Why do some mediums charge for their services?
This is a highly debated subject, however after reading this, maybe you will understand a little more about this process.
Here's an simple analogy to help you understand why "professional" mediums charge for their services.
A doctor goes to school and then medical school for about 8 years. His intent is to learn a service that he will eventually provide to the public. He takes on an internship learning and practicing his skills. He gets his degree. He has spent many years learning and practicing about his subject. He has become knowledgable about it, then he starts serving the public. He makes big $ for his services. He actually "expects" to get a payment for the services he will provide. Make no quarm about it, that if you don't pay him, he'll be wanting his payments or put it on your credit report. "Nobody" questions this. Noone ever even gives this a second thought.
Fact is everyone feels that the Doctor has earned his opportunity to charge the public for his knowledge, skills, and services. This is also true of many other professions, (however, maybe they don't have to go thru as many years of schooling), such as Dentists, Hairdressors, Teachers, etc...
Now, lets take a look at priests, ministers, and clergy as well....
You would say they are providing charities and doing God's work as well.
However, we find that they do the same thing as any other professional. They go to school, learn about the subject that they will teach and then they provide services for the public along their line of specialty. However, rather, they ask for a tything or donations at their parish. In fact, again, it's pretty much expected. They even receive compensation for spiritual events. So, what do these funds cover? The parish, charitable and personal expenses. This money helps to pay for the parish, the facility that they preach in, an office and also the home they live in, the gas in their car so they can go to places that they provide services for, their utilities, food, doctor appointments, etc....They even get a personal check for personal items as well.
These professions seem to live pretty good and often they never have to worry about where they are going to get the money to put food on their table. When a preachers funds come up short in tything, they have a denomination to fall back on to help get the mortgage or utilities paid. The home may have even been payed off completely by a wealthy charitable donor.
However, when they go home at night, these professionals "typically usually" get to sleep well (unless they get an emergency call thru the night).
None of their "professions" have affected their families and they don't experience "physical" ailments associated with doing their jobs. They don't get nausea, headaches, pain, sensations on and within their bodies, feel physically drained from energy depletion, get woken up several times thruout the night, feel spirits emotions, etc...and on and on....Let's not forget, they "do", however, get sick days, paid holidays, and 401K benefits on top of their hourly compensations.
They don't get to see "horrific events transpire" right before their eyes, such as in the case of what a serial killer might do. They don't have to recover from negatively haunted cases which can sometimes take over three days up to a week to recover "physically, psychologically, and emotionally ". (Depending on the spirit, the energy drain can be extrememly significant.)
So, then "why"; do we ask, do people feel that a "professional" medium's time, life, family, education, knowledge, skill, body, physical state, psychological state, emotional state and any other associated things involved with mediumship is not worth something??? Everything else they endure, regardless of their gifts, should be worth something, should it not?
Are they not offering what we would consider to be a "professional" service?
"Unlike" the Doctor, dentist or hairdressor, many mediums are "subject matter experts" on this subject as they have spent their "entire" life learning about this subject. They continue to learn about the subject, going thru very physically, psychologically, and emotional experiences, enhance their skills, practicing with the skills (such as an intern would do at a hospital), changing their lifestyles, their family's lifestyles and all while doing this to only be of service to others.
It's been a life long process for many mediums to "master". It requires compromise, much sacrifice, knowledge and experience.
In this learning process, we have had to learn how to deal with what we see, how we handle the feelings of spirit, the tragedies associated with them, suicide cases, and different "personalities" of spirits some of which can be very nasty or confrontational. We learned to be a counselor to clients, as well as, the departed, learned grief recovery, soul recovery, techniques for crossing over spirits, spiritual protection, boundaries, how to shut the gift off, how to turn it back on again, what to do for clients on haunted cases, who to contact in the case of needing a clergy member, how to get rid of attachments that followed us or other people home, how to make sense of things, how to understand what the spirit wants, what it wants to communicate, what it's purpose is for contacting us, etc...and we continue to keep learning daily.
We have worked on and mastered the subject so what we are offering is a professional service associated with the gift. We do not charge for the gifts themsleves. What your donation is paying for is our time, knowledge, specialty, skills, experience, communication, etc...so that we may continue to run our businesses and pay for expenses, just like any other business office that would require the same of you.
