Cacao for joy, health, & spirit

Chocolate, cocoa, cacao, kakao…

this brown and deliciously dynamic, creamy fruit is known by many names.

For most of us it is an adored and staple ingredient in our diet, whether that be through cheeky candy treats, or as an intentional superfood that compliments our post-workout smoothies and needs for extra magnesium, along with a host of additional nutritional richness coded within it.

Some may be surprised to discover that the velvety and delicious chocolate we enjoy on the daily actually begins as a fruit, that grows from a tree, after being a flower pollinated by bees, birds, and other insects.

Nowadays, we’re coming to learn that chocolate is much more than a tasty dessert, but that it has an array of profound health benefits that elevate it to the league of superfoods.  Among many other somewhat miraculous health benefits that science has validated cacao can have on the body, one of our favorite recent discoveries comes from a study that revealed how eating cacao causes stem cells to be released from the bone marrow, which then travel anywhere in the body where they are needed.  Wow. Just wow.

Today, as we are opening to greater recognition and appreciation of the medicinal qualities of food for healing our physical bodies, a part of this niche is also delving into understanding and working with the subtle potencies of the energetic and spiritual qualities of plants, fruits, and food coming from the natural world, which are supporting us in healing our spiritual bodies, as well.

With cacao in particular, there are many cosmologies (belief systems) throughout native and indigenous cultures in Central and South America in particular, where cacao is understood as having divine qualities and spiritual origins, and held with profound reverence as sacred and through their mythologies as supernatural. There are traditions and rituals within these communities that have, and continue to weave cacao into their lives with a spirit of great respect and reverence, and intention. In Costa Rica in particular, the Bri Bri tribe is one of the most outspoken of the eight indigenous tribes of Costa Rica who share about their relationship with cacao.  You can read more about this, here.

In Guatemala, and up to Mexico, there are traditions and rituals that are co-created with Cacao, and going all the way down to Peru where the oldest records of cacao have been found in a temple called Montegrande.  Here, within only the last 15 years when the temple was first discovered, samples of cacao have been taken that have been found to be 5,300 years old, and has relics of cacao that are dated to be 6000 years old, according to carbon dating.  While the exact spiritual origins of cacao will forever be left to the great mystery, their seeds are widespread and branches are still growing, flowering, and bearing fruit.

“When mankind gets out of harmony with the natural world, cacao will come out of the rainforest to open hearts and reestablish the balance.”

– Ancient Mesoamerican Myth

Today, science is validating the nutritional and physiological benefits of cacao, but the indigenous traditions are still the keepers and guardians of the spiritual doors… at the same time the doors are opening, as let’s call us westernized or colonial beings are also opening to the wisdom of these ancient traditions and medicines from the natural world. More and more people are starting to learn and work with cacao cacao as a plant medicine for spiritual connection and journey work as well — in the form of simple rituals with cacao, and cacao ceremony. If you would like to experience a Cacao Ceremony while you are in Costa Rica, or simply learn a bit more about what cacao ceremony is, you can message Tiina on Whatsapp here.

Because we live in a blessed land where cacao thrives and grows all over the country, bean-to-bar chocolate making is also becoming more popular within Costa Rica. Much like wine tasting and the way different grape varieties grown in different climates yield different wines, Cacao is the same way and can have a wide range of flavors that emanate. If you would like to learn more about bean-to-bar chocolate making, or experience a chocolate making and tasting workshop, you can learn more by speaking with Kerri here.

This article was written simply with the intention to share a little more knowledge about this superfood and supernatural plant —  and hopefully reveal a new side, and inspire a little curiosity about this widely adored, both mysterious and magnificent, spiritual origin of chocolate… CACAO.

Who we are also incredibly lucky to have thriving across all of Costa Rica.

This article was written by Tiina G, one of the co-owners of Varuna and a facilitator of Breathwork, cacao, and sound ceremony. You can learn more about spiritual wellness services with her here ♥

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