December 2018 Snake Oil/Tinfoil Covering the Baby Jesus

December 2018 Snake Oil

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 and hopefully we never will.

Jim Ventura 10-2003

Notes:

After about a five month hiatus from doing the ABC show TheList, I filmed two more episodes and at least one more is scheduled for December. This put it at 12 shows and likely thirteen by the end of the year. One of the last ones was about Mercury retrograde. Mercury is still in retrograde in Libra until the 6th of this month!

I am in the process of expanding my Snake Oil radio show to include a monthly (still will continue the one each month for Thursdays at 3:30 pm mountain time with a column show read and discussion) Sunday at 2 pm show with a different format. I meet every other week with a small group that studies the channeled teachings of Seth and the many brilliant books written by Jane Roberts. We are working individually and as a group on creating more prosperity in all areas of life. You can read Seth Speaks and the Nature of Personal Reality to get caught up to where we are and/or tune into each show to begin your process of shifting and changing limited beliefs to be more prosperous in your life as well!

A reminder that all sessions (45, 70, and 90 minute) for December for anyone currently on my mailing list and New Clients are $10 off my listed rates and if you purchase another session immediately following you can get $20 off that gift for yourself or a friend to use anytime in 2019. Purchase a third and that is $40 off listed rates! More information about all of this later in the newsletter.

Wishing everyone a Happy holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year!

Jimmy V

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” Laura Ingalls Wilder

November and December Gift certificates Special: $10-$40 off all sessions!

This offer is for new New Clients and returning clients

The holidays are approaching. Give a gift to someone you love that they will really appreciate: a reading/personal session with Jim Ventura. All sessions booked at this time and all gift certificates purchased from November 3rd, 2018 until December 31 st., 2018 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 or LinkedIn) and new first time clients as well!

Special rate:

$10.00 off my current listed prices for any 45, 70, or 90 minute sessions. If you purchase 2 gift certificates (or decide to purchase a follow up session for yourself to use in the coming year after a session at this time) the second gift certificate is $20 off my listed prices. If you purchase a third it will be $40 off that one! A maximum of three session gift certificates may be purchased at this time.

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 during the remainder of 2018 and all of 2019. 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 2019.  Sessions can be in-office or by phone or FaceTime (for i-phone users) 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 during this special) 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 2018. 

“I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.” Fred Rogers

Channeled corner. I read many, many books from different trance channelers in the 80s and 90s. 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. 

There is a great piece about aging in all of its many stages in the book Whatever Happened to Divine Grace by Ramon Stevens. Since many of my readers are already there, past it, or it is on the horizon here is a partial piece about Middle age:

“As one ages, one may find that one has less energy in middle and late-middle age than in youth. While this may appear to be a sign of decay to those limiting themselves to the physically perceivable and considering death a terminus, in light of our discussion you should see that there is no purpose to maintaining high energy levels throughout all of life. The exploration of youth and the agonized time of choice of early adulthood are past. One has made one’s choices, for better or worse, and middle age is when those paths selected are followed. There is no need for youth’s exuberant energy once frittered away on endless avenues of exploration in youth is now FOCUSED in middle age, and the psyche has shifted the bulk of its energy output from the physical to the mental. It takes thought to climb a career ladder, to maintain a long-term commitment, to raise children effectively. One’s energy is not lessened or lost but RECHANNELED.

To sum up, the cusp of thirty-five ushers in the era of middle age, the long span of ‘productive’ years when one’s attention is most highly focused in the physical world. it is a time of narrowing one’s focus, concentrating on a few select avenues of activity, the better to achieve mastery and the satisfaction of effort well expended. It often brings professional achievement, the long-term relations with a life partner and the raising of children.

It is rightfully called the ‘prime of life,’ for no other time are all the facilities working so well and in such harmony. The body is strong, the mind is keen, the paths are chosen and the goals are set. With one foot in the adult world of professional choice and the other in the nursery, middle age is the time of greatest concentration in physical reality, while the plaintive walls from the crib, confounding the adults’s sense of order, cannot help but serve a constant reminder of the natural order from which you, parent and child, spring.

Children are granted during middle age lest you take yourselves too seriously, think yourselves omniscient, all powerful or possessed of decorum at all times. The little monsters will show you just how much you know, how polite you can be, the limits of your insight and endurance!

