Snake Charm 10/ Talismans, lucky charms or something more?
There are many people who swear by the value of good luck charms. The ever popular rabbits foot, “lucky sweater,” or necklace charm with any number of different Saints or Angels are just a few examples of popular Talismans. Each, in there own way, are believed to offer protection or create good luck. Depending on what culture or religious affiliations that one comes from, statues of Buddha, Saints, and Crucifixes, are often believed to protect or influence a home or person wearing them. The amount of different types of cultural icons, symbolic images, sculptures, and amulets are too vast to list. While they may vary in form and meaning, they are all forms of Talismans. What do all of these and other types of Talismans have in common, if anything? Do they really influence us in any real way, or are they just silly superstitious nonsense?
For the most part, the actual objects themselves don’t actually have any real power. The source of power that comes from Talismans have more to do with the beliefs we have about how they effect us. If we believe a lucky penny, lucky shirt, or symbol we wear around our neck brings us luck, that focused belief will often actually make us feel luckier or more protected while it is around us. Looking at it from this perspective, the symbol can become a tool to refocus our viewpoint and may actually work to shift our beliefs and our tangible reality. This change in belief, acts like a magnet and often will change how we experience life. Since our thoughts and beliefs form our reality, if something works to shift ones beliefs in a positive way there in no question that it is useful. On the other hand, if we lose our lucky object, or forget to wear it and are now convinced we will experience difficulty because of the loss, we often will.
I have worked quite a bit with different types of Talisman in the past. My favorite, and from experience, the most effective, seems to be the Egyptian Cartouche. I brought in a new relationship years ago with the symbol of the Twins. Hathor’s Mirror has worked beneficially for myself and many clients as a form of protection for their homes or person. A few months go, I was struggling with not feeling supported by some of my friends, family and even the Universe itself. I photocopied the symbol of Isis from my deck of Cartouche cards and hung the symbol above my bed. Isis was the Archetypal mother patroness of the Gods. She was the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus and Bast. Many people in the past in Egyptian culture believed (there may be many presently who still do) that this Talisman would bring you a sense of being nurtured and loved. Isis could protect your children, and her protective magic could even bring miracles into your life. These were some of the aspects that I wanted to feel again in my life so I began my experiment with this Talisman. After a week of keeping the symbol above me in my bedroom to be absorbed into the dream sate, I painted the image on clay and began to carry it around. I immediately began to notice changes. I started to feel a sense of hope again. Everywhere I went, people around me seemed to want to feed me or care for me in other ways. I had more people offering to make buy me lunch or make me a home cooked meal than ever before. New friends that were “givers” entered into my life and previous friends seemed to be kinder and more nurturing. I landed a television appearance on a major local network television show a week after I began to carry the Isis symbol. The producer and hosts of the show was really kind and very supportive (no surprise that they were all women). It seemed Isis was helping me to feel more supported and my outer life was responding.
Talisman have an added reason why they can influence us so effectively. In the past thousands and sometimes millions of people believed (many presently still do) that the energy of a specific Talisman really worked. These grids of energy patterns and beliefs are still available to us whether it is in the present or past. The tremendous power of mass belief can still be tapped into at any time. These different archetypal symbols often had considerable power and energy behind them, and still do! When your own focused energy combines with larger collective beliefs, then this can intensify and shift our ability to create reality and allow a new influence into our lives.
You can research different forms of Talismans to decide what type of energy you want to bring in. Be selective with what you choose to carry with you. Some vibrations may work well for another and turn out to not be well suited for us. Keep in mind that the objects themselves are not where the power comes from. It comes from tapping into specific archetypal energy patterns and your conscious and unconscious decisions to allow their influence. If you lose your Talisman, don’t panic! Maybe you have pulled enough from it and now its no longer necessary for you to carry it. Maybe someone will find it and it will change their life for the better. Once we tune into the energy, we shift our perceptions and beliefs to a new way of viewing life. We may not need the symbol after a while because we have already absorbed it. Nobody actually needs a Talisman to bring any attribute or influence into their life. Still, it can be an easy way to adjust our frequency toward allowing some really cool new things into our world.
Jim Ventura 1-2012
Editors note:
March is the time when the sun is in Pisces. “Water” times always bring up emotional stuff, both the good and the bad. Combined with the Chinese year of the Water Dragon, this time should be a definite trigger for some emotional themes surfacing for many of us. It may also be a time of connectedness and spiritual evolution. The Piscean energy can assist people in opening up to a more compassionate point of view toward our fellow man. The house in our astrology chart where Pisces rules is where we are called to willingly or unwillingly sacrifice in some way. Like all signs, Pisces have their wise and healthy side and their dysfunctional side, where we may be too kind and giving and get caught in elements of martyrdom. We all have Pisces somewhere in our Astrology charts, even if our birth Sun sign is not in Pisces.
