Sunday sermon for practicing Peace

Chocolate Church: the shared mission of sacred Cacao and the Faeries

We can´t create peace in a war torn world without establishing a continuous mending within our own disturbed self.

This requires the acknowledgment that there is one or many troubled parts in us. It requires acceptance that we are many faceted humans with many faceted emotions and many faceted experiences during many faceted phases. And it requires attention on deeper fears, where we would usually distract or numb.

All of the above I personally find by sitting with and sipping ceremonial cacao. I soften, I relax, I receive. I become aware, alert and attentive. I relinquish control and the need to know (in the way I expect myself to).
This happens for a reason, one that I dare belief is the core quality of Cacao, which she shares with other Spirits of other lands, a message I explore in this post.

For the paid members of this newsletter I added a cacao ceremony at the end of this post in which I tell you the probably most ancient way of how cacao has been used and guides you through the process yourself - in english and in german. You can become a paid or founding member (includes a two week guided Cacao Dieta in November) by managing your subscription on your browser:

I had a brief exchange of thoughts on notes (Substack´s social media function) with

John Matthews

on my post about waking up and as I opened my suitcase later that day, a book I wanted to read for a while fell into my hands: “The Sídhe” by John Matthews himself. Which I finished since but kept coming back to for page 92 because it was too striking a message and one I got several times before, in other forms, by Cacao.

“I would say this to you. The true desire for peace must come from a deeper well than that of simple need or of the wish of one leader or tribe to become stronger than the other. […] I repeat that the need for peace must come from a deeper level, from the place where Spirit holds sway over the making of choices. […] How many would be prepared to meditate and go inward to the place of the spirit to meet and discuss the terms of a settlement? Yet it is this inner place that such terms should always me made.”
The Sídhe, John Matthews, 2004

Despite consciously wanting harmony for everyone on this planet, and the planet itself, genuinely desiring peace not for one´s own sake (and comfort) is something that doesn´t come natural for many of us, because we subconsciously struggle to accept our worth to receive goodness and therefore don´t grant it others or seek chaos that feels familiar. It is almost an impurity in our system - be it culturally conditioned, personally learned or inherently human, a longing for drama and evolution maybe instead of peace and resolution?

Dante Gabriel Rossetti - The Damsel of the Sanct Grael

Peace is like the Holy Grail: unattainable for most, and claimed only by the purest most innocent (made up) character which leads to his immediate death and ascension to heaven, whereas for those remaining on earth: to destruction and downfall of the kingdom. Sounds very much like a Christian propaganda of dissociation and escapism over embodiment, building relationships and commitments to being human on earth.

But what happens if we pour cacao in this cup?

(The Grail is a relatively new story feature to the Arthurian Legends and its origin is a cauldron of the goddess. If this intrigues you, hop over to

Sovereign with Laura Durban

where I share more mythology, western mystery tradition and how to reclaim magic in your life)

Enter: Ceremonial Cacao.

The probably most significant and in my opinion world changing role of Cacao is its usage in conflict resolution in Indigenous Mayan communities, where disputes over land, resources, and other issues can arise.

In many Indigenous Mayan communities, cacao is seen as a symbol of unity and harmony. It is often used in traditional reconciliation ceremonies, where conflicting parties come together to resolve their differences.

During these ceremonies, cacao is typically prepared as a drink and is shared among the participants as a way of bringing them together. The process of preparing cacao for these ceremonies is highly symbolic: Even though you might be triggered or angry about someone if it is personal conflict for example, you are meant to prepare the best Cacao you could ever make!
As to infuse the sacred plant with loving intention and your attention on resolving conflict and offering the best you can to the other parties. The cacao beans are roasted, ground, and mixed with water and other ingredients, such as cinnamon and chili, to create a thick, frothy drink. This process is meant to represent the different elements of the community coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Once the cacao drink is prepared, it is shared among the participants. The act of sharing the drink is seen as a way of building trust and creating a sense of community. As participants drink the cacao, they are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings, and to work together to find solutions to their problems. The use of cacao in conflict resolution has been particularly important in Indigenous Mayan communities in Guatemala, where land disputes and other conflicts have been a source of tension for many years. Often Cacao is also brought as a gift and offering without it being drank together.

And, now comes the most important part, which I find the most significant for us westerners to know about:

Even if no agreement is made, Cacao will be gifted and shared in mutual respect. Every outcome will be accepted and valued!

This is a huge part of the unconditional aspect of Cacao and something we, in our patriarchal capitalist society have unlearned to do: to give without expecting back, knowing the earth and nature knows the bigger picture and sometimes that results in us not getting what we initially want but we trust that it serves us all in a way we need. Cacao is being gifted not to blackmail but with the genuine intention to resolve conflicts for the greater good of all

Conflicts allow us to become aware of which needs are not met.

Wether you have to address your needs to the other person or find out how you can meet them yourself. Remember: it should not be about how the other person can fulfil your needs or change themselves just to please you. We have the power within us and as much as compromises and mutual appreciation are important, we always have the choice to leave if someone is consciously trying to pull our triggers, hurting us or continues to disrespect boundaries after having clearly communicated them.

A Cacao Ceremony for inner conflict resolution

In this ceremony I reveal what makes Cacao´s teaching so similar to that of the Sídhe: the ritualistic use to resolve conflict within oneself, without even needing to speak to the other person involved!

This ceremony was originally recorded on the New Moon in Gemini two years ago as an intention setting ritual, which can be performed any time of the moon cycle, but is especially fitting in theses days leading up to and the three days after the New moon in Gemini on Thursday, June 6th at 1:37pm UK time (14:37 in Central Europe).