December 2016 Snake Oil/Tinfoil Covering The Baby Jesus

Snake Oil/  Tinfoil Covering The Baby Jesus

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.

Very 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. 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 we never will.

Jim Ventura 10-2003

Notes:

My mention that I am “approaching” my forties should tell you how old this Snake Oil is. I passed my 40s and I’m in the hanging out in the fifty zone now. I am going to stop at age fifty for a few years though. It seems like a cliche to say this, but the holiday season really came fast! It is hard to believe it is December already. I do like the holiday season though, so no complaints coming from my end. I really enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas! This is the gift giving and receiving season so I am offering my biggest gift certificate offer to end 2016 with a bang! All in-office or phone consult sessions (or gift certificates purchased) are $10 off my listed rates from December 1st through December 31st of 2016. Local in office clients can also take an additional $5 off my listed rates for cash or check payments as well. If you purchase a second gift certificate to use for yourself later in the year or for a gift to a friend, the second session is $20 off. If you purchase a third gift certificate that one is $30 off! All 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions purchased can take advantage of the discount. The special ends on December 31st 2016. More information later in the newsletter about this and another special.  

I have mentioned this before, but worth another mention. If your email address is cox.net, I get a bounce back from some or all of these addresses about every 4-5 months. The translation is, you will miss about 2 monthly columns each year. I would suggest a gmail, or yahoo email (no cost) to switch over to. Not sure what the cox issue is but it is frustrating. If an email bounces back two months in a row (for any email address) I have to remove you from my mailing list. 

Like most people, I am glad this mud-slinging election is finally over. Whether you’re happy with the outcome or disturbed by the results, it is time to move forward. Below is the Angel message card I drew on the afternoon of Election day. I felt a heaviness in the air that felt similar to the energy I felt around 9-11. I wasn’t sure completely whether Clinton would win and there would be some real ugliness stemming from people on the far right, or if Trump would win and anger would surface from people on the far left. Whatever side you are on with this issue, this election was very close. This shows how divided the country still is. Rather than berate people who were on the “losing side” or the “winning side”of this election, understanding and kindness are a good way to go. You can still disagree with something, and point out ways, and even act to make healthy changes (often this is realistically necessary) without the need for excessive anger and attacking others. I would really, really recommend this perspective. Not always easy to do (been working on this myself), whether around the matter of the results of this election OR in your own personal life, this perspective is a far better way to focus. Jim V

“See Only Love

Look past the seeming errors, mistakes, and misunderstandings, and see only the love within each person (including yourself). Your resolute focus upon the love that underlies every situation brings about healing in un-dreamed of ways.”

The angels gave you this card as a reminder to see yourself, others, and every situation through their eyes. When you focus on love, anything that’s unloving falls away. It’s like turning on a light to diminish the previous darkness. Call upon the angels whenever you need to elevate your vision to a more loving vantage point.
Look past the personalities and egos of others, and see the angel within them (the angels can help you with this if it seems difficult). Forgive. Release anger, hurt, or judgment to the angels. Affirm what you desire, instead of what you fear.”
Doreen Virtue

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year! Cheers, Jim V 

“I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.” Unknown

“Each solstice is a domain of experience unto itself. At the Summer Solstice, all is green and growing, potential coming into being, the miracle of manifestation painted large on the canvas of awareness. At Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow.” Gary Zukav

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.

“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.

December 1st through 31st 2016 Special:

All new clients and returning clients can take $10 off my listed rates for all 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. Local in-office clients can also take advantage $5 off if you would like to pay for your session by cash or check. I do, of course happily accept debit and credit card payments although the additional $5 discount will not apply.  Email me at Venturasag@yahoo.com to book your session this month. 

December Gift certificates Special: $10-$30 off all sessions!

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 the clients who are currently on my mailing list (receiving Snake Oil or following me on FaceBook). 

Special rate:

$10.00 off my current listed prices for both 45, 70, and 90 minute sessions. If you purchase 2 gift certificates the second gift certificate is $20 off my listed prices. If you purchase a third it will be $30 off that one! 

