I have no problem at all answering this question! In fact I feel prompted to post the answer on my website to clear up any negativity associated with spiritual and energy workers receiving compensation for our work. There is a huge misconception that no effort goes into doing psychic work and that, at least in my case, couldn't be further from the truth.

Yes, spirituality is 'free.' And yes, just like any innate talent, it is a gift. All people that work for the Holy Spirit need food, shelter, clothing and other necessities just like any other human. Priests and ministers are taken care of by their parish. This is done so that they have the time they need to devote to God. No one would ever expect a priest, or a minister and their family, to live in a box under a viaduct because their work is for God and God is free. Besides how could they devote their time to the people if they are constantly worried about their safety and earthly needs? God is completely aware that we need shelter, clothing and food while we are here so there should be no shame in asking for compensation for work (with the exception of family and loved ones of course)

It is extremely insulting when someone from a narrow mindset thinks my work is less important or that I am greedy because I am asking to be compensated monetarily for the time and energy I put into conveying messages and spiritual counseling for those with whom I share no personal relationship.

Everyone has gifts. Art is also a gift from the Divine but I would never walk into an artist's studio and take a painting just because the talent the artist has is a gift from God and therefore should be given away. Artists put time and energy, not to mention a piece of them self, into their work, just as we all do!

Accountants have the gift of understanding math, this gift is also from God! No one ever questions that an accountant does not work for free. Doctors are given the gift of healing, surgeons have received the gift of precision healing work. The gift to heal is a gift from the all-knowing Creator.

We do not get our gifts from any other source but the Holy Spirit. Are doctors, nurses, healers and pharmaceutical companies exploiting illness and disease because they profit from healing people with their knowledge and gifts? Are artists exploiting their creative gifts by selling their creations. Would people be happier if psychics ignored their gifts and instead were doing something they are not as good at? Another question could be, did God give this gift to help others in this way so they could be denied and is it God's plan that these people work in corporate America for people who already have plenty of money in jobs they have no talent for?

It does take effort and passion to do what I do. Anyone can play basketball, but even with daily practice not everyone can play like Michael Jordan in his prime. Even Olympic Gold Medal winning ice skaters fell on the ice many times as they practiced and practiced to be a champion. They may have had the talent but it's years of discipline and effort made them champions.

Doing this work means that you must try to live in this world and be in tune with the other side at regular intervals. Coming out of the "psychic closet" is extremely difficult! You can imagine the reactions people have when you tell them you are taking this path. Many psychics and spiritually focused people end up as hermits as it is hard to be balanced between both worlds. It's difficult to block out everything that is unpleasant in their environment and the world around them.  In this realm of opposites the beauty of the Holy Spirit and the Divine creations are contrasted by the ugliness that exists in the realm we must live in.

I have to meditate daily and keep my vibrations high even though I live in a world while I live in a world blanketed in negativity and antagonism. This takes discipline, time, energy and a lot of spiritual work. Beyond that is the personal development work that goes along with the lessons on the spiritual path. I must always face the truth and I do so because my directives come from the Holy Spirit. While most people will answer a gentle call from the Divine, it took a near death experience for me to come to terms with doing this work. The Holy Spirit is who told me I am supposed to do this work and that's what I am doing: following Divine direction. The Holy Spirit told me that it is understood that I am a single mother of two children and that we will need food, shelter, clothing, transportation, medical and dental care, schooling and and other present-day supplies to survive. The Holy Spirit told me to accept money for what I had been doing for free for 17 years.

I strive to get the TRUTH of situations and that includes owning my own truth and speaking up for it. My readings are very much involved with getting people past their blocks and helping them take on the personal development that will make their life better. I am not a fortune teller and hope this is conveyed on my website. I no longer give mundane information like, "you had to fix your leaky sink last week," or "your transmission is going," to prove I have the gift. Nor do I encourage victims to continue on  and be unaccountable for their choices by saying, "Someone is jealous of you and psychically attacking you" or "Your mother/father/husband/wife/brother/sister/villain is the cause of your unhappiness and you should blame them for your negative lifestyle," as I would hope that people want deeper information from the spiritual realm not confirmations of past trauma and hurt. And, I am not going to bring up past trauma and sorrow just to make a reading dramatic. What is the point of my bringing up the painful past when my gift is to help people move forward in spite of past choices and circumstances.

To just work with your intuition there is no reason to do devote your entire life to this work as professional psychics do. Anyone can use intuition for enhancing their own life and getting Divine guidance will enable one to be grounded and centered while also being spiritual and open. Just ask the Holy Spirit for protection and light to surround you and then ask the Divine or your guardian angels your question mentally and then trust what comes to mind, even if it's not what you want to hear. It's an innate sense and we all have it. And, that's why I have provided so much information on my website and newsletters about empowering yourself to do the work and get answers and to enhance feelings of Divine support and guidance.

I suggest anyone who desires to practice prayer and devotion to contact God and Her angels.  BUT, if someone wants someone else to take their time and energy to get the answer for them, then they must compensate that person. Here's an analogy I use: You can go to the store, buy your food (and remember, God provided you with dirt, seeds and tools to grow your own food so if you balk at the convenience of paying for it, you can use your free will to grow it, harvest, package it for storage yourself) and then come home, make it yourself and clean up your mess afterward. BUT if you go to a restaurant, you expect someone else to buy the food, prepare it, serve it and then clean up after you--you know payment is expected for this service as no restaurant could stay in business if they gave their food away. They certainly be able to get anyone to show up to cook and serve it for no compensation. Just because God gave them the gift of being a artist in the kitchen doesn't mean they should have to give away the food they prepare.

