September 2012 Snake Oil/Jim Ventura Blog
What if life were easy?
Late August was an incredibly busy time for me. I was working extra hours at my job and juggling what seemed like a million other details of life, when a car accident was added to the mix. I was driving to work for my twelve hour Friday double shift when an oblivious woman sipping a coffee and talking on her cell phone blew through her stop sign and hit the right front end of my Chevy Cavalier. I wanted to be angry with her for obvious stupidity, but she mangled her own car as well and was extremely apologetic. My irritation with her dissipated as she cried and told me repeatedly how genuinely sorry she was. Thankfully neither of us were physically hurt. It was clear to me that both cars would not be repairable. While I waited for a police officer to show up in the hot Arizona sun my mind raced with worry. How would I find the time to get another car? My car was almost eight years old, its blue book value was not very high and I would end up with another loan and debt to pay (I took the job I was heading to that day to-decrease my debt, now I would be adding to it). I would have to deal with endless phone calls back and forth with insurance companies. I had no idea what car I even wanted to get. My long range plan was to buy a hybrid car in three or four years, I wasn’t ready to put out that kind of money now. How would I find the time and energy for all of this? Amidst all of the internal fear and panic I was going through, while waiting for the towing company to tow my car, I heard a clear, calm internal message that said; Jim, there is no need to worry, everything will work out fine and you will benefit from all of this.
I decided I would listen to this other point of view, wherever it was coming from. It was certainly an optimistic perspective and the exact opposite of what my fears were telling me. I walked to my job and still worked my twelve hour day. I had a hard time sleeping that night, because there was still some leftover anxiety about the whole experience. Another part of me was clear and strangely confident, somehow everything would work out really well. I knew however illogical it seemed, that I needed to trust this. The next morning I received a call from the insurance company of the woman who hit me. They told me that I would not need to go through my own insurance company because they would be paying on this claim. They would need a couple of days to evaluate the damage and would be able to cut me a check in a few days. The had a rental car waiting for me and would send a driver over from Enterprise rental to set me up. It sounded far too easy, so I called my own insurance company and asked them if I should take her insurance company’s offer. They told me that it would be wise to do so. I was given a comfortable car for the week at a very good price, in case I needed to keep it longer than the insurance company would pay on it. I was planning on a Vegas trip with a friend, a week after my accident. We were going to rent a car-for this trip, so this was provided for us!
I have been very happy with the last two cars I’ve owned that were both Chevy’s, but a friend suggested I check out Toyota’s. Something felt right about this suggestion, so I went to see what they were offering in used cars. The nice young man who showed me cars that day did not try to hard sell me. He was pleasant and did his best to help me stay within my budget. I ended up test driving a used Prius. This hybrid car would cut my monthly gas costs in half. I loved the car and I was able to bargain down the price to almost $1700.00 less than the sticker. I had never been able to do this type of thing before, so I felt like I accomplished something powerful, in addition to getting a great car. I only had to put a little over a thousand dollars down and financed the rest at a reasonable rate. I was also able to use some of the extra insurance money to pay down some credit cards and keep extra padding in my checking accounts. My recently deceased father would have beamed with pride had he been able to see me do this. I think in some way he was there in spirit and contributed in his own way to things moving so harmoniously.
During the entire two week process, I would sometimes have nagging doubts about how easy everything was proceeding. The last few years of my life had some extra challenges. I had gotten used to struggling. In addition, I began to think about how I was taught by my mother that you often had to fight for the things you wanted in life. While my mother was an excellent teacher, when it came to helping make me a stronger person, her Aries, German temperament made her perceive things often as a battle. She was born in the mid-1930’s, when things were far more difficult, so it made sense that she believed this. I also began to think about how when I was younger and even up until the time I was around 25, things often came easily to me. My friends and some family members would often comment with a hint of jealous irritability, that “Jim always seemed to luck out.” I often was in the right place at the right time, found great jobs, great friends, found money, and had a number of talents and skills that came fairly easy to me. I lost a lot of this “lucky magic” in my mid-twenties. I could see that this car accident served a greater purpose. I was getting a new vehicle and a new perspective. I was reconnecting with a beneficial lost aspect of myself that had almost disappeared.
