The power of ritual ceremony for modern society: an ancient art of connection resurrected…
Rituals are a vital part of the human experience. No matter what our lineage, our ancestors all had ceremonial rituals and events to connect more deeply within and with one another in sacred community. Rituals can be powerful done alone as an active prayer and also can be a profound bonding experience for a group. This is an ancient art that has resurfaced over the last decade in the mainstream through many traditions and expressions of intent, and one of my personal favorites is through the cacao ceremony.
The ancient Cosmic Maya gifted us with cacao, the food of the gods, as a ritual plant medicine to use to connect more deeply within one’s soul, with one another, and to harmonize ourselves with our external reality experience. Whenever I have a cacao ceremony to share sacred space with my family, friends, or local community I always start by giving thanks to the Maya, for they have provided the entire world with its most beloved shamanic food; chocolate.
Offering a cacao ceremony is truly one of my favorite ways of sharing an organic tender experience with various communities. Cacao is a portal to our soul and higher self expressions. It has the power to both awaken passions, desires, and destinies buried deep in our subconscious as well as provide us with the inspiration/tools/resources/action steps to access them through self-love with an open heart.
Meet your facilitator, Mama Cacao
In the shamanic tradition we call the cacao energy Mama Cacao. Her spirit is a female plant entity of the most generous benevolence and magic. Mama Cacao is a gentle and blissful plant medicine facilitator here on Earth to encourage the ascension of humanity through the gifts of self-awareness and self-love. Ascension is the integration of all our aspects of being into love, gratitude, and peace. It is the highest ultimate destiny of each and every person to find peace and their unique higher calling by releasing their suffering. This is one of the many gifts of meditating in ceremony with Mama Cacao.
Cacao is a heart-opener to embody our higher self/soul. As the highest food source of magnesium it nourishes our physical heart, spiritual heart, brain/higher mind and entire nervous system. On a chemistry level, cacao regulates all our metabolic systems and stimulates the same portions of the brain as DMT, Ayahuasca, and Cannabis on a micro-dose level. What this means is that cacao is a safe meditative access to the deeper parts of our brain and soul that can be as profound a medicine journey as Ayahuasca, DMT, or Cannabis without the same amount of stress or time.
Your brain on bliss chemicals
Our brains already produce these chemical combinations naturally. DMT is made organically in our glandular system (Pineal, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus) as a result of consistent meditation practices. This is what leads to a lucid dream experience in waking reality after some time and dedication; you learn to become a conscious creator through your own mind and energy. Just ask the Buddhist monks who have so much DMT naturally in their brain that taking DMT as a hallucinogen does nothing to their consciousness; they are already there. Cacao is a mindful micro-dose of the various amino acids and chemicals which create DMT, PEA, and Anandamide, aka the bliss chemical. This bliss connects us to the higher realms within, the answers to the questions, the strength/courage/peace we seek. Whatever you need is already within and you may not have to go to extremes to find it.
Where I am going with this is that we can have a micro experience of our higher dimensional access points within ourselves through cacao and not have to commit to all that traditionally comes with the more hardcore medicine journeys. Unless you feel you have to, you just don’t have to go to these extremes to get the wisdom, as it is all within anyway. In the beginning of my seeking I used to be one of those people who needed a serious method to access higher consciousness, so I get it. I am sharing both sides here 😀
Mama Cacao IS a portal to all of these shamanic medicines, so the true power lies in your intention and authenticity to receive. Access the deeper or higher frequency guidance you seek by humbly asking. Sit quietly with a quiet mind, an open heart and listen.
How to host & share a cacao ceremony
First you will want to get some good cacao. It is all about intention to connect and appreciate. I sell cacao ceremony blends on the site because so many have asked for my formulas during ceremonies. I offer two different intentional formulas, one for receiving and peace, and one for courage and inspired action. Each pack has 10 servings, which is great if you want to do this as a regular practice by yourself or to share in a group too! Sugar free, dairy free, and blended with both Ayurvedic & Chinese herbs. You can check these out here
Set up a sacred space where you feel comfortable and will not be disturbed. Your ceremony can be any time of day that works for you where you will have a few moments to be still, be in the receptive mode and savor the experience. Some do this in the morning like a cup of coffee, others on special occasions or auspicious times like the moon cycles/major cosmic conjunctions with a circle of friends.
Have an intention for this experience. Do you have a question, are you feeling the need for inspiration, do you need some upliftment or strength? Use beautiful cups or mugs for this event. Make your environment beautiful with flowers, your favorite colors, crystals, photos of your favorite teachers/animal totems, relatives and so forth. Match the ambiance with your intention.
While you prepare the cacao, think about your intention, and feel gratitude and appreciation for this experience, for yourself, the cacao,etc. Be present for all the sounds here, it is all deeply symbolic. The lighting of the flame to warm up the liquid, the whisking or stirring, pouring it into cups. When we slow down we start to see the miracles in every nano-second.
Once your beverage is prepared head over to your space. Take a few deep breaths to really come into the present moment to give thanks for the opportunity. Give thanks to the Maya, connect with your guidance, ancestors and anyone or anything else you feel guided to connect with to empower yourself and open your heart. Once you feel your heart open, blow three exhales slowly towards the cup to breathe your gratitude and love into the beverage.
Drink the cacao and try to just observe the entire experience without overthinking or analyzing. Try to feel instead of think for this ritual. What does it taste like, how does your body feel, are you getting any messages in answer to your prayer, that kind of thing. Give yourself 10 minutes here at least.
Once done drinking you can close out this ritual with gratitude and a big smile. You may need to write notes down in your journal based upon your experience. Sometimes the answers come right away in the moment, sometimes they take a few days to filter down from your subconscious and higher mind into your conscious mind. Be open to how the messages may come: through others, animal totems, song lyrics on the radio, signs on front lawns, and more fun random ways that you are comfortable with.
Enjoy!
Love, Merissa
Merissa