Snake Oil Sweet Devotion
I was chatting with a young man in his late twenties about a year ago while visiting Las Vegas. He was especially interesting to me because he was visiting from Australia. The Sagittarius parts of me loves to learn about different cultures and customs. He was part of a military group and he found it remarkable that a number of American’s in elevators and other parts of the Vegas strip said “Thank you for your service,” to both him and all of his fellow soldiers. His uniform was clearly not American military but they said it anyway. I asked the question I typically ask of people from other countries, “I know you can’t speak for all Australians of course, but generally how do Australians view Americans?” He told me a few negative things and mostly some positive things but what to him was most notable was that he thought so many American’s just won’t follow the rules. He smiled as he said, “It seems many of you are very rebellious about government, religion, or any organized group telling you what you have to say, be or do.” He added, “I took every suggested Covid shot, boosters, and we get tested every two weeks or so for it. The majority of us don’t question it. What is wild is how many American’s refused to do this, even leaving jobs over it. It is a clear example of how important having freedom is for you guys.”
My mother was devoutly Catholic. She knew very little about the Bible, but she followed the rules and Catholic traditions loyally, and while we were kids my siblings and I had little choice but to do the same. There were elements of some of the rituals that I actually liked. Still, I began to question many of the rules and beliefs as early as age eleven. I went to Catholic school from first thru eight grade and while it was basically seen as one of the greatest callings next to raising Catholic children, becoming an actual priest or a nun was way, way up there. I noticed early on that many of the clergy seemed kind of miserable and painfully repressed. It was also notable that a good portion of the “you will be especially fulfilled if you marry and follow the righteous path of having children” didn’t seem all that ecstatic about that choice either, so I skipped both plans. The priest would read the gospel during Sunday mass (and we were not allowed to miss mass unless we were really sick or potentially near death in my family). He would then interpret the Gospel for us and explain it all in layman's terms. In my teen years I often disagreed with his interpretations, but for a million reasons I was not allowed to share my thoughts. This was a big part of what triggered me to study Metaphysics, Astrology, Numerology, and I also read a number of brilliant channeled books (and a few that were crap). I was in search for different points of views about spirituality, religion, and even God.
I think while America is a very rebellious country there are unquestionably large pockets of people who are devoted to the things that are important to them and are loyal without question. Whether it is to ones religion, political affiliation, family, partner, social circles, fraternity, clubs, etc..., questioning the beliefs of who or what we are devoted to can feel like being disloyal or even being a “rat” in some respects. Many of us have been programmed from childhood that being a “tattle tale or a rat” is one of the lowest things you can be. There are so many areas in life where people resist questioning or turning someone in even when they confronted with suspicious or even reprehensible behavior. Certainly this is notable in law enforcement. While the large majority of cops are clean, often incredibly brave, and should be praised for doing such a difficult job, to pretend that there are no “bad apples” at all is blind. Most fields that involve using power have this built in temptation. I once saw a documentary where a devout Catholic woman was asked if she thought that any of the thousands of lawsuits against the church for priest molesting children were valid? Her answer was “Absolutely not, it is all made up!” Forced celibacy, restricting normal childhood explorations of opposite and same sex attraction, in decades past for young people to hopefully inhibit that sinful part (all nonsense of course) and other limiting conditions is easily a breeding ground for some of this to inevitably occur. Even if only a small percentage of the many accusations are true than it still is a reality at times in that world. To me, saying it doesn’t exist at all is in the same category of saying all priests do this; sheer nonsense.
The blind loyalty for some people can clearly be seen in the world of politics and science. There are camps of belief about politicians that they can seemingly do no wrong. While I am still a registered Democrat, I lean far more toward being an independent at this stage in my life. The seriously poor handling of the Covid years by many “blue” cities would be one of many examples of areas that were not perspectives I could align with for many, many reasons. Some of the more bizarre woke-ness that at times borders on militant with a “my way or the highway perspective” (Sounds a bit like religious extremes in different packaging doesn’t it?) is hard to swallow. On the flip side the political rights and some of the red states bizarre obsession with transgendered people, drag queens and weird things like believing every citizen needs to be armed with assault rifles, like some huge wild west world, to solve mass shooting keeps me from switching camps. In the same way I view religious extremism, age, wisdom and temperance have helped me to see that both sides have some great ideas and at times do amazing things for people, and they can also be equally nuts! While scientific advancement is both astounding and beneficial in so many way, there can also be blindness with the “science is always right” perspective as well. “Western medicine as the only real way to heal” arrogance is one of many examples of this.
