October 2015 Snake Oil/A Truly Scary Halloween Story

A Truly Scary Halloween Story

It was the fall of 1977, Star Wars mania was everywhere you looked. Like most other kids, I thought that this movie was the greatest tale ever told. My creative wheels were turning as Halloween approached. I planted the seeds in all of my friends for a Halloween that would be awesome. We would all dress up as characters from the movie. I had everyone excited about this idea. Anyone who saw us that night would think we were brilliant, they would envy us, we would become legends in our neighborhood. I could barely sleep through most of October as I plotted the greatest idea ever conceived.

I decided I would go as C-3PO. This character was one of the robots in the movie. Looking back on this decision, it was strangely fitting in many ways. The robot was slightly sarcastic, fussy, funny, and a tiny bit more feminine than the other robot in the movie. For this queer child, this wasn’t exactly a part I would have to stretch myself to become. I began to sketch out the blueprint of my costume. I had very little money, but I figured with my artistic talents, I could make this brilliant creation for next to nothing.

All the while I continued to prod my friend’s and little sister, keeping them enthused about the plan. As Halloween grew closer, many of my friends interest in this idea began to wane. What was the matter with these fools? They were slipping back into boring old standbys: Clowns, witches, pirates, ghosts... Was it possible for every one of my friends to be more lame? Was I the only one who could see how important this was? However, my little sister hung in there. She was going to be a character from the movie, Princess Leia. She was excited. I appreciated that she was equally enthused, so as my generous reward, she had far few big brother verbal beatings that October.

I purchased gold wrapping paper for my creation and collected cardboard pieces for weeks. A few days before Halloween I began to wrap my cardboard costume in gold paper. C-3PO was solid gold in the movie, so I wanted everything to be perfect. The problem was that things were not exactly coming together the way I expected them to. Measuring cardboard pieces to fit one’s body was far more complicated than I imagined. The mask looked lousy and it was difficult to breath with a cardboard box over my head. I tried on pieces of the costume and it felt awkward. It was difficult to move in this monstrosity. The vision was not translating into reality very well. I began to panic.

I put on what I had created and walked outside my room for the first time. My mother and little sister waited patiently with the camera. They were ready to mark this phenomenal moment in time with a snapshot to cherish forever. In reality they did it because I asked them to. My mother’s usual lack of enthusiasm was typical, but she held the camera and patiently prepared to take the shot. I stepped out of my bedroom and began my uncomfortable walk down the hallway toward them. The cardboard stuck into me in places I would not have expected. It was difficult to walk in this piece of crap. The costume ripped in some places as I painstakingly worked my way forward. The gold wrapping paper tore and fell off as I clumsily tried to move forward in this pile of shit.

Mom snapped the picture of what she called my “tin-man outfit.” The costume was falling apart and crumbling just as I was emotionally. I was grateful for the ugly mask, because it hid my pain. The situation was horrible; it was a major letdown. I couldn’t go out trick or treating in this, I would not get anywhere. My little sister howled with laughter at the sight of me, years of my tormenting her had finally been paid back. I turned around and ran back into my room as gold foil wrapping paper trails were left behind.

I spent the rest of the day hating myself, life, my family, friends, and everyone else on the planet. What would I do now? Maybe I would just skip Halloween this year. Maybe I would never come out of my room again. I was so angry at my mother. Why couldn’t she be the generous, creative mother who made costumes? She didn’t care, nobody cared. I sulked for a while, then began to think about all of the candy I was going to miss if I didn’t get over this. I reached into my closet and pulled out my rattiest looking clothes. I would go out trick or treating as a bum, an old standby, barren of any creativity.

We all went trick or treating the next day and night. My little sister was the only one who stuck with the Star Wars theme. Her costume was actually pretty good, yet no one knew who she was. A few people asked her who she was supposed to be. She tried to explain it to them, but was frustrated by their lack of awareness. Her misery made me feel a little better just the same. Still to this day we remind each other about how foolish we were back then and laugh our asses off at my disastrous plan. I learned that life sometimes doesn’t go the way you expect it to. It wasn’t the first or the last time I would be disappointed in my life. I also learned that when something doesn’t work out, then you find a new way to reach the goal. In this case it was for the fun of trick-0r-treating and piles of candy. I ate myself sick that Halloween. It felt damn good.

