Ceremonial Cacao & Self-Care
Tips & ideas to bring the magic of cacao into your self-care practice
Guest Post By Jacqueline Cooke-Morton
When hearing the word “self-care”, one would typically bring an image to mind of a woman laying in a bubble bath, hair wrapped up in a big towel, champagne glass full to the brim in a hand relaxed out of the side of the tub, face mask plastered on, and cucumbers over the eyes. While I am all for placing cold slices of pre-pickles on the face... let me paint a different image of self-care for you.
It’s Sunday, and you’ve decided to take this day and call it “self-care Sunday”. You’ve been tired lately, mentally strained, and physically exhausted. Your emotions are running high and you realize that you haven’t taken a day to yourself in... well, you don’t remember the last time. You have a few hours to yourself this morning, so you will make the best of it. There is a fresh bag of Embue cacao waiting to be ripped open in your cupboard, so you decide that this will be the day that you venture into adding this magical plant medicine to your routine. You light a flame on the stove and place your pot with a cup of water to boil, grab your favorite mug, a fancy spoon, and your whisk. You measure out one ounce of cacao and add it to the water that you just turned off from boiling, you whisk it with care, every stir around the cacao envisioning radiant energy emanating from the steam. Maybe you decide to whisper some affirmations into this cacao on this particular morning, feeling a little more open to the mysteries now that you have decided to dive in. You say into the cacao “I am strong enough to carry this load. I am powerful enough to transmute my pain. I am love.”, then you whisk in some maple syrup and salt and cinnamon for good luck. You pour this molten, frothy love into your mug, walk into your favorite private space in your home, and have a seat with Her, Cacao.
Suggested Cacao Drink Recipe
Try the following to use for your self-care cacao practice. Amounts are per person:
- 1.5 ounce of Ceremonial Cacao
- 5 ounces of water
- Dash of cayenne
- Sweetener to taste
From here, things can go any which way- but I am going to give you my favorite tips, ideas, and self-care activities.
Setting Up A Ceremonial Space
Taking the time to physically move things around and create a beautiful space that feels comfortable and looks pleasing to your eyes is such a wonderful ritual. Finding things that bring you joy and a deep feeling of gratitude is a great place to start. Maybe you have a connection to roses, perhaps you want to add a photo of a family member or ancestor, a belonging of someone you love. I suggest finding a place that won’t easily be disturbed such as an end table or your dresser, putting a nice cloth down, adding your items, and setting a candle in a fireproof dish alongside everything that will be used only when you’re doing your ritual or routine.
Journaling
This is a big deal, in my opinion. Getting a journal which you can write down your thoughts, dreams, ideas, and heaviness into is an awesome tool to have in your self-care treasure chest. If you don’t know where to start, just looking online for “meaningful journal prompts” is a great place to begin(Link). I also suggest just putting your pen onto the paper and letting a stream of consciousness just flow out of your fingertips; no erasing, no editing, no judging what’s coming up, simply letting your mind empty.
Listening to “high vibe” music
We are what we ingest, and that includes auditory snacks as well. Finding music that is based in love and raising up the self and humanity as a whole will make a really big difference in how you feel throughout the day. Putting on some beautiful and inspiring upbeat tunes while you journal will set the mood for your day.
Meditation/Visualization
If you’re like me, and don’t love sitting with yourself and trying to quiet your mind and still your body- finding a nice guided meditation on YouTube is a good place to start. Maybe enter in “cacao meditation” and click on one that calls to you and go from there! Or check out the cacao specific practices from embue!
Movement
My favorite part of my self-care routine. Getting down on the ground, stretching out after a big indulgent cup of cacao, post-meditation, letting my body just move the way it wants to. Movement is really hard for some people to allow to happen fluidly- without judging themselves, and that is totally okay! Honor that- maybe you are only able to do some static stretches this week- that’s alright, just keep the intention that you’re going to unfold eventually and allow yourself to be moved. You might find yourself going from seated stretches to standing and swaying- to circling your hips, to full-on dancing around the room. Letting your body move how it wants to be moved, and really tuning in to what feels good in the moment will unlock doors for you that you didn’t even realize existed.
Endless Possibilities
There are plenty of other practices you can add to a self-care routine, such as pulling oracle cards to reflect on, smoke cleansing, reading personal development, doing shamanic journeys, playing instruments, sound healing, and even tantric practices with a partner. The possibilities are endless.
If you take anything from this post today, let it be the beauty of cacao and creating a space for yourself. Just sitting in front of something beautiful that you put together with your own hands with a warm mug of love in your hands will be the portal that opens up your heart. Light that candle and tell yourself “I am worthy”, while you sip- let that light in. Setting up a self-care routine can quite literally change your life, and cacao will help deepen that experience through the emotional and physical effects that occur when you have just one cup.
Read more about how cacao affects us as a heart-centered medicine here:
Jacqueline Cooke-Morton
My name is Jacqueline and I’m a homeschooling mom of two boys & wife to an amazing husband. I live in service to healing the feminine collective through holistic wellness by gathering in circles. It is my joy and life work to have a person be able to feel fully embodied and free. I offer frequent in person circles and retreats in Maine, as well as online gatherings.
