How to have a cacao ceremony at home
What is a sacred cacao ceremony?
A cacao ceremony is a beautiful way to bring your awareness inwards, allowing yourself to feel and receive exactly what you need at that particular moment, opening your heart fully with the support of the sacred plant medicine, cacao. I believe when we consciously choose our intention behind everything we do, it transforms the way we experience life. Setting an intention is one of the most important steps throughout the cacao ceremony which you will read about below, setting your intention activates the sacred cacao spirit for when it enters your body.
Step One - Create a sacred space
Create a comfortable and relaxing space somewhere in your home where you won’t be disturbed. I always like to make a nest on the floor, with a blanket and pillow, a deck of oracle or tarot cards, essential oils, crystals, either my headphones or a speaker to listen to music, my journal, a pen and anything else that supports me to relax and connect to self. You may even like to smudge the space with a sage stick or palo santo, or spray a cleansing spray.
Step Two - Prepare your ceremonial cacao with intention
Prepare your ceremonial cacao. Throughout the process give thanks aloud or in your mind to Mumma Earth and to the spirit of cacao, share your gratitude for it finding its way to you, thank her for supporting you on your journey and anything else that comes up that feels good, everything that comes to mind that you’re bursting with gratitude for right now in your life.
You can also begin to think about and instil your intentions of your cacao ceremony into the cacao as your prepare it e.g. while you’re cutting the cacao from the block, while you’re stirring it in the pot or while you pour it into your mug.
You can find my recipe for my favourite brew of ceremonial cacao here
You can purchase Ubud Raw Ceremonial Cacao from my online store here
Step Three - Connect with your cacao through intention
With your magical cup of ceremonial cacao (but don’t take any sips just yet), come back into your space you’ve set up and get really comfortable. Now would be the time to pop some meditative music on or something soft and gentle that supports the atmosphere you’ve created.
Take 5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, really relaxing into the space and exhaling any energy that is not serving you from your day so far.
Hold your mug in both hands, looking into the mug at the magical brew of cacao that you’ve already poured so much love into, if you like you may even take a sniff and relish in the sensations that come with your sense of smell. Now is the time to think of and set your intention for your at home cacao ceremony. Be open, non judgemental, maybe close down your eyes and wait to see what drops in. Trust that your intuition and the spirit of cacao is guiding you. If nothing comes to your mind, that’s okay, think of why you’re sitting down in ceremony today, what you are desiring to receive or who you are desiring to be. Here are some examples of intentions below:
I am deeply connected to my inner guidance
I am settling into my power
I am exactly where I am meant to be
I am supported on my journey
I am worthy of putting myself first
I create positive impact for those around me
I trust that what is next on my journey I will accomplish with ease
Once you are clear on your intention move onto the next step below.
Step Four - Taste your magical mug of cacao, bringing awareness and presence to this experience
Bringing your mug of cacao to your heart space, and infusing the magical liquid before you with your intention in whatever way feels good for you, perhaps you visualise sending your intention into the cacao, then bring your mug to your lips and whisper your intention into the mug. When you feel ready, take your first sip of cacao and bring your full awareness to all of the finer details. How does it feels when it enters your mouth? How do your taste buds respond? Focus on feeling the cacao travel down through your body and into your heart space, notice any physical sensations arise in your body and what comes up for you in your mind.
Be fully present with your mug of cacao, the spirit of cacao and your true self, as you continue to sip away at your cacao in your own time. There is no rush to finish it. Really relish each sip, sending the cacao and your intention throughout your body, feeling your heart space expand, grow and open.
Step Five - Relax, release and receive
Once you’ve finished up your cacao, it’s time to allow the cacao to work it’s magic in your physical body, with your energy and with your mind. I call this integration time, where I like to pop my headphones in, lie down on my back, either play a guided meditation or some beautiful meditative music for at least 10 minutes, just allowing whatever comes up to come up and come through, relaxing into the experience as much as you can. There is no right or wrong here, it is all about relaxing, connecting and being present with the experience with cacao. You can do this for as long as you like, I recommend at least 20 minutes.
Step Six - Let your energy guide you to create, write and reflect
When you feel like you have received as much as you need, it’s time to slowly sit back up and journal on anything that came through for you during your integration time. Reflecting on what you have just experienced, writing down anything you felt physically, emotionally, mentally or energetically, brain dumping anything in your mind, or it’s even a great time to create something new, brainstorm or plan the next month out.
You may like to do a card spread at this point with your oracle or tarot cards. Perform any other rituals that you connect with and do whatever feels good for you, this is where you get to play and use this heart opening natural medicine to guide your energy where it wants to go and create whatever it is that it wants to create. You may even like to rise up and dance, letting your body take the reins of how it wants to move.
An invitation to stay in this space for as long as you need or as long as it feels good.
Step Seven - Gratitude and closing the ceremony
Once you are ready, it’s time to close the ceremony. We do this by sending deep gratitude and reverence for mother nature’s cacao and it’s spirit which we have experienced physically and spiritually. You can do this by speaking your thanks aloud, in your mind, or writing your thanks and gratitude down in your journal.
We close the ceremony by taking 5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, sending your energy down to your feet and grounding back into the physical world. You could take extra grounding steps after your ceremony by going outside and placing your bare feet on the earth and eating some grounding foods like potatoes or other root veges. And drink some water too!!!
And that beautiful soul, is how you create a cacao ceremony at home.
Please let me know if you do create space for a sacred cacao ceremony and share with me how your experience was, I would love to hear from you.
If any questions popped up in your mind while reading through this and you would love some further clarification, please drop them below and I’ll respond to them asap.
So much love to you and for you, Bridget xx
