A Cacao Dieta is an immersive, accelerated learning practice co-facilitated by cacao for both novices and those more experienced with cacao.

A plant dieta (Spanish for diet) is an essential initiation process for everyone wanting to work with plant medicine. Cacao is not a psychedelic master plant teacher like ayahuasca or wachuma and therefore there are no strict or traditional requirements for a specific Cacao Dieta – however a Dieta consist of a few basic understandings:

You commit to ingesting the given plant daily for a period of time with a personal intention of CONNECTION TO THE PLANT SPIRIT.

A Dieta has a formal opening and closing in the form of ceremonies, in which the Spirit of the Plant is invited and thanked and the Intention is presented – as well as to establish sacred space. This is important to mark this time as a special phase of initiation into the plant mysteries and become aware of everything that is happening during the Dieta. You are asked to commune daily with the Plant Spirit and take note of what is happening in your life beyond the rituals.

This usually involves a restricted food diet in order to attune your body to the plant in question without other plants interfering too much. These restrictions may vary depending on your diet and can be adjusted to your lifestyle and commitment choices. Most often you will be asked to renounce alcohol, coffee, nicotine, mind altering substances, (processed) sugar, dairy or animal products. These are however guidelines and usually more important when working with a master plant teacher, Cacao as I know her Spirit is way more flexible and only wants you to restrict yourself if it is your intention to practice discipline. You will set your own commitments during our opening ceremony.

Unlike other plant medicines, Cacao is psychotropic but not hallucinogenic. This means it can create expanded states of consciousness and temporary changes in perception, mood, or behavior without taking us out of our bodies. On the contrary, it makes for a very embodied experience. It brings our senses to life, enhancing our clarity, focus, and awareness. Making it a healthy food source with a subtle but profound effect.

Pure Ceremonial Cacao contains beneficial neurotransmitters and neuro-modulators already present in our brain. It also contains reuptake inhibitors that block the pathways that our bodies normally use to break down and recycle these beneficial mood altering molecules, so the good mood lasts for longer. In the long term, regularly working with Ceremonial Cacao can have therapeutic health benefits, including creating new neural pathways that change our daily experience to include more joy, love, and connection.

Top Molecules in Ceremonial Cacao

Some of the top mood-altering molecules in Ceremonial Cacao include:

Anandamide- is commonly referred to as the bliss molecule and is associated with the runner’s high effect. It is the first endocannabinoid to be discovered, and it is well-known for moderating pain. Ceremonial Cacao also has N-linoleoylethanolamine, which is the reuptake inhibitor for anandamide.

Phenylethylamine (PEA) - Helps with excitement, alertness, and attention. Gives the perception of time slowing down.

Serotonin - Helps with wellbeing, and creates resistance to stress. Ceremonial Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin.

Dopamine - Gives feelings of motivation and pleasure. Ceremonial Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit reuptake of dopamine. Due to these molecules and many others, when you drink Ceremonial Cacao you may feel expansive, blissful, connected to self and/or others, inspired, connected to your intuition & vision, connected to spirit, grounded, emotions arise, and the movement of stuck energy. You can also experience increased blood flow, mood elevation, and a more expanded state of consciousness.

Ceremonial Cacao is a vasodilator, meaning your blood vessels and muscular systems relax. When working with ceremonial doses of Ceremonial Cacao, blood flow can increase by up to 30%, meaning that more blood (life force energy) is moving through your body and nourishing all of your systems.

Long-Term Neural Pathway Benefits

Working with cacao regularly can result in long-term beneficial changes in brain function, primarily through the reinforcement of neural pathways that include more joy, love, presence, and connection. There is ample evidence for the neuroplasticity of the human brain, and regularly ingesting cacao with all of its beneficial neuromodulators and correlated reuptake inhibitors could have long-term impact on dominant neural pathways.

Ceremonial Cacao is 100% Cacao paste of the highest quality. It is made from heirloom strains of Cacao native to Central and South America. Cacao ceremonies have cultural roots in indigenous communities from Central and South America, and ceremonial Cacao is intentionally created for ritual use, paying homage to traditional practices of production and consumption.

