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What is a Cacao & Sound Ceremony?

In a Cacao & Sound Ceremony, I serve CacaoAmor Ecuadorian Ceremonial Grade Cacao. It is high-quality, smooth, and has a delicious taste that brings about states of heart-opening, meditative, and calm energy. It is very responsive to your intentions, for magic and manifesting too! Historically, it is known from ancient Mayan/Aztec times as the 'Food of the Gods.' It looks like hot chocolate, but it does not taste like the Western hot chocolate laden with sugar, so it may seem slightly bitter to some people. During the ceremony, I will invite you to set an intention before drinking the cacao. We will do some breathing exercises and movement, and then I will invite you to lie down during the sound bath.

Cacao Sourcing

CacaoAmor is ethically sourced by farmers in Ecuador. Our agent, Jose, has close contact with the farmers and makes sure they are paid above the ethical pay to encourage them to keep this ancient tradition alive. Cacao should be grown in a poly-culture where there is a symbiosis between all the plants. The other trees give cacao nitrogen and other things she (cacao is referred to in the feminine sense) utilises, and cacao provides nutrients to the other trees and plants in return. This promotes a healthy environment as there is no need for pesticides or chemical nutrients for the ground. Many places are now cutting down other trees to plant a monoculture, which is only cacao trees. It has a high yield and higher profits, but it doesn’t have the same ancestral heritage of CacaoAmor, which comes from trees 40 to 60 years old grown in a poly-culture environment. 

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Health Benefits of Cacao

Cacao is a very chemically complex food with both mind and body-altering effects, and raw cacao contains more antioxidants than any other food. The enhancement of mind and mood can be attributed to many compounds found in cacao including:

 

• Caffeine: Found in small amounts in cacao, the alkaloid caffeine is a potent stimulant of the nervous system.
   

• Theobromine: The primary, bitter alkaloid found in the cacao plant, in amounts 2 times more than caffeine. It is a cardiovascular stimulant, increasing heart function and blood flow, and has about one quarter the stimulating power of caffeine.

 

The cardiovascular and heart-enhancing effects have been shown to be due to:

 

• Antioxidant Polyphenols: A group of protective chemicals found in high concentrations in cacao. The polyphenols help to reduce the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol), as well as inhibit blood platelets from clumping together, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

 

Cacao is an agent of love and bliss can be interpreted through an understanding of the following compounds:

 

• Serotonin: Cacao contains serotonin, as well as the ingredients (magnesium and tryptophan) to boost the body's production of new serotonin. The neurotransmitter plays a major role in positive mood, balancing of stress and improved mood.
   

• Magnesium: It is found in high levels in cacao, and is the key mineral for relaxation of the muscles.
   

• Anandamide: A neurotransmitter found in cacao that when released in the brain produces a feeling of bliss. Named the “bliss chemical,” cacao also contains enzyme inhibitors that inhibit the breakdown of anandamide in the body, thus further contributing to sensations of “bliss” associated with raw cacao.

 

The food of the gods indeed!​