Snake oil
Drippy nose
I recently sat in Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport waiting for my delayed flight to Las Vegas on a Sunday morning. My flight was delayed due to heavy rains in both Phoenix and Las Vegas. Since it doesn’t rain very often in Phoenix, and three of my last six trips had been delayed because of rain, I had to consider the unlikely odds of this occurring so often. I carried a wad of tissues in my pocket to help with my runny nose. I had a mild cold which consisted primarily of some sinus trouble. I wasn’t surprised that I was a little under the weather. The weeks before I left for vacation consisted of a bad week financially, a credit card screw up that cost me extra money, bad weather, and a stream of family visitors for two weeks in a row. I enjoy my family and appreciate their visits, but it is a disruption to my normal routine and also includes feelings of obligation to entertain them. The last time I had any type of cold had been more than two years ago. The only other time since then that I had been sick was six months ago, when I returned from a family reunion in Los Angeles. I came home with a really nasty sinus infection.
After my return from my family reunion, my practical, conscious mind rationalized that my sinus infection was due to the tremendous vegetation blooming in California while I was visiting. I also figured that the flight itself might have contributed to my sinus infection. Yet my wiser, intuitive self knew there was far more to this than physical causes. Almost all of my family reunions, wherever they were, often resulted in a sinus infection. My nose had been raw from blowing it so many times. I had decided after my last sinus infection to see it as an opportunity to resolve a physical and emotional issue that my body was attempting to get me to recognize. Louise Hay’s brilliant book You Can Heal Your Life lists all kinds of physical conditions and illnesses, and explains the psychological cause and where they come from. I have spent many years studying and validating the accuracy of the reality of emotional blocks and negative beliefs being the primary fuel behind physical symptoms. Sinus issues have to do with being irritated by people we are close to. My intense sinus infection was definitely triggered by my irritation to my family drama! In addition, I was even more irritated about the fact that I was sick at all!
Many of my siblings also have sinus issues. I grew up in a home where my Mother was the ideal stay at home and take care of the house and kids model of her time. My Father worked long hours to allow my Mother to do this. My childhood was a damn good one by most people’s standards. Like all human beings, my Mother did have a few flaws though (many of my siblings would suggest she has LOTS of flaws!). Mom almost always had a runny nose. Tissues were an important commodity in our house. Mom’s drippy nose was like the hideous, plastic slip covers that were there to protect our furniture; it was a funny, stable, yet unattractive part of my childhood. Mom also fit the definition in Louise Hay’s book of someone who was irritated by people she was close to. She was often annoyed at my sisters, my father, the neighbors... you name it. Mom was at least mildly annoyed most of the time. Whether it was because she was German, an Aries, or just a New Yorker, she was a textbook example of someone who had sinus issues. Unfortunately, because of the tremendous influence of imprinting from our parents shaping the way we see the world, most of my siblings and I now have the same
issue.
I have always been a bit of a perfectionist. While I am extremely understanding and tolerant when it comes to my clients and the issues they are struggling with, when it comes to my close friends and family, I find myself being a little hard on them and often irritated by the mistakes they make. My normal reaction for much of my life has been to just get temporarily grumpy when they irritate me. On a few rare occasions I lost my cool, and acted like an ass. I learned long ago to apologize when I did this though. My Mother never really learned how valuable apologizing can be. I have already put in a bit of work around rectifying this part of myself! My sinus infection reminded me that I had more work to do here. I actually had a nice time at my family reunion, but mentally I had a list of things that irritated me while I was there; high cost of the hotel room, drama from various family members, eating way more than I normally do...In true Ventura style I was having a good time but irritated for much of the trip as well.
After my last reunion and sinus infection I made a decision to work on my tendency to get so irritated by what people do - or don’t do! I learned a powerful mantra from studying angel cards that helped tremendously with this: “I am willing to release the part of me that is irritated when I think of you.” This is an excellent way of shifting one’s perceptions of things because it doesn’t require pretending that the bad behavior that some people inevitably do didn’t, or isn’t happening. It simply reminds us that we have the ability to not focus on the part of us that is so irritated by what they are doing or did. This even has the potential to be effective in situations where someone has done something atrocious to us. We are not attempting to bullshit ourselves into believing an injustice hasn’t occurred. Instead, we are simply releasing the part of our psyche that keeps rehashing and focusing on our outrage over the “crime.”
