There are moments in life when we go looking for something, and instead, something finds us.
That happened to me a few weeks ago while I was wandering through my local Santos Organics store, filling my basket with organic fruit and vegetables. When I was at the checkout, I noticed a small cardboard box sitting on a shelf near me.
On the front was the most beautifully hand-drawn Jaguar’s head – simple, powerful – as though it was watching me to see if I noticed it. Printed on the box were the words: Uturunku Ceremonial Cacao Paste – Organic Premium Grade – Native Cacao.
I absolutely love raw chocolate. Yet I’ve never felt drawn towards ceremonial cacao. I’ve used it, on rare occasions, and not especially enjoyed the flavour. So it’s never pulled me towards it…until now.
This little box had caught my attention in a way I couldn’t explain. It felt as though it had chosen me just as much as I’d chosen it. When I saw the price tag, I hesitated. It was AUD$115 (USD$80), which is a lot to pay if it sits on a shelf unused. But when I checked in, it was still calling out to me.
Curious, I listened to that tug, and found myself walking back to my car with my organic produce…and a block of ceremonial cacao tucked under my arm.
“Just shave a little off the block each time,” the lovely sales assistant smiled. “Add hot water and a natural sweetener, and let it gently simmer so it reduces.”
Simple enough…yet I had a feeling this was going to be much more than just making a warm drink.
To understand the power of cacao, let’s step back in time.
If you are thinking “Yum, chocolate!”….think again. Ceremonial cacao is light years away from the endorphin-producing sweet treats we’ve come to think of when we think of chocolate.
Unlike commercial chocolate, ceremonial cacao remains as close to its natural state as possible. The beans are carefully fermented, dried and stone-ground into a rich paste without separating out the precious cacao butter. Very little processing takes place, allowing much of the plant’s natural complexity to remain intact.
This process reminds me of the same care that’s taken with the production of vibrational essential oils. And because of this care, the end product contains a frequency and a life force that is a living expression of the plant itself.
And Cacao is not just any plant. She’s known as “Mother Cacao”, a sacred and feminine plant, honoured by ancient cultures like the Maya and Aztec peoples as both nourishment and medicine.
Just like undertaking any plant medicine journey or sacred anointing with vibrational essential oils, we are invited to connect with the spirit of the plant through its offering to us. After all, each plant has its own unique qualities, as well as physical benefits.
Cacao has a gentle, nurturing presence. Rather than pushing us somewhere we are not ready to go, she quietly invites us back into relationship with ourselves…so it’s no wonder that Cacao Ceremonies have grown in popularity around the world.
On a physical level, cacao contains naturally occurring compounds including theobromine, which gently stimulates the cardiovascular system, increasing circulation without the sharp peaks and crashes associated with coffee. It also contains magnesium, antioxidants and other naturally occurring compounds that support wellbeing.
Yet for many, its greatest gift isn’t physical at all. It’s the feeling that somehow, when we sit quietly with Mother Cacao, our hearts become just a little easier to hear.
As with any produce, Ceremonial Cacao is only as good as the farmer.
I was curious why I had been drawn to this particular brand of Ceremonial Cacao, after having spent so many years walking past other brands without a second thought.
Here’s how Uturunku Ceremonial Cacao paste is described on one website:
100% pure raw, stone-ground ceremonial cacao paste, unrefined, nothing added. No fillers, additives, sweeteners, stabilisers, alkalising, tempering or high temperature heating. Just pure organic ancestral cacao, made the way it used to be for the last 7000, years in Peru.
Our Uturunku is a rare Ceremonial Cacao paste crafted from indigenous ancestral Cacao in Peru. Uturunku honours the Chavín de Huántar ceremonial temple that represents the jaguar and the world of the Kay Pacha – the here and now.
It is a calming and embodied cacao that takes us inwards to connect deeply with our higher self and tunes us into the frequency of the natural world.
We recommend this cacao for use in ceremonies involving embodiment, sound, meditation, connection, awakening and for daily ritual to assist with feeling present, connected, improving mental health, clarity, guidance and mind-body-spirit balance.
Its name, “Uturunku,” comes from the jaguar—a powerful guardian within Amazonian traditions, representing courage, intuition and the unseen wisdom of the forest.
