Tag: Self-care

Ceremonial Cacao

The Powerful Benefits Of Ceremonial Cacao to Empower Your Meditations

Katelyn

+ Including 10% off code when you order through Australian Ceremonial Cacao!

Ceremonial Cacao

Dive into the benefits of ceremonial cacao and discover how this ancient superfood can transform your meditation practice into a deeply enriching spiritual journey.

Hello Beautiful Soul, I’m excited to introduce you to ceremonial cacao.

In pursuing wellness and spiritual depth, the ancient practice of incorporating ceremonial cacao into meditation has resurfaced as a transformative ritual. This guide explores the profound benefits of ceremonial cacao, differentiating it from everyday cocoa and cacao, tracing its rich history, and detailing how it enhances meditation practices. Plus, enjoy an exclusive 10% off Australian Ceremonial Cacao.

I was first introduced to ceremonial cacao in Bali in 2020 (one week before the pandemic really took hold, phew). I was there on a Goddess retreat and fell in love with this special plant after the first cup. We did a ritual as part of our evening meditation and it was a beautiful and deep experience. Despite the caffeine, I also had the best sleep ever straight after. I have been using ceremonial cacao ever since to deepen my meditations and rituals, along with the health benefits.

Disclaimer: Before we dive into today’s topic, I want to let you know that this article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help support my work and keep my blog running. Rest assured, my recommendations are based on genuine opinions and experiences, and I only promote products or services that I believe will be valuable to you. I appreciate your support!

Table Of Contents:

Benefits of ceremonial cacao

Cocoa vs Cacao vs Ceremonial Cacao: What is the difference?

I’m sure we have all heard of and likely tasted cocoa in the form of chocolate, right? So what are cacao and ceremonial cacao? Well, the difference between all three is the processing. They all come from the same tree but the way it’s made makes a significant difference.

Cocoa – Goes through processing before it gets to us. It gets roasted, ground, tempered, conched and refined sugar and additives are added. Then it gets to us.

Cacao – is the raw and pure form. It’s either lightly sun-dried or fermented with minimal heat. There is some heat to make it safe to consume but as little as possible. So it has all the good stuff without the additives.

Ceremonial Cacao – is the same as cacao, however, due to the ceremonial use (and if you buy the right stuff) it is respected at every step of the way. It is shown love and reverence at each stage of processing, is sustainably farmed and has a single origin.

Cacao

Sweet History of Ceremonial Cacao

It’s important to acknowledge the cultural heritage of Cacao if you want to use it in your meditation practice and want to get the best from it.

Cacao was used by Amazonian and Mesoamerican cultures for many ceremonial rites and rituals. These cultures had a deep awareness and connection to the gifts, wisdom and medicine of the earth. The cacao bean was often referred to as a gift from the gods or the food of the gods, as it was believed to have mystical properties that allowed users to commune with higher realms. Although it is used in different ways nowadays, it continues to be used in spiritual rituals to gain spiritual insight and connect with ancestors, spirits, universe etc.

Ceremonial Cacao bean

This photo demonstrates what the cacao bean looks like when it is freshly opened.

The cacao pod itself had significance to these ancient cultures. It was said, the cacao bean inside was the sweetness of life. The hard casing outside represented layers of experiences and challenges. This beautiful representation of life reflects that we must overcome challenges to get to the sweet centre of life.

The Zen Connection: Benefits of Ceremonial Cacao on Meditation

Meditation Tip: the goal isn’t to empty your mind but to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment, gently guiding your focus back to a point of reference, like your breath or a mantra.

We have all heard of the benefits of meditation like stress reduction, improved mood, increased self-awareness and better sleep. However, it is not that easy for everyone to practice meditation.

Meditation

Ceremonial cacao is a potent facilitator for meditation. It is said to assist:

Heart Opening

Ceremonial Cacao is referred to as the ‘heart opener’ as it increases blood flow and oxygenation of the brain. This enhances connection and empathy, leading to a deeper and more heartfelt meditation.

