My first Cacao ceremony, quite the introduction to my spiritual journey! I moved to London for this kind of thing and now here I was. I am surrounded by people who were open minded, spiritually aware, it felt like I was in the right place. The Cacao ceremony is hosted by Mollie Mendoza and Sam Garrett at the Unmind Space in Hackney Wick, a space dedicated to love and expression.
I wasn’t sure how many people would be there when I bought my ticket, was there just going to be a couple of us? Thankfully no, there were at least 20 of us, and everyone seems on the same level. The feeling of love in that place was pretty amazing I have to say.
Put aside for a moment that there are many walks of life there (and with that comes different opinions, views of life, religious followings, spirituality, etc), everyone just knew that being kind and loving were the only real things that mattered. You’d be amazed how just being in a room like that can effect you. I hadn’t touched a drop of any cacao yet either.
MANTRAS
We sang mantras lead by Sam on guitar and Mollie on the Harmonium. We drank our cacao which came in a small glass (it’s quite strong so you don’t need much), and relaxed in to the music and other people around us. The cacao itself tasted nice. It obviously tastes mostly like chocolate, but kind of gritty too when you swallow, that’s just how it is. I had my bottle of water with me to help wash it down. I have read previously that concentrated cacao can give you a ‘high’ feeling. At this point I wasn’t sure if it was the cacao, the feeling in the room, the people, or a combination of all. But I definitely felt relaxed. It was a freeing experience let me tell you. For the longest time I’ve known that life is way more than we can see, or hear, or smell, feel. That room seemed to give me a glimpse in to the lives of people who thought that way too.
FRIENDS
There I met a kind soul in my friend John. He is about my age but had a lot more experience in his spiritual journey than I did in mine. We chatted and he seemed a very content person, we arranged to go to another ceremony a couple of weeks later (which we did). One thing I can say after the night finished is that I had always wanted to be in a room with people who realised that the world (that most people live in) seems missing something. It has spurred me on to meet more people like these, go to more events and ceremonies. I have been to a couple of Cacao ceremonies now with Sam and Mollie, also there were the Hanuman Project, if you’ve not seen them, you need to!
“Sam and Mollie hosted the ceremony at the Unmind Space”
THE FUTURE
Cacao ceremonies and Kirtan have become part of my life now I think. It will be the thing to turn to when I’m in need to a room full of people who have a similar minds eye and a general spiritual rejuvenation. I’m hope to see Sam, Mollie and the Hanuman Project again soon, they are a source of happiness for me. I would recommend a Cacao ceremony to anyone!