A few days after I got my Prius, the check-engine-light came on. I brought the car back to the dealership. They told me that my catalytic convertor was shot. It took a little diplomatic bargaining to talk down the dealerships original offer of only paying half of the cost to repair it, but I pulled it off easily. I chose not to go into battle about the situation. I trusted it would also turn out favorably for me. I ended up paying nothing for a $1400.00 part. I was lucky that it went out a few days after I bought the car. A few months down the line and I would have had to pay for it. Good things were consistently happening in a number of areas. The only problems I experienced was over coming a mild phobia when driving; who was going to blow through a stop sign next and hit this car? I knew this was highly improbable. There was also an obnoxious, mob-like credit card hike of my interest rate to 29.9 percent by a card I had the highest balance of my debt on, Citibank. I had a flawless credit history with them and all of my credit cards. I couldn’t figure out what their justification was for doing this. I could easily let my anger at this credit card company topple the new solid foundation of ease and flow I was currently building. It took some effort to keep my thoughts positive, but I knew that there was an opportunity in this apparent dilemma and that it would be eventually be resolved if I didn’t let this pull me back into my previous negative perspective. There was a solution to this as well, even if I couldn’t see it yet.
There are occasional times in life when things are really difficult and sometimes we have to do battle to get our needs met. I am glad that my mother taught me how to fight for what I believe is right. She truly helped make me and my siblings stronger. But, now I have come back home to a even more comfortable place. I brought back a part of my psyche and element of my personal reality that I unfortunately had long ago left behind. I got caught up in the belief that “life is a difficult experience where you have to often battle to get justice.” I proudly clung to that perspective for quite some time. I focused heavily on this belief and it is no wonder that it was reflected back to me in my physical reality. It feels more natural for me to be “one of those people that most things come easy to.” I like being back in the position of choosing effortlessness as opposed to struggle. When we fuel our beliefs and intentions with the idea of ease and harmony, we empower our Higher Self, and the Universe to assist with creating this. Then we can receive assistance with the details of life that enable us to solve all of our problems. Now, I am back on my comfortable raft and floating down the river of life instead of constantly putting energy into a needless fight against the stream.
9-2009 Jim Ventura
*This column originally appeared in my October 2009 newsletter. I am still happily driving my 50 miles to the gallon Prius, and no one has blown through any stop signs and hit me lately!
Editors note:
Its back to school time and “technically” the end of summer. Here in Phoenix the hot summer usually doesn’t actually end until mid to late October. Still, just knowing the stifling heat is coming to an end is somewhat inspiring. Fall has always been my favorite season and I am definitely looking forward to the cooler weather ahead.
I have been doing a number of extra posts on Facebook about Astrology and other metaphysical subjects. I have included an early August post in this newsletter, but you can friend request me or check my fan page on Facebook to get all of the past and current posts. Saturn is moving into Scorpio next month and this is a notable shift for all of us personally and globally.
If you are looking to book a session with me now or in the near future, one of the easiest ways is through email (Venturasag@yahoo.com). You can ask for my current months schedule and choose which available times and dates works best for you. I can still be reached by phone to book sessions, although I remind all of my clients that same day session requests are often not possible. All of my Snake Oil subscribers get a $5.00 discount on all 45 minute or longer sessions and I also take another $5 off for cash payments! Of course, check and credit/debit card payments are also welcome.
I am doing a one day home class on Creating Prosperity in November. I will only be able to accommodate seven students in person and one by phone for this 2 and a half hour class. These spot are likely to fill up quickly, so reserve your space and get out to enjoy a life changing class and the added benefit of hanging out and meeting some new friends.
Wishing everyone a happy September and a great start to the fall! Cheers. Jim V
Saturn moves into Scorpio
The planet Saturn usually stays in a sign for about two and a half years. It will be moving out of Libra and into Scorpio in early October of 2012. Saturn’s placement in our chart represents the difficult experiences that caused us some pain and struggle in our lives, but inevitably lead to where we become stronger. Saturn makes us cautious, painstaking in our approach, frugal, steadfast and often fearful. Saturn’s natal placement in our chart (both the sign and house) shows us the area where obstructions in our path and delays help us to resolve our karmic debts. Saturn is never an easy influence when we are younger. As we get older it becomes one of our greatest gifts and where we inevitably become wise. It is the lump of coal that we slowly polish into our diamond.
For the last two years Saturn has been moving through Libra. As a society and individually, we have been looking at the advantages and disadvantages of relationships, marriage, divorce, partnerships, and themes around fairness, balance, and all kinds of matters connected with legal issues. Saturn has tested many of us around our relationships or lack of relationships...As it leaves Libra we will be taking a more mature approach to how we feel about what is fair and what is unfair in the areas Libra governs.
Scorpio rules death, power, transformation, sex, shared resources, money connected with others (banks, inheritances, etc...) intensity, and how we control and use our animal instincts in a beneficial way, or to the detriment of ourselves and sometimes to those around us. We should see some interesting things in the media and the news around these and similar matters throughout the next two years. The political arena will heat up even more and you can expect to see more sex scandals and news of financial manipulation, greed, and corruption exposed. Saturn is the lord of karma. There is a always a high price to be paid when you attempt to negatively manipulate Saturnian energies. This will be even more noticeable as Saturn progresses though Scorpio. I will talk more about Saturn's move into Scorpio in another installment in my newsletter in the next few months. I also discussed some extra information about this subject on my radio show on August 16th. You can hear any past shows at your leisure in the archives.
