Chocolate Consciousness

Cacao The food of the gods

Raw Chocolate (Cacao), the sacred plant medicine and our spiritual connection to the heart.
Drinking cacao in a ceremonial way has been done so for thousands of years, and can recreate feelings of love.

If you're coming to one of my events expecting to eat Cadbury sweet chocolate, this is very different. This is chocolate in its raw form, still tasty, but milled and created in a way where all the raw chocolate benefits of vitamins and minerals and how it is supposed to be consumed remain. It can be sweet if you add sweetener. But my mixes typically contain water, cacao and a dash of hemp milk & a pinch of salt. Sometimes CDB and sometimes cayenne. Cayenne helps to transport the magic ingredients around your body via the bloodstream.

I serve the cacao in a meditative & medicinal way. Its purpose is for you to meditate with it, hold it, set your intention, and digest it. Once in your body, you can feel it digesting, the warmth going into your stomach, and within minutes you can sense a sort of euphoria and heartwarming love.

But is cacao just a bunch of mambo-jumbo new age fad? surely if you put the words chocolate in an event people would just be attracted to it alone, it does much more than just the taste, and cacao holds its space high in the list of top 10 super-foods in the world. Used for many many thousands of years spiritually and nutritionally. For me I use cacao for people to dive deep into their hearts, find connection, have a feeling of oneness and connection with others and themselves. It’s a great tool for consciousness and I use these in my meditation party events. Its a powerful super-food and a warm heart centred drink.

Cacao is known as the drink of the gods. Originating from south Americas, especially Mexico and traditionally used thousands of years ago, dating back to the Aztecs around 1500 BC - 400BC in Central America.- first used by the Mayo Chinchipe culture of Ecuador some 5000 years ago, and used and prepared in a drink as early as 500BC.

Cacao beans is where chocolate comes from, and the beans come from pods from the cacao tree which usually contain around 30-50 seeds. One tree will usually make one pound (lb) of chocolate, which's around 900g.

The ancient Mayans and Aztecs used these beans as currency, used the beans in a drink in ceremonies, after battles and during rituals. The name Cacao comes from the Spanish word Chcahuatl, which means Beans. It was said that when the English took these beans from central America, they either misspelt or mispronounced Chcahuatl to be now Cacao, and so it has stuck in western civilisation.

The word Theobroma comes from the Greek words Theos & Broma. Meaning Theos (God) & Broma (food). Food of the gods. Carl Linnaeus a Swedish Botanist, named the chocolate tree and gave Cacao its official name - Theobroma.

Cacao (raw, cold-pressed) and Cacoa (roasted, heat grinding) are both the same fruit, from the cacao pod containing many beans, just like the coffee bean. Rich in nutrients and minerals.

There are 4 types of ingredients which come from the Cacao bean

Cacao Butter (oil)

Cacao powder

Cocoa butter

Cocoa powder.

Cacao in its raw form contains many beneficial properties, minerals and vitamins, unlike its roasted heated forms of cocoa wheres through milling, drying (heat) and grinding and pressing loses much of its original therapeutic benefits and nutritional value, the dry grinding process helps retain the living enzymes from the bean.

During research in the 1990s - it was found that cacao contained 380 compounds. Making it one of the most nutritionally potent superfoods to date. Medicinally cacao has been used for many centuries for the mental, physical and spiritual.

The powerful and healthy substances in Cacao are:

Antioxidants such as Polyphenols - helps the body in maintaining necessary levels of N.O (Nitric Oxide) which helps the body to flush out unwanted toxins and protecting your heart and helps keep the skin rejuvenated and moisturised.

Anti-inflammatory - found to contain one of the most highest ORAC scores which is used to measure antioxidant levels found in food.

Flavanols - Compounds that help prevent clogged arteries reducing the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

Anandamide - “The bliss molecule” (Ananda, meaning bliss in Sanskrit) known for creating feelings of bliss, regulates the mood memory, appetite and pain receptors.

High sources of Calcium - More than cows milk.

High levels of Magnesium - Helping relax muscles, help support a healthy heart, and stimulate the brain.

Sulphur - A great mineral in cacao that helps transport nutrients in and out of the cells. Supports tissue repair and rebuild collagen and keratin great for hair, nails and the skin.

Copper - prevents anaemia.

High levels of Vitamin C.

Containing many B-complex vitamins.

Rich in Iron.

Tryptophan - An amino acid that helps the production of serotonin - an important chemical created in the brain to help keep us happy and positive.

Dopamine another hormone and neurotransmitter - found in chocolate (cacao) and serves as important brain and body functions for feeling happy and satisfied.

