Cacao is a powerful teacher plant which has been used and revered for many centuries by the people of Mesoamerica, as a power food as well as for ceremony. Cacao works as a an antidepressant, and it also helps to expand consciousness and assists in personal healing.
Cacao is a mystical tree carrying big colored seedpods that contain a sour/sweet white pulp together with its beans. Ceremonial Grade Cacao is left to ferment for a few days to a few weeks, together with the pulp, allowing the beans to absorb the rich minerals of the pulp. After that, the beans are sun-dried, roasted and peeled. They can then be consumed as is, or ground up into a paste. This labor-intensive and alchemical process is traditionally done by hand. The Cacao we use is produced in the same ancestral way.
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Cacao's History
Theobroma Cacao originated in the Amazon and found its way into Mesoamerica (Central America and Southern Mexico) by Olmec, Mayan, and later Aztec traders. The powerful merchant castes of these peoples traded Cacao all the way from what is now Peru to modern-day New Mexico.
Through the efforts and explorations of the early Olmec and Maya, Cacao found its way to Mesoamerica, where it started to evolve in the distinct external conditions of the area. A powerful and unique ancestral strain of Cacao developed itself in the Soconusco (the Pacific coastal plains of Chiapas and Guatemala). During the following centuries, the Cacao native to this area became highly sought after. Many battles were fought to reign over the Soconusco and to access its abundant Cacao crops.
To this day, the Soconusco is still famed for its powerful and invigorating Cacao. Because Cacao cross-pollinates very easily, it is increasingly hard to get the original Cacao strains from this region, now divided between the states of Chiapas (Mexico) and Suchitepequez (Guatemala).
One Spirit sources Cacao out of Suchitepequez which is incredibly high in theobromine, the prized active ingredient that invites heightened awareness, strengthens the body, and allows for increased focus, connection and creativity.
Historically, Cacao was used for lots of different purposes, and it was a prized commodity that functioned as the main currency in Mesoamerica for centuries. Cacao was primarily used by rulers, priests and warriors, and it was also the main drink for special occasions such as weddings, political meetings, Mayan ceremonial ball games, and ritual veneration events. It was used as a tonic and medicine plant to empower ceremonies with a deeper connection to Spirit, and has been a revered plant since its introduction into Mesoamerica as early as 1000 B.C.
At One Spirit we enjoy
hosting ceremonies
in the same
spirit of gratitude and acknowledgment,
and
work only with
top-grade ceremonial Cacao which strongly supports a ritual space of collective empowerment. The producers of all of the Cacao we sell are ethically and socially engaged businesses, working in harmony with the land and Cacao's mission to support humanity in its conscious evolution.
About Cacao Ceremony
Because giving offerings is such an important part of Maya spirituality, and Cacao being such a strong and sacred plant, the most valuable use of it in Maya traditions is not to drink it, but to offer the beans to spirit in the traditional fire ritual.
Ceremony is an important part of human existence and Earth-based cultures. In ritual, together we learn, we honor the life that connects all that is, we create community and thrive together.
Cacao is a great support for ceremonial space: a loving yet potent plant teacher that can help connect soul, body and heart.
Cacao rituals can be anything your heart desires, and can be conducted alone, with a friend, partner or lover, or in a group setting working with any intention.
We learned the craft from transformational teacher and Cacao shaman Keith Wilson, over years of participating in his ceremonies at Lake Atitlan.
Find out all about Keith and his shared resources in support of your Cacao journey here
Cacao Training Programs
Ceremonial Cacao 1-1 Program
Online 8-Week Program
Embodied Ritual Facilitator Coaching
Our 1-on-1 Cacao coaching program is aimed at people who either have completed our Cacao Practitioner Training program or who already have a solid connection with Cacao. Through the coaching program, Shadi supports you personally in finding clarity and solid direction with the Cacao medicine, to help you successfully create and facilitate your Cacao event.
Cacao Practitioner Training
Online - 2025 Dates to be confirmed
Our Signature Cacao Ceremony Immersion
Cacao is an ancestral medicinal plant which has been used by indigenous cultures of the Americas since over three millennia. Join Cacao medicine carrier Shadi Terra for 5 weeks of guided transformative journey and find your own deep connection with the powerful teacher plant of Cacao.
