Snake Oil - Nice To Meet You Again For The First time
Growing up in a suburb of Long island in the late seventies and eighties was very fortunate. Our neighborhood had some permanent human fixtures and always a revolving door of new neighbors coming in. More often than not the new arrivals had kids. My friends and I would curiously size up their belongings as they were unloaded from the moving trucks but also looked to see if the new kids were in our age bracket. Sometimes they were just annoying babies yet a surprising numbers were around our age. We would decide how, if at all friendly we would be with the newbies. The ones we did become friends with were of course brand new faces but familiar in some ways too. The quick bonds that often formed were a bit remarkable. It was like they were meant to be there but we didn’t consciously think about how or why they showed up. It required little effort and mostly enthusiasm and excitement to introduce the new kids to the neighborhood. We inevitably filled them in on the cool neighbors, the crazy ones, the ones to watch out for, and what we did for fun. Sometimes they would just become an extension of the group we already had and other times they would take the role, for a while of one of our best friends. This might create turmoil and even jealousy for previous best friends you had less time for or discarded in the process, but it was just part of shifting loyalties. For me this was generally focused on who was the most fun, or who I was attracted to in one way or another.
The same pattern was part of my school years from elementary school through college. The placement of someone next to you in home room, in gym class, or any class for that matter was at times a quick opening of doors. Sometimes it initially began with having a little crush on your new friend and at times it was even reciprocal. Most notably for me (and I suspect much of the population in general) it didn’t matter whether the individual was male or female and it was rarely about actual sexual contact especially in the preteen years and more about an unexplained connection. The reality of human beings having some elements of natural bisexual tendencies, or platonic feelings that are still notably fervent is even more clear when we are younger. We tend to over-sexualize these aspects of our reality and see this through a limited lens versus the true multilayered aspects of why we are drawn to other people. Chemistry goes far beyond such simplicities as just sexual attraction and often includes being asexual but still having an intense love for another person. You can see this so clearly when two eleven year olds are best friends, whether male and male, female and female or male to female. It can seem like they are inseparable and truly adore each other, quite simply because they do! There were many silly childhood songs with taunts like “ Johnny and Mary sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love then comes marriage then comes little Johnny in a baby carriage...” The same joke or variations of it were based on a lack of understanding of our human need to have a close partner. Similar comments were often used to poke fun at really close same sex friendships as well. When we move out of our teens and become older, we tend to use creative, descriptive words like “Bromance.”
I saw this instant pull of “meant to be friends” in the different restaurants I worked at in my late teens, twenties and my early thirties. There were young men and women (and once my best friend for years when I was twenty, was a 43 year old woman) I was immediately drawn to. We would sneak away on a break or decide to meet for lunch or a drink after work, and this would happen very quickly. This magnetic pull for me was triggered on occasion at the gyms I worked out in, events I attended, clubs I was part of, and other unique places. The process, while always different, still had a thread of noticeable patterning. It felt like you were attempting to rapidly fill each other in on your lives so far. Often you would find similarities or even extreme disparities that you were equally excited by. Whether the affinity was just for a few weeks, months, or even years, they were often instant glue. Some type of chemistry was always common. You may or may not have actually found the person attractive but the urge to hang out was always strong. For me, many of the people I was drawn to I had an almost instant respect for or/and they were just simply appealing to be around. And most important for me was they got my weird sense of humor and sometimes matched it.
When you step back and analyze the process, it is truly astonishing and clearly not simply by chance. The way life, the Universe, Spirit, God, or whatever term one may prefer, orchestrates family moves, school changes, the pull to be at the same restaurant or office, gym, etc... is unquestionably magical. When I left NY in my mid-twenties, I left a fairly close family, group of friends, and my sense of security behind. It was scary but I still knew I needed to make the change. For a number of different reasons I needed to do this, some reasons were immediately obvious and others became clear later on. The apartment complex, gym I joined, along with my new restaurant job brought a whole new group of friends, and even family to me rapidly. I would inevitably create a support group in just a few months and while they were technically new faces, many were quite familiar to me as well. I personally see no contradiction in this seeming duality.
