What is a Shamanic Cacao Ceremony?
I have facilitated cacao ceremonies since 2015 and so more I work with this sacred plant medicine from the rain forest in Guatemala and Colombia, so more I respect the healing power of it. I learned from Rebekah Shaman in London, Keith Wilson and Isaiaz Sajvin in Guatemala and Regina Cardenas in Mexico, who have all done an incredible job in spreading the use of ceremonial cacao all over the world.
At the moment I use cacao from Guatemala grown by local farmers, which is unprocessed, unsweetened, just whole cacao beans that are carefully fermented, lightly roasted, conched and moulded into easy to use 10 gram cubes. That means that it still has all the goodies (cacao liqueur) in it, that we don't usually find in chocolate, that is available in health food stores. As a ceremonial dose I use 40 grams of cacao with 250 ml of water. Chillie can be added individually.
Many of you have experienced Cacao Ceremonies held by a number of different facilitators, but just in case you haven't, please see below more info. If you don't have cacao at home, then please let me know and I am sure we can get some to you somehow...
Ceremonial cacao is raw chocolate and contains Theobromine (the food of the Gods), a number of vitamins, minerals and 40 times more antioxidants than blueberries. It is especially high in iron, magnesium and calcium and leads to a release of endorphins. High quality cacao contains only a small amount of caffeine, but will still give you a burst of energy, that will help you to focus and improve your memory.
Cacao is considered to be the best creativity enhancer as well as facilitator of deep inner work and is used by authors, artists, yoga and meditation teachers, dance therapists, tantric practitioners and the list goes on. It is also becoming more popular in corporate environments.
It is recommended to drink cacao on a daily basis (as a hot chocolate or in a smoothie), especially if you suffer from depression, high blood pressure or skin problems.
It is also a great and much healthier alternative to coffee.
On a more spiritual level cacao opens our heart, help us re-connect with nature, teaches us how to live in harmony with Mother Earth, see the bigger picture and not to get caught up in dramas and fear based thinking.
I use cacao in ceremonies in combination with sound (sacred gong, drums, singing bowls) and song to help participants open their hearts and look at situations in their lives with more compassion and forgiveness. Working with cacao can help to release feelings of guilt, shame, fear, not being good enough and more.
You decide if you are ready to let go and the Cacao Goddess will take you where you need to go. And if you are not ready yet to let go of old belief systems and emotional patterns then that is also ok. Maybe just listening to other peoples' stories will help you to make changes in your lives.
My ceremonies typically involve bonding exercises for the members of the group, intention setting, a seated meditation, a guided meditation lying down, sound healing as well as a group sharing at the end.
Although this sounds like quite an intense process, and it can be, I find that cacao ceremonies are a great introduction into shamanic healing work due to the gentle energy of the plant itself.
The aim of a cacao ceremony is to support you to release that what doesn't serve you any longer and help you see and re-connect with what is truly important in your life.
Cacao compared to other plant medicines is easy to integrate. With cacao we can laugh, sing, dance, be creative, think, do yoga and most importantly be joyful and connected.