If someone truly can't pay for their reading then I may try to barter but only if I can use their service. I may have no need for a tree trimming, real estate planning or want the crafts they make. When you receive payment for work, you are exchanging your experience for money. I can't tell you how many gifted Reiki healers I know who have lost thousands of dollars setting up a practice, renting space, decorating and buying equipment (just the table can be $800+ and most states require insurance too) only to have people say that they shouldn't have to pay for it. Their guilt of not feeling worthy of compensation can prevent them from being able to help anyone and they end up feeling defeated and never use their Divine healing gift. When was the last time anyone you know put a lot of their own time and money into providing something for free on a long-term basis?

Let me speak my truth here: no matter what anyone's talents and gifts are, it is essential that they ask for money in return. Just as doctors with the gift of healing, lawyers with the gift of persuasion and language, carpenters have the gift of building and accountants with the gift of understanding numbers, workers in non-traditional vocations too must exchange their gifts for money. Money was invented to replace bartering. You may not need the services someone wants to barter with and instead, money is used as a substitute. You may be an energy healer, massage therapist, make crafts, be psychic or have been gifted with another talent that does not translate into a traditional vocation. I can't think of anyone who would show up for full-time unpaid job unless they had a disposable income and had no other time commitments.

In my experience, it’s the people who have enough money to pay for services who are the most likely to cry poor. Their personal sense of entitlement makes them try to find a bargain everywhere they go. Truly poor people are usually too proud and understand the value of time and money and will offer a barter. If I sense someone truly can’t pay for services than I'll ask them if they'd like to trade for something they can do for me (filing, paperwork, house cleaning errands, etc.) or if I know them well, ask that they donate their time to a favorite cause or pay the favor forward.

Contrary to what people may think, most psychics and energy healers work very hard for very little in return. I limit the amount of readings I do a week so I don't have to rush and get burned out. Just like any job, this work can be very draining in it's own way. After a couple hours most psychics' energy crashes. I can't do more than 3-4 hours at a time. Also at times I need to take a break from doing this work and get grounded.

Some of you belong to faiths where the minister tells people not to have anything to do with psychics because they may not be getting information from God or angels. Or they must not try to contact spirits because it's dangerous and you'll really be talking to an evil spirit. They are absolutely correct in saying that. People are born with natural protection around them. Unless their gifts are naturally open, their psychic channels usually remain closed and the natural protection exists. There are people who don't do protection work nor have they forged a strong connection to the Divine so they may not actually be contacting angels, they could be connecting with low-level entities or earthbounds who have their own agenda. Anytime one chooses to contact God or the angels, they must first create a sacred space and ask to be protected by the Light. The intention must be to only connect directly to the Divine or high level spirits such as angels. We live in a realm of free will and that Divine law that applies to both light and dark.

No need to fear though because as you read above we are all naturally protected. But once the psychic channels are open, our free will to open them makes us a beacon of light for not only our guardian angels and guides assigned by God but also any old entity floating around our realm. These types of low-level entities fill people with fear and tell them terrible things are going to happen. And, channelers who don't use high intentions may unknowingly relay messages from these low-level entities who say the world is going to end and tell people that their husband is going to die next month or to be careful while driving because they see a car accident. These people are not contacting high-level benevolent spirits but dark entities or earthbounds. (I explain this in vol. I, issue 2 of my newsletter). A good book to read on this subject is "Psychic Protection" by John-Rogers. He explains further on these low-level entities that are a part of our realm and we must always have intentions for only our highest good.

Angels and high level teachers and masters will never tell anyone what to do, where to go and who to talk to. Many people buy readings because they don't want to bother taking a risk or doing their own leg work. They want their angel to tell them what company to apply for, what school to attend, what job position to go for, who to call for an interview or the name, address and phone number of their soul mate. Angels will only relay this type of information in rare cases where they are sure it will be followed. They are bound by God to only counsel and assist us and are never allowed to interfere with our free will in any way. They may give us suggestions about our career or love life but, except in extreme circumstances, they never give an ultimatum. Our free will gives us the gift of choice and then the gift of accountability for the choices we make. If a psychic tells someone they are going to marry someone named 'Rick,' then that person will be alert to anyone named 'Rick' and probably will marry someone with that name because it's planted in their mind. That doesn't mean it was their destiny and that marriage may leave them unfulfilled and maybe mad at the universe for sticking them with someone so unsuitable.

I'd like to also clear up some misconceptions about the powers of angels. Angels are not mind readers and don't pry into our thoughts. They will, however, pick up on the thoughts we send out to them. They would never invade anyone's privacy. Talk to your angels, outloud or mentally.

And, a lot of people think that maybe angels have magic wands but don't realize that if the wish is fulfilled that there will probably be some kind of lessons attached, especially with money requests (i.e., they do win the lottery but then make a bad investment because they did no research and lose most of it because it was never meant to be in the first place).

Angels can never interfere with the Divine Plan (i.e. they may be able to assist in miraculously healing someone who is not meant to die from the disease but if that is the way a person is supposed to pass then there is nothing an angel can do).