Kakao Kokon – Juni 2022 – Laura Durban

Ground Work with Cacao

Tarot Card of the Month: THE MAGICIAN

The reason we have The Magician here is that it’s related to the planet that rules Gemini (which is the sign of June and my sun, moon and mercury sign), Mercury. Mercury is all about communication, ideas, and learning.

The Magician gathers all the equipment and energies available to him to create magic. This card reminds us that we have all the materials we need to succeed! Much like Gemini, The Magician is more about planning or idealising what’s going to happen next—as opposed to actually doing it. The Magician is also mostly representative of the sign Gemini because of its ability to manifest. Gemini energy is known for great use of manifesting, and that is what the magician represents. This timeless card touches on our communication through divination, helping us see how powerful our words are. Geminis are known for being knowledgeable and having many skills, in the magician card he is known for being a juggler and having many tricks and points at the sky and ground, his spiritual representation of, “as above, so below.”

This card is powerful and known for creating great paths, a lot like the Gemini in their greatest form. These are some of the most positive attributes of a Gemini, a leader manifesting their greatest good for their people.

This is the card of the Cacao Ground Work: Gathering all the elements that you need to create your alchemy: your own Cacao ritual. You might however get stuck in the mind, thinking you need to know more or have lots of ideas but don´t yet take the time to practice and allow your experience to unfold.

Remember: it only takes one tiny step each day to climb a mountain over time. Be patient, don´t expect to have it all right away. You are at the beginning of your journey because this is a new day.

Take a decision today to do one thing with Cacao, maybe even just sipping your cup in silence and reference and enjoy feeling the subtle sensations evolving. Then tomorrow you might want to dance and sing. And so on. Don´t let the amount of possibilities lead you to indecision.

Ritual

This month is all about you finding your own ground with cacao – so watch my preparation video and decide which way to craft your cup works best for you and prepare a pure cup of Cacao, without any spices, sweetener or (alternative) milk. Enjoy the strength that Cacao provides you with while you bless the water that you use for your cup with your vibration, energy, attention and INtention
It might be very different to your usually sweet cup of pure chocolate but I urge you to try at least a few sips to honour the medicine that Cacao can be.
While sipping your cup read the Cacao Insights to gain knowledge about this incredible plant and how the Cacao Tree grows
Drink only as much as your body guides you to. If you don´t finish your cup put it aside to have it later or store it in the fridge over night. Especially when we have Cacao pure and bitter we are less tempted to go beyond our limit and how much we need in this moment because of the deliciously sweet drink. You might maybe even notice your body reacting very positively to the pure Cacao, inviting you to drink more! Activate the Cacao medicine!
After finishing your drink, get into a comfortable position and listen to my guided meditation that connects you with the roots of Cacao and allows you to listen and sense what Cacao brings up for you

A beautiful song to listen to while you prepare your cup of Cacao to ground you with the rhythmic beats of the drum and remind you of the Power and Spirit of Cacao.

Cacao Insights

Theobroma cacao is a short, sturdy, understorey equatorial tree, growing in narrow bands of latitude around twenty degrees north and south of the equator and is native to Central and South America.

The Cacao tree likes humidity, ample rainfall as well as shade and humus-enriched soil provided by taller trees.

Wild Cacao grows on riverbanks and was cultivated in the Mayan dzonots or cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula: sinkholes that penetrate deep below the surface and expose the water table, providing perfect warm, damp and sheltered Cacao-growing microclimates. The tree won´t tolerate temperatures below 16°C and prefers temperatures above 24°C. Cacao won´t grow more than 700 metres above sea level and is therefore found in lower altitudes.

As with the energies of Cacao there is a lot going on underneath the surface of the Theobroma cacao tree.

The rich leaf litter of the forest floor sustains various fungi, some of which are symbionts with Cacao: lateral „feeder roots“ from the tree spread out and collude with fungal mycelia, each organism supplying the other with sustenance. Soil fungi help Theobroma cacao absorb minerals, while the tree provides waste products such as carbon which the moulds thrive on. Theobroma has a high mineral requirement, therefore the use of chemical anti-fungals can lower the plants duration of flowering, the number of seeds and fruits.

The Maya chose trees in the pea family to act as shade cover for Cacao and as these plants „fix“ nitrogen in the soil, they greatly assist plant growth. Biodiverse multicropping systems known as cacaotales consist of Cacao trees, their companion plants and shade trees.

The Cacao tree has small beautiful white nocturnal blooms growing directly from the tree trunk, they begin to open in the late afternoon and and maximal blooming occurs at around 5am. Its main pollinators are midges, tiny flies that emerge from the humid shade of the subtropical forest leaf litter.

Cacao flowers at different times during the year and is most receptive to pollination at dawn and dusk. The flowers are incompatible with gametes from the same tree and can only be fertilised by insects bearing pollen-parcels with different genetic material. The Mesoamericans fortunately had lots of time to interact with the plant and perfect their own cultivation techniques.

Cacao trees only begin to produce fruits after four to six years of life, and they continue fruiting for about 50 years.

The mature Cacao pods can weigh anything from 200grams to a kilo and are ribbed, vaguely pointed ovals in green, yellow, purple, red or brown. Their „skin“ is an inch thick rind that holds an average of 30 to 45 beans packed in a five-pointed star arrangement in cross-section, coated with a tangy sweet white pulp. Ripe pods need to be manually cut off the tree (they don´t simply fall down) because the tree relies on creatures such as rats, squirrels, parrots or monkeys seeking the fruity pulp inside to propagate itself. Wild animals gnaw into the pods while they´re still attached to the tree and discard the unwanted bitter seeds on the forest floor. The bright colours attract visual feeders and because the pods stay on the tree they offer perfect breeding ground for the insects which pollinate the tree, particularly during rainy season when Cacao is in flower.

Meditation

Root down to meet the Cacao Tree