Snake Oil (This column first ran in late 2009)
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 in ways you can’t see yet.
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. The physical response of getting hit alone was a bit jarring. Another part of me was clear and strangely confident somehow everything would work out really well. I knew however illogical it seemed, but 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 also cut me a check in a few days. They 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 at a very good price for the week, in case I needed to keep it longer than the insurance company cover the expense. 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 Chevys, but a friend suggested I check out Toyotas. 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 2001 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, and had a number of talents and skills that came fairly easily 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 converter was shot. It took a little diplomatic bargaining to talk down the dealership’s 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. This was because luckily the catalytic converter went out a few days after I bought the car. If it had been a few months down the line I would have had to pay for the part. 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 bit of debt but also a flawless payment 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 series of difficult experiences 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 ideas, helpers, wisdom and the strength to assist 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
Notes:
This Snake Oil was written in late 2009 while we were in the middle of the recession. The extra job I took was really helpful during an extremely tough economic time. Even with a good amount of added income from the extra work I finally decided to let go of my credit cards and my years of extremely good credit. It was not easy to do this and at times incredibly uncomfortable, but I knew it was the right thing to do for moving forward. It was a difficult decision that would lead to my life getting easier. I am now completely debt free (aside from small amount of remaining debt on my home, but also now I have quite a bit of equity) and in the process of rebuilding my credit again. Lesson learned and never to be repeated. I pay for things when I have the money! I have one gas card and one Visa card which is all I need. My lifetime study of allowing life to be easy is multilayered. There have been some difficult twists in the road along the way, but it has been a far smoother road as of late. I have made great progress and it has been equally wonderful to be able to teach my clients and readers some of these skills, both practical and metaphysical ones!
I have decided to add some new options to my regular Client Program including: Dream recall, lucid dreaming, out-of-body, expanding intuitive abilities, understanding Michael teachings (soul age, goal, modes, attitudes, centering, etc...) and developing your abilities to read oracles yourself. Clients currently enrolled in the program will be able to take advantage of these options at their discounted rates. More information about enrolling in the program later in this newsletter. I will also be offering many of these options to non-regulars as well, but at the listed rates. You will be able to sign up for some of these and pair up with a friend to help cut the costs (one other person) if you choose.
2017 is off to a good start, but an extremely bumpy political climate is uncomfortable to say the least. You can maintain a position of personal safety and peace even if things out in the world are troublesome. While some elements right now are new and a bit bizarre, difficult politics and bull shit are not new! Always remember that sometimes destruction and difficulty are part of healing wounds in ourselves and in the world and -“this too shall pass.”
Wishing everyone a Happy February. Cheers, Jimmy V
Wishing everyone a Happy February. Cheers, Jimmy V
“Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.” William Blake
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 Man Who Worried
“There once was a rich man who lived on the land. Yes, a rich man, many riches did he have. What did he have? He had possessions and wealth. He had children, houses, and oxen. He had cattle and fields.
He had all that the heart could desire, but he had no peace. For he worried if his cattle were to die, his oxen were to grow old, his children were to rebel, his money were to be lost. Oh, would he not have been better if he were a poor man? Oh, how he worried.
Then came the day that his children rebelled. His cattle dropped over from the plague. His oxen grew weak and stumbled and broke their legs. His houses burned; his fields were raided. All that he had was plundered and his money was lost. And he wept.
Then he began to worry because he was a poor man and did not have food to eat, nor place to lay his head, nor anything. And he worried about what he was and how he could regain riches.
He worried when he was rich and he worried when he was poor, not realizing that the peace was within and not without, for he could have been happy when he was rich and happy when he was poor and he would have had more.
Yet he never enjoyed his richness, and he certainly didn’t enjoy his poorness. He lost his life, for he enjoyed it not, and yet he could have had his life, for all joy was within his own self.”
The Eternals Spirit Speaks Magazine 1989
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, February 9th. 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.
“According to Vendanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidence in your life, more and more syncronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.” Carol Lynn Pearson
New Client Special 2017:
January 1st 2017 thru March 31st 2017 Special: New Client introductory offer
$10-15 off listed rates for your first 45 minute session, 70, or 90 minute session! Ask for the special when you email Venturasag@yahoo.com to book. Debit and credit card payments get $10 off for 45-90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can get an extra $5 off for cash or check payments for sessions. If you want to buy a new client a thoughtful gift of a session you can also take advantage of these rates!
$10-15 off listed rates for your first 45 minute session, 70, or 90 minute session! Ask for the special when you email Venturasag@yahoo.com to book. Debit and credit card payments get $10 off for 45-90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can get an extra $5 off for cash or check payments for sessions. If you want to buy a new client a thoughtful gift of a session you can also take advantage of these rates!