This month’s column is one of the nine “Snake Charms” that will be included in Volume Two of Snake Oil (which should be finished in about a year or so). If you already picked up a copy of Snake Oil Volume one you caught the nine Snake Charms (helpful instruction on developing intuitive and metaphysical skills) included in that book. I have experimented with Talisman symbols for many years. I have even given a few to clients, or suggested they work with them. There is no doubt that they can be very useful. A few of the times that I have worked with Talismans have been quite remarkable. I used to think that explaining Talisman symbols or marketing this information might have been a little too “wo-wo weird” for most people to handle. Just a little too “Snake Oil-ish” to really get into with any depth . I have changed my mind on this perspective, mostly because I can see how valuable these things could be for many people. I’ve found now that I’m in my late 40s I don’t worry anymore about whether anyone approves or disapproves of anything I have studied. Ah the beauty of getting older, wiser, detached and not being concerned with approval from society and getting to be exactly who we are! More importantly, some types of Talisman can really be a help to people and it’s time to talk about them!
I decided to make use of my indulgent tendency to watch “way too much television.” For the last few months, I have been sculpting clay and hand-painting some of the more powerful Talisman symbols I have worked with in the past and a few new ones. They are small enough to be carried around in one’s pocket or purse. My first few sets are hand painted, but I will eventually create an easier to produce version of the different symbols. If you would like to pick up one of these Talisman symbols, you can ask for them the next time you come in for a session (by phone or in person). You can also order any of them directly by mail. Information about how to do this can be found in this newsletter. Please note that quantities are very limited as I only make and sell about 10-15 each month.
I have scheduled the Michael series (5 classes), and a Power Animal class for 2012. Information about this is also in this newsletter. If you miss the live broadcast of any Snake Oil Radio show, remember that all of my past shows are archived and can be heard at any time. Wishing everyone a happy March and happy Birthday Pisces and Aries! Cheers. Jim V
“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it...it’s easier if you do.” Byron Kate
Talisman series:
My Talisman series will start with Egyptian Cartouche. Right now I have four Talisman symbols that are currently available. I will be adding more in the near future.
Osiris: Egyptian Spiritual Father symbol. Protects against false prophets, unreliable people and injustice in any form. Helps one to make wise decisions and to stay in integrity. The sense of father protection will help to increase your confidence and contribute to becoming more successful.
Isis: Mother patroness of Egyptians. Isis energies work to protect children and anyone exploring a spiritual path. It brings emotional security and healthy support from others (especially women). It makes one feel loved and protected. It can also bring miracles!
Twins: Twin guardians of Heaven. This symbol will attract a partnership. Its energies can help you adjust your internal signals to bring a partnership into your life. If you are already in a partnership, it will help adjust your signals to be more in synch with your current mate.
Hathor’s Mirror: Goddess of beauty, love and strength. Helps one to attend to the details of life with strength and pragmatism. It is a protective Talisman. Hathor’s Mirror works to reflect back any negative intention from anyone coming near you or your home. The mirror effect can even ward off would be assailants in a profound way!
Each Talisman comes with a mini book explaining:
How all types of Talismans work.
How to use them.
Meditations.
Where to keep them.
And a lot more detail on how your specific Talisman may influence your life.
Each Talisman and instruction book is $22.00. This includes shipping cost ($20.00 for pick-up at home office and for Regular clients).
You may also just order the mini book for each Talisman for $5.00 if you prefer to make your own Talisman!
Orders now through April 1 st include free shipping. Quantities are limited so there may be a two week waiting period to get your Talisman.
Email me for information on ordering. Venturasag@yahoo.com
“No one has the impression that a plant is in charge of its growing; it’s a movement of nature. Why would you think it’s different for us?” Darryl Bailey
Snake Oil Volume One, NOW AVAILABLE
Jim Ventura has been writing his monthly Snake Oil column for seven years. Volume One is a collection of his first four years of Snake Oil. This volume also includes nine Snake Charms. Practical explanations and instruction for meditation, ear coning, lucid dreaming, etc... Jim’s Snake Oil philosophy is all about changing the perceptions of how we view life to include metaphysical perspectives into all of our experiences. While still keeping our feet firmly planted on solid ground in this world, we can simultaneously experience the benefit of expanding our consciousness. Snake Oil reminds us that we can also grow to become more enlightened while finding the wisdom of humor in ourselves and the world around us.
