Earning money with spiritual services.
What to do, what not to do, and how to decide your monetisation strategy.
This is a guide for people who don’t know or haven’t decided yet the ins and outs of monetising their spiritual services. If you’re already charging and you think your strategy works for you, great. Go read something else, write your own guide, etc. I’m not here to judge or shite all over other people’s preferences. In case people still feel offended because I shared what I know and it doesn’t match what they’re doing, put on the shoe.
Yes, honestly, put on that shoe. Feel free to be offended. Feel whatever you wanna feel. That’s not my problem, that’s YOUR problem. It’s not my responsibility to manage ANYONE’S emotions.
And look, this guide isn’t for everyone. I’m saying it straight off the bat. The spiritual community is full to the brim with disingenuous egotistic, self-important, “me-me-me” people (who disguise themselves as helpers but in fact are only doing it so that THEY can prosper, THEY can get attention for their wisdom, THEY can get validation as a hero, so as I already said, it is me-me-me, no matter what their wishful thinking says). These people won’t have ANY regard for any of the things I’m saying here. That’s a common problem in the world, I know it exists, but I beg to differ. I hope you, as my follower, differ too.
Without further ado, in case you’re truly open to what I’m about to say, keep reading.
Chapter 1: why
“Why charge” is a funny question. I find it hilarious because it elicits the craziest emotional responses, when in fact it shouldn’t, it’s just a practical question — but alas, people are peopling.
There are spiritual service providers who:
a) Feel offended at this question because “why SHOULDN’T I charge? Are you devaluing my work?” — to which I usually reply, “calm down”. (I know it doesn’t actually calm people down, but when someone is that reactive, I feel like provoking them further. Judge me).
b) Default to saying “because in my tradition, everybody charges the same rates I’m charging”. This crowd is a lot better to talk to, they’re not reactive like (a) above; But I find that they, too, are hiding behind a “shield” (in this case, the established tradition) in order to avoid answering with honesty. I mean, come on, you can agree with the tradition and still explain why.
c) Start explaining all the complexity involved in the work they’re doing, and all the years upon years of preparation they had, and [insert justifications here]. Of all the 3 groups, this is my favourite, because at least they understood the assignment. On the other hand, though, this kind of answer stinks of insecurity and approval-chasing. Keep reading to find out why.
First of all, I’ll just go ahead and acknowledge that I know “why do you charge” can be interpreted as an attack — especially if it’s out of context like that. I tend to be a lot more tactful with the wording, and it comes wrapped in the context of a bigger conversation about other things, but if I gave you examples, I’d have to expose certain people here who don’t consent to being exposed. And honestly, I’m out of energy for fictional examples at the moment. So, use your imagination. The bottom line is, yes, I know that asking this question out of context isn’t a good approach. I don’t. And I still get the above answers. So, it isn’t lack of care on my part; we’re talking about a problem that runs deeper.
I’m saying it runs deeper, because it tends to expose shadows and blind spots that people aren’t willing to look at. For example, the fact some people only provide spiritual services because all their life they were told they did a good job with spirituality, so this is the only context where they’re confident earning their bread; If you indicated them for a position in a 9-to-5 job they might be interested in, or even suggested that they go for the secular entrepreneurship they’re thinking of… they’d panic. Ya know? There are variations to this “I-had-no-choice” kind of discourse, but I think you get what I mean here. If you work full-time with spirituality as a conscious choice, great, I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about those who get defensive. People don’t just get defensive out of nowhere. There’s always a deeper reason.
The crowd that justifies charging for their spiritual services with “look at all the work involved, look at how many years I studied, yadda yadda” would be PROPERLY offended if I said what I really feel like saying in response — “well, public servants don’t put a lot of effort into what they do, and they still earn a good salary. How do you explain that?” — which obviously I don’t because I know it hits a wound. It reveals the blind spot of inadequacy. A lot of spiritual service providers feel inadequate in the wider context of society because they’re providing a service that isn’t mainstream. That’s fine, it’s understandable, but if they were truly secure with doing what they do, they wouldn’t feel inadequate; They’d just acknowledge that what they do isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t have to necessarily make anyone feel inadequate. Do you get me? Ultimately, you choose how to respond to society’s judgement. You’re not a victim. Victimhood is just a comfortable place because it disavows responsibility for growth.
