By Burak UGURLU

Yes, ceremonial cacao does contain some caffeine, although the caffeine content is generally lower than what you would find in coffee or even typical chocolate. Cacao beans naturally contain caffeine as one of their constituents. The amount of caffeine in ceremonial cacao can vary based on factors such as the type of cacao used, how it’s processed, and the specific preparation method.

The caffeine content in ceremonial cacao is often balanced by other compounds, such as theobromine and various nutrients, which contribute to its unique effects. Theobromine, for example, is another stimulant found in cacao that has a milder and longer-lasting stimulating effect compared to caffeine.

When consumed mindfully during a cacao ceremony, the caffeine content in ceremonial cacao is typically not as likely to lead to jitters or overstimulation as high-caffeine beverages like coffee. The emphasis in a cacao ceremony is usually on the holistic experience, including the heart-opening and introspective aspects, rather than solely the stimulant effects of caffeine.

You can acquire your ceremonial cacao through this link to enhance your cacao ceremony experience.

By Burak UGURLU

A cacao ceremony is a ritualistic and ceremonial practice that involves the consumption of cacao in a purposeful and mindful way. It has been practiced by indigenous cultures in Central and South America for centuries and has gained popularity in modern spiritual and wellness communities. While the specific intentions and practices may vary, a cacao ceremony generally aims to promote inner reflection, connection, and a sense of presence. Here’s what a cacao ceremony typically involves and the potential benefits it offers:

1. Preparation and Set-Up:

• The ceremonial space is often chosen with care, aiming for a quiet and tranquil environment conducive to reflection and connection.
• Participants may sit in a circle, forming a sense of unity and equality among attendees.
• Altars are created with meaningful items like crystals, flowers, sacred symbols, and other objects to honor the space and set the tone.

2. Cacao Elixir Preparation:

• Ceremonial-grade cacao is used, sourced from sustainably grown beans and often in the form of a paste or discs.
• The cacao is melted and mixed with hot water to create a nourishing elixir.
• Additional ingredients like spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), sweeteners (honey, maple syrup), and herbs (lavender, rose petals) are carefully chosen to complement the ceremonial intention.

3. Intention Setting:

• Participants are invited to connect with their inner selves and set their intentions for the ceremony.
• Intentions can be specific or general, focused on healing, self-discovery, transformation, or any personal aspect participants want to work on.
• By setting intentions, participants create a focal point for their experience and direct their energy towards it.

4. Sharing Circles:

• A sharing circle provides an opportunity for participants to voice their intentions, feelings, and expectations.
• This communal practice establishes a supportive atmosphere where participants feel heard, understood, and held by the group.

5. Guided Meditation and Breathwork:

• Guided meditation helps participants shift into a state of calm and introspection.
• Breathwork techniques are used to deepen the connection with the cacao and create an altered state of consciousness.

6. Mindful Consumption:

• As participants sip the cacao elixir, they pay attention to the sensory experience – the taste, warmth, and aroma.
• Mindful consumption deepens the connection to the cacao and enhances the ceremonial experience.

7. Inner Reflection and Exploration:

• The ceremonial cacao and guided practices promote a heightened sense of self-awareness.
• Participants might gain insights into their emotions, patterns, desires, and life direction.

8. Emotional Release and Healing:

• Cacao’s natural compounds, combined with meditation and intention, can encourage emotional release.
• Participants may experience a cathartic letting go of emotional burdens, leading to healing and inner lightness.

9. Creative Expression:

• Some participants report increased creativity and inspiration during or after the ceremony.
• The altered state of consciousness and heart-opening properties of cacao can spark new ideas and imaginative thinking.

10. Closing and Integration:

• The ceremony concludes with a closing meditation, guiding participants to express gratitude for their experience.
• Participants are encouraged to take time for integration after the ceremony, journaling or reflecting on their insights and emotions.

Potential Benefits:

• Self-Discovery and Awareness: The combined effects of cacao, mindfulness, and introspective practices can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and one’s emotions.
• Emotional Healing: The ceremony provides a safe space for emotional release, allowing participants to heal from past traumas or emotional blockages.
• Spiritual Connection: Cacao’s heart-opening qualities, combined with meditation, can lead to profound spiritual experiences, insights, and connection to higher consciousness.
• Stress Reduction: The ceremony’s focus on relaxation, breathwork, and mindfulness can lead to reduced stress levels and a sense of calm.
• Intention Manifestation: By setting intentions and immersing themselves in the ceremony, participants may find it easier to manifest positive changes in their lives.
• Community and Connection: Sharing the experience with a group creates a strong sense of community, fostering support, understanding, and a shared journey.

Remember that the effects of a cacao ceremony can be subjective and vary from person to person. It’s important to approach the ceremony with an open heart and an attitude of respect for the tradition and its facilitators. If you’re considering participating in a cacao ceremony, it’s advisable to seek out experienced facilitators who honor the cultural origins of the practice and create a safe and sacred space for your experience.

