236: The Art of Cacao Ceremony with Christine Olivia

Namaste, it's Sahara Rose. And welcome back to the Highest Self podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you your soul's highest evolvement. I am super excited to have one of my best friends on the podcast today, Christine Olivia. You may have seen us dancing on my Instagram story at I am Sahara Rose were always dancing somewhere and we got to know each other about a year ago only, and she hit me up and invited me over to her house for a cacao ceremony. And I had not cacao ceremony in a very long time. It was part of my teachings when I was studying with Malaika, my shamanic dance teacher in Bali. She also hosts cacao ceremony. So I had not done a cacao ceremony in a minute and I was like, oh, cacao ceremony, Louisiana. So we enjoyed a cup of Guatemalan cacao and really dope dove deep and both discovered that we love so many of the same things and just instantly realized that we are past life sisters. And now I'm super excited to share her with you on the Highest Self podcast. So, cacao ceremony, what is it we're hearing this word Cacao is buzzing right now. And the beautiful thing about it is it's bringing people together. So in this episode, we talk all about what cacao is like, is it chocolate? Is it hot chocolate? What are people even drinking? Is it a drug? How do you feel like, why are people saying that their heart feels open? Why are they dancing? What's going on in these cacao ceremonies? We talk all about that in this episode scientifically, how it's good for you, what it does to the body, how to drink it, how to have your own ceremony, how to use it in your daily practice. And also Christine's journey about finding this sacred plant and reconnecting with her ancestors and her deceased father through the sacred medicine of cacao that has been used by her ancestors in Guatemala for thousands of years. So it's such a treat to have her sharing this with you because she's someone who, you know, is a cacao ceremonialist. That is what she does every single day and is so dedicated to this plant and really honors and knows so much about it, which is the type of person that you want to learn about it from. Someone who really understands its roots, its cultural background, and of course, the science related to it as well. After this episode, we had our own cacao ceremony right here in my house. It does not need to be with a bunch of people. You can have your own cacao ceremony just like alone or with a friend and we sipped on this cacao and we harmonized our voices together through singing different bij mantras and then we danced and then we sang Cacao ceremony songs and we videoed it all. So I will be sharing the video in Rose Gold Goddesses. Rose Gold Goddesses is my sacred sisterhood collective. It is an incredible membership community that has monthly goddess circles exper videos like this, like entire Cacao ceremony videos, tons of rituals, articles, workshops, live events, opportunities to meet up with goddesses in your city. We have meetups happening in dozens of cities every single weekend. Opportunity to shine your light, shine your message, be seen, be heard and get to know people who are spiritual sisters on the path like you who want to sit in Cacao Ceremony and talk about all the different things. So if you want to learn more about it, we are going to be open the doors again in January so head over to rosegoldgoddesses.com and you will be able to join the wait list right there. That way you'll be notified when we open doors back up again in January and would love to have you there. And our Cacao ceremony video will be there so you'll be able to watch it then. And if you're in Rose Gold Goddesses just head over to the workshop section and you will see the Cacao ceremony video. So cacao is such a big beautiful plant medicine that I have been enjoying more and more of. I really love infusing the rose. I love making rose tea and having the cacao with that and it's just such a magical elixir to amp up your life. And my personal favorite ceremonial cacao is this tantric rose cacao. So it actually is infused with rose. So when you're drinking it it has this like delicious rosy flavor to it which is just very sensual and beautiful. And I got that on ceremonial cacao.com and you can use coupon code Sahara for a discount. So again, it's ceremonial-cacao.com with coupon code Sahara for your discount and I will have that link in the show notes. The Tantric Rose Cacao. My absolute favorite. So without further ado, let's welcome Cacao ceremonialist Christine Olivia to the Highest Self Podcast. And before we get started, check out these brands that make Highest Self Podcast possible. This episode is brought to you by uva. Uvaida is a modernized Ayurvedic supplement company that takes certain issues that we have such as mood, joints, immunity, digestion and creates these custom little packets exactly for us infusing ancient Ayurvedic Herbs with modern vitamins and minerals. I take the mood formula daily. It is great if you work a stressful job, had adrenal fatigue, ever suffer from anxiety or even depression. And it really heals you from a fundamental and holistic level. So if you want to try it out, head over to Uveda. Y-O u v e d a.com use the code Sahara and you'll receive 3.35percent off your first order. And they now ship to almost every country globally. So check it out. If you live internationally, they may be shipping to your country too. And they just added India. Guys. This episode is brought to you by four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is an incredible mushroom elixir company. I proudly drink their elixirs every single day, my friend. Favorite is their chai mix. It is insanely delicious. I quit chocolate cold turkey. And what helped me was drinking this chai mix every day. And best of all, they use stevia to sweeten it. And there's no sugars like the chai lattes you'll find at Starbucks or wherever else. And the mushrooms are really good for balancing your hormones, helping heal adrenal fatigue, healing your body on an adaptogenic level. So adaptogens really kind of relate to what your body needs. So if you are high, stress will bring you down. If you need more energy, it will bring you up. And that's what so amazing about adaptogens. They adapt to your body. And mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms, have a lot of adaptogenic properties. So you can head over to their website, 4sigmatic.com F O U R S I G M a t I c.com Sahara I have a little shop up there with my favorite four Sigmatic products, so you can try it out. And you can also get 15% off any four sigmatic product using the code Sahara. Welcome, Christine, to the Highest Self podcast.

