EDITION NO. 2 · MARCH 2021
01 Cacao Mama's Solar Return
02 Cacao Flowers
03 On GIVING HEAVY ENERGY TO EARTH
04 Portals of SPRING
05 Cacao Ritual
06 in circle with lena
07 BEING in ceremony
08 ten magic
Cacao Mama's Solar Return
SERAP Kara, SPIRITKEEPER & FOUNDER Cacao MAMA
In March 2011, I met my very first Cacao teacher; a light being, masculine, very wise, scholarly and global. The same day, a stellium of six planets plus Lilith met in Pisces. I like to believe that this is why I've associated Cacao not only with the heart-centre, the Earth Goddess and later with the ancestors but with the stars and universal consciousness.
Keith, the Cacao Shaman brought the Cacao Ceremony to my world. Living in Guatemala, he planted the sacred seeds in Berlin in 2013, where they fell on the most fertile ground. Keith brought Cacao and Ceremony together, which was to be a foundational element for Cacao Mama.
My second teacher was a Maya King and he came with the Cacao Mother. Royal and wrapped in gold, he was familiar with the change of ages and accompanied Cacao Mama for a very long time. I liked to call him Cacao Papa.
To understand the true meaning of the Cacao Ceremony, I studied customs from the Maya and Aztecs, some of which are practised today. Sonia Emilia Rainbow Woman from Austria then brought a key: the 'ceremonia del cacao sagrado' was guarded by the Mayan Elders until they decided, I guess some 15 years ago, to hand it to the world to bring peace.
My gratitude goes to the elders, the spirit keepers and their communities, for they preserved the ancient ways, often in secret, to weave the medicine safely into our timeline. Cacao is sacred. With many people being called by the Cacao Collective, it is vital to bring light to the history, the wound, and to honour the courage needed to protect the sacred.
Presently, I'm opening to the teachings of the Cosmic Father, the guardian of time. In perspective, the oldest cacao vessel has been found 5,500 years ago in Ecuador; elsewhere in the world sacred astrology and written language were developed, the pyramids of Giza were built and the Mayan calendar was evolved.
I wonder, with deep respect to the wisdom keepers, what the original vibration of Cacao may feel like. This is our journey towards the original medicine, older than history, towards the spiritkeeper. I dedicate the next cycle of my evolution to being in greater service and inviting the original, loving vibration of my beloved teacher to be in Ceremony with us.
Thank you old friend, thank you teachers, and happiest birthday my beloved Cacao Mama!
BE MY GUEST
WHAT IS SPIRIT?
The spiritual dimension is the subtle vibration that gives form to what we know as Cacao. It includes all aspects of the plant throughout time and space. It is like the soul, the guardian and architect of the plant.
The Cacao Spirit is a keeper of ancient, sacred wisdom. The energy is described as a medicine of the soul, a medicine of peace and as a rainbow medicine. Most indigenous peoples regard the Cacao Spirit as a feminine force and associate her powers with the emotional body. She speaks to the heart. When we connect with the heart’s energy our voice may speak from a place of deeper intelligence carrying vibrations of peace.
THE RAINBOW MEDICINE
“When you blend Cacao, small bubbles appear on the surface. On these, you can see all colours of the rainbow.”
Cacao unites beyond culture, religion, colour, gender or belief. In an extremely polarised society, we need medicines that unite us as people rather than separate us from another. It is likely that Cacao is here with us to teach ways how we can create unity - within ourselves and with the world around us.
My teacher Mari Nil, who was gifted with clear sight, acknowledged that people who work with plant medicines often show a more pronounced rainbow aura visible to the inner eye.
Why We no longer give heavy energies to mother earth
Text By SERAP Kara · Pictures by Grit Siwonia
Pachamama is the master of ceremony. She is ever-present. She is sacred space. Where ever you go, she's right there and always with you. You cannot be without her. By honouring this very moment, you offer your presence to Pachamama and confirm your sacred bond of union.
How conscious are you with Pachamama? Do you breathe with her? Do you give thanks for the bounty she offers? Do you bless your food, the water you drink, the air you breathe? We are invited to be conscious with Pachamama, conscious with her essence and life energy.
In the Andean tradition the cosmic law of AYNI, meaning sacred reciprocity, says that energy never goes one way. It would come back. Especially when sent consciously. Letting go in spiritual practice is often associated with releasing heavy energies into the Earth.
With being present and conscious with Pachamama, we don't give heavy energies to her any longer. We give it neither in meditations, yoga classes nor in any other practice. It's not that Pachamama cannot handle it. She can, as she is the master of presence, the master of ceremony.
The energy given consciously comes back to us and we need to take it back at some point. It comes back in moments of vulnerability or distraction, in moments we least expect. Knowing this, what do we wish to seed and thus harvest? What we want to give to Pachamama is only love, gratitude, flowers, blessings, best wishes and prayers, knowing what we seed consciously will come back to us.
'That is the ayni in which you want to be with Pachamama. That is the reciprocal exchange of energy with which you want to have with Pachamama. The least you can give back is your conscious presence back to her. That conscious presence is ceremony. That conscious presence is an offering.
