2022 has been a whirlwind for most of us and has presented new challenges that perhaps we could have never imagined facing. According to wise elders all around the world, one of the greatest medicines for this journey of life is GRATITUDE.
World Gratitude day, which is celebrated each year on September 21st, is fast approaching. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a cup of cacao. Many gratitude practices that we are shown keep us in the intellect. The yummiest gratitude digs beneath all that, to your heart and your soul.
Cacao can help us embody the energy of gratitude as it floods our body and brain with beneficial compounds and neurotransmitters that help us access a state of well-being and abundance. It’s not easy to constantly be in a grateful state, but cacao can show us the way and help bring gratitude to the forefront of our consciousness.
By making gratitude a cornerstone of our cacao rituals, we can find a more embodied way of interacting with being grateful. With cacao facilitated fully embodied gratitude, you might find yourself grateful for even some of the most challenging stuff that has happened to you!
A Little Background on World Gratitude Day
World Gratitude day was created by spiritual leader and meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy. This idea of global celebration sprung during a United Nations Thanksgiving dinner in 1965. By 1966, many countries observed this international day on September 21st.
Benefits of Gratitude
According to positive psychology research, here are the benefits of gratitude:
- Helps you feel more positive emotions
- Improves self-esteem
- Improves physical and mental health
- Helps build strong relationships
- Can improve sleep
How To Celebrate World Gratitude Day
On this day, we invite you to tune into what you’re grateful for with a cup of ceremonial cacao. Glowing Guatemala or Oaxacan Spice can be great allies for this.
An elder of ours once gave gratitude for over an hour by telling an elaborate story before getting into the supposed purpose of our meeting. Once we got to the purpose, all the details quickly resolved themselves. His teaching was clear: GRATITUDE IS THE CEREMONY.
So even before you take your first sip, take some time to thank this plant ally from the depth of your being. Thank all the people you don’t know that have made it possible for you to have this cacao in your hands. Thank the forests that cacao grows in. Thank the many generations of people that have connected with cacao in a good way over the course of centuries. Take the time to dwell in the feeling of gratitude. We’ve found that it is helpful to go into as much detail as possible to really bring your gratitude to life.
As you mindfully drink your cacao, you can choose one (or all) of these activities to continue celebrating this day.
- Write a gratitude letter to someone in your life, and share it with them.
- Journal on what you appreciate about yourself and your life. What does it feel like to be kind to yourself?
- Get creative, bring out the colored pencils, and give yourself space to make a drawing of all you’re grateful for as you sip on your cacao and listen to these calming Gratitude affirmations here.
Let us know how your gratitude practices go or if there are any others you love to bring into your cacao rituals!
With gratitude and cacao,
Jonas & The Ora Cacao Family
Shop Cacao For Ritual & Gratitude
Glowing Guatemala Pure 100% Ceremonial Cacao
Oaxacan Spice Enhanced 100% Ceremonial Cacao
