What is a cacao ceremony and why is everyone hosting them or talking about them these days?
If you’ve seen cacao ceremonies popping up in wellness spaces, spiritual circles, or even local yoga studios, you’re not imagining it, this ancient practice is making its way into the modern world, and for good reason.
At its core, a cacao ceremony is a sacred ritual that invites you to slow down, open your heart, and reconnect with yourself.
It’s not about drinking chocolate (nor is cacao equivalent to chocolate)—it’s about creating an intentional moment of presence, and opening your heart.
So, what is a cacao ceremony really like?
Read on to find out.
Curious about cacao?
If you’re curious to try one but don’t have access to a ceremony near you, don’t worry. The Maia Conscious Living Cacao Ceremony Downloadable gives you everything you need to create a full at-home ritual:
- And a guided intentional first sip to help you drop in with presence
An audio on the sacred history of cacao
A guided meditation + sound bath
A downloadable PDF cacao ritual step-by-step guide
But first, let’s explore where this beautiful practice comes from—and why it’s resonating so deeply right now.
My First Cacao Ceremony (and What I Didn’t Know Then)
I remember my first time sipping cacao, I didn’t know then that this earthy, heart opening liquid would become a daily ritual for me, or that years later, I’d be hosting cacao ceremonies for women around the world.
I was at home, sitting on the floor of my apartment with my then-boyfriend, who had just attended his first cacao ceremony the weekend prior.
He couldn’t stop talking about it—how calm he felt, how deeply he connected to himself, and how beautiful the space had been.
As he warmed up a small pot of ceremonial-grade cacao he had bought afterward, he told me everything he had learned. About how the cacao plant was once revered as sacred medicine.
I didn’t know what to expect—but I do remember how my body responded.
There was something about that first intentional sip…
The small cup of potent cacao dropped me deep into myself. A soft opening. Like my heart exhaled.
I had insights into my inner world that evening like never before, it might have even been the catalyst for me giving up everything and becoming a nomad in search of my truth.
The Sacred Roots of Cacao
Learning about their origins is so important when it comes to using ancient traditions in modern life.
Understanding the roots, history, and cultural significance of a practice allows us to approach it with respect—to honor it rather than appropriate it and truly uphold its sacredness.
So, before we discuss how to host a cacao ceremony or what it might look like at home, it’s important to know where this ritual began and why it was (and still is) so revered.
Long before cacao became the base for candy bars and trendy lattes, the Maya, Aztec, and other Mesoamerican cultures considered it sacred plant medicine.
These weren’t casual cups of hot chocolate. Cacao was used ceremonially, spiritually, as a bridge between the seen and unseen.
Ancient Traditions and Indigenous Wisdom
In Mayan and Aztec traditions, cacao was called the “Food of the Gods.” It was part of rituals that marked life transitions—births, deaths, marriages, and rites of passage. It was used in offerings to deities, shared in sacred community gatherings, and honored as a way to connect with the divine.
There was nothing casual about it. It was a living medicine—a way to listen, feel, and commune with something greater.
Cacao as a Plant Medicine, Not Just a Drink
Ceremonial-grade cacao isn’t like the cocoa most of us grew up with.
It’s pure, minimally processed, and made from whole-bean cacao, often sourced directly from indigenous communities that still honor its spiritual significance.
It contains theobromine (a heart-opening compound) and anandamide (the “bliss molecule”), which together create a subtle but powerful energetic shift in the body. When consumed with presence, cacao has the capacity to open the heart, calm the nervous system, and create space for deep inner awareness.
It’s not about escapism. It’s about returning—to the body, to the heart, to the truth that lives beneath the surface.
The Spiritual Symbolism of Cacao
Unlike more intense plant medicines, cacao doesn’t take you out of your everyday reality—it brings you deeper into it. It helps you slow down enough to feel what’s really going on inside. It opens emotional pathways. It softens your edges. It reminds you of your innate wisdom.
That’s why cacao is often referred to as “heart medicine.”
Because that’s where it brings you—not just physically, but emotionally and energetically.
And in a world that constantly demands we keep moving, keep producing, and stay in our heads, cacao invites us back into a more feminine rhythm: one of feeling, intuition, and presence.
What Happens in a Cacao Ceremony?
If you’re picturing a group of people sitting in a cozy circle, sipping a rich, heart-warming cacao drink—you’re actually pretty close.
The cacao itself is a huge part of the ceremony.
It’s not just a background detail. It’s the medicine, the guide, the anchor that helps you open up, soften, and connect more deeply with yourself.
But a cacao ceremony is also about how you drink it—the presence you bring to each sip, the intention you hold as you move through the experience.
If you’re preparing for your first one and feeling a little unsure, don’t worry—I’ll walk you through what to expect:
The Setting
When you attend a cacao ceremony, you’ll usually enter a space that’s been intentionally prepared—often with candles, cushions, soft lighting, and elements from nature.
Ceremonies are commonly held in a circle, symbolizing equality, unity, and the shared journey inward.
Whether you’re in a group setting or creating a ceremony at home, setting the space is one of the most important parts.