Making your Ceremonial Cacao
Here’s what I did a few weeks ago, when three beautiful friends joined me for a birthday Cacao Ceremony. I used a normal paring knife to shave a tablespoon of ceremonial cacao from the block for each woman. It was super easy to do.
I added the shaved cacao into a saucepan, with 350ml (12 oz) of water per tablespoon of cacao. Then I added my natural sweetener, which was maple syrup for my birthday, although at other times I’ve used coconut nectar, honey or even monk fruit sweetener. One teaspoon of sweetener per person makes for a mildly sweet drink, and you can increase to taste.
Allow the cacao and water to simmer until it’s reduced by two thirds, and looks like rich, velvety, melted chocolate. This will make for a very small cup each, perfect for a mindfulness ceremony….and it smells extraordinary!
For my birthday, at the very end of the simmering process I added 1 drop of Young Living Rose oil to the pot, gave it a stir, and poured.
Rose has long been known as one of the most treasured essential oils in the world. Beyond its exquisite aroma, it has become deeply associated with the heart – encouraging compassion, tenderness and emotional openness.
I often describe high-quality vibrational essential oils as carrying not only the chemistry of the plant, but also its living presence. Rose oil embodies unconditional love in its gentlest form, inviting us to soften, to feel and to remember the wisdom that already resides within our own hearts.
Creating your very own Cacao Ceremony
A cacao ceremony isn’t about following a strict ritual. It is about creating space to slow down, to become present, and to listen beneath the constant chatter of your mind, to reconnect with the wisdom that lives within you.
Here is a beautiful version you can use, and adapt to your own style:
- Sit on your chair or cushion, with your spine straight.
- Holding the cup of cacao with both hands, lift it up to your heart chakra (lower centre of your chest), and close your eyes.
- Allow your mind to sink into nothingness, letting go of all other thoughts and ideas so that you can be fully present with your ceremony.
- Take a long, deep breath in (5 seconds), then hold your breath for 5 seconds, then breathe out for 5 seconds. Mindfully and joyfully smell your cacao, breathing her in deeply.
- Acknowledge with gratitude the journey that has brought her to your cup today. Feel her life in the jungle, her love for the Planet, and the many farmers that have touched her with their gentle hands, delivering her to you today.
- Slowly lower your cacao cup back to your heart chakra, taking a moment to notice all the different sensations present in your body.
- Acknowledge what you are grateful for in your world.
- Set an intention for the day.
- And finally – bring her to your lips, and savour her with mindful sips that honour her as the Queen of Plants.
- When you feel complete, lower her gently onto a surface.
- With your back still straight, place your hands on your knees and close your eyes, repeating your intention out loud.
- Take a deep breath in and out, open your eyes, and smile!
For my birthday, I added one extra step into the ceremony.
After Step 5, I shared with my friends about the journey of my past year, and how I’ve been deeply reconnecting with my inner child as well as the beauty of my Spirit.
I shared how I feel called to “be” on our Planet in this next chapter of my life, and what I know my calling to be. I shared how within each of us still lives the child we once were – full of wonder, curiosity, joy, fear, excitement and vulnerability.
That child hasn’t disappeared simply because we’ve become adults. We carry her (or him) with us every day, hand in hand with the wiser adult we’ve become, both sharing this one beautiful body as we walk our path across this planet.
Once I finished sharing, I invited my friends to also share from their hearts.
One by one, they shared what their own journey has meant. Some spoke of joy and the dreams still patiently waiting inside of them. Some spoke of trials and tribulations, and the unexpected twists that become our greatest teachers.
We were all moved – not by the words themselves, but by the raw honesty that we shared in that moment, so that our heart recognises itself in another’s words.
It reminded me once again that the deepest ceremonies don’t require elaborate rituals or perfect conditions. All they ask is that we gather together with open hearts, breathe deeply, listen fully, and allow ourselves to be truly seen.
For me, there couldn’t have been a more beautiful way to celebrate my birthday.
Four women – one ancient plant – one drop of Rose essential oil – and a room filled with open hearts that remembered exactly why they came here.