It's so good to have you here. Finally. Finally.

So the first question that I'd love to ask you is, what makes you your highest self?

Oh, that's such a good question. I'd have to say doing all the things that get me to touch on my highest self, to touch on to the truth of who I am and my rituals and all those, like, little things in the morning that connect me to the truth of who I am.

Yeah, I love that. And I feel like you're so good at that. Like, you're always like, I'm yoni steaming. I'm this and that. I'm like, I'm working. But it's like you really take the time to practice ritual, to practice self care. To just do the things that make you feel alive and balanced. And I think a lot of that is because of your journey and how much that's helped you, which we'll talk about. But, yeah, I'm always like, I need to practice self care more. Like Christine.

Yes. All the inner child stuff like that really gets us tapped into who we are. Right. And I'm always, like, dancing and playing. I'm like, let's listen to Disney and drink cacao together.

Totally. And that's why we vibe, because we love Disney.

We love, like, being kids. Yeah.

We were like, but what about the new Dora the Explorer movie? Like, why don't we go see that?

And we love Aladdin. Love Aladdin the best.

Apparently. Disappointed with Lion King. I haven't yet seen it. But it is so important to just keep honoring that inner child, because most of us do have a wounded inner child in some way. Even if you had, you know, a normal upbringing, it could have just been like the smallest thing that your dad said to you or not feeling loved or being bullied, that wound our inner child. And then we grow up feeling angry, resentful, triggered, etc. And then when you just, like, connect to that child and do the things that child wished that they could do, it all goes away.

Yeah. It's that combination of being in the inner child and then, like, mothering your inner child. We need, like, both of those things so much and fathering it. Right. Like, our parents just, you know, they did their best, but almost everyone left a little wound there. I feel like it's really normal. So we get to mother and father and be our inner child all the time, 100%.

So I want to hear more about just your journey of how you came to cacao, how you came to ritual, and just kind of being that person who's really bringing forth indigenous culture.

Yeah. So it all started actually with my lowest point. I was dating the wrong person. I was in a really unhealthy relationship, and I was living in Florida and something called me to go to yoga. And I went to a hot yoga class. And it was like my first proper hot yoga class where I had my first spiritual experience. And it was really just because of getting into my body and out of my head. And I remember just sitting there in Shavasana being like, what is this? And leaving the class, but lingering because I wanted to speak to one of the yogis that was in class because I wanted to know more. I wanted to be like that person right I thought it was really beautiful. And just the way they talked and the way they walked, just their essence was really beautiful. I'm like, oh, I want some of that. I want to be like that. And so I sat with him. It was a man, a yogi. And I asked him, I'm like, how did you get to this place that you're in? And he told me about yoga teacher training. And he's like, I just actually did this yoga teacher training. He had actually done yoga teacher training in la, and that's where I had been from. And he was like, it's about $10,000, but it was the most beautiful yoga teacher training ever. And I'm like, okay, one day I'm going to manifest that that's going to happen. And then about six months later, I manifested it and I went to. I was actually dating this Australian man and he lived in Perth, but that was the intention was to go to Bali and he knew that. And so I was visiting him in Perth and that was only a few hours away from Bali. And my yoga teacher training, when it started, it was actually the day before it started, I had broken up with him. We had broken up. And so it opened up this gateway. I went to Bali and then my life changed. I was introduced to the ceremonial cacao from Guatemala. And it was maybe like a week into the yoga teacher training, and I'm sitting there and I'm introduced to Guatemalan cacao and my ears just perk up and I'm like, wait, Guatemalan cacao? Wait, my father's from Guatemala. My ancestors are from there. And I think I maybe had it twice. And once that happened, it was like once I had those two experiences, it was like I just knew from then on that I was meant to work with the cacao and I was meant to share the cacao and I was meant to connect deeper with the cacao and with my ancestors, with my father. Yeah. I hadn't ever connected with him really in life. Right. And then he passed away when I was 22. And so in the human form, I didn't get to connect with him, but because of cacao, I was able to connect with his spirit and connect with him on the deepest level that you can connect with any family, with any. With yourself, with all of the things.

