Cacao Ceremony

From Diane Kinoian:

"This Cacao Ceremonies is guided by Mama Cacao and my intuition based upon the energy of the room. Typically the ceremony will last about 2 hours with approximately 30 mins (depending on the number of participants) afterward for optional group sharing of the most significant pieces of wisdom or insights you received. The ceremony itself will include energy clearing, reiki, sacred song, drumming, periods of silence, singing bowls, rattling, etc. whatever I feel guided to introduce to best serve the needs of the participants. I encourage participants to move around if feeling called. Stretching, gentle asanas, shaking and dancing are great tools to assist in the releasing of stuck energy.

Cacao is a plant medicine that wants you to be in your body, to connect to yourself more deeply, to feel your heart open. The naturally occurring psychoactive compounds of cacao - specifically theobromine, phenalethylmine (PEA), and anandamide alter your body’s chemistry. Theobromine is a cardiovascular stimulant and vasodilator that allows blood vessels to open more and increases blood flow. PEA is the “love” chemical that stimulates the brain to release dopamine and serotonin. The body naturally produces PEA - think that feeling you have when you fall in love. Anandamide is the “bliss” chemical. As an MAO inhibitor it activates the pleasure receptors in the brain and slows down how quickly our body processes dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin so you can remain in a “bliss” state longer. 

With that being said, the ceremonial space created can sometimes bring waves of emotions, tears may flow, insights may come, or you may just feel relaxed and anything in between. Coming with an open mind and an open heart are the best recommendations. Mama Cacao will show you the doors within, but she won’t push you through. It’s up to you to decide if you want to go there and do the deeper personal work. Getting cozy - Most people prefer to be laying down in a comfortable position for most of the time, so I encourage you to make yourself a little Cacao Chrysalis by bringing along a yoga mat, blanket, pillow, eye mask, warm socks, etc. You can also feel free to bring along any objects of significance to you either to keep at your space or to add to the ceremonial alter - malas, crystals, a photo, a piece of jewelry, feathers, an oracle card, etc. Please make sure to bring a mug/travel cup to drink your cacao out of, a water bottle and maybe even some nuts/dried fruit for post ceremony. It is recommended to fast for at least 3 hours prior to the ceremony, to avoid caffeine, to avoid dairy (this impacts your body’s ability to fully absorb the psychoactive compounds of cacao), to refrain from use of other plant medicines, and to avoid alcohol for 24 hours prior. You want to show up ready to fully receive all the benefits and gifts of this plant medicine. 

We will end our time together with optional sharing. This is where you get to be witnessed, to ground in what you received and to allow the integration to begin. 

IMPORTANT - PLEASE contact me privately if any of these apply to you. Artemisof1987@aol.com Your safety with Cacao is of upmost importance to me. 

*CONTRAINDICATIONS - anti-depressants/anti-anxiety and heart medications. 

Please contact me privately, in confidentiality BEFORE ceremony if you are on either of these. Since Cacao contains the “feel good” chemicals that antidepressants are trying to provide and balance we want to have a conversation around how much cacao you should consume. 

For those on heart medication Cacao does raise your heart rate 10-20%. It is also a naturally fermented food that contains tyramine both of which some heart medications say to have in moderation.

*PREGNANT - yes, you can still have cacao even when pregnant! It’s just recommended to have a smaller dose depending on what trimester you are in

*ANY questions at all that you have, please feel free to reach out! "