Gratitude and Thanksgiving
This column is a partial repeat of an essay I wrote back in October of 2011. Twelve years later I still have to remind myself to remember the many benefits of focusing on gratitude and how many things I truly have to be grateful about. In a notable way while I still get frustrated, it seems my fifties self versus the me of my forties tends to be far less irritable. In many ways my perspectives have shifted. The practical details of life like cars, appliances, and many of the things we tend to collect in life that inevitably break down, and are often ridiculously expensive to repair, have not changed; things wear out and break. The endless details of marketing connected with having my own business, while having interesting new elements to them, are still at times very time-consuming. The at times unreliability of regular clients that I feel like I have to chase down sometimes (like a personal trainer being in a position to have to push his clients to work out for their own good), along with no shows, unanswered emails, getting too far behind in their payments, while tiring, have neither decreased or increased. The overly busy weeks followed by painfully slow business weeks are still about the same. What fortunately shifted in my fifties was how I look at all of these things. I now truly understand what the positive pole of Capricorn actually means. “I USE” is understanding the wisdom of how problems can propel us toward solutions or make us stronger versus irritation and complaining, or going to the extremes of feeling like a martyr.
In some ways each new decade can bring us added gifts of new perspectives and vision. While our outer eyesight may require assistance like reading glasses (I am still lucky and only need the dollar store readers!), other aspects of vision can potentially expand. I used to lean far more to the left politically in my younger years. Years of observing the same nonsense and manipulation that at times can be part of left ideologies has moved me closer to the center. Rather than the often common swing used to resolve the discomfort by moving to the far right and simply switching to the flip side of crazy, it has became more clear that both sides have some wisdom and both sides are at times bordering on insane. Sitting in the center and being more of an independent feels far more comfortable.
The repeated struggles with inconsistency in my business and with a few unreliable clients in part has led me to decide to focus on new forms of income like writing another book. In fact I not only I finished another new book but am now part of the way through two more. Allowing the natural mutability of my Sun sign to expand into new ways of making an income from book sales, public speaking, and online classes and events was a perfect solution. And while some of these things are still in the works, I have no doubt that in a short period of time I will be successful. In fact, just the willingness to move in these new directions alone feels like a victory.
Another important aspect of wisdom arose from dealing with a few painful rounds of kidney stones a few years ago. While I was in no way hit with all of them at once, I also had to deal with diverticulitis and a brutal round with sciatic nerve damage. I put my studies of alternative medicine, trigger points, yoga, healthier diet, and healing foods to the test. Most importantly, I was willing to get to the root of the emotional and limited belief patterns that were creating the illnesses. Pushing stones through on my own, the tremendous pain of diverticulitis, and trying to get out of bed with debilitating back pain was not fun and even at times terrifying. I resisted the usual agreed societal solution to take pain blockers, or to use western medicine to resolve or more often mask problems. This commitment was really putting my money where my mouth was. All the methods I had studied for years turned out to be not only real in theory but also actually worked. I am free of all of these ailments and now quite healthy for a man my age. While at times a scary process, afterwards it left me feeling like a fearless badass who can tackle anything that comes along. I USED the difficulties.
A great example of this was applying this new knowledge and experience during the Covid years where the fear of “What if it gets me, or I give it to my loved ones?” was a debilitating, even terrifying motivation for many people all over the world. I stood back from all the theatrics about going out or staying in, wearing masks or not wearing them, the extremes of whether to inject pharmaceuticals into your body or not, how many people could be on an elevator, etc... I walked through an understandably difficult time for many dispassionately. I really did understand why it brought so much fear and did not judge those who got pulled in. My studies of how and why we experience illness for over more than three decades were extremely helpful. The majority of the population have little or no understanding of the many layers of how illness come to us. I knew without the slightest doubt (well I honestly did about two weeks of mild fear than that dried up fairly quickly early on), that if I got this illness, I knew exactly what to do to push it through and heal. It became increasingly clear, while not all of it was nonsense, the suggestions from the media and the loudest and strongest voices, like washing your hands by singing happy birthday, staying away from everyone (stranger danger), and not going outside, etc...were mostly gibberish. We had an opportunity as a society to start a conversation with people about preventative medicine and healthy, practical homeopathic methods for healing and of course we ignored this. The only fallout for me sadly was a few friends and family that cut me out of their lives, many after knowing me for years, who put me in the “Jim is reckless and dangerous” camp. I used this to my advantage as well. Being around people who live in such extremes of fear and questioning my character is not healthy for me, so while the losses did hurt, it was inevitably a good thing. I USED the cruel treatment.