Improved Mood

The Cacao bean contains compounds that elevate mood and decrease stress, creating a more positive and receptive state for meditation.

Increased Focus

As Cacao is a mild stimulant it can help to create a focus and attentiveness that can help maintain meditation.

Mindfulness

The preparation ritual itself can be a mindful practice that helps prepare for deeper meditation. Using your senses and setting intention during the preparation starts the zen before sitting down to start.

Benefits of Ceremonial Cacao

The reason this amazing plant can do all this is because of something called, Theobromine. Theobromine is a natural stimulant that works similarly to caffeine, however, it has longer-lasting effects and is more gentle (a massive plus to those of you who get the jitters on caffeine). Theobromine is also known to improve mood, enhance blood flow and even has diuretic and heart-stimulant functions. Due to its stimulating effects and mood-boosting properties, it helps to make ceremonial cacao the perfect assistant to help you deepen your meditations.

Sanctifying Your Sanctuary: Preparing Yourself and Your Space

Creating a sacred space to take full advantage of this beautiful ritual is a must in my eyes.

  • Cleansing yourself and your space with sage, palo santo or incense can help to set the mood.
  • Setting intentions is an important step to have a clear idea in your mind of what you are hoping to get from the experience and what you want to work through or reflect on with the ritual and meditation.
  • Set up your environment to be calm and comfortable.
  • Ensure you have everything you might need for minimal interruptions – have water, a journal, a pen, and even extra paper to scribble on or draw on if you don’t want to do that in your journal.
  • Put away the technology! if you are using a guided meditation consider downloading it and putting your phone on airplane mode.
  • Prepare yourself – do whatever you need to get in the right mindset. I often spend some time in nature and have a shower first if I really want a deep meditation.
Cacao Ceremony Benefits

Brewing Bliss: How to Prepare Ceremonial Cacao

Preparing ceremonial cacao is an art. Start with high-quality Cacao, gently heat with water, milk or a non-dairy alternative, and whisk to a smooth, frothy consistency. Add spices or sweeteners as guided by your intuition and the traditions you resonate with. You can also just have it with nothing. I often drink just the cacao in hot water.

Part of the ritual for me is also to use the same mug that is just for cacao. You don’t need to do this but I enjoy it and makes it feel more special.

Ceremonial Cacao Effects

Selecting Your Spirit Cacao: A Guide to Choosing the Right Bean

Choosing the right ceremonial cacao is very important. Look for ethically sourced, pure cacao from reputable suppliers. I use Australian Ceremonial Cacao – they use high quality and organic Peruvian strain called Criollo. They ethically source it by engaging in a sustainable and fair trade program to benefit the farmers and local community. This is so important to recognise the community and farmers from where this natural blessing is being shared.

Also if you decide to purchase from Australian Ceremonial Cacao please use my code MSL24 for 10% off your purchase. They also have a wide range of other products including handmade mugs, ceremony kits for kids and couples and cacao ceremony journals.

My favourite thing, as well as the cacao of course, is the Lucuma, a Peruvian fruit with a lovely sweet taste and a ton of health benefits.

Australian Ceremonial Cacao

Integrating the Cacao in Meditation

The ritual itself is up to you! I like to take deep breaths and set my intentions whilst I stir in the cacao then I sit in my meditation space and sip it while I think about what I want to achieve or what I want to know from the experience, manifest or write down goals. Then once I have finished I put everything down and put on my guided meditation I have selected to go with my intention. I use Insight Timer as it is free and has thousands of beautiful meditations to choose from.

Ceremonial Grade Cacao

Post-Ceremony Glow: Integrating Insights and Emotions

After you have completed the meditation and your cacao, it’s important to not rush back into your busy schedule. Give yourself time and listen to what your body needs.

I love to spend time journaling either in my meditation space or outside in nature. Just let whatever needs to, come out on the page.

Meditation benefits

Final Thoughts

As we wrap up this exploration into the transformative world of ceremonial cacao and its harmonious blend with meditation, I hope you feel inspired to weave this ancient ritual into your spiritual practice. Ceremonial cacao isn’t just a beverage; it’s key to deeper mindfulness, emotional clarity, and a heart-wide-open journey.

