Cacao Ceremony For Inner Guidance, Creative Awakening & Opening The Heart
Creating a ritual or ceremony is a wonderful way to call something in or let something go. It’s an opportunity to connect deeply with the Self, others and Spirit and invoke transformation. One type of ceremony I enjoy on a regular basis is a cacao ceremony. It can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like, and it only requires one simple ingredient—high grade cacao—and your personal intention.
As a life coach, I support my clients in performing a ritual or ceremony when they want to mark an event as sacred, are searching for clarity, seeking to manifest an intention, such as reaching a goal or inviting in healing, and/or are simply feeling the weight of the world and looking for a shift in perspective. If you’ve never created your own ritual, a cacao ceremony is a wonderful introduction to the world of intentional living.
Cacao has been used for thousands of years, dating back to Mayan and Aztec traditions in Central and South America, and used for spiritual, medicinal and ceremonial purposes with the intent of opening the heart for inner awakening and creative guidance. Although used through the ages, cacao ceremonies have been gaining recent popularity amongst Westerners through heart-centered rituals and practices to call in love, deepen self-love and gratitude, bestow love upon others and allow what is being called to arise to come forth.
Seen as the ultimate heart opener, a cacao ceremony is essentially any type of ceremony in which a cacao beverage is consumed with the intent of elevating the spiritual ritual(s) being practiced.
Cacao Ceremony To Invoke And Strengthen Love & Connection
Because cacao increases blood flow to the brain, it’s said to help strengthen awareness and focus. Because of its heart health properties, including high levels of potassium and flavonoids that help lower inflammation and stress on cells, it’s often associated with opening and healing the heart. And, the high levels of theobromine in cacao have long been believed and scientifically proven to help elevate mood. Phenethylamine, the chemical that is released in the body during emotional euphoria, is also found in cacao and is known to help relieve stress and depression. Learn more about the health benefits of cacao here.
Beyond the chemistry of it all, cacao has been long believed to affect our heart energy—our emotional center—by opening our heart chakra.
The heart chakra, or Anahata chakra in Sanskrit, is the fourth of the seven main chakras, located at the center of the spine at heart level. Anahata roughly translates to “unhurt,” and the heart chakra is often associated with compassion, affection, forgiveness and love.
When the heart chakra is blocked or underactive, you may experience an inability to forgive yourself and/or others and move on from past experiences. You may also feel detached from your emotions, numbing feelings of love and compassion.
When the heart chakra is overactive, you might experience a lack of discernment in relationships, leading you to feel emotionally drained. You may feel ruled by your emotions, overly dependent or codependent in relationships and, perhaps, allowing relationships to become toxic.
However, when the heart chakra is balanced, love flows easily in your life, allowing you to live with kindness and compassion toward yourself and others. In this state of balance, you recognize that all is interconnected, enabling you to deepen relationships, call in new love, forgive self and others and understand love as the ultimate healing force.
Designing Your Heart Opening Cacao Ceremony
Most guided cacao ceremonies include at least one other modality intended to help participants enter into an altered, focused, ceremonial state, such as meditation, sound baths, dance or breath work. However, you can make your ceremony as simple as brewing a warming cacao beverage and sipping it slowly while focusing on what it is that you’d like to receive in the form of guidance, manifest in your life, offer, create and/or open to.
A very simple cacao ceremony, for instance, could include you mindfully making and sipping your beverage while setting an intention and expressing gratitude as part of your morning ritual. This ceremony can be done in 10-20 minutes and doesn’t require anything other than high-grade cacao powder, your favorite type of milk, perhaps a dash or cinnamon or cayenne, and the intention that you bring to it.
Cacao Ceremony Recipe
Mix 2 heaping tablespoons of raw cacao powder with one cup of boiling water.
Add your favorite warmed or frothed milk or milk substitute (For extra richness, skip the water entirely).
For both actual and symbolistic “flavor” to your ritual, garnish your cup with romantic rose petals, add a pinch of seductive cinnamon or fiery cayenne, or include a few drops of relaxing lavender essential oil. OR sweeten your beverage with a dollop of healing honey (to taste).
A more elaborate cacao ceremony could include a ceremony facilitator, such as a shaman or meditation teacher, with multiple people sitting in a circle sharing ceremonial cacao, praying, singing and/or chanting together. In Bali where I used to spend my winters, it was very common to meet in groups of 50 or 100 people to share cacao over a sound healing ritual, followed by ecstatic dance. Done throughout the ages, this type of ceremony can be an uplifting experience and help build a strong, connected community.
Essentially, cacao ceremonies vary significantly and there really is no right or wrong way to perform one, provided you use raw cacao and enter into the ceremony with intention, curiosity and a willingness to expand your awareness and open your heart.
For more info, insight and ideas on ceremony and ritual, check out a vlog I posted a few months back, Making Simple Moments Sacred: Mindful Reflection And Ritual For Transformation. Although the video was posted at the time of the fall equinox, an auspicious time to perform ritual, ceremonies, including cacao ceremony, can be performed at any time. Through intention and ceremony, you can connect with your deepest truth, clearing out that which is no longer serving you and call on Spirit for clarity and inspiration for what is to come. Cacao, especially, can be used in ceremonies that place emphasis on anything related to the heart and heart chakra, including love, gratitude, affection, connection, forgiveness and joy.
Begin Living Your Inspired Life
The use of cacao helps stabilize and elevate us mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and even relationally. While potent, cacao ceremony is just one practice that can be used for personal transformation, spiritual growth and increasing energetic vibrancy.
If you’re feeling inspired to unearth your true calling, put passion into action and bring your soul’s purpose to life, one-on-one Inspired Living life coaching can help you achieve growth and transformation in one or all areas of your life. If the process of self-discovery and self-actualization excites you, I invite you to contact me today to schedule a discovery call for us to get to know each other and discuss what a life of mastery, excellence and joy looks and feels like for you.
Blessings on your ceremony and transformational journey,
Katie