A Cacao Ceremony is a sacred ancient ritual to honour the elements and spirits of Nature, to create a harmonious matrix with all living beings and express gratitude for Life itself. A Ceremony is a way of the heart and reflects humanity's sacred connection and relationship with the land and the (un)seen worlds. Cacao Ceremonies respond to an increasing longing for connection, ritual and ceremony in an urban environment. When offered with integrity you may feel love and experience yourself beyond cultural, religious and political agenda as a child of Earth. The Cacao Tribe is growing; people gather in Circle, with kindness, to drink a cup of Chocolate together and celebrate the life's ceremony.

The Cacao Mother is unique in her alchemy and works through feeling, a loving intelligence and the intuition differently with everyone. Sometimes she envelopes you, opens your heart and leads you into radiant landscapes. Sometimes she is a teacher helping you to see things more clearly. Sometimes she is a friend who tells you when it's time to let go, to surrender, or to fly off. Her energy can be healing, soothing, connecting, deepening, releasing or creative. But Cacao always teaches you - about balance, living a more heart-centered life and the universal laws of Nature.

Plant vibration is subtle. To align with and feel its vibration in an urban environment, you may require some quiet time and a slowing of your system and brain activity. You will be more receptive when you are relaxed. Spending time in Nature, grounding into Earth and breathing consciously will help you to connect with the present moment, which is the doorway to the spiritual dimension. 

• The Cacao Spirit activates the sacred Fire within assisting you in burning away old and dense energies. Cacao renews our sacred connection with Spirit and where we come from. 
• Cacao offers a loving embrace for the Soul. This may feel like somebody is holding you, supporting your back.
• Cacao acts on the physical body, offering nutrients, minerals and feeling-good hormones. Blood circulation is accelerated up to 40%. 
• Mama Cacao speaks to the emotional body and the inner child. Her energy can be very gentle, very (grand)motherly, tender, and loving.
• Cacao empowers the human heart. Cacao invites us to come back to a natural state of feeling (rather than over-thinking). You may feel a deep connection to the world around you. Sharing circles are supported when connected with the Heart (and voice).

You will have outstanding experiences if you ask the Cacao Spirit for its healing energies. Imagine that the Plant Spirit dwells in eternity. It simply is. Speak to her like a friend, share your intention, express words of gratitude and respect and ask the Spirit to assist you in your ritual/ceremony. 

The intention is the holding and protecting container and sets the tone of your cacao ritual or ceremony. Questions you may ask yourself: Why am I sitting in Ceremony? What aspect do I wish to explore? In what area do I wish to receive clarity, ease, joy? 

Here are some examples:

• I receive joy.
• I let go of ... to create more space for ...
• I open to connect with the Spirit.
• I open to receive clarity on this topic.
• I open to explore creativity. 
• My intention is to create a space for dreaming.
• My intention is get in touch with my heart.

• Create a loving and comfortable space. You may use incense or herbs to 'cleanse' your space and light a candle to invite the element fire into your center. An altar is 'a prayer made visible' and creating one may support your journey. Choose things that lift your energy, help you feel more connected with yourself and the present moment & have meaning for you.
• Prepare your Cacao and let the preparation itself become an act of love. Here you'll find a tutorial.

• Connect with your intention and open the sacred space by stating: 'I hereby open the Sacred Space'. 
• Connect with your heart. Invite Cacao into your heart and into your space. Call in the medicine.

• Open to receive. Meditate, dream, paint, journal, play instruments, explore nature, move consciously, be silent or creative. Allow answers, symbols and feelings to arise from within.
• Drink water.

• Breathe deeply and allow the experiences to flow into your roots and to settle into your body.
• Connect with your intention.  Speak words from the heart and express gratitude. Give thanks to Spirit and the forces you've invited and allow them to leave the Space: "I thank the Spirit of Cacao, the forces of Nature and Source. Thank you for your love and guidance."
• Close the Space by stating: "I hereby close the Space." 

A beautiful way to expand and share your energy is by making an offering. Take a walk in Nature. Give thanks and appreciation for the beauty of the Earth Mother and her creations and offer flowers, seeds, nuts or fruits for the Spirits of Nature. Share your insights (symbolically) with Nature by speaking a prayer or words of gratitude, Spirit loves that! Listen for how Nature responds to you and loves you back. 

Cacao is a wonderful teacher to strengthen your relationship with others. The Maya verb chokola’j means: drinking chocolate together. Invite a friend or a family member. Create a beautiful space. When you sit together in circle, allow some space of peace to wrap you in its wisdom. Give a little introduction and introduce Cacao like a friend and invite her into your Circle by speaking directly to her: "Darling Cacao, we call you into our sacred circle, thank you for guiding us!" Invite your friend(s) to share words from the heart and to share their intentions. A great question for a sharing circle is: What are you grateful for? Then allow the Spirit to take over and trust her guidance. At the end, close the Space by giving thanks. 

It is widely accepted that 42g is a full ceremonial dose. I never use a full ceremonial dose, neither for myself nor in group ceremony. For me personally a smaller Cacao does the magic. Around 20g is the amount my body works best with when going into a meditation, a creative process, or into day-dreaming. How much Cacao you need to feel softly activated, depends both on your constitution and your belief system. Every person is so unique, so listen to your body. Start with a smaller amount and drink little more to see how you feel. Here are some numbers: 8-10g can spark a profound activation, 20g - 35g guides you into a deep inner experience, 42g is regarded as a full ceremonial dose (& is a lot of Cacao), from 60g and above, you can become really sick (headaches, nausea). It takes a little while for the Cacao to enter the bloodstream. Sometimes between 30 - 60 minutes. Sensitive people feel the vibration immediately. You might feel a concentrated energy in the belly after drinking it, which may cause discomfort. Breathe slowly and consciously into the belly and imagine the Cacao flowing from your belly into your heart and in golden light into your whole body. 

Cacao is powerful medicine. Due to the current constant availability of chocolate, one may underestimate Cacao's power. Most chocolate contains a small percentage of industrially processed Cacao. Ceremonial Cacao is made of the whole bean and is much more potent. Cacao has psychoactive but no psychedelic properties. Compared to other medicinal plants, Cacao opens the layers of consciousness in a gentle, loving way and ties together what may have been disconnected; on a physical, emotional or spiritual level. One may then remember something from the past that they are (not) ready for. Some other people expect to 'have a trip' and over-consume. Cacao's effect is highly accelerated via ecstatic movement. Remember, 40% more circulation. Some people need to visit the emergency services due to palpitations. Be gentle with yourself, respectful towards the Spirit and don't waste the sacred medicine. Cacao is a diuretic and additionally helps to detoxify the body. Water (before and after) is essential to keep the energy flowing, also drink water if you feel a slight headache or slightly nauseous shortly after drinking cacao.

Ceremonial doses of Cacao are not recommended for somebody who is taking antidepressants (Cacao contains MAO inhibitors), has a serious heart condition, has very high blood pressure or suffers epilepsy. Please speak to your doctor if you consider taking ceremonial doses of Cacao in any of these cases. Raw Cacao contains Histamine. Pregnant women should take smaller amounts. Dogs and animals should not be given raw chocolate, as they lack the enzyme to metabolize theobromine (which can be fatal).