Practising Moon Magic With CACAO

 
 

It’s a brand new year and we are back shining cacao goodness into the world. Rather than boring you with weight loss tips and new year’s resolutions, we’ve been thinking about ways we can inspire and empower you to bring more magic and beauty into your lives and the world in 2022 – and one answer we came up with was practising moon magic with cacao.  

We all know that planet earth is going through a challenging time right now, and last year brought trials and tribulations to many, if not all of us. In this blog, we’ll share how, by aligning ourselves with natural cycles through the magic of the moon and the heart-opening power of cacao, we can stay more grounded, in-flow and connected to the cosmos – helping us feel more resourced and resilient, whatever this year may bring.

First of all – what time is it?!

Before we dive into the magic of the moon and cacao, it’s good to be aware of the different ways time is perceived and measured in our world. Today, most people on planet earth follow the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the movement of the earth around the sun. The Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar, where a year is made up of 12 months and 365 days – a system that was first introduced by its namesake, Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582[1]. With its past-present-future consciousness, the Gregorian calendar is often considered a more linear and fixed expression of time.

In contrast, many of our ancient ancestors organised their lives around the cyclical phases of the moon, otherwise known as the lunar calendar, and many people are reawakening to lunar consciousness and choosing to re-align their lives by it today. Although interpreted slightly differently by cultures all around the world, a lunar month tends to be shorter than a Gregorian month, resulting in a slightly shorter year. Most Gregorian years have 12 new moons, one each month, but since the Gregorian calendar isn’t perfectly synchronised with astronomical events, every now and then a year has 13 new moons[2]. 

Getting moon dates in our diary

So how do we start working with the magic of the moon and cacao? The first step is to become aware of when the moon cycles take place: buying a calendar, diary or wall planner showing its different phases is a great starting point. Below, you’ll find dates for all the new and full moons in 2022 – why not get them in your diary now to ensure you make the most of each moon cycle this year?

 
 

Source: Time and Date

 
 

Working with moon phases

Want to know the best time of the lunar month to seed intentions, put the effort in, or to let go and allow the magic of life to unfold by itself? Below, you’ll find some info about the different phases of the moon, and how to best harness its power to create more magic in your life.

The New Moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle and a time to become clear about what we want to achieve during this twenty-eight day moon phase. It’s an ideal time for planting ideas or releasing projects into the world, so that they grow as the moon waxes to full. This is also the moon phase to move in a new direction, or contemplate your current trajectory. It’s a time to speak your intention and clearly define your desires, wishes and hopes.

The Crescent Moon clarifies our intentions and roots them into fertile ground, enabling us to be more focused, determined and clearer about what we desire. 

The Waxing Half Moon allows us to begin creating the circumstances that enable us to manifest our intentions.  

The Gibbous Moon is a time of activity, as doors open and opportunities start presenting themselves. We become aware of the synchronicities leading us to our goals.

The Full Moon is the time when the energy on the planet is at its most potent. It’s a time of completion, bringing to fruition projects, cycles and the fruits of our labours. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the abundance in our lives. Yet it can also lead to breakdowns and depression if we are falling short of our potential, and bring to the surface whatever is being suppressed in the unconscious.

The Disseminating Moon is the time to harvest the fruit. This is when the manifestations are most potent, so become more aware of and enjoy all the magical connections and synchronicities. 

The Waning Half Moon is an important time for inner reflection, transformation and change, in order to know what you want to create and manifest on the next new moon.

Building a personal moon ritual with cacao

As described above, setting our intentions on the new moon can be powerful. And when we add the heart-opening plant medicine that is ceremonial-grade cacao and truly tune in to our heart’s desires, the effects get amplified and we can literally create miracles. The theobromine in cacao increases blood flow to the heart, which has the effect of ‘opening it up’ so we can better hear its guidance, wisdom and the messages found within. Meanwhile, the release of ‘bliss’ molecules – such as dopamine, anandamide and the endorphin phenylethylamine – give us the feeling of being in love: what better way to start a new moon cycle and what better energy to infuse our intentions with!

You could choose to hold a cacao ritual on the full moon instead: take a look at our rituals page which has plenty of ideas to inspire you. Whether you create a moon ritual for yourself or come together to drink cacao with others, why not build an altar, create sacred space by lighting some candles and burning some incense, and use a special ceremonial mug such as those found in our Shop to make it even more of a ritual. However you decided to work with the magic of the moon in 2022, cacao can be an wonderful ally – helping us pause and reflect on our intentions and creations as we mark the cycles of time. The intelligence of cacao allows us to get clearer and more potent, so we can believe in ourselves, manifest our dreams and create a more loving and beautiful world.  

The moon and the menstrual cycle

One of life’s great mysteries that demonstrates our connection with the cosmos and each other, is that lunar cycles are typically the same number of days – 28 – as an average menstrual cycle... what are the chances?! What’s more, have you ever noticed how the menstrual cycles of women that live closely together – either physically or by sharing a close emotional or spiritual connection ­­– will not only align with each other, but with the new moon itself? Pure magic. In ancient societies, women would come together in red tents beneath the new moon to bleed together, usually enjoying rituals as a sisterhood[3], and there is a re-emergence of this wisdom across the world today through a growing red tent movement. What’s spoken about less often is what happened to the men during these times: did they also come together in brotherhood, or use this time each month to reflect on where they were headed in life? Maybe that’s a tradition we can create or reinstate during our own lifetime... <3

Cacao can be a wonderful support to alleviate the negative symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle – helping shift it from a time that most women (and men!) dread, to a powerful, sacred and transformative time for everyone. Cacao contains the essential amino acid tryptophan, which increases production of serotonin, an important brain chemical which helps us remain positive and happy, and can alleviate the depression, fatigue and mood swings that many women experience as part of their menstrual symptoms. Cacao is also packed with beneficial nutrients like iron, which helps manufacture red blood cells to replace those lost through menstruation; magnesium, which can help prevent menstrual cramps, and potassium which can help stop the body from retaining water and feeling bloated[4]. 

 
 

Share your cacao moon magic with us

We hope this blog has inspired you to deepen your relationship with the lunar cycle in 2022, and maybe even to practise some cacao moon magic of your own! We’d love to see how you get on and hear about all your rituals and creations – so feel free to share them with us on Instagram here.

cacao, ritualREBEKAH Shamancacao, ceremonial cacao, full moon, ritualComment