Preparing your Cacao Medicine is a deeply personal and sacred ritual, as such we offer the following preparation and ritual suggestion as a guide. We recommend following this preparation if you are new to working with cacao or you have been introduced to cacao already but perhaps in a less ritualistic way and you are looking to bring more sacredness into your practice.
Your ceremony begins from the moment you decide to prepare some Ceremonial Cacao and you are programming the frequency of your medicine from this moment (read here for a deeper insight to the importance of this aspect of your ceremony). Holding a purely loving and clear energetic presence and state as you prepare your medicine, is an important aspect of your ceremony; as is clearing the energy of the space you are preparing the medicine in.
What you will need
Ingredients
20-50g Ceremonial Cacao (dosage depending on your preference and purpose of ceremony)
150-200ml of filtered Water (personal preference of cacao consistency will inform this)
Sweetener of choice (we recommend choosing a high quality, on-refined sugar)
A pinch of Chilli (the chilli activates the Spirit of Cacao and is also an additional vasodilator) (sweetener and chilli optional, amount used is to your taste preference)
Tools
Sacred Smudging Tool of choice (we recommend Palo Santo, Sage, Incense or Resin)
Smudging Wand/Feather (optional, can use breath/hand)
Small Saucepan
Whisk
Cutting Board
Sharp Knife
Medicine Cup
Measuring/Weighing tools if you desire accuracy
Working with Sacred Smoke as you prepare your Cacao
Sacred Smoke is a powerful symbol and tool of so many cultures and traditions throughout ancient ages. It is a connection and an offering to higher realms and beings and a cleansing, healing and transformative ally in ritualistic practices.
In our article 'Calling on the Highest Frequencies of Light with Sacred Smoke' [coming soon] we describe the ritual of smudging in greater depth, we recommend you check these words out as well as reading through here where we speak specifically about preparing your space for brewing your cacao.
Before you begin anything with your cacao, come to a heart centred space connected to your breath and to the ground. Connect to the essence and medicine of the plant ally you are working with in your sacred smoke smudge - this may be Palo Santo, or Sage, or perhaps Incense or Resin. Call in the spirit of this high frequency sacred ally with your gratitude for the medicine and service and ask this ally to help you call in high frequencies of light and setting a program that no low/heavy frequency energies are welcome in our space.
Begin with smudging yourself, then smudge your work area (stove top, bench etc), then smudge every tool which will contact your cacao (saucepan, whisk, knife, cutting board, spoons, measuring cup etc), smudge your Medicine Cup (the cup you will be drinking your cacao in - find more info on the beauty of a special Medicine Cup here), and smudge the ingredients in your cacao - the cacao itself, the water, sweetener & chilli (if using) and anything else you may be adding (our go-to recipe only has these 4 ingredients).
Begin your Brew
With your breath centred in your heart and your awareness turning towards love, gratitude and your intentions for ceremony, begin to chop your desired amount of cacao (see our post on Different Cacao Dosages here [coming soon]). Pour your desired amount of water into the saucepan and turn the stove on. Allow the water to become quite hot, but not boiling. If it does boil, turn it off and let all the bubbles subside and the temperature drop slightly before you add the cacao. Add your chopped cacao to the water and begin to stir in a clockwise direction, now really bringing your conscious awareness to love, gratitude and your prayers. once your cacao has melted, add your sweetener and your chilli. Stir mindfully once again, allowing a few minutes to pass for your cacao and water to fully emulsify.
Make an offering of sacred smoke into your cacao once more with your gratitude and blessings to Maestra Cacao. Then pour your sacred cacao into your Medicine Cup. You are now ready to begin your very own Cacao Ceremony!!
We have created a few resources to guide your at-home Cacao Ceremonies:
Cacao Ceremony Journal Channelling [coming soon]
Sending you infinite blessings for your ceremony xxx
