There’s that scene in the second Matrix movie where Neo and Trinity get off the elevator in Zion and encounter an overwhelming group of people who want nothing but Neo’s attention. They brought what could arguably be called sacrifices and though he doesn’t show the crowd his sighs of despair, he graciously enters the crowd and begins attending to their needs. The conundrum is that though the need is so great, there is only one of him. Neo is beyond the need for gifts. He doesn’t need offerings. His basic needs are already fulfilled. He needs space. That’s the way it is with the Artisan. When the basic needs are met, there’s very little another person has that can motivate. Money and gifts simply don’t do it. What motivates is the simple act of being the conduit through which truths manifest themselves in the world. To add money to the mix actually convolutes the process. We all experience what it feels like to be paid to do what you love. The motivations change. Now all of a sudden the work isn’t performed out of free flowing love, it’s formed out of obligation. The trick for the Artisan is to always do the work as though money isn’t involved. Work this way and the money will take care of itself.