Anyway, I’m probably sounding like a coach here. Let’s move on:
Instead of feeling offended, look at the question as if I were your accountant. Accountants don’t have mental health training, so they can’t help you there. All they can do is manage finances. And here, we’re talking about finances. Let’s keep this practical.
One practical way to look at it can be, “what is your time worth”? There are two ways to look at this question. I don’t think either is right or wrong, they will just resonate with different people.
a) “What is your time worth” in the sense of how much will it cost for you to bother gracing someone with your presence. I don’t personally go for this one because you need to be very careful not to fall on a slippery slope towards egotism and narcissism; But if you’re aware of that risk and well able to manage it, I’d say go for it. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself, as a person, a price tag. It can change and evolve anyway, and it can even be a sliding scale. Just be conscious of the reasoning behind that, and make sure it isn’t just “I don’t like the poor”, “I don’t like the unevolved common people”, “I don’t like those who have a low level of consciousness” or variations of that (even unconsciously), because this simplistic reasoning can work for other industries, but it isn’t very spiritual. Yes, I know, some people are distorting that for their own gain, but always keep in mind the likes of Jesus, Buddha, etc — they were all enlightened, and yet, they didn’t avoid the “bad influence” from the “unenlightened”, did they? On the contrary, they used to hang out with “questionable” people all the time. There ya go. That’s what a real master does.
b) “What is your time worth” in the sense of how much money you’re losing by lending your clients a window of time in your day. This is the alternative I personally choose because it resonates with me and I have the organisation skills it takes to answer it. You’d need to take into account: 1) what else could you be doing for money which you’re missing out on by helping your customers, ie, what other skill have you mastered and can offer the world and what the market is like for that, and 2) what expenses do you have on a regular basis, not only in running the spiritual business but also for your needs on the day-to-day. #1 is optional, maybe all you have is option A, but DO look at your expenses versus money coming in. There’s no need to prepare a full Balance Sheet there, just take note of income vs expenses, non-negotiables like free time for self-care here and there or whatever, etc. Find the weekly or monthly difference, and work it out per hour. You can Google these formulas.
“Lucy, what if the difference is positive” (ie, what if it’s returning a profit), you might be asking in case you’re with me on option (b). Well, that just means you could very well be working this other job instead of the spiritual job and you’d be sorted with that alone. I’m not saying “don’t offer the spiritual service”, don’t jump to conclusions here! You can still offer it, AND be aware that it’s not exactly bread-earning; It’d be something on the side, perhaps to cover expenses of this spiritual job itself and invest in improving it over time, the cost of enlisting others for help, the cost of helping your chosen charity, or [insert reason here]. Alternatively, if you’re dead-set on working full-time with spirituality, you can up the rate to match the alternative job in case you have a reason for that. Be aware that sometimes, this will create a prohibitive price for the poorer, for example. Are you okay with that? If so, proceed. If not, rethink. Spirituality is by definition an area of life where altruism and inclusivity are very valued (socially speaking). You can disagree with society and History, but again, find a reason for that, don’t just be a rebel without a cause.
I’m not “throwing shade” at any particular practice here (unless you’re a scammer, a pyramid scheme idiot, or delusional influencer who didn’t check their privilege. In that case, you DESERVE all the shade). All I’m doing is taking a look at why honest people normally charge for spiritual services, and you can choose to agree or disagree; But know that if you don’t justify why you disagree with common practices and/or if you aren’t ready to justify this reason why when asked, people might be iffy about using your service. Spirituality isn’t the kind of activity you can fund luxury items or other things you “don’t need” with — or, to word this in a clearer way, yes you can, but you will be questioned, so maybe prepare for that. This is not to say you can’t have luxury; Of course you can! But if you aren’t going to find a reason why you use spirituality for that purpose, maybe just fund your non-essential habits with a second job that doesn’t involve, ya know, helping the needy and the desperate with a little hand from “above”.
That’s why Accounting is a humanity and not an exact Science: you often have to look at morality, cultural practices, the law, and local “no-no’s” in order to determine if an income/expense is good or bad. Not to mention tax. But we won’t get into that, or this article will turn into a book. And honestly, I’m already giving free advice here. I think it’s good enough as is.
