When Cacao Chose me
My story.
On Saturday, January 4th, 2020, I awoke in an unusual way. My eyes shot open at 5:45 a.m., and I felt too energized to remain in bed. A few days prior, I had returned from attending and teaching a session at my friend’s Shamanic New Year retreat in Devon. She had recently visited Peru for her ongoing Shamanic training and brought back some Ceremonial Cacao, giving me a block to take home.
I was knowledgeable about Ceremonial Cacao, understanding its health benefits and ancient history, and I was experienced in its ceremonial use. I often drink it at home, especially during winter.
On January 18th, I was scheduled to run a Meditation Workshop, and we decided to use Ceremonial Cacao for the first time with the public. Feeling uniquely energetic that morning, I decided to experiment with the ceremony's structure. Confident in my ability to facilitate a ceremony, my challenge was to create a format that aligned with the workshop's theme. I prepared some drinking cacao, played medicine music, and acted out a ceremony in my kitchen to see what inspiration might come through.
From the beginning, it was enjoyable, and then something profound happened. I had heard about the power of the plant spirit and its reputation as food for the Gods. I had read about the Chocolate Shaman in Guatemala and his experiences with the spirit of the cacao plant. Although I had felt the uplifting, gentle heart-opening, and healing qualities of Cacao before, what happened next was unprecedented.
While I practised the ceremony, I experienced a massive heart expansion, feeling an immense rush of love fill my body. It was incredible. Then, wisdom began to speak. Strangely, it first addressed a question I had been pondering over the past few days.
During Christmas and New Year, my healthier habits had taken a back seat. I had relaxed for a couple of weeks and was preparing to restart my routine, but I couldn’t remember how I had maintained it for the last three years. This amnesia made no sense to me.
In this heart-expanded state, the cacao wisdom whispered, “You can’t remember because you’re not meant to.” Confused, I thought, “What?”
She explained, “You’re not meant to remember because we are now in a totally different energy. Nothing is the same as it was, and you need to embrace this shift. Different things are coming.”
She conveyed that there is no returning to the old ways. Even if we perform the same actions as before, they won't have the same effect because the energy has changed. She emphasized the need to slow down in all aspects of life.
I understood deeply because I was shown what this new energy felt like in my body. It was an indescribable but undeniable change, and I remained filled with immense love.
By 8:30 a.m., my partner came downstairs for his sword training and found me on the kitchen floor with my cacao and medicine music playing. I exclaimed, “Oh my God, I’ve just had the most amazing heart-opening moment! Get down here, have some cacao, greet Mother Earth, and see what happens.” He joined me, though he didn’t experience the same effect. He said goodbye and left.
In my experience, Cacao chooses you.
The wisdom returned, instructing me to share the revelations I had received. Initially, I felt tense about this, thinking it would sound crazy, especially in early January when everyone is trying to get back on track. But then, I felt the divine energy of giving and receiving in my body, a continuous loop of energy flow with no gaps.
I realized that wisdom revealed to you isn’t yours to keep. You have a responsibility to share it to maintain the flow of giving and receiving. Despite my reluctance, I shared a message on social media about the new energy and the need to slow down.
Three hours later, around 2:30 p.m., my phone began pinging. All the spaces for the Ceremonial Cacao workshop had filled up with strangers, people who had never attended my workshops before. The giving and receiving energy activated again, and I knew these individuals had felt a call.
I received another heart-expanding rush of love and intuitively knew it was a nod from the Cacao plant spirit. I called my Shamanic friend, who nonchalantly said, “Oh yeah, that’s the Cacao spirit giving you permission to serve her.”
The workshop two weeks later was amazing. The energy in the room was incredible, and it took us an hour to clear it because no one wanted to leave. My friend helping with the workshop said, “No one’s ready to finish. You need to give them more. They’re ready for more, so bring it for them, Jayne.”
From that day, everything changed. We decided to research and import Cacao ourselves. Just as we had everything in place, lockdown hit, and my self-employed work and income stopped overnight. Sitting with my cup of Cacao, I told the Cacao spirit that the import would have to wait due to the situation.
Instantly, a whisper in my ear said, “Take the three-month mortgage break and import me anyway.” So, I did.
