Tag Archives: donation

Donation based payment

Since I started working for myself, I struggled with putting a price on my offerings. In a way it felt like a restriction to me. Not because I don’t want to earn money with what I do, or because I don’t value my work or myself, but because it feels unnatural to me. As I realize most people don’t understand this, I’ll try to explain why I’ve decided to work on a donation base and sometimes use a sliding scale fee*.

Like I already said, it’s not that I don’t value my own work, or that I believe you shouldn’t be paid for ‘spiritual work’. On the contrary: I believe there should always be a form of exchange to balance out the energy. If you receive something from someone, it’s good to express your gratitude by returning the favour by giving something back – which can be in money, in nature or by saying a simple “thank you”.

When you’re always giving and aren’t capable of receiving anything, you’ll end up depleted of your energy. When you’re always receiving without ever giving anything back, you’ll be ‘in debt’ energy wise. It doesn’t matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ it is what you give or receive, as long as there is a form of exchange. Looking from an energy perspective, there’s always a two-way stream that must be remembered and honoured (which is related to your karma as well, but that’s a whole other story).

Also, when you want to assist others through your spiritual offerings, it’s easier to get paid for it so you don’t need to have another job for your income and you can put all your time and energy in your work to serve others. There’s nothing wrong with that!

For me it’s not about if I should get paid for what I do, or if I want to receive money for what I do (yes, please!), but about how much I should or want to get paid/receive. As what can be near to nothing for one person, can be a fortune for someone else. I don’t want to decide what you “owe” me for what I give, I want you to be able to exchange that which feels right to you for what you have received. For what it’s worth to you and for what you are capable of paying.

I know that this is something not everyone will understand and maybe some will even try to benefit from it and pay less than they can or would normally. That’s ok. I trust that everything will balance itself out, as that’s how energy works. Where I might receive less in one place, I will receive more somewhere else. It’s not for me to decide how and where and how much.

For a long time I was struggling with this and I put a price on my offers like everyone else, as that’s what you “should” do. But it never felt right to me, I always felt resistance. With the help from a dear friend I came to realize the resistance wasn’t about receiving money – which I always thought – but about me telling others what to pay. I realized that I’ve always (like in many, many previous lifetimes) served the community without being paid for what I did. I offered my services as a medicine woman, healer, initiate or elder to the community for free and in exchange the community took care of my every need.

Nowadays the world works a little differently and I need money to be capable of sustaining myself. And to be honest: I do like to live a comfortable life, with a nice home, good food, nice things and money to spend. I don’t feel like living a simple, less comfortable, life, just to be able to serve. But to decide for you what you owe me for what I give to you feels unnatural, restricting and just not right to me.

So for my 1-hour Akasha Readings I’ll continue to work on a ‘Donate & Share’ base: you pay what feels right to you and you share about your experience through a review and/or with your friends. For my larger offerings (like my retreats) I’ll use a sliding scale fee, with a set minimum for the hours I put into it (and cannot put into something else), with various options to up the price according to your earnings.

I’m still working out what I’m doing with my other offerings that I already put out at a set price – know that I’m always open to discuss pricing with you according to what feels right to you!

To be clear: I’ll never ask you how much you earn and I’ll never judge the amount you pay me. I trust that you pay me honestly in what feels right to you and what is possible for you. And with that it is right for me! I want to thank you in advance for your generous donations, no matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’, I know they come from your heart and I’m grateful for them.

*My pre-recorded online offerings will have a set price on them, as they can be purchased directly from my website. If anyone finds themselves incapable of paying the price mentioned on my website, they can reach out and discuss a different amount of exchange with me. Extra donations are welcomed as well! :)

PS: All that I’ve shared here is from my own experience and according to what feels right to me. If you feel differently, that’s also good! I don’t judge people who put prices on their offerings, or that choose to live a simple life to be of service. I can only speak for myself and make decisions that feel right to me.