pauline o’grady

CACAO & Healing Drum CEREMONY at resilience zone

15th March 130pm to 330pm

Come and connect with the wisdom of your heart and the magic and power of Cacao Medicine and the powerful Sound Healing with Drum.

This is a sacred circle, honouring you, the awakening mornings and all that is awakening with you. This is a ceremony of deep connection, of opening the heart and listening keenly to the soft whispers and the messages that she is giving to you.  

This is a time of listening rather than action and we will soften into this energy and see what arises.   

I will also use my beautiful journeying drum to take you on a deeper journey to your heart and a place of powerful healing calling in the direction of the North-East, the North is a deep yin presence and invitation to soften and be in stillness in the darkness and the East being the presence of Spring, a gentle stirring of life and new beginnings.  

We shall call in and connect with the 7 Sacred Directions and elements

Call in healing from the heart for all Ancestors and Pacha mama

Take in the beautiful cacao in a Sacred Sharing Circle and start to listen deeper to her soft whisper and journal with what comes up  to note

What to bring: 

  • A cushion + blanket – there are blankets available though you might prefer your own 

  • Photos or anything that you would like to place on the alter 

  • A book/journal to take notes and a pen 

  • Any essential oils that you would like to work with during the ceremony and something to offer Pacha Mama in gratitude after the ceremony 

  • Your intention for the ceremony 

About Ceremonial Cacao  

  • Ceremonial Cacao has been used for centuries in sacred ceremonies in Meso America.  The seed of ceremonial cacao is grown with special intention to be used in Ceremony. It was used for conflict resolution internally and in families making us more empathetic and have more open hearted conversations. 

  • It has a beautiful heart opening medicine which also opens the portal between the heart and throat chakras.  It is a deeply healing plant medicine and can awaken so much joy and love increasing endorphins.  

  • Cacao also is a slight stimulant and can have aphrodisiac effects and supports your connection and journey in meditation.  

  • It is also a superfood for the mind stimulating your cognitive function helping you to destress, activating your para sympathetic nervous system into rest and digest allowing your creative juices to get flowing. 

  • Cacao has high levels of flavanoids which enhances brain function and widens the bloods vessels which can lead to an increase in oxygen flow to the brain.  (Please note if you suffer low blood pressure, I will need to do a lighter dose for you) 

  • The high concentration of antioxidants in cacao reduces oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, which protects critical neurons (which transmit info between the brain). Some of the antioxidants can also help with long-term memory and reduce the risk of disease and stroke. 

  • Additionally, cacao contains important minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, copper, and zinc which are all essential for brain health and function. 

Cacao has been used in tribal ceremonies for healing and as a sacred medicine since the 1600’s. The cacao will allow you to give thanks and healing to the earth, to take yourself on a deeply healing journey to open space and your heart to the changes you would like to see in the world and as you drink the cacao you will receive these blessings and become one with them.

I host monthly Cacao Ceremonies the next one at Breeze Yoga in Beckenham on 16th February with the stunning Gong Master Junior Valentine who is also a breathwork practitioner and Yoga and Chi Gong Teacher.

I also host and create private Sacred Cacao Ceremonies for special occasions, the most recent one a Ceremony Created in the space and energy of the Goddess Kali.

Contraindications to be aware of: 

  • Please let me know if you require a micro dose rather than a Ceremonial Dose 

  • If you are taking anti-depressants - or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which are a widely used type of antidepressant or Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) Antidepressants as MAOIs ease depression by affecting chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) used to communicate between brain cells or any other medication for mental health assistance.  

  • Cacao contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which is the precursor to serotonin (the neurotransmitter in charge of your mood). If mixed, it can dangerously increase your serotonin levels, creating unpleasant side effects. This ceremony is ideally not for anyone on anti-depressants but a half-dose may be okay for you depending on the medication and dose you are on, please contact me if you are on antidepressants but would like to participate.  

  • If you are taking St John's Wort, please refrain from taking it for a few days before & after the cacao ceremony. Some people experience reactions with St. John’s wort when eating foods high in the amino acid tyramine. Foods that have been pickled, aged, smoked, or fermented are highest in tyramine.  The combination of tyramine-rich foods and St. John’s wort is especially dangerous for anyone with high blood pressure. If you have a heart condition - Be aware that the theobromine in cacao is a vasodilator so it increases the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.  

  • If you have low blood pressure, be aware that although cacao is a stimulant, it lowers blood pressure. Depending on your condition, a smaller dose might be okay – but it may be contraindicated if you have had epileptic fits triggered by low blood pressure.   

  • Please let me know if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, I will make a special, lighter dose of you.   

  • Epilepsy - a high consumption of cacao stimulates the brain and there is also scientific research to suggest a possible connection between caffeine & cacao consumption and increased seizures. This is contraindicated and if you have epilepsy unfortunately this isn’t for you.