Probably one of the greatest accomplishments that I am grateful for is being relaxed about my lifelong seemingly endless quest to “find the right mate.” I am currently single, and while I remain open to something amazing if it comes along, I am truly comfortable alone. If a partnership of value is in the cards, it will be far better than past relationships because the mirror reflection of that individual will be of someone who is also open but comfortable with themselves. If I spend the remainder of my time in this life, probably anywhere from about two, three, or four more decades, as a single man I can honestly say I am truly cool with that. The sense that success in life must be connected to finding the “right” mate is something I am neutral about and that feels really good.
Thanksgiving is nearly here again and it’s one of my favorite holidays. I get to indulge (this makes the Taurus ascendant part of me happy) for a day or two and then go back to a sensible eating pattern, well honestly maybe more than a few days. While many of us have had difficulties in the past and maybe still in the present, we can still find things to be grateful for in our lives. A gratitude journal is very useful for this purpose. While it may be difficult to remember to consistently write in it, like all potentially good or not so good things we will eventually become addicted to it. It’s one addiction that is seriously good for us! While some of the conditions around the original Thanksgiving (Pilgrims and Indians) were questionable to say the least, the idea behind it is still solid. Gratitude and a healthy giving and receiving ratio are necessities for staying balanced. Healing requires committing to resolving and fixing what isn’t working, not just endlessly thinking about “how someday I am going to finally take care of this,” or “this is my lot in life and there is no changing it.” Shifting our focus toward what is positive and what we are thankful for moves us into a place where we inevitably create more things to be thankful and grateful for.
Jim Ventura 10-2023
Notes:
The big holiday season is here. Phoenix went from a still lingering too hot climate to an instantly cool fall, not exactly something uncommon. And like many people I am dealing with some days of itchy eyes and bouts of crazy sneezing, still overall it is a great time of year. My only complaint would be that there are so many people here. There was a heavy migration of people to the state for a lot of reasons and we are in what is called snow bird season with an added influx of winter visitors. Driving makes me nuts sometimes. Still, the amount of good things here and the Autumn season itself far outweigh any negatives. We get about 7 months of perfect or near perfect weather from now until June. I am particularly grateful for having had the wisdom back in 2004 to buy a condo before the mortgage and rent explosions in the last few years. My mortgage is not only very inexpensive but the condo is now worth over three times what I originally paid for it!
I am continuing the seemingly slow process of finding a literary agent to rep me for my books and to connect me with the right publisher. In the meantime I continue to write new material so when I get that squared away I should be able to get a new book in print in a short period of time. I continue to also do edits on the work I already have done. I did a Mah Jongg card reading for myself four months ago (info in this newsletter for how you can set one up for yourself) and the solution to two areas of challenge in the West position was the Jade card. Its meaning is worth and perseverance. The advice being “In China Jade is prized above gold. When Jade is taken from the ground it is a lifeless piece of dull rock. It only acquires value when time, work, and skill have transformed the raw stone into an object worthy of admiration by an emperor...” Clearly great advice and I am on it!
My Tik Tok channel has been growing faster than my other channels (Instagram and YouTube) so far. Animalspeaks is all about how to understand animal totems. A big hit this fall has been talking about somewhat fictitious animals like the four dragons, earth, air, fire, and water. I even did a fun video about how to handle trolls! I am following this growing success and interest by offering a two hour event at Sozo healing house in Tempe. Part of the proceeds of a very inexpensive class will go to the Humane Society. It is all set for Sunday January 21st at Noon. I am also looking into doing this seminar at some local Phoenix and surrounding area libraries in 2024 as well. I will likely offer the seminar via Zoom for those who don’t live in Phoenix but are still interested. If you intrigued about either the live event in Tempe (A maximum of 20 people at the center) or a potential spot when it is set up for Zoom probably in the spring of 2024, best bet is to email me for info and to reserve a spot.
I am doing an interview show on my Blogtalkradio with a personal trainer and a holistic health product expert on November 16th at 3:30 pm (Phoenix time). It is called the Trifecta of Healing! Especially for anyone who has experienced complications for long term Covid, or from the vaccine, there will be some helpful info about that. More about the show later in this newsletter.
Saving the best for last, all returning or new clients receive a $10-$15 discount of all 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions booked in November and December of 2023! This also includes buying gift sessions for friends and family or for yourself to use anytime in 2024. Up to three can be purchased for a total of up to $75 off. More info later in this newsletter.
Wishing everyone a lot to be grateful for this year and to be open to even more in 2024! Hey that rhymes! Cheers, Jim V
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, or won. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley
November and December Gift certificates Special: $10-$75 off all sessions!
This offer is for New Clients and Returning Client!