Jim Ventura 6-2003

Editors Note:

I believe I first ran this story here about 7 years ago. It’s from my first book Dirty Little Secrets. I published DLS back in 2004. A number of the stories in the book are humorous essays. I think one of the most fun, and inexpensive healing arts available is humor! When we can genuinely laugh at ourselves and the world we are often in a really good place. This is one of many stories I told friends for years in my twenties that finally was written and put in a book! I still have copies available of Dirty Little Secrets. I am running a special for the month on this book and a really discounted special for my CD recording of the book. I had the entire book professionally recorded, it can be played on your computer. Check out how to order a copy of either in this newsletter, or you can pick up a copy if you are here in person for a session and avoid the shipping charges.

We had some interesting retrograde motion of planets this summer and currently Mercury is retrograde in Libra until the 9th of this month. I never thought that a Venus retrogrades could cause so much trouble, but as Venus moved retrograde in Leo for the last few months I felt it, and so did almost everyone of my clients and friends! A mix of good and challenging realizations came to the surface. I had to let go of a 12 year friendship. I am typically painfully loyal but I realized that there was an uncomfortable imbalance in the friendship that had been bothering me for a long time. She is someone that I was often a bit uncomfortable with when it came to her ethics (Greed Dragon) in business and other areas of life. It never directly affected me, but really hit me hard a very personal way in early August. I can’t say I didn’t struggle with it for a bit, but I know that she needs to be walking a different path in her life and it is not good for me to be part of this path. I know that the Universe often creates a vacuum effect before it fills what is lost with something far more in alignment with our evolving vibrations. I went thru a similar thing about 15 years ago that resulted in a very intimate new relationship that emerged a few months after the change...

The lion (Leo) part of me wanted to roar and attack from the mistreatment, yet the wiser part of me was wise enough to forgive and recognize why I was co-creating this experience. This Venus retrograde was all about looking at our giving and receiving ration and becoming more empowered in seeing our self worth. Now that it is moving forward again we can all find more opportunities to be more comfortable allowing our inner Queen or King to emerge!

If you want more frequent updates for astrology and other subjects follow me on my Fan page on Face Book. I am definitely keeping this column to just monthly for awhile.

The weather is finally becoming a little cooler here in Phoenix and my favorite season of fall is about to happen! Wishing everyone a happy Fall. Cheers, Jim V

“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.

“Youth, as your will grant, is the stretch of years between childhood and adulthood. There is thus no juncture, or cusp, that is so wrenching to the psyche. The child exists in a mental and physical world all its own, which the adult may glimpse only rarely and crudely. To push toward successful entry into adulthood requires that the psyche literally  be unraveled and rebuilt from scratch. All the learning, the security and mastery of childhood are incorporated into an entirely new structure, allowing the assumption of full status as an adult in your society. The cusp of youth then, at age fourteen, is so fraught with trauma because there is no life point where the psyche is so rest asunder, restructured from the ground up.

You may thus find wild mood swings, sudden growth spurts, snarling disobedience, foul language to embarrass a sailor, experimentation with drugs, and rejection of the toys of childhood and the strictures of childhood. 

The early adolescent is a gangly, uncoordinated creature. The body always reflects the inner condition. The psyche is literally unraveling, sorting itself out into new configurations, and this activity finds a reflection in the physical awkwardness of early youth...”

Whatever Happened To Divine Grace by Ramon Stevens

New Client Special extended through November 30th 2015:

June 1st 2015 thru November 30th 2015 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 $80. 70 minute sessions $110. 90 minute sessions $130.

“You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.” Richard Bach

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, October 8th at 3:30 p.m. (AZ doesn’t use daylight savings time, so it’s the same as pacific time). Most Thursdays you can catch a new show. Each 45 minute show will expand on my current column’s subject matter. It will also offer an opportunity for you to call in live (or chat with other listeners in the chat room) with comments and your thoughts about the topic of discussion. If you miss the live show, you can catch any of my previously recorded shows on the web site’s archive. You can also catch Snake Oil Radio on I-tunes (download my pod-casts there).

To hear a live show, all you need to do is be at a computer and tuned into: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jim-Ventura  You may also access it by going to blogtalkradio.com. 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.

“We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” William Arthur Ward

Dirty Little Secrets 

(available in print and audio CD, or kindle) Storyteller and professional oracle reader Jim Ventura takes his readers on a wild literary ride. Dirty Little Secrets is a collection of short essays. The book explores some of society’s perceptions about what people often consider to be dirty little secrets best kept to oneself. The book tackles subjects with unflinching honesty: drug use, sexual addiction, unrequited love, revenge, childhood weirdness, homosexuality, and the old souls quest to experience magic and miracles in everyday life. The author holds little back in expressing his quest for enlightenment. Dirty Little Secrets illustrates how meaning, spirituality and humor can be found to be embedded in every experience.