Remember, nothing is yours. Everything is for you. What you give to Pachamama is who you are, not what you have. Whatever we offer to her as offerings like despacho offerings or sanchicha, the corn, beer, seeds, candies or flowers, those are complimentary gifts to Pachamama. The most sacred, pure, fundamental gift back to Pachamama is your conscious presence, is being here for Pachamama.' - Puma
I've received this teaching from the Andean medicine man Puma Fredy Quispe Singona with whom I study the ancient teachings of his lineage. Puma opens avenues into the divine origins of the Andean peoples and shares a cosmo-vision on how to be in 'best service and communion' with Pachamama and the cosmos. I'm sharing his teaching with permission.
An exercise to transform heavy energies is to imagine me inside a crystal or crystalline sphere. Crystals can only channel highly refined energy. Everything that flows in or out is transmuted. My teacher Mari Nil taught me that crystal beings are powerful. Their light acts like a laser of rainbow colours, condensed to one coherent light.
I visualise being present with the pain, the grief, the loss until the feelings alter and leave my space as a thousand flowers and blessings to the sacred space and Pachamama herself.
May we seed a thousand blessings to be harvested.
Portals of Spring · THE SPRING EQUINOX
Text BY LENA Brandt · Picture Nikhil Kumar & Isabella Kramer
One of the most beautiful thresholds that we can experience in nature is the transition from Winter to Spring. Glorious colours are covering the earth. Vibrant life is about to burst forth in nature and inside ourselves as well.
In Spring, the soul reawakens in the nourishing presence of the waxing light and connects us to our purity, innocence, enthusiasm, and the sheer delight of expansive growth.
We’re taking off the heavy, dark, yet comforting coat of Winter to create space for light and ease. We move the stale energy of Winter out, inviting in Spring’s winds of change and possibility.
The energies around us are expansive, curious, delighting, exploring, and visioning. Full of joy and ease we greet the young spring Sun and embrace her nourishing light and longer days with renewed energy and passion.
"Spring is a youthful season coming forth in a rush of life and promise, hope and possibility. At the heart of spring, there is a great inner longing when desire and memory stir toward each other. Consequently, springtime in your soul is a wonderful time to undertake some new adventures, some new projects, or to make some important changes in your life; there the rhythm, the energy, and the hidden light of your own clay work with you. You are in the flow of your own growth and potential.“ — John O’Donohue
Spring Equinox is a sun-based event and holiday which falls around March 21st every year. The word Equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”-aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the Equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. It happens at the same moment worldwide, though our clock times reflect a different time zone.
On March 20th we celebrate Spring Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The festival of the sun, when day and night are of equal length. A sacred moment of balance between light and dark, where both exist simultaneously.
The Spring Equinox is an invitation to become aware of light and shadow. It brings us into harmony and opens the point of stillness and trust. It brings clarity and vision into life and offers us an energetic opportunity to find balance within our deeper selves.
Just as the sun and nature continue to grow in strength, light, and power, our vision and inner treasures that were allowed to ripen during the darker months are now invited to slowly make their way into life. To be born. We bring renewed passion to our projects, and spend more time outside as we embrace the transition.
We cultivate nourishing practices and rituals, connecting to wonder, joy, and delight. We’re slowly getting ready to step outside, into the light, with all our abilities and gifts, bringing our own medicine forth.
During Springtime I, Lena, like to do a morning ritual to connect with Mama Cacao and the waxing energies of the East.
While the sun is slowly making its way into my living room, I enjoy some quiet time for myself. I sit with my cup of Cacao (I like to prepare a small, gentle portion of Cacao with some warming spices added to it), just breathing and watching the sunrise, in silent, simple wonder. A few precious and very nourishing moments of awareness, connecting to my heart and indulging in this calm, slow, loving energy of the early morning. Pure magic.
If the weather allows, I do this little ritual outside in nature, my bare feet gently touching the surface of the earth for 10-20 minutes (to tap into the Schumann resonance). This feels very grounding, calming, yet very energising to me. I come in harmony with the earth’s healing vibration in addition to the subtle loving vibration of Cacao.
For me, this is such a beautiful way to start the day. Gently checking in with myself before I am off to conquer the world.
If you prefer some music with your morning ritual, or you'd like some uplifting sounds to flow through Springtime, I've created this delightful playlist for you:
We love to sit in Circle; with a cup of cacao, in presence with Pachamama, in rhythm with the Cosmic Father, with warm stories in our hearts, connecting to the ceremonial centre that the Soul of Cacao wants to gift us. To this eternal circle we entrust our very best wishes.
'In Circle' is a prayer to the medicine of the circle itself and invites Cacao souls to share their love and personal story with Cacao in Circle. We are delighted that Lena Brand from Munich is opening this circle with a Cacao Ceremony for Renewal. Feel welcome to our circle of gratitude ♥︎
IN CIRCLE WITH LENA
Lena is a wild woman, yoga teacher, spiritual artist, and a Cacao Guardian. She will open In Circle with sacred Cacao aligned with breath work and gentle movements. This Circle will be held in German language.