Price list for services are at the end of this newsletter and on my website. The gift certificates are good for one full year and can be used any time in December 2016 and all of 2017. 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 friends, family or for yourself to be used anytime in 2017.  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, including tax. ($3.00 shipping charge is waived for the month of December!) If you want to sweeten the package. Order both books and shipping is also free! ($24.00 total for a copy of each) Email or call to purchase your Gift Certificates. This discount offer is good until December 31st of 2016. 

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." --Eleanor Roosevelt

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, December 8th. at 3:30 p.m. mountain 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 the site and type “Snake Oil” into the search option.You can also go to the shows that are currently “On air” at that time and find me. The call in number is 646-200-3966 for questions and comments.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, or won. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley

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 2016 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. 

November 2016 Snake Oil/Owning Our Dark Parts

Snake Oil/Owning Our Dark Parts

The amount of angry and darker energy in society seems to be far more notable than usual. The strong opinions, frustration, and discomfort about who will be our next president, racial issues, financial disparities, and a long list of other issues seems more toxic, and polarizing than usual. While social media contributes to an increased beneficial awareness about many, many issues, it can also highlight some of the less attractive aspects of our friends and family members. One of my Facebook friends that I more often than not politically disagree with posted some pictures and a story that clearly, angered him. A Brazilian man holding his small dog had posted a video of him repeatedly smacking the animal. The dog whimpered in terror, not sure whether to fight back or be submissive in hopes that his owner would stop the abuse. Like any “child” would respond to a guardian beating them senselessly, the dog feared losing the love of his master while at the same time struggling with the need for survival. The Brazilian man posted his video a few weeks before. The post my friend actually placed was from two weeks after this. It was images of  the dog abuser’s severely beaten face after two men found him and beat the shit of of him for what he did to this poor, defenseless dog. I felt conflicted emotions from seeing this. I almost never condone the use of violence. I believe the idea of abuse toward animals and children is particularly reprehensible. I am also not a fan of abuse toward adults either, even when they seemingly “deserve it.” Yet a part of me was really happy to see this man get the beating he received. I found myself on the same page as my angry friends position. I honestly might have done the same thing to him if I found him. This realization disturbed me as much as the video. 

I have never been one to abuse others physically. It has been rare for me to abuse someone verbally either especially because I have grown mellower with age. On the contrary, I have more often taken the role of big brother and protector when I encountered someone abusing anyone I care about. Notably when I was younger I saved many “wounded birds.” While I am built for potential physical warfare my strongest weapon has always been my words. I can cut through an abuser like a verbal blade that has been sharpened to a razor. Like most people I did a few questionable things in my younger days that I am not particularly proud of, yet I learned early on about the repercussions of using my power this way. Having power and using it are very different considerations. I am very aware of what happens when we act inappropriately. Whether one believes in karma or not, it is still a reality. Abuse or treat others cruelly and it will come back to you. What disturbed me so much after seeing the video was feeling those ugly, vengeful, retaliating thoughts surfacing in me again. I felt I had long ago conquered this darker part of me. 

When we understand the chakra or energy centers of the body we get a clearer picture of how humans operate. There are seven chakras, or energy centers. There are many theories that there are more like 12, but for our purposes we will focus on the seven. The root chakra is at the base of our spine and stores our most primal parts and keeps us grounded to the Earth. It is responsible for our fight or flight response and essentially holds our survival urges and much of the darker and “animal” parts as well. The second chakra is our sexual center located in around the groin area. It is the part of us that works to balance personal relationships. The third chakra is just above our belly button and is our power center. It is the part of us that digests our ability to use and direct power. The fourth chakra is our heart chakra. The fifth chakra around the throat is our communication center. The sixth chakra is our third eye. The seventh chakra connects us to God, Goddess, Tao, All That Is, and our spiritual center. Thorough a process of spiritual evolution, and as our soul gets older, wiser, and evolves through our reincarnation cycles we find ourselves having more access to all seven centers.

The root chakra is where our survival instincts are centered. The willingness and need to survive at all costs is part of our grounding and also houses much of our fears. As each chakra opens we become more balanced and have more access to things like empathy and understanding while still retaining our ability to survive. Unfortunately when the Higher centers are not in play this may lead to sometimes succumbing to our darker impulses. Anger, urges to retaliate, hurt other living things, jealousy, greed, and even unspeakable cruelty can sometimes run the show when we only respond from a guttural level. The heart chakra needs to be activated and open for us to feel empathy and love. Our throat chakra when opened, helps us to communicate more effectively with others. It can also help us to develop humor and disrupt our darker urges this way. Our third eye, or sixth Chakra when opened allows us to see the bigger picture and not get too caught up in the “small stuff.” Our seventh Chakra connects us to spirit and the God force itself. When we develop our spiritual sides our chakras open and we are able to stay more centered, temperate, and balanced. It also becomes easier to recognize when people have some of their higher charkas closed off, or have not yet opened them at all.  

