- Ali
Have you ever thought I’m good, I’m all sorted and then life has thrown you a curved ball? For many of us the pandemic was like that. It hit our lives, our businesses, our careers in many different ways.
Coming out of 2020 I really thought “I’m all good. I have my business back in balance and I know where I’m going” and then life threw me a curved ball in the shape of chocolate! Not literally in the shape of a chocolate bar, I’ll come to that in a minute, but in the form of Cacao. The really pure, ceremonial cacao, steeped in tradition, history and culture, came into my life and turned it upside down.
Really! I hear you cry, how could chocolate do that? And that’s just what I was asking myself…
So let me explain, and for that you need a bit of background…. I was chatting with another friend who is a menopause coach and one of the things she simply dropped into the conversation was her cacao ceremonies. What’s a cacao ceremony I enquired? This was purely out of interest for her as I have no real love of chocolate. It has never been my snack of choice and I’ve always been able to put the chocolate box down before I’ve eaten the whole layer. Even as a child I was the one with Easter eggs left long past my siblings so that I would share my bounty just to be rid of it! I stopped eating refined sugar over 7 years ago and have never looked back so chocolate doesn’t really do it for me, unless you count getting a headache from the sugar crash as ‘doing it for me!’ And I don’t.
So she explained about cacao, about sitting in circle with other women, sharing time and experiences together and said, join me at one of my ceremonies. Long story short, I did join her for a new moon ceremony and it got me thinking. My menopause ladies would love this. Many of you are not so far along the sugar free journey as me and sitting in circle with other like minded women, all with a common purpose and desire to support each other, while drinking hot chocolate would be perfect!
But that wasn’t how it was to be. At my first ceremony I was introduced to Lynette Allen a medicine woman who had held circles with cacao for many years and she opened me up to cacao as a plant medicine. She works with Cacao but for many years also worked with the plant medicine Ayahuasca and was an integral part of my journey.
There followed a cacao dieta, where I drank and meditated with cacao every day and opened my heart to her. Working with her I quickly realised that yes Cacao is a major super food packed with antioxidants, magnesium for the heart and brain but that it is also a mood elevator making it of so much more value than chocolate.
Ceremonial cacao – some facts
Ceremonial Cacao, in its purest form, still contains:
Antioxidants
Cacao beans contain 10 grams of flavanol antioxidants per 100 grams. Research has demonstrated that the antioxidants in Cacao are highly stable and easily available
to human metabolism.
Magnesium for the Heart and Brain
Cacao is the primary dietary source of magnesium, the
most deficient mineral in western civilisation.
Mood elevators and Anti-depressants
Cacao is a great source of serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine (PEA), four well-studied neurotransmitters, which are associated with feelings of well being and help alleviate depression.
Ceremonial Cacao is so much more than chocolate.
100% pure cacao provides a sustained energy boost and mental clarity that enhances any creative or productive endeavour. Cacao is a powerful superfood which offers a boost in energy without the crash associated with other stimulants like coffee.
It cuts through the mental chatter enhancing focus and concentration while enabling you to hear your heart. This makes self-expression, connection and creativity more enjoyable and will help you to find your true passions and purpose. When sitting with Cacao and meditating I feel I get to a totally different place and it is now an integral part of my daily routine. If I miss a day something always feels a little off, like when you leave the house for a rushed school run and suddenly realise you haven’t brushed your teeth. Yuck right!
For me a day without Cacao is like that. If you’ve never tried it then I’d invite you to open your heart to this wonderful plant medicine. Join me at one of my forthcoming Cacao ceremonies, online or in person, or purchase your own ceremonial cacao from Forever Cacao. https://www.forevercacao.co.uk/?ref=ahcacao
They’re a small Cacao supplier and one of Europe’s longest suppliers of the finest Ceremonial Grade Criollo Cacao which has been grown, harvested, fermented and dried by Ashaninka families, an indigenous people living in the rainforests of Peru and in the State of Acre, Brazil. Their Cacao is directly sourced from ancient Cacao gardens in the Rio Ene region of Peru and packaged in 100% Biodegradable bags made from kraft paper, cellulose and starch film. It’s of course GMO free and in line with their ethical business model sustainability is at the heart of everything they do.
Cacao has been used in ancient ceremonies by South Americans (the Maya) for thousands of years. It has an active ingredient in it called theobromine—which can be translated to, “Food of the Gods” - “theo” meaning god and “broma” meaning food. It makes sense that cacao was given its sacred status, and enjoyed in communal ceremonies by the Maya with their Gods.
When you buy Ceremonial Cacao Paste you may notice white ribbons on the paste. This is completely normal for pure cacao paste, it's simply the cacao bean fat — making for a creamier, more luscious blended drink or melted chocolate. ... The bean's fat remains intact, helping to balance its stimulating properties and facilitate absorption over a longer period of time. The modern chocolate making process removes this natural fat in order to process the beans in a particular way. Manufacturers then add cheaper fats and sugar back in to create the chocolate we know in the West today.
For more info on my online or in person cacao ceremonies drop me an email and I will send you all forthcoming dates and venues. To book an individual cacao ceremony and intuitive coaching session with me or to book a cacao ceremony as part of a group event please get in touch to explain your individual requirements.