Final considerations: cons of NOT charging
People generally have this idea of spirituality as something that shouldn’t involve any ego-based decision-making or exclude anyone without good reason. I agree with that. However, there are scenarios where this can’t be done because of circumstances out of your control. For example:
- Too much demand. Putting a price tag on your service, even if you already have a good source of income elsewhere and don’t technically need it, can sometimes be a thing if too many people are looking for the service. After all, you’re human. You need to eat, sleep, bathe, have time for family and friends, etc. This alone isn’t prohibitive for me, because I’m good with boundaries (hi there avoidant community, high five lol), but some people aren’t, so it’s worth considering.
- Sometimes, when we volunteer, we end up overworked and underappreciated. Don’t go overboard with that sentiment though, or you’ll end up excluding the truly needy from having access to your service — but maybe consider charging something. Otherwise, people can get the wrong idea and start treating you like a slave. In an oracle context (because that’s my lane), this often translates into trying to boss me to say what they wanna hear. This is why I charge enough to break even (ie, to cover the oracle’s expenses), which results in a fee that almost everyone can afford, and I’m open to working with those who truly can’t pay, but I won’t do it for free for the general population.
- Accepting donations but not directly charging is a popular choice among honest spiritual service providers, but you must be mindful of what service you provide. I can’t go for this option (not to say oracles haven’t made that mistake in the past. Look no further than Delphi, lol) because as an oracle, I’m an impartial communicator. All is good and well with most people’s donations, but as soon as someone important comes and donates generously, they’ll start having notions and expecting special treatment.
- Got a suggestion of another reason why it can be objectively a good idea to charge for spiritual services? Drop it in the comments.
Please note that I highlighted (several times, actually) the fact I’m talking about honest service providers. I’m saying my piece HERE and will not discuss further (OR respond if you request for further comment in the comment section) on newage gurus and coaches who charge hefty fees because “something something abundance mindset yadda yadda”. Look… I’m taking an objective stance here. I don’t care that internet-famous snowflakes think this rule doesn’t apply to them; the OBJECTIVE FACT is that there is a very clear unspoken rule when it comes to offering spiritual services: you’re basically functioning like a charity (even if not registered as one). You’re providing a community service which people can avail of when they feel they’ve exhausted every other alternative. Your customer base is desperate people, depressed people, people in poverty, etc. It’s not very empathetic to get rich on these people’s backs, no matter how you frame it. I mean, this is the entire reason why in so many countries, churches and other religious institutions are tax-exempt. It is a big deal what spiritual service providers do with their money, karen. Maybe if you go out of your newage bubble, you’ll notice that.
“But Lucy, I deserve a good life too”, maybe some will say. To that, I’ll reply “no-one is saying you don’t. If your entire thing is looking after people, and you can’t find another money-earning activity at all at all, look for a subsidised industry such as healthcare careers in hospitals”. You can make a pretty good earning with them because they’re mainstream and have been receiving funding from multiple sources for centuries already. There’s no need to be super inflexible and say “I’ll only ever work with spirituality, that’s it, period” IF earning a good living is important for you. Okay? So, let’s put that excuse to rest now.
Chapter 2: how much
With the above discussion in mind, perhaps we should expand a bit more on “how much”.
First of all: are you charging money only? Do you accept bartering? I don’t think one is any better or worse than the other, but it’s worth thinking about these options. (Yes, you can account for both. Bartering is awkward to track but it isn’t illegal anywhere as far as I know).
Second of all: now that you’ve hopefully decided what method(s) of compensation you’re open to deal with, it’s time to decide how much, properly speaking. Do you have tiers? If so, why? Is it a sliding scale or a fixed price readjusted periodically? Are donations a-okay? Under what circumstances, if any, do you work free of charge? Etc. These are, as usual, practical questions. One needs to know what to accept or not to accept prior to starting a business. Sorry to the creative “make-it-up-as-they-go” crowd, but money is a topic you shouldn’t be too chaotic about — unless you’re ok with awkward questions when you get audited. If you already have your policies laid out in advance, it becomes easier to make decisions and explain those decisions. Legal advice can be useful here. Yes, it’s an expense, but don’t worry, you’ll only pay for legal advice once.
I’m not deciding things for anyone, I’m just throwing questions out there. These should get you brainstorming.
