My
Cacao Ceremony
When
life is a prayer then our breath is a gift .
All
that is available to us from mother earth is a gift given freely.
In
gratitude we in turn can use it in prayer.
Plant
medicine is one of those gifts and amoungst the plants we can use as
a guide in ceremony and prayer is Cacao.
Used
by the Mayans it was consumed during religious ceremonies and
marriage celebrations. Regardless of social status all Mayans used
cacao for sacred reasons.
the
word ‘chocolate’ is said to come from the Mayan word ‘xocolatl’
which means ‘bitter water.’
It
may have been bitter water, but it was held in such high esteem that
the Mayans called it the “food of the gods.” Cacao was so
revered that images of cacao pods were painted on the walls of stone
temples and Mayan artifacts have been found that show kings and Mayan
gods drinking chocolate.
Due
to it s high regard and it s use as a currency I actually had the
thought last night as I was on my way to the ceremony that we were
about to pray to (a form of ) money.
I
laughed.
But
it use to be serious and big business.
Cacao became the
force of the Aztec economy. The demand for the cocoa bean and the
beverage that it produced brought about a huge network of trade
routes throughout the region.
When the Aztecs
conquered the Mayans, they were forced to pay taxes to the Aztecs.
These taxes were called “tributes” and they were paid in cocoa,
so the Aztecs, who couldn’t grow their own cocoa, would always have
a supply.
Cocoa beans were
kept in locked boxes in businesses, and some enterprising Aztecs
actually made counterfeit cocoa beans.
Photo and art credit go to the INCREDIBLE. Orly Faya
Body Painter extraordinaire
It was recorded that the beans was
worth as follows...
hail the Cacao bean exchange rate
4 beans = 1 pumpkin
10 beans = 1 rabbit
10 beans = lady to stay overnight..
.how many beans for her to actually open
herself in passion I wonder ??? ..
There is no coincidence that I am so
attracted and activated by chocolate then !!!
The
modern day allure of chocolate is a strong one. Especially said for
women. Often craving the indulgence during our moon time it has many
health benefits containing compounds
that react with the body to limit the excretion of stress hormones.
But
to use cacao, the original chocolate bean as a method in prayer and
ceremony is a deep reverence for the plant and for the gift it
carries for us all.
Many
medicines from plants can be used for transformation. We can induce
visions and release emotional blockages in intentional ways creating
a sacred space for our higher selves to bring to our conscious what
we need to see, feel and shift.
Using
cacao in this way is a celebration of pleasure, of joy and of divine
feminine energy. To meditate is to be honouring the masculine side of
ourselves, to dance to honour the feminine aspect. I combine both in
a ceremony where the dancing meditation becomes a prayer. Bringing
forth intentions and desires to a place of reverence and celebration.
In the ceremony I create the space where dance becomes the bodily
expression of prayer.
Preparing
the concoction of cacao , the brew is kept bitter, mixed with cayenne
pepper and ginger and other spices. Last night , although sweetener
was on offer no one used it. Using cacao this way allows the receiver
to fully taste the bean in its raw form and sit with the energy it
evokes.
It
is strong, it is power full, it is celebration.
AHO..
to the mighty cacao goddess and may your moments of prayer be filled
with the flow of dance.
To see the odd post or many on my life with Cacao like my page on facebook
and even on You Tube