Embrace the Path Forward

I invite you to step into this beautiful practice, integrating ceremonial cacao into your meditation to enrich your spiritual journey. Whether you seek deeper introspection, emotional healing, or simply a moment of serenity, let ceremonial cacao be your guide.

To support your first steps, I’m delighted to offer a 10% discount on Australian Ceremonial Cacao with code MSL24. Embrace this opportunity to deepen your practice and connect more profoundly with yourself.

Join our community newsletter for more insights and tips on living a spiritually enriched life. Together, let’s continue to explore the depths of our inner worlds.

May your path be graced with peace and insight,

Katelyn

Benefits of Meditation
Emotional Freedom

Resources

Ceremonial Cacao (australianceremonialcacao.com)https://www.australianceremonialcacao.com/?ref=a5hqf3go

What is Cacao Ceremony? (ceremonial-cacao.com)

The Benefits of Ceremonial Cacao – MBF AUS (madebyfressko.com)

Cacao Ceremony: Ultimate Guide to Awakening the Soul and Healing the Heart – Sacred Taste

Written by

Katelyn

Katelyn brings a decade of expertise as a Mental Health Social Worker to her calling as a Spiritual Mindset Coach and Mind-Body Practitioner. Committed to guiding women on their journey of self-discovery, she empowers them to embrace spiritual growth and step into their best lives with authenticity and resilience.

Self-Gratitude

Self-Gratitude: Elevate Your Mind, Spirit and Life

Katelyn
Self-Gratitude

Hello Beautiful Souls, I want to introduce you to the beautiful and healing practice of self-gratitude. This is an important practice that has many holistic benefits that help you to be your best self.

It’s like giving yourself a giant, warm hug. It’s celebrating everything that makes you unique, worthy and special.

In this article, we will look at what self-gratitude is and why it’s important, as well as, barriers that can create resistance. We will look at the best ways to practice this beautiful and healing ritual.

Table of Contents:
– What is Self-Gratitude?
– Barriers and Challenges to Self-Gratitude
– How Does Self-Gratitude Improve Our Mind, Spirit and Life?
– Mind
– Spirit
– Life
– Ways to Practice Self-Gratitude
– Final Thoughts

What is Self-Gratitude?

Self-gratitude is the practice of expressing appreciation for and celebrating parts of yourself. It helps you see and appreciate all of the great things about yourself. Your personality, abilities, talents, knowledge, and physical attributes.

Have you ever caught yourself being critical about a mistake? or beating yourself up for something you have forgotten?

I bet the way you spoke to yourself is harsher then you would ever speak to your family or friends. Self-gratitude will shift your negative self-talk to be more positive and kinder.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the practice of gratitude by now and likely all its benefits. But self-gratitude is all the benefits of gratitude but directed back to yourself.

Self-Love

Barriers and Challenges to Self-Gratitude

Unfortunately, practices like self-gratitude do not come naturally to us. This can be for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

Perfectionism and Negative Self-Talk – Having harsh criticism and intolerance of personal mistakes can cause us to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves. This way of thinking can overshadow our achievements and best qualities.

Internalising Societal Pressures leading to guilt and shame – I’m sure we all have felt pressure before around the ways we ‘should’ act or milestones we ‘should’ achieve. But life doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes we don’t get married, have children, or have the perfect career within the ‘appropriate’ timeframes…or at all. Internalising these pressures can lead to negative feelings of guilt and shame stopping us from truly appreciating the amazing person we are.

Fear of Selfishness – Often we get told that to provide ourselves care and love is to be selfish or self-centred. It’s not! This is actually the best thing you can do, not only for yourself but for your family, friends and society as a whole. Because if you love yourself you are more likely to be a better person and be better to others.

How Does Self-Gratitude Improve Our Mind, Spirit and Life?

