January Extra

Editors note:

The new year has been a good one so far, with clearly noticeable positive things for myself and many of my Regular clients. Many of my readers have taken advantage of my New Year oracle pull special and enjoyed an in-person or phone session to see what primary themes are surfacing for them in the year ahead. This has led to a prosperous year for me financially, and (more importantly) the excitement that I feel when I am able to help guide people this way. I really can say I truly love my job! The new year oracle pulls have really helped my clients with some excellent information to help guide them to a happy 2013!

I have been posting (on Face Book) the most commonly pulled oracle cards and Runes that my clients are receiving. Some of these have come up so frequently that it is definitely notable! Since many of my Snake Oil subscribers are not on Face Book and missing the extra posts, I have decided to collect them all and give them as a free gift to all of my current column subscribers. In our new year sessions we have been pulling one oracle from some of the decks I work with: Tarot, Lakota Indian cards, Runes, Angel cards, Druid animal totem, and Egyptian cartouche. While everyones readings are completely unique, these are among the most commonly pulled oracles for the year in each category so far.

If you have never had an oracle reading (with me or anyone for that matter) or currently don’t have the funds for one, you can use the insight from these pulls to give you some direction for the coming year. Think about what you would like to see for yourself and accomplish in the coming year and then take some time to read each of the oracles interpretations. See how many of these messages fit for you.  Sharing these oracle interpretations is my way of saying thanks for all of your support in my work (reading my columns and passing them on to others, purchasing books, taking classes, and having personal sessions with me over the years). Wishing everyone the best for the New Year. Cheers, Jim V

And, if you would like to take advantage of the special you still have two more weeks to book (or you can purchase a gift certificate for the session - and one extra for a friend at same rate if you want to give a gift) your personal session (phone or in-office). This mid-month extra column has not gone through my usual editors scrutiny, so my apologies for any typos and grammatical errors :)

New Year reading overview special:

You can still have a New Year overview session to look at primary themes, challenges, and opportunities for the coming year. One symbol from each of the many different oracles I read will be pulled to highlight 2013 specifically for you!

Angel card

Viking Rune stone

Druid animal totem

Lakota Indian card

Egyptian Cartouche

Tarot Archetype

Your session can be a 45 minute or full 70 minute reading. Mention the New Year special and you get $15 off of my listed prices (normally subscribers get $5 off) for booking this session in January of 2013 only. Extended 90 minute sessions get $20 off! Email or call to set up your appointment.

Here is a short version and some information about each of the most commonly pulled symbols for the year so far:

Viking Rune Stone:

Berkana Upright:

“Growth Rebirth Birch Tree

Another of the Cycle Runes, Berkana represents a form of fertility that fosters growth both symbolically and actually. The growth may occur in affairs of the world, family matters, the relationship of the self to the Self, or to the Divine.

A rune that leads to blossoming and ripening, Berkana is concerned with the flow of beings into their new forms. Its acton is gentle, penetrating and pervasive.

What is called for here is to consider your issue with care and awareness. First disperse resistance, then accomplish the work. For this to happen, your will must be clear and controlled, your motives correct. Any dark corners should be cleansed; this must be carried out diligently and sometimes with expert help. Modesty, patience, fairness and generosity are called for here. Once resistance is dispersed, and rectification carried out and seen to hold firm, then through steadfastness and right attitude, the blossoming can occur.” Ralph Blum from book of Runes

Lakota Indian cards

Maka/Nurturing

“I am if the four sustainers, gifts of your Mother to you that you may have life upon her body. Consider of what I am made. Consider how it is that I renew myself, how it is that I bring forth new life. I live in a continual cycle of giving and receiving. 

Earth is one of the four elemental spirits. Think about how you accept nurturing-from others and even from yourself. Nourishment and caring begin within. Attend to your body’s needs along with your emotional and spiritual hungers. Allow yourself to accept all that you require. Listen to the needs of others and provide nurturing to them. Nurturing is a two-way process that helps us develop, grow, and sustain life. use positive, encouraging language when describing how you are and the activities in your life. Appreciate yourself. You deserve it. 

Meditation: The cycles of time bring me into an awareness of the interdependence of all life.” Chief Fire Lame Deer and H Sarkis 

Tarot Archetype: Death

“Ominous looking card huh? This is the Tarot Archetype of Death (13). Often it is used in movies and television to shock, scare, and dramatically induce awe and fear of the Tarot cards and card readers. This archetypal symbol has come up a number of times in the last few weeks for many of my clients who are having their new year oracle pulls. It’s actual meaning has little or nothing to do with the prospect of physical death though.

