Open Your Heart With Cacao

A deeper look into the sacred cacao bean and how it can work magic on your heart.

The Food of the Gods… The Food for the Shift. Cacao for the heart.

When you eat or drink raw cacao and understand its purpose, other chocolate doesn’t taste the same any more. You want the real thing. Not the mass-produced, processed crap they sell you, which only pollutes your body and mind. I have found that, the deeper I go, the more I need to know. I.E. where does my food come from? What kind of energy was put into it? Imagine not knowing where your food comes from. Hint, with mass-produced and processed foods, we really don’t know where our food comes from, or what is in it.

I traveled to Guatemala at the beginning of 2014 to study a course of meditation on Lake Aitilan. There I met Keith ‘the cacao shaman’ and attended a few of his cacao healing circles.

I, along with about 25 others gathered and listened to him dissect the cacao bean. He knows all there is to know about the bean and the spirit of cacao that inhibits it. We all held the cacao bean to connect with it. He told us where it was grown, how it was grown, what it does; broke it all down. The information can be found here: http://ceremonialcacao.blogspot.co.uk/

His lovely partner was inside, making us all a bitter cacao drink, which we would all drink at the same time. We sat and meditated in the 20 minutes afterwards, the time it took to work in our system. The first time I drank it I was a little afraid. I have done other plant medicine ceremonies, which involve mind-expanding moments, but was totally unsure what would happen with cacao.

Cacao is not a psychedelic so I have no idea what I was thinking. After about 20 minutes I felt a warmth expand in my chest. I am also a Reiki healer and a yoga teacher, so I am very tuned in to subtle energies. The feeling in my heart felt the same as how I feel around children, nature and animals; pure love. I just wanted to send vibes out of my hands and heart and heal the whole world! A girl next to me was crying and I naturally reached out and put my hand on the back of her heart (the back of the body is for past hurts, the front for present). Keith the cacao shaman then started ‘therapising’ the room. He would pick one person out and say “the energy is with you, what’s going on?” the person would then say what their problem was and they would begin to work through it in the group energy. The thing I found most fascinating about it was that whoever he spoke to, you would also have something that resonated with their problem – the group healing aspect of how our problems always attract people who mirror the same emotions. I’ve experienced this in a few healing circles and it is really powerful and again and again shows you how we are all connected. And what happens to one person, happens to you.

Everyone is a mirror. I also love the bit about if something really pisses you off about someone, you have to look at that as an aspect of yourself that needs to be healed. I.E. loud people used to do my head in, and I realized it was because I am so loud and needed to just accept it. So I did.

Only when you accept something can you begin to work through it.

Anyway, I digress. So I went to see Keith quite a few times after that. My heart always opened a little more. It was beautiful witnessing how the cacao bean affected others also – people crying uncontrollably (don’t be afraid of tears – they are the elixir of the soul), people laughing uncontrollably, people hugging; people opening their hearts and sharing what was inside, the light and the dark in all its beauty. I also saw Keith a few times on my own and we went to some really deep inner child healing, which was really powerful. I also took part in local Kirtan classes, where we would drink cacao and sing for hours, opening and expressing our hearts through our voice.

Now, when I do healing or meditation circles with friends, I like to include cacao as part of this. As a heart opening experience.

The important thing also, is to make and drink /eat with intention. As you have to activate this part of the spirit of cacao. So the energy knows where to focus.

You get a lot of energy from pure cacao, kind of like coffee energy, but not as edgy. It’s more of a warm energy, focused around the heart space.

As we enter into this new level of consciousness, which is the Aquarian age, think with the heart, not with the head. Trust the wisdom and magic of the heart. Heal our own past hurts and those of our ancestors, which has been passed down through our lineage.

Cacao opens your heart. Allows you to connect on a deeper level. Which is beautiful. But I must warn, as with anything, build it slowly and always consume with intention and reverence for this bean!

How to use:

When working with pure cacao, eat and drink with intent.

Connect to the cacao spirit.

To meditate after drinking cacao is beautiful.

For artists, writer and healers it is amazing to focus and get creative.

If you wish to deepen your relationship with a partner, cacao is also an aphrodisiac. It opens up the heart space for a deeper connection.

Breathe through it. The breath moves everything. If you feel discomfort, breathe through it. Meditate through it. Be present. Be kind. Don’t judge yourself. Let the energy move. Do not ignore it and freak out.

The Facts:

The main growing countries are West Africa, South America, Central America and Asia

The Latin name for cacao—Theobroma—literally means, “food of the gods.”

In its earliest forms, the Mayans used cacao to create a ritual beverage that was shared during betrothal and marriage ceremonies, providing one of the first known links between chocolate and romance.

Raw cacao is a great pineal gland detoxifier in high doses because of the high antioxidant content. It is also good as a pineal gland stimulant too, which can help to activate your third eye. See How to activate your pineal gland section for more information on pineal gland activators.

Cacao contains:

Magnesium, and other essential minerals such as calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, and manganese
Polyphenols, antioxidant rich flavonoids
Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, C, E
Essential heart-healthy fat: oleic acid a monounsaturated fat
Protein
Fiber
highest antioxidant in the world
magnesium
iron

Check David Wolfe and his passion for Cacao:

A cacao smoothie recipe