Excerpts from Dirty Little Secrets:

Light as a feather, stiff as a board “...Childhood for me was a time of experimentation. I was attracted to the occult, there was something about its danger and mystery that was compelling...”

What’s wrong in this world? “...My belief has always been this: life is meaningful and safe, and people are basically good by nature...”

Criminal “...My nightmare with the bad-boy showed me parts of myself that were not honorable. While I never even came close to the type of thievery Jim was involved in, I had still been a thief when we met. I tried to manipulate this young man, by making him need me, and he manipulated me right back, tenfold...”

The Raven “...I began to remember every violation done to me in past relationships, every client who was loving and kind in relationships and was treated like garbage ran through my head. Every piece of slime who walked all over my brothers and sisters, and close friends passed through my head. I felt rage, someone needed to take a stand, someone needed to fight back. I appointed myself, through an imaginary election, to the position of righter of all wrongs...”

Another queen singing I’m coming out! “...Everyone who knew me was comfortably aware that I was gay, except my parents, After they went back home it nagged at me for days. I could not carry this anymore, it no longer mattered that they might be upset. It was the truth; it was who I was and the last part of me still in hiding...”

To order a CD audio recording of the book (this is a dvd audio and will play on most computers and dvd players) read by the author, or a soft cover print version of Dirty Little Secrets, contact the author directly at Venturasag@yahoo.com

Print version $11.00 including sales tax. Please include $4.00 for shipping ($15.00 total). 

Special for month of October 2015 $6 for CD (audio) version. Also $4 for shipping $10 total.

Or send check or money order to Jim Ventura 2515 N 52nd St. #206 Phoenix AZ 85008. I can also be contacted my e mail if you want to use a debit card via pay pal to order.

Dirty Little Secrets is also available at Amazon.com

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Phone: (602)957-3035 text: (602)349-0746 Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Information about the different sessions and types of readings and services, past Snake Oil columns, and how to order my books and audio CD’s can be found at my website: Http://JimVentura.com 

“Friend” me on Facebook to get other extra offers and in between column extras! Signing up for my fan page will get you even more extras and first shot at reading specials. Simply click on “like” on the fan page and you will automatically get my weekly updates. 

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 2015 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each).  Email me for information about my Regular Client Program for even bigger discounts on session prices with the added benefit of monthly or quarterly check-ins. 

All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices for any 45-90 minute sessions (except when using a special discount promotion). Local in office visits receive  another $5 off listed prices for cash or check payments. 

September 2015 Snake Oil/First column from 2003

Snake Oil

When I was in my mid twenties I had a roommate named Brett. We were close friends even though our philosophies differed. He was skeptical of the work I did, yet he was a pragmatist and was impressed that I made a living from doing readings. He doubted whether my oracles (Tarot, Numerology, Astrology, Runes) really worked at all. Even though I offered to read for him, he never allowed me to read his cards. I suspected that, like many people, he was more afraid that some of his dirty little secrets might leak out. He wore a shield of indifference and practicality, his mask of protection. It might rock his world if all that “metaphysical mumbo jumbo” really worked.

One night we went to a party and someone asked me what I did for a living. At that time I was in my twenties, insecure and fearful that people would think I was a fraud when I told them I was what many people would call a “psychic,” and didn’t actually have a ‘real job.” Brett jumped into the conversation and said that “Jim is a snake oil salesman,” which preyed on my insecurities. At first I was annoyed at his rude comment, but after a little while I realized it was funny. Snake oil salesmen have been the traveling hucksters, the “shysters” who sold potions and magical cures for various ailments. They were often seen as miraculous healers, and charlatans at the same time. They were praised and rewarded for their “gifts,” and alternately tarred and feathered. Usually the snake oil was actually part alcohol which simply allowed people living in puritanical times to feel good and help them to rest. This is not too far from how in “modern times” we use things like Nyquil. Many “snake oil salesmen” simply are changers of beliefs. They convince us out of our illness, and allow our bodies to heal naturally. The magic potions they sold offered the possibility of love, prosperity, or the healing of physical and emotional ailments. In many cases the elixirs actually did work.