The holidays are approaching. Give a gift to someone you love that they will really appreciate: a reading/personal Navigational consultation with Jim Ventura. All sessions booked at this time AND all gift certificates purchased from November 11th, 2023 until December 31st will be at a discounted rate for clients who are currently on my mailing list (receiving Snake Oil or following me on FaceBook, Instagram, or YouTube) and new first time clients as well can take advantage of the special!
Special discounted rate:
$10.00 off my current listed prices for any 45, 70, or 90 minute sessions. You can also purchase up to 2 gift certificates (or decide to purchase a follow up session for yourself to use in the coming year after your session) 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 sessions or gift certificates may be purchased at this time. In-office cash or check payments can add an additional $5 off the total price.
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 2023 and all of 2024. 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) either for friends, family or for yourself to be used anytime in 2024. Sessions can be in-office or by phone, Face-Time. or Zoom for out-of-area clients.
“As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. Donald Westlake
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.
Q. If you have a destiny, where does reality creation fit in? To what extent does destiny predetermine your reality?
Lazaris: You do have a destiny, if you so choose. This is how it fits together: There is no sense of predetermination in the fullest extent of that word. Your life is not really mapped out for you. It’s not laid out so neatly. What is true is that between lifetimes you, as a consciousness, go through a whole lot of growth. You experience the death process, being dead, going to heaven and those sort of things.
Then you get tired of it and realize, ‘Is this all there is?’ Then all the backdrops fall away, and you get to work. You start reviewing the lifetime that you finished. You review it in retrospect and in relationship to the other lifetimes that are all concurrent. Then you decide whether you want to move through your growth without returning to physical form or if you want to pick another lifetime to experience.
In that process of picking another lifetime, what happens is that you create broad strokes. You decide you want to learn about this, and this, and this, and you want to experience that. You create what we call the broad strokes of your life, the broad, sweeping gestures in your energy. Then you enter into this life. Your consciousness, your massive consciousness, all of a sudden confines itself in this infant body, and you forget all of what went before. You don’t remember. Well, some children do remember for awhile, but they soon forget. The amnesia sets in, and they forget.
You have there broad strokes in your life. You decide, for example. ‘I’m going to come from broken home. I’m going to have a broad sweeping illness here.’ Or, ‘I’m going to grow up and deal with love in such a way as to have several very hurtful relationships.’ You decide on those broad strokes. You also have things you want to accomplish in the lifetime. ‘I want to learn this and accomplish that, and I want to be of service in this way or that way, or whatever.’ But every moment you can change it.
For example, maybe you put a broad, sweeping stroke in your life that you were going to have a tragic accident and be crippled. As you approach that time, you change your mind. ‘I don’t want to do a tragic accident, I’m going to change this.’ You don’t have the tragic accident, and then your whole lifetime changes, absolutely it does.
You have free will, at any moment, either to accept the pre-decided, sweeping generalities in your life, or to change them. If you accept the broad, sweeping generalities, you still have to fill in the day-in and day-out existence where indeed you exert your free will, where you create that reality.
You see, you are the one who is creating the broad strokes, and therefore you can change them. When we talk with many of you, as well you know, we psychically tell you what’s going to be happening, what you’re creating, what you’re generating. Basically what we’re telling you is the blueprint that you’ve laid out for yourself. You have decided what you are going to create, and therefore you’ve laid out a blueprint, like an architect...
From Lazaris Interviews book One Jach Pursel
“I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.” Unknown
Snake Oil Radio
Thursdays at 3:30 pm (there will be two live broadcast this period)
My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, November 16th at 3:30 p.m. mountain (Phoenix) time, followed by December 14th column read show. Each 45 minute show will expand on my current column’s subject matter. It will also offer an opportunity for you to 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 website’s archive. You can also catch Snake Oil Radio on iTunes and similar locations for podcasts.
To hear a live show, all you need to do is be at a computer and tuned into: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jim-Ventura or on your phone. 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 IF the show is offering that (please check, many of my column shows don’t).
The Trifecta of Health and Wellness! Thursday November 16th. One hour special show.
Join me for a live show with my two special guests discussing how to heal and be at our best spiritually, physically, and with all natural homeopathic products. My two guests will be open to questions about halfway through our one hour interview show.
Shawn Nieman
Shawn’s services include personalized diet, fitness, and nutrition plans. Shawn specializes in strength training, customized fitness and health programs supporting you every step of the way with affordable packages. He can be reached at 208-217-6943 or maxmusclelife@yahoo.com.
