Last week was Earth Day and the start of the Taurus new moon (where my fellow Taurus babes at?!). With the lockdown and emotions being at an all time high, I found myself craving a cacao ceremony. Virtual of course.  It was only my second ceremony so I’m by no means an expert. But with copious amounts of time I thought why not share the experience?

Firstly, what is a cacao cemerony? A cacao ceremony comes from the Mayan and Aztec cultures. It involves drinking ceremonial grade cacao in a group. It’s meant to be a heart opening experience where you release any negativity.

The ceremony I did was run by Rebekah Shaman who I highly recommend. The cacao is from the Ashaninka Tribe in the Peruvian Amazon and is available on her website. The cacao comes in big chunks so first you chop it into little bits and then stir in boiling water (the amount of water depends on how much you are preparing) until all the clumps are gone and it is ready to drink. All this is to be done mindfully. You can find helpful videos on how to prepare the cacao on Rebekah’s site.

The cacao tastes VERY bitter. Like the first time I found it hard to drink the whole thing. Although weirdly I enjoyed it a lot more the second time so maybe it grows on you? Regardless, in a group setting it’s soothing and made me feel insanely relaxed. Kinda like a mellow high but without anything psychoactive. Since it was earth day it was focused on our roots. I found myself connecting with my grandpa (via a tree), my grandma (who I never met) and my dog Louie who we had to put down. There were tears followed by a blissful feeling. I wasn’t expecting any of the Alice in Wonderland twists and turns as my first experience was more just feeling relaxed (no talking to my grandpa via a tree that’s for sure). I guess it’s given that each experience is going to be different. I know it sounds very woo woo but I don’t think it should deter you from trying it even if it is slightly out there.

After the experience we journaled our intentions for the new moon. I felt a renewed sense of purpose and creativity. I don’t know if it’s the lockdown speaking or if I would feel this way normally, but I find myself craving a cacao ceremony every two weeks. If I go much longer than that I find the magic of the experience starts to diminish and right now I could really use all the guidance I can get. It’s also really nice to connect with so many people around the world even if it is virtually. There was about 300 people on the last Zoom! Also, I get if this sounds too out there for you. I’m a firm believer of science and sometimes I’m dubious of the mystical stuff I hear about. That being said, I still think it’s a experience to try especially during a lockdown where a lot of us are experiencing negative feelings rising to the surface.

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