1999-2-13 14:18:00
I am always warmed to hear your experiences with the Song, especially new participants as Anni. Welcome to the group.
Let me remind you that I am experimenting with answering questions two days (or postings) old rather than one day. This will give us more time to think about it and also allow us the opportunity to field some more general questions in between.
The question before us is:
"Is it right or wrong to charge for spiritual teachings in this age? Should there be a charge in some circumstances, but not in others?
I was glad to see that your answers were very close to the comment I am giving out to you today.
First let me clarify the reason I asked this question. I did not have something in the back of my mind about charging the group here for the teachings I am presently offering free. I am happily doing this with no reservations.
The reason I did ask it is that the charging of money is a big problem with many on the spiritual path and it is important that we clarify the principle behind it.
Some students criticize anyone who charges for anything spiritual, and others who desire to teach or heal often find themselves desperate for money; they often have to leave their labor of love because they did not charge enough or gave too much away.
I personally had a problem with this principle because of the words of the Master himself.
He said: "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matt 10:8)
Because of this statement I considered for a good portion of my life that it would be wrong to charge for spiritual teachings; but then when I realized that we are coming into a new age and that business is one of the key principles in this age I began to adjust my thinking.
Actually the principles are the same, but the application of them differs from age to age.
What Jesus was talking about when he said "freely you have received" was the power to heal the sick. He transferred the power to the apostles and because they had done little or nothing to earn it on their own they had little right to charge for it.
Secondly, Jesus did not ask the apostles for money for what he gave them, but he did ask them to give their lives, which was a greater payment than all that any person has in the way of material goods.
This age is different, however. The prime emphasis on the spiritual teachers of this time is not sacrifice, but service with the principle of cause and effect in mind. The positive lessons of sacrifice will be eternally used, but will not be the focus in the coming age.
In the days of Jesus and the early church everything was accomplished through sacrifice. The disciples sacrificed money by giving healing and teachings away free. On the other hand, the populace sacrificed their money by donating to the disciples of their own free will. Thus the needs of the teachers were taken care of without the mentioning of money. The teachers received money and supplies even though they did not directly charge.
In this age we have to examine the disbursement of spiritual teachings (actually all things of value) through the focus of service. The principle for the age of Aquarius is this:
"As I serve my brothers and sisters I receive payment according to the value of my service. I may take that payment in money or I may take it through other means, but I see that when I create cause, like effect is at the door. I do not seek to gather to myself more than the effects that I create."
In this age all those who serve, whether they be spiritual teachers or brick layers, are entitled to receive a just payment for their labor or products they sell.
A spiritual teacher may or may not charge depending on circumstances and needs. In this forum I am not charging you for my words of advice or teaching, but I feel rewarded in many ways other than money.
Because I am not charging you, those who feel they are learning things of value will feel a responsibility begin to grow as a seed within themselves and this seed will eventually sprout into good works. Some of you will start groups, forums and become teachers in your own right, and that will be a great reward for me to see you do this. Such reward is passed up the line to the Brotherhood and payment much greater than money is passed along through the Oneness Principle.
Nevertheless, the spiritual teacher must see to it that enough of his labor is recompensed on the physical level that his needs are taken care of, for we are not sent out into the world today as were the early disciples of the Piscean Age. They were sent out with no change of clothes, and no money, and were taken care of by the people they taught from town to town. This is not the Aquarian way.
The Aquarian way is to create a service of value so you can charge what you need for your physical comforts. The true Aquarian does not seek riches for riches' sake. He seeks riches for the whole and allows himself wealth as he serves the group good.
The incorrect extreme for those seeking the Spiritual Path is to seek unlimited wealth through teaching that elevates your status on the physical plane much above your students. The true teacher will dedicate his excess abundance not to self, but to the benefit of the whole in the way he sees best.
Thus, if someone gave me a Rolls Royce so I could ride around in style superior to my friends, I would sell it and use it for promoting the book.
The true Aquarian seeks no more in reward than that which is the just effect of his service (cause).
Remember when we speak of Aquarian and Pisces in this context, we are taking about the energies affecting the ages and not your individual signs. People born under a Pisces or Aquarian sun both have their positive and negative aspects. But now as the energies of Aquarius are being released, it becomes a positive thing for us to adapt to them no matter what our chart reads.
Let me remind you that we are still on the three key words of Aquarius:
We have finally covered the business aspect and I hope we have demonstrated that the destiny of business is not to be an evil force as Hollywood loves to portray, but that it will produce a great good for the entire planet.
Business will be a force that will manifest equality, sharing, abundance, peace on earth good will toward humankind, and even ecological balance in nature. If you do not believe this, I again ask you to follow the progress that business fairness and principles have achieved over the past 100 years. If the progress continues over the next 100 years we should have near utopia circumstances.
The third key word for Aquarius is Law, and Law is created by our politicians and enforced through our court system. Finally, the law breakers are punished through our jail system, which unfortunately is becoming a big business by itself.
The most important point of reform should therefore be the cause of all of our laws, which would be the political system; and this reform will begin in the United States and spread around the world.
Before we talk about how the political system will be reformed let us first discover what is wrong with it. Therefore, let me ask these questions to produce seed material:
Let us follow the advice from "A Course in Miracles":
"Let me Recognize the Problem so it can be Solved." (Lesson 79)
Copyright © 1999 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved