Cacao Ceremony
Cacao ceremonies were common rituals in ancient Native Mesoamerican cultures.
Cacao is known to be heart-opening spirit lifting and was used in many religious and spiritual contexts for millennia. Today, cacao ceremonies vary in practice and intention from one facilitator to another, but are generally used to open energies and connect more to oneself and one another.
Cacao History
The Mayan and Aztec cultures used Cacao for centuries!
Cacao is present in the mythology of these ancient cultures and revered as a sacred plant worthy of ceremony and ritual. It is believed that the Aztecs provided cacao to sacrificial victims and the plant is tied directly to their origin stories. Mayan mythology also holds high reverence for the cacao plant as it is seen to be used in the creation of humanity.
Cacao was also used for medicinal purposes and as a means of commerce even up to the times of the conquistadores. After cacao was imported to Europe, the elite classes began to consume and covet certain recipes, which eventually led to the commercialization of cacao and chocolate in the New World.
What Is A Cacao Ceremony?
Cacao ceremonies traditionally take many forms, as they do today. In my own experience, cacao is served in ceremony at the beginning of events and gatherings in spiritual communities. These events may be community gatherings, ecstatic dances, sound baths or healings, yoga festivals, and any number of other opportunities.
I’ve seen cacao served with very little attention or intention, as well as with the greatest reverence imaginable. It seems like the intention usually dictates the effect as is the case with most things.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a cacao ceremony, open your heart and mind, have intention, and go with the flow. See what comes up for you and explore the “medicine.” It’s a far cry from the “chocolate” we’ve likely been served in our own cultures.
My Journey With Cacao
My own journey with cacao has been a magical heart opening experience. I have to admit, my experience with chocolate began as a youngster eating crappy Hershey’s Chocolate bars and Hershey’s Kisses, which as so far and bastardized from genuine cacao. There’s almost zero similarity…
That said, I had a clear inclination towards anything chocolate from a very young age, though I didn’t really experience true cacao until much later in life. The truth is that I was always seeking the best chocolate experience possible with the awareness that I had and the chocolate that I had available around me.
My first cacao ceremony was probably not until 2016 or 17 when I would go to ecstatic dances around Los Angeles facilitators would serve cacao in opening ceremonies. I’ve always been more ceremonially inclined and interested in ceremony generally, so I always participated with reverence and by that time already had a fairly established meditation practice. My meditation practice allowed me to drop deeply into ceremony and tap into that energy of meditative space and heart resonance that allowed me to connect to the medicine in a very powerful and magical way.
So in honoring the ceremony in general and thankfully experienced amazing facilitators who honored the medicine very deeply. With meditation, I was able to travel to magical places mentally and that meditative ceremonial state with cacao just magnified those feelings and connections, intensifying feelings of gratitude and connections to Universal energy, Source, the Ancestors and myself, as well as the people around me. I definitely feel a higher level of heart resonance and heart opening in those moments of deep ceremony in meditation or deep ceremonial meditation and as I became more and more drawn to cacao, it somehow became more and more available to me. Eventually, I started mixing ceremonial cacao with my coffee every morning, which elevated the admittedly somewhat habitual, or in my own perspective, more ritual coffee drinking.
I also experimented with cacao nibs and put them into smoothies and other drinks that would continue connecting me to cacao at a deeper level over time. Eventually, I met people who were importing cacao from collectives in Guatemala, Colombia, and other parts of Latin America to help support indigenous or native peoples who were honoring cacao. It always felt really good to be connected to that thread of frequency and energy in that way. It is a direct connection to our past, to the earth, to ceremony, and ultimately to healing. It also helps to recognize the effort, the knowledge, the tradition, and ultimately the love that is expressed through the cultivation, preparation, and distribution of cacao.
Nowadays, I open myself to the power of cacao in every moment. I’m far more conscious about the “chocolate” that I choose to consume and I always strive to find the best cacao that I can.
Recently, my partner traveled to Mexico to explore the world of cacao. She serves cacao ceremonially, though I do not. But in her desire to better understand and gain knowledge of the medicine that she’s serving, we toured the Yucatan exploring and connecting to cacao in a different way from the perspective of learning as much as we could about it while experiencing it in its natural environment in a more traditional manner and connecting to the people that cultivate it and prepare it, and to the energy that it takes to create this magic that we call cacao. This is our journey…
Mayan Cacao Ceremony
The Mayan Cacao Ceremony is a spiritual and ritualistic practice that involves the use of cacao, a type of chocolate, as a sacrament. This ceremony has roots in the indigenous culture of the Mayan people and is believed to have been used for centuries for spiritual and healing purposes.
In a Mayan Cacao Ceremony, the cacao is consumed as a beverage and is often mixed with other ingredients, such as spices and sweeteners, to create a special drink. The ceremony is usually led by a shaman or spiritual practitioner who creates a safe and sacred space for participants to connect with their inner selves and the natural world.
The Mayan Cacao Ceremony is said to have a number of benefits, including increased feelings of love, compassion, and joy; reduced stress and anxiety; and a greater connection to one’s spiritual essence. The cacao is also believed to have a number of physical health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased energy, and improved cognitive function.
While the Mayan Cacao Ceremony can be a powerful and transformative experience, it is important to note that the effects of cacao can vary greatly between individuals and can be influenced by factors such as one’s state of mind, physical health, and the quality and preparation of the cacao. As with any spiritual or psychoactive substance, it is important to approach the Mayan Cacao Ceremony with caution and to educate oneself fully about its potential benefits and risks before participating.