Calling the Ancestors ~ Samhain Cacao Ceremony recipe
A magical Ceremonial Cacao recipe with Mugwort to connect to our ancestors and the waters when the veil is thin between the worlds in Samhain.
Suggested Cacao ceremony recipe:
~ 30gr Ceremonial Cacao (use 15gr if you have never drank Cacao)
~ 1 or 2 tablespoons of dried Mugwort leaves
~ 1 cup water
~ honey to taste (if needed)
Prepare a Mugwort tea with the leaves, let it cool a bit.
When ready, add the Cacao with the intention of connecting to your ancestors in your dreams and visions, hum a childhood family song into the cup, mix well.
Beware as the taste of Mugwort can be quite bitter. In life we learn that not everything comes with sweetness, this is also a Cacao teaching.
For your Samhain ceremony, prepare an autumn altar with leaves, flowers, seeds and other elements you find in nature. Leave some food and drinks that your ancestors enjoyed. Make sure you also honour the water element in your altar, place a small bowl or cup with water, mugwort is a plant that grows well next to water.
Burn some incense, sage or purifying herbs, light a candle.
When ready, sit in front on your altar, get cozy with a blanket and cushions if you want. We are embodying the season of inward spiral, preparing for hibernation and starting the descent into darkness in this time of year.
The Ritual:
As you sip your Cacao, connect to this playlist and write on a piece of paper:
-The name or names of ancestors you want to connect to. If you have a photo place it in the altar. If you don’t know the names simply call in the family lineage you are asking support from.
-Write 21 things you are grateful for this year. It is the season of giving thanks for this year’s harvest.
-Give an offering of your Cacao to Mother Earth in your altar or directly in nature for this harvest and this cycle.
Let the echo of what you have just written wash over you like soft ripples.
Sit comfortably while you receive the softening dreamy energies of Mugwort and Cacao. Feel your body becoming water, softening your joints, releasing any blocked emotions in your heart, letting tears come if they need to. Cacao often cleanses this way.
Imagine you are stepping into a beautiful vast body of water at sunset. It is almost dark and you feel safe. You hear the call of the waters. Feel (or imagine) the contact of the water on your skin, feel the temperature, the ripples, the rhythmic beating of the waves, the pushing and the pulling of the tides. You are the body of water. Feel the soft undulating movements inside of you, like micro movements that expand and grow in intensity, softening your joints, your bones, your muscles. You feel the beating of your heart, feel it softening, like a wave in a never ending cycle.
Stay in this meditation as long as it feels comfortable. And when you feel ready and supported to receive, connect to your ancestors. Feel the waters supporting this connection, feel your feet in the water while you call their name to come and sit with you for a while. Feel their loving presence, feel their hands at your back, feel their love behind you, feel their support through you.
If you are having difficulty connecting, ask Mugwort to open your mind’s eyes to inner visions and deep dreaming. You might at some point feel drowsy, let yourself close your eyes and surrender to this impulse.
Take your time to receive any information, feel free to ask them any questions, leave an offering to them in whichever way feels good for you both. Samhain is a powerful portal to connect to them.
Close the ceremony space and prepare to continue this inquiry into dream time. Mugwort will be your ally for tonight.
** Before consuming, please research the Mugwort properties as not every woman should take it especially when pregnant. Mugwort has many medicinal herbal actions to be aware of. Don’t consume if you are driving or need to remain alert, Mugwort can bring a bit of drowsiness.
Interested in participating in online Cacao Ceremonies? Check out the events page, I’d love to see you there!
And if you need to buy some Ceremonial Cacao see the resources section here.
~
image by ioana motoc @ pexels.com