Why there can´t be THE ONE ceremonial-grade cacao
Plus Full Moon Cacao ritual & mentoring for Founding Members!
Today I want to invite you to a thought experiment.
About the importance of discerning ceremonial-grade cacao as a cacao ceremonialist AND also the importance of embracing people using “normal” cacao as their entry way into a life changing experience.
If you are a founding member you can scroll down and access a Full Moon Cacao Ritual, guided meditation, astrology update and a very potent training session on trance states vs dissociation and what cacao asks us to do
Ceremonial-grade differs from brand to brand, even just calling something “traditionally processed” is unclear as different indigenous cultures have different traditions. I went more into this in detail with my cacao colleague Fran Siebrits from South Africa on our recent instagram live which you can watch here:
I highly recommend listening to our conversation in case you wondered why genuine ceremonial-grade cacao has and should be above the supermarket prices of a pure cacao block. Even after the minimum of standard, reciprocity should be maintained throughout sourcing, processing and selling cacao if we want to avoid to repeat the dark history of chocolate with its colonialism, exploitation, slave trade and child labour (still going on today in Africa, where 80% of our commercial industrial chocolate comes from, a country to which the cacao plant is not even native).
Despite there not being a set standard of the term of ceremonial-grade, there are concrete factors that clearly set ceremonial-grade cacao apart from 100% pure cacao paste, cocoa powder and even the best organic fairtrade chocolate.
If you are facilitating cacao ceremonies or monetise on cacao as a spiritual or life changing medicine in some way, I highly recommend reading my latest article on reciprocity and my favourite and trusted cacao brands to use for such endeavours:
As you can see there are various processes involved in producing our magical drink and some might suggest that all this doesn´t matter as long as the cacao strain, the species, the variety, is Criollo or somewhat ancient, pure, original, compared to a higher yielding crop like Forastero or a hybrid variant like Trinitario.
And whilst there certainly are various strains of cacao with noticeable differences, Theobroma Cacao is known for its cross pollination and has been for centuries. Some even suggest that there is no pure Criollo to be found anymore in the world. Apart from that Criollo is again not a protected term and simply means native/local and can be used by anyone talking about the cacao tree growing close by their home. Regardless of its ancient age or spirited effect.
Now here comes the thought experiment:
Imagine there was a last remaining ancient and sacred cacao tree grove somewhere hidden amongst a thousand year old temple ruin, with waterways and caves and magically contained in a valley protected by mountains and waterfalls - the chocolate version or El Dorado.
Would you want this Cacao to be known to the world?
The Mayans knew about Cacaos sacred purpose and have mainly kept it secret, some even forgot about its importance and role in this world. Until the Spirit of Cacao made herself known to the Westerners and after 5 centuries of diluting her potential power with sugar, milk powder and artificial flavourings, we finally start hearing her call. The call of the mother calling us home. Home to connection, belonging, love. Home to nature. Home to ourselves.
And we have a long journey ahead of us to follow her call. Decades of numbness, substance abuse and medication, nervous system overstimulation, stress and disconnect with our natural environments are still clouding our sight and require self awareness, generational healing and the willingness to feel and sense again. To come alive is a process we have to actively partake in - opposed to indigenous cultures who live and breathe with the forest and run with its creatures.
Now, would you think that this world is ready yet for the most spirited cacao?
I think if this world that I grew up in found out about it - because oh hell yes we WANT the bestest of the bestest only for us - it would be immediatly commercialised, used for personal gain and most likely not even noticed within.
What we NEED though is remembering that we are part of an ecosystem that we are destroying by only looking for our next quick fix to further numb or distract or avoid.
The bestest high we can get to feel alive. Instead of re-learning how to connect to our inner childlike wonder and playfulness and to put it the effort to be transformed through discomfort and facing pain.
It would be like throwing a 5 star menu into a pig pit.
The pigs might love it and it might even have some physical, mental or emotional benefits but it wouldn´t change their lives. They would still make the same decisions, and get back to eating potato peel the next day.
This is my little piece of advocating for timing and compassion. Everything has its place and there is no right or wrong way to work with cacao. And there certainly is an ethically correct way of caring for others and the greatest good of all: Interdependence and reciprocity with land and its creatures, fellow humans and spirit.
Choose your cacao wisely, stay discerning AND allow others to make their own experiences.
Even if someone was using cocoa powder (which basically has no nutritional value compared to pure cacao paste and is often higher in caffeine) they might still benefit from switching to this rather than consuming 10 cups of coffee per day. Or find that the ritual of sitting with their “ceremonial cacao” brings them time to reflect which they otherwise wouldn´t take.
And if you know of some who do, ask them if they want to know more. Why cacao is beneficial and what role the sourcing and processing plays. Or offer them to prepare them a cup of yours to taste and feel the difference.
When they are ready and more sensitive, less numb, receptive and curious they will appreciate your guidance!
Happy Full Moon to my dearest founding members!
I share with you the replay of todays mentoring session with my students of THE MAGIC OF CACAO facilitator training with their permission, as the session was so POTENT and wants to be shared amongst other passionate cacao devotees.
I shared an opening Cacao Invocation and guided visualisation to help gain clarity on the path forward towards this emerging of spring whilst surrender to the imaginative and sacred waters of pisces season.
My graduate student Emma who is a vedic astrologer shares insights of the current astrology and I go deeper into an overview of how to merge different traditions and constructs, also in relation to allowing everyone to find their own way with cacao:
Followed by explanation of trance state and dissociation and how to differentiate between the two.