Throughout all of our recorded history and even in what we would call “primitive societies,” healers, witch doctors, and other therapists used suggestion and hypnosis to shift their patient’s energy toward concentrating on changing illness to health. The theatrics that were part of their therapies, like dances, chants, burning of herbs, and even loud commands were meant to startle the patients. Their purpose was to shock them out of their previous beliefs and perspectives and bring them back to a belief that they were healthy. Now, in our current western medical model we consider ourselves to be more evolved and our methods far more scientific and sophisticated, yet we still use forms of hypnosis in similar ways. Highly skilled, educated doctors will scoff, or even react with disgust at the idea of a bird or chicken being ceremonially sacrificed by primitive, untrained witch doctors. At the same time, they use the “reality of science” to explain why a man may need to lose part of his throat or a woman may have to lose a breast to cancer. Our modern day physicians will hold firmly to the statistics they believe to be true and will often see no other viable solutions and neither will their patients.

 It is easy to laugh at all the “silly cultures” that believe in curses, voodoo practitioners, and influences of evil spirits. At the same time we are bombarded by endless advertisements and commercials that tell is we will get the flu if we don’t get a flu shot. You will get cancer if you don’t eat the right food. You need to be medicated if you feel depressed. Have we really advanced, or have we just exchanged our old demons for more modern devils? Have we really progressed in our world physically, psychologically and emotionally or have we arrogantly convinced ourselves that every other culture’s healing arts have been wrong?

I have studied and used many different types of healing therapies from herbs to acupuncture to hands on Reiki healing, and found that quite practically, many of these things do really work. I understand the usefulness of modern medicine, psychology, psychiatry, and other forms of healing, yet also know that there are alternative ways to approach healing. My work with oracles and metaphysical concepts have been repeatedly tested. Doing readings with oracles like selling snake oil, is unconventional, raises suspicion, yet without question works. Rune stones, Astrology, Tarot, and Numerology have been around far longer than modern psychology and western medicine. Proudly, they are this snake oil salesman's tools.

Jim Ventura 8-2003

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE5foKSLl4M

Editors Note:

I have had quite a few clients lately asking me where Snake Oil column idea came from, and why I chose to call it Snake Oil, so thought it was good time to re-run my first column! You can also read all of my columns from first 5 years by ordering a copy of Snake Oil Volume One. More information later in the newsletter.

September is here and its still annoyingly hot here in AZ. We usually don’t get relief from the heat until late in the month and early October, but at least it’s on the horizon. My AC unit is on so much and with high humidity there is a bit of water buildup. Some clients have walked out and gotten hit with a drop. It will be nice when the weather cools a bit for multiple reasons. I have been really busy for most of the month and if September continues at the same pace it may be a week or two to get an appointment. Please be patient with requests. I have a cap of no more than 20 appointments each week. I always want to be at my best for every client I work with, so this is why I don’t overbook even when requests come. Sometimes I have slow weeks and can get you in for session in a day or two (more of a rarity on same day), but it is always best to be open to multiple options. Just try to be more flexible with the flow of what may be available when you inquire. When you get your session it will be the right time for it, and often there are more than just practical reasons for this happening.

I had a client from a few years ago recently ask me if I do free sessions from time to time for people that can’t afford my session costs. What I explained to him was something I think is also worth sharing here. Reading my columns (last 4 years are archived), books, listening to my radio shows (all radio shows from past 5 years are archived on site) is a free way of getting all kinds of insight and will often answer many questions you may have. Another way of getting free or discounted sessions is to market for me. Mention the work I do or post information on Face Book. Any referrals I get from people (I always ask who referred you to me and log the information) receive $10-$25 discounts off future sessions for each referral! I send out referral comps every six months. A few referrals in a six month period will often earn you discounted sessions and enough of them may even earn you a free session!

Wishing everyone a productive September! Cheers, Jim V

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.

“If someone tells you that you are evil because you are alive, and you believe it, then you are indeed in a quandary. Now, I tell you that you are blessed because you are alive. And I am blessed because I am alive! And my vitality is your vitality, and it speaks through your gut as it speaks through your mind and your being, for it is your own. I merely let you taste the vitality of your own being so that you can draw sustenance and knowledge from yourselves. And that is your own joy, and your own right to be, and your own vitality, that is as secret as a trumpet-that is as dignified as a squirrel: It is the magic of your own being-the knowing that you know-the isness of yourselves!

