Ceremonial Cacao
Working with Cacao is a personal journey of learning, experiment, experience and respect. It is a path you should enter slowly, trusting your body and intuition whilst learning to listen to the medicine the Spirit of Cacao is giving specifically to you. The relationship you form with Ceremonial Cacao is sacred and personal, it teaches you what you wish to learn about yourself, and shows you what you are capable of in gentle and subtle ways.
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If you have made your way here, know that she has already called to your heart. Cacao offers you a sacred space in which she holds you while you explore the depths and expansiveness of your being.
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This entire page is intended to give you my insights and experience of my journey with Cacao to get you started and allow you feel into your relationship with the Spirit of Cacao. There is no right or wrong way to work with Cacao but there are "respects" that if followed will make your journey with Cacao so much more fulfilling.
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Preparing your Ceremonial Cacao:
You will need - a cup,( and a heat cup/flask if transporting or not drinking straight away) a saucepan, whisk, knife, chopping board with parchment paper and scales.
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You will also need - Ceremonial Cacao (available to purchase here) filtered water or plant milk (optional), sweetener of your choice (optional) (always use plant based milks & sweeteners).
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When working with Ceremonial Cacao you will receive the most from the medicine if you drink it in its most natural form with water alone. This can be bitter when you are not used to it but quickly becomes delicious the more you drink it and your body learns the healing it receives from the medicine.
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How to prepare:
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Take a moment to hold the cacao block to your heart, beginning the process of healing and support you will receive. Connect in with the spirit of cacao and offer gratitude.
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Fill your cup with filtered water to 2/3 full (approx 180ml)
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From the cup, pour your water into your saucepan and begin gently heating on a medium/low heat.
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As your water is heating begin to shave the block of cacao with your knife ensuring you get small shards, chop any larger lumps.
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Weigh your required ( or intuitively cut) amount of cacao
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When your water is at a rumbling boil (tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pan but before boiling) add your cacao.
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I tend to wait 30 seconds to allow the cacao to soften and melt before beginning to whisk.
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Ensure that your cacao does not boil by maintaining a medium-low heat.
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Once all of the cacao has dissolved, you my also notice the colour become a warmer brown, pour your cacao into your cup to drink or your travel cup ready to use during your ceremony or ritual. Enjoy.
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A "Ceremonial dose" (amount) is said to be between 35-47 grams. This is good information for starting out your journey but as you progress a "ceremonial dose" is really a very personal part of the connection with cacao so it is best to listen to your body and intuition and also the medicine of the plant.
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Depending on what you are working with cacao for. In a circle, for meditation and sound journeys my recommendation would be between to begin with 20-25 grams and work up to 30-45 grams.
f you intend on working with Cacao daily a starting amount of 15-25 grams is ideal until you feel ready to work with amounts intuitively.
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What Cacao offers you Spiritually:
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Cacao, like all plant medicines are their purest form. This for me, is why the medicine is so profound. As pure form they see everything in its purity therefore this is how Spirit of Cacao sees you. She is gentle and patient as you soften and open into her medicine.
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When you work with this purity, you are given the opportunity to see yourself this way, then you can begin to integrate more of your purity into your form day by day, ceremony by ceremony, with a loving spirit guide supporting your journey.
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The spirit of Cacao is a feminine spirit, and her medicine is like that of a Grand Mother; she lovingly supports you and knows what you need even if it is not yet visible to you.
One of the origin stories I have heard and love about Cacao:
It is said that the Spirit of Cacao was known to Meso-Americans in her Goddess Form IxCacao, she was the goddess of fertility as well as nourishment and would fertilise the fields each spring to crop good crops. No one ever saw her but her work was always done. It was said she lived in the forests of Great Mountain and she would only ever leave her forest when her children had lost their way from their true path of Oneness with nature and all things. She came and called them home to their Hearts.
Cacao guides you back to your wholeness, empowering you with each step. She shows you how to soften into your being and lovingly embrace all of who you are. Cacao is a bridge between you and spirit, she will assist you in opening up your gifts and abilities, your creativity, your wisdom. Cacao works beautifully as the focus of your meditation or Ceremony or with other spiritual practices such as meditation, breath work, & sound healing, enhancing the experience and deepening the medicine.
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My Cacao Offerings:
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The More Physical Benefits of Ceremonial Cacao:
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Ceremonial Cacao is full of vitamins, minerals and neuro-chemicals that benefit your entire body, it is known for improving your mood, learning abilities and memories, and it also adds protection to the nervous system. The properties of cacao stimulate the feel good chemicals within our brains enhancing our mood and alleviating stress or anxieties
Ceremonial Cacao is chocolate in its purest form and is best experienced for spiritual benefits with water alone, or with spices that compliment it such as cayenne pepper, cardamom, cinnamon.