Online Kakao Zeremonie für Erneuerung · Sonntag, 14. März 2021 · 18h00 - 20h00 · In German · Invitation in Offerings
Being in ceremony
TEXT BY LENA BRANDT · Picture by Marina Scholze
In Ceremony, we bring our awareness into the here and now, becoming fully present, celebrating, and honouring this precious moment in time and space. By slowing down, we recalibrate our whole system to the vibration of Mother Earth and open to the subtle vibrations of Nature.
Being in Ceremony invites us to cultivate concentration and focus, one step, one feeling at a time. Our senses are heightened - we can see, smell, hear, and feel the finest details, in our environment and within ourselves.
"What else can you offer to the earth, which has everything? What else can you give but something of yourself? A homemade ceremony, a ceremony that makes a home." — Robin Wall Kimmerer
How I bring ceremony and celebration to everyday life
Recently I'm cultivating more ways to celebrate and lean into joy in my day-to-day life when I'm present and connected. For example, I like to turn the mundane duty of cleaning into a ceremony for my home, filled with intention, purpose, and gratitude. I start by turning on music to set a ceremonial, joyful mood. When it then comes to all the little tasks - dust wiping, washing the dishes, changing sheets - I remind myself to stay fully present with it, and instead of seeing it as a chore, I think of it as a way to enhance the atmosphere and uplift the energy in my home. I burn incense and light candles. I look around, being grateful for this beautiful sacred space that I call my home.
In my kitchen, I have a post-it on the fridge that says „Give Thanks“. So, throughout my day, before having a meal I bless the food and give thanks to every living being that contributed to the ingredients of this meal. The people, animals, elements, and spirits.
Taking a walk in nature, I consciously set the intention to keep my eyes and heart open for the beauty of the world around me, celebrating the wonders of life on each and every corner. The river that flows beside me, the birds in the sky, the flowers on the fertile grounds of Mother Earth. I try to perceive my environment with all my senses - look at it closely, touch it, smell it, connect with it. I am surrounded by infinite abundance and I open my eyes for it.
I love to create a ritual for human interaction. Not just meeting with a person but consciously taking the time to be present in the presence of another human being. No matter where we are, I create a sacred space for us by fully showing up. In conversation, I listen closely, I give the other person my undivided attention, making them feel seen and heard and felt. I let the other person know, how thankful I am to have them in my life and I full-heartedly celebrate the luck to be alive, together, in this very moment.
TEN MAGIC
10 days · 10 per cent
We from Cacao Mama offer you 10% discount, one for each year of friendship. The discount code is valid from March 5 - 15, 2021, to be used in the Cacao Mama store, for the Cacao Guardian Training or the Cacao Lover experience. Use the code: TENMAGIC
Thank you gardeners
Acknowledgements
Many people have supported me on my journey and I'm grateful for our encounters, the exchanges and the pieces of a puzzle that many of you, consciously or unconsciously, brought back to me. Thank you for believing in this vision and shining your light at times when it was truly dark. My gratitude goes to my partner goodmood food for bringing cacao to this world and to Tobias Fischer, with whom I share a global cacao vision. Thank you, Nina Weid, you are my angel and mountain; your openness and curiosity are like wind for my spiritual wings. Thank you to my students, former co-workers and teachers from this world and the Otherworld. I have learned so much from your perspectives which allowed me to expand, to contemplate deeply and weave globally. Thank you to the creative souls, musicians, artists and photographers - you nourished my inner essence. In particular, I want to thank Grit Siwonia - your soul photography made Cacao Mama's essence visible; Ina Manuela Schenkel - your drawing is shining cosmic light on Cacao Mama; Alexis Aronson - your illustrations are pure medicine for past, present and future cycles. My deepest gratitude is for the gardeners of the Cacao plant, thank you for keeping the balance and for watching over Pachamama. And I'd like to pay my respect to the elders and spiritkeepers for guarding the medicines; your blessing is felt within the lines of time. Lastly, I'd like to thank those whom I may have forgotten. Happy Birthday Cacao Mama, you are my jewel, my jungle fairy!
In CEREMONY · CREATIVE DESIGN SERAP KARA · CONTENT SERAP KARA & LENA BRANDT · ILLUSTRATION ALEXIS ARONSOn · PICTURES Grit Siwonia © CACAO MAMA · CONNECT
EDITION NO. 3 · AVAILABLE IN APRIL 2021
We at Cacao Mama witness people opening to LIFE IN CEREMONY. The Cacao Spirit forms a centre around which one can feel this particularly magic moment when everything connects and comes alive. Feelings of compassion arise, a deep connection to Pachamama and a coming home to the Self. We have entered the present moment and feel the invisible harmony that surrounds us. In the 12 editions to come, we open Cacao Mama's apothecary and invite you to be in Ceremony with us. Together with our plant family, we weave rituals, stories, songs and recipes to offer a soothing medicine for you to connect with Pachamama and her powerful allies. Our land is Europe, and we weave the Cacao intelligence along with the European medicine wheel, while we tend to our roots, the land and its wisdom keepers.
