!
Sincerely
The Feral Rabid Kitten (ROX)
Great post Melody!
I’d like to add that unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who charge large amounts for their services, but are practically charlatans. I’ve been burnt by that before – when I think of how much money I spent in the past on things that didn’t work I can’t help but cringe…
And many others have had the same experience, which makes them wary of spiritual people that charge for their services. You can’t really quantify the results in the same way as you can with many other services.
Which is why I love your approach, Melody. The blog posts, the free coaching calls, the free e-book, all these are helping so many people for free. And for those who are willing to pay, it’s a great way to test the waters before investing.
And another thing – you do provide an extremely helpful service. God knows I don’t have much money coming in at the moment, but right now our monthly coaching calls are on my priority list of outgoing expenses, because they are so helpful in guiding me towards living a life full of joy (and money!), doing what I love. That’s worth paying for! 😀
Karin
Agree.
Everything Melody wrote in this post I was already thinking.
She is definitely taking the right approach.
Good for you Mel.
Dear Awesome Daniel, did you read “Conversation with God”? Obviously not, or if some how you did, than you miss an important answer from God! We are never shy to ask money from any kind of service, but when we talk about spirituality, than we should be poor, starving and never talk about money!
Think a little bit, maybe will change your thoughts…
Be blessed!
How do you always know what’s going through my head?
“….my job, my obligation to help them….weren’t ready to let go of their (pain/insecurities), I felt like I was a failure….”
Wonderful article, Melody! The poor person is not by definition more spiritual than the rich person. The poor person may have less distractions than a rich person who spends all his time running after money, but money by itself is not more or less spiritual than the lack of money.
As a person who pays for your services but also takes advantage of the many free services you make available on your site, I can attest to the amazing benefit your work has been to me! If you did not charge for some of your services, you would not be able to provide the awesome quality of service you do provide, both free and not free! It was the high quality of your free service, your blog posts, that led me to pay you for coaching services.
Thank you for your amazing creativity and spiritual connection!
John
My take in short – you need to have a fair energy exchange going (money IS energy) otherwise you get some pretty wonky (and not very nice) “stuff” happening.
If you are in an exploitative mindset where you think you should be getting everything for free, being resentful of people earning money, etc, no matter what anyone is trying to give to you it will just fade away (see lottery winners who are broke a year later) again.
Be generous and generosity will return.
Hm.
The world is full of mean exploitative people that are able to keep their wealth (Trump, Romney) and lots of generous ones (Gates, Buffet).
Don’t think it’s a hard rule.
PS. needed to use household names only for illustrative purposes.