We are understandably horrified at times by the things we see on the television news and many of the multitudes of other news outlets available. Murder, rape, thievery, slander, and other horrible elements can seem to be far too rampant. Yet, we all have experienced times where some of these types of darker impulses may have been considered in the heat of anger. Hopefully we may be wise enough to not act on these impulses, but when someone cuts us off on the highway we might imagine the potential satisfaction of ramming their car off the bridge, or a cop pulling them over so they get “what they deserve.” Few of us haven’t considered the impulse to get back at someone who humiliates us or treats us in any type of cruel way. No matter how much we may love our mate, if someone extremely attractive flirts with us, we may truly consider what it would be like to be with them. We would be liars if we claimed we have never had these, similar, and possibly even darker thoughts. In astrology Scorpio’s (and the 8th house) placement in our natal chart shows where we can use power effectively or with negative intent. It shows where we have been tested and also where we can potentially evolve to the highest level. I have often joked with my friends and clients who are in really bad relationships to simply put a little bit of arsenic or other less traceable poison on a sugar cookie each day until they slowly take their obnoxious mate out. I have used dark humor at times this way. In no way would I EVER suggest someone actually do this. A much better solution is to face your fear, develop self-esteem and leave an abusive relationship. Still, humor is a powerful tool in discharging anger, hurt, and frustration. 

I remember when I was a young man in Catholic school and was told that even if you think a dark thought you have committed a “sin.” This, of course made me think I was a really terrible person because I had quite a few dark thoughts. When I began to study metaphysics I started to understand how truly ridiculous this perspective was. It was also a tactic to keep people in a perpetual state of artificial guilt. Going to church or confession was the only “appropriate” way to balance and clear our darker parts. Sometimes people who are extremely religious are drawn to fundamentalism precisely because in their past they have acted on some of their darker thoughts. The projection of judging other people’s sins becomes the obsessive focus. On the other hand there are also religious people who have opened their sixth and seventh chakras and are drawn to express their connection to God in this way. Everyone expresses their spirituality in their own way. And some people are not focused on their spiritual sides at all!

Owning our dark places is actually healthy. Learning how to NOT act on those aspects is an element of spiritual evolution and the result of opening all of the chakras. We become aware logically, emotionally, and spiritually that when we hurt others and act on our darker thoughts we create karma. We begin to feel uncomfortable when we retaliate as opposed to feeling triumphant. We stay bound to this world with repeated themes of karmic creation and resolution until we learn and grow. Rather than becoming depressed when we see others doing horrific things, we can learn to see the larger picture. Everyone around us is at a different levels of spiritual and soul evolution. Some baby, and younger souls are focused on creating karma for experience and to eventually resolve these karmic debts, while others are paying off karma (burning ribbons). Everything is eventually balanced karmically: no one “gets away” with anything. Societies laws of punishment for crimes do not alter the inevitable arranging of karmic balance. Every soul will eventually evolve, some just do it very, very, slowly. 

When our chakras are open we will find ourselves moving away from those who are more closed down. We may even find that people we were once really connected to no longer feel comfortable to us. It is right and natural to move away from people we don’t “vibe’ with. The man who abused the dog will eventually have to resolve his crime at a soul level. It is likely that he was betrayed by someone close to him for his loyalty. The twisted urge to beat and abuse a dog (an animal that embodies the very archetype of loyalty) was his distorted attempt to fight back. This doesn’t excuse his atrocious behavior, it simply explains it (sixth chakra stuff here). Of course, no matter what “crime” this dog committed was ultimately an act of innocence. Like everyone, our darker thoughts sometimes surface. We can still enjoy a movie or television show about fighting back against an oppressor. We can understand that our darker parts are part of us. We don’t have to get caught up in some holier than though new age nonsense about seeing the Higher centers as “better.” Opening our Higher centers is not about overcoming our lower energy centers. It’s about integrating all aspects of ourselves and simply making better choices about what right action truly is. 