What I will say, though, is that taking a look at your circumstances can be immensely helpful when deciding how much to charge. If you live in Norway, where the cost of living can be high, you’ll probably need a higher rate than someone who lives in India. This has nothing to do with your value as a person, but instead it’s about ensuring your dignity at work, so that you can provide a good service.
Do you work at home, in a public place, or do you have to rent a space somewhere? Is regular travel involved in any step of the process? Do you have medical expenses? Do you have a team you’re paying for specific tasks? All of this adds up to expenses that factor into your rate.
Another factor to bring into account is your level of frugality.
Some spiritual practitioners take a vow of poverty whereby they live only with the absolute bare minimum — but still need to charge a fee that will cover expenses of providing the spiritual service, as well as subsistence needs (such as food and hygiene) because poverty doesn’t AND SHOULDN’T mean indignity. It’s just minimalism.
Other spiritual practitioners, myself included, do not live in this consented poverty we discussed above; Instead, their rate usually has some wriggle room to help towards non-essential but still interesting purchases related to the spiritual business (improving the atmosphere for customers, better tools every now and then, etc). These are, let me stress again, still going towards the business, even if a bit indirectly. We’re not talking about luxury or vain purchases.
A third crowd chooses to indulge without a care in the world. I don’t consider that inherently bad — it’s a valid lifestyle, even for a spiritual practitioner! But if you go for it, and you’re an honest person, at least have the decency of funding the luxury with a different kind of income (for reasons already discussed above). “But what if I get rich even though my rate is low because of high demand” — donate to charity. “What if I’m an abundance coach” — then teach your manifestation gimmick by attracting unexpected income from another source which isn’t the spiritual business. Simple! Sorry, I’ll die on this hill, if you don’t like my opinion, go write your own article on this topic. Anyway… For spiritual practitioners who indulge, publishing your accounts can be a good idea for transparency’s sake. Yes, anyone can do that, even if you’re not required to by law. (In that case, you’ll need an accountant, but that’s not a problem when you’re swimming in money, is it?)
Chapter 3: where and when
This may sound obvious at first glance, but trust me, it can get muddy very quick. It often happens to any service provider, and I would argue, spiritual service providers are at a greater risk of getting themselves into accounting problems (not to mention resentment and boundary problems, on a more psychological level) because they didn’t define “where and when” they’re charging.
I mean, all is good and well during and after the ritual or whatever it is you do… Until somebody phones you for spiritual advice (what now? Are phone calls included or excluded from the “service”?), or until you rescue somebody [or insert exceptional circumstance here].
More than helping you with boundaries, deciding “where and when” will cover your arse legally. That’s because you don’t want to set precedents you won’t be happy keeping up with in the long run.
Allow me to make an analogy using my other regular job, translation:
I have a contract with several customers detailing when and where I’m providing a translation service. I’m not saying you need this level of formality, but maybe draft something similar and keep for you record. That way, if someone casually asks me “what’s that word in Irish”, I already know I’m in a conversation and not at work (because one of the clauses of my contract says that although I’m charging per word, there’s a minimum number, and they need to be in a document that has been assigned for translation with a purchase order, etc). On the other hand, this also gives me the freedom to, in case people ask me “can you translate this for me real quick”, just say “feck off”.
Similarly, if I’m giving oracles, that’s during the ritual, which doesn’t happen any day or anywhere — it has a time and a place. Does it stop me from getting random insights here and there or “casually prophesising”? No. But I accept to “miss out” on income from these instances, solely because I don’t want consistency problems to snowball later.
Conclusion: know yourself.
Let’s keep in mind the old maxim.
You can’t take money out of context just because “it’s money”. Yes, it’s money, it’s mundane, it’s a thing everybody uses — and it’s still connected to your spiritual practice, so you need to contextualise it nonetheless.
When you know yourself, you know what you’re doing and why; You also know what you should or shouldn’t be doing and why… Instead of brushing it off as “just business”.
Yes, it’s just business — but it exists in a context. And if you ignore that fact, you’re alienating yourself from the rest of the community and from how you fit into it like another piece of a big puzzle.
I keep saying this, because in today’s narcissistic society we need to remind ourselves of it constantly: nobody is an island. Keep that in mind.