Death archetype upright: Death is a card of transformation, movement, and change. Often it signals a positive change and move to a new stage in our lives. When one phase of our life ends and we are ready to release the past and open to new beginnings we are experiencing the Death archetype. Examples of this are: When we move from being a child to committing to the responsibilities of being an adult. When we leave an old career behind and start a new one. When we leave our parents home and get our own apartment. When our primary identity has been mother and our children have grown up and left home we may now need to channel our ability to nurture into new areas. When we go from being single to married. When we go from being married to single. When a stagnant relationship comes to an end. Sometimes the change is simply more of an internal one. These and similar processes occur at many different times in our lives. If we are emotionally and spiritually attuned we happily release the past because the excitement of the “new life” that is calling us, joyfully pulls us forward. Even in the RARE case of this representing actual death this can also be a positive time when we are finished with our experiences on the physical plane and we are ready to go “home.”

Death reversed means we may be holding onto old stagnant conditions and refusing to release. Fear of the future may be keeping us trapped and stuck. It can also mark a brief pause while we reevaluate and process the old while waiting for the new to become illuminated in its proper time. Sometimes after a period of intense changes we may need a little stagnancy for a bit.” Jim Ventura

Druid Animal Totem: Salmon

In Druid tradition Salmon is seen as the Oldest animal and is connected with wisdom, inspiration, and rejuvenation. 

“Bradan (Salmon) is revered as extremely sacred in the Druid tradition - it is the Oldest animal, and it offers us wisdom and inspiration. Often with great difficulty, the salmon will return to the place of its birth to mate. To find wisdom, we need to recapitulate our lives, to journey in consciousness back to our beginnings - to our childhood and perhaps beyond to our very origins in God or Goddess. Bradan brings not only wisdom but youthfulness and inspiration, but remember that to find these things you must maintain an attitude of openness and innocence rather than strong-headed determination. From the salmon leaping we have derived the word summersault, and choosing this card reversed or upright - is urging you to connect with the leaping, dancing child within.” From the Druid animal Oracle

Angel Card: LIFE PURPOSE 

“The purpose of your life is to serve in a way that brings great joy to yourself and others. Don’t worry about finding your purpose. Instead, focus upon serving a purpose, and then your purpose will serve you.

This card comes as a reminder that you needn’t struggle to find your life purpose. Don’t worry about how to make good money in a meaningful career. Don’t concern yourself with quitting or starting jobs or professions. Instead, follow the path of your natural desires, talents, and passions with the full intention of bringing joy to yourself and others, Your life purpose doesn’t need to be defined or pinpointed. It’s a process, not a category...” Doreen Virtue

Egyptian Cartouche: The Twins

The history of Egyptian Symbol of the Twin Guardians:

“The Twins were considered the Egyptian guardians of the heavenly regions. They were known as Shu and Tefnut, or twin lion Gods. Legends suggest that Shu and his twin sister Tefnut were children of the God Ra. Shu was know as a warrior and ruler of the sky, or God of the air. His sister was the goddess of sun and rain. Legends tell of Tefnut giving birth to the newborn sun each and every day.

In some stories Shu was in human form and Tefnut was part lion. They were seen as the perfect representation of twin soul energy. They represented the energy in all of us that searches for our “other half.” The pull of partnership and the need to find a mate can be a powerful element in all of us. The Twins were a compliment to each other and the two coming together formed a truly whole image. The power and confidence of the Lion energy is also an aspect of sensuality and power. Lion conveys both beauty, power, and heart energy. Similar patterns can be seen astrologically with the sign of Leo. Many different cultural philosophies had different versions of the Twin energies in Astrology this is represented by Gemini, also known as the Twins.

From my research from the Michael teachings I have found that there are a few common themes in the types of relationships that draw us in. The primary relationships that we are drawn to during some of our lifetimes are:

1. Essence twins (also know as soulmate, twin flames etc...) True “other half” someone we have experienced many lifetimes with. Often the essence twin relationship can be difficult to handle. This mirror can be the most intimate imaginable with many shared lifetimes. Yet, many people feel unworthy of true intimacy or are scared off by these with one or both twins pushing the other away... A good example of an essence twin relationship that actually worked well was John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

2. Task companion relationships. T.C.’s are people we have worked with in other lifetimes to accomplish life tasks. Often these relationships are easier than other relationships and if intimacy is involved they can also be very enjoyable because of shared goals  and often similar “over-leaves.”

3. Heart links. These relationships are often all about love and heart connections. We often feel loved when we are around people who share heart link patterns. Intimate partnerships, family members, children etc... fill this space easily. (Trust me not every family member or all of your children are heart links lol)

4. Members of our soul group. These relationships are often familiar, even if we have just met the individual for first time. Often in the beginning it can feel easy and like comfortably “catching up.” They may be intimate partnerships, family bonds, or friends we meet that become like family to us. 