Jim Ventura 10-2016

Notes:

This column marks my 100th Snake Oil! Well, there are actually a few more but a few never made it to print because I am fussy and have three planets in Virgo; very much a perfectionist. Some stuff just didn’t make the cut. I have been doing this column now since 2003, so I started writing it in my 20s. If you buy that math you are missing the Sagittarius tendency to exaggerate things sometimes!

It actually took me some time to write this month’s column. It is a complicated subject to talk about to say the least. I was initially hesitant to focus on a month or so of looking at our dark places. After finishing, I was glad to have accomplished tackling the subject though. I pretty much proved part of my point that owning our dark parts is a healthy thing to do. 

Holiday season is approaching. I plan to navigate this one without having to go an extra loop or two on my belt! Well I usually plan that every year, just often it doesn’t pan out. My Taurus moon loves the decadence. Mmmm cookies, cake, turkey, lasagna ahead...Workouts will have to get longer and more frequent, just too much good stuff not have a little or a lot of! 

Wishing Everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! And may you have a year ahead of lots to be thankful for! Cheers, Jim V

“In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” Brennan Manning

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.

Michael on Choice:

“...If there is a ‘purpose to life’ it is choice. You are here to choose. All of life is a series of choices, and even when choice is abdicated, it is choice. Where life choice is denied, there is karma, and karma will be balanced. The ribbon*1 will be burned, for that is the nature of evolution. Choice will lead to karma and choice will lead to its burning. This is not a contradiction. Personality may choose to abdicate the burning of karma in a given incarnation, but essence will eventually choose the Over-leaves*2 and circumstances that will permit the release that comes from burning karma, for that is part of evolution, and essence, by its very nature, seeks evolution. Choice is the manifestation of evolution for fragments on the physical plane.

There is no part of life that is not, in fact, a choice. It is choice to get out of bed in the morning. To have coffee or any other beverage at breakfast-if you choose to eat breakfast. It is a choice to conduct your day in whatever means you choose, and what degree of importance the day has in your sense of your life. What entertainment, if any, you choose for evening; what meals, if any, are consumed; when and if you sleep, with what or whom-all these are choices, and all choices are valid. That you may or may not be pleased with the choices is another matter, and one that is linked with your recognition and validation of the nature of your true personality after the completion of the internal fourth monad.*3 While we agree that the choices of life impose certain constraints on the personality and the life, we would also wish to point out that acceptance of those constraints is, for the most part, also the result of choice. 

That enculturated behavior limits the experience of the personality, both true and false, is to some extent valid. That convenience is as much an aspect as any in most daily choices is also valid. All experiences are part of evolution, even the experience of burning the toast or spilling the wine. Each of you becomes the sum total of all experiences, no matter how apparently minor or trivial, in this and all other lives. We do not say this to be daunting but to assure you that there are no ‘unimportant’ choices; we have said before and we will certainly reiterate many times again: Nothing is wasted. Nothing can be wasted. All of life is valid. No matter how it is spent. All experience contributes to the evolution of essence...”Form Michael’s People Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

*1 Ribbon: Michael's term for binding agreements created through karma (karma is created when we remove another individuals right to choose)

*2 Overleaves: Life goal, mode, attitude, centering, and chief feature we choose each lifetime.

* Monad: Achievement of a unit of life experience. Generally corresponding to around ages 35-40.

New Client Special:

January 1st 2016 thru November 30th 2016 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.

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

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 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 the site and type “Snake Oil” into the search option.You can also go to the shows that are currently “On air” at that time and find me. The call in number is 646-200-3966 for questions and comments.

“Many of the most deeply spiritual moments of my life haven’t happened just in my mind or in my soul. They happened while holding my son in the middle of the night, or watching the water break along the shore, or around my table, watching the people I love feel nourished in all sorts of ways.” Shauna Niequist

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 2016 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. 

