A friend—a talented healer who keeps her rates very reasonable—called the other day saying that one of her acquaintances had told her that “healing should be free.” And what did I think about that?

I know it’s a common belief. It seems that the idea of healing—faith healing, supernatural healing, divine healing, or miracle healing—probably became formalized and regimented via the Christian church. Only certain people were considered to possess the ability to heal—one of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was thought that the various gifts of healing were supernatural enablements given to a believer to minister to others through the power of the Holy Spirit. And, of course, to be “a pure channel” there could not be payment, for that might cheapen or taint the process.

But healing via connection with higher vibration and consciousness has existed since the beginning of time. We have always known that energy—that amazing, invisible force—can do powerful things, especially when directed by consciousness—that other amazing, invisible force—whether it be for productive, positive ends or destructive, negative ones. Certainly shamans and medicine people through the ages have taken for granted that healing and higher states of consciousness go hand in hand. And that many physical ailments have their roots in the nonphysical realms of energy, emotion, and belief.

Is Money the Root of All Evil? Or Just a Form of Energy?

That healing should be free may stem from the belief many people still hold that money is the root of all evil, and that its very materialism can distort the motive required for “faith” healing and dilute the results. We all know there have been countless times throughout history, right up to today, when spiritual principles and truth were compromised for personal financial gain. From snake oil salesmen, to corrupt ministers, to false prophets, to doctors with god complexes, the healing profession, like every other profession, has fallen victim to scammers and incompetence. Without a real connection to spiritual truth and experience, it’s easy for money to become a religion of its own, and for us to dramatically polarize wealth and spirituality. The two worlds can seem mutually exclusive, when really, they’re not. Money is a neutral force and only becomes a distraction when there is too much ego and too little sense of self-as-soul.

I know a number of people whose life purpose is spiritual healing, who truly have a gift and a mission, and who focus largely through the right brain and direct experience. I know others whose life work is medicine or surgery, who focus largely through the left brain and science. If we could balance the hemispheres of our brain, using them equally, these tendencies might blend into a new kind of highly effective intuitive-scientific healer-physician. But until then, both forms of healing are valuable and are career paths just as much as design, accounting, or professional athleticism are. Excellence in any endeavor is the result of love and attention. Money can simply act as validation of that attitude and of one’s well-earned skill.

Who Is Worthy of Their Hire?

It is assumed that physicians are worthy of being paid, and paid highly, because they’ve studied science rigorously, are obviously smart, have practiced as interns, and have diplomas. But healers have studied, too; many on a spiritual path have been at it for years, clearing themselves of emotional wounds and negative thinking, and even physical illnesses, in their attempt to become clear, transparent, and wise. Some have studied Asian forms of healing that restore energy flow and balance, or have worked with nutrition and other subtle remedies, or with neuroplasticity and mind-body techniques. There’s no reason that alternative medicine practitioners and spiritual healers—who work largely with consciousness and energy—should not be “worthy of their hire.” We all deserve to be paid for our time, attention, and expertise.

Vague and Unpredictable Results

There is much vagary in the results attained by spiritual and alternative healing methods. Sometimes the shift is spectacular and sometimes so-subtle-it’s-hard-to-tell. Just as it doesn’t usually work for an intuitive to respond accurately to a pointed, demanding question like, “What are the winning lottery numbers?” or “When will my mother die?” or “Who kidnapped the senator’s daughter?” the results of healing can be caused—or skewed—by many subtle factors.

The work is performed at nonphysical levels and can’t be seen through a microscope or explained by the rational mind. That a cancerous tumor might disappear can only be described by physicians as a mysterious remission, for example. The deeper reason might be that the heart opened and the penetrating energy of love doubled or tripled the strength of the immune system, or the disturbance was cleared in the energy body and immediately dissolved the materialization of its physical counterpart in the body. There are reasons that energy and consciousness work, but they are not yet understood or believed by the left brain.

When my mother was eight, she spent the summer at her aunt and uncle’s farm in Ohio. She told the story of a healer who used to walk between the farms. One day, the healer walked up to their house and asked if anyone needed anything. Her aunt said, “Take a look at Ruth; she has a big lump on her forehead.” Indeed, she had a big cyst-like bump over one eyebrow. The man bent down, examined it, put his thumb on it, looked in her eyes, and said gently, “Oh, this little thing? Why, it will be gone in a few days.” And, it was! Why? Perhaps my mother’s innocence and openness and the nonjudgmental attitude of her aunt allowed energy to freely take shape as the healer envisioned it.