Reflections from Personal Testimonials:
As advised, I thought long and hard on the advise that a couple friends gave almost a year ago as well. I also started to jot down all the time that I did working for free, whether it was on the websites, providing lectures, readings, healing, cases, phone calls, sessions and energy work for free. Each in their own column. I found myself spending a LOT of time doing it. It was very physically and emotionally exhausting. I found myself actually doing these things as long as 60- 80 hours per week. My family often took a back seat as I handled clients because they would call me even at night during my family time. I no longer had the freedom to just go to work, then come home, and hang out with my family. I no longer could just go on an outing with my family on the weekends. Now, almost all my weekends are dedicated to helping clients.
I actually never thought of a "worth" for a gift , ya know ?
But it's not really the "gift" that is being charged for. It's the service of giving up of ourselves, our time, our family, running the professional service which requires a budget, and "everything else associated" with utilizing the gift.
-Maria S. - Medium
Unfortunately, it does take money to be able to do things, whatever they are ... I know after I have been somewhere and been around alot of people, whether it a haunted case or in general, I feel drained mentally and physically, just exhausted , and all the other symptoms, headaches, body aches , etc.... We have to be able to buy medicine or go to a doctor, etc. and let's not forget there are gas expenses. Although we can pick up thru phone calls, emails, texts, and pictures, it is better to be able to go to the location, and that does require a lovely $5.00 + - dollar a gallon gasoline.
- Linda - Medium
I also use to think that a person should not charge for their "gift" services. Then I experienced what they go through when they do a reading. I am sorry, but they deserve to charge for their professional services just like anyone else. What is more important is establishing a fair price. Fortunately we have acceptable standards for that. Parties are something else. You may read 10 people at a party, and that needs different pricing. But make no mistake about it. A real psychic or medum earns their fee.
- David R. -Paranormal Researcher
It's funny because as I was torn over this subject, I began talking to others regarding the public's feeling about having an "entitlement" to our refined gifts and our complete life without compensation. I also thought that a God given gift shouldn't be charged for.
But after some folks gave me the same analogy above, the light bulb went off in my head. They said that giving sessions for free, means that you feel that you're not truly "worth" anything of value.
I then truly realized that, "I was worth something, my life was worth value, and my family was also worth something."
I then contemplated on all the sacrifices that my family has made for others so that I can do this line of work.
I began to wonder for what purpose is this to have these gifts, if it is not to use them accordinging to God's will? But surmounting bills were weighing heavily on my mind. There are always extra expenses such as travel costs, phone bills from talking with clients, computers that we have to work on, equipment, etc.. If the funding is not there, we cannot continue to help others. So, one day I said "Lord, you said that you would provide if I trusted in you. I need for you to provide. I asked the Holy Spirit to give me a sign to know what I needed to do about this dilemma. A couple days later, after settling in, I felt compelled to pick up the Bible and instantly came across a passage where Peter had been "recieving compensation" for his teachings, healings, etc so that he could "Live and do God's work". Long story short....God's wrath immediately came up the couple in the story for not providing his servant with the means he had ordained of them, so that Peter could live and do his work as he had instructed.
It became very clear to me that day, that God did not expect me or my family to starve to serve him. I had this all wrong! The operation of a church whether it be Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, etc or a priest that accepts monetary donations for marrying a couple or baptising a child, or even church gift shops that charge phenomenal fees for religious items that they sell; all accept money and it's standardly ok because they are said to be doing the work of God. But for some reason, someone accepting donations that God has provided to help build up his church is not acceptable?
Mediums are spiritual servants. It is never about the medium. It is always about God, spirit and the client.
Although I do not charge, I do ask for donations (if at all possible) to help keep this up and running, in order to continue to do his work, (because there are expenses that need to be payed to do this work, such as travel costs, phone bills, etc..) that is all that I ask. I am not in this line of work to rip people off and find that I spend much more of my own income helping others than what comes back in return.
I am an honest person just trying to continue to do the will of God.
There is no form of fraud involved in my good works.
-TSM- Medium
This is a highly debated subject, however after reading this, maybe you will understand a little more about this process.