5. Body type attraction only. These relationships are generally not compatible for the long haul. Often there is little shared history in a karmic sense. Incompatible over-leaves (Astrology), and not much in common. Yet, there is strong body chemistry (u find each other to be hot) and while frequently short-lived they do often produce growth (even if it appears to be negative).

Body type attraction can also be part of any of the other relationships listed above. “ Jim Ventura

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

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.

All Current Snake Oil subscribers always get $5.00 off all listed prices below.

All sessions/readings for 2013 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). 

I accept cash, checks, debit cards, Master Card, Visa, and PayPal for payments on sessions and for books and classes. Send me your birth month and year to get added to the yearly Birthday mailer promotion.

January 2013 Snake Oil/Jim Ventura blog

Snake Oil Family: can’t live with them, can’t strangle them...

There were some noticeably turbulent astrological triggers in mid November of 2012. Aside from a difficult Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, an eclipse acted like an added power surge to boost whatever issues were already surfacing. Halfway through the retrograde and the day after the eclipse, I climbed into my car after a fun night out and it wouldn’t start. I had never really had any problems with my Prius in the three years I have owned it (I bought a 2001 model used) but my first fearful thought was “what if my battery is dead?” While a Prius battery can actually last the entire life of the car, if it does fail, replacing one runs about $2,500. I was just about to call a tow truck when I gave it one last shot and it started. The power steering was out, and the control panel was a mess but it was possible for me to drive it. I uncomfortably drove the car home and left it at the repair shop I have used for many years. I did not sleep well because I was worried about what was potentially wrong with the car and what it might cost. 

The next morning I got the call from my repair shop, after they did the diagnostic. It was not the primary battery, but the secondary battery that controls the power steering that needed replacing. His estimate to repair my car would be $2050 after ordering the part from Toyota. I was devastated. Like many people in 2012 I did not exactly have a spare $2000 lying around. Even if I had the money, I was not even sure if I should put it into a twelve year old car with 130 thousand miles on it. I still had eight months left of car payments before it would be paid off. I struggled with what I should do for an hour or so, then I made an uncomfortable call to my mother back east and told her of my plight. She quickly told me she would lend me the money (fortunately when my dad passed 3 years ago he left my mother in a comfortable place financially) and would send a check right out. I told her that I would prefer that she wait on doing that. I wasn’t sure if it was worth fixing and I needed to meditate on whether this was the right move for me - to add more debt when I still owed my mother from a similar financial punch I ran into six years ago with an A/C unit. 

It was a miserable day with worrisome thoughts that ran through my mind about the possibility that I would not have a car for months. How would I get to the gym? How would I be able to go food shopping? How would I live without a car at all in Arizona? I felt like crap and finally took a needed nap after my rough night of sleep the day before. I woke up to a “magical” message on my answering machine from my oldest brother who had recently moved closer to my mother in the Carolina’s. “Yo Jim, this is your brother. You need to stop borrowing money all the time from Mom every time you have a problem. You are bleeding her dry. Me and the rest of your siblings are getting sick and tired of you draining away our inheritance money. You need to stop running off to Vegas all the time, and you need to get a real-full-time-job. You got to stop manipulating mom. You say you owe her a little bit of money still, but I think you really owe her a lot more than you are saying. Everyone is getting tired of your bullshit.” There were a few other nasty comments but this was the gist of my big brothers “helpful” call. My dark day turned even darker.

I was both upset and furious at the same time. Who the hell did my brother think he was talking to? I knew he had bullied many of my siblings at different times in our lives, but he had never directly attempted to bully me. Purely from a physical level I am 40 pounds bigger and more muscular than he is. The testosterone driven male part of me wanted to take his teeth out. He was fortunate at the time that he was 2000 miles away. I haven’t had a male speak to me in such a disrespectful way in over twenty years. More importantly, it was mom’s money. How dare he decide how she should or shouldn’t spend it. There was (hopefully) a good chance my mother would be alive for another 5-20 years. What kind of person feels they have a right to direct and decide what our mother should do with her money and claim that it is part of his inheritance? For all we knew, she might decide to give it away to Catholic charities, or the animal welfare league (things that are important to her) and that would be her right. I had already paid off most of the money I owed my mother over the years with monthly checks. The only reason my debt wasn’t completely paid off was because (like many people in the last few years) economic conditions had made things tight and I knew she was okay if it took a bit longer than expected. There were so many things wrong with his coercive logic and his message that every time I thought about it my head began to spin with anger. He was both insensitive and completely out of line.

