Snake Oil/ Tinfoil Covering The Baby Jesus
I grew up in a large Catholic family where Christmas rituals were an important part of our holiday experience. Amidst the craziness of Santa Claus, Christmas shopping and stuffing our faces full of sugar through most of December, our family still celebrated “the true meaning of Christmas.” It was the time when Christ the savior was born. Like almost every child raised in a Christian home, we were taught the importance of remembering “the truth” about Christmas. Even from what we believed to be our enlightened perspective, we were still all about the indulgence that Christmas seemed to usher in, and as a child I loved every minute of it.
During the holidays, atop the television set was placed a small figurine of the baby Jesus. The figurine was part of a nativity scene. In our family we placed a piece of tinfoil over the small statue. My mother explained this practice to us: “until Christmas Day comes, Jesus had not yet been born.” She would inevitably ask us each Christmas morning if we had pulled the tinfoil off of Jesus before we began opening our presents. We never remembered. The excitement and lure of greedily tearing open presents far outweighed any interest in mom's custom. Still, we dutifully faked reverence in front of Mom, pulling off the tinfoil only to instantly place all of our attention back to the presents.
Very young children, understandably, aren't into philosophy, morality and religious rituals. As a child, most of the things I was taught about Christian teachings weren't really interesting and were often scary. Pictures of Christ nailed to a cross with bleeding hands and feet were horrifying. The picture common in Christian homes of Christ praying with a huge beating, burning heart in his chest terrified me. To please my mother, I pretended to be interested in the Bible. Our children's Bible was illustrated with pictures that mostly gave me nightmares. Stories and pictures of pestilence, lepers, children being sacrificed, people dying and a man who was hung to die on a cross did not make for comfortable bedtime stories.
Understanding parables, Christ's message of love and other biblical stories can be excellent ways to connect to our spiritual sides. Children, though, simply are not ready for this type of thing. I can safely guarantee that any child of any religion that is happy about learning this stuff is faking it to please their parents or guardians. Young children are not able to grasp the significance of spiritual teachings, and that is exactly as it should be. Why not let children enjoy Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and all the fun stuff until they are old enough to grasp the deeper meanings of religion and spirituality?
Even as we approach our forties, around Christmas, my little sister and I still tease each other about whether we have pulled the tinfoil off of the baby Jesus. We playfully and sarcastically joke about this and some of the other bizarre rituals we were taught. Maybe we haven't really grown up yet, maybe we never will.
Jim Ventura 10-2003
Notes:
My mention that I am “approaching” my forties should tell you how old this Snake Oil is. I passed my 40s and I’m in the hanging out in the fifty zone now. I am going to stop at age fifty for a few years though. It seems like a cliche to say this, but the holiday season really came fast! It is hard to believe it is December already. I do like the holiday season though, so no complaints coming from my end. I really enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas! This is the gift giving and receiving season so I am offering my biggest gift certificate offer to end 2016 with a bang! All in-office or phone consult sessions (or gift certificates purchased) are $10 off my listed rates from December 1st through December 31st of 2016. Local in office clients can also take an additional $5 off my listed rates for cash or check payments as well. If you purchase a second gift certificate to use for yourself later in the year or for a gift to a friend, the second session is $20 off. If you purchase a third gift certificate that one is $30 off! All 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions purchased can take advantage of the discount. The special ends on December 31st 2016. More information later in the newsletter about this and another special.
I have mentioned this before, but worth another mention. If your email address is cox.net, I get a bounce back from some or all of these addresses about every 4-5 months. The translation is, you will miss about 2 monthly columns each year. I would suggest a gmail, or yahoo email (no cost) to switch over to. Not sure what the cox issue is but it is frustrating. If an email bounces back two months in a row (for any email address) I have to remove you from my mailing list.
Like most people, I am glad this mud-slinging election is finally over. Whether you’re happy with the outcome or disturbed by the results, it is time to move forward. Below is the Angel message card I drew on the afternoon of Election day. I felt a heaviness in the air that felt similar to the energy I felt around 9-11. I wasn’t sure completely whether Clinton would win and there would be some real ugliness stemming from people on the far right, or if Trump would win and anger would surface from people on the far left. Whatever side you are on with this issue, this election was very close. This shows how divided the country still is. Rather than berate people who were on the “losing side” or the “winning side”of this election, understanding and kindness are a good way to go. You can still disagree with something, and point out ways, and even act to make healthy changes (often this is realistically necessary) without the need for excessive anger and attacking others. I would really, really recommend this perspective. Not always easy to do (been working on this myself), whether around the matter of the results of this election OR in your own personal life, this perspective is a far better way to focus. Jim V
“See Only Love
Look past the seeming errors, mistakes, and misunderstandings, and see only the love within each person (including yourself). Your resolute focus upon the love that underlies every situation brings about healing in un-dreamed of ways.”
