There was never a doubt about what Janet Merino would be when she grew up.
Her path in life was always expected, always defined.
But unlike universally defined careers such as lawyer or nurse, Merino has taken a rather different, more unconventional path.
She is a Psychic.
Clairvoyance, Or the ability to see beyond the range of ordinary perception, is a fact of life for Merino's family.
Like those who pass down freckles, dimples or the ability to curl ones tongue, this psychic ability has been passed through generations of women in her family, including her mother and grandmother.
And while its easy conjure up visions of witchcraft and spells, fortune-tellers and crystal balls, rest assured those methods are a far cry from the way Merino works and lives.
Merino's life is quite common.
She's a mother and daughter, a spirited friend and a passionate businesswoman.
Her work, on the other hand, is anything but common.
It's a line of business that is controversial to some, But to others, simply unexplainable or impossiable to comprehend.
And Merino allows skeptics and disbelievers their space and respect.
But for inquiring minds, here is a peek into the life Merino lives.
To her, Being psychic is a gift- One that allows her to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Beginning to see
I was 6 years old. My mother and I were at JC Penny- She was at the jewlery counter and I was play with the hats. A little girl of about 9 years old ran passed me and I immediately fell to my knees and started crying.
My mother ran to my side and asked if that little girl had hurt me.
I said, " No, But a man hurt that little girl."
About 30 minutes later, we went to leave and saw a police car and ambulance.
In the back of that ambulance was the little girl with a blanket wrapped around her.
There was a man in handcuffs being pushed into the back of a police car.
My mother looked at me and knew that my abalities had developed.
Merino recalls vividly the day her psychic abilities surfaced.
In the months that followed, her ability remained exceptionally strong, which she says is common at a young age.
"It got to the point where I knew what was happening an hour from now, ten minutes from now."
She says "It was too much."
To contain and better control her abilitys, Merino began training with her mother. "You develop your abilitys and then you have to balance them," Merino says.
Balancing, or gaining that control, is achieved through hours of meditation. "I would wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, wash my face, grab a quick breakfast and meditate," Merino recalls of her youth.
Despite her young age, Merino began accepting her own clients at her mothers Psychic shop by age 9.
As she grew older, she was able to open her own business in Placerville Ca, in 1994, which she operated for 17 years.
In 2007 she relocated to Madison Wi and opened The psychic gallery.
" I don't tell you what you want to hear, I tell you what I know."
How does Merino "Know" what she does? she explains, " being Clairvoyant is having a sense of knowing." Merino say's she simply knows things about the people she encounters without exchanging a word.
"I don't have to get to know," She says. " I already know who you are, what you want, what stops you and what makes you go."
She even requests that her clients refrain from sharing with her any personal information. "My clients choose what type of reading they want and I take it from there. I will ask that they not ask questions or make comments during the session."
Clients may employ her for many differnt reasons - advice, confusion, curiosity- but all abide by the same guideline: Don't set foot into the door unless you want honesty. "When people come to me, they're coming to hear the truth."
Janet is a very real person, A little humor to lighten the mood-That is precisely Merino's Personality.
Honest, blunt and good humored.