I emailed or called a few of my other siblings and explained what was going on. They were sympathetic. They had all had their past battles with my brother. Many of their battles were far worse than my recent experience. My mother was also furious when she found out about my brother’s call to me. She admitted she should never have told him in the first place. The issue with my car and brother were at a time when a lot of personal planets (Venus, Moon, Mercury and also Saturn) were in Scorpio. Typically Astrology like this will trigger the part of us that has the ability to manipulate (or heal and influence in a positive way) others or bring up where we are manipulated. Through all of my internal discord, the messages from my oracle readings and intuitive prompts from my Higher Self were to take no action. Damned annoying enlightened part of me was ruining my desires to crush my stupid brother and expose him for the loser he really was. I learned many years ago about the karmic repercussions of acting on anger and knew it was wrong to do so. Still, I had some really creatively cruel fantasies about various ways to make my brother “pay” for his big mouth comments. It helped release some of my anger. In addition to my intuition telling me to not take action, and that somehow the car situation would be resolved less expensively than I thought, a close, pragmatic, persuasive friend of mine suggested I let her mechanic look at my car. She had raved about him for many years and I finally listened to her advice. She said he was honest and very reasonable about what he charged. At the very least, he would tell me if I should even pay to fix it at all. I listened to her suggestions and it took another week for me to get the car to him so I was without transportation for about 10 days. My friends thankfully all helped out with getting me around.

It wasn’t easy, yet I became progressively calmer and more peaceful after a few days and surrendered the situation to Spirit. The day before my birthday (a few days after I dropped the car off), I got a call from my friend’s mechanic. He was not only able to get the part much cheaper than my auto body shop quoted but he would also plug my radiator leak that I was told would cost me another $350 in addition to the $2050 for the power steering issue. My friend’s mechanic did both jobs and charged me a total of $201. In addition, he also told me that this was a really sound car and I would probably get another 2-6 years out of it! The astronomical discount was awesome, but the peace of mind I felt knowing I still had a good car was truly priceless.

My brother shocked me with a call the day after I picked up the car. He apologized for “stepping over the line” in his previous message and called to wish me a Happy Birthday and apologize. We had a good talk. He admitted that he was struggling financially after his move. He felt it was not fair for mom to be giving more to one of her children than the others. Still, he realized he had gone too far. While he still was clinging to his stubborn perspective about this being an issue of unfair treatment (I did often get slightly better treatment from my mother even when I was a kid. Being the baby boy who had the ear and voice of a counselor made mom understandably a bit extra fond of me), he was genuinely sorry. This was ground breaking for him. I don’t think my brother has ever apologized for anything in his life. For me, it was a truly amazing birthday gift. I forgave him and it felt good to be done with those feelings. I am not one to hold grudges for long. Stubborn longstanding resentment is not a worthy place for any of our energy to be held-up. Who needs that kind of anger floating around in one’s body and psyche? This is the type of stuff that contributes to the creation of illness. I could transform this into something positive.

As usual there was purpose to this family explosion. I had a little bit of fear about whether my car would last much longer, since I wasn’t in a place yet to buy another one if it didn’t. Worry is a form of negative prayer that can bring the things we are afraid of to us. I had a bit of shame and discomfort about whether I leaned on mom too often in the past. My brother in his clumsy, obnoxious way brought these fears to the surface for me. I still had a few self-deprecating beliefs and fears of inadequacy and they were blocking my ability to create prosperity for myself. Awareness of limiting beliefs is the first step in being able to release them.  It also brought a dark family issue to surface. While we are a fairly close, loving family, we often are way too judgmental and frequently talk about what everyone in the family is “rightly” choosing or not choosing to do. I have been guilty of this type of gossip as well. It was time to let got of the too frequent nasty comments that were often a part of our interactions. As children we learned this from bad behavior on the part of my mother and surprisingly, even she was realizing this was not a good thing. I think some of the more enlightened members of my family will begin to let go of this ugly pattern as well, so there was potential good that came out of this negative experience. 

My brief period of darkness was a difficult ride, but it led to a period of noticeably good things. I pushed myself to start doing the instructional videos I was procrastinating getting done, and the car problem refocused my need and ability to create back up funds for emergencies. I let go of the bad relationship I had with credit cards a few years ago and I no longer wanted mom to be my back up credit card. The interest-free loans were nice, but the “cost” in the long run was not worth the benefits. We often want to avoid and run from the painful and challenging experiences that surface from time to time in life. Sometimes we get blinded and outraged and this can cause us to lose sight of our real power. It may even lead us to create new negative karma to resolve. We can stubbornly keep rehashing our anger over “how someone treated us so badly,” yet this can distract us from solving the issues that surface when difficult, even obnoxious people trigger buried issues. Often it is the moments of greatest darkness that allow us to recognize the true creative powers of the Self. If we are willing to listen to the wise voice of our intuition and not get seduced into letting fear and anger fuel reactive responses, we can heal our deepest wounds and we have opportunities to permanently move out of the dark places within us into a more peaceful present and joy-filled future. 