What is actually happening when we meet brand new people that are new in one way but are also oddly familiar or just seem to fit perfectly at the time? There are a number of ways to look at this. One is karmic bonds. When you begin to understand that we do indeed reincarnate and have many lifetimes as we evolve, learn, and grow, we are bound to have souls we have been with before. They may be in different bodies, and in different times and places, yet the pull or essence is familiar. We may know some souls possibly as friends in one lifetime, enemies in another, part of the same family, as parent and child, coworkers on projects, or even romantically. This can explain the familiarity and the urge to be around them again. We are rarely conscious of the specific reasons but we are pulled just the same. This can also account for the very common pull of feeling like there is a rush to seemingly catch up with each other. Outside of family configurations, body type attraction whether sexual or just that we feel conformable with the other person, is often part of the pull to reconnect. A belief in reincarnation or lack of a belief has little to do with the process.
Another valid point of view may just be compatible astrology, wiring or Over-leaves (Michael teachings*) We may be drawn to others because they reflect a similar level of current evolution or soul age. The experience can even be viewed as meetings directed by your Higher Self to help each other or to complete some positive karmic interaction. In some cases it may also be some not so positive or even uncomfortable karmic exchange. Another point of view is the instant familiarity is because a future version of yourself (in this lifetime) will be with this individual soul and you are in a sense reaching back in time directing you to each other; making sure you meet. This explanation gets into the true nature of time and how in some ways it can be viewed from the perspective that all time is actually simultaneous, but still experienced sequentially. Some of these ideas or all of them can be accurate, but what they all share in common is the need to connect and to validate the contact. Some of our more intense meetings may be planned between lives before we are physically born. Again the complexity of what drives this is at times hard to fully understand. Fortunately we don’t need to understand this for it to work. In a similar way we don’t have to focus on all the actions required to make your heart beat or any of our organs work. The universe also handles the intricate details of meetings and connections beautifully.
I think many of us are led to believe that if a relationship whether friendship, working one, romantic or otherwise goes sour or ends it has somehow failed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every individual we meet however long or brief impacts who we are. Maybe they help us to reflect aspects of what is best in them and to bring those excellent parts more into play in our own lives. Maybe they are inevitably difficult teachers who show us something reflected in ourselves that we need to let go of, or they may even uncomfortably teach us what to not to let ourselves become! Often in many of our affiliations over time we inevitably drift apart for any number of reasons. At times previously appealing relationships may end in unexplained ways or even ugly ways. Even if we had a good vibe, or were inseparable for years, we may change or drift apart, or we simply just outgrow the need to be together. Some relationships go through break-ups and occasionally we may even reunite again! And at other times the relationship has served its purpose and needs to come to an end because further contact may prove unwise. The Viking Rune stone of fertility (Inguz 8) speaks of this aspect:
“You may now be required to free yourself from a rut, habit or relationship; from some deep cultural or behavioral pattern, some activity that was quite proper to the self you are leaving behind...”
All of our associations have value. When any partnership comes to an end for whatever the reason, it’s the idea that it all went wrong somehow that can cause us pain. Focusing on the amazing aspects of how it came together, whatever its value was, even if brief, places us back into a wiser and more positive perspective. And, by allowing the next and maybe even better connection to inevitably show up is where both wisdom and excitement, just like we playfully had when we were children keep the game eternally fun.
Jim Ventura 8-2023
Notes:
*The Michael teachings are available with me both as a session or you can take a series of classes (solo or with a friend) if interested. You can find info about this and other classes on my website or by emailing me.
While it is typically still fairly hot in Phoenix usually until late September, we are also thankfully starting to see the hints of Autumn. It was a very brutal summer, similar to the summer of 2020 but without the many layers of crazy fear, loss, and contradictions of information connected with Covid. Looking back on that period in the world and especially in the US, and how that was all handled is fortunately in the rear view mirror! Hopefully we learned from it...
