Then what is an Empath?
There are subtle but marked differences between empathy in an everyday person and empathy in an Empath.  Empaths are highly sensitive people or HSPs, but actually very few HSPs are Empaths.  Empaths possess a markedly higher degree of sensitivity to another's emotions and feelings.  They take empathy to a whole new level.
An empath experiences another emotions as their own and it is not uncommon to therefore feel overwhelmed in crowded, public places.  An Empath doesn't consciously connect to others, then feel what he imagines the other person is feeling.  An Empath will literally feel it and unless he is trained to understand this, may not be able to separate his own  feelings from those around him.

There are of course varying degrees of sensitivity and even different types of Empath and although it seems to have both genetic and spiritual aspects, most Empaths do not learn about their gift until later in life.

How does an Empaths gift work?
Everything has an energetic vibration or frequency and Empaths are able to sense these vibrations and recognise the smallest changes which would otherwise go unnoticed.  Feelings, emotions and even words of expression hold an energetic pattern that emanates from each and every one of us.  In fact every living creature.  It's imprint is left on everything that we come into contact with.  It is this energy that is picked up by the Empath.

Are you an Empath?
Take this quiz to see if you are an Empath.  Answer yes or no to the following:

• Do you tend to just know stuff without being told? Do you have a knowing that goes beyond intuition or gut feelings?
• Do you find being in public places like shopping centres, supermarkets or theatres overwhelming?  Do you feel, mixed up emotionally or even physically in these sorts of places?
• Do you feel the emotions of those nearby and sometimes at greater distance?  Can you tell if someone in a room is angry, sad or excited without a word being said?
• Do you find that watching violence, cruelty or tragedy on tv becomes unbearable?
• Can you tell when someone is not being honest? Can you tell when they are saying one thing but feeling or thinking another?
• Are you extremely uncomfortable around some people without understanding why?
• Do you find that certain people drain your energy physically and you leave feeling tired or unwell?
• Do you find that some people become uncomfortable around you  and try to avoid you because you can "see right through them"?
• Do you pick up physical symptoms from others, particularly friends and family even when they are nowhere near you?
• Do you want everyone to be happy?
• Do you suffer unexplained digestive disorders and lower back problems?
• Do you always look out for the underdog?
• Do you find that you attract broken people and those that want to offload their problems onto you?
• Do you feel frequently drained of energy? Have you been diagnosed with ME or chronic fatigue?
• Do you think to much?
• Do you get irritated when there is too much to do and you don't know where to start?
• Do you enjoy the peace and tranquility when it is raining?
• Do you have an addictive personality?
• Are you drawn to healing, holistic therapies and all things metaphysical?
• Are you an artist, writer, singer, dancer, musician or designer?
• Do you love nature and animals? Do you love to be outdoors?
• Do you crave connection with rainforests, trees and waterfalls?
• Do you feel peace in the presence of the ocean or the moon?
• Do you have a tendency to always put others first?
• Do you rebuff compliments?
• Do you need periods of solitude to regroup?
• Do you get lost in the background on purpose?
• Did you grow up feeling misunderstood or more importantly "unheard"?
• Are you easily bored or distracted? Have you ever been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD?
• Do you find it impossible to do things that you don't enjoy? Do you feel like you are living a lie if you do?
• Do you hate to depend on anyone, yet everyone depends on you?
• Do you always strive for the truth?
• Do you descibe yourself as a free spirit?
• Do you hate clutter?
• Do you spend time daydreaming given the change?
• Do you find routines, rules or control by others debilitating, yet need your own routines to feel safe?
• Are you prone to carry excess weight without over eating?
• Are you an excellent listener?
• Are you uncomfortable with gossip or small talk?
• Can you "feel" the days of the week?
• Do you often choose not to buy second hand goods because they make you feel sad, or any other type of emotion?
• Can you sense the energy of food = particularly meat?
• Do you often appear aloof?
• Is your home a "sacred space"?
• Do people tell you that they feel better after talking to you or just by spending time with you?
• Do you find your emotions or physical sensations in your body changing extremely from one moment ot another when in a room full of people?
• Can you read people?
• Do you feel extremely responsible for the well being of the people around you? Do  you struggle with boundaries and find yourself tired of giving everyone everything and getting nothing back?
• Do you often feel icky , murky or unpleasant in the body, even with no medical condition to attribute these feelings to?  
• Do you have unexplained headaches, stomach aches and chest pains due to overwhelming negative home environment?
• Do you tend to feel what is outside of you more than what is inside?

