I know many people question the link between making a living and spiritual guidance, as they should. And, it should be kept in perspective, no one in any profession, needs to make millions of dollars while others are starving. (Talking to sports athletes, techies, and oil companies.)

However, I often make the point that in ancient societies, the holy person, shaman, spiritual leader was automatically cared for by their community, in exchange for their gifts. A house was built, food was given, people provided clothing and life necessities, so a spiritual leader could focus on their sacred work.

In modern society, with the exception of ashrams and Buddhist monk colonies, we have no such support system. Most people in the spirituality field are diametrically opposed to capitalism and all it entails, yet, if you want to pursue your calling, often you have few choices about how to provide for yourself.

I tire of people railing against spiritual teachers charging for their work, instead of railing against our social systems, Wall Street bankers, politicians and corporate CEOs for perpetuating a system of hyper competition and exploitation.

Receiving a reasonable amount of money (so you can pay your bills) in exchange for giving your time and energy, is just fine. Excessive wealth building by leaders with huge followings should be checked, but shaming spiritual teachers for having to participate in late-stage capitalism, needs to stop.