It is life’s most magical time, in our view, for the dreams of youth become the realities of adulthood; the mastery of childhood becomes the achievements of productive work. One treads one’s highly unique and private path with a sure foot, the time of choice behind, the satisfaction of accomplishment at hand...”

“Don’t go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” Oprah Winfrey

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 13th at 3:30 p.m. mountain time. Usually one or two Thursdays each month 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).

The first Seth group broadcast will be Sunday December 9th at 2 pm.

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.

“The Christians stole the winter solstice from the pagans, and the capitalism stole it from the Christians.” George Monbiot

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Phone calls: (602) 957-3035 text only: (602) 349-0746 

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. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Ventura/110567902293371?ref=hl

You also may want to check out my posts on Tumblr.com: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snake-oil-blog

All sessions/readings for 2018 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $85.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each, although no other discounts will apply).  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. 

November 2018 Snake Oil/Taking the High Road

November 2018 Snake Oil

Taking the High Road

I had a lousy morning. A host of frustrating things started my day and made me regret getting out of bed in the first place. I got into my car to run errands and then headed to the gym like I did most weekdays however I felt quite irritated. As I dodged the usual stupidity on the road with people texting while driving, not using turn signals, and an assortment of other bad driver theatrics I made it to my first destination the bank drive through. I could see a man in a truck in the lane next to mine fighting with the teller about God knows what through his call box. Of course he pulled out just ahead of me and I was stuck behind his truck. I was trying to make a right turn but he lingered in front of me moving slowly between two lanes at the light that was about to change. There were three lanes of traffic getting ready to push through from the other direction when the light would change. I gave him a short, singular horn honk to suggest he make some type of move or at least allow me to get by. He finally made the right turn but I ended up still stuck behind him in the middle lane. My fury was building to epic proportions.

Apparently my horn honk made him angry. He stopped his car in the middle of traffic barreling toward us and I was caught tucked behind him as other cars began to pile behind me and all around us. He, with a feat of massive audacity, actually got out of his car and began to walk toward my Prius for a confrontation! It is quite the rarity for me to encounter a man who will verbally or physically try to battle me at this point in my life so I was not only surprised but pissed! I seriously contemplated getting out of my car to meet him and break every bone in his small framed body in what would likely take me all of two minutes. In the few seconds of my contemplating whether he lives or dies (mostly kidding about this) I noticed his license plate said “Veteran.” Instead something better in me took over and I rolled down my window as he approached and I shouted to him “Are you okay, are you in distress? Do you need me to call someone to help you man?” He paused with his cigarette still hanging out of his mouth a few feet before he got to me, turned around and got into his car and drove away.

I was even surprised by my kindness and quick thinking. There was no question I could either verbally or physically break him into pieces, yet as angry as I was I took the high road. I thought it was likely that he had not only come through some difficult experiences serving his country, but probably personally as well. His anger was probably not really about me directly. It might also simply be that he got closer to the guy in the Gold Prius and saw my 205 pound muscular frame and simply reconsidered what he was attempting to do. Whatever the specific reason I took a more Christlike response to a dark situation. While I was still somewhat angry as I drove away from this event, I felt empowered by my decision to respond with kindness, empathy, and to diffuse a potential confrontation.

While I don’t often talk about Christianity specifically, the energy of Christ Consciousness transcends different religious perspectives and influences us in notable ways. In the Michael teachings Jesus was a representation of the infinite soul. “The infinite soul is a representation of the Tao itself. The Infinite soul comes to earth, say, every two thousand years, although historically, for example Christ and Buddha came within six hundred years of each other this was because each impacted separate and distinct regions and civilizations. These avatars have world impact for literally thousands of years. There are often magical and mystical events surrounding the birth of these exalted beings and their presence is felt and prophesied long before their arrival...” Quote from the Michael Handbook by Jose Stevens.

A few days before my near confrontation with the angry veteran I saw a video on Face Book that moved me. It was about how a fight was stopped by a man with a pizza. Two men are fist fighting and wrestling in front of a restaurant. A guy runs out with his box of a whole pizza and steps in and offers them each a slice. They stop fighting and begin to eat the pizza. They end up walking away and just chatting and chowing down pizza. Of course the usual know-it-all-troll comments follow the inspiring video on YouTube; “This is all fake.” “This video is staged and isn’t real.” Whether the video is real or not is of course irrelevant. The idea of a peaceful interruption to conflict is very much what the message of turning the other cheek is all about. I can’t say that I will always respond with the kind gesture I did the other day, although it definitely seems like I do more often than not as I get older and wiser. Some part of me drew that potential confrontation my way. My angry, frustrated self that morning angrily getting in a car acted like a magnet to the negative events. We always have choices about how we respond to situations that test us, but taking the high road is truly a far more positive use of our power.