While I have never really been blindly devoted to a group or an ideology I do know what it feels like to be devoted and even obsessively loyal. My twenties and even early thirties relationships had me blind in love at times when I was both actually partnered or even when I believed that I was in a committed relationship far more than my partner actually was. I had a few experiences of unrequited love or simply notably uneven configurations in my early years. I know the feeling of euphoria from being smitten in love and aspects of it are amazing. Yet, often when the light of reality inevitably pushed through I would wake up to a realization I was putting up with emotional abuse, contradiction of words versus actual actions, or simply seeing things that were not there because I wanted them to be. Neptunian ideals (planet that rules our aspirations) were hit with a hard punch from Saturn (planet that rules structure and limitation) bringing the harsh light of reality into view whether I liked it or not. Often much to the discomfort of some of my friends or family members who were wondering why I didn’t see the obvious red flags.
There are actual solid reasons why a good portion of the population and most of us get caught up in blind submission. One of those reasons is there are seven life goals (larger directional focuses we each have during a lifetime that can be seen in Astrology charts and also with the Michael teachings*). One of those goals is called Submission. While the most common life goals are Acceptance and Growth, about 10-15 percent of the world population has a goal of Submission. Certain countries see the ideal of Submission as part of their cultural ideal, so in many places it can be appear to be higher numbers. Its positive pole is devotion, its negative pole is exploited. Positive aspects are caring, helpful, selfless, dedicated and loyal. Individuals with this goal will bring themselves to satisfaction through devotion. Examples would be bringing up a large family, unwavering dedication in marriage, or devotion to a particular career or pursuit or even a cause. Many people in military careers, nuns, priests, lifelong helpers in soup kitchen for the homeless, green peace, are some of many examples of people who often have a goal of Submission.
The negative pole, or when one is blindly devoted or acting from fear, is subservience, helpless, dependent, martyred, and victimized. There are women and men who stick by an extremely abusive partner in relationships for years, decades, or even a lifetime, to the dismay of those around them. Breaking free of it would seem logical, but for many reasons they are unwilling to or believe they can actually let go of the abuse. Cults, and other extreme groups thrive on pulling in people with a goal of Submission who lean toward the negative poles. They may even start out quite happily devoted and have a true sense of purpose and even simply love being part of something, but often it ends up falling apart. Examples like Jim Jones, and the crazy events at Waco Texas show people who stood behind the prophet even when they would potentially die for the cause. We saw similar unquestioned followers of Charles Manson, Keith Raniere, and other charismatic but dangerous leaders.
Very few people aren’t touched by at least one experience in their lives where they were devoted to a mate, group, business partnership, or even a family or friend who turned out to not be what they said they were, delivered what they were promising, or were down right abusive. In terms of reincarnation experiences everyone will inevitably go through at least one lifetime of serving a corrupt master. These are what are called monadal agreements* or how we learn, grow and evolve in a series of lifetimes with fundamental experiences that are part of being a human being. At a soul level they are planned before birth, yet when we are actually in them and they go bad, it can be rough water. Karma is a system of balance so we will also explore being the corrupt master position ourselves at some point too!! These configurations can be in place for years, decades, or even an entire lifetime before on wakes up and “smells the coffee.” Such is the nature of karma.
While I don’t have a goal of submission my neutral goal of flow allows me to slide to all six of the other goals from time to time. I can be seriously loyal to those I care about. Few people who know me would suggest otherwise. Fortunately my darker times of Submission and getting weirdly subservient were relatively brief ones. The experiences themselves in a true Saturnian (meaning uncomfortable at first yet inevitably beneficial way) heightened my now quite sharp ability to see through potential abusers, or those with questionable motives. In simple terms my bull shit detector is now very fine tuned! I can often quickly spot or avoid anyone who might attempt to abuse me. This confidence is so embedded in my aura and it helps to keep manipulators away to begin with. They know I am not going to fall prey to their nonsense. Another way of looking at this is by building a strong foundation of self esteem it has helped me to see and reject getting caught in the negative poles of Submission. This is something I prioritize teaching my clients, especially my Regular clients. Being devoted to those we love and the important things that matter to us can be both fulfilling and joyful. Without some of this as a priority, intimate relationships themselves cannot survive, some of this positive pole glue is absolutely needed. There is nothing in any way wrong with reciprocal sweet devotion. Understanding the difference of the positive and negative poles is the key to experiencing submission at the highest of levels.
Jim Ventura 4-2023
Notes:
*The Michael teachings are one of the many series of classes I offer that details understanding soul age, reincarnation, Over-leaves (the goal, mode, and attitude for each lifetime), chief negative feature, essence, essence twins, and other aspects of being human that when understood, will change your life in so many beneficial ways. Classes can be in-office or via phone sessions. There are currently 16 class options available. A full list can be found on my website or by emailing me for the current list. One or a series of classes can be taken monthly, quarterly or even every other week. Classes are currently $55 for one 90 minute class. They can be solo or you can share classes with one friend (slightly different rate for this). A three class block can be purchased for $150.00.
