Cacao Ceremonie
Cacao & Retreat
Origin of cocoa
Cacao has a rich history among the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica such as the Atecs, Mayans. Toltecs and Incas and the Olmecs Zapotecs. There are traces of the use of cocoa that date back more than 4000 years. Among its users, cocoa also had a divine status These peoples also used the drink for spiritual, medicinal and ceremonial purposes. And they still do, by the way.
Cocoa is nothing like what we know as chocolate. Not in taste, but also not in use. It's not chocolate milk that you drink!
How does a cacao ceremony work?
A cacao ceremony is often organized in different ways. It depends on the ceremonial leader what a session looks like exactly. But broadly speaking, it comes down to this. During this cacao ceremony, we come together with our group in a comfortable environment, where we sit together in a circle. Claudia will organize the cacao ceremony in the evening outside in the beautiful private garden (possibly inside in case of bad weather)
She tells us a few things about the effect of the cacao and the set-up of the ceremony. After this, everyone can set his or her intention and share or not with the group. Together, we set our intentions focused on what we want to experience during the ceremony or what we want to take away from the ceremony.
Drinking and meditating...
After this, the hot cacao drink is drunk made from raw cacao and spices. You will be taken into a guided meditation with beautiful music. The cacao drink makes it easier to get deeper into the meditation and you can let yourself be completely carried away by the words during the meditation. You may get the experience of some kind of trance or dream sleep, but it's definitely not a hallucinatory experience. You often experience a wonderful warm feeling and softening around your heart zone or your heart chakra.
Mama Cocoa...
The indigenous peoples consider it to be a spiritual dimension. Also called the Cacao Spirit. 'She' is seen as a feminine power, an intelligence that we cannot perceive with the mind, but with the heart, the intuition and by feeling.The energy of Mama Cacao – as 'she' is also called – is described as healing, motherly and very loving. After drinking the cacao you usually experience that you are more open to a loving connection with yourself.
My experience with cacao...
Claudia has of course often experienced a cacao ceremony herself and also regularly organizes a cacao ceremony while giving the workshop The Rite of the Womb in the Netherlands. Raw cacao is regularly drunk at home and the experience is indeed such that the cacao soothes your heart. We feel more loving and indeed softer after drinking it.
Science facts...
There are many things that can be explained scientifically; Cocoa contains the substance phenylethylamine. What is converted into dopamine in your body. Dopamine is one of the best-known happiness hormones and also a reward hormone. Your body also produces this, for example when you are in love.
In addition to phenylethylamine, cocoa contains three other substances that make you feel happy: serotonin, tyramine and anandamine (feeling in love)
So you're slightly high-on-good-vibes after drinking after drinking raw cacao. If you do that in a nice setting with meditative music and subtle scents - sandalwood, spiritual essences - you will get into deep relaxation. This makes it very easy to go along with the visual meditation of claudia. In other words; You enter a deeper meditative state.
The guided meditation is often a story, where you introduce yourself in a natural environment and you go on a journey where you make insights or discoveries. Claudia has a lot of experience in receiving and organizing guided group meditation and healings during her work as a Soul Coach and Energetic Healer in her practice in the Netherlands. Time and time again, they are pleasant, warm and insightful experiences.
Is a cacao ceremony dangerous?
Cacao, like ayahuasca, is called a plant medicine. Maybe that's why some people wonder if a cacao ceremony is scary or dangerous? Where ayahuasca makes you hallucinate strongly and can cause physical reactions, this is certainly not the case with cocoa. It really is of a completely different order. As we describe it above, it is a very soft and friendly form that you can take very safely.
Taste cacao drink
If you expect the cacao drink to taste like a chocolate milk, you will be disappointed. It's much more bitter than that. It's really completely different from the bars of chocolate that are in the store. But if you like dark chocolate, you can have it very well. Then you'll probably even love it. But also no-worres if you are more into milk chocolate, claudia prepares the drink herself and also consecrates it spiritually with loving and powerful intentions, chants and mantras and often makes a delicious mixture of them with herbs and natural honey.
Health benefits of cacao
Besides the fact that the cacao can help you on a spiritual level, it is also very healthy for you. Cacao is full of important minerals and trace elements. We highlight a few of them that stand out:
Raw cacao has very high concentrations of magnesium, which gives a lot of energy and fights fatigue. Magnesium also helps protect you from osteoporosis, reduces the development of Type II diabetes, and lowers blood pressure. Muscles and vessels also decrease in tension.
Raw cacao also contains tryptophan, which is critical for the production of serotonin (reduces anxiety and stress) and melatonin (related to sleep). At the same time, cocoa contains substances (MAOIs) that prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, making the feel-good effect longer and stronger.
And then there's theobromine. The cocoa tree is the main producer of theobromine. Research shows that theobromine can help protect the heart in several ways. It naturally lowers blood pressure, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. Theobromine can also lower "bad" cholesterol and improve "good" cholesterol. In addition, the substance can improve blood flow throughout the body, further supporting the heart.