Here's an simple analogy to help you understand why "professional" mediums charge for their services.
A doctor goes to school and then medical school for about 8 years. His intent is to learn a service that he will eventually provide to the public. He takes on an internship learning and practicing his skills. He gets his degree. He has spent many years learning and practicing about his subject. He has become knowledgable about it, then he starts serving the public. He makes big $ for his services. He actually "expects" to get a payment for the services he will provide. Make no quarm about it, that if you don't pay him, he'll be wanting his payments or put it on your credit report. "Nobody" questions this. Noone ever even gives this a second thought.
Fact is everyone feels that the Doctor has earned his opportunity to charge the public for his knowledge, skills, and services. This is also true of many other professions, (however, maybe they don't have to go thru as many years of schooling), such as Dentists, Hairdressors, Teachers, etc...
Now, lets take a look at priests, ministers, and clergy as well....
You would say they are providing charities and doing God's work as well.
However, we find that they do the same thing as any other professional. They go to school, learn about the subject that they will teach and then they provide services for the public along their line of specialty. However, rather, they ask for a tything or donations at their parish. In fact, again, it's pretty much expected. They even receive compensation for spiritual events. So, what do these funds cover? The parish, charitable and personal expenses. This money helps to pay for the parish, the facility that they preach in, an office and also the home they live in, the gas in their car so they can go to places that they provide services for, their utilities, food, doctor appointments, etc....They even get a personal check for personal items as well.
These professions seem to live pretty good and often they never have to worry about where they are going to get the money to put food on their table. When a preachers funds come up short in tything, they have a denomination to fall back on to help get the mortgage or utilities paid. The home may have even been payed off completely by a wealthy charitable donor.
However, when they go home at night, these professionals "typically usually" get to sleep well (unless they get an emergency call thru the night).
None of their "professions" have affected their families and they don't experience "physical" ailments associated with doing their jobs. They don't get nausea, headaches, pain, sensations on and within their bodies, feel physically drained from energy depletion, get woken up several times thruout the night, feel spirits emotions, etc...and on and on....Let's not forget, they "do", however, get sick days, paid holidays, and 401K benefits on top of their hourly compensations.
They don't get to see "horrific events transpire" right before their eyes, such as in the case of what a serial killer might do. They don't have to recover from negatively haunted cases which can sometimes take over three days up to a week to recover "physically, psychologically, and emotionally ". (Depending on the spirit, the energy drain can be extrememly significant.)
So, then "why"; do we ask, do people feel that a "professional" medium's time, life, family, education, knowledge, skill, body, physical state, psychological state, emotional state and any other associated things involved with mediumship is not worth something??? Everything else they endure, regardless of their gifts, should be worth something, should it not?
Are they not offering what we would consider to be a "professional" service?
"Unlike" the Doctor, dentist or hairdressor, many mediums are "subject matter experts" on this subject as they have spent their "entire" life learning about this subject. They continue to learn about the subject, going thru very physically, psychologically, and emotional experiences, enhance their skills, practicing with the skills (such as an intern would do at a hospital), changing their lifestyles, their family's lifestyles and all while doing this to only be of service to others.
It's been a life long process for many mediums to "master". It requires compromise, much sacrifice, knowledge and experience.
In this learning process, we have had to learn how to deal with what we see, how we handle the feelings of spirit, the tragedies associated with them, suicide cases, and different "personalities" of spirits some of which can be very nasty or confrontational. We learned to be a counselor to clients, as well as, the departed, learned grief recovery, soul recovery, techniques for crossing over spirits, spiritual protection, boundaries, how to shut the gift off, how to turn it back on again, what to do for clients on haunted cases, who to contact in the case of needing a clergy member, how to get rid of attachments that followed us or other people home, how to make sense of things, how to understand what the spirit wants, what it wants to communicate, what it's purpose is for contacting us, etc...and we continue to keep learning daily.
We have worked on and mastered the subject so what we are offering is a professional service associated with the gift. We do not charge for the gifts themsleves. What your donation is paying for is our time, knowledge, specialty, skills, experience, communication, etc...so that we may continue to run our businesses and pay for expenses, just like any other business office that would require the same of you.
