energetic hooks: red flags in charging for spiritual work

I got my third Reiki attunement from very dear friends back in 2016.

These friends are powerful energy workers and healers, and I'm happy that we See eye to eye in many matters, both mundane and spiritual.

That's an uncommon friendship feature, when you stop and really think about it.

Too many relationships seem to come with energetic hooks that squeeze people via expectations and limits.

This ultimately leads to frustration for the one who's got the energetic hooks lodged in their psyche!

While we are all quite generous in offering spiritual work when we're called to, none of us sell energy healing services publicly...but it's not because we don't VALUE that work.

A long time ago, a friend of mine once insisted that it was unethical to charge money for Reiki - and I disagreed - both then and now! The modern world no longer takes care of its healers, and so those involved in healing work must be able to make a livable (and lavish) income from their work.

I am 100% in favor of charging for spiritual work because it takes real time, energy, and effort, and because a rich and full life is necessary to make this type of work sustainable.

Money is just another form of energy, so if anything, it's ineffective to remain poor in a world you wish to help heal....because the world largely operates on the use of MONEY.

Do you want to seek true spiritual growth? Maybe start considering that it's your sacred duty to become more prosperous.

Savvy? Great. Moving on...

Here's why I don't offer Reiki as a service that you can one-click-buy over the internet:

Energetic hygiene.

I don't want to set up an open connection, where anyone who clicks a button to send me money feels entitled to access my energy.

My efforts are deeply personal, not a generic commodity to be bought and sold blindly. My time is not a product on the shelf at Walmart.

Instead, I want the opportunity to engage with people, to decide if you and I are a good fit for working together, long before I consent to practice with you.

Otherwise, I would be setting myself up to be taken advantage of by "energy vampires" - people who have become so desperate for connection and recognition, that they've learned to get their needs met by placing energetic hooks in people.

How to spot an energy vampire...

Unfortunately, they're often pleasant enough to interact with in the moment, but you'll notice that any interaction with them leaves you feeling drained...and possibly also confused, with your head full of their words, actions, and problems.

You may also notice that every conversation is focused on their topics and ideas, even when you have a lot you'd like to share.

Nobody has time for that!

Over time, I have learned that energy work, while "invisible", comes with potential risks as well as a large opportunity cost, and so it must be undertaken with caution.

Energy work of any sort invokes a sort of contract between the souls who agree to participate. This includes the 'lineage' of those who have passed on their specific traditions and beliefs to you as a practitioner, as well as any cosmic baggage they may be lugging around.

As a woman of Hungarian and German descent, I have always known that my personal heritage is that of the healer, the midwife, the witch, the shaman, the seer. I feel it in my bones, at the core of my being.

I can be 'open' and receptive in ways that many folks find weird, un-relatable...or even a bit scary!

I'm a person who seems to be a natural secret-keeper, because of how often people feel at ease in sharing their true, complex feelings with me. I just take it all in, and have a knack for translating it back to you in a way that reveals hidden insights. It's in my design - it's not something I learned. I've always been able to do this.

Such openness is a gift of insight into the workings of humanity, but it also means that vigilance and maintaining boundaries is key.

You might be a strong swimmer, but you also need the power of discernment to know when NOT to go out to pull somebody back to shore.

Just because you're a 'healer-type' does not mean you're obligated to save anyone.

While I believe that some are more naturally adept at accessing their healing gifts...I also believe that each and every one of us is a divine being, and thus, has access to the divine energy to heal - ourselves and each other.

I strongly encourage you to do your own "vibrational housekeeping", especially when you seek energy work from another.

RED FLAGS in Energy Healing Work - Proceed with caution...

--If it feels like you're being pressured, or frightened, into making a decision or working with someone

--If the time you spend with this person (however pleasant) also feels like it comes with energetic hooks, expectations, or strings attached

--If you're told that you have a problem that you can't solve on your own (while this may be true, an ethical energy practitioner will acknowledge the huge variety of solutions you have - and not try to scare you into working with them further)

--If you feel manipulated, obligated, or "hooked" in any way...whether socially, financially, etc

--If you bring up your concerns w the energy worker and the resulting conversation makes you feel wrong-footed or unsure of yourself

--If you don't have the words to describe why you just feel uneasy around someone, please consider the possibility that your intuition has wisdom your vocabulary and logic don't yet acknowledge

If any of the above feel true, does it mean you've found some sort of sleazy dark-worker who's out to get you?

Eh, maybe not. It's more likely that you're just not a great fit for working with each other.

However - don't ignore your intuition!

Your foundation for healing work should not be so wobbly that you're compelled to begin at the mercy of another, whether that means financially, socially, or intellectually.

It can be challenging to remove the 'energetic hooks' of obligation that you feel regarding certain people in your life...but it's worth it.

People who are truly committed to your healing will not try to control the process for you.

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