The house Saturn occupies in our natal chart will show where it’s influence is throughout our lifetime. The house where Scorpio rules our chart is the area of life where we will be tested with lessons of increasing maturity in the next few years. In my chart Scorpio rules part of the sixth (work, service) and most of my seventh (marriage, equal partnerships) houses.
If you would like to get my Astrological Facebook posts regularly feel free to request being added to my friends list (if you aren’t already on it) or sign up for my Fan Page.
“What you deny to others will be denied to you.” Dick Sutphen
Snake Oil Radio
Every Thursday at 3:30 pm (there will be three live broadcasts this month)
My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, September 6th, 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 mini 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.
Join me for a special one hour live interview (September 13th) show with Victoria Glod:
Victoria has felt a special connection with animals her entire life. About a decade ago she was searching for something that would bring passion to her work. That lead to a profound experience with a dying animal, and it was this experience that brought her to her first animal communication teacher, Carol Gurney in Agoura Hills, California. Victoria believes that anyone with a passion and desire to communicate with animals is able to do so.
Our animal companions have many reasons for being with us, and you might be amazed by the incredible wisdom that they often provide. They can be here to teach us lessons. Perhaps they are mirroring an aspect of us that we may not even like or recognize.
There are a variety of reasons that people reach out to an animal communicator. Often it is a behavioral, emotional or health issue. Perhaps an animal is missing. Her most rewarding ways to assist her clients is during the end of life transition, when it can be so difficult to make decisions. Perhaps the happiest connection of all
is with an animal who has crossed over. Victoria uses a number of healing modalities that can often be of assistance to both the animals and their people.
www.petmessages.com.
”If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.” Wayne Dyer
Opportunity for all my clients:
Referral comps
One of the least expensive and beneficial forms of advertising for me is when clients who have used my services (personal sessions, classes, books etc...) recommend me to friends and family. I reward the clients who send me new people (who book sessions or attend classes) with discounts that can be used on their next sessions with me. I keep track of all my referrals and send the discounts out every six months. Referral discounts range from $10.00 to $25.00 for each referral sent my way. You can use these discounts yourself or give them to a friend to use. Either way, know that your “salesmanship skills” are greatly appreciated. If you need business cards or brochures, just ask and I will send you as many as you need. Thanks again for your assistance in helping me to reach more people. Jim Ventura
Added note: In 2008 I had one client who sent me so many referrals in six months that she earned an entire extended (90 minute) free session and also got an autographed copy of my first book for her efforts!
Special Note (Bonus for anyone who actually reads my entire column and catches this!)
I was contemplating running another type of Group-on type of promotion to continue the flow of reaching new clients, when I got a better idea. Rather than give the extreme discount I offer with these to a company, I thought I would pass the discount on to some of my loyal readers. The first seven people who see this and respond to the offer can purchase up to (2) gift certificates for any of the sessions I offer for an in person or phone consultation. The stipulation is the gift session must be given to a new client I have never worked with before. It can be given to a friend or family member. Once purchased the gift session is good for one full year so you can even hold them for few months if you want. This brief promotion is 50 percent off my listed prices! $40 for 45 minute session (normally $80.00) or $55 for 70 minute session (normally $110.00). Because this is a heavily discounted promotion, it is only being offered to the first seven people who email or call me to purchase and the offer ends September 7th, 2012. Giving gifts to others is another way to bring the flow of prosperity toward us. Stay in the flow. Cheers. Jim V
Current classes:
CREATING PROSPERITY
Many people have struggled with financial difficulties in the last few years. The economy is slowly improving, so this is a help. Yet, we always have the power and ability to tap into our potential to create prosperity, no matter what is happening around us!
Learning to open a doorway to living in abundance is possible. We can manifest prosperity in many different areas: career, finances, love life, personal happiness, etc...This class will focus on many different methods for generating personal wealth. Learning how to change beliefs and perspectives relating to finances will help you uncover the blocks that currently keep you stuck. The universe will support your decision to change your reality. Instructor Jim Ventura will discuss practical and metaphysical tools to show you how to create prosperity in your life. Saturday November 17th. 10 am - 12:30 pm. A maximum of 8 people for this class (minimum of 4 to hold). $20.00 prepaid before November 10th, or $25.00 on day of the class.
“America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense...human rights invented America.” Jimmy Carter
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
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://JimVentura.com
“Friend” me on Facebook to get other extra offers and in between column extras!
All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices below.
All sessions/readings for 2012-2013 are: (70 minutes) $110.00; (40 minutes) $80.00; Extended (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each).