Jim Ventura 12-2012

Editors note:

It’s 2013 and we made it through the Mayan prediction of the end of the world (it was probably never meant to be a literal end of the world, it more likely had connotations that are similar to the Astrological meaning behind the beginning of the Aquarian age) and the predictions by the nut-jobs on the “far Right” who said, “everything will collapse if Obama is reelected.” Anyone who actually misses the “fun” of wondering when the apocalypse will come shouldn’t worry though; I am absolutely sure that we will have a bunch of new end of the world predictions coming up in the next few years to give buyers something else to nervously prepare for. I can already feel the difference in the energy of the Universal “6” year coming in and it definitely feels a bit more stable than the push and pulls of the “5” year we have just left behind. I will give everyone some information about the influences of the “6” year and the year of the Rabbit (In Chinese Astrology) in next month’s newsletter.

I made my first You-Tube video (the link to view it follows). Special thanks to my two helpers Frieda and Apollo Poetry. Apollo filmed the video and did the editing work for me. He did a great job and is currently available if you want to do a video of your own. Apollo can be reached at ApolloPoetry@gmail.com. He also has many excellent videos of his own on You-Tube, well worth checking out! It was great fun and I am looking forward to doing future videos every few months. My wise-ass first video introduction was meant to make the people who already know and work with me laugh. The people who already think I am a “Snake Oil” salesman now get to say, “see I told u so!” It has been almost 13 years since I have done television or video (I did a public access talk show in the late 90’s for 2 years) and it was really fun to go back to this type of creative work again. I have some great ideas for upcoming videos. Please pass my videos along to friends and family. The information can be a great help to people and it’s a good way to introduce them to my work, so they can hopefully stop being so “afraid of this stuff,” and take advantage of the benefits of using oracles as navigational aids.

The new year is always a good time to look at an overview of the upcoming year. Remember, everyone who receives my newsletter gets $5 off listed prices, and both fans and friends on Facebook friends get a total of $10 off listed prices. In-person office sessions also get another $5 discount if the session is paid for in cash! If you email me with your Birthday (day and month) I will also add you to my yearly Birthday promotions list and you will get an offer for a heavily discounted session each year when your Sun sign Astrology is highlighted. There will not be a price increase for session prices this year. Wishing everyone the best in the New Year! Cheers, Jim V

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Gandhi

Snake Oil Radio

Thursdays at 3:30 pm (there will be four live broadcasts this month)

My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, January 3rd, at 3:30 p.m. (MST). Almost every Thursday 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. Halfway through the show you can even ask me for a free 5 minute mini reading with your personal question. 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).

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.

Spring Classes

MICHAEL MATERIAL

* What is your soul age? The soul age of friends and family ?

* How do past lifetimes influence us in the present ?

* What does karma feel like, and how does it work ?

* How does your chief negative feature impact your life, and can it be changed?

* What happens when your partner is an idealist and you are a realist ?

* What is your life goal? Is it dominance, acceptance, flow or submission ?

*What is your essence, your soul mate’s essence ? Artisan, priest, king, server, sage, warrior or scholar ?

* What is a soul mate, task companion, heart link ?

* What do the higher centers feel like?

After this workshop you will understand all of these questions and many more, and more importantly have the answers.

There are no tests to pass, just some great information. 5 classes, 2 hours each.

What is the Michael teaching?

The main goal of the Michael teaching is agape or unconditional love. The teaching views life as a learning game in which fragments of the Tao - that essential part of each human being - set up lessons which continue over lifetimes. These lessons are learned via the personality which Essence chooses each lifetime. Michael teaches us what the components of the personality are so that we can learn to use and see these components in ourselves and in others. In that way we can learn to understand why human beings behave as they do. Michael is composed of 1,050 individual Essences who have lived on the physical plane and now teach from another plane. One of the most basic and important principles of the teaching is that it is not a religion or a belief system. Michael encourages their students to self validate all of the information they receive. The system was originally in print in over 12 volumes of information. “My studies of this material have been extensive and now I offer what I have learned to my students” Jim Ventura (Old Scholar). The classes will help you to use and understand the material without the need to read all the out-of-print books.

Saturday mornings 10 am till noon March 9, 16, 23, 30th and April . $90.00 for all five classes ($80.00 pre-paid and for current Regular clients). Maximum of 8 students for this home class (one student may call in out-of-area on speaker phone) and minimum of 4 sign-ups to hold the classes. A $20 deposit is required to hold your space in this series.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Gandhi

Private Parties

I am available to do private parties with “mini readings” for your guests. Parties can be booked with either 20, 30 or 45 minute session blocks. Many of the different oracles I work with can be chosen for your specific event.

