Ceremonial Cacao Benefits: A Journey With Mama Cacao and Ayni Gatherings

Cacao is far more than chocolate. Within many indigenous traditions of Central and South America, cacao is honoured as a sacred plant medicine with a living consciousness. When we sit with her intentionally, she gently opens our hearts, softens our edges, and guides us back into remembrance of our truest selves.

My Journey With Mama Cacao

I experienced Ceremonial Cacao for the first time in 2019.  From the very first journey with mama cacao, I felt something profound—a softening, a sense of being deeply held.  Over the years she has supported me through times of grief and transition, helping me release what no longer served me and live with greater presence and compassion. For a long time I kept feeling the call to journey deeper with Mama Cacao, not really knowing why.

Last year I journeyed to Peru to the very lands where Mama Cacao grows wild and sacred, with Native Wisdom Hub to deepen this relationship. This year I completed the Cacao Leadership training with them.  Whilst in Peru I sat in ceremony , listening to the teachings of elders, journeying with other plant medicines as well as mama cacao and feeling the heartbeat of the earth.

My deepest gratitude goes to Erica, who was born into the hands of Mama Cacao through her grandmother’s wisdom and to her abuela, whose ancestral teachings continue to ripple through every cup we drink today. I am grateful to the farmer Demetrio and his family for all their hard work harvesting Mama Cacao in a ceremonial way and in right relationship with the earth.

Ceremonial vs Commercial Cacao

When people hear the word cacao, most think of chocolate bars from the shops. But what we often buy commercially is very far removed from the sacred plant medicine revered by indigenous peoples, known to them as Mama Cacao.

Commercial cacao is grown primarily for mass production. Beans are often roasted at high heat, stripped of their natural fats, and mixed with sugars, dairy, emulsifiers and other additives. It may be sweet, but much of its nutritional value and its spirit is lost. The connection to the land and the people who tend it is hidden behind a shiny wrapper.

Ceremonial cacao is a very different experience. It is lovingly grown and harvested in small batches, often by families who have tended the same soil for generations.

When you open a block of ceremonial cacao, there’s an earthy aroma—rich, deep, almost floral—that rises to meet you. As it melts slowly in warm water, it thickens to a velvety elixir, carrying with it the full spectrum of healthy fats, minerals and active compounds.

When I drink it, I feel a warmth spreading through my chest, a gentle clarity in my mind, and a quiet invitation to slow down and listen.

For me, ceremonial cacao is not simply a drink; it is a relationship. Each cup becomes a prayer, a conversation with the land and with yourself, a moment of true nourishment for body and soul. This is why I will always choose ceremonial over commercial—because in every sip, you can taste the care, the tradition, and the consciousness infused within it.

The Health Benefits of Ceremonial Cacao

Bringing ceremonial cacao into your life nourishes body and soul. Some of her gifts include:

• A rich source of magnesium to support the nervous system and muscles

• Antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and support heart health

• Theobromine, a gentle stimulant that lifts mood and energy without the crash of coffee

• Natural compounds that boost serotonin and anandamide (the “bliss molecule”), encouraging feelings of connection and joy

• Healthy fats that stabilise blood sugar and provide lasting nourishment

• A heightened sense of focus, creativity and heart‑centred awareness

The Challenges Facing Cacao

Around the world, cacao farmers face enormous challenges.  In many parts of Africa, where a huge percentage of the world's cacao is grown, the cost of cacao is rising while small farmers struggle to make a living. Large‑scale commercial farming depletes the soil and disconnects people from the sacredness of the plant.

Although ceremonial cacao is sourced with far more care, these global pressures reach far beyond Africa. In Peru, where I sat with cacao on her native soil, Small ceremonial growers, like Demétrio, feel the ripple effects too. Rising costs in global market make it harder for them to continue to honour harvesting in traditional ceremonial ways. Honouring the land, and the plant itself because commercial demand often pushes for faster cheaper production.

farmers like Demétrio rely on our conscious support to keep going.

This is why giving back matters. when we choose ceremonial cacao, we choose to honour the earth, the growers and the lineage of wisdom behind every bean.

At Hazeology, I believe in Ayni—sacred reciprocity. When we receive, we also give. living in right relationship with spirit and the earth.

Hazeology Ayni Gatherings

Out of this devotion and my journey with Mama Cacao and my teachings from Native Wisdom Hub, I now offer Hazeology Ayni Gatherings, ceremonies where we sit with cacao and sound to reconnect, restore, and give back. Each gathering weaves together ceremonial cacao, live sound healing, and shared intention.

Twenty percent of every gathering is donated directly back to the farmers who honour this plant medicine and the land it grows on.

Our first gathering will be held at The Humble Hub on the 7^th September, and you are warmly invited. Come sip, listen, journey, and feel the ancient rhythm of reciprocity alive in your own heart.

May Mama Cacao meet you where you are—and may you feel the beauty of this path as deeply as I do.

with love

Hazel