Mama Cacao: How ceremonial cacao helps me as a mother

Since I started a daily cacao practice of mindfully-preparing and drinking a mug of ceremonial cacao, her magic and medicine has helped me be a more present mother, to slow down, and to be more compassionate with myself. It is said that the spirit of cacao will give you what you need - not neccearily what you want - which I feel drawn to as another way to build trust in my journey. I began preparing my cup of cacao first thing in the morning, as I wanted to enjoy it as part of setting intentions for the day with my daughters. What I love about intention-setting is that I don’t beat myself up if I don’t manage it. I feel as children we were made to think it was safer to expect the worst, and not to try in case we fail. But I have taught myself that’s not true - and I know now it’s always safe to hope.

It can be so hard to establish and maintain ‘self-care’ rituals when we’re needed all the time by our children, and I still haven’t managed to have a consistent oracle cards, yoga and morning journaling practice - but in cacao i have found an ally that I can count on - and never feels like too much to fit in. After I have drank my cacao I feel more able to focus on one thing at a time, I feel more present and embodied, and more full up of love for myself so I have more love to give to my children. “Many people hear a calling to connect with the Cacao Spirit. This calling is described as curiosity, a longing for more connection, a whisper in the heart or a strong voice to reconnect with Mother Nature. Cacao is more than chocolate, it is a spiritual dimension, an intelligence that we cannot perceive with the mind, but with the heart, the intuition and through feelings. - CacaoMama.com”

Cacao was once considered sacred and used in ritual and ceremony, but over time, it has been diluted into chocolate with added fats and sugars, which don’t retain the magical properties. Just like matcha tea, cacao has its own ‘ceremonial’ grade that comes from an heirloom bean which is sourced directly from a single place or a small part of a country - and harvested by Indigenous Communities from their own ancient 'gardens,' where it grows wild and has done so for centuries. The cacao is allowed to grow naturally in balance with other rainforest plants, sharing a symbiotic relationship between the plants and people. The cacao beans are minimally-processed to produce pure cacao so all the original fats and goodness are retained. Ceremonial cacao is prepared as a solid block of ‘paste’ or can come pre-crumbled. The process of making cacao into cocoa powder removes all the original fats and alters the overall vibration and essence, resulting in a powder that (while still tastes nice and is nutritious), lacks the magic of ceremonial grade cacao. By drinking cacao in its purest form, we can establish a deeper connection with ourselves, our children, and our Earth.