On Saturday, Dec 21st, we welcome the Solstice which marks the start of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the longest night of the year and a powerful time to connect with the energies of rest, the fertile darkness, and visioning for the future.
Continue reading to discover the Solstice Cacao Ritual to connect more deeply with these themes.
Solstice Cacao Ritual
Timing: It’s recommended to do this ritual in the evening near or on the Solstice, although you can still connect with the energy of the dark night if your schedule does not allow this.
Ritual Tools: Cacao, candle, incense, journal, writing utensil.
Recommended Cacao: Oaxacan Spice, with warming spices of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cayenne to illuminate the fire within
Prepare yourself a cup of cacao and a space for ritual by energetically cleansing and tidying. Begin by tuning into your heart space. Notice what is present with you at this solstice portal - especially around themes of rest, trust, light and dark, and slow tending towards new life.
Light a candle and call in the element of fire to invite illumination amidst the darkness. With the flame of the candle, light your incense and connect with the energy of air to invite clarity, insight, and higher perspectives.
Bless your cacao with your intentions, prayers, and gratitudes. Connect with the energy and element of earth that is present in your cup of cacao as a gift from the trees. Then presence the element of water that merges with earth to create this medicine, envisioning it flowing to nourish the soil and then seeing the water becoming infused with the resonance of your intentions in your cup.
As you sip your cacao, relax into the feeling of being held by this plant ally. Close your eyes and soften into the darkness, by opening to the fertility and possibility that exists in this space.
After you’ve completed your cacao, journal on the following prompts:
- What is my relationship with the darkness?
- How do I nurture the light within me?
- How am I being asked to slow down this season?
- What is germinating inside me towards new life in the next season?
Soften into these questions, letting the answers come to you either during this ritual, in your dreams, or through messages during your day-to-day life.
To close, extinguish the candle and express gratitude to all the elements, cacao, yourself, and the power of the solstice portal.
May this solstice cacao ritual support you in nurturing yourself, kindling your inner fire, and accessing the trusting slow tending of whatever is to emerge from this fertile darkness.