October 2016 Snake Oil/Finishing Another Chapter

Snake Oil 

Finishing another chapter (This column originally ran in March of 2011)

It was perfect cosmic timing. I had planned to drive to Las Vegas for a much needed vacation a few Sundays ago. Right before I left for my Vegas trip I stopped at the restaurant I had worked at for the last two years for the very last time. The owner and his wife were packing up everything of value to take back with them to Arkansas. He gave me my last paycheck in cash, and said goodbye. It was bittersweet. While working there for two years (2009-2011) had been filled with its share of drama and ups and downs, overall it was mostly a positive experience for me. I liked the owner, and his wife and considered them to be my friends. They had put more than two years of their hopes and dreams and a considerable amount of hard work into the success of the Pasta Palace. The restaurant had gotten mostly excellent reviews. The majority of our customers raved about the food and were often tempted to lick their bowls clean. Homemade pasta, a talented chef, and local farm raised ingredients were a winning formula. There were problems that contributed to the restaurant’s demise. Summers were typically not very prosperous seasons in the restaurant business and 2010 saw one of its worst ever. In fact, it seemed by December of that year we were still struggling to stay afloat. The expected busy season never really came. The owner was slowly going broke. Phoenix’s downtown scene was hit hard economically. Aside from people being cautious about spending money in general, Arizona’s current governor’s hardball stance on immigration dramatically reduced the amount of visitors that normally came to visit the city. Hotel stays, conventions and the money that came with them were way down because people and some companies were boycotting the city. In addition, ridiculous city taxes and blunders by the city itself also contributed to difficulties experienced downtown by many of the bars and restaurants. Some mistakes were made internally by the management and owner, and this all contributed to one of Phoenix’s best restaurants permanently closing its doors.

I arrived at 7:30 am and the owner had already been there for two hours. He and his wife were pragmatically moving everything of value into a moving truck and planned to head back home permanently. Very few words came to mind that morning. I wanted to say something inspirational to him and was usually good at doing things like that, yet in this case, however, nothing came to mind. I was feeling very emotional and that was not helping “the right words” to come through. I was one of the few remaining original staff. I had been part of this restaurant family three to five days and nights a week for a little over two years. I was not only losing some very helpful extra income, but also saying goodbye to some good friends and a home I had been very comfortably part of for some time. I have never been good with emotional scenes, so I simply hugged the owner, said goodbye, and got in my car to drive my four and a half hour trip to Las Vegas.

The moment I got safely into my car was when the tears began to flow. It was sad to witness a friend’s dream coming to an end. I was depressed about the end of working in a really fun place and saying goodbye to a good part time job. Months before he closed, I knew the restaurant was really struggling with making a profit and I knew that it would probably close. My card readings suggested it, and I could practically see that there was no way the owner could continue to operate in such conditions. He had been “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” and I’m sure he was exhausted. Not only was I saying goodbye to some good friends, but I was also experiencing another ending. It was probable that I would no longer work in this field ever again. I have been in and out of the restaurant business for almost thirty years. I started as a busboy in the Bethpage state park golf course in New York at the age of sixteen. Since that time, I have waited tables and tended bar in more than a dozen different places. There were many endings happening that morning and it was more than a little overwhelming. I experienced intense waves of emotion more than a few times on my drive to Vegas. 

One of the things I have always liked about the business is something most people actually don’t like. It was the fluctuating stream that was so appealing. Some shifts you make $8.00 and then the next one could be $280.00. The gambler in me always enjoyed the surprise. Working odd hours and not doing nine-to-five has helped me to stay away from the normal work stream. This had given me more time to pursue my creative interests. Best of all, the majority of people in the restaurant business are also creative, open-minded, eccentric, and interesting to say the least. This business seems to pull in a larger share than average of mature and old souls, my kind of people. Some of the friends I have met in the many different restaurants have become lifetime friends. The ones I have lost touch with still pop into my weird computer bank memory from time to time. 

