The wonderful Kristina Evans is a healer and medicine woman with decades of experience under her belt. Here she guides us through the process of creating our own cacao ceremony at home. Cacao is a beautiful plant medicine that has been recognised for centuries as a sacrament as there is a multitude of benefits for our being on every level from the mind, the body and the spirit.
When we drink cacao, blood flow increases throughout the body by up to 40% enhancing the physical beating and expansion of the heart. The blood vessels in the brain also open up which can assist in connecting you to your wisdom, intuition and higher perspectives.
PREP CACAO WITH INTENTION
In order to invoke the spirit of the cacao and your connection to the brew’s intelligence, the most important part of the entire process is to make it with intention.
Inviting in the spirit of the cacao, prepare it mindfully and always hold your intention clear. What do you wish to call in and what do you wish to leave behind? What wishes are we choosing to infuse the cacao with? This beautiful sacred plant is the queen of enhancing heart-opening, radical self-acceptance, deep fierce compassion and unconditional love.
To create a cacao ceremony you can work with any form of organic cacao.
1 - Firstly, grate or crush the cacao - you can use a pestle and mortar. For a personal ceremonial dose around 20g per person is plenty, you can go up to 30g if you are feeling bold and around 40g is the maximum dose.
The theobromine and caffeine can make you feel buzzy for the next 6-8 hours so drink it in the daytime.
2 - Pour the cacao and rose petals into each cup and add hot water.
3 - Stir the cacao in a clockwise direction, infusing the brew with intention and remaining focused on what you are leaving behind but more importantly calling in.
IMBIBE WITH MINDFULNESS
Take a seat and imbibe the brew mindfully and like meditation, use all of your senses.
Drink big and allow your wishes and desires to come from your heart and not to be suppressed or limited by your logical or rational mind.
Once you have finished drinking, a good next step is to centre into meditation for at least 10 minutes, with your phone off and some music on if you wish. Be in your body, breathe and be open to receiving the cacao. Fully embody your essence and your power. Your in-breath is magnetic, your out-breath is transformative.
When it’s time for the ritual to finish, express gratitude. It must be authentic and come from deep within your heart. In order to invoke this feeling, you can think of something or someone you are grateful for.
Afterwards, drinks lots of water, cacao is detoxifying and can be dehydrating. If you have low blood pressure or are on prescription drugs, medication, heart condition, epilepsy or pregnant, stick to a smaller dose so that you don’t get dizzy.