You can acquire your ceremonial cacao through this link to enhance your cacao ceremony experience.

By Leyla Camacho

Cacao –which Greek name “Theobroma” Cacao literally means “Food of the Gods” being Thea (god) and Broma (food) – has come a long way before it gets to us so we can enjoy its powerful energy… from old cultures from the Central and South America to our present day! So, to understand cacao better, let’s see some facts and a little history about it.

It’s unclear exactly when cacao came on the scene. Still, history says that the cacao’s four-thousand-year-long path started in Mesoamerica, where the first cacao plants, precisely in one of Mexico’s earliest civilizations, the Olmec culture. According to some history researchers, vessels with theobromine traces were found in the ancient Olmec settlements. Olmecs were the ones who considered using cacao as a medicine and who made of it a ceremonial brew consumed during rituals.

Many centuries later, the Maya, which undoubtedly received this cacao knowledge from the Olmecs, not only start consuming the cacao but to revere it. They believed that the Gods discovered the cacao tree in a mountain along with other foods found there, and subsequently, the Feathered Serpent gave it to Mayans to cultivate. From here, it was the Mayans who praised cacao as “the food of the gods”. The Mayan cacao brew –made of roasted and ground cacao beans which then were mixed with other different elements such as water, chilies, cornmeal, honey, etc.– was called “xocolatl”, which translation reads “bitter water”. Mayan xocolatl was considered important and used mainly in celebrations and to give closure to relevant rituals, ceremonies, and even transactions. However, despite its importance, it was not a brew only for the wealthy and powerful but for almost everyone who was part of that culture.

Later on, around the 15th century, the Aztec culture took admiration for cacao to another level and started to worship this medicine plant, too, since they believed that the cacao tree was a gift from their god Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs also had a cacao brew, which was consumed as a refreshing beverage, an aphrodisiac, and even to prepare for war; however, contrary to the Mayans, this drink was mostly consumed by an upper-class extravagance, and the lower classes enjoyed it only occasionally, mainly at weddings or other kinds of celebrations. The Aztec culture not only used cacao as an important brew but also as an element to make transactions. To them, cacao beans were considered a currency –even more valuable than gold– to buy food and other goods, and their deity, Ek Chuah, was the one who presided over both the cacao beans and the trade.

No one knows exactly when and how cacao left Central and South America to enter the Western World and went from “food of the gods” to “food of humans”; however, many historians agreed that cacao first arrived in Spain, and by the end of the 15th century it was a much-loved delicatessen not only in Spain but also in Italy and France, which visited some parts of Central America and learned about the magic of cacao, too.

Nowadays, despite most of the Occident countries consume cacao not pure but in combination with other ingredients, mainly to prepare different kinds of what we currently known as “chocolate”, much people around the world have kept alive the tradition of venerating mama cacao in its purest form by reclaiming and getting back on track again rituals and traditions having cacao like the heart of these events.

The most known ritual using cacao is called “cacao ceremony”, and even when contemporary rituals may not be the same as the old ones held by the ancient cultures (let’s face it, we don’t know how these ceremonies were conducted), modern ceremonies do have a main thing in common with the authentic ancient ceremonies: enjoy the experience of the heart-opening effect that mama cacao gives to anyone who mindfully sits with this medicine plant.

Of course, every cacao ceremony is different, and there are no exact rules to follow, the only required is that the person or people wanting to hold this ceremony allows mama cacao to work inside herself/himself or themselves.

A cacao ceremony is a healing practice that mainly helps to rebalance our energy and to restore oneself internally, a great experience everyone should try at least once in a lifetime… and we are pretty sure many times more after this first trial 😉

That’s why, from Kawsay Cacao, we invite you to experience the powerful energy as well as the multiple health benefits, that the food of the gods has to offer, and to enjoy of the cacao ceremony journey where you can experience all of mama cacao goodies: heart opening, oneness, blissful, and love <3

Did you know that money grows on trees? No kidding! It’s not just a cynical retort used by misers. Ancient Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and even had a deity, Ek Chuah, who presided over both cacao and trade. These are the same beans from which today chocolate, in all its varieties, is made.

Aztecs considered cacao the food of the Gods, hence its scientific name theobroma cacao. As for the Maya, they believed that the Gods discovered the cacao plant in a sacred mountain where other food items were also found, and later the Feathered Serpent gave it to humankind to cultivate. There are numerous ancient tablets with medicinal, ceremonial and culinary references to it. It was also made into a powder that was smoked.

Cacao consumption has always been favored by the most refined, being enjoyed by both ancient Aztec kings and high-society Europeans during the 1800’s. Today it’s synonimous with Valentines’ Day and is often used by lovers who wish to express their adoration.