Cacao ceremonies are growing in popularity across the globe. What seemed like such a foreign experience for many of us ten years ago is now a journey loved by many who are looking to deepen their relationship and celebrate life. You can now find a Cacao ceremony in almost every major city, often with many other modalities incorporated into the flow. If this is your first time reading about Cacao ceremonies or ceremonial Cacao, you may be wondering what the ceremony is all about. Although there are many ways to share Cacao in ceremony, here we will explore what to expect from a ceremony that is facilitated by an experienced Cacao guide with integrity and respect.

Ceremonies and rituals range in their diverse expression. At the core of each is a space for genuine human connection and a dissolving of the barriers that separate us from ourselves and the world around us. This allows us to go deeper within, evolving our own connection to the self and our surroundings, and encouraging us to share more authentically with others in a celebration of what it is to be human. Ceremony is a time to express our gratitude, to offer ourselves to something bigger. It's a time to reset, to ask questions, and to listen for answers

As you walk into the ceremony you will be cleansed with copal, palo santo, or any other resin to come into the space with a clean and harmonized energy. For those of us who live in cities, we are often overstimulated and deprived of energy, which makes it difficult to stay present. This is one of the important pieces of why we take the time to cleanse ourselves with smoke before accessing the space, to harmonize our energy as we walk into the sacred container.

Oftentimes, there will be either drumming or music to relax the nervous system and allow you to drop into the present moment.

Once the Cacao is passed around, there is an invocation—a form of saying thank you to the energies that sustain us. My invocations are very much connected to the four elements, as I feel these are the traditional ways we have understood the energy of the world. These four elements give us life: fire, water, earth, and air. After the invocation, we sit or share our intention.

The Cacao takes about 20 minutes to activate after ingestion. I personally love sharing knowledge about Cacao (its history and physical benefits), the relationship the Maya have with it, and a small part about the Mayan Cosmovision, since they have been known to be the guardians of this sacred plant. Other facilitators may have their own way to let us connect with the essence of Cacao. Some may invite in dance, some silence, some may play more music. However the facilitator decides to guide the journey, it is important for them to show respect for the plant and the ancestors who came before.

The ceremony is always closed with a meditation. Some may incorporate silence into the meditation, some may do a sound journey to integrate the experience (as I often do). In a traditional Mayan ceremony with Cacao, you would connect with the fire while you drink your Cacao. After the meditation is done, there is a closing of the container, meaning we say thank you once again to the energies that support us. Every door we open, we must also close.

It’s important to give the plant the opportunity to communicate with us and not mix the Cacao with different intoxicant substances like alcohol. In the same way, it is also important to not mix intense music or other overstimulating modalities with Cacao. We should stay calm and open to the energies, not distracted or inebriated in any way.

Ceremonies and rituals range in their diverse expression. At the core of each is a space for genuine human connection and a dissolving of the barriers that separate us from ourselves and the world around us. This allows us to go deeper within, evolving our own connection to the self and our surroundings, and encouraging us to share more authentically with others in a celebration of what it is to be human. Ceremony is a time to express our gratitude, to offer ourselves to something bigger. It's a time to reset, to ask questions, and to listen for answers.

Cacao ceremonies are growing in popularity across the globe. What seemed like such a foreign experience for many of us ten years ago is now a journey loved by many who are looking to deepen their relationship and celebrate life. You can now find a Cacao ceremony in almost every major city, often with many other modalities incorporated into the flow. If this is your first time reading about Cacao ceremonies or ceremonial Cacao, you may be wondering what the ceremony is all about. Although there are many ways to share Cacao in ceremony, here we will explore what to expect from a ceremony that is facilitated by an experienced Cacao guide with integrity and respect.

A cacao ceremony is perfect for someone wanting to experience and grow through shamanic ritual without the often intense experience associated with Ayahuasca.

It's for those who want to heal your mind, body, and spirit.

Cacao gives you permission to love yourself with all of the possibilities that you can be.

It helps you to visualize your goals and reveals your passions and goals through awakening and inner healing.

The plant spirit of cacao is powerful but gentle and nurturing. It invites you to work with forgiveness and acceptance and opens your creativity – one of the reasons it is very popular with artists of all types.

Individuals currently taking any SSRI antidepressants, low blood pressure medication, or those undergoing chemotherapy treatment should not drink more than a meditation dose. The combination of medication and Cacao can cause adverse effects when consumed in higher doses.

Women who are pregnant should not drink more than 15-20g of pure Cacao to prevent any issues.