As I made my way north to Nevada I had a flood of different memories. I remembered the close friends I worked with at two different restaurant chains when I still lived on Long Island. I met so many lovable characters and made frequent trips to the Huntington diner after our shifts. I was in my early twenties at that time, smoked a good amount of pot and did my share of drinking with some of my fellow restaurant friends. I made good money, had some real fun and occasionally pushed the limits with my “bad boy stuff.” I made a whole bunch of new friends when I moved to Arizona and began to work in a cheesy prime rib hotel restaurant. Nearly every night we hung out after our shifts and drank Bailey’s and coffee by the huge fire pit. Some of those friends became roommates and supported me during some really tough times. I remembered the French restaurant I worked at for seven years. Each night after our shift we had a family style dinner. I learned about great wine and cognacs and really got to develop a taste for gourmet food. I had been part of that family for a long time. My emotions were on overload as I got closer to Nevada. So many funny memories, interesting people, supportive friends, and positive experiences that spanned three decades. I have always been blessed with an abundance of friends and the places I worked had provided the majority of them. It was incredible when I thought about how many different friends and family work environments I had been a part of over the years. A few of the people remain close to me and I still fondly remember many of the ones I have lost contact with as well. I could see how each person I knew in all of the different places I had worked had influenced who I now am, and I am sure I have done the same for many of them.

When I first realized that the Pasta Palace was going to close I began to panic a little. I would be losing nearly a third of my current income. Even though I had options for other part-time restaurant jobs, I felt no desire to pursue them now. It was time to go in a different direction. There were books to finish and new ones to start. It was time to put myself out into the world in a bigger way and expand the amount of clients I could help with navigational consultations. I knew exactly what I needed to do and had the courage to do all the things that were necessary to replace the income I would be losing. Better still, I could do it in far less hours than the restaurant hours required to make the same amount of money. Financially I would be fine. The universe would take care of me. My fear about the future passed fairly quickly. Still, my emotional body needed to mourn the loss for a few days. My two years there were beneficial and special and I needed to celebrate my sadness. New chapters in my life would begin. I wasn’t exactly sure how it was going to go, but I knew it would be equally challenging and fun. 

In Lakota Indian teachings, Tate (pronounced Ta-te) is their word for the spirit of wind. Wind reminds us that sometimes we have to make minor or major changes in our lives. When we don’t listen to the gentle nudges of wind, it may have to get very loud and scream at us. Thankfully if we pay attention, Wind can direct us to flow to new places in gentle ways. Tornados and Hurricanes are examples of Wind at its most challenging. Nature can be very loud and even destructive at times, it can shake up larger areas and groups of people. We are a part of nature. When we listen to Tate we can trust the prompts and know that we will be carried to new and fertile ground. I opened my car window and felt the cold morning breeze. It was perfect for me to be mourning my loss as I drove to Las Vegas. This would be followed by checking in to my comped hotel room and experience some fun and luxury for a few days. I would have plenty of good distractions to keep me from thinking about my loss and worrying about tomorrow. This  is one of the many things I love about Las Vegas, I get to be mindless. The fun would help to pull me away from the sadness. Deeper still, as sad as I was to say goodbye to this part of my life, some part of me wanted it to end. I was tired of all of the extra hours I had been putting in, and I think the owner was as well. I had co-created this ending and I have evolved enough to see that there was no victimization in any of it. I had chosen to more forward and manifest abundance in ways that were more fitting for the person I now was. I would joyfully say goodbye and for now, exist between a place where sadness from an ending and excitement for the future co-existed. I would enjoy some good rest and play for a few days and come back looking forward to the excitement of starting the “next chapter.”

Jim Ventura 1-2011

Notes:

This column was originally published back in early 2011. At that time the economy was still a difficult one to deal with. The recession that began in 2008 was far from over. It is hard to believe that I left my final restaurant job six years ago. I still talk to a couple of my co-workers from that place and thanks to face-book I am connected to a number of others. As much as people praise or curse FaceBook, it really has a lot of uses. 

I published Trump’s chart last month and this month we will take a look at Hillary Clintons. Both paint a very accurate picture of their personalities of course. Hillary’s is a bit more contradictory which makes sense in terms of elements of her personality that are noticeable even without being an astrologer! On the other hand my perspective as an astrologer who has studied thousands of different people’s charts so far in my life, Hillary’s moon in Pisces does make a good portion of the scandals and corruption charges a bit less believable to me. I find it hard to swallow the idea that a Pisces can be a complete “bad ass!”  In both practical terms, mathematical probabilities, and looking at her chart versus Trump in terms of upcoming transits and opportunities, it is far, far more likely that she will win this election. Nothing is definite by any means and Trump could still win, but I would put that at about maybe a 15-18 per cent probability. Good chance whether you like her or not, we are about to have our first female president. This aspect is something I think is long overdue. 