10-2018 Jim Ventura

Pizza ends fight video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_ecjBsXSI8

Notes:

While I have cut my monthly Snake Oil column to about 9-10 times each year (still generally at the beginning of the month) I also do 3-4 extra mini posts each month specifically for Face Book. You can fan-page follow me or friend request to see these posts (the link is at the end of the column page). I have included one here later in this newsletter that is very much in alignment with this columns theme as well.

I have extended my usual December gift certificate special to November as well this year. All sessions for new and returning clients are at a $10 discount for 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. Purchase a second gift certificate and get $20 off that one, a third purchased session is $40 off! No other discounts will apply at this time. More information about this special later in the newsletter.

This has been a wild year of a lot of changes, pushes and pulls in a good way and a challenging way. My Birthday at the end of this month puts me out of a “5” cycle and into the number “6.” This is my Birth-path number in Numerology and I have no doubt will be a bit of a smoother year. I like some change and excitement, but I am eager to get off what feels like a roller coaster ride for almost a full year now. 

It’s Thanksgiving time and I wish everyone a year with lots to be Thankful for! Cheers, Happy November Jimmy V

“When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.” Steve Maraboli

November and December Gift certificates Special: $10-$40 off all sessions!

This offer is for new New Clients and returning clients

The holidays are approaching. Give a gift to someone you love that they will really appreciate: a reading/personal session with Jim Ventura. All sessions booked at this time and all gift certificates purchased from November 3rd, 2018 until December 31 st., 2018 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 Face Book or LinkedIn) and new first time clients as well!

Special rate:

$10.00 off my current listed prices for any 45, 70, or 90 minute sessions. If you purchase 2 gift certificates (or decide to purchase a follow up session for yourself to use in the coming year after a session at this time) the second gift certificate is $20 off my listed prices. If you purchase a third it will be $40 off that one! A maximum of three session gift certificates may be purchased at this time.

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 during the remainder of 2018 and all of 2019. 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 2019.  Sessions can be in-office or by phone or Face Time (for i-phone users) 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 during this special) 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 2018. 

“Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.” Anonymous

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F Kennedy

Channeled corner. I read many, many books from different trance channelers in the 80s and 90s. 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. 

You must make choices 

“Like it or nor, agreement shapes your reality. For all things happen by choice. You are not here by accident, nor are you a victim of fate. You are here, quite simply and empathetically, because you WANT to be here. Because you are an integral extension of the cosmic soul, know that on some level you consciously chose to evolve spiritually within the physical environment as a part of your divine constitution. And before you reentered the physical realm, you made certain agreements which supported not only the continuance of your spiritual lessons here, but the advancement of other entities who are also evolving in clusters with you.

You helped create the working blueprint which outlines your entire life program and also parallels your chosen destiny.

Now, every life, every personality, every situation and every experience is carefully chosen-right down to the details of your so-called death experience. This is true for all on the physical plane. With the exception of karmic intervention (the Divine hand which evens the scale of cosmic justice and also ensures your spiritual best-good), the life that you live is the very life you chose. There simply are no exceptions. And the living of it all brings the necessary experiences and lessons to bear, all of which contribute to the ultimate growth and understanding of every soul-fragment.

The agreements which you made with your soul are the opening plans for the unfoldment of that blueprint. They shape the reality of your life environment. And a life in which every agreement is refused, avoided, or even broken will only serve to teach you what such avoidance brings. Regardless of whether the physical life was completed or not, that life still remains valid to some degree, and whatever was learned will contribute to the evolution of the soul as it moves into the greater essence of its soul community...”

from Kunda in Spirit Speaks magazine. 1988

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” Anonymous

This is a post I ran in late October of this year of Face Book:

Feeling angry frustrated, or taken advantage of by situations or other people? Do you ever feel like it is hard to be loving and kind when your buttons keep repeatedly getting pushed?

This is what the archetypal energy is about in the Strength card and what it represents in the Tarot. People are often confused by what Tarot cards actually are meant to be used for. They can be for insight into the near future but are more effectively used to act as a navigational aid to assist in moving more fluidly and in an empowered way through life.