As my following grows on social media sites like Instagram, Tik-Tok, Face-Book, etc... (and yes, in a modern age, like it or not, it isn’t an ego thing to use these sites, it’s somewhat of a requirement for marketing...) I seem to be getting more and more people messaging me to chit chat. Sometimes they are trying to become friends, long distance pals, or even to try and date me. It runs the gambit of women and men, and now everything in between in terms of “applicants.” I did the long distance thing once back in my early thirties, and learned it is definitely not for me. I think this current heavy social media messaging is a modern day equivalent of getting paper or post card fan mail for any creative person that is in the public eye. It reminds me of a line from a song I often do in Karaoke; Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell “Getting cards and letters from people I don’t even know and offers coming over the phone...”
I make a reasonable effort to respond about twice a month to some of these messages, but it does get a bit annoying and I probably get labeled as arrogant or closed off for my limited responses. I communicate for a living. It isn’t arrogance as much as it is limited time, and honestly it is simply impractical to handle multiple conversation especially when probably thirty percent aren’t actually the people they are claiming to be! I am guessing when I get published with my next two books this will increase, but I am not letting that deter me in any way from achieving those goals.
I finished my book “My Cast of Characters,” and I am about one quarter of the way through a second volume. The process of finding a literary agent and publisher is a true lesson in perseverance. It is a good thing that I have that built into my wiring (good amount of fixed astrology in my natal chart, and perseverance Modus Operandi in my Michael teaching chart)! I am also looking to publish volume two of snake Oil. I already have Volume One (Available on Amazon or in-office) that I self published ten years ago but prefer to go with a publishing house for my next endeavors. I have been marketing for many years and while I will continue to, I could use the help! Since I started writing the column back in late 2003 I now have 130 columns!
My new YouTube video posted in late August. It is something I have been sharing with my Regular Clients, and current students (email me for information about either of these programs if interested) so I decided to share something truly powerful on a few of my social media sites. It is the ultimate manifestation process to bring amazing things into your life. The video explains how to use the mantra, or focus of all seven chakra's unique perception versus just the excellent affirmation of “I am now,” to recreate areas of your reality. You can cut and paste this link to the video in your browser, or go to my YouTube channel and look for new videos in search engine by J Ventura Snake Oil. Subscribe if you would like to get an update when a new video first drops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOT0EGKTrek&t=12s
Wishing everyone a relaxing start to the fall season. Cheers, Jim V
“I love the arrival of a new season-each one bringing with it its own emotion: spring is full of hope; summer is freedom; autumn is a colorful release, and winter brings an enchanting peace. It’s hard to pick which one I enjoy the most-each time the new one arrives, I remember its beauty and forget the previous one whose qualities have started to dim.” Giovanna Fletcher
“I’ve never known anyone yet who doesn’t suffer a certain restlessness when autumn rolls around... We’re all eight years old again and anything is possible.” Sue Grafton
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.
Divine Grace in the Physical World
“How does one recognize Divine Grace? How does one know its face? And how does one know when Divine Grace has been shunted aside, betrayed, in pursuit of some less worthy goal?
Again, Divine Grace is the source of your world, the great limitless fuel that powers your every moment, from the smallest atomic building block to your mass civilizations. Always, always, it seeks to bring into actuality those events that will be of greatest benefit to those involved.
Divine Grace manifests most clearly on your plane as respect. What is respect? Respect is when you allow all others the right to ride their own Divine Grace as they see fit, understanding that you each live in a cocoon of your own creation, a highly private yet publicly shared existence in which each individual, pursuing his/her own greatest fulfillment, automatically and unconsciously contributes to the advancement of the species and planet as a whole.
Respect then is when you allow all others of your species, and all others of all species, their private place, time and path. Respect allows no place to coercion, force or violence against another. Respect is an intuitive acknowledgment of the uniqueness of each individual, each species, each form physical matter can take, a deep understanding of the greater cooperation that underlies your world, as each species and individual contributes its unique perspective, its private experience, to the shared venture on which you have embarked.