Jen Dillon
Jen has over twenty years experience with working with many different natural products that led her creating a line of natural beauty products, natural supplements, herbal remedies, and aromatherapy and homeopathic medicines. She has recently developed a Homeopathic Detox Protocol for helping people with long term Covid symptoms and adverse vaccine reactions. Getdetoxed.us
Upcoming Event:
Discovering your power animals and totems
How to talk to and use the wisdom of animal spirits and guides.
Animals in the natural world mirror attributes of humanity. Tik Tok Channel (animalspeaks) host Jim Ventura will show how anyone can draw strength and insight from the different animal totems we find on our life path, and also how to choose specific animals for personal empowerment.
The discussion would be able to reach a wide range of ages. Many people and especially children have a natural affinity for, and love of animals. The insights discussed will offer helpful navigational suggestions to not only live peacefully with the animal kingdom but to understand their unique vibrations and to draw guidance from the natural world.
A few examples for discussion:
Bear teaches us about how to be powerful. Dog teaches us about the benefits of loyalty. Crane teaches us about patience and being selective. Goose and duck help us open to healthy partnerships. Stag teaches us about pride, dignity, and confidence. The many animals covered offer a wide range of vibrational benefits that can be life changing.
Instructor Jim is a Navigational Consultant, oracle reader, and author.
His expertise includes: Astrology, Tarot, Numerology, Druid animal totems, Angel cards, Viking Runes, and Lakota Indian teachings. He teaches workshops and classes on developing intuitive abilities for practical use in every day life.
The class will be Sunday January 21st 2024 from Noon until 2:15 pm. Location Sozo Healing Center in Tempe AZ. All adults and teenagers also welcome. A maximum of 20 people. Prepayment suggested for a discounted rate of $11, or $15 after January 11th or on the day of the class if there are still openings. More Information about the series and to hold one or more of the limited spots contact Jim Ventura at VenturaSag@yahoo.com.
“The Christians stole the winter solstice from the pagans, and the capitalism stole it from the Christians.” George Monbiot
Spotlight on one of many sessions I currently offer. This is “old School” card reading at its best:
Mah Jongg card reading!
More than a decade ago was the last time I did a Mah Jongg card reading for one of my Regular Clients. It has been more of something I would do for myself every year or two and while it was not an Oracle that I was as proficient in like Tarot, Runes, Druid animal totems, or Numerology, it was something I did get better at with practice over the years. I pulled them out about 4 months ago (the readings are a look at six month spans of time) and it was really interesting to do one for myself. The last time I did one was three years ago. It has been especially absorbing to watch how it has unfolded in the last few months and is turning out to be quite accurate now looking back on the original layout of cards. My current sessions with clients tend to be more about getting into insight about their lives and how to transform limited patterns or themes, but it is cool to go “old school” on occasion for the sheer fun of watching how, and if the cards line up over time. I thought that if I didn’t continue to practice with them I might lose some skill. Thankfully that is not the case, and one of the weird benefits to being an old soul and now an old man lol!
Similar to Feng Shui, the directions themselves and where the cards and symbols land in the spread are extremely significant and offer further insight. There are also what are called Guardian cards that may show up that offer extra blessings or protection. Seeing how sometimes two or more of the same card resurfaces in the spread is also really fascinating.
I recently did my first one remote (with someone over the phone who didn’t actually pick the 13 or more needed cards for the spread) and she was both excited at how accurate it was and how fun! Currently about 70 percent of my sessions are now by phone. If one is a local or visiting it can be extra fun of course to do the session in office, but by phone or face-time, Zoom is also a great idea.
I suggest a 70 minute session for this (or even 90 minutes) Clients currently in my regular client program of course get their already heavily discounted rates.
Feel free to ask me about info on joining the program. If you are looking for insight and a really fascinating session you can request booking a Mah Jongg session and/or purchasing one for a friend or family member by emailing me at Venturasag@yahoo.com
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, classes 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
I have a few other media channels other than my monthly radio shows and FaceBook:
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (approximately once a month 6-12 minute videos) at J Ventura Snake Oil.
Instagram at Venturawords ( Astrology updates and other insight on short reels)
Tik Tok (animalspeaks) where I do short but powerful 2-5 minute videos about how to use animal totems and spirit animals!
All personal sessions/readings for 2023 and 2024 are: Full (70 minutes) $120.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $90.00; Extended session (90 minutes) $145.00 (Two people can split an extended session back to back for $150.00 total although no other discounts will apply). Mini phone session 20 minutes $40. 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. Purchasing 3 prepaid sessions also brings sizable discounts. Some examples; 3 prepaid 45 minute monthly sessions is $155 total or about $52 a session. 3 prepaid quarterly 70 minute session are $245 or about $82 a session.