Gratitude

Self-Gratitude Impacts on the Mind

Improves Mental Health – Ongoing practice of self-gratitude can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Shifting attention from negative thought patterns to focus on the positive aspects of yourself and your life can help to shift to a more optimistic outlook.

Improves Self-Acceptance and Self-Love – Self-gratitude helps you, not only, accept yourself for who you are but also love all aspects of yourself. This increases your confidence self-worth and overall happiness.

Fosters a Growth Mindset – Self-gratitude nurtures a growth mindset by acknowledging personal progress and learning from experiences. This outlook embraces challenges, values effort, and views failures as opportunities to learn, leading to personal and professional development.

Higher Self

Self-Gratitude Impacts on the Spirit

Deepens Self-Connection – Self-gratitude encourages introspection and a deeper connection with your inner self. This introspective practice can lead to a more profound understanding of your values, desires, and purpose, aligning actions with true self-identity.

Cultivates Inner Peace: By appreciating your journey and embracing the present moment, self-gratitude fosters a sense of contentment and inner peace. It reduces the constant striving for external validation and allows for a more grounded and centred spirit.

Enhances Spiritual Growth – For many, gratitude is a spiritual practice. It opens the heart chakra, increases empathy, and connects them to something greater than themselves, whether that’s a community, nature, or a higher power. It can be a pathway to experiencing transcendence and interconnectedness.

Meditation

Self-Gratitude Impacts on the Life

Improves Relationships With Yourself and Others – Learning to love the true you can improve your relationship with yourself. As your self-acceptance and love improve, you are more inclined to treat your body with respect and compassion. This leads to healthier choices.

Your improved sense of self will likely rub off on others, improving positive relationships. But, an improved sense of self can also highlight where some people may be holding you back. With your increased love and respect for yourself, you will have an increased capacity to say no and cement those boundaries.

Builds Resilience to Manage Life’s Stressors – Acknowledging your strengths and achievements builds psychological resilience, enabling better coping with stress and adversity. It cultivates a mindset that views challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles, setting you up to manage the stressors that come your way.

Increases Life Satisfaction – Practicing self-gratitude shifts the focus from what’s missing to what’s abundant in your life, promoting a sense of satisfaction and joy. It encourages a celebration of the present and an appreciation for the unique path you are on, regardless of societal standards or expectations.

Self-care

Ways to Practice Self-Gratitude?

Embrace self-care

Take care of yourself! Focus on self-care activities that reflect self-gratitude, such as a relaxing bath, a favourite hobby, or a treat that makes you feel valued and cared for. You deserve it!

Redefine Success on your own terms

Put societal pressures and expectations aside and set your own goals. You determine what success is for you, not anyone else.

If there are days when getting up and showering is a success, then good on you for doing it and appreciate yourself. If getting married and having kids isn’t your life goal and you’d rather travel the world then that is your success story.

Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk

Being aware of your self-talk and taking directed action to improve this is one of the best ways to practice self-gratitude.

Repeat affirmations while you’re brushing your teeth, or getting ready for work.

Every time you catch yourself thinking something negative counter it with 2 positives.

Gratitude Journaling

Start a practice of writing one thing you love and appreciate about yourself every day. Try it for a month or even for a year. I challenge you to do it and not feel better about yourself.

My favourite part about this one is, by writing down the daily gratitudes, you can re-read these any time you need a pick me up.

See my other article on how to start journaling for tips.

Mel Robbin’s High Five Habit

Love Mel Robbins and her awesome evidence-backed self-help techniques. Mel has a book called The High Five Habit in which she recommends high-fiving yourself in the mirror every day giving yourself a boost of positive affirmation.

Therapy or Coaching

Consider working with a Coach, Counsellor or Psychologist to work through what might be holding you back from truly loving yourself.

Please feel free to book a 15 minute discovery call with me to see if I am the right fit to help you out! I’d love to work with you!

Final Thoughts

Self-Acceptance

Self-gratitude is more than self-care; it’s a transformative practice that reshapes how we view ourselves and our lives. It turns our unique paths into sources of strength and joy. By adopting simple acts of self-gratitude, we can foster a deeper connection with ourselves and lead a more fulfilling life.

