Cacao is considered a superfood and is full of vitamins and minerals. It is at the top of the list for antioxidant content as well as magnesium; regular use of cacao has also been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease.
Theobromine, an alkaloid and the main stimulant in cocoa, is easier on the nervous system and more stimulating to the heart than caffeine.
Cacao seeds (aka Cocoa beans) come from the fruit of Theobroma Cacao (latin for 'Food of the Gods') a tree native to Central America.
Sacred to the Mayan and Aztec cultures, cacao was used extensively in ceremony, it's healing properties so highly valued that the seeds where even used as currency.
When the Europeans discovered this super-food-medicine they created a highly processed commodity, added excessive amounts of sugar, and called it chocolate. Derived from the Nahuatl word xocolātl meaning 'bitter water', chocolate was not always consumed in a candied form. In fact, Cocoa beans were originally made into a bitter, spicy drink and used in ceremony for communing with the spirit realm, for healing, as well for increasing health and vitality.
Cacao Facts:
Book A Ceremony Near You:
Sacred Cacao Ceremonies
with JoJo Silverman
Vision:
Cacao (Cocoa), is a safe, legal and gentle plant medicine assistant. Long before the advent of commercial chocolate, cacao seeds were prepared as a ceremonial drink within the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica. When honored in ceremony, cacao acts as a gentle, yet powerful, assistant to stimulate the pineal gland and open the heart. Reclaiming chocolate as medicine, while sitting together with sacred intention, is a powerful way to increase sensitivity to subtle energies, integrate grief from unresolved experiences or emotions, and facilitate connection. It is of great importance in this day and age to take time out - even for an afternoon - and to remember our place of sweetness and alignment. This experience, of allowing ourselves to fill up, as we sit in the company of our reflected truths, is called Satsanga.
Medicine of the Heart is a non-traditional ceremony that employs the ancient remedies of Cacao and Kirtan (Yogic Chanting) as our faithful assistants on a journey of powerful vibration and synergy.
Details:
This Heart-Activation journey includes a potent dose of ceremonial grade, hand-peeled, lightly roasted heirloom cacao . Journeyers will learn more about chocolate as medicine and experience its subtle (or not so subtle) powers. It is recommended that you eat very lightly (or not at all) prior to the ceremony to allow for full absorption of cacao.
Contraindications:
Contraindications!
Do not use these formulas if you have a major heart condition, if you are taking antidepressants (esp. Mao inhibitors), or if you are pregnant. Do not mix with alcohol or other stimulants. Cacao is toxic to Dogs, Cats, horses and other animals. Keep away from your pets!