Yeah, I love that. So beautiful. And I think it's so fascinating that you went all the way to Bali only to be introduced by Kaki from Guatemala, where your own father and your own ancestors were from. So you were introduced to cacao. Tell Me what your first cacao ceremony was like.

Oh. So there was. I want to tell you about the two, right? So one of them was with the yoga teachers. And we're sitting in circle and they're drumming, and they're taking us through a journey. And I remember meeting the jaguar. We did a journey where we went to the underworld to meet the jaguar. And the jaguar represents transformation. And so we meet the jaguar. And I remember seeing a black jaguar, of all things, with these really beautiful yellow eyes, and she's just giving me love and nuzzling me. It was really profound because I had never visualized anything or had been on a journey before. So it was super profound. And I was really tapped into my heart. And I'm like, what is this medicine, right? It's magic. And then the second cacao ceremony was a round of fire, and it was with Ayla and Osiera in not too far from where we were staying in their home. And it was so beautiful. It was like a concert, but with cacao. And it was the most beautiful thing ever, actually, it was at nighttime, and it was just really magical. I just remember feeling, like such high vibrations and so much love with people I had never met. I was in this circle. It was really intense. So those were the two that were profound for me, my first two. And they were the most profound ceremonies ever.

I love that. So I want to learn more about kakao, because it's such a thing that people are talking about, I think. You know, I remember I did my first cook house ceremony with Malaika, my teacher, like, when I was 23, and being so moved by it, because hers was a Shiva shakti balancing one. So it was very tantric. The men and women were singing for each other and honoring each other. And it was just this beautiful, like, I love you for being a man, and I love you for being a woman, which we don't really do like, our society. So, like. Like, we're all equal. There's no differences between us, which is true from, you know, the most heightened level. But just to honor the differences between the masculine feminine was really beautiful. And then the cacao, I remember I was like, this is so strong, I can't drink it. Well, also because she doesn't sweeten it, which we'll talk more about just the different ways that you can prepare it. But I was like, this is like very, very bitter deep chocolate. And she also had us fast. Like, you couldn't eat that day and the day before. You could only have juices. So you basically have no food in your system. And then you have this cacao, so it's very potent. And then I think the songs bring it to life. So let's talk more about cacao. So what's the difference between cacao and chocolate?

So chocolate comes from cacao, right? And ceremonial cacao is made with intention, with the tradition, with the thoughtfulness. That's what distinguishes it from regular cacao. And then when you have pure ceremonial cacao, you're having all the beautiful health benefits that are there, all the living enzymes that are there, the energetic properties, the healthy fats. And so you have things like the anandamide, which is the bliss molecule that helps with your dopamine and your serotonin levels. You have the abromine that helps energize you, but like in a smooth way where there's not a crash or anxiety. Right. And then you have so much iron that helps to oxygenate and the magnesium that helps to relax and feeds your brain. And so you have all these antioxidants and nutrients and vitamins. So it is a pure superfood. And then the spiritual aid. So like on one level you're going to feel good because of all of that. And then on another level, when you sit with it in ceremony and it's prepared in a ceremony, you have this deeper heart opening effect.