It signals to your body and nervous system that something meaningful is about to happen.
If you’re doing this on your own, think about how you want to feel—and then design your space accordingly. You might:
Light a candle or burn incense
Lay down a cozy blanket or cushion
Place fresh flowers or crystals around you
Choose music that helps you drop in
More than anything, come with an intention.
Before the ceremony begins, take a moment to ask yourself:
What am I here to open to?
What part of me wants to be witnessed or heard?
What energy am I ready to invite in—or let go of?
The intention doesn’t need to be profound. It just needs to be true.
Because that truth is what the cacao will hold and support throughout your journey.
Drinking the cacao
When it’s time to drink, the cacao will usually be served warm and rich—made from pure, ceremonial-grade cacao (very differen’t from hot chocolate, cacao and cocoa are not the same).
It might be blended with a little cinnamon, cayenne, or cardamom to enhance its natural properties.
This part isn’t rushed.
You’ll probably be guided through a first sip ritual, taking a moment to connect with the spirit of the cacao, your intention, and your heart.
The cacao itself is a living medicine.
It works with you—softly, gently—opening your heart, relaxing your body, and helping you listen more deeply to what’s inside.
You might feel a warmth in your chest. A deeper breath. An unexpected emotion.
Or maybe you just feel really calm and grounded.
There’s no right or wrong way to experience it.
Whatever comes up is exactly what’s meant for you.
(And if you’re creating your own ceremony at home, the Maia Conscious Living Cacao Ceremony Downloadable walks you through this whole process—including a recorded first sip meditation.)
After Drinking Cacao
Once everyone has had time to connect with their cacao, the ceremony usually moves into practices that help you go even deeper.
Depending on who’s leading, you might experience:
Meditation or breathwork (to connect inward)
Gentle movement or dance (to move emotions and energy)
Sound healing (with singing bowls, music, or chanting)
Journaling or sharing (to express what’s coming up)
The cacao softens the barriers we often carry—and these practices help you follow the threads it opens.
It’s not about doing it “perfectly.”
It’s about letting yourself be in the experience, wherever it leads you.
Sometimes you’ll cry.
Sometimes you’ll laugh.
Sometimes you’ll just feel more you than you have in a long time.
A cacao ceremony is a return—to your heart, your body, your truth.
And it all begins with that first intentional sip.
Why Cacao Ceremonies Are So Powerful for Women
There’s a reason cacao ceremonies feel like such a homecoming for so many women.
It’s not just about slowing down (though that’s part of it). It’s about remembering parts of yourself that everyday life can make you forget.
Most of us spend our days doing, achieving, planning, pushing (aka being in our masculine energy)
We’re celebrated for being productive, but rarely for being present.
Cacao gently invites you back into presence.
Back into your body.
Back into your heart.
Here’s why it’s especially powerful for women:
Reconnecting with the Body and Emotions
Cacao has this way of softening the armor we didn’t even realize we were carrying.
It invites you to feel—really feel—without judgment.
Maybe you’ll notice an emotion you’ve been pushing away.
Maybe you’ll hear a little whisper of intuition that’s been waiting for your attention.
Or maybe you’ll just feel lighter, more at peace, more you.
There’s no pressure to have a huge emotional release (although sometimes that happens too).
The magic is in simply being with yourself fully—something so simple, yet so rare.
Softening the Nervous System and Cultivating Self-Love
Modern life is loud.
It pulls us up into our heads, into stress, into speed.
Cacao works on a subtle level to slow the body down.
It invites your nervous system to shift into a softer, more restful state. It opens up space inside you—space for self-compassion, for stillness, for listening.
You stop hustling to prove your worth.
You start remembering that you are already enough.
Tapping into Feminine Energy, Creativity, and Inner Knowing
When the heart opens, creativity flows.
Intuition speaks louder.
Your feminine energy, which is naturally receptive, wise, and magnetic, has more room to breathe.
Cacao ceremonies often awaken the parts of you that are deeply knowing, deeply alive.
It’s less about becoming someone new, and more about coming home to the woman you already are.
When Should I Have a Cacao Ceremony?
This is one of the most common questions I hear—and honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
You can have a cacao ceremony whenever you feel called to slow down, reflect, or reconnect.
But here are a few beautiful moments when cacao can feel especially powerful:
At the start of a new chapter (new moon, birthday, life transition)
During New Moons or Full Moons — New moons for planting intentions, full moons for releasing what no longer serves you
When you’re seeking clarity around a decision or path
During emotional times when you need extra support
As a daily or weekly self-love ritual to ground yourself
To celebrate wins or honor milestones
Before or after creative work (writing, painting, dreaming)
When you just feel disconnected and want to come back home to yourself
You don’t have to wait for a “big” reason.
Sometimes the most powerful ceremonies happen simply because you decided to listen to the quiet nudge inside you.
And if you want to create your own cacao ceremony but aren’t sure where to start, the Maia Conscious Living Cacao Ceremony Downloadable gives you everything you need—a full recorded meditation, intentional first sip guidance, sound bath, and a printable PDF ritual guide.
So you can create sacred space anytime you feel the call.