To order a copy of Snake Oil Volume One, email me where you would like the book to be sent (your mailing address) $12.00 including sales tax. Please include $3.00 for mailing costs (you can pick up a copy directly from me in my home office if preferable) in your check or money order. As an alternative, you may also contact me and run a credit or debit card to order. Mailing address for payment 2515 N 52nd St. #206 Phoenix AZ 85008. Make check out to Jim Ventura.
Snake Oil Volume One is also available on Amazon.com. You can go directly to the site to order.
Snake Oil Radio
Every Thursday at 3:30 pm (there will be four live broadcasts this month)
My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. (MST). Every Thursday you can catch a new show. Each 45 minute show will expand on my current column’s subject matter. It will also offer an opportunity for you to call in live (or chat with other listeners in the chat room) with comments and your thoughts about the topic of discussion. Halfway though the show you can even ask me for a free 5 minute reading with your personal question. If you miss the live show, you can catch any of my previously recorded shows on the web site’s archive. You can also catch Snake Oil Radio on i-tunes (download my pod-casts there).
All you need to do is be at a computer and tuned into: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jim-Ventura You may also access it by going to blogtalkradio.com. Type “Snake Oil” into the search option.
You can also go to the shows that are currently “On air” at that time and find me. The call in number is 646-200-3966 for questions and comments.
Spring/Summer classes (All at my home in Phoenix)
MICHAEL MATERIAL (5 class series)
* What is your soul age? The soul age of friends and family ?
* How do past lifetimes influence us in the present ?
* What does karma feel like, and how does it work ?
* How does your chief negative feature impact your life, and can it be changed?
* What happens when your partner is an idealist and you are a realist ?
* What is your life goal? Is it dominance, acceptance, flow or submission ?
*What is your essence, your soul mate’s essence ? Artisan, priest, king, server, sage, warrior or scholar ?
* What is a soul mate, task companion, heart link ?
* What do the higher centers feel like?
After this workshop you will understand all of these questions and many more, and more importantly have the answers.
There are no tests to pass, just some great information. 5 classes, 2 hours each.
What is the Michael teaching?
The main goal of the Michael teaching is agape or unconditional love. The teaching views life as a learning game in which fragments of the Tao - that essential part of each human being - set up lessons which continue over lifetimes. These lessons are learned via the personality which Essence chooses each lifetime. Michael teaches us what the components of the personality are so that we can learn to use and see these components in ourselves and in others. In that way we can learn to understand why human beings behave as they do. Michael is composed of 1,050 individual Essences who have lived on the physical plane and now teach from another plane. One of the most basic and important principles of the teaching is that it is not a religion or a belief system. Michael encourages their students to self validate all of the information they receive. The system was originally in print in over 12 volumes of information. “My studies of this material have been extensive and now I offer what I have learned to my students” Jim Ventura (Old Scholar). The classes will help you to use and understand the material without the need to read all the out of print books.
Saturday afternoons 3:00- 5:00 pm. May 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23rd. $90.00 for all five classes ($80.00 pre-paid and for Regular clients). Maximum of eight students and minimum of four. $20.00 non-refundable deposit to hold a space in the classes.
DISCOVERING YOUR POWER ANIMALS/DRUID ANIMAL ORACLE (1 class)
The practice and ancient Druidic teachings of animal totems and animal power is a lost art form that can be extremely beneficial to study. Every aspect of the natural world is alive and capable of being our allies, guides and teachers if we learn to listen. In Druid culture, wearing animal skins, heads and feathers was a way of identifying with certain Animals and becoming them for a while in order to partake in their powers and to receive divine inspiration. This class will show what power animals are available to you now, and how they may already be influencing you. Understanding how animal totems come into our lives and developing the skills to use their unique gifts is a great way to open you up to the wisdom in the natural world around and within you.
One 2 and a half hour class. Maximum of eight students (minimum of four). Sunday May 6th 12:30-3 pm. $20.00 pre-paid $25.00 on day of class.
“Don’t let the past steal your present.” Cherralea Morgen
Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Phone: (602) 957-3035 Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com or Venturawords@mac.com
Information about the different sessions and types of readings and services, past Snake Oil columns, and how to order my books and audio CD’s can be found at my website: http://web.mac.com/Venturawords
Blog column for 1 year of published columns: http://playingwithuranus.blogspot.com/
“Friend” me on Facebook to get other extra offers and in between column extras!
Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices below.
All sessions/readings for 2011-2012 are: (70 minutes) $110.00; (40 minutes) $75.00; Extended (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each).
Mini $30.00 for 15 minute unrecorded phone sessions. Payments can be made by either cash, check, debit and some credit cards. Gift certificates are always available for purchase.