Yeah, I mean it definitely is like this heart blasting substance. And I think that's why, I mean like historically, you know, the, I think it was the British or the Spanish, but it was the Europeans who came and discovered the cacao plant and they're like, what is this? Like these people are sitting around and they're getting so happy and ecstatic and then they taste and they're like, oh, this is really bitter. We can't have this, like, let's add like tons of sugar and milk to it because we, we're British and that's what we do. And then it became chocolate and then actually, you know, they turned them into slaves to take their cacao and turn it into chocolate factory. So I find it so beautiful that we're going back to the actual ways that it was intended to be consumed.

Yes. The Aztecs and the Mayans have been using this medicine for thousands of years for ceremony, for medicinal purposes, with that intention, for healing, for heart opening experiences. And it's just so interesting that we've turned it into chocolate where we killed off all of those properties to make this thing that like just makes us feel good for like a second. Right. But actually makes us sick after. So it's like, no, let's take it back to the roots.

So should we be having cacao? Like, what's your perspective? Should this be our new morning drink or should this just be something we have ceremonially?

You can have it. You know, every day is a drink if you have a small amount for sure. But no, you shouldn't be having a cup of ceremonial cacao every day. It should be used for ceremony. I think it's more powerful that way. So you can really have like that time just to set intention and be like really ritualistic with it. I don't feel like at this day and age, everyone does that every single day or can do that.

So.

So just having that, like, once in a while type of ceremony would be really beautiful.

Yeah, definitely. I've seen a lot of people, they're switching from coffee to cacao because it kind of, you know, it has caffeine in it. Right. So how does it compare to coffee's caffeine?

So it doesn't have as much caffeine as very little caffeine. It has theobromine. That's what energizes. That's like what's in green tea and other teas. Got it. So that's why you have that subtle energy for sure. But again, if you want to do it every day, then go for it, but have a small amount.

Some people, like David Wolf, are big cacao heads. Yeah. You may get a little loopy.

Yeah, you don't want to have anything every day. I feel like, why? You know, have something every single day. I think you should make it something special and it's just like anything else. Like, don't have chocolate every day. Don't have sugar every day.

Don't have chocolate every day.

You're lying.

I know you check that every day, but it's true. Yeah, I think, you know, I. So I wasn't drinking cacao at all. So, like I told you, I was not drinking any cacao because I got this blood test that told me I was sensitive to it. But then I got another one that said I wasn't. So, you know, these, like, food blood test things, they always, like, are kind of different. So I was like, you know what? When I went to Burning Man, I was like, okay, I'm going to bring this ceremonial cacao there. And I'm so glad I did because it's the only thing that held me freaking together. I was like, oh, my gosh. I needed this high consciousness thing to allow me to survive this crazy place.

Right. It's so gentle too. Right. And nurturing and feminine. That's the essence. Yeah.

And I found medicine the best. Like festival. It's not even a drug. It's. It's cacao. But it's like something great for a festival or if you're going to go dance or something. Because it does give you that energy. It does give you heartwarming. It just like, you know, sometimes also when you drink coffee, you get that kind of like, ooh, that like gooey, like, oh, I want to get the day started feeling.

I never had that feeling.

Really. I have that sometimes if I drink the right amount, if it's too much, then I just feel anxious.

Me too.

But with the cacao, I liked it because it was that without the crash or feeling dehydrated, etc, but then I felt called like after to just like start drinking it every single day. And then I started to. Over time, my body was just like, no, this is. This is too much cacao.

Yeah.

And if you just listen to your body, it will tell you. But I think that it was working with me for some time to help open my heart. And then once I just got what I needed from it, it's like, okay, this is like right now when I'm drinking yours, which you can tell us what your magic ingredient is in here. But small sips is all you need.

Yes. Oh my gosh. I mean, for me to get into ceremony, I only need a few sips to really get into it. The essence she's already within. Right. But I feel like if you're starting with it, it's a really good idea. You made a good point of like doing it for like a week. Small doses, right? Maybe half an ounce or even less every day just to really get into it and see if it's for you. Also, I know a lot of people are interested in sharing the cacao and really feeling into. Is this calling to you or does it just taste good or feel good? But is it your medicine to work with more? That's also, I think, an important point.

Yeah, no, definitely. I think it is very buzzy. And I know that tons of people want to lead cacao ceremonies and this. And it's like it is important to remember just, you know, the traditions behind it and that this is a form of medicine, like ayahuasca, like mushrooms. Like obviously it doesn't have any psychedelic effect to it, but it still is plant medicine.

