What is Ceremonial Cacao?
To be truly classified as ceremonial the cacao paste needs to come from South or Central America, from a lineage of traditional use. Cacao from other areas of the world is considered cacao paste but not 'ceremonial cacao'. It has to be blessed by the indigenous owners of the land and produced with respect to their traditional customs. All ceremonial cacao comes from indigenous communities where the people have used it ceremonially for thousands of years as a sacred plant medicine. It is essential that the ancestral owners of the cacao are involved in the production process including blessing the soil, trees, pods and paste throughout the process and that reverence is upheld towards the culturally sensitive aspects of the people from the farming community. The cacao ceremony starts when the seeds are planted. Happy trees, happy farmers and a happy community provides clean pure happy, high-vibrational cacao.
Cacao creates the conditions for you to open up and experience more depth, intimacy, connection and presence. Cacao is a gentle guide through transformational shifts in consciousness.
Jicara
The cacao vessel, also known as a jicara, represents the feminine energy. It represents the womb that holds the blood of nature (cacao), holding the energy of transformation. The Spirit of Cacao is often referred to in the feminine; whose medicine is often described as gentle and nurturing, yet powerful and potent. Using the jicara to whisk cacao and share in ceremony is a powerful reminder of the sacred feminine and holder of life.
It needs to be 100% organic shade-grown under a natural agroforestry canopy – cacao pods are porous and they absorb the aromas and energies of the plants that surround them. Neighbouring trees containing fruits like banana or papaya have the ability to infuse the flavour of the cacao and enhance the profile and sensory experience when using it in ceremony. True ceremonial cacao comes from this agroforestry environment and the cacao produced not only contains the flavours of the jungle that surround it but also the energy and vibration of the environment, further enhancing the spiritual connection of the user to the Amazonian spirit.
Cacao contains many bioactive compounds and essential minerals that work together to support immune and cardiovascular health, enhance cognitive function, elevate mood, and improve nutritional health. Theobroma Cacao is cacao's botanical name...a name that literally translates to Food of the Gods in Greek, highlighting its reverence among many cultures.
Theo - God Broma - Food
This name refers to its main active constituent, Theobromine. A gentle stimulant and vasodilator, it brings blood to the skin, to the heart, to the brain, and creates a feeling of expansion ~ a feeling that has been revered as sacred throughout history. While it also interacts with adenosine receptors throughout the body to produce an uplifting effect, studies have shown that theobromine can also reduce blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure.
Flavanols in cacao possess antioxidant properties to reduce oxidative stress and protect our cells. Cacao flavanols can lead to improved immune function, increased mental clarity, enhanced vitality, reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease,
Molinillo
A molinillo, is a specialised whisk that can introduce air into the cacao elixir. The molinillo represents the masculine energy (phallus), and is used to balance the forces and elements in the preparation of a ceremonial cacao drink. The process of whisking the cacao in an jicara (vessel); seen as a feminine energy, to emulsify the fat, create foaming (air element or breath of life) and combine the two energies, represents the creation of life or re-birth. The use of this tool is also a beautiful opportunity to infuse an intention or prayer into your cacao. Singing or chanting while whisking is encouraged.
Cacao Prayer
Thank you to the essence, Spirit of cacao.
Thank you to the plant medicine and all the ancestors that have passed on this wisdom from generation to generation, taking the knowledge, the experience with cacao medicine and sharing this with the rest of the world.
Thank you to the sacred elements of nature that move within us and around us. Thank you water
for allowing us to flow in the rhythm of change letting us swim in the unlimited possibilities of creation.
Thank you to the Sun the moon the stars and to the earth.
Thank you Pachamama, mother of time and space for giving us trust and showing us the way of the heart.