WHAT IS A CACAO MEDICINE Ceremony?
(and why come to one?)
Cultures around the world recognise the power and value of creating ceremonies to acknowledge certain important times or experiences, or with the purpose of ingesting special plants and communing with "plant consciousness".
This is not a recreational or hedonistic practice but a ritual, intentional way of mindfully, respectfully consuming a plant to develop a kind of personal connection to its energy, and receive its wisdom and experience its healing potential. My interest in experiencing a communion with a sacred plant spirit is what led me to first sit with cacao in 2017, in a traditional-style plant spirit medicine ceremony with cacao as the medicine. This is the way of working with cacao that called me, the way I subsequently trained in (in 2018), so what I offer is a plant spirit medicine ceremony. I later studied with indigenous Mayan teachers in order to learn about the ancestral culture of cacao in particular, and to feel I was working respectfully and with permission from indigenous medicine carriers. From these teachers, I learned authentic Mayan rituals and invocations which I am able to use in my ceremonies. What I offer is therefore a fusion of Mayan ritual and traditional plant spirit medicine ceremony. Cacao is the only medicine plant I work with.
WHY MIGHT YOU WANT TO COME TO A CEREMONY?
- You would like to connect with your intuition & tap into states of awareness which our everyday overactive, analytical, rational minds often prevent us from accessing.
- You're drawn to nature/earth-based spiritual traditions, or a longing to connect with something "sacred" in a non-religious way
- You're interested in connecting with indigenous wisdom and healing practices and would like to experience a ceremonial approach to sharing cacao in a way which is informed by and respectful of authentic indigenous traditions, teachers and medicine, with someone who has permission from indigenous teachers to share their medicine.
- You're curious about experiencing a plant medicine ceremony but are looking for something gentle and not a full-on psychedelic experience. Cacao is safe for most people, and totally legal.
- You've previously experienced some form of plant medicine ceremony and simply wish to sit in respectful sacred ceremony with another plant spirit which is gentle, heart-opening and grounding.
- Cacao consumed ritually, in a ceremonial setting, can can assist you if there's an issue you wish to look at in your life, something you can't let go of, an experience from the past or a pattern you keep playing out in your life, which you know is blocking you from experiencing greater wellbeing & flourishing. A ritual ceremonial setting can help you frame your intention to let go or reframe things and cacao's heart-opening medicine can help you release old emotional blockages of the heart, perhaps with a gentle purge of tears. During the ceremony, you may receive insights, guidance, into this or other issues.
These ceremonies are an opportunity for women to experience cacao's medicine in a healing, safe, held space; please respect this and please come in this spirit. These ceremonies are not a training or workshop for those wanting to learn to hold their own cacao events.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CEREMONY?
(Not going into too much detail because it's best to come with few expectations...)
You'll be part of a small group of women; no previous experience needed, just open-mindedness, humility and respect.
I will open up the space using some authentic Mayan rituals and invocations; each participant briefly states their intention for the ceremony, I will then serve the cacao.
For most of the time you'll be lying down, eyes closed, relaxing into a guided inner journey, during which the spirit of the plant is invoked to assist you.
After this, you'll be brought back gently and given time to process through journaling.
There's an opportunity to share something of your experience with the group, but I deliberately keep this part brief as I want to allow people to remain more in their own inner space, rather than being pulled too much into others' emotional states and experiences.
Finally I will close the ceremonial space.
READ TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS HERE
FAQs