Cacao Ceremony
Ceremonial Cacao
Ceremonial cacao refers to a cacao grade that is evaluated by the quality and source of the bean, the process of making cacao, and the intentions that go into making it. It is 100% pure cacao made from roasted and ground whole shelled cacao beans. Nothing is ever added, chemically altered or taken away. Unlike cacao powder, the cacao butter is kept in, the best carrier of all of cacao’s benefits.
Ceremonial Cacao helps you connect to and open your heart. Cacao has been used since ancient times to help dissolve negativity, let go of fears and past traumas and to come back to our true selves.
It is common to close off the heart out of fear of being vulnerable, or taken advantage of. When we close off our heart, our shoulders begin to round forwards, and our spine becomes rounded, this can lead to tension, pain, stress and even disease and illness. Many of us have been hurt by others, as well as ourselves, and because of these psat hurts, traumas, and experiences have created energetic shields around our heart in order to protect from future hurts. Unfortunately this doesn't protect us from being hurt again, it keeps us closed off from experiencing joy, love, bliss, deep connection. These energetic shields, as well as holding onto these past experiences, can be the reason we experience similar situations again and again. It can feel as if you're stuck in a time loop, replaying the same movie over and over, dating the same person, attracting the same friends, stuck in addictions and self-sabotaging behaviour. If you want to change your reality, if you want to experience more love, bliss, and joy you need to learn the lessons that are held in these experiences, you need to feel and fully express what you're holding in, and you need to begin the healing process.
Cacao will assist in opening and balancing the Heart chakra, helping to heal emotional hurts from the past and invite in unconditional love, acceptance, and compassion. Ceremonial Cacao is so powerful and can assist in your healing journey with your permission and willingness. This isn't to say drinking a cup of cacao everyday will fix all your "problems" but it is a very powerful and positive step in the healing journey. The journey can be long, intense, overwhelming, and even painful but the only way to get to the light at the end of the tunnel is to travel through the tunnel. No longer can you remain in ignorance and avoid your feelings, it is time to come back into your body, to feel what is aching to be felt, to express in your own unique, creative and beautiful way, and to move forwards into a bright new reality.
Cacao Ceremony
A cacao ceremony is where you will set some time aside, 20-60 minutes approximately, to sit with your cacao. This can look a variety of different ways, it's really about exploring and following your intuition with how you conduct your ceremony.
Intention is very powerful. What is your intention? What has brought you to this sacred practice? What are you hoping to receive?
Time in silence is very important, allowing the space to connect deeply with the Spirit of Cacao, to connect with yourself, to feel your body, your emotions, to notice what is coming up for you.
In today's society it's very normal to be living in our heads, constantly thinking and running around, chasing our tails, caring for everyone else but ourselves. Cacao ceremony helps you to slow down, to come back to yourself, to sink into your body, into your heart, to fill your own cup. Cacao ceremony will take you on a journey to the depths of your heart and soul where we can heal deep wounds, traumas, and even past lives. Cacao ceremony will relax you, and bring you to a state of equilibrium and peace. It will expand your consciousness, increasing your energy and vibrational frequency. We are all unique and will have very different experiences, you will be offered what you are ready for and it's up to you to take advantage of that.
What you will need
1 serving of Hot Cacao, find my recipe here
A space where you will not be disturbed
Journal and pen
Optional: Music, candles, incense, sacred objects, crystals, anything else to make you more comfortable, relaxed and feeling supported.
How to Ceremony
Firstly, set up your sacred space following the suggestions above.
Brew your Hot Cacao and have her ready beside you.
Set your intention for your ceremony by writing it down in your journal, or speaking it aloud or in your mind.
Holding your mug of cacao in both hands, begin to connect to the Spirit of Cacao. You may wish to close your eyes and say or think "I invite in the Spirit of Cacao to journey with me and bring me any guidance and insights that is for my highest good now". Breathe deep into your belly, diaphragm, and chest, connect with your breath and feel all the physical sensations in your body as you open and allow the Spirit of Cacao to join you.
Take a sip of your cacao, tasting all of her, experience the depth of flavour, the texture, how does she feel as she enters your body... Feel as any energetic shields begin to drop and dissolve into light, feel your heart as she begins to open. You may wish to place one hand on your heart. If any emotions arise, allow them to move through you, if you need to cry let it out, if you need to smile or laugh let it out, if you need to scream into a pillow, or moan, or anything else let it flow. Feel the energy that flows through you. Stay present with your breath, with your body, and with your heart.
Take a few moments to express gratitude for all your blessings, challenges, lessons, for all the beautiful souls who have helped shape you, all the beings that are no longer in your life, all the beings that are still around, and all the ones yet to meet you. Express gratitude for everything you feel authentically grateful for, if gratitude is a struggle you can say "I wish I were more grateful" and just sit with what comes up as you contemplate gratitude.
If you have constant thoughts and are struggling to stay present and in your body, you can write down all the thoughts that come up in your journal, thank your thoughts, send them love, and then watch as they float away like clouds in the sky or waves of the ocean. Try not to get annoyed at the thoughts, or to avoid them, or force them to go away, what you resist persists. Simply acknowledge, thank them, love them, and release them.
From here you really want to follow your intuition here are some options to try and feel what resonates with you as well as come up with your own unique ways of expressing yourself and being with yourself during your ceremony.
Meditate, this can be silent meditation, listening to music, or a guided meditation.
Sing, chant, tone, express yourself through the power of your voice.
Dance, sway, move with your body and the energy that flows through you
Simply sit with yourself and your cacao and just notice what comes up, what your feelings, listen for any subtle messages or guidance.
Journal, write down everything your thinking and feeling, as you release what's inside of you onto paper, you create space within yourself, releasing any weight you have been holding on yourself, releasing dense energy and mental congestion, allowing space for love, peace, compassion.
Creative expression, what are some other ways you like to express yourself, do you like to draw, paint, sculpt, write poetry or a story, be creative, allow your unique creative energy to flow.
If your journeying with a friend or group, you can incorporate a share circle in which you all go around and share what's in your heart, practicing presence and compassionate listening as each person speaks. You can also incorporate eye-gazing, connecting deeply with each person without judgement.
Mirror work, you could look at yourself in the mirror, eye-gazing with yourself in silence, or saying loving compliments to yourself, tell yourself "I love you" over and over.
Take time to just be with you and do what you love to do, put your to-do list to the side, your obligations and responsibilities to the side and practice self-love. You may want to go out in nature, read a book, take a nap, crochet, cook, whatever it is you love to do, do that.
As you can see there are so many ways to ceremony, I encourage you to follow your intuition and take this time to really love yourself, and give to yourself what you need in this moment. Each moment is different so try not to get stuck in a pattern of how you think you should journey, each ceremony may be similar or very different, you may opt for comfort or decide to step out of your comfort zone and try something very different. Feel what feels right in the moment.
I wish you well on your healing journey with Spirit Cacao. Please share your experience and how you like to journey in the comments below.
Cacao Recommendations
Seleno Health Ceremonial Cacao Paste
Highly recommend this cacao, its an NZ local business who go to Peru themselves and work with the community to harvest this incredible cacao. I met Corin and Sally at the Lunasa festival in Golden Bay and loved the product so much that I decided to I wanted to work with them and offer their ceremonial cacao and use it in our ceremonies that we offer in our monthly workshops
You can order this cacao for yourself from Seleno Health and use my code monique5 to receive $5 off. You can also grab yours from myself personally if you're in Blenheim.