Call to Action: Begin with one small act of self-gratitude today. Notice the positive changes and share your story with us. Need support? Book a discovery call with me today!

Book Now

Resources

High 5 Habit – Unlock the Power of Habit and Achieve Your Goals with Mel Robbins

What Is Self-Gratitude and How Can You Practice It? | Cake Blog (joincake.com)

How to start journaling

How To Start Journaling to Discover Your Best Self

Katelyn

Including 16 Journal Prompts to Start Your Journaling Journey!

Journaling

Hello Beautiful Souls!

Are you wondering how to start journaling and embark on a transformative journey? Through my time working as a Counsellor and in my own spiritual growth journey, I’ve seen first-hand how journaling can open doors to our deepest selves. I’m excited to help you discover the same for yourself. Let’s explore how this simple practice can unlock your path to personal growth and self-awareness.

The Power of Journaling in Self-Discovery

Journaling is more than just writing down your thoughts. It’s an intimate process that helps peel back the layers of your inner self. It’s your personal space to explore emotions, dreams, and aspirations. It can provide clarity on current issues, provide healing from traumas in your past or provide closure in times of grief or anger. Imagine having a conversation with your deepest self – that’s what journaling can be.

As the number of studies increased, it became clear that writing was a far more powerful tool for healing than anyone had ever imagined.

— James W. Pennebaker

6 Major Benefits of Journaling Practice

1. Healthy Outlet For Suppressed Emotion

There are many reasons we supress our emotions, from not feeling safe, to childhood programming that you’re not supposed to or not wanting to be a burden on someone. Not expressing our emotions can cause significant emotional consequences. Often it can lead to outbursts of anger or tears that can hurt others or happen at really inappropriate times. Journaling creates a safe, judgement free zone to express these emotions. Therefore, reducing the risks of damaging relationships, minimising mood swings and irritability.

2. Helps You Achieve Your Goals

Ever felt stuck in a rut or bored of life? Ever had a goal in mind but not sure how to achieve it? Often its a lack of clarity that can cause these feelings. Journaling allows you to lay out all the areas of your goal and break it down into steps you can take and explore the barriers that may be hiding below the surface.

Journaling Benefits

3. Improves Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is ‘the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you’ (Mental Health America). One of the key elements of Emotional Intelligence is Self-Awareness. Journaling helps us to increase our self-awareness by helping to break down our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and giving us an understanding of our automatic reactions and thoughts that often overlook.

4. Positive Impact on Physical Health

Did you know that journaling can be a secret weapon for your physical health? It’s true! When we write down our thoughts and feelings, it’s not just an emotional release; it can actually lead to physical benefits. This practice helps reduce stress, which means less stress hormone cortisol. More cortisol over a long periods of time can equal poor physical health.

From lowering blood pressure to improving immune function, journaling is like a multi-vitamin for your overall well-being. So next time stress is getting on top of you, try reaching for your journal!

5. Improves Your Outlook And Mindset.

Have you ever sat down with your best friend and talked abut life or your stresses, then noticed after you feel a lot more positive and optimistic. Think of your Journal as your new best friend. Transforming your thoughts from a jumble of worries into written words can be incredibly powerful. It’s like decluttering your mind! This simple act of self-expression helps you gain perspective, focus on the positives, and cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life.

6. Helps to process Trauma or Crisis Situations.

I’m sure we have all had times of crisis or intense stress. Journaling can provide a safe and non-judgemental place to process your complex emotions and experiences. It provides a private space to unpack your thoughts and feelings, allowing you to understand and heal at your own pace. Remember, your journal doesn’t judge; it listens. That’s what makes it a powerful tool in healing and reclaiming your strength.

How to Start Journaling Tips

Setting Up Your Journaling Practice Choosing the right method of journaling is your first step. Pick something that feels inviting and special to you. I personally love the feeling of pen to paper. But I know that doesn’t resonate or work for everyone! Most important thing I want you to take away from reading this article is the understanding that journaling can be unique to you! Don’t let the format or process seem too big and stop you from getting started. You can type it into a word document, use an app on your phone or use voice recorder or a combination. It has to work for you and feel like something you will keep coming back to.