While I am not running any specific specials this month (other than Libra birthday promotions) I do still have my New Client Discount Special running until the end of November.  Returning clients who get my monthly Snake Oil newsletter always get $5 off listed rates for 45-90 minute phone or in office sessions. Local in-office clients can also take an additional $5 off session rates for cash or check payments! Current (if you are a Regular Client and it has been over 4 months since your last check-in, I cannot continue to give you Regular Client rates but you are always welcome to book sessions as needed) Regular Clients (in my Regular Client Program) get additional discounts on rates. Just ask and I will send you information about joining the program.  

Fall is here. Absolutely my favorite season for so many different reasons. Happy October! Jim V

 “Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.

Summer passed and one remembers one’s exuberance.

Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.

Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”

Yoko Ono

I posted Donald Trump’s chart last month so here is a look at Hillary Clinton’s.

Hillary Clinton

10-26-1947 8:02 am Chicago Illinois

When an astrologer looks at a natal chart there are many, many aspects to consider to really get an understanding of what contributes to the chart that pinpoints our personalities, talents, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, passions, and what areas (houses) of life we are primarily drawn to for experience and growth. This is a very short report and analysis of Hillary Clinton’s natal chart, with a focus on highlighting some of the most notable aspects and characteristics.

Hillary Clinton's Sun and Ascendant are in Scorpio. The positive side of this is Scorpios tenacious ability to overcome, persevere, and maneuver people and events in their quest to achieving their goals. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and this can create power struggles, and the experience of goals taking longer than one might like, but it also carries the power to overcome obstacles. People tend to perceive people with a lot of Scorpio aspects in their chart as secretive and “up to something” and often they are. This doesn’t necessarily mean that what they are “up to” is necessarily negative. The ability to influence can be something used to inspire and even heal others if used in a positive way. Scorpios positive pole of expression is “I desire” its negative is “I’m suspicious.” A Scorpio ascendant is not an easy rising sign. There will be considerable power struggles to overcome and one can get pulled down into a darker viewpoint along the way. The positive side of this is the potential development of the detective mind, a sharp tongue, tremendous insight, and an ability to find a way to use and channel power.

Her placement of the Sun in the 12th house is not normally one for someone in the spotlight. 12th house Suns often prefer working behind the scenes. The focus is often service, philanthropy, and possibly working with large institutions. The 12th house Sun is a karmic placement usually meaning the need to work through karmic responsibilities from other lifetimes. Developing elements of selflessness and service are necessary to achieve the life task. Mercury (planet of communication and expression) is on her ascendant which makes her analytical, articulate and strengthens her ability to communicate effectively. Venus in Scorpios placement in Scorpio in the 12th house suggests karma around relationships, but also reveals a devoted loyal partner in partnerships.

Jupiter's placement in Sagittarius in her first house does contribute an ability to be optimistic, philosophical and recognizable. This aspect can act as a beneficial influence to counteract some of the more difficult aspects of a Scorpio rising sign. It can also balance the 12th house sun’s urge to be more comfortable behind the scenes and propel her to be a noticeable personality.

Her moon is placed in Pisces in the 4th house of home and family. A moon in Scorpio is often kind and sensitive to others. Pisces moons are often very empathic and tend to be a bit of a soft touch. Pisces sees God in everyone and everything. This can be both a beneficial and troublesome element at the same time. Pisces positive pole is “I believe” its negative is “I escape.” This may account for many people seeing her as hard to reach at times. Pisces often needs to reknit themselves after giving too much. Her lunar placement in the fourth house suggests strong connections to home and family.

Uranus is placed in Libra in the 8th house. This can create an iconoclastic, eccentric, even rebellious interest and style for using personal power. The 8th house is the house of sex, power, shared resources, and transformation. She will gain and use power in this life in unique and possibly eccentric ways. Radical changes in position can break the mold of the life pattern for herself and those around her. Whether one “likes” Hillary or not, the possibility of becoming America’s first female president is a big change to the status quo.

A strong conjunction of Saturn, Mars, and Pluto in Leo in her 9th house suggests a strong interest in philosophy, teaching, knowledge, publishing, and expansion. This is a powerful conjunction and will help influence her ability to be seen as creative and generous with some of the Leo charm often needed for success creatively and in the public eye. This conjunction can also suggest potential scandal and controversy. Leo is often the sign most prone to experiencing slander from others. Her husband Bill Clinton’s natal Sun is in Leo. His Leo charm was notable but at times a magnet to scandal both real and imagined by others. 