Yes, exactly.

So what are you finding now with the popularization of cacao? Do you see that people are still drinking it ceremonially. You kind of seeing it, like, appropriated from its culture.

I'm seeing both. In our community, we do see a lot of people who are doing it in ritual, which is beautiful, but. Oh, yeah, a lot of people are using it to work out and to work and do all these things. And it's beautiful for creativity and that's wonderful. Use it for those things as well. I mean, I wrote the book on it. Right. I had my ritual. Every morning I would drink my cacao, and it was a ritual. And I felt like I was channeling the cacao spirit and mother Earth in that way. So for sure you can use it like that too. But just to remember it's a medicine. Exactly. There's tradition behind it and, like, respect the plant. That's what I would love for people to do.

So how can we have a little, like, cacao ceremony to ourselves? How can we ritualize this in our daily or weekly or monthly? Maybe it's a full moon thing or something.

Yes. So, you know, it's made with intention and love and the thoughtfulness. And so when you get it, it's as pure as you can get. It's already fermented.

And it's a block.

It's a block. So it's fermented and then it's lightly roasted or toasted. And then it is hand peeled. The husks are hand peeled off and then stone grinded. And so then you have that block paste from Guatemala that gets shipped to you. And from then on, what you would want to do is cleanse the space. And you would want to cleanse and clear with the sage, and you would want to have beautiful healing music in the background or singing to your cacao and really setting the space of sacred space. And the intention of. I'm making sacred plant medicine right now for healing and for whatever purposes that are yours. And also saging and calling in your spirit guides and calling in your ancestors and giving thanks to Mother Earth for this beautiful medicine and giving thanks to the creator, to God, to your great spirit, and doing all of those things to create that space and drinking it with intention, drinking it with openness and with love and with that ceremony.

I love that. So let's talk about sage versus Palo Santo. Why do you recommend saging and not palo Santo ing?

Yeah. So sage, what I learned is it helps to clean and cleanse the space. And the palo santo calls in the spirit. So I'd like to sage first. And then once we have this clean and clear space, we can call in all the Beautiful, benevolent spirits and the beautiful spirit guides to be with us and the cacao spirit to be with us.

Yeah, exactly what I've heard. That sage clears the energy. So if there's any negative energy, you know, lingering on, souls that sometimes sit around in your living room and they're like, I'm gonna move shit around. Gets rid of those.

Or you bring them in from the streets after traffic or whatever. Totally, totally cleanse that out after an Internet troll.

The spirit's here, and then the palo santo smooths. So it's like, okay, we getting wavy now. Palo santo. I actually like the smell of palo santo a lot more than I like sage.

I.

But, you know, sage is more Native American tradition. And Apollo Santo is. Is it Guatemalan? I feel. I mean, obviously it's some sort of indigenous Latin, and sage is more like northern. But I'd be curious to learn more about just, you know, every culture has this form of energetically clearing plant. So in Persian, Zoroastrian culture, you burn the wild root in this, like, big tray, and all the smoke comes out and it clears out the energy. So I find it amazing that every single part the world has this. It's just, are we still using it and aware of it?

I think it's important that we also say that the Palo Santo is endangered and the sage isn't, so we should work towards, like, using more sage than palo Santo anyway, using the spray, someone.

Brought that up to me, and it's something that I really want to learn more about. That Palo Santo is being endangered, is it. So is it becoming endangered because of deforestation or because we're using it too much?

That is the question. I'm not sure.

So someone let us know. So let's. No, Paul, there's a great Palo Sandra sage spray, which is actually what Christine and I just used before this podcast. It's by Anima Mundi, who's going to be on this podcast very soon. But the protection mist, it's awesome. You get that beautiful smell without using the actual wood. And you know what I always see? I go to these events and I buy a crystal and they just, like, throw in all this Palo Santo sticks in there because it's probably cheap, but it's like, I have. I really do have, like, multiple sticks at home. That one stick can last you at least a year.

Yeah.

You know, so we don't need to be buying them, gifting them, sharing them if they're endangered. So that's a good point to bring up.

Yeah.

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You guide people through in the ceremony.