Benefits of Journaling

Find a comfortable spot where you can write freely and without interruptions (even if that means in the car if home is too busy). Make it that you are in your favourite space in your house, with things you love. For me it’s in my favourite chair with my cushion and blanket, my singing bowl, salt lamp and crystals if I feel drawn to particular ones for that day or for the topic I’m writing on. Sometimes I also use ceremonial cacao to help to allow the stress of the day to melt away go deeper and open myself up to spiritual messages.

Consistency is crucial – even a few minutes each day can spark significant changes. This can be a few minutes of what’s called ‘stream of consciousness’ writing or brain dumping as I like to call it. This is where you write whatever comes to mind, it doesn’t even need to make sense. Or its prompted questions that help guide you through particular issues or ideas (see the prompts below to get you started).

How to Make it a Habit

Tips to keep up the habit –

  • Journal at the same time every day or on the same day every week.
  • Set a reminder alarm
  • Habit stack but adding journaling to a routine you already do – keep your journal near the coffee maker to remind you in the morning, keep it on the couch so you do it instead of watching TV.
  • Start with only 10 or 15minutes a day
  • Plan a selfcare reward after; like a walk, a shower, time relaxing watching TV.
  • Create a beautiful and soothing routine to make it a pleasant experience.
Journal Prompts

16 Prompts to get you started

So how do you start journaling if you don’t know what to write? I know this is a common hurdle. Journaling prompts are fantastic tools to get your thoughts flowing.

Here are 16 prompts designed to start you on your journaling journey in self-discovery and introspection. Just start by picking one and go from there:

  1. What am I most grateful for today?
  2. Which values are most important to me, and how am I honouring them?
  3. What are the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year?
  4. When did I feel truly happy in the last week?
  5. What fears are holding me back from my dreams?
  6. How do I define success, and am I on the path toward it?
  7. What are my unique strengths, and how can I use them more?
  8. What advice would I give to my younger self?
  9. What does my ideal day look like?
  10. How do I practice self-care, and how can I improve it?
  11. What am I afraid of, and why?
  12. Which relationships in my life are most significant, and why?
  13. What is my personal definition of happiness?
  14. Where do I see myself in five years?
  15. What am I passionate about, and how do I express it?
  16. What obstacles have I overcome, and what have they taught me?

If you like these and want more I am currently releasing daily journal prompt pins on Pinterest you can save and come back to when you are ready. These prompts cover a range of topics within Mind Spirit Life areas of Psychology, Spirituality and Lifestyles.

Journal Prompts

Integrating Journaling with Other Self-Improvement Practices

Journaling beautifully complements other self-improvement and self-care activities. Whether it’s:

  • Reflecting post-meditation
  • Writing after a workout or yoga
  • Dream journaling if you’re having nightmares
  • Gratitude journaling when you need a pick me up after a bad day
  • Worry journaling at the end of the day to clean your mind before sleep

Integrating journaling into your routine can enhance your overall journey of growth.

“Journaling is a tool to put our experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and desires into language, and in doing so it helps us understand and grow and make sense of them,”

– Joshua Smyth (Professor of biobehavioural health and medicine – Penn State University).

Final Thoughts on How to Start Journaling

Starting a journaling practice is like opening a door to self-awareness and personal transformation. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to journal – it’s all about what resonates with you. So, don’t overthink it, pick up that pen or chosen medium, and let your inner voice flow.

Need More

I’m excited to hear about your journaling journey! Have you had any eye-opening moments? Still feeling stuck drop, a comment on other areas you’d like to see covered or ask me any questions and I’ll get back to you. Share your stories, insights or questions in the comments or find me on Instagram @mindspiritlifecoach. And for more tips on personal growth and self-discovery, stay tuned to Mind Spirit Life.

Happy journaling!

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