If you can say yes to most or all of these, then there is more than a chance that you are an empath.  It occurs in less than 5% of the population  and with the right training can be a wonderful gift. Stay tuned to learn more over the coming months.

Coming through many years of work in healing myself from Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, I am often asked what affirmations I found best.  The truth is that I could never find one that fitted so I wrote my own.

This affirmation has served me well over the years and I give it to each of my clients and share it with my meditation group each time we meet.  It is an affirmation and meditation that covers all areas of your life and mine - and I'd like to share it with you here now.

"I am whole, I am perfect, I am strong, I am powerful,
I am loving, harmonious and happy, I am wise, I'm intuitive,
I am calm, I am healthy, life is joyful, abundant and good.

I am fully connected to the Universe.  The Divine Energy flows to me, through me, beyond me. Filling me, healing me, soothing me, protecting me.  I am one with the Universe.  I am light, I am love.

I am fully grounded in Gaia.  The Earth Energy flows to me, through me, beyond me.  Filling me, healing me, soothing me, protecting me.  I am one with the Earth.  I am Life, I am love.

The light of unconditional love grows in my heart space.  Filling me, healing me, soothing me, protecting me.  I send it out into the Universe, enveloping the Earth and all its beings.  I am Light, I am Life.  I am Love.

With deepest gratitude, I release all negative energies, malevolent beings, parasites, toxins, bacteria and disease into the Universe and to the Earth to be healed, as I am healed.  I AM healed.  I am HEALED.  Thankyou"

Please feel free to use this in your own life.  I guarantee it will serve you well.

If you’re a business owner of any kind, you probably began with a dream - but I didn’t think that I had dreams or goals - or even that I deserved to.

At the age of 48, I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I’d been looking for something that made me happy, but I could honestly say I didn’t really know what happiness was. But I was slowly getting closer. I was writing a book titled ‘The Me Book - a journey of self discovery,’ borne out of the necessity to become my own counsellor.  I began sharing what I learnt in writing this book, at scrapbooking classes where I taught. At the time I was trying to supplement the farm income by working as an intuitive healer and Reiki Master, running yoga and bellydance classes, And in my spare time working as a photographer and restoring vintage photographs.  (All of this while bringing up two children, getting them to dance classes and helping on the farm)  And whilst I wasn’t there yet, I felt that somehow, I was on the right path and I wanted to help other people find happiness too.
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Then suddenly something interesting happened.  It started with an idea to create mandalas for healers like myself to use as visual aids whilst working with a client’s energy centres or chakras.  I knew something of the healing power of colour and light., and as a photographer and graphic designer I thought I’d try using some of my stock of photos to create them.  After many weeks of trial and error sitting at my computer I had created a complete set of 12 Chakra mandalas and 12 colour wheels.  I wrote a manual describing how to use them and sold them to my clients and fellow healers loved them.  I thought that was it - end of story. 

But then the dreams started happening both in my sleep and during meditation.   Guiding me towards a new path. They were ideas and instructions for creating even more mandalas.  As a healer and past-life facilitator, I had learned to follow my intuition no matter how far out it seemed, so I  followed my dreams to see where they would take me.  What eventuated was set of 48 oracle cards with readings channelled by myself and an amazing friend Vikstar.  The Mandala Oracle was born  (You can find this in online store HERE) and out of this developed my work as an illustrator for a publishing company. 

As I continued to create my designs, more and more people were describing to me how they could feel the energy from my art, some even revealing stories of complete healing. I began to do more research into the healing power of colour, shapes, symbols, light and vibration.  This combined with the knowledge that “thought becomes things” gave me the answers I needed and the inspiration to take things even further. 