The Art of Tarot/8 Strength

Major Arcana card number eight is the Strength symbol (Some Tarot decks have this card numbered eleven and the Justice Archetype in this position). The number 8 in Numerology refers to power, mastery, and achievement. The image shows a woman calmly petting a red lion. The image conveys the feminine power to overcome “the beast.” She uses her calming, serene, unshakable, power of understanding and gentleness to quiet her lion. The red lion symbolizes anger, fear, phobia’s, the lower self, and other negative feelings and behaviors. It represents that base part of ourselves that may at times help us in crisis but can also hinder us if taken too far. The infinity symbol above her head reminds us that the use of spiritual wisdom and practical patience can overcome the darker parts of ourselves and others. The power of kindness and the love principal can often overcome negativity. The Strength imagery reminds us of what true Strength really is. 

Strength Archetype Upright:

The Strength card in its upright position suggests that we are learning and mastering the ability to be strong, spiritual, kind, and wise in how we respond. We are no longer allowing anger and emotional or brute force to be the way we deal with difficulties. Unresolved emotional issues from our past or triggers from people and situations outside in the world will often test us. We may be finding ourselves encountering old battles that may even be dressed in “new clothing.” The Strength archetype suggests we are coming into contact with the wise, calm part of ourselves that can overcome base emotion and reactions to others that may have previously robbed us of our sense of peace. We no longer allow others to “push our buttons.”

While we may have the power and the “right” to strike back and react on some occasions, we have become patient and peaceful both internally and externally. We direct our willful nature toward acts of kindness and generosity. We treat others as we wish to be treated. A new respect, understanding, and peaceful perspectives becomes a part of our life-path. The Strength card shows goals achieved by taking the “high road.” The seeker encounters a more advanced form of personal power. Confidence, a healthy body, mind, and the strength to overcome any difficulties are now part of the seeker’s life. Also now part of the seeker’s life show leadership by example, wisdom, kindness, understanding, and strength of character.

Strength Archetype Reversed:

When the Strength card falls reversed, the seeker has allowed internal and external “fears” to unhinge them. A lack of understanding, selfishness, judgment, and anger surface. The temptation to strike back may be acted upon. Violence may be part of the current situation. The seeker may use bullying tactics, or be a victim of such tactics. There may be a weakness in standing up to abuse. We see an imbalance of healthy self-protection by either excessive anger and resentment or ineffectiveness. Misunderstanding, miscommunication, thoughtless actions from others push the seeker to either plot or act with vengeance.  An internal lack of self-love and martyrdom has created a pool of anger and hostility. Perceived or actual manipulation from others triggers angry responses. Internal self-doubt and toxic feelings pollute the seeker. A need for self-love, acceptance, and to “not take this world personally,” is necessary to find peace. Developing healthy boundaries that do not need to be “fought over” is the key to experiencing harmony again.

Jim Ventura is a Navigational Consultant with many years of study and practice. He uses oracles like Astrology, Numerology, Tarot, Runes and others to help assist his clients to live a more empowered life. More information about in-office or phone consultations are available at JimVentura.com. 

Snake Oil Radio

Thursdays at 3:30 pm (there will be one live broadcast this month)

My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday,  November 15th at 3:30 p.m. mountain time. Usually one or two Thursdays each month 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.

“Spirituality is not a religion or a trend-it is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle of awareness that combines the understanding of faith, body, mind, and soul, allowing us to live modern-day enlightened lives in small and big ways.” Emma Mildon

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Phone calls: (602) 957-3035 text only: (602) 349-0746 

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 Face book 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. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Ventura/110567902293371?ref=hl

You also may want to check out my posts on Tumblr.com: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snake-oil-blog

All sessions/readings for 2018 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $85.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each, although no other discounts will apply).  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. 

Mercury is retrograde in Libra November 16th through December 6th 2018...

September and October 2018 Snake Oil/You Better Change That Attitude!

September and October 2018 Snake Oil 

You better change that attitude!

I had a funny random memory a few months ago about a Saturday morning seventies cartoon that I watched when I was a kid. The Saturday morning lineup was a very big thing back in those days. The show was called “The Groovy Ghoolies.” Dracula, Werewolf, Frankenstein, etc... were all in a band and had adventures and performed musical numbers. I recalled both watching the show and making fun of it. It was a stupid title and equally ridiculous premise. There was a lot to make fun of in this monstrosity and I made my friends laugh by pointing this out. I looked up when the cartoon originally ran. It was actually from 1971-1972. It’s “hard to believe” but it didn’t have a very long run before it was cancelled. That would have made me six or seven years old and I already had a wise ass sarcastic way of thinking and tongue to match it at such a really young age.

