MM Personal Q & A: Michael’s View of Money

okay the next one how can we know when a teacher is authentic spiritual teacher versus gurus and people for fame and money they do this I kind of addressed that a little bit already you know gurus I don't know you know you have to just check in with yourself to know who's who if you're asking me you know I just believe we need to be generous I think that spiritual teachers need to be good example of generosity and not you know not taking fortunately most spiritual leaders more spiritual teachers and so forth

most of them don't have any money because I say fortunately because they're not then tempted to get a bad reputation because there are some that are so successful they've got you know five houses and they've got six bones they've got eight cars you know it gets pretty ridiculous some of the wonderful teachers still became you know maybe materialistic it's hard to say what's in their mind at the time but I all I know is whatever we have abundance of we should share it so when I go on tour I

make probably over the years the last ten years because I was doing a job as a spiritual leader and also touring still used to be touring was my entire income and then it came to this that I'm doing now or a part-time Tori part-time touring I make as much in a tour as I do three weeks I do the one week of touring in three weeks I make the same amount as a spiritual teacher leader at a center in Sedona so touring is a part of my income but when I go on tour you know when I leave I give generous tips to waiters waitresses I give generous tips

to the sky caps at the airport people that don't even aren't even supposed to get tips the guy that the shuttle bus you know give just give give give as much as you can I've to me it's like I'm not gonna go into a town make a few grand or whatever it is thousand dollars and and leave with money in my pocket and say hey adios good luck with your livings people just I just believe I have this much let me give some it seems all out and irresponsible to some people because you know I come home I have bills to pay

but it's always there the money is always there so I'm just I'm very blessed I'm sure I could say that there were lean years as with anybody starting a new job most people starting a new job yeah there were lean years that I feel a little you know gosh I wish I could have provided a little better for family and stuff when I was a kid but but I just you know like yeah a lot of people because they have lean years become afraid and shut down financially and hold all their money it didn't happen

that way for me I just share so how can you know the difference one way I can tell you is this some spiritual teachers happen to be authors some authors happen to be spiritual teachers authors need to make money so if you'd stop confusing we would all stop confusing the two you would know not to put them together and judge them all a spiritual teacher that's all they do the Israelites were taught in ancient times and still practiced today but the Israelites were taught tithe to your spiritual teachers

that's what they do to make a living give thanks to them that's your way of of tithing or donating to your source of spiritual growth so tithe to your spiritual leaders I think it's beautiful not just because I am one I think it's a great ecosystem because in those days the the spiritual teachers the priests and whatnot the you know high priests all that San Hendrick members and the leaders of the of the synagogue's they were taught everybody pitched in to support them and therefore they were

wealthy but it was a healthy ecosystem of wealth because then they gave those teachers gave and there were several in each Center they would give to their synagogue then the synagogue would thrive because they were making so much then they gave it to the Sun then the synagogue would provide a space for the people who came in learned and tied to the you know there's a spiritual teacher and it went around and run everybody thrived I mean it's such a great idea it's only in the church times that it

came up where the church says no no no we have a different plan than the one God gave mankind our plan is only the church gets the money the priests live in poverty which only added to their frustrations and acting out but the priests live in poverty and everybody else can be impoverished for that matter but if enough people even if they're impoverished donate something we still do great so it's a really tyrannical kind of a eco system but they still made great wealth out of it it's just not one

that I would live with so you know I could live with so you know how can you know the difference don't judge teachers because they make a living I've never turned people away from lack of money in in thirty five or whatever thirty forty years I've been doing this that doesn't mean we try to invite people just walking and say well since I can't afford I'm going to do it for free we've also learned to say really well what can you do in exchange if they say well I would like to help and prepare meals and

so forth that's very cool if they say well I'm not going to do anything don't we tell them no because they're trying to use because there's that out there so as a spiritual teacher or anybody else you run into spiritual teachers please respect that they're allowed to make a living and even a good living just as you are allowed to make a good living we're all encouraged to be prosperous and have a good easy life one that should reflect good karma I would say but if you see people where you can tell

the money is more important than the teaching and you know you can usually feel it see it you know it's it's all about how many but we got and how much money do we have and that sort of thing you can just pick up on that say no to it for yourself not scolding now but just for yourself no necessary but also cut some slack because if you're going to a workshop who's by somebody who's mostly an author they're not living or there are spiritual teachers leaders you might think they are because they're

writing spiritual books but they're not they are authors and authors want to make money selling books that's what they didn't write it to not sell it so just don't confuse the two let the author's be authors and don't be shocked that they want to make a living you know if they try to on purpose or accidentally portray themselves as spiritual teachers just know that it's not true because that's not what they're doing first and foremost serve God first that's the spiritual teacher okay

serving God first as opposed to I need a new angle for a new book so I can sell and so on okay I hope that answers that question