Join Michelle & Sage in The Lotus Temple for an evening of reflection and community. Would you love to experience a healing circle of plant medicine? Cacao is safe and gentle, yet powerfully opening. Our circles are filled with grace, laughter and depth of the heart. We will relax with a sound bath, we will interact with a revealing one to one sharing game and we will witness transformation in each other. What is Cacao, your ask? Hot Chocolate? NOPE. Its sacred. Its nourishing. Its allowing your heart to be supported and healed by the sacred plant of Cacao- you know this as chocolate. The chocolate you consume from stores has been treated and distilled and heated in a way that strips the medicine she offers. The cacao you will receive is powerful in her natural forces, untreated and raw. Filled with nutrients and prayers- opens the heart in a loving way for witness, release and resolve. Sustainably sourced and made with love and care and sacred process with native peoples. We will be sharing the ideal of food as thy medicine. We will be sharing the ceremonial offering in a way to re-intoduce the sacred into our lives. We will sit and make intentional prayers and offerings into the cacao before we bring it into our bodies. Take this opportunity to learn about your heart and what it may need for balance. We will use sound healing to go deep and allow, and some deep heart opening one on one exchange to relate and communicate from our heart spaces. Prepare to laugh and cry and feel tender feelings together in this intimate container. ***Allergen notes: The cacao is prepared intuitively- ingredients are (but not limited to:) cacao, dates, rose water, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, Cayenne pepper, Holy Basil tea, homemade almond/cashew/coconut milk, AND CHAGA, PHELLINUS, REISHI & TURKEY TAIL mushroom complex and other superfoods/herbs. Im using a sacred mushroom complex from Ora Cacao as well as Ora Cacao product- we do sell this line in the shop if you want to bring some home! This fusion of fruiting body 1:1 mushrooms extracts activates and upregulates both innate and adaptive immunity. Mushroom compounds connect to specific beta-glucan receptor sites in the small intestine, helping our immune systems perform better, shielding our bodies against cancers and viral, bacterial, fungal & parasitic infections. The high triterpenoid content also offers anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Cacao Benefits:  Many ceremonial cacao lovers report a notable impact on their mood.  Pure cacao contains beneficial neurotransmitters and neuro-modulators already present in our brain. It also contains reuptake inhibitors that block the pathways that our bodies normally use to break down and recycle these beneficial mood altering molecules, so the good mood lasts for longer. In the long term, regularly working with ceremonial cacao can have therapeutic health benefits, including creating new neural pathways that change our daily experience to include more joy, love, and connection.  Some of the top mood altering molecules in cacao include: Anandamide is commonly referred to as the bliss molecule, and is associated with the runner’s high effect. It is actually the first endocannabinoid to be discovered, and it is well known for moderating pain. Cacao also has N-linoleoylethanolamine, which is the reuptake inhibitor for anandamide. Phenylethylamine (PEA) - Helps with excitement, alertness, attention. Gives the perception of time slowing down. Norepinephrine is commonly referred to as the joy molecule. It is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone, Serotonin - Helps with wellbeing, and creates resistance to stress. Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit reuptake of serotonin. Dopamine - Gives feelings of motivation and pleasure. Cacao also has MOA inhibitors that inhibit reuptake of dopamine. Due to these molecules and many others, when you drink ceremonial cacao you may feel expansive, blissful, connected to self and/or others, inspired, connected to your intuition & vision, connected to spirit, grounded, emotions arise, and the movement of stuck energy. You can also experience increased blood flow, mood elevation, and a more expanded state of consciousness. Cacao is a vasodilator, meaning your blood vessels and muscular systems relax. When working with ceremonial doses of cacao, blood flow can increase by up to 30%, meaning that more blood (life force energy) is moving through your body and nourishing all of your systems. Long Term Neural Pathway Benefits Working with cacao regularly can result in long term beneficial changes in brain function, primarily through the reinforcement of neural pathways that include more joy, love, presence, and connection.​