Hillary has very little cardinality in her chart. This means leadership doesn’t necessarily come easily but is a needed acquisition in order to accomplish the life purpose. She is strong in her fixed aspects suggesting someone who is extremely perseverant. It would be difficult to ever truly knock her down. A fair amount of mutability shows someone who is adaptive to change and growth as well. There are a number of squares and hard aspects in the chart. Many tests and challenges are likely to be part of her experience in this life. Squares and hard angels create difficulties when we are younger and often produce strength with age. 

A simplified formula for any chart is to look at the three strongest influences in a natal chart: The Sun, Moon, and ascendant. Her sun and ascendant are in the same sign.

Positive use of this combination “I desire.” “I believe.”

Negative use of this combination “I’m suspicious.” “I escape.”

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.

Seth on Gifted children:

“...Gifted children do not fit psychology’s picture. Gifted children do not fit the portrait of children that is sold to parents. The fact is that for many reasons gifted children merely show the latent quickness, metal agility, and curiosity and learning capacity that is inherent in the species. they are not eccentric versions of humanity at all, but instead provide a hint of mankind’s true capacities.

Your brains are not empty, but well-oiled machines ready to whirl into activity at your births. They are provided  with a propensity to learn-and the rudiments of knowledge as you understand it exists within the brain. In those terms, now, the brain thinks before birth. It does not simply react. Each individual has its own unique abilities. Some that involve relationships with others, you do not even have words for. Parents, however often half-disapprove of their children if they show unusual gifts. They are afraid their children will not get along with others. They are upset because the children do not fit the norm-but no child EVER fits ‘the norm.’

Many adults, sensing their own abilities in one field or another, deliberately play down those abilities because they are afraid of standing out from “the masses”-or they are afraid they will be attacked by their peers. They have been taught by religion and science alike that any kind of greatness is suspect. Yet each person alive contains an element of greatness; and more, a desire to fulfill those abilities.

I am not speaking of greatness in terms of fame, or in terms of usually understood artistic or intellectual abilities alone, but also of people whose lives have the capacity for great emotional content. I am speaking also of other natural abilities-that of dream communication, the conscious utilization of dreams and creatively in daily life. There are dimensions of human sentiment and psychological experience that remain latent simply because you focus your attention so closely within the idea of ‘the norm.’ Any unofficial experience must then remain bizarre, eccentric, outside of your main concerns, and ignored by your sciences.

Many children, for that matter, who are regarded by their teachers, are highly gifted. The same also applies to disruptive children, who are overactive, and put on drugs. Their rebellion is quite natural. Autistic children, in many cases, now, are those who have picked up the idea that the world is so unsafe that it is better not to communicate with it at all, as long as their demands or needs are being met. When the child is fed and clothed and cared for, then it continues its behavior, and the behavior itself does serve its needs.

The child feels that it is not safe to interact with the world, however. No one is going to deprive a child of food, and yet can be used in such cases, in terms perhaps of treats, if the child must ask for them, or in some way indicate a choice. Autistic children are afraid of making choices. Some of this is often picked up from the parents, so that the child can be highly intelligent, however.

To some extent, such a child symbolizes what happens when an individual believes that he or she is unworthy, that he or she cannot trust impulses, that choices present more problems than advantages. That is is safer to hide abilities than it is to use them. Life is expression....”

Jane Roberts (channeling Seth) The Individual and the nature of mass events.

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up? Chuck Palahniuk

New Client Special:

January 1st 2016 thru November 30th 2016 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.

“I love the arrival of a new season-each one bringing with it its own emotion: spring is full of hope; summer is freedom; autumn is a colorful release, and winter brings an enchanting peace. It’s hard to pick which one I enjoy the most-each time the new one arrives, I remember its beauty and forget the previous one whose qualities have started to dim.” Giovanna Fletcher

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 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 the site and type “Snake Oil” into the search option.You can also go to the shows that are currently “On air” at that time and find me. The call in number is 646-200-3966 for questions and comments.

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. 

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All sessions/readings for 2016 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.