Reflections from Personal Testimonials:
As advised, I thought long and hard on the advise that a couple friends gave almost a year ago as well. I also started to jot down all the time that I did working for free, whether it was on the websites, providing lectures, readings, healing, cases, phone calls, sessions and energy work for free. Each in their own column. I found myself spending a LOT of time doing it. It was very physically and emotionally exhausting. I found myself actually doing these things as long as 60- 80 hours per week. My family often took a back seat as I handled clients because they would call me even at night during my family time. I no longer had the freedom to just go to work, then come home, and hang out with my family. I no longer could just go on an outing with my family on the weekends. Now, almost all my weekends are dedicated to helping clients.
I actually never thought of a "worth" for a gift , ya know ?
But it's not really the "gift" that is being charged for. It's the service of giving up of ourselves, our time, our family, running the professional service which requires a budget, and "everything else associated" with utilizing the gift.
-Maria S. - Medium
Unfortunately, it does take money to be able to do things, whatever they are ... I know after I have been somewhere and been around alot of people, whether it a haunted case or in general, I feel drained mentally and physically, just exhausted , and all the other symptoms, headaches, body aches , etc.... We have to be able to buy medicine or go to a doctor, etc. and let's not forget there are gas expenses. Although we can pick up thru phone calls, emails, texts, and pictures, it is better to be able to go to the location, and that does require a lovely $5.00 + - dollar a gallon gasoline.
- Linda - Medium
I also use to think that a person should not charge for their "gift" services. Then I experienced what they go through when they do a reading. I am sorry, but they deserve to charge for their professional services just like anyone else. What is more important is establishing a fair price. Fortunately we have acceptable standards for that. Parties are something else. You may read 10 people at a party, and that needs different pricing. But make no mistake about it. A real psychic or medum earns their fee.
- David R. -Paranormal Researcher
It's funny because as I was torn over this subject, I began talking to others regarding the public's feeling about having an "entitlement" to our refined gifts and our complete life without compensation. I also thought that a God given gift shouldn't be charged for.
But after some folks gave me the same analogy above, the light bulb went off in my head. They said that giving sessions for free, means that you feel that you're not truly "worth" anything of value.
I then truly realized that, "I was worth something, my life was worth value, and my family was also worth something."
I then contemplated on all the sacrifices that my family has made for others so that I can do this line of work.
I began to wonder for what purpose is this to have these gifts, if it is not to use them accordinging to God's will? But surmounting bills were weighing heavily on my mind. There are always extra expenses such as travel costs, phone bills from talking with clients, computers that we have to work on, equipment, etc.. If the funding is not there, we cannot continue to help others. So, one day I said "Lord, you said that you would provide if I trusted in you. I need for you to provide. I asked the Holy Spirit to give me a sign to know what I needed to do about this dilemma. A couple days later, after settling in, I felt compelled to pick up the Bible and instantly came across a passage where Peter had been "recieving compensation" for his teachings, healings, etc so that he could "Live and do God's work". Long story short....God's wrath immediately came up the couple in the story for not providing his servant with the means he had ordained of them, so that Peter could live and do his work as he had instructed.
It became very clear to me that day, that God did not expect me or my family to starve to serve him. I had this all wrong! The operation of a church whether it be Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, etc or a priest that accepts monetary donations for marrying a couple or baptising a child, or even church gift shops that charge phenomenal fees for religious items that they sell; all accept money and it's standardly ok because they are said to be doing the work of God. But for some reason, someone accepting donations that God has provided to help build up his church is not acceptable?
Mediums are spiritual servants. It is never about the medium. It is always about God, spirit and the client.
Although I do not charge, I do ask for donations (if at all possible) to help keep this up and running, in order to continue to do his work, (because there are expenses that need to be payed to do this work, such as travel costs, phone bills, etc..) that is all that I ask. I am not in this line of work to rip people off and find that I spend much more of my own income helping others than what comes back in return.
I am an honest person just trying to continue to do the will of God.
There is no form of fraud involved in my good works.
-TSM- Medium
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All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, printed, transmitted or otherwise used, except
with the prior written permission of The Southern Medium and its founder.