I, too, have had some miraculous results from healers. A broken bone knit back together spontaneously, a tumor dissolved within minutes, and more subtly, I’ve had many experiences of chronic negative emotional and energetic patterns clearing permanently. Other times, the healing felt good but there were no discernable results. I always assumed, though, that every healing actually did do something to further my clarity.

The results of healing can be diverse—perhaps it’s that you get what you need, not what you think you want. Or maybe it’s that something in you blocks the integration of the change of state. Sometimes healing helps dissolve a block—mental, emotional, energetic, or physical—but it’s not recognized because the person is so used to their old reality that they re-create the problem out of habit. Or the healing takes the lid off a fear-based memory that needs to be cleared and the person may feel worse afterward. Or it helps clear the amount of a blockage that the person can handle and more sessions are required after integration occurs for the next levels to be cleared.

The results physicians achieve can be just as vague. Maybe people don’t follow the protocol, maybe their body is highly susceptible to toxicity and the side effects of anesthesia. Maybe the doctor is in a hurry, doesn’t listen closely enough to the patient, and prescribes the wrong medication. Maybe a surgery caused new problems or an x-ray was read incorrectly.

So when results don’t measure up to expectations, should you have to pay? Is someone at fault? But what was expected? What was promised? Did the practitioner explain what they sensed needed to happen? Were you respected and treated sensitively? Were you given “homework” to do to help the treatment integrate? Did you describe your situation clearly and fully and ask for what you wanted? Did you follow through with recommendations? Perhaps you don’t see the result because it occurred at an energetic level and will take time to filter down into form. We’re expected to pay physicians and psychiatrists, even when results aren’t totally clear, but healers don’t yet exact the same respect. Perhaps this is a bias based on the idea that the physical world is “real,” and the nonphysical world is not.

Equal Exchange and Being Invested

For healing to work effectively, you must be invested in the process. You must want to be healed—not just be sort of hopeful. You must trust your practitioner and not tell them how to heal you. Ask for what you think you need and if more is given, or if it comes in a way you didn’t expect, it’s gravy! The healer isn’t responsible for your healing—she or he is a catalyst to help you realign with your true state of harmony and beauty. They create a field of truth and love and help you resonate to it. Together you and the healer have power—not one or the other. The healer focuses undivided attention and skill on you in a way that reminds you of who you really are. You actually heal yourself, by choosing (consciously or unconsciously) to shift out of contracted states of being into wholeness.

There is a subtle balance between taking ownership of your own healing while simultaneously trusting and empowering another to help you. It’s easy to feel guilty and ashamed that you’ve done something “wrong” and that’s why you’re sick or in pain. That can lead you to do nothing to help yourself or to do everything by yourself to help yourself. It’s actually an act of healing to ask for help from someone who knows what they’re doing. On the other hand, you might constantly ask others for help and never receive the healing because getting the attention is the real game. You might give all the power to the healer and take none for yourself. You might not ask for what you need and expect the healer to know everything. You might not vet the healer well beforehand and end up feeling cheated later. It doesn’t work to have your head in the sand or in the clouds.

For healing to occur and integrate, it’s important to have an equal energy exchange. We think of healing as an exchange but really it’s about equal energy matching. Successful healings happen when the healer gives 100% and you give 100%. If an uneven exchange or matching occurs, the healing will be partial. If the healer gives 100% and you give 50%, or vice versa, you’re both likely to get half the results you expect and both of you can feel let down. Healing works on both people at once, in different ways. You may not receive much value while the healer might feel unsupported or doubt their own worth.

For healing to integrate, the energy from both parties must be equal and meet in the middle. Paying for healing is part of the exchange and part of the commitment to heal. It’s a symbolic act, a ritual of sorts, that benefits everyone. Healers or midwives in times past were paid with eggs, milk, part of a butchered pig, or a pie perhaps. Healers who were ministers or nuns were supported by their church. Payment in the nonphysical realms comes in the form of an expanded experience of love and the divine. In the physical world, payment needs to be physical. That is part of our investment in ourselves, as well as gratitude for the healer.

Copyright by Penney Peirce