On this, a lovely Saturday in February 2014, as I sort through the many articles I have written over the years with the view of finally collating them in a full manuscript dealing with all matters of the heart and soul, I still stand by what I thought back in 2007, as I tentatively published the first article, the first work of non-fiction on my website, a site born out of my experiences as novelist.

Here is the text I wrote seven years ago:
I have already decided that this, my first, article, as well as all subsequent ones I might write on all matters of the Soul, will remain publications anyone can access for free, in their entirety – from the first lines of texts to the very last full-stops.
Since I am not [yet] a philanthropist and would not want to pass for the altruist that I am not – bad karma – I should perhaps explain why I am going to forge ahead with my free-lance project. Yes, the pun is intended.
1. The process of thinking out loud with the aim of sharing, and hopefully being understood by others, means that I have to put a great deal of order and clarity to the many thoughts that are, for now, colliding, whirring hard, sparking new synaptic connections inside my brain, inside my neural net, inside my mind … inside my energy field.

2. Not everyone reading my articles or viewing eventual podcasts will come in to these texts with as little understanding as I used to have on matters of spirituality. Therefore some of the more involved concepts and beliefs I will attempt to put forward in Moriya’s pared-down style will strike a familiar chord in some, an instantaneous spark of interest in some – and a dead spot in others.

Either way, it is my opportunity to give back to the cosmos some of what it has offered to me through the teachings of Moriya, my teacher in Jerusalem, who, because of her own detachment from all that is of a material, monetary nature, is not at all interested in writing her own books, let alone having devotees attaching to her.

Though a search of the name Moriya does bring up a few links, the Moriya I am talking about has no need for an online presence, therefore she is not any of these ‘Moriyas’.

Since Moriya will not accept from me anything more than my thanks, how could I then ‘sell’ the fruit of the spiritual guidance I am receiving when it is given to me gratis and unconditionally?
No way, right?

As if to confirm my initial mindset, I was recently prompted to develop it further on a forum in answer to a start-up comment about whether one should charge or not charge for ‘work’ of a spiritual nature:
December 2013: Unencumbered by the thought of any monetary transaction, I am only happy to share from the heart all that Moriya has taught me.

Of course, one has to pay the myriad bills that come our way. But, you see, I tend to believe that, generally speaking, the objective of any genuinely spiritually-minded person should be to keep ‘energetically’ clean and uncluttered that channel to Soul or God or Archangels or Source or to whatever the person believes in.

If there is any hope, any way for us, mere mortals on the Path, to even come close to the Real Thing, how can it be done while our mind, our thoughts and hours are focused on finding ways to not only pay the totality of our bills, but also to shore up our savings?

Energetically speaking, can we afford to cheapen our ‘gift’ by making it a commodity not only to pay for housing and food etc. but also to afford a particular lifestyle, thus reducing spiritual work to the common of ‘job’?

Besides, isn’t the unshakeable faith that whichever greater entity we happen to believe watches over us and that all that does happen to us is a part of a greater Plan one of the key concepts in spirituality?

As adults, don’t we all know that no chosen lifestyle, no amount of money in the bank will ever keep us from whatever is in store for us, be it rewarding and good or be it challenging and testing?