The "Correct" Use of Ceremonial Grade Cacao
How Cacao became ceremonially honoured in the West
Cacao has been and is still used for a variety of purposes such as secular, religious, celebratory, ceremonial, medicinal and magical!
Central America also is the home of many stronger medicinal, psychoactive and psychedelic plants, so the big reference of cacao seems to be even more special considering the availability of stronger plant teachers.
This [cacao] drink is the healthiest thing, and the greatest sustenance you could drink in the whole world, because he who drinks a cup of this liquid, no matter how far he walks, can go on a whole day without eating anything else.
(Anonymous Conqueror, 1556, quoted in Coe&Coe, 1996)
With the rise of popularity of ceremonial cacao we see many people using cacao in many ways, including it in their morning cereal, substituting coffee for a healthier and more stable work focus, using it as an alcohol free stimulant during raves and creating ceremonies of devotion and rituals for emotional release.
But Cacao becoming mainstream also raises concerns about a proper way to honour the sacred plant and its gifts to humanity.
In my lineage cacao was specifically harvested, processed and prepared for inner work, conflict resolution, therapeutic and trauma processing alongside energy work and transforming meditation and quantum shifts. Check this out to get an idea.
As magical, beautiful and fun this all sounds, there are also coming in more and more concerns from my students about possible misuse of the sacred plant and a lack of reverence. Especially as I was instructed in deep inner work with cacao and train others in it, the concern of a missing strong container is often justified. However ceremonial cacao, as potent and profound it can be, is not a psychedelic and operates alongside the human’s intention who imbibes it at a certain time, place and with a certain purpose. Some of them more casual, others more serious. But as I have learned and experienced over the years: always exactly the way the recipient needs and is able to hold it.
Next article will be about the (he)art and craft of space holding with cacao, but for now let’s dive deeper into the ‘correct’ use of ceremonial cacao, where it comes from and how we can honour its medicine today and in the western mind-focused, dissociated and dysregulated world for healing, connection and purpose.
Further down I linked one of lesson of the first part of my Cacao Facilitator Training THE MAGIC OF CACAO . I make it available for my Magic Members and Cacao Dieta Participants to answer question about the ‘correct’ use of ceremonial cacao, where it comes from, how it has been used historically, socially and spiritually and very important: Where the term ceremonial grade cacao originates and the difference between an indigenous ceremony for cacao and a modern cacao ceremony.
In this video I lead you into a grounding gratitude prayer and talk about
The first archaeological findings of Cacao
Tracing cacao from South to Mesoamerica
The cultures and tribes that used cacao
Spiritual and mundane usage of cacao
Deities and myths
The Discovery of Cacao in the Western World
How the History of Chocolate began
The Shadow Side of Cacao
Raising Awareness
The "tradition" of Cacao Ceremony - How it started
How cacao came into our western consciousness and got reclaimed by the natives
Cultural Appropriation, raising awareness for a connected world and rooting in your personal practice
As a Magic Member you will receive one 454g block of Keith’s Cacao to get a taste of my absolute favourite daily plant medicine as well as access to the 14-days online Cacao Dieta EQUILIBRIUM which starts this Sunday!
You have access to the course and my archive for a whole year and can use your payment as a first instalment towards my in-depth facilitator and ceremonialist training THE MAGIC OF CACAO.