While mandalas are no longer the major focus of my art, I tell this story because creating them was my first big move towards a “dream” business. One that was drawn by my desire to help heal others, and it was a major turning point in my life. The first time that I had consciously followed my heart and my intuition with regard to what I wanted to do.
While I still create mandalas, my art is now more focused on painting acrylic and mixed media works. I hadn’t considered myself an artist but after year long course of intuitive painting lessons - of which I spent the first few in tears, I eventually learned to tune in to spirit in the same way I did with healing.  I began to paint from my intuition, not my own emotions and eventually I developed my own style of painting. One with the intention of carrying the energy of love to heal others. 

I am constantly amazed at the pieces I produce.  And it is a privilege for me to see the changes that happen for my customers.  I love hearing how my arts  presence in their lives has brought joy, healing or even just reminders to smile.  Or how through attending one of my workshops someone has found their own path.

My journey as a business owner began more than 20 years ago, and since then it has had its fair share of twists and turns as I have moved towards a purpose that truly brings me happiness. With the Egyptian Goddess Isis as my inspiration, I began by using my healing gifts and the many modalities that I had studied over the years, to work with women helping them heal and to find their joy in their own lives. 
Then as my business grew, I began visualising owning a healing centre where I could teach the Me Book program, yoga and bellydance - a space that would have room to set up a small gallery, a healing room and teaching space. One day, two or three years ago after the rental cottage on our sugar cane farm had been vacated, I heard (or imagined) a voice in my ear saying “ You’ve got your space - now go and use it”. The cottage is now my gallery/shop and healing rooms and an old tobacco storage shed has been turned it into a dance/yoga/meditation studio and art workshop space.  

In my art workshops, I don’t teach fine art.  That’s not what it’s all about.  I teach fun, interesting techniques that can be used in many different ways.  The workshops are loosely structured beginning with a meditation, some journaling followed by a day of painting, good food, good energy and connection.  Participants always leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated with a piece of art that they can be proud of.  I have some who come back each month for their “Me day”.  I love seeing how they heal and grow over time and it always astounds me how Art and creativity can build confidence, grow character, promote relaxation and reveal purpose.

Outside of my studio, working with troubled and under privileged teens and adults over the years has really allowed me to make a difference in the community doing what I love.  Using the me book program we create art journaling pages that we bind together into a book for them to keep.  I love seeing the girls blossom and open up with the positive affirmations and easy fun artworks that we create.  Or we spend a day painting a fabulous canvas.  Their ingenuity blows me away and my heart sings with every “thank you” I receive.
Through Jaaneman Art I am able to bring light, love and joy into more and more people’s lives, and that is something I still can’t quite believe is real.  They are things that came to me relatively late in life after many  years of pain, trauma and hardship. I’ve learnt that it’s all about the choices we make.  And my choice is live with love and joy and My goal is to help others to find their joy also.  Because it could have ended very differently for me. 

As for my business, I am working towards creating online workshops so that they can be available to more people and to find new and beautiful ways to have my art printed and turned into wearable pieces.

Through my journey to Janneman Art, I can say without doubt, that helping people heal is my purpose. And healing is about finding joy in life.  I create my art because it is an accessible way for people to touch that joy.  The energy of a piece I create will never diminish, meaning it will keep on working for as long as it exists. Knowing that my art has the capacity to impact so many lives is empowering, and I never fail to appreciate the gift that I have to paint.  
 
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This piece is intended to work on the heart centre.  The colours of the heart chakra or energy centre is a pure clear emerald green.  It radiates an energising light to clear emotional blocks.Heart chakra energy is concerned with unconditional love, balance and self-acceptance.
Green has a strong association with nature.  It helps us connect with empathy to others and to the natural world. It is the colour of change, growth, love and adaptability. Green creates a feeling of comfort and relaxation, calmness and space. It lessens stress, balances and soothes the emotions