Happy Valentine’s week, cacao family! Valentine’s Day offers us the opportunity to honor the love in our life, in its many forms.
We’re inspired to expand the cultural narrative beyond romantic partnership and celebrate the many forms of love. Whether you’re looking to deepen self love, partnership, family or community cohesion, or the love you share with the earth and unseen realm - we have a cacao ritual for you!
Continue reading to discover the choose-your-own-adventure ritual that you can share with the many loves in your life.
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Valentine’s Day Cacao Ritual Adventures
These rituals are designed to meet you where you’re at! Each ritual is personalized depending on who you’re sharing with.
For each ritual below, begin by lovingly preparing your cacao. As you prepare, infuse the cacao with your intention to open up to more love. For the partner ritual, simply double the ratios, and for groups see our recommended group ratios in this holiday recipe at our blog.
Set the space for ritual by tidying, cleansing, and beautifying. Call in the Spirit of the Cacao, the elements, and any guides that support you in creating sacred space.
Self Love Ritual:
Sit in front of a mirror and gaze lovingly at your own reflection. With every sip of cacao, speak an affirmation of adoration to yourself. Take this time to reflect on all the qualities you admire and appreciate about yourself! If this feels edgy, you can begin by simply journaling on the qualities you appreciate in yourself without looking in the mirror.
Then, put on a song that inspires joy and self love (we love the song “This Skin” by MILCK) and dance in front of the mirror while admiring your own beauty as you move. When complete, give yourself a hug by wrapping your own arms around yourself.
To close and integrate, journal on the following prompts:
- What are the qualities I adore about myself?
- What (if any) resistance did I experience in this self love practice?
- What aspects of this ritual can I carry forward to support my self love journey?
Close your sacred space by thanking all the support you called in and thanking yourself for showing up for yourself. Blow out any lit candles, reset your space, etc. to close the container.
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Partnership Ritual:
Sit across from each other so you can gaze into each other’s eyes. You can have your knees touching or hold hands for somatic connection. Take some grounding breaths. Share your intentions with each other for this partner practice.
From here, with each sip of cacao take turns offering affirmations of adoration to each other. Reflect on all the qualities of this person that you adore, admire, and appreciate. Take a pause after each affirmation to really let it land.
After you’ve completed your cacao, join together for an embrace lasting at least 11 seconds (science shows this is the sweet spot to make the most of our hugs! You can read more about the beneficial effects of hugs here.)
To close and integrate, journal on the following prompts with the option to verbally share after:
- What affirmations were most meaningful for me to receive?
- What qualities about my partner do I cherish the most?
- How did I feel before/during/after our ritual? The long embrace?
- What parts of this ritual can I carry forward to nurture our relationship?
Close your sacred space by thanking all the support you called in and thanking each other for showing up and being vulnerable. Blow out any lit candles, reset your space, etc. to close the container.
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Community Ritual:
Sit in a circle where you can see each person present and gaze into their eyes. Option to have your knees touching or hold hands for further physical connection. Take some grounding breaths. Take turns speaking your intentions out loud to the group.
From here, designate one person to begin and with each sip of cacao they’ll share an appreciation or positive reflection for each person in the group. Take this time to reflect the qualities of these people that you adore, admire, and appreciate. Take a pause after each person’s affirmation to really let it land.
Once everyone has spoken their praises of each person present, you can continue going around the circle offering affirmations and gratitudes with each sip until the cacao is complete and you are all abundant with praises.
After you’ve completed your cacao, join together for a group embrace lasting at least 11 seconds (science shows this is the sweet spot to make the most of our hugs! You can read more about the beneficial effects of hugs here.)
To close and integrate, journal on the following prompts with the option to verbally share after:
- What affirmations were most meaningful for me to receive?
- What qualities about these people do I cherish the most?
- How did I feel before/during/after our ritual? The long embrace?
- What parts of this ritual can I carry forward to nurture our relationships?
Close your sacred space by thanking all the support you called in and thanking each other for showing up and being vulnerable. Blow out any lit candles, reset your space, etc. to close the container.
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Nature Ritual:
Journey with your cacao to a beautiful spot in nature that makes you feel connected, grateful, and alive. If available, sit directly upon the earth. Take some grounding breaths and notice the support of the earth beneath you and tune into your senses of the environment (what do you smell, hear, taste, see, feel?). Speak intentions to the earth of your deepening connection through this ritual.
Offer your first sip to the earth with a prayer of gratitude for all you receive. From here, with each sip of cacao speak your affirmations of adoration to the earth, to cacao, and to the unseen realm. Reflect on all the qualities of these living beings that you adore, admire, and appreciate. Take a pause after each affirmation and listen for any intuitive replies, shifts in the land, or in your own being.
After you’ve completed your cacao, lay your body upon the earth / hug a tree / make some somatic connection with nature for at least 11 seconds.
To close and integrate, journal on the following prompts with the option to verbally share after:
- What affirmations and gratitudes stand out the most in my relationship with nature, earth, cacao, and the unseen realms?
- How did I feel before/during/after the ritual? The long earth embrace?
- What parts of this ritual can I carry forward to nurture my relationship with nature?
Close your sacred space by thanking all the support you called in and thanking your beautiful nature sit spot.