My cynical humor skills continued to sharpen as I grew up and I remember wanting to try a new cereal called “Grins, Smiles, Giggles, and Laughs.” It was a tasty sugary treat with a really, really stupid name and I made fun of that ridiculous name a lot. Around the same time there was a nearly constant string of commercials about a baby doll called “Baby This and That.” The catchy song jingle was: “Baby This and That, Baby This and That, she does a lot of this and she does a lot of that...” At the age of eleven I could not believe that adults thought this was a good idea. Apparently actual professional people sat around brainstorming and got excited enough to market this “brilliant idea.” Were they being serious about “she does a lot of this she does a lot of that?” What the hell does that mean anyway? This is when it began to sink into my awareness that some adults were really stupid and severely lacking in talent. I have no doubt that this doll and the cereal are collectors items now. Comments like this were abundant during my childhood and I had a number of times when my mother told me to stop being such a wise guy!

In a somewhat similar way that astrology works the Michael teachings show that we are wired at birth with one of seven attitudes.* These are actually chosen at a Higher Self level and locked in for life. The idea that you should or even could change your attitude is largely meaningless. At best we can learn to stay in the positive poles as opposed to negative poles of our attitude. An idealist cannot become a pragmatist because they are told that they should be. The seven attitudes or way we see life are from most common to least common: Idealist, realist, pragmatist, stoic, skeptic, and spiritualist. I am a realist. The positive pole or expression is objective and its negative is subjective. A realist can slide to its paired attitude of cynic though. The positive pole of cynic is contradiction and its negative is denigration. The realist sees life from the lens of “it probably is” while the cynic sees from the lens of “it probably isn’t.” Many realists understandably make good judges, arbitrators, and counselors because of their ability to both empathize and to be objective. A lot of the best comedians are not surprisingly cynics. They can be really funny by calling out contradiction in society and human behavior but sometimes can be a bit too dark for others. The cynic attitude is often taken on to handle a potentially difficult life or repayment karma. George Carlin is a great example of a famous cynic. Judge Judy would be an example of a famous realist. 

We tend to gravitate to people with similar attitudes or the paired attitude. Pragmatists have the unique ability to sometime slide to any of the other attitudes with usually one or two favorite landing places. People with very different attitudes than ours can often feel like abrasive relationships. Example: a realist may see an idealist as often “too naive,” while the idealist can see the realist as “too heavy.” A stoic may see pragmatists as “know it alls,” while the pragmatist may see a stoic as “uncaring” or “passive.” On the flip side, we may actually find ourselves enjoying a different attitude in people around us and see it as a refreshing point of view from our own. 

I used to drive by a store in my neighborhood a few years ago that I never ventured into (which might have been actually really nice, and kudos to anyone willing to risk starting their own business but the store is now long out of business) called “Bears, Dolls, and Surprises.” Well golly surprises how exciting! The name itself gave me plenty of ammunition for me to rip on and of course I did. One of my more recent expressions of my slide to cynical sarcasm was about our First lady, Melania Trump. Now, while I recognize and acknowledge that there may be some good to come out of the Trump presidency so far, still I mostly find him and his reality show family to be really hard to watch and for a number of reasons and I don’t see this ending well. The young soul lack of empathy and the “he who dies with the most toys wins” perspective is exhausting. Of all the people connected with this presidency I actually somewhat like Melania. She has dignity, a touch of class, has some empathy, speaks five languages, and gets credit for putting up with that family! Her announcement last spring about an anti-bullying program is a very good thing, although there is some cartoonish irony that her husband is often very much a bully. When I heard about her “Be Best” initiative, I thought “What the hell does that actually mean?” Are adjectives and pronouns just too cumbersome? Didn’t someone suggest to her that this sounded kind of murky and silly?” Through dry sarcasm via texts and phone messages I hit up many of my friends and family with the simplistic reminder to “Be Best.” A likable friend who is a big Trump supporter that I often see at the casino told me: “it is likely that Melania and her husband talked about it and the words “Be Best” have a deeper meaning that we just don’t understand.” Yeah, that must be it, I am simply not smart enough to grasp why it’s called “Be Best” lol!