The brain on cacao secretes the same chemicals and feel-good hormones that are produced when we make love, or when an athlete experiences the runner’s high. Prominent among them is serotonin, the chemical of wellbeing. It also contains anandamide, which translates literally as the chemical of bliss, and so many minerals -many of which are often lacking in the standard American diet- that it’s nature’s own mineral supplement.

When eaten in its raw form, it has anti-depressant properties, increases pleasure and alleviates stress. There are very few foods this highly auspicious. It has been used successfully as a mood-booster by the authorities in London with youth leaving the club scene late at night, where it was proven to reduce the rates of violent crimes and unruly behavior.

Among the other health benefits, we find that it keeps the heart healthy, it’s a brain food that supports memory and learning, relaxes the muscles and alleviates menstrual pain. This is why women naturally crave chocolate when pregnant or during menstruation. The human body has the wisdom to recognize that superfoods like cacao and maca help to regulate the hormonal system.

I should warn my readers that all these benefits are optimized when we consume cacao in its unprocessed form, the way nature intended. Most commercial chocolate not only has lost much of the nutritional value of cacao, but also has been adulterated with caffeine and processed sugars. In its raw form, cacao has more than twenty times the antioxidants that processed chocolate has, and has little to no caffeine.

Raw cacao can be used in powdered form on smoothies or drinks. My favorite one is what I call the ‘raw cacao elixir’, a very easy-to-make drink which uses very cold baby coconut water, cacao and maca powders, and a sweetener. Sometimes during the summer I also add crushed ice to make it even more refreshing.

All-natural homemade dairy-free chocolate ice cream can be made and served in two minutes by blending cacao powder, a sweetener and a couple of frozen bananas. Maca powder is optional and adds a malty flavor to it. There’s a beautiful synergy between cacao and maca, as well as between cacao and coconut water.

Alternatively, if you don’t have two minutes, just eating a handful of raw cacao nibs in the morning, sweetened with honey, agave nectar or stevia, is an easy way to keep the spirits high all day.

By Oliver JR Cooper

Around ten years ago, I would add something called cacao to some of the drinks that I would make. This was a time when I would usually have an oat and milk smoothie for my breakfast and adding cacao would give me a break from the usual taste.

The years went by and I stopped having this combination for breakfast and I stopped using Cacao. This all changed a few years ago when I started to put cacao in water and coconut milk and have it as a hot drink.

A Powerful Experience

When I started consuming it in this way, I was taken aback by how much of an effect it had on my mind and body. It was clear that this wasn’t just another drink; it was something special.

Once I had made this drink and started to drink it, it wouldn’t take long until I felt more relaxed and experienced positive feelings. It was as though I had gone into an altered state of consciousness.

I Wanted to Know More

After doing some research, I came to see that cacao was high in magnesium, amongst other things. I was then able to feel more at ease thanks to how much magnesium was entering my body.

From this point on, I knew what I needed to drink if I wanted to feel better or my magnesium levels were low. I didn’t know that there was another type of cacao at this stage or that the type I was drinking wasn’t the best version.

A Big Difference

At the end of last year, a friend told me about another version, ‘ceremonial grade cacao’. I knew that there were cacao ceremonies but what I didn’t know was that another type of cacao was used during these events.

I soon looked into this type and what I learnt was that the type of cacao I had been drinking was the highly processed version. The natural fibre and fat is removed, which can cause it to overstimulate the nervous system and be hard for the liver and digestive tract to handle.

The Original

The ceremonial grade version doesn’t have the fibre or fat removed; the beans have just been fermented and lightly cooked or dried by the sun. This leads to a more balanced and longer-lasting experience.

Unlike the refined version, this version is used to open the heart and to allow someone to experience a sense of love and connection. In other words, it is a way for someone to open up their heart chakra (fourth chakra) and to become more loving to others and themselves.

It Works

The first time I tried this version I used forty grams and I had an incredible experience. As with the other version, I felt very relaxed, but what was different was that I felt very connected to my emotional self, really good and very loving.

This lasted for about two hours and then I ended up feeling a bit edgy for a short while afterwards. I suspect that this was primarily because of the caffeine content that was in the cacao.

Final Thoughts

Having now had this experience on more than one occasion, I would say that ceremonial grade cacao can greatly assist someone on their healing journey. If they want to develop a better connection to their body and their emotional self and/or to develop/increase self-love or to become more loving, this will probably assist them.

Regardless of what they experience through drinking this version of cacao and what part of the experience stays with them, it will almost certainly leave a mark on them; it will show them that there is another way to experience life. They will have a new version of themselves with which to connect with.

Author, transformational writer, teacher and consultant, Oliver JR Cooper, hails from England. His insightful commentary and analysis covers all aspects of human transformation, including love, partnership, self-love, and inner awareness. With over two thousand, four hundred in-depth articles highlighting human psychology and behaviour, Oliver offers hope along with his sound advice.