The angels gave you this card as a reminder to see yourself, others, and every situation through their eyes. When you focus on love, anything that’s unloving falls away. It’s like turning on a light to diminish the previous darkness. Call upon the angels whenever you need to elevate your vision to a more loving vantage point.
Look past the personalities and egos of others, and see the angel within them (the angels can help you with this if it seems difficult). Forgive. Release anger, hurt, or judgment to the angels. Affirm what you desire, instead of what you fear.”
Doreen Virtue
Look past the personalities and egos of others, and see the angel within them (the angels can help you with this if it seems difficult). Forgive. Release anger, hurt, or judgment to the angels. Affirm what you desire, instead of what you fear.”
Doreen Virtue
Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year! Cheers, Jim V
“I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.” Unknown
“Each solstice is a domain of experience unto itself. At the Summer Solstice, all is green and growing, potential coming into being, the miracle of manifestation painted large on the canvas of awareness. At Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow.” Gary Zukav
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.
“The Mechanics of Experience: Your world and everything in it exists first in the imagination. You have been taught to focus all of your attention upon physical events, so that they carry the authenticity of reality for you. Thoughts, feelings, or beliefs appear to be secondary, subjective-or somehow not real-and they seem to rise in response to an already established field of data.
You usually think, for example, that your feelings about a given event are primarily reactions to the event itself. It seldom occurs to you that the feelings themselves might be primary, and that the particular event was somehow a response to your emotions, rather than the other way around. The all-important matter of your focus is largely responsible for your interpretation of any event...”
“Even those of you who intellectually agree that you form your own reality find it difficult to accept emotionally in certain areas. You are, of course, literally hypnotized into believing that your feelings arise in response to events. Your feelings, however, cause the events you perceive. Secondarily, you do of course then react to those events..” From The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events by Jane Roberts.
December 1st through 31st 2016 Special:
All new clients and returning clients can take $10 off my listed rates for all 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can also take advantage $5 off if you would like to pay for your session by cash or check. I do, of course happily accept debit and credit card payments although the additional $5 discount will not apply. Email me at Venturasag@yahoo.com to book your session this month.
December Gift certificates Special: $10-$30 off all sessions!
The holidays are approaching. Give a gift to someone you love that they will really appreciate: a reading/personal session with Jim Ventura. All gift certificates purchased from now until December 31 st., will be at a discounted rate for all of the clients who are currently on my mailing list (receiving Snake Oil or following me on FaceBook).
Special rate:
$10.00 off my current listed prices for both 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. If you purchase 2 gift certificates the second gift certificate is $20 off my listed prices. If you purchase a third it will be $30 off that one!
Price list for services are at the end of this newsletter and on my website. The gift certificates are good for one full year and can be used any time in December 2016 and all of 2017. I will either mail them to you or, if you prefer, mail them directly to the people who you want to receive them (snail mail or email). You may want to buy a gift certificate(s) for friends, family or for yourself to be used anytime in 2017. Sessions can be in person or by phone for out-of-area clients.
You can also add a copy of my first book or audio DVD version of Dirty Little Secrets, or Snake Oil Volume One for an extra $12.00, including tax. ($3.00 shipping charge is waived for the month of December!) If you want to sweeten the package. Order both books and shipping is also free! ($24.00 total for a copy of each) Email or call to purchase your Gift Certificates. This discount offer is good until December 31st of 2016.
"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." --Eleanor Roosevelt
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, December 8th. at 3:30 p.m. mountain 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).
To hear a live show, 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 the site and 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.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, or won. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley
Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Phone: (602)957-3035 text: (602)349-0746 Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).
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! Signing up for my fan page will get you even more extras and first shot at reading specials. Simply click on “like” on the fan page and you will automatically get my weekly updates.
You also may want to check out my posts on Tumblr.com: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snake-oil-blog
All sessions/readings for 2016 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00; Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each). Email me for information about my Regular Client Program for even bigger discounts on session prices with the added benefit of monthly or quarterly check-ins.
All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices for any 45-90 minute sessions (except when using a special discount promotion). Local in office visits receive another $5 off listed prices for cash or check payments.