The parties are a fun way to enable family and friends to become more comfortable with the benefits of oracle readings. I have done many of these parties in the past and they are truly memorable events for all of the guests.

Minimum and maximum numbers of readings are required to book a party. If more than the minimum is booked than the host gets his/her session free! $50.00 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a party date.  20 minute sessions for $30.00. 30 minute sessions for $45.00. Call or email me for more information. Any home parties booked in December 2012 or January 2013 are $40 for 30 minute sessions!

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle, and the other is as if everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

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

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.

All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices below.

All sessions/readings for 2013 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). 

I accept cash, checks, debit cards, Master Card, Visa, and PayPal for payments on sessions and for books and classes. Send me your birth month and year to get added to the yearly Birthday mailer promotion.

End of newsletter Special

You can have a New Year overview session to look at primary themes, challenges, and opportunities for the coming year. One symbol from each of the many different oracles I read will be pulled to highlight 2013 for you!

Angel card

Viking Rune stone

Druid animal totem

Lakota Indian card

Egyptian Cartouche

Tarot Archetype

Your session can be a 45 minute or full 70 minute reading. Mention the end of the newsletter special and you get $15 off of my listed prices (normally subscribers get $5 off) for booking this session in January of 2013 only. Email or call to set up your appointment.

December 2012 Snake Oil/Jim Ventura blog

Snake Oil  Tinfoil Covering The Baby Jesus (one of my first Snake Oil’s from back in 2003!)

I grew up in a large Catholic family where Christmas rituals were an important part of our holiday experience. Amidst the craziness of Santa Claus, Christmas shopping and stuffing our faces full of sugar through most of December, our family still celebrated “the true meaning of Christmas.” It was the time when Christ the savior was born. Like almost every child raised in a Christian home, we were taught the importance of remembering “the truth” about Christmas. Even from what we believed to be our enlightened perspective, we were still all about the indulgence that Christmas seemed to usher in, and as a child I loved every minute of it.

During the holidays, atop the television set was placed a small figurine of the baby Jesus. The figurine was part of a nativity scene. In our family we placed a piece of tinfoil over the small statue. My mother explained this practice to us: “until Christmas Day comes, Jesus had not yet been born.” She would inevitably ask us each Christmas morning if we had pulled the tinfoil off of Jesus before we began opening our presents. We never remembered. The excitement and lure of greedily tearing open presents far outweighed any interest in mom's custom. Still, we dutifully faked reverence in front of Mom, pulling off the tinfoil only to instantly place all of our attention back to the presents.

Young children, understandably, aren't into philosophy, morality, and religious rituals. As a child, most of the things I was taught about Christian teachings weren't really interesting and were often scary. Pictures of Christ nailed to a cross with bleeding hands and feet were horrifying. The picture common in Christian homes of Christ praying with a huge beating, burning heart in his chest terrified me. To please my mother, I pretended to be interested in the Bible. Our children's Bible was illustrated with pictures that mostly gave me nightmares. Stories and pictures of pestilence, lepers, children being sacrificed, people dying and a man who was hung to die on a cross did not make for comfortable bedtime stories.

Understanding parables, Christ's message of love, and other biblical stories can be excellent ways to connect to our spiritual sides. Young children, though, simply are not ready for this type of thing. I can safely guarantee that any child of any religion that is happy about learning this stuff is faking it to please their parents or guardians. Young children are not able to grasp the significance of spiritual teachings, and that is exactly as it should be. Why not let children enjoy Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and all the fun stuff until they are old enough to grasp the deeper meanings of religion and spirituality?

Even as we approach our forties, around Christmas, my little sister and I still tease each other about whether we have pulled the tinfoil off of the baby Jesus. We playfully and sarcastically joke about this and some of the other bizarre rituals we were taught. Maybe we haven't really grown up yet, maybe and hopefully we never will.

Jim Ventura 10-2003

Editors note:

We are smack in the middle of the holiday season again! This one came in fast. Keeping with the nature of the Universal year of “5” in Numerology and its rapid pace, push for change, and turbulence, it is likely to end with a bang. Whether you are happy about it or not, the world will not come to an end because Obama was reelected, the Mayan calendar said it would, the economy is still struggling, or any number of other reasons why we were told it would! The Universal energy of the “6” in the coming year will feel quite a bit different as the focus shifts to service, home, family, and creating harmony. The holiday season, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, are good reminders to prioritize the value of family (the ones we were born into or the ones we more consciously chose later on in life with our partners and friends!) and celebrating in harmony. While Christ was probably not born in December, we can see Christmas as a reminder to celebrate the energy of compassion, love, and the healing energy of kindness that the Christ energy represents. Plus having an excuse to be indulgent temporarily has its own benefits! 