My occasional cynicism is by no means limited to other people. I have rightfully ripped on myself for some of the stupid things I have done over the years. I let a criminal move in with me in my mid twenties and lent (actually he never paid me back so I more or less gave it away) him quite a bit of money. My first book Dirty Little Secrets explored how “well” that worked out for me. I went in with a buddy in my late twenties to set us up for a mail order business where we got sent etches that needed to be carved each week and had to do painstaking etching and then send them back for cash. We convinced ourselves that we could smoke weed and do this for extra money and it would be fun! It was a total scam, boring, and we fell for it. I got involved in a multi-level marketing juice thing in my late thirties. That didn’t work out to be lucrative at all. I have done some silly, stupid things along the way and I comfortably own all of them. There are many other dumb things I have done so far in my life too numerous to list. If I can rip on others than I am fair game as well. I get impressed when a friend humorously tears into me when they do it well! If we can’t laugh at the lame parts of ourselves and humanity we eliminate one of the easiest and entertaining roads to helping us heal, grow, and learn.

Recently a buddy of mine at the gym who affectionately and sarcastically calls me “sunshine,” was super excited because he got the best possible up front parking spot at our gym. This was no easy task because half of the year we share the lot with the San Francisco Giants, their family, and lots of people who watch them train. He doofishly told me was “hesitant to give up the spot and go back to work that day because it was so good.” I called him a dork. A few weeks later he pulled up looking for that good spot. I rolled down my window as I drove up at the same time and said: “Hey loser, you’re never going to get a spot that good again in your life. Give up even trying. That moment was the best your life ever was and it’s all downhill from here, you dope!” He burst into tears crying with laughter. He told everyone at the gym what I said proudly and still often brings the incident up. Typical of many men, we playfully rip on each other a lot and see it as a form of sport. We also would have each other’s back in a minute if anyone ever really messed with any of us in any real way.

Like the people in my past who told me I needed to change my attitude, you might wonder why I would be so cruel? He is going through a painful divorce after 25 years of marriage with a wife that was cheating on him for years. Emotionally and financially he has been painfully struggling every day for about six months with all of this. I have positively encouraged him and talked to him quite a few times, reminding him that he is strong enough to get through this and what appears to be an ordeal is actually an opportunity disguised as loss. My harshness with the parking spot joke was a way to take him away from his day to day ordeal. To remind him while sometimes life sucks and can be painful, it can also be really funny. Laughter breaks up our wounds and it does heal us. Comedy won’t kill tragedy but it will get it to loosen its grip. Different attitudes might focus their own unique approaches to helping out a struggling friend. A pragmatist might give him practical advice. A stoic might just sit with him, not discuss the situation at all and have a beer. An idealist might cheer him up with a friendly invite or a sympathetic hug. A spiritualist might say prayers for him or give him a healing crystal. No, I am not going to “change my attitude.” I couldn’t if I tried, and I recognize that like everyone with a similar or different attitude, I chose well.

Jim Ventura 8-2018 

Notes:

Understanding the attitude is just a part of being able to use the Michael teachings to your advantage. You can book a personal session to learn about the teachings or take either an in-office or phone session(s) for these and other classes. More information about this later in this newsletter.

This month marks my first column covering a two month window after 15 years of an every month column. A few of my readers have even been with me from the very beginning! I am only planning on doing about 9-10 columns each year for the next few years. It’s been quite a bit of work each month to publish 12 columns. I have been also doing the birthday mailer each month for five years now. This has specifically been by invitation once a year. I started with Libra in 2014. If you haven’t booked a session in the last five years during the promotional period or at another time in the last five years, I will be dropping your name from my list for this invitation beginning in late September of 2019. I will still leave you on my Snake Oil mailer list though unless you specifically request unsubscribing from that.

We got hit with some serious monsoon activity in late July and most of August. The first three weeks of August were pretty much rain nearly every day. I lost power here for almost five hours one evening during a storm. The positive side was while it was humid, there were some cooler temperatures than usual for this time of years. It looks like for the most part monsoon season is over and in another month or so we begin to feel the influences of Fall.

I had a slower than usual summer with booking sessions but summers are often a little of a dip. Not quite as dramatic back in the 90s when I was a waiter here in the summer. It was often a bit of a ghost town and I miss the slower pace of Phoenix summers now long gone. I took a few more vacations than I usually do and enjoyed every one of them. I enjoy working and will continue to for many different reasons. I became aware of the fact that I prefer a bit more vacation time than the average person so I plan on creating that more comfortably in my fifties. I am always successful when I set my mind to doing something and I plan on successfully pulling off this next reality creation as well! Wishing everyone a happy start to the Fall, my favorite season by far.

