Snake Oil
Bark at the Moon. Logic or Intuition?
Over New years weekend my 13 year old cat came down with the flu. I wasn’t sure this was even possible, but looked it up online. Yes, cats can get a type of feline flu. Unfortunately my indoor cat goes outside from time to time. She sniffs and rubs against the areas the outside feral cats hang out on my stairway sometimes. This is likely where she picked up the illness. She was extremely sick, with a clogged nose, lethargic, and looked really, really bad. She didn’t eat or even drink water for almost three days. She began to smell a bit from the lack of the self cleaning she so prides herself on. I tried to feed her water and tuna juice with a dropper but she was resistant. I debated whether I should take her to the vet. It had been 12 years since she travelled in a cat carrier in the car and I wondered about whether it would have been more traumatic in her weakened state to put her though the extra stress. I uncomfortably prepared for the possibility that she might die. The signs were not good. Yet, I kept hearing another internal voice telling me she would be okay because it was not her time to leave. I appreciated that optimistic soothing voice, but doubted whether it was right.
It was a difficult few days. I took all the practical preparations necessary and borrowed a cat carrier from my neighbor in case she got worse. I even contemplated how I would handle her passing. At one point I felt so powerless that I got in my car to go food shopping and sat for a few minutes simply weeping in my car. Still, that other voice kept telling me she would be fine in a few days. I have used the natural anti-biotic Colloidal Silver myself a few times over the years and on impulse looked up its use for animals on the Internet. I found out that in some places like the UK, they put it in their dogs and cats water bowls so I did this as well. On the third day of the ordeal she was drinking water out of her bowl. That night I fed her tuna juice and she lapped it up. On the fourth day she ate some wet cat food. A day or two later she started eating her dry cat-food again. Now she is completely fine! She is even getting just a little chubby again after dropping some weight.
This wasn’t the first time in my life when some trauma had me battling between logic and intuition. Some years ago one of my closest friends was diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis was not good. About a year or so after this my forty year old brother in law experienced kidney failure. He spent about two years on dialysis. I needed to plan for the possibility that they might pass. In both cases that internal voice told me they would make it. My friend became cancer free about a year later when the chemotherapy treatments and other methods he was using worked for him. My brother-in-law had a kidney transplant (given to him by an extremely thoughtful friend), it took and he is still doing quite well. While all of these examples are positive, the intuitive messages I get are not always positive ones. There have been times when I have also hoped that a friend or relative might recover when that internal voice also told me they would not likely make it. Far more often than not, my inner voice has been right.
One of the Archetypal cards in the Tarot is the Moon (18). The artwork is often dramatic and ominous with an image of two dogs howling at the moon. It symbolizes the subconscious, unconscious, psychic, and astral contact. It represents awareness from other layers that stretch beyond the input we get from logic. The troubling part of this archetype is that it can represent the negative aspects of self-deception, delusion, and preferring fantasy over reality. It can also show the sometimes extraordinary influences of the lunar pulls of the moon (although the influence of Neptune is actually a better fit for what this represents) and messages from our heart. On the positive side, it can represent intuition, knowingness, and tuning into other vibrations and aspects of life that go far beyond the more singular channels that we get from logic. It is the part of us that can read and see things that we don’t necessarily figure out with just our intellect. For most of us, the path to developing our ability to “see things” involves tapping into the more difficult and darker aspects of life in this world. Confusing circumstances, people trying to pull the wool over our eyes, and uncomfortable experiences are part of this life. Yet, they can act as triggers for expanding our awareness. Each time we are tested this way we can open ourselves to other channels of input and ways of seeing things. The Moon archetype embodies this process.
It can be difficult to navigate between true knowingness and what we want, or wish to happen for ourselves and the people we care about. Most of us have experienced this at one time or another. One example is when we are in love and hope that we will get to be with someone we have strong feelings for. Even when signals are telling us that something is amiss, we often turn off our logic and only listen to the pull of what our heart wants. We may be left disappointed because we deceive ourselves or are subject to someone who tries to deceive us. I went through this in a painful way in my early thirties with someone I felt a powerful connection with. Even though I wanted it to work-out, I remember hearing that voice telling me it would not. I ignored this voice because it wasn’t how I wanted it to go. That voice was right.
Sometimes people become too immersed in intuitive or lunar pulls. The power of sensing and knowing things, the ability to tap into undercurrents of what is beneath the surface of things can lead to amazing knowledge, but it can also sometimes lead to delusion and extremes. Some people become consumed with finding “BigFoot, and looking for “Leprechauns with pots of gold.” There are people who become conspiracy theorists about nearly everything. Sensing something is amiss and tapping into undercurrents can be carried too far: “The government is completely evil and corrupt.” “Anytime my boyfriend speaks to another woman he is cheating on me, or planning to do so.” “Obama wants to take our guns away.” “The end times are here because it says so in the Bible.” Crazy beliefs become a focus when not balanced with some use of logic. As we develop our ability to read layers of things and encounter troubling situations or difficulties we can use the lunar pull to ultimately learn how to read things more clearly. Of course this takes some real practice. Talk shows where a transgender guest reveals to a “straight guy” that they are actually a man are theatrical, but this is an aspect of deception that is very real. Talk to any woman who has been in the dating scene for a while and the smart ones have learned to smell a bullshitter from miles away. They can easily spot the liars, and married ones! But it is likely that they were fooled more than a few times along the way by silver tongues while coming to a wiser point of view. If on the other side they decide that ALL men are liars and cheaters they are off base as well.