In the ceremony that. Yeah. When you're facilitating for a couple of your friends.

Yeah. So the way I do it is I like to get everyone really grounded and connected to Mother Earth. And it's always different, but always giving thanks to Mother Earth. Giving thanks to our spirit guides and our ancestors and all the beautiful forces out there that protect us and love us and to the Creator and to the ancestors of the land and setting intention with the cacao and putting our prayers in the cacao so that when we drink it, it's like we are drinking those prayers and we're remembering that we are literally walking prayers. And again, we talked about saging already and cleansing. So we like to always make sure we're cleansing the spray space and cleansing each person before they sit and really connecting them and grounding them in before we start. Yeah.

And then I know you always do like a little bit of like smelling it and looking at it and putting it on your heart.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. All the details. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Let's just talk a little bit about the get into know process. Yeah.

I like to bring it up to our hearts. Yes, exactly. And like connecting it there and breathing in the essence and sipping in that sweet nectar and swirling it around our mouth so we can taste the essence of the cacao spirit and welcoming the cacao spirit in energetically by saying yes. So you would say yes and you would welcome her in and remembering that she's actually the true facilitator. And I'm just, you know, lucky to hold the space.

Mm. I went to this three hour long cacao ceremony that was just like a seated cacao ceremony at Bali Spirit Fest this past year, which was awesome. But I was like, wow, imagine if I did everything in my life this mindfully, you know, like just when we had the cacao in our hands. A solid hour of it was us touching it, like, meditating on it, putting it on our third eye, putting it on our heart, smelling it, like, swirling it around, looking at the colors, looking at the dots. And then, like, when you taste it, it's like, finally. And then I think you take the smallest sip and you let it move around your mouth and it's like, obviously with like, every meal, you don't have that much time. But if you do anything in your life that mindfully, I truly believe it can become medicinal. You know, a tea ceremony, it could be an oolong tea ceremony, it can be a green juice ceremony. It could be anything. But it's like, I mean, even with green juice, you're supposed to be chewing it in your mouth. Because when you're just drinking it. Yeah. Not only the enzymes, but your. Your body doesn't recognize it as food. So whenever I have a green juice or even a green smoothie, I'm, like, chewing it even though there's nothing to chew. So my body recognizes I'm eating, and it can then prepare the right digestive environment for me to break down food. Whereas most of us, we just chug down a green smoothie and it just goes in, like, water. When there was. There's like 4 pounds of kale in there, etc. Same with anything that you have. When you do it so fast, your body doesn't have time to prepare for it.

Yeah, so. Totally. Yeah. When we sit, we sit with the cacao and we take our time and. Yeah. It's a beautiful process and we'd love to give thanks when we do it for sure, so.

Very true. So right now we are drinking a cacao that she made that has. What is the secret ingredient?

It's rose petals. It's so delicious.

It's the best cacao I've ever had in my life. So can you tell us how you infused these rose petals in the cacao?

I steeped rose petals first in hot water and then separately from the cacao. Separately. Yeah, yeah. And then I added that with the cacao and I blend it so it's a really nice and creamy texture. And I add a little bit of natural sweetener. I like monk fruit. Yeah. Or sometimes coconut sugar and cinnamon. And cayenne. Cayenne is like a cinnamon synergist, so it really helps to, like, get in your blood system quick and affect you. Yeah, it's beautiful.

Yeah. When I did the cacao ceremony with Malaika, she just does cacao with cayenne.

Right.

Because her. Her thing is that it's medicine. And medicine is supposed to taste bitter and the bitterness of it is what makes it medicinal. Which in Ayurveda they have a lot of, you know, things about taste as well. So I think some people maybe like, who are really like traditional with the cacao are more like that. But I think, I think it's different. Like that is more you're here for a cacao ceremony. Like this is medicine, you're about to transform. Whereas this is more feminine, relaxing, heart opening. Like we're not going through a process right now. We're just having this to like further connect and deepen into our heart space. So I see them as just different uses.

Yeah, we like in our society we're not used to things that bitter. So some people can feel really sick if they have it in that form. Like that's really an intense way to take it. And I think when you, you know, the way we did it, you can still taste the bitterness. You can, you can taste so many different little aspects within that cacao. And I think it's a beautiful way to do it. But yeah, you don't want to like go crazy and boil the cacao