* Examples of Monad Agreements (the Michael teachings go into this in much more detail) other than serving a corrupt master are teacher-student, rescuer-rescued, parent-child, attacker-victim, hopelessly loving-hopelessly loved, slanderer-slandered, slovenly-meticulous, innocent-sophisticate, jailer-jailed, etc...
There are currently 16 different class series I offer. A full list can be found on my website (JimVentura.com) or by emailing me for the list and availability options. One class for a specific series can be explored or you can go further in that series for monthly, quarterly, and even every other week classes.
Summer is around the corner. I know many of my fellow Phoenicians feel similar, but guessing other areas of the country are feeling this way as well: we had a very long winter, seemingly short spring and jumped right into summer!
Check out my new YouTube video New YouTube Video from (J Ventura Snake Oil)
Connecting to Your Inner Fox
FOX as Totem shows us the benefits of Cunning, diplomacy and Wildness!
You can catch it by looking for it on YouTube’s search engine or cut and paste to your browser the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9mq6PvYRy4
I am making a few very slight change to my prices on June 1st of 2023. 45 minute sessions will remain at $90, 70 minute sessions will now be $120, and 90 minute sessions will remain at $140.00. The options for 2 people splitting a 90 minute session will now be $150 total or $75 each for two back to back 45 minute sessions. No other discounts will apply for the 90 minute split session. In-office clients who pay by cash or check for individual sessions can still take a $5 discount off 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. If you are currently on my mailing list (receiving this column every two months) there is a $5 discount off 45, 70, and 90 minute session rates. Regular client rates will remain the same although 3 session prepays will increase just a total of $5.
Happy start to the summer, Cheers, Jim V
“There are two great days in a person’s life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.” William Barclay
“Who you resist you will eventually become. All resistance is fear. If after repeated opportunities, you do not cease to resist a particular race, sexual orientation, those who believe differently, or who have character traits you despise, you will have to reincarnate as one of ‘them’ so you can learn acceptance.” Dick Sutphen
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.
From Reflections Of an Elder Brother by Bartholomew
“Looking In The Wrong Place
One of the things that kills your spontaneous joy in life is the constant judgmental critique you have running against yourself. You have no idea the number of moments you spend criticizing your looks, your diet, your friendships, your speech, your house, your car, your job, etc,... In order to really understand what I mean, I would like you to take a few moments to write down all of the judgments that, one, you have against yourself, and two, you think the world holds about you. Please be very specific and thorough in recording these.
Pause.
Alright, my friends, let me tell you what your list represents. It represents a great deal of energy drain and it represents a tremendous amount of defensive awareness. When you are still trying to please the world or to have the world find you pleasing, you are trapped in this downward spiraling energy vortex. You will constantly be trying to assess how well you are doing, constantly ruminating about how to appear in order to get what you want or to please others. In the end, my friends, the only things that brings the love you are looking for in this world, is the love in you. And that love is already there, in perfect safety and wholeness. You do not have to create the love-just allow yourself to experience it.
You are trying to get love using the wrong technique. The point here is very simple. Everyone wants to feel loved, and every one of you wants to feel love. You believe it takes someone outside yourself who miraculously happens to ‘love’ you, to feel loved. So you spend your lives looking for this someone. But in the deepest part of you, you are not trying to find someone to love you, you are trying to feel love within yourself. And your list of judgements, however subtle, comes in to undercut all of your awareness of the love that is within you...”
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde
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, May 25th at 3:30 p.m. mountain (Phoenix) time. The May show will be on the 13th with a live column read and discussion. 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).
“Your task is not to seek love, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Rumi
New Client Special 2023
January 1st thru October 31st, 2023 Special:
$10-15 off listed rates for your first 45 minute session, 70, or 90 minute session! Debit and credit card payments get $10 off for 45, 70, and 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 for a friend or family member you can also take advantage of these rates!
“The spiritual path - is simply the journey of living our lives. Everyone is on a spiritual path; most people just don’t know it.” Marianne Williamson
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
I have a few other media channels other than my monthly radio shows and FaceBook:
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (approximately once a month 6-11 minute videos) at J Ventura Snake Oil.
Instagram at Venturawords ( Astrology updates and other insight on reels)
Tik Tok (animalspeaks) where I do short but powerful 3 minute videos about how to use animal totems!
All personal sessions/readings for 2022-2023 are: Full (70 minutes) $120.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $90.00; Extended session (90 minutes) $140.00 (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 $50 a session. 3 prepaid quarterly 70 minute session are $245 or about $80 a session.