I am offering a gift certificate special this month for everyone who is currently receiving my monthly column, My current subscribers always get $5 off listed prices on sessions, but for the month of December 2012 everyone can purchase gift certificates for themselves or friends and family for any sessions I offer (good for one full year once purchased) for $15.00 off my listed prices on 45 and 70 minute sessions, and $20 off extended 90 minute sessions! In addition, purchasing three or more will get you an additional 10 percent off your total cost. We often are inclined to give someone a “thing” as a gift. Sometimes this can be awesome and appropriate, but consider the benefit of giving the gift of a session (or opportunities to use personal training sessions, massage, manicure etc...). Often the increased knowledge about ourselves and the transformative power of a session will be far more appreciated and may even help change someone’s life! Check out the information about purchasing holiday gift certificates later on in this newsletter.

I have scheduled Michael classes here in my home beginning in March of 2012. I will also be posting a few other classes for the spring and summer in my January newsletter. I am in the process of recording some of my classes (including the Michael classes) on CD at this time. This will enable you to take my classes at home at your leisure. More information about these will come in the next few months. Wishing everyone Happy holidays and a Happy New year! Cheers. Jim V

Gift certificates:

The holidays are approaching. Give a gift to someone you love that they will really appreciate: a reading/personal session with Jim Ventura. All gift certificates purchased from now until December 31 st., will be at a discounted rate for all of my clients who are currently on my mailing list (Snake Oil) $15.00 off my normal prices  on 45 and 70 minute sessions, $20 off extended 90 minute sessions! Price list for services are at the end of this newsletter. The gift certificates are good for one full year and can be used any time in 2013. I will either mail them to you or, if you prefer, mail them directly to the people who you want to receive them (snail mail or email). You may want to buy a gift certificate(s) for yourself as well - do you know anyone else who deserves a gift as much as you do? You can purchase up to four gift certificates at this rate until the end of the year. Sessions can be in person or by phone for out-of-area clients.

You can also add a copy of my first book or audio DVD version of Dirty Little Secrets, or Snake Oil Volume One for an extra $12.00 (includes tax) ($3.00 more for shipping) if you want to sweeten the package. Order both books and shipping is free! ($24.00 total) Email or call to purchase your Gift Certificates. This discount offer is good until December 31st of 2012. 

*If anyone in your family has recently had a new addition (child) a 45 minute Astrology chart is also a great gift idea. Understanding our own Astrology, (or the people we care about) is beneficial in so many ways. I often get letters from people telling me how useful and “right-on” the chart interpretation I did for their son/daughter 10 years ago... 

“When you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.” Vera Nazarian

“Knowing others is Wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” Lao Tzu

Snake Oil Radio

Every Thursday at 3:30 pm (there will be three live broadcasts this month)

My next live broadcast of Snake Oil Radio will be Thursday, December 6th, at 2:30 p.m. (MST - First show of the month will be an hour earlier than usual, but will go back to starting at 3:30 for the rest of the month). Every Thursday 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. Halfway though the show you can even ask me for a free 5 minute mini reading with your personal question. 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).

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.

Join me for a special interview show with Soul Usher Elizabeth Dahlmeier.  Elizabeth’s bio:

From an early age, I knew I wanted to help others heal their wounds and reach their potential.  

I became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and worked with folks in the capacity of helping them heal their wounds for 20 years.  This began to take a toll on me, so I closed my practice and moved out of town.  I am now embracing my new path, taking it one step at a time.

On this new path, I call myself a Soul Usher - ushering souls into life (birth), out of life (death), and through every stage of life (daily living).  I'm passionate about helping people find and understand why they are here on Earth, and what they have to contribute that the rest of us need and want.

There are many tools available for helping people understand their hearts and souls in a deeper way.

~Working with individuals, couples and groups as a SoulCollage(R) Facilitator - awakening inner intuition through mindfulness and art.  

~I believe we can release and shift energy as easily as "blowing smoke," so I do a type of healing of mind, body, heart and spirit through a combination of Energy Movement, Breathing and Body Tapping. 

~Using more traditional coaching tools, people can discover their passion, write a mission statement, make vision boards, and have accountability for the commitments they make to themselves.

~I collaborate with an Astrologer, Arlene Hougland, who has discovered a method of identifying the Soul's Purpose through a specific point on the Natal Chart.  We facilitate workshops together to help people gain clarity and a deeper understanding of this energy.  It's amazing how knowing this can change a

person's life, get them on a path that aligns the mind, body, spirit.

~ I also collaborate with an Angel Communicator and Intuitive Artist.  We facilitate workshops to help people connect and interact with their Angels.  A very transformative experience!  We are never alone and we are loved SO much more than we have the capacity to comprehend.

“Start viewing your problems as decisions that need to be made.” Dick Sutphen

Spring Classes

MICHAEL MATERIAL

* What is your soul age? The soul age of friends and family ?