Whenever you sacrifice yourselves, or make yourselves unhappy, miserable, ill, and filled with questions that you cannot answer, it is because you do not WANT answers, to put yourselves in positions that scare you, positions that you believe are impossible to handle. All of this because you have been taught that you are guilty because you are alive!

Whether you get this idea from religion or science, the results are the same. And so my message is, simply, you are blessed because you are. You can be joyful because you are. You have a reason here because you ARE here.

Whenever anyone tells you that authority resides outside of yourself, do not believe him. When anyone tells you, or the world tells you, that your joy resides outside of you, do not believe them or the world. Your salvation does not depend upon another. You have never lost your soul. You ARE your souls. You are your souls in flesh.

Your bodies are your souls in flesh. Do them honor. Whoever tells you that the body is soiled, do not listen to him. You can trust your bodies as you can trust your soul. In your reality, the body is the garment that the soul wears...”

From Conversations with Seth by Susan M Watkins

“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

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

New Client Special September 2015:

June 1st 2015 thru September 30th 2015 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 $80. 70 minute sessions $110. 90 minute sessions $130.

“The capacity for friendship is God’s way of apologizing for our families.” Jay McInerney

Snake Oil Volume One

Jim Ventura has been writing his monthly Snake Oil column for 12 years. Volume One is a collection of his first four years of Snake Oil. This volume also includes nine Snake Charms. Practical explanations and instruction for meditation, ear conning, lucid dreaming, etc... Jim’s Snake Oil philosophy is all about changing the perceptions of how we view life to include metaphysical perspectives into all of our experiences. We benefit by expanding our consciousness, while we keep our feet planted firmly on the ground in this world at the same time. Snake Oil reminds us that we can also grow to become more enlightened while finding the wisdom of humor in ourselves and the world around us.

$11 including tax 
($4 for shipping for each book in US). $15 total. 

To request any or all three of my books email Venturasag@yahoo.com or ask for a copy next time you are here in the office.

You can send check or money order to Jim Ventura 2515 N 52nd St. #206 Phoenix Az 85008. You can also pay by charge or Debit thru Paypal. Feel free to request to have any of your copies signed!

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, September 10th at 3:30 p.m. (AZ doesn’t use daylight savings time, so it’s the same as pacific time). Most Thursdays you can catch a new show. Each 45 minute show will expand on my current column’s subject matter. It will also offer an opportunity for you to call in live (or chat with other listeners in the chat room) with comments and your thoughts about the topic of discussion. If you miss the live show, you can catch any of my previously recorded shows on the web site’s archive. You can also catch Snake Oil Radio on I-tunes (download my pod-casts there).

To hear a live show, all you need to do is be at a computer and tuned into: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jim-Ventura  You may also access it by going to blogtalkradio.com. 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.

“I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” Mark Twain

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Phone: (602)957-3035 text: (602)349-0746 Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Information about the different sessions and types of readings and services, past Snake Oil columns, and how to order my books and audio CD’s can be found at my website: Http://JimVentura.com 

“Friend” me on Facebook to get other extra offers and in between column extras! Signing up for my fan page will get you even more extras and first shot at reading specials. Simply click on “like” on the fan page and you will automatically get my weekly updates. 

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 2015 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each).  Email me for information about my Regular Client Program for even bigger discounts on session prices with the added benefit of monthly or quarterly check-ins. 

All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices for any 45-90 minute sessions (except when using a special discount promotion). Local in office visits may take advantage of  another discount of $5 off listed prices for cash or check payments. 

August 2015 Snake Oil/Coming Home to a Place I've Never Been Before

Snake Oil 

Coming Home to a Place I’ve never Been Before

Music has always been a powerful influence in my life. It can often act as a powerful trigger for awareness or to shift my emotional state. I was doing some editing work a few months ago with Pandora (internet radio where you can program the types of music you specifically like) on in the background. Even though I had never programmed it to play any of his songs, Pandora decided to play a John Denver song I hadn’t heard in many, many years. The song was Rocky Mountain High. While listening to the song I found myself feeling very emotional. A long forgotten memory surfaced and I remembered being in the sixth grade and inviting a school friend over to the house. We weren’t good friends but I thought I should make an effort to make more friends from my elementary school. He brought John Denver’s greatest hits with him and we sat in my room and listened to the album on my record player. John Denver was very popular in the late seventies, although critics often panned his work and called him simplistic. Similar chart topping artists like Abba, Air Supply, and the Carpenters were very popular but “cool” people pretended to hate it, but secretly most of us really loved a lot of it.