Respect is how Divine Grace manifests itself in your world. When you respect another, you recognize and acknowledge the Divine Grace within the other, understanding that it is not necessary for him or her to follow your footsteps in order to reach greatest fulfillment.
Notice we do not use the word ‘love.’ It is not necessary that you run around flinging your arms about every person and four-legged manifestation of Divine Grace you stumble upon. There will be those whose paths differ so markedly from yours, whose inner awareness of Divine Grace has been so blunted by fear, that you are unable to connect. You need not love such individuals. You must, however, respect their right to pursue their path as they see fit, regardless of how obvious the deleterious outcome is to you.
You need not love all you meet. Understand that they share the same source as you. All That Is pouring itself into the physical world through the fluid medium of Divine Grace, you grant them respect.
The rule of thumb to follow then, when considering a choice or decision, whether individually or en masse, is to ask: Does this course of action respect my integrity and that of all others who may be affected? Will this action be only of benefit to others, or do some stand to be harmed by it? Am I, or are we, acknowledging the Divine Grace manifest in every aspect of creation...” From the book: Whatever Happened to Divine Grace? Ramon Stevens
“Winter is an etching, Spring a watercolor, Summer an oil painting, Autumn a mosaic of them all,” Starley Horowitz
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, September 28th at 3:30 p.m. mountain (Phoenix) time. 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 I-tunes 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).
“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” William Arthur Ward
New Client Special 2023
January 1st thru November 1st, 2023 Special:
$10-15 off listed rates for your first 45, 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 greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.” John Maxwell
Spotlight on one of the many oracles I use when working with clients:
Tarot Cards
People are often both fascinated by the Tarot and sometimes a little afraid of it. Movies, television and other sources portray ominous themes that heighten the inaccurate perception that cards are dark somehow and all about predicting your future.
The truth is different readers use them either as a therapeutic device (like I do) or as a tool for prediction. Prediction without insight, explanation, understanding and even storytelling connected with the cards is, in my opinion, less desirable and may at times be misguided.
The Tarot is a potential detailed road map. While we have both joy and difficulties at times (there are hazards on the physical plane) and have to deal with some things beyond our control. To a large extent we are always in the process of creating our own reality by our beliefs. A good card reading can act as a bridge between your Higher Self and your conscious mind to see what is working (so you can do more of that!) and where you may need to readjust yourself, accept temporary obstacles, and realign.
100 percent accuracy is never possible, nor is it desirable. Instead seeing what influences are current and what is likely to come up in the near future is an amazing way of seeing what you are creating anyway! I find the more open my clients are (including myself when I do a spread about twice a year), the more accurate the reading.
I use it as a tool to help my clients glimpse into where they are currently and what may be ahead. My perspective is if there are areas that are working well it’s important to acknowledge that. In the areas that are difficult, I make suggestions about how to shift the current path to a more beneficial one.
The detail of the cards are what is so fascinating:
Court cards represent people in ones “court” or around us, and aspects of the self.
Minor Arcana represent the many details of practical life.
Major Arcana represent larger themes, archetypes, energies, and ones ideals.
Example:
6 of Cups. Happy memories, reunions, reminiscing, cherished ideals from the past, domestic harmony, celebrations and holidays, positive connections to home and family.
Reversed: Need to let go of dwelling on unhappy past events. Rigidity and being stuck in the past. Unresolved childhood hurts. Holding onto aspects of ourselves or friends and relationships we have outgrown.
I generally recommend Tarot for people 16 years and older. The symbolism of work and practical matters has less relevancy for young children.
I also teach Tarot classes. You can purchase a block of three ninety minute classes for as low as $50 a session! No tests, just the fun of learning this incredible art form with someone who is able to help it all make sense. Both Tarot readings and Tarot classes can be in-office for AZ residents or visitors, or by phone, Face-Time, or even Zoom. Email is always the best way to book: Venturasag@yahoo.com
Information about other services can be found at JimVentura.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 Face-Book:
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 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.