* How do past lifetimes influence us in the present ?

* What does karma feel like, and how does it work ?

* How does your chief negative feature impact your life, and can it be changed?

* What happens when your partner is an idealist and you are a realist ?

* What is your life goal? Is it dominance, acceptance, flow or submission ?

*What is your essence, your soul mate’s essence ? Artisan, priest, king, server, sage, warrior or scholar ?

* What is a soul mate, task companion, heart link ?

* What do the higher centers feel like?

After this workshop you will understand all of these questions and many more, and more importantly have the answers.

There are no tests to pass, just some great information. 5 classes, 2 hours each.

What is the Michael teaching?

The main goal of the Michael teaching is agape or unconditional love. The teaching views life as a learning game in which fragments of the Tao - that essential part of each human being - set up lessons which continue over lifetimes. These lessons are learned via the personality which Essence chooses each lifetime. Michael teaches us what the components of the personality are so that we can learn to use and see these components in ourselves and in others. In that way we can learn to understand why human beings behave as they do. Michael is composed of 1,050 individual Essences who have lived on the physical plane and now teach from another plane. One of the most basic and important principles of the teaching is that it is not a religion or a belief system. Michael encourages their students to self validate all of the information they receive. The system was originally in print in over 12 volumes of information. “My studies of this material have been extensive and now I offer what I have learned to my students” Jim Ventura (Old Scholar). The classes will help you to use and understand the material without the need to read all the out of print books.

Saturday mornings 10 am till noon March 9, 16, 23, 30th and April . $90.00 for all five classes ($80.00 pre-paid and for current Regular clients). Maximum of 8 students for this home class (one student may call in out-of-area on speaker phone) and minimum of 4 sign ups to hold the classes. A $20 deposit is required to hold your space in this series.

Private Parties

I am available to do private parties with “mini readings” for your guests. Parties can be booked with either 20, 30 or 45 minute session blocks. Many of the different oracles I work with can be chosen for your specific event.

The parties are a fun way to enable family and friends to become more comfortable with the benefits of oracle readings. I have done many of these parties in the past and they are truly memorable events for all of the guests.

Minimum and maximum numbers of readings are required to book a party. If more than the minimum is booked than the host gets his/her session free! $50.00 non-refundable deposit is required to hold a party date.  20 minute sessions for $30.00. 30 minute sessions for $45.00. Call or email me for more information. Any home parties booked in December 2012 or january 2013 are $40 for 30 minute sessions!

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

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 also get you even more extra’s and first shot at reading specials.

All Current Snake Oil subscribers get $5.00 off all listed prices below.

All sessions/readings for 2012-2013 are: Full (70 minutes) $110.00; Shorter session (45 minutes) $80.00;  Extended (90 minutes) $130.00 (two people can split an extended session back to back for $65.00 each). 

I accept cash, checks, debit cards, Master Card, Visa, and PayPal for payments on sessions and for books and classes. Send me your Birthday month and year to get added to the yearly Birthday mailer promotion.

December extra:

“The Mechanics of Experience: Your world and everything in it exists first in the imagination. You have been taught to focus all of your attention upon physical events, so that they carry the authenticity of reality for you. Thoughts, feelings, or beliefs appear to be secondary, subjective-or somehow not real-and they seem to rise in response to an already established field of data. 

You usually think, for example, that your feelings about a given event are primarily reactions to the event itself. It seldom occurs to you that the feelings themselves might be primary, and that the particular event was somehow a response to your emotions, rather than the other way around. The all-important matter of your focus is largely responsible for your interpretation of any event...”

“Even those of you who intellectually agree that you form your own reality find it difficult to accept emotionally in certain areas. You are, of course, literally hypnotized into believing that your feelings arise in response to events. Your feelings, however, cause the events you perceive. Secondarily, you do of course then react to those events..” From The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events by Jane Roberts.

The ideas expressed here can be really exciting to grasp when we have something “good” happen in our lives, yet can be an uncomfortable consideration when we experience “bad” events. In personal sessions, when I read Tarot cards for myself or clients, I remind them that the patterns in the cards are simply representations of probable events from your current perspective in your reality creating process. We can change our reality anytime (and often do so without realizing that we did!) when we recognize what is working and what may not be working. This is where the benefits of card readings and other Oracles can be of real value. Not so much in the predictions that are shown, (even though they can often be surprisingly accurate) but in the awakening of your ability to see where you may be blocked in the way you are both looking at something and at the same time creating it! The best part of this recognition is for the most part, anything you have created by your beliefs can also changed for the better. This is where Oracles can be of extreme value. We can see what patterns we are in the process of creating and this can help us navigate and direct our abilities to change what we find is not working for us! Jim V