What struck me as most profound was a line in the song Rocky Mountain High, where John sings about his decision to move to the Colorado Rockies at age 27.

"...I’m coming home to a place I’ve never been before. He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again. You might say he found the key to every door...”

Both as an avid reader in my youth and now as a writer, I have always been impressed by a writers ability to say so much in just a few words. This song is clearly an example of this type of talent. All of the most notable experiences in my life were connected to this idea of coming home to a place I’ve never been before.

When I made the decision to move from NY to Arizona at the age of twenty-four, I had never actually been to the state or to the west coast as all. There were symbols and messages that were pulling me to it though. When I flew out here for the first time in 1989 and stepped off the plane I was excited about discovering the fun of what Arizona had to offer, and I immediately felt comfortable here for some reason. A year later I made the move. I had some real difficulties with the friend I brought with me, but quickly made new friends that helped me through those difficult times. Even though I left a family and some extremely close friends behind that I knew I would truly miss, I formed new supportive “family” rather quickly. I had been doing many past life regressions and dream work to explore my past lifetimes in my early twenties. Many of the people I met in Arizona were people I saw in those regressions and dreams. I had come home to a place I’d never been before.

After moving from apartment to apartment about every two years for the first twelve years of my life in Arizona, I decided to buy my first home in 2003. I hired a realtor who was also a friend to help me. We spent three weekends looking at condominium homes. We would pick up our StarBucks and hop in her car to check out three to five places each Saturday. There were two homes that could have worked for me. While I seriously considered them, they didn’t feel completely right for mostly practical reasons. When I first walked up the stairs of the upstairs condo I eventually bought, before I even went inside I turned to my realtor on the stairs and said: “I felt like I have walked up these stairs millions of times, this is where I will live.” Being a metaphysical person herself, she loved this. Even though there were some difficult hurdles to overcome in the buying process, I have now happily lived here for twelve years.

ALL of my close friendships and intimate relationships always felt like I was reuniting with people I already knew. The bodies, nationalities, sex, age, and other elements may have been different this time, yet the sense that I already knew them was always there from the beginning. Whether it was past life connections, a future self bringing me to this point, dreams, Deja Vu, compatible Astrology, or any other number of deeper reasons, the feeling of familiarity have always been a constant. My early work with past life study often gave me insight before or after we met about our other connections. This has always added another important layer to my relationships. I once remember going to dinner with a close female friend when we were in our late twenties. We found ourselves spontaneously moving into a heated conversation at dinner that was a mild disagreement from two past selves who seemed to know each other in another time and place, centuries ago where we were husband and wife. Even the room itself seemed to change to another time and place. She had never experienced something like this before and it wasn’t exactly a common occurrence for me either. We laughed about it afterwards and later realized why it was a better fit for us to just be good friends in this life.

I have had people try to force friendships and relationships that didn’t seem to fit at times in my life. There was a number of times when I tried to do this as well in my younger days. I have experienced this before with jobs and other significant aspects of life also. Yet there is a smoothness to events, pets, and people that feel like coming home to a place we’ve never been before. They require no effort or struggle. When I heard Rocky Mountain High I started to think about an extremely talented man whose music was called simplistic. Someone who wrote something as profound as this at age 27 was clearly talented and insightful. The critics were wrong. That same night I was flipping channels on television and came upon a PBS documentary about the life and death of John Denver. I caught it only ten minutes into the two hour special. We often try to shape events, and there are times when we need to be assertive. Yet, the aspects of life that come so effortlessly to us are truly the most magical of all.

Jim Ventura 7-2015

Rocky Mountain High:

https://screen.yahoo.com/rocky-mountain-high-130828695.html

Editors Note:

I had an exceptionally lucky June and early July when Venus and Jupiter transited through my 5th house. Venus an Jupiter for the most part, are considered beneficial planets. The 5th house in our natal chart shows how we experience romance, risk taking, creativity, children, gambling, performance, and other things that inspire adrenaline. I was very lucky in my local weekly casino trips and pulled in an extra $2000. So far this year, overall, all of my trips have been free and I am up about $200 profit for the year. I wrote about how to use comps and gamble more pragmatically when I published my book Free Ride earlier this year. I have now converted the book to a PDF file so it can be ordered inexpensively this way. You can read it directly on your computer. I also have 4 print copies available at this time. More information about this later in the newsletter. Free Ride is not a metaphysical book. It is not about using intuitive or psychic abilities to gamble. It is all about using smart math, learning to to take advantage of casino comps, and getting extremely discounted or free trips using the techniques. My use of beneficial transit Astrology was just an added perk.

