Today we’d like to introduce you to Cinnamon “Smee” Mckinley
Cinnamon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is long and convoluted and really has no pinpointed beginning. I can tell you that I have always considered myself a green witch or a forest witch – creating potions and spells, talking to trees, and collecting and carrying rocks since early childhood. I have always been attuned to the moon, the wind, the elements, and the seasons. I have always been aware of my spirit guides and ancestors. My little Italian grandmother read tarot cards and showed me how to use divination in my practice as a teenager. However, being a perpetual student, I will never feel like this field has been mastered. I will always consider myself a novice, voraciously reading every book on witchcraft and divination that I can get my hands on.
I can also tell you that I was a pediatric cancer patient, diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 15. I underwent two surgeries and two radioactive iodine treatments, but what saved me was energy and breath work – practicing Reiki, Chi Gong, Tai Chi, and meditation are what got me through to the other side of cancer unscathed. I decided I wanted to do for others what energy work had done for me. I achieved by black sash in Kung Fu while in high school and taught Tai Chi in college. After graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature in 1999, I moved from NJ to NYC, living in Astoria, Queens for five years. I worked towards my Reiki Master certification and was attuned as a Reiki Master in 2000. I was later certified as a Reflexologist in 2001. More recently, I have been certified as a Crystal Singing Bowl Sound Healer. I am currently working towards certifications in sound healing using vocal vibrations, as well as sound healing for the neurodivergent. I have two Autistic/ADHD teenage sons at home, so this subject in particular is very close to my heart.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I spent a lot of time feeling riddled with imposter syndrome, self-doubt, anxiety, and OCD. But I am a survivor if nothing else and it has all made me the strong and independent woman I am today, capable of taking on any challenge, nearly fearless, no longer having debilitating panic attacks. My one very real fear now is the fear of success. As much as I love what I do, helping others in their own self-love journey, I am afraid of becoming successful at it. It’s an irrational fear and I am working on conquering it as well. I’m hoping that agreeing to this interview will help me sort it out.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am committed to helping others love themselves the way I have learned to love myself. I believe that self-love is so important to all aspects of your life. I do this in a few different ways, depending on the individual’s situational need. First, I create “potions” for self-love by combining essential oil, herbs, and crystals into roller ball bottles or sprays with scents that can be used to remind yourself how beautiful, loved, and blessed you are. Some can be used for calming anxiety, some for extinguishing migraine pain or menstrual symptoms, to aid in sleep, or to clear negative energies.
If you have a situation that you need advice on or you need direction, I read tarot and oracle cards, which can be used to tap into guidance from your spirit guides and ancestors. If what you need is a reset, to relax, to calm your anxious body and mind, I play the Crystal Singing Bowls, opening and balancing your chakras with sound frequencies and Reiki while you drift away on a cloud. I do this in private sessions or in groups, and I come to you. I’ve always felt the worst part of a massage or energy work session is the drive home afterwards, where traffic causes the tension to rise back up. I prefer to have you in a relaxed setting where you can remain relaxed long after the session, somewhere you feel safe and comfortable.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am currently working on my own, with my husband of nearly 20 years, Kevin, supporting me in every way possible. I would love to collaborate with fellow Reiki practitioners, Reflexologists, Massage Therapists or other Light Workers. I would love to play my Singing Bowls while a collaborator is doing energy work on a client, where we work together to open and align the Chakras, deepening the healing. If interested in working towards your self-love goals or in collaborating, I can be reached through my new website: www.smeesreadings.com, or through email at smee@smeesreadings.com. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Blessed Be!
Pricing:
- Tarot and Oracle Readings = $25 / reading
- Sound Baths / Crystal Singing Bowl sessions = $50 / head
- Essential Oil Roller Balls / Sprays = $20 each
- Tiny Spell Ampules = $10 each
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smeesreadings.com