Its taste can be bitter on the tongue, but once your mind adjusts to chocolate being sweet, you really begin to feel the magic and enjoy the taste too.
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Care & Caution
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If you are taking anti-depressants you must begin with a very low dose of Cacao as it stimulates the chemicals in our brain that release our feel-good hormones so combining cacao with antidepressants can cause minor to serious side effects such as nausea and headaches.
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If you suffer from any heart conditions it is best to have a very low dose of cacao (25grams)
If you are pregnant or breast feeding it is recommended that you have a low dose and trust your intuition.
It is very important that on the day of your ceremony, circle, or drinking cacao for your own ceremony that you keep very hydrated before, during and after. Also avoid alcohol for upto 48 hours before and after drinking cacao.
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Being conscious of your food choices also supports your experience when drinking cacao; eating light nutritious foods and avoiding meat and dairy before you plan to drink your cacao can assist your body in receiving the medicine of cacao in its fullest.
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All of this advice will ensure that when you work with cacao you are doing so with resepct for its medicine and that you receive the most from the cacao.
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Cacao helps you to release and purge. This may come in the form of emotions and tears or in more obvious ways. It is best to go slow and listen to your body the day or two after working with cacao, as with any form of spiritual healing, the ceremony is only one part of the process. Rest lots, eat and drink intuitively and nutritiously and respect the medicine at work and all will be well.
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Other Information:
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How Ceremonial Cacao different to powered cocoa, cacao nibs & cacao 'superfood':
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Ceremonial grade Cacao is very different from chocolate or raw cacao powder. Although it is from the same bean and plant, there has been much more processing for chocolate and even raw cacao powder than ceremonial cacao and the spiritual elements are destroyed in the processing.
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Ceremonial grade cacao is lovingly grown, minimally processed and usually processed by hand with honour and respect of the ancestors of the land and of the spirit of cacao. You can try my favourite cacao made by the Ruk'u'x'Ulew (Heart of the Earth) Women's Collective in Guatemala here...
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This is just a tiny insight into the wonders cacao can bring into your life. If you have any further questions about cacao you can email me here..
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Cacao grows in quite specific climates and originates from South America. There are many cacao variants, some which have been cross bred over time to create hybrid plants. As you venture along your cacao journey you will likely hear of 'criollo' 'forestero' 'heirloom' and it is wise to learn this information and try the different variants of cacao there are.
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The most important things to learn about are the farmers and processors of the cacao you buy and support. Those who grow and process Ceremonial Cacao will have transparency of where their cacao comes from and most of the time you will see the faces of those who work and know the spirit of cacao. My journey has taken me through many different varieties of cacao, and let me to Mayan Cacao from Guatemala. I felt like I'd met the Grand Mother of Cacao in this form and I have stayed with her ever since. The Cacao I distribute and work with daily is Ruk'u'x'Ulew - Heart of the Earth and we have been on a magical journey together so far.
About Ruk'u'x'Ulew:
The Ruk'u'x'Ulew Women's Collective was founded by Cecilia Mendoza Chiyal, an indigenous Mayan mother of three, born and raised in San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. (Cecila is pictured above - picture 3 ). Cecilia once ran a small cafe in her village and many local women would come and ask her for work. Troubled by not being able to help all these women Cecila would pray to God and sit with the fire spirit and ask: “What path shall I take? What sort business can I do to give enough work to so many women?”
Cecilia would prepare her own traditional cacao drink for her family every Christmas and Easter using the highest quality cacao beans, sourced from an organic family farm in Alta-Verapaz. She often received compliments on her delicious cacao. This gave Cecilia the courage to ask a few of the busy cafes in her village if they would be interested in selling her blocks of cacao. They agreed and sold out quickly. The customers reaction to her cacao was overwhelmingly positive and the Ruk'u'x'Ulew Women's Collective was born.
Cecilia was given the name Ruk'u'x Ulew [Roo-Koosh-Ouh-Leh-Ou] by the fire spirits as the name for her cacao business. It is a word from her native language, Kaqchikel , and translates as ‘Heart of The Earth’. She feels this not only honors her Mayan culture and ancestry but also relays her belief that cacao is a divine representation of the ‘Heart of The Earth.’
The love and dedication to their cause and to their honouring of the cacao spirit can be felt when you sit with your cup of ceremonial cacao.
You can read more about the Women and see the love they hold for this sacred plant medicine here...