How to do a cacao ceremony?

A Cacao Ceremony is a traditional use of cacao originating from indigenous cultures in Central and South America. It’s often done for spiritual growth, opening of the heart, and with the aim of gaining insights, getting closer to oneself, and inner healing. You can do this alone, in a small group, or participate in a guided cacao ceremony.

Below, I’ll share an example of steps you can follow to conduct a cacao ceremony.

Set your intention

Begin by setting an intention for your cacao ceremony. This could be, for example, to receive healing, experience spiritual connection, or promote personal growth. Setting an intention helps to determine the focus of the ceremony and to direct the energy. If you have no idea what your intention is, you can simply be open to whatever may happen.

Preparing the Space

Create a calm and comfortable space where your ceremony can take place. This could be a room with cushions, blankets, candles, and other items that promote an atmosphere of peace and relaxation. Some people choose to cleanse the space with incense, white sage, or palo santo to dispel negative energy.

Basic elements for your Cacao ceremony

For example, we offer a ceremony kit consisting of: white sage, or palo santo, and aura spray. The white sage is for cleansing the space. The Palo Santo is intended to cleanse your aura field, and the aura spray is to energetically protect yourself. This is an ancient recipe from the jungle.

Preparing the cacao

Prepare the cacao according to the instructions. While preparing your cacao, you can play certain music, sing, and set intentions in your medicine (cacao). Just to make sure: It is important to use quality cacao suitable for ceremonial use, not the ordinary cacao found in supermarkets. For example, we offer our own Ceremonial Cacao in our webshop. Our cacao is made from high-quality organic Criollo cacao beans, sourced from Colombia.

Cacao ceremony

Cacao ceremonies are often done by sitting in a circle. This applies to cacao ceremonies done in a group with other participants. Take the time to ground and center yourself, and take a moment of silence to reconnect with your intention. If you don’t have a clear intention, you can focus on opening your heart, quieting your mind, and surrendering to the experience. Then, drink the cacao slowly and consciously, while focusing on your intention and your heart, and opening yourself up to the experience.

Meditation and reflection

After drinking the cacao, you can sit in silence, meditate, or often a guided visualization/meditation is conducted. This is a time for introspection, self-reflection, and spiritual connection. Then, a music playlist is played, there may be live music, and sometimes a sound healing session is conducted. It can also involve singing mantras to open up everyone’s voices.

There are various forms of cacao ceremonies. It’s also common to engage in exercises during a cacao ceremony to connect with each other, express your heart, or engage in reflection exercises. There are also cacao ceremonies where bodywork is done or where dancing is involved. This shows that there are many ways to work with cacao.

Sharing

After the cacao ceremony, participants may have the opportunity to share their experiences if they wish. This can be done in the form of free exchange or by passing around ceremonial objects, such as a talking stick.

Closing your cacao ceremony

The cacao ceremony is often concluded with gratitude for the experience and for the cacao itself. Take the time to ground yourself and return to the present moment. Optionally, you can cleanse the space again to close the ceremony.

It’s important to remember that a cacao ceremony is a deeply personal and spiritual experience, and the details and rituals can vary depending on the tradition, culture, and individual preferences.

Are you curious about ceremonial cacao? Would you like to order your own Ceremonial cacao? Interested in learning more? Visit the Ceremonial Cacao page or order your ceremonial cacao directly.