Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaela McKenna.
Hi Jaela, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Spirituality is deeply rooted in my family and has consistently played a significant role in my life. I grew up practicing Christianity and engaged in praise dancing for my church as a young girl, but I questioned a lot of things and developed anxiety about the religion. At the age of ten, I stopped dancing and attending church. Changes began surfacing in my life when I stopped going to church, particularly after my mother’s trip to Cuba in 2015. She transitioned to veganism, opened up more, and became a positive influencer in our family; it was like she was a completely new person. She would try to persuade me to make some changes in my life, but I was stubborn. My turning point came in 2018 during my Eleke ceremony, guided by my godmother, Iyalosa OlaOmi Akalatunde. Her teachings have positively changed my perspective on my thinking, marking the start of a new life. Post-ceremony, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, recognizing a purpose beyond my expectations. I began doing moon-releasing rituals and rootwork but knew something in my life was still causing me to experience stagnancy up until January 2020. At the age of 16 I attended “The Soul Care Retreat” hosted by my soul-sister Omikunle Ekundayo on a cruise ship. There were many workshops that I appreciated, but A heart-opening energy transfer session led by Jay English from Honors Yoga left a lasting impact that inspired my exploration into the deep depths of spirituality and inner trauma during the pandemic.
Returning from the retreat, I felt rejuvenated, it was truly a soul care experience, understanding the intention behind retreats is for people to retreat back to themselves, retreat back to the soul. It’s a vacation to find yourself and step into your next stage of life and that is the experience that I am grateful to have.
The timing, coinciding with the beginning of COVID, allowed me to increase my knowledge of the Chakras, the Law of Attraction, and astrology. A year later I Reconnected with an old friend, we experimented with energy techniques that caused me to open up and receive energy which excited me because I started experiencing the physical vibrations and tingles throughout my body and internal happiness that lead me to become certified in Reiki healing. Positive feedback from sessions on friends, family, and strangers motivated me.
In 2022, I decided to push even further with my gifts. I came across a post about Jay hosting an energy certification program in Miami and enrolled the same day. I am now one of his star students and have been doing energy work ever since.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, not at all. In life, facing challenges is inevitable. My father showed me the perspective that we don’t experience bad days, we instead encounter challenging moments. He emphasized that within the span of 24 hours, there’s always an opportunity to turn things around.
I won’t use the word struggle, but one of my obstacles involves balancing my spiritual practice with college. Another significant challenge is my age. When I embraced spirituality at 15, I realized that many in my generation are unfamiliar with what I do. People often show interest in what I consider surface-level aspects, such as crystals or the aesthetic of spirituality, adhering to the “love and light” belief rather than exploring inner trauma or connecting with ancestors. On my personal journey, I chose to focus on working with energy, doing ancestral work, and other things. Some people judge me and assume that I do dark things because they’re familiar with Abrahamic traditions when in reality, my goal is to help people of all ages elevate themselves through holistic healing, so it was definitely a challenge searching for people in my age group who are willing to have an open mind and experience my craft.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am what most people would call a light worker, shadow worker, or overall spiritual advisor. I help elevate lives through Holistic Healing and spiritual enlightenment. Additionally, I assist women seeking to connect with their feminine power. One of my specialized services is an energy healing session capable of awakening Kundalini. Yogi’s are taught that kundalini is dormant energy at the spine’s base which ascends through the chakras in a snake-like movement, helping expand consciousness but through Tantra’s perspective Kundalini is energy trapped in the human mechanism, especially in the sexual organs. When awakened it can feel like a snake but other times it can feel electric or fiery due to kundalini being a feminine fire energy.
During these sessions, I address blockages, identify suppressed trauma, and remove unnecessary energy from the body using the projection of energy, sound healing, channeling, and acupressure techniques. I sometimes collaborate with my two sisters Elicia and Winneshia during a session, together, we form “The Cosmic Trilogy.”
Another distinctive service I offer is Usui Reiki, an ancient healing method that utilizes universal life force energy to balance the body’s energetic system and eliminate stagnant energy. The aura and energy centers in the body store old emotions, wounds, fears, traumas. Old stagnant energy can cause imbalances in the body. Reiki is a non-invasive way to assist with balancing the energy centers and releasing old stagnant energy from the body.
The benefits of both sessions include emotional clearing, awakening gifts, stress reduction, chakra alignment and more.
My Additional offerings are handcrafted spiritual washes, salt baths, and a few other products as well as divination services such as pendulum readings. While I occasionally do tarot, my passion lies in cartomancy, a divination conducted through playing cards.
I take immense pride in extending beyond my family’s spiritual practices. I am grateful for the admiration of elders in my craft while being at the age of 20. My age often surprises individuals who expect or assume my generation to prioritize materialism, love, parties, or drama. However, I think what truly sets me apart is my appearance. People sometimes perceive me as conceited or snobbish, particularly through social media because of how some of my pictures are. This sometimes causes me not to get taken seriously for my gifts because I don’t conform to the stereotypical spiritual look people have created that is associated with boho dressing or having locs. Perspectives shift when they get to know me and my career choice. I was taught to confuse the enemy, the way I present myself is my unique and authentic expression and I encourage everyone to embrace various versions of themselves instead of sticking to one aesthetic or style. I am currently working on rebranding myself so I will say to be aware and cautious of the type of people you attract based on how you present yourself but remember to always be your true authentic self.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe that taking risks can be valuable for personal and professional growth. It opens doors to new opportunities, experiences, and learning. Societal expectations often limit people to the conventional path of obtaining a degree and securing one job for a lifetime until retirement. Stepping outside these expectations can lead to diverse and fulfilling opportunities. Traveling alone to Miami for my energy certification was a risk for me. I was extremely nervous, and being the youngest student added to the challenge. I thought it was going to be hard to make connections. However, once I gathered the courage to do it, I received many blessings and developed genuine connections through the experience. I have had no regrets since that experience.
Pricing:
- Divinations $25-$55
- Spiritual washes & salt baths $10-$50
- Energy Sessions $100
- Cosmic Trilogy Session $153
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaela.mckenna?igsh=dDN1dGM3c3N6MzVx&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jaelamckenna?fbclid=PAAaYCUh4mp-bGN2x38eIWWe2FZDfeyqjBJNA70W_QCI0KxsbTu-uwRHr1mN8_aem_AbFJUBeLxsoTYyIcNQhnu1AECzGhQxnby_IguZjm1pz5CYmxSXQ_HuwSBCI-dy58iWQ