My current rates (new clients can subtract the above discounts from these rates): 45 minute sessions $80. 70 minute sessions $110. 90 minute sessions $130.
"If you die when you are fat, are you a fat ghost or do they go back to a more flattering time?" Carrie Fisher
Regular Client Program
One of the best programs I have been doing for 16 years now is my Regular client program. The program is designed to benefit my clients at multiple levels. Clients who enroll in the program come in every three months for personal sessions (monthly sessions are also an option). This can also be done for out-of-area clients by phone. Session prices are discounted for Regular clients. Regulars also receive discounts on classes, books and CD’s. The focus of the program is on consistent work in developing your intuitive abilities, learning how to use the signs and signals that are all around us, and conquering fear-based programming permanently. We also get to do work with all the many different oracles I currently work with! My Regular client program has resulted in some tremendous spiritual evolution for hundreds of people over the years. Many of my Regulars have gone on to do spiritual counseling, or similar types of work and some are healing and guiding others personally and professionally. The progress I have seen over the years among the majority of my Regular clients has been phenomenal. It is wonderful to see the spiritual, physical, and emotional progress I have assisted in motivating. So many of my Regular clients have dramatically changed the way they now view life and are enjoying a more enlightened point of view. You too can join this program as well, just ask.
More about the Regular Client Program... This program was designed to create an easy, cost effective way for my clients to progress in their spiritual development.
When we are consistent at attending to our body/mind/spirit, we naturally move through life with more harmony and greater joy. When our spiritual awareness is heightened and fine tuned we are often happier which helps us to enjoy all aspects of our lives, including occasional personal challenges because we see them as inevitably beneficial. We can truly assist the people around us. Human beings learn by example. Your intimate partnerships, friendships, family, and children benefit when you are in a good space.
The Regular Client Program makes it easier to prioritize keeping your spiritual, emotional and even physical “garden” free of weeds. In China, the professional soothsayer is a reverent and dignified calling. It does not attract the sort of suspicion it does in the western world. In fact, in most eastern cultures, seeing an oracle reader is a sign of wisdom, success, and prestige. If you have an interest in increasing these attributes and working with a highly skilled navigational consultant then the Regular Client Program may be right for you.
My non-regular rates for 2007-2017:
Full session (70 minutes) $110.00. shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00. Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00.
Regular client discounted rates for 2014-2017:
Quarterly (every three months) Regulars:
Full 70 minute sessions $90.00 shorter sessions $65.00 Extended sessions $105.00
Monthly Regulars:
Full 70 sessions $80.00 shorter sessions $55.00 Extended sessions $95.00
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PREPAY 3 OR MORE SESSIONS YOU RECEIVE AN EVEN BIGGER DISCOUNT.
(prepaid three quarterly sessions: (3) - 45 minute sessions $175. (3) - 70 minute sessions $240. (3) - 90 minute sessions $285.
(prepaid three monthly sessions: (3) - 45 minute sessions $150. (3) - 70 minute sessions $210. (3) - 90 minute sessions $250.
* Regular clients get to choose whether they will come in for a full, 45, or extended session. You may vary the length of each session each time you come in for your appointments, and still keep your discounted rates.
* I will contact you a few weeks before your next appointment by email or phone for scheduling. If there is a need for a few weeks delay or to come in sooner or for an extra appointment this is also an option.
* Sessions can be used for all of the different readings I offer, transformation sessions, reality change sessions, or personalized instruction on how to read oracles yourself.
* Regular Clients can purchase gift certificates for sessions to give to friends and family at their discounted rates. Regulars also receive discounts on classes, CDS, and books.
* If at any point you decide to come in more often or less often, or even exit the program, simply let me know. I have worked with clients who have come monthly for two years, then switched to quarterly, etc... Clients who exit the program can still come in randomly for sessions, although they will be required to pay current non-regular rates.
When we are out of balance, and not attending to our spiritual sides we are more likely to: hold onto the past, feel anxious about the present, and fearful about the future. Oracle readings and navigational consultations help us keep clear of lower energies and bring us to a higher awareness in all areas of our lives. Developing our intuitive abilities increases our potential for happy relationships, excellent health, and keep us excited about wherever our lives are headed. The majority of my clients come in for a session once or twice a year or when a crisis triggers them. My Regular clients use the sessions as PREVENTIVE MEDICINE.
If you are interested in signing up for this program call or e mail me VenturaSag@yahoo.com
“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.” Ellen DeGeneres
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.