We are at the mid point of summer and it has been hot and sticky here in Phoenix. We have had some good monsoon storms so far and I am sure we have quite a few more coming. I look forward to the rains, although the storms seem to scare the hell out of my cat. Dogs and cats are rarely fans of thunder and lightening so sometimes I find myself staying home just to keep her from freaking out. It can make a Sagittarius nuts to feel unable to move freely when we want to, but the “Dad” part of me will stay at home to keep her calm.

I have two specials running for August all connected with past life work. Understanding the influences of past lives or parallel lives can be helpful at multiple levels. If interested in getting more information about your past lifetimes contact me before the end of the month to take advantage of the discounted rates. I am also extending my new client discount special until September 30th of this year. 

Wishing everyone a happy August. Cheers, Jim V

“The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything.” Bill Murray

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.

“...It is fair to say that any person with whom you share a intense relationship in this life has also joined with you in other reincarnational lives. This is because the intent of the greater entities for you to be together is also strengthened by you, and your other reincarnational selves, through those experiences. Your greater entity sets you free, but you then go about creating your own reality; and whatever you choose to tighten or intensify a bond with a given individual, that bond will therefore be strengthened in every other manifestation in time that you share. A happy fifty-year marriage in this time span, then, may well serve to strengthen the bond manifesting as master-slave, brother-sister, father-daughter in other incarnations you share.

You have all experienced meeting someone for the first time and feeling something ‘click’ between you, feeling an immediate ease or, perhaps, an immediate tension and loathing. Why? Because you are always unconsciously connected with every other historical manifestation, and you are recognizing the intent behind that person’s coming into your life, recognizing the work to be shared, the lessons to be learned together. Since at deepest terms there is no ‘time’ as you think of it, you are tapping directly into the grid of intent that your greater entities have established, recognizing the intent; how you choose to express that intent is your free choice. You pull into physical actualization those experiences with this other person that reflect your own individual beliefs, intents and desires.

Not all relationships last a lifetime, as you know. What happens in a relationship that was born in a feeling of intense closeness-say, young schoolmates, who as they age see each other less and less frequently, perhaps dropping each other a Christmas card once a year?

In this case, the grid of intent behind such a relationship was virtually exhausted, or entirely expressed. within the span of time you shared as schoolmates. Beyond that, there is no need for you to stay together, and since you are always infusing your life with fresh energy and avenues of exploration, it would be of no benefit to maintain, in constant and intense consciousness, a relationship that has served its purpose...”

From Whatever happened to Divine Grace by Jose Stevens

“You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too.” Prabhat Ranjan

New Client Special August 2015:

June 1st 2015 thru September 30th 2015 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 $80. 70 minute sessions $110. 90 minute sessions $130.

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” Pema Chodron

August 2015 special - 2 special offers !

Spotlight on one of the unique readings I offer:

Past Lifetimes reading

“Many of us feel strong affinities for places, times, and cultures that supersede our early experience in this life. Perhaps we even feel alien to our current era, or have a deep emotional response, much like homesickness, for certain ethnic groups, peoples, countries, and societies beyond our present environment. We may consider the possibility of reincarnation-that dark, mystical subject that seems so complex, so unreachable. The knowledge we seek is often unclear, much like a reflection on muddy waters.

How can we know when we lived and where? How much of what we were then are we now? What are the lessons that still must be learned?” Susan Sheppard creator of the Phoenix cards

The idea of living past lives was never something I struggled with. When I was a child I remembered living other lifetimes, so it was never something that I questioned. When I was in my late teens and early twenties I began to do past life regressions, meditations, and practiced lucid dreaming techniques to begin to get a clearer picture of some of my past lifetimes. I logged quite a few in my explorations, reinforcing the awareness that I was a bit of an old soul. In my mid twenties I picked up a really cool deck of cards that help to unravel information about other lifetimes. I have been working with the Phoenix cards for over 25 years now.They are an excellent tool for tapping into other cultures, times, and places where we may have lived before. I have been doing sessions with these cards for clients successfully for many years. The cards tap into different places and my intuitive abilities are often able to pull out specific details connected with these lives for my clients during the session. (Old Soul Scholar skill in accessing the Akashic records.) Jim V

