Snake Oil is a monthly internet column that began in 2003. Professional soothsayer Jim Ventura discusses every aspect of life each month with a practical and metaphysical perspective that is completely unique. No subject is off limits: religion, addiction, sex, fear, marriage, responsibility, smoking, family, pharmaceuticals, marijuana, human flaws, and every aspect of spirituality are discussed with honesty, insight and humor. With over twenty years experience as a spiritual counselor and life coach, the author offers intriguing insight and a unique old soul perspective about what life is all about. His expertise and vast knowledge of Metaphysics and philosophy makes it clear that what society perceives as “the snake oil salesman” is often more in touch with what is really true than many of our modern advancements in present day society tell us. Snake Oil volume one and a collection of snake charms (practical tools for developing intuitive abilities and expanding personal power) will be in print and available in 2008, followed by Snake Oil volume two in 2009.

SNAKE OIL

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

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

SNAKE OIL

CLOUDS GOT IN MY WAY

“In September of 2001, I began to see that I was out of control with my personal addictions. The tragedies of 9-11 coincided with my separation from someone I was deeply in love with. There seemed to be no explanation for my emotional loss as well as the chaos and loss of our country’s sense of security. I could not get answers from the man who I felt had abandoned me or from my Higher self. I was blocked from clarity and understanding. Emotionally, my heart was broken and I was having difficulties putting the pieces together. I found myself drinking three times the amount of coffee I usually drank. I was constantly craving sweets, and found myself gaining weight because I was eating more than I normally did. I was smoking cigars on a daily basis, as well as smoking pot most evenings. Things that I had done occasionally had become daily survival rituals.

We crave certain substances and use them to excess when we are spiritually, mentally and emotionally out of balance. The most commonly used addictive substances are:

Tobacco - masks unresolved anger and feeling powerless (It is common for smoking to begin during adolescence when these feelings are part of the teen years).

Sugar - masks a feeling of not being loved.

Chocolate - similar to sugar, but also masks feeling comfortable with intimacy.

Alcohol - masks fear (witness the drunk expressing delusional bravery and sometimes acting belligerent and telling everyone around him/her what they really think).

Marijuana - masks sadness.

Caffeine - masks everything...”

SNAKE OIL

BE AFRAID BE VERY, VERY, VERY AFRAID

“I often remind my clients that what we fear might happen is almost always far worse than any difficult experience we ever actually endure. We waste valuable life force, time and energy stressing and worrying about possible future disasters. “How will I survive financially if I leave this loveless marriage?” “What if my family disowns me when they find out that I am gay?” “What if I never find the right mate and end up alone?”  “People are getting laid-off all around me; how will I survive if I lose my job?” “What will happen if I get sick?” The list of things to dread is endless. We all encounter difficulty from time to time. Occasional challenges are part of life in a physical body. Thankfully, most of our imagined worse-case-scenarios rarely come to pass. Real problems and difficulties are never really the issue. Being caught in the grip of fear is the real battle to resolve...”

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 tin foil only to instantly place all of our attention back to the presents...”

SNAKE OIL

DROWNING CAT

“I have empathy for anyone suffering or going through difficult times. I have been a drowning cat myself on a few occasions. We are all in this human game together and everyone experiences periods of personal crisis. Yet, there are other types of drowning cats. There are people who are like magnets to misfortune. Sympathy can become a cage for the “fixers” who continue to help people who never change. Very few people haven't at one time or another had a friend who stays in a miserable, abusive marriage. Who hasn’t spent years listening to someone bitching while never doing anything to change where they are? How many people protect and support adult children who refuse to grow up and take responsibility for their own lives? I was ripped off for thousands of dollars sixteen years ago by a young man who came from an extremely abusive background. I sympathized with him and desperately wanted to help this poor man get his life together. After a year of financial assistance and being a rock for him to lean on, he destroyed me emotionally and financially. I learned then that sometimes people who have been victimized turn into victimizers themselves. I have watched countless friends, family members, and clients who have given until it hurts and then are left decimated by similar types of people. 

We often forget that karma balances everything and acts without judgement. There are times when if we intercede we may be blocking the growth and development of another human being. We shield them from dealing with the repercussions of their actions. Sometimes rescue is not only futile, but can be a veiled attempt to control someone else. It is not our job to play parent and protector for everyone in our circle. Helping others is an important part of our purpose here in this world. We are here to help and support each other. But we also need to protect ourselves. If we are financially, emotionally, physically, or mentally out of balance because of an attempt to get someone on “the right path,” we have missed the mark. It is important to know when to discern when helping someone is not the answer. If we give money to a drug addict for a meal and he uses that money to get high, have we helped him at all?...”

SNAKE OIL

THE END TIMES ARE NEAR

“Since the early eighties, when I began to study metaphysics, a variety of people have subjected me to new theories about the “coming of the end of the world.” Channelers have predicted catastrophes, radical earth changes, California slipping into the ocean, governments collapse, and a host of other dire predictions. Many religious groups and cults sell apocalyptic visions of how near the end of the world is. A few years ago I was in Walmart in a small town in northern Arizona and noticed this very theme in many of the religious books being sold. I was amazed at the amount of material devoted to prophesies of doom and gloom. I've seen magazines and books with theories from scientists and conservationist groups who also predict an assortment of disasters. One has to wonder: is catastrophe inevitable. Is the world coming to an end?

I was first exposed to this idea back in the late seventies when I was in the ninth grade. Someone brought copies of a tabloid to school. The tabloid reported that a comet would hit the United States at twelve noon that day, causing massive destruction all over the planet. That day, lunchtime was divided between fearful students, some actually in tears, and the rest of us making deliciously cruel comments to the “dumb asses” who actually believed this stuff. 1999  brought on the most dramatic set of crazy predictions. I had a few people tell me I was foolish to be in Phoenix during this time. They had attended a seminar telling them that the national guard would be surrounding the city, electricity would stop, rioting and looting would be rampant, and planes would fall from the sky. One wealthy woman with too much time and paranoia on her hands informed me she had stocked her shed with two years worth of dry food and water. She had also purchased a pedal car for the crisis times that were inevitable. She would be one of the few wise enough to have planned for transportation...”