Cacao, Full Circle: A Journey of Reverence, Softening, and Sacred Remembrance

The past month has held so much beauty, so many moments I wish to share with you.

Exactly one month ago, I arrived back in San Diego — the place where I first experienced cacao in ceremony nearly two years ago.

I still remember that first time: the tingling in my body, the way something ancient stirred awake inside me. It was sacred. Alive. Holy. That moment changed me.

So when I returned to San Diego this time, I knew it was important to sit in sacred circle once again. I made my way to Lavande Wellness Boutique & Brunch for a new moon ceremony. To pause. To be held. To receive.

And just like before — I felt it. The reverence. The remembrance. The peace. Full circle.

The next afternoon, I made my way to Maya Moon Collective — and the moment I walked in, I felt it: home. Seen. Welcomed. I ordered a flight of cacao (yes, that’s a thing!) and stepped outside into the golden sunlight, letting the warmth and sweetness soak into my bones. They served homemade marshmallows with it, and every sip felt like exactly what I needed in that moment.

Then I found out they were hosting a ceremonial opening of their new space in Encinitas — a place deeply meaningful to me from my trip two years ago. I went, and while parts of me felt the urge to hide, to shrink, to not let my full “freak flag” fly… I stayed. I drank the cacao, shared how this medicine had softened my heart since losing Ashley, and listened as others opened up too. We sang. We hummed. We prayed. We opened ley lines with our voices and love. And I felt so at peace.

Just a few weeks later, in Sedona, I found myself making cacao for others for the very first time. It wasn’t a full ceremony — just a moment of intuition. On our hike to the seven sacred pools, we had paused at a tree, which we later named Grandmother Willow. I listened to my intuition, and used my voice saying “Let’s pause here, to drink in the cacao.” We sat in its shade, drinking cacao under her branches. That moment bloomed into something deeper: an altar where we shared our journaling — it became our grounding place, our sacred anchor.

That tree. That cacao. That softening. That remembrance.

I offered a little bit of the cacao to her roots, as a thank-you. As a prayer. Because this isn’t just a drink. When we pause and honor her — when we slow down and meet her with reverence — cacao becomes something more. A portal. A balm. A sacred way to unclog the buildup around our hearts. Like scraping off the calcium deposits from a faucet, she helps the water — our love, our truth — flow again.

This is what cacao has given me. And I’ll keep returning. In ceremony. In silence. In sunlight. In song.

Now, I find myself on the other side of the cup — answering the call to pour, to hold, to guide.

For those who are local, it would be an honor to welcome you into this sacred space.

To sit in circle.

To drink slowly.

To soften together.

Because cacao has a way of meeting us exactly where we are… and gently guiding us home.

I’ll be holding From Scarcity to Overflow: A Breathwork & Cacao Ceremony on Friday, June 6th at the Body, Mind & Spirit Fest. We’ll gather in sacred circle to release fear, shame, and scarcity… and open to the pleasure, creativity, and abundance that’s already within us.

Let’s breathe. Sip. Soften. Remember.