It is not easy to always navigate between logic and intuition. If we attempt to shut off our intuitive voice, we can become dry and emotionally sterile when we only rely on logic and intellect. We can miss the undercurrents that pulse though events. If we shut our logical voice down and only listen to our lunar pulls we can become delusional and live in a fantasy world. In either case we suffer the problems that arise from a lack of balance. With practice we can find a way to blend these elements together very nicely. The Moon archetype represents mastering the skills of intuition. It was a gift for me to have started developing my intuitive abilities at such a young age. I got caught up in illusion a number of times along the way, but at the same time I definitely experienced some real awareness and knowingness that was powerful. Sources of information come to me through many different channels including but not limited to intellect and logic. Now in my fifties the balance between logic and intuition is extremely strong. I see things clearly while allowing my intuition and heart to have an equal say in my decisions.
Jim Ventura 2-2016
Editors Note:
It took many years to fully (still always learning) understand the Archetype of the Moon card (18) in the Tarot deck. Some are easier to grasp than others, and this one wasn’t easy! It can be confusing to know whether lunar pulls are beneficial or tests in clarity. But they are a part of this world and ultimately beneficial. There is an obvious connection in astrology of the moon to this Archetype, yet the vibration of Pisces or Neptune is even a stronger aspect in many ways to the Moon card. I will cover more of the other 21 Major Arcana trumps in future columns.
I got a bad case of flu (bronchitis) in mid February myself. I don’t get sick very often, but although this was a tough two weeks, I know lots of people who had it a lot longer and some who are still struggling to move it through. Always the good part of recovering from any illness is getting to taste food again, enjoying coffee, or a good cigar, and getting back to the gym. Not an ideal weight loss plan, but I did lost 9 pounds in two weeks. Hell, all I wanted was grapefruit and oranges for the first five days when I had a fever. Very happy to be healthy again!
2016 seems to be off to a reasonably good start. The vibration of universal numerology year of 9 seems to be much softer than 2015 was (8). It did kick off with a number of celebrity deaths and I had some friends and clients lose family members, human and pet as well. Unfortunately another aspect of 9 but also apart of life we must learn to accept if we are to ever have peace..
I am working on a new book (mentioned in last months newsletter also) about creating prosperity. I will be doing a home class for locals (maximum of eight students) about this subject in May/June. More information in next months newsletter. Contact me asap to grab one of the spots, since it is likely to fill up quickly. If the class fills you can also book a session(s) on Reality Creating privately (in office or by phone) so you can learn these amazing techniques.
Happy March. Jim V
“Don’t ever become a pessimist...a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events.” Robert Heinlein
Channeled corner. I read many, many books from different trance channelers in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Unfortunately many of them are now out of print, but I still have a huge collection and will share some of the best material I have collected over the years.
Divine Grace in the Physical World
“How does one recognize Divine Grace? How does one know its face? And how does one know when Divine Grace has been shunted aside, betrayed, in pursuit of some less worthy goal?
Again, Divine Grace is the source of your world, the great limitless fuel that powers your every moment, from the smallest atomic building block to your mass civilizations. Always, always, it seeks to bring into actuality those events that will be of greatest benefit to those involved.
Divine Grace manifests most clearly on your plane as respect. What is respect? Respect is when you allow all others the right to ride their own Divine Grace as they see fit, understanding that you each live in a cocoon on your own creation, a highly private yet publicly shared existence in which each individual, pursuing his/her own greatest fulfillment, automatically and unconsciously contributes to the advancement of the species and planet as a whole.
Respect, then is when you allow all others of your species, and all others of all species, their private place, time and path. Respect allows no place to coercion, force or violence against another. Respect is an intuitive acknowledgment of the uniqueness of each individual, each species, each form physical matter can take, a deep understanding of the greater cooperation that underlies your world, as each species and individual contributes its unique perspective, its private experience, to the shared venture on which you have embarked.
Respect is how Divine Grace manifests itself in your world. When you respect another, you recognize and acknowledge the Divine Grace within the other, understanding that it is not necessary for him or her to follow your footsteps in order to reach greatest fulfillment.
Notice we do not use the word “love.” It is not necessary that you run around flinging your arms about every person and four-legged manifestation of Divine Grace you stumble upon. There will be those whose paths differ so markedly from yours, whose inner awareness of Divine Grace has been so blunted by fear, that you are unable to connect. You need not love such individuals. You must, however, respect their right to pursue their path as they see fit, regardless of how obvious the deleterious outcome is to you.
You need not love all you meet. Understanding that they share the same source as you. All That Is poring itself into the physical world through the fluid medium of Divine Grace, you grant them respect.
The rule of thumb to follow then, when considering a choice or decision, whether individually or en masse, is to ask: Does this course of action respect my integrity and that of all others who may be affected? Will this action be only of benefit to others, or do some stand to be harmed by it? Am I, or are we, acknowledging the Divine Grace manifest in every aspect of creation...”
Whatever Happened to Divine Grace? Ramon Stevens
“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life happiness, freedom, and peace of mind are always attained by giving them to someone else.” Peyton Conway
Snake Oil Radio
Thursdays at 3:30 pm (there will be two live broadcasts this month)
My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, March 3rd. at 3:30 p.m. (AZ doesn’t use daylight savings time, so it’s the same as pacific time). Most Thursdays 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. 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).
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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.
“Here is the secret of inspiration: Tell yourself that thousands and tens of thousands of people, not very intelligent and certainly no more intelligent that the rest of us, have mastered problems as difficult as those that now baffle you.” William Feather
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