“If you have a past life reading, you probably won’t be surprised at the outcome of your past-life reading. Most of us have dim ghostly ideas of who we really are. The realization of our fate casts an aura of affirmation over our lives. Whatever affects our world happens first internally as an idea, a feeling, or a dream. It is through our dreams, waking and unconscious, that past-life memories are felt and then brought again to the surface. The Phoenix cards are a powerful tool to help you reconnect with a larger awareness of who you really are.” S. Sheppard

August Special $15 off my websites listed rates on all 45, 70 and 90 minute Past life card sessions for Snake Oil subscribers. Local in office clients can take an additional $5 off for cash or check payments! This special runs from August 1st 2015 until September 1st 2015. Book now, or if you would like to do the session later this summer or fall you can purchase it now at the discounted rate. You may also buy one additional session for a friend or family member at this time. Email me at Venturasag@yahoo.com to book or to get a gift certificate.

PAST LIFE REGRESSION
This session is an personal, instructional walk through an actual past life regression. I will guide you through a light form of hypnosis that will help you tune into one or more of your past lifetimes. The benefits are:
* Increasing your understanding of the influences from your past on your present lifetime.
* Helping to discover and remove fear blocks and phobias.
* Bringing to surface strengths and abilities.
* Ending the fear of death.
* Increasing relaxation and visualization skills.
* assisting in understand present relationships by uncovering karmic threads.
90 minutes $100.00 ($10 off this rate for Snake Oil Subscribers for all of August 2015)

“The most valuable lesson man has learned from his dog is to kick a few blades of grass over it and move on.” Robert Brault

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, August 6th at 3:30 p.m. (AZ doesn’t use daylight savings time, so it’s the same as pacific time). Most Thursdays you can catch a new show. Each 45 minute show will expand on my current column’s subject matter. It will also offer an opportunity for you to call in live (or chat with other listeners in the chat room) with comments and your thoughts about the topic of discussion. If you miss the live show, you can catch any of my previously recorded shows on the web site’s archive. You can also catch Snake Oil Radio on I-tunes (download my pod-casts there).

To hear a live show, all you need to do is be at a computer and tuned into: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jim-Ventura  You may also access it by going to blogtalkradio.com. 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.

Free Ride Volume One (first limited edition prints) Now available on PDF file.

Introduction:

“Is it possible to gamble for free? Can you gamble and actually win money every time? Are there tricks and systems that can help you beat the games? The answer to these questions for most of you is going to be no. It is nearly impossible to be able to gamble without spending money or to consistently win. The majority of people who gamble will lose and rarely have any big wins. Casino slot machines and table games have built-in formulas to make the casinos a consistent long term profit. Most ‘systems’ to beat the house don’t work.

Now with that painful bit of reality out of the way we can get to the good stuff, you can still come out even or ahead fairly often if you learn how to play smarter. You can learn to be a savvy gambler who takes advantage of comps, gets free invitations to slot tournaments with huge prizes, spends very little money out-of-pocket, gets free rooms in Vegas and casinos all over the country, receives brand new appliances, free money to gamble with, and a ton of other freebies. This is what Free Ride is all about. A wise and knowledgeable gambler can frequently take free rides! 

To order a copy send request by email Venturasag@yahoo.com. 

Cost is: $11 including tax. $15 total includes shipping. Only 4 will be printed each month. So there may be a month or two wait.

Send check or money order to Jim Ventura 2515 N 52nd St. #206 Phoenix Az 85008. You can also pay by charge or Debit thru Paypal. You can request to have your copy signed!

Free Ride in PDF

I also now have the book available in PDF file format. You can read it directly on your computer. $7  email me to order a copy. Venturasag@yahoo.com

Here’s my contact information to make an appointment for a session, or information on current classes: Phone: (602)957-3035 text: (602)349-0746 Email: Venturasag@yahoo.com (best method for contact).

Information about the different sessions and types of readings and services, past Snake Oil columns, and how to order my books and audio CD’s can be found at my website: Http://JimVentura.com 

“Friend” me on Facebook to get other extra offers and in between column extras! Signing up for my fan page will get you even more extras and first shot at reading specials. Simply click on “like” on the fan page and you will automatically get my weekly updates. 

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 2015 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00;  Extended session (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each).  Email me for information about my Regular Client Program for even bigger discounts on session prices with the added benefit of monthly or quarterly check-ins. 

All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices for any 45-90 minute sessions (except when using a special discount promotion). Local in office visits receive  another $5 off listed prices for cash or check payments.