Cheers, Jimmy V

“The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” John Maxwell

Channeled corner. I read many, many books from different trance channelers in the 80s and 90s. 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.

“You must begin to believe that every difficulty that comes into your awareness is your mirror. YOU have called into your lives all these people and events to show you the parts of your consciousness that you have not wished to see clearly. This does not mean that if you have met a lecher, that your are one. It means that you have judgment against lechery. And be assured, if you judge against others, somewhere in your psyche, you have judged against yourself. And that is the place that you must go to and examine; that part of you that needs to feel superior and does so by judging another. Every time you judge my friends, understand what you are doing. You are stepping on somebody’s neck in order to stand up that much higher, not in the world’s estimation, but in your own. The quality of judgment is the most divisive quality that you possess, because it will, at any cost, prove itself to be better. But all you are really trying to do is make yourself feel equal. For if you truly knew yourself to be “better,” you would manifest compassion, because you would understand that judgment is not a quality that EVER heals. Judgment does not heal any one, or any thing, at any time. Judgment is the killer. So those who judge against their fellow man have to be responsible for realizing that they are desperately trying to keep their own self-judgment locked up in another area of their life. There is a part of your psyche that doesn’t want to look inward, so it tricks you into looking out there. If you have judgment, you do not have compassion, because they cannot exist together. If you have compassion you cannot judge, because you understand from the point of compassion that the person who is before you in this moment, CAN ACT NO DIFFERENTLY. And you cannot impose your rules on them because there is always some part of your consciousness that other people can look at and judge to be wrong.” 

From the book, I Come As a Brother by Bartholomew

New Client Special 2018:

January 1st 2018 thru October 31st, 2018 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!

My current rates (new clients can subtract the above discounts from these rates): 45 minute sessions $85. 70 minute sessions $110. 90 minute sessions $130. Sessions can be in-office or by phone.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” Diana Spencer

Intuitive and Oracle reading classes 2018

You can take one introductory class or continue with a monthly class for up to six months for any of the classes offered. Each instructional class is 90 minutes. You can schedule a one on one class in office or by phone, or FaceTime for yourself, or have one additional friend or family member join you and split the costs.

Single class: $55.00 or 3 classes pre-paid $150.

2 people $70 for each class ($35.00 each) 3 classes pre-paid $180.

Email me for more information and my availability calendar to book your personal intuitive development classes. 

Current options:

1. TAROT CARD READING

Whether you have investigated the Tarot or have never used this oracle before, this class will assist you in understanding the wisdom contained in Tarot cards. The class will focus on teaching you how to read the Tarot for yourself and others. The Tarot can be used for prediction and to accelerate spiritual growth. If you don’t have a deck, assistance will also be provided on choosing the right deck for you. Whether you plan on using oracles just to guide yourself, or wish to expand into doing readings professionally, this class will assist you on your road to mastery.

2. ASTROLOGY-101 

This class will teach you the basics of Astrology. By the end of this class, you will be on the road to interpreting your own chart, as well as those of others. You will learn about the house placements, signs, symbols, angles, etc... We will explore how powerful the influence of astrology is in our lives. 

3. MICHAEL MATERIAL

* 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.

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.

4. PAST LIFE JOURNEYS

All aspects of past life exploration, from hypnosis to dreaming techniques will be discussed. By understanding the influence of karma and the past lives we have already lived, we will show how our past experiences affect us in our present life. The class focuses on setting up a past life journal, and explores the progression of our soul’s journeys. Astrology, numerology, and many other tools will be utilized to aid you in becoming aware of your past lifetimes. “Desire to live again, because that will be your lot in any case.” Nietzsche

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” Benjamin Disraeli

Snake Oil Radio

Thursdays at 3:30 pm (there will be one live broadcast this month)

My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday,  August 9th at 3:30 p.m. mountain time. Usually one or two Thursdays each month 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.

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Phone calls: (602) 957-3035 text only: (602) 349-0746 

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. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Ventura/110567902293371?ref=hl

You also may want to check out my posts on Tumblr.com: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/snake-oil-blog

All sessions/readings for 2018 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $85.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each, although no other discounts will apply).  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. 

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