If we are willing to evolve and let go of the ridiculous idea that events just happen to us randomly, we can actually take our personal power back. We can be willing to look at why we may have consciously or unconsciously created the events that are part of our life. The majority of situations we personally experience has something to do with how we see life, and our beliefs about reality. Using myself to illustrate this point, my sinus/irritation to people I am close to, is an excellent example. I developed a belief early on in life that people can often be annoying and do dumb things. It is likely that my mother taught this to me because she believed the same thing. A natural desire to please and be like Mom and Dad is part of childhood wiring. In addition I grew up in an area of the country that placed value in pointing out stupidity. A common NY saying with many variations: “What does that freak-in idiot think he is doing?” I became a person who is easily irritated because I was taught this. Now I have an opportunity to see that this belief actually brings more than my natural share of stupid things into my life. We get what we concentrate on. Thankfully, I have avoided the trap of thinking, “I am such a fool for blindly creating this.” By not getting caught up in feelings of inadequacy that could block me from resolution, I am able to make better choices in the future. I can choose not to take what people do personally. More often than not, what people do really has nothing to do with us in the first place. If I let someone’s actions make me unhappy, isn’t that actually a way of giving my power to someone else? Aren’t we actually giving people control of us when we let them affect and change our moods and how we feel about ourselves?
Except in extreme cases of really hard core abuse, the majority of the things that irritate us are pretty minor. If Mother always criticizes you, your husband leaves the cap off the toothpaste, or your friend is always late when meeting you, etc... Are these things really worth getting angry about? Since my last family reunion I have been working on not getting irritated so easily. I had actually been doing really well and had no sinus issues at all for quite some time. While I sat in the airport contemplating my 3 hour delay, while it continued to rain heavily, the man next to me was talking loudly on his cell phone. His accent and the endless lame flirtations and silly cliche jokes he told began to irritate me. Instead of focusing on that I did some editing and got a few months ahead on my columns. The rest of the time I had a nice conversation with the Canadian couple next to me. Who knows, my delayed flight might be saving me a few hundred dollars that I could have dropped gambling. I still have a little more work to do in regards to my tendency to get easily irritated. My flight delay was an opportunity to work on resolving and healing some more of this part of me permanently. I am breathing
much better already.
Jim Ventura 1-2008
Editors Note:
I had a few days where I had a sinus infection at the end of January. I hadn’t felt completely “right” earlier in the month, but I was never actually sick. I just did not feel as good as I normally feel (which is typically well rested and strong). About a week before my sinus trouble started, I had a very close friend do something that really pissed me off. I took it personally and really brewed a bit about it for a few days. It didn’t take too long before I got clear about why she did what upset me, and I forgave her. She has always been a good friend in many ways and I didn’t want to jeopardize a 20 year friendship over a mistake. Of course the issue itself worked out really well once I shifted my perspective. Unfortunately the seed of dis-ease was already planted. I could blame the beginning of allergy season, bad air quality and other physical factors in my bodies reaction, but I know that this was only a part of why my sinus issue occurred. The last time I had an illness like this was back in 2008 when I first published this Snake Oil. The good side of the experience is I realized I haven't had a difficult sinus infection since 2008! I used to get them often (I got colds and sinus infections frequently in my twenties), so I was proud that I have been so un-trigger-able. The bad side is I created this illness by allowing myself to brew on an imagined assault. It really sucks to be sick! We all make mistakes, even the “more enlightened of us,” but each time we slip up we get wiser. I think it will be far less likely for me to get another frustrating sinus infection for some time, if ever again!
I want to thank everyone who in the past who has taken the time to write a positive review on Yelp for me. I get quite a bit of new clientele from that site. I am going to send everyone who has already done a review for me a $25 discount gift card to use anytime in a 3 month period as a discount on any of the sessions I offer. You may use the discount for a personal session or give it to a friend. Anyone who posts a review about me (including reviews about my Snake Oil column, books, radio shows, or classes you attended) in March of 2015 will also be given a $25 off gift certificate in either April, May or June of 2015. I appreciate the reviews, they help to bring me new clients! I also send out referral discounts every six months (will be doing next one in early July) to everyone who sends new clients my way directly. I currently have a new client promotion for $20 off for all of March 2015, so it is an easy sell at this time. Remind your referrals to mention that you referred them to get credit, although I do typically ask.
Yelp listing: http://www.yelp.com/biz/navigational-consultant-phoenix-2
Yelp listing: http://www.yelp.com/biz/navigational-consultant-phoenix-2
March is always a bit of an odd time for me. I love the weather, and I like this time of year for many other reasons. My personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Sun, and Mars now as well) transit through my 12th house always at this time of year (Astrology chart reference. If you know what this means you just got a ton of interesting information. If you don’t here is a little bit of information about the 12th). The 12th House in our natal chart shows how we experience things like: Unfocused intuition, withdrawal, dreaming self, subconscious, selflessness, self-undoing, influences from past lifetimes, behind the scenes activity, and the way we cook up new ideas. I don’t have any natal planets in my 12th, so the feeling of pull back and opportunities to get clear about my dreams - the ones I have each night and the dreams of things I want to create in my life - is always a positive thing. Yet, I often feel a little stalled at this time. Being a Fire Sun sign makes the watery feel of the 12th house transits somewhat like being immersed in a pool of water for a bit too long. Old astrology interpretations of the twelfth house are: secret enemies, restrictions, large institutions (like hospitals and prisons) disappointment, sorrow, and unseen forces. I prefer the more modern interpretations!
Wishing everyone inspiration for March. Cheers, Jim V
“What makes life worth living? To be born with the gift of laughter and sense that the world is mad.” Scaramouche
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” George Burns
Spring Special for New Clients:
March 1st 2015 thru March 31 St. 2015 Special: New Client introductory offer
$15-20 off your first 45 minute session, 70, or 90 minute sessions! Ask for the special when you email Venturasag@yahoo.com to book. Debit and credit card payments get $15 off for 45-90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can get an extra $5 off for cash or check payments for sessions.
$15-20 off your first 45 minute session, 70, or 90 minute sessions! Ask for the special when you email Venturasag@yahoo.com to book. Debit and credit card payments get $15 off for 45-90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can get an extra $5 off for cash or check payments for sessions.
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.
New Year special for January 1-March 31st returning clients $10 off of my listed rates (unless you are using another/better promotion or discount)!
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” Herm Albright
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 Kunda in Spirit Speaks magazine. 1988
You must make choices
“Like it or nor, agreement shapes your reality. For all things happen by choice. You are not here by accident, nor are you a victim of fate. You are here, quite simply and empathetically, because you WANT to be here. Because you are an integral extension of the cosmic soul, know that on some level you consciously chose to evolve spiritually within the physical environment as a part of your divine constitution. And before you reentered the physical realm, you made certain agreements which supported not only the continuance of your spiritual lessons here, but the advancement of other entities who are also evolving in clusters with you.
You helped create the working blueprint which outlines your entire life program and also parallels your chosen destiny.
Now, every life, every personality, every situation and every experience is carefully chosen-right down to the details of your s0-called death experience. This is true for all on the physical plane. With the exception of karmic intervention (the Divine hand which evens the scale of cosmic justice and also ensures your spiritual best-good), the life that you live is the very life you chose. There simply are no exceptions. And the living of it all brings the necessary experiences and lessons to bear, all of which contribute to the ultimate growth and understanding of every soul-fragment.
The agreements which you made with your soul are the opening plans for the unfoldment of that blueprint. They shape the reality of your life environment. And a life in which every agreement is refused, avoided, or even broken will only serve to teach you what such avoidance brings. Regardless of whether the physical life was completed or not, that life still remain valid to some degree, and whatever was learned will contribute to the evolution of the soul as it moves into the greater essence of its soul community...”
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, March 5th at 3:30 p.m. (MST -AZ doesn’t use daylight savings 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.
“When conflict arises, use your energy to help eliminate the fear. Do not direct your energy against the people or situation-resolve the FEAR and you resolve the conflict.” Dick Sutphen
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.
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.