Phenylethylamine (PEA) a neurotransmitter that our body produces when we have feelings of love & when we are excited. Studies have shown that PEA within the cacao stays within our bloodstream much longer, making it a great antidepressant. Helps trigger endorphins, dopamine and noradrenaline.

High levels of theobromine in Cacao has been used also for depression, as it releases anandamide (the bliss chemical) - creating euphoric feelings of relaxation and contentment. It does this by stimulating the endocannabinoid receptors.

Theobromine is an alkaloid, which helps dilate blood vessels and open the heart flow pumping circulation around the body. As we know the heart on a physical level helps pump minerals and oxygen around the body, and on an energetic level, the heart helps open to compassion and feelings of love.

Theobormine has also been found to harden tooth enamel and relieve coughing and asthma symptoms. Perfect for deep breathing and breathwork sessions.

and Methylxanthines - these are stimulants that are produced by plants, animals and our own human cells, which interestingly create enhanced moods and aid in concentration levels and arousal, which also enables oxygen absorption in the body.

The river of love and life - circulation, intimacy and health - cacao is great for libido, blood flow and helps relieve anxiety and creates a connection to the heart. It’s a great nutritional tool for helping us be more connected with our partner and for romance. Another big reason why chocolate is served during valentines day and special occasions as chocolate is literally a way to the heart.

Cacao & Moon Cycles

For women, menstruation can be an emotional and painful time. Cacao can help relieve the effects of period pains and discomfort and help deal with emotions. Women usually have more mood swings and emotional stress more than men, cacao can help stimulate happy brain chemicals and a sense of euphoria and relieve cramps. It is believed that there is so many healthy nutrients and minerals in cacao, that it literally forces the body to feel more at ease, healthy and stress-free.

For women, it is not during moon cycles but also after pregnancy, because it helps women regain strength and energy after giving birth. And to note, chocolate is good for all ages, men and women.

Cosmic Cacao, the sacred plant medicine of the heart - Cacao the fruit of the gods is a very special plant. The consciousness of cacao & its relationship with our emotions and its nutritional purpose helps unlock emotions that no longer serve us. The therapeutic, calming and relaxing compounds within this sacred chocolate allow us to surrender to its non-addictive and safe nutritional value. The high potency of minerals and feel-good chemicals flood our bloodstream, warm our heart and our stomach and allows us to dive deep into ourselves for deep journeying. It’s a gentle but powerful plant medicine, helping guide us through the door of understanding ourselves. A perfect superfood for ceremonies, group events, or inner journeying.

When used during events, ceremonies and celebrations, cacao is typically used by being poured and shared from cup to cup, in the hands of sitters, waiting to relieve the powerful medicinal superfood drink. The shaman or facilitator sitting in the circle with the others leads a group sharing, or group intention or to release old emotions that no longer serve them.

Cacao Paste is typically what is used in ceremonies and events across the world, a hard substance, a mixture of both milled and cacao beans which have been turned into cacao butter and cacao powder, then mixed and pressed into a non-roasting raw dense paste. Interestingly the cacao powder is what contains more beneficial properties. Because of the pastes higher healthy fat content, this helps for maximum absorption into the body, just like many nutrients fats help the absorption of into the body.

The recommended dose of cacao is around 45g per person, with additional water and sometimes plant-based milk. I never use animal milk, not only because I am plant-based, but also this inhibits the beneficial qualities.

The heartwarming effects of the cacao are what can stimulate your higher chakras, allowing to accessing higher states of consciousness and preparing for meditations, a great addition to my meditation parties using light machines, the gong, breathwork and group environments.

Health concerns and side effects:

Please consult your doctor is you are:

Have a heart condition (as cacao increases the heart rate & circulation)

Pregnant

or under any other medication which the cacao could affect.

High dose of raw chocolate (cacao) does not make you hallucinate or offer any psychedelic experience.

Typically those who want to participate do so at their own risk, they/you can still have a smaller amount around 15-20g, rather than 40-45g.

Studies have shown that anything more than 55g has known to produce nausea or even heart palpitations and even headaches. Because of the powerful effects of cacao, it’s a huge detoxifier and can lead to headaches if not hydrated. The MAO-inhibitors and tyramine is linked to migraines.

I encourage you, that if you do have cacao, to make sure you drink plenty of water after the session to flush the cacao out. Cacao can be very dehydrating and can lead to headaches.

Cacao also is very simulating and can have similar affects like coffee for people who are quite sensitive. This can keep you more awake and alert for some people for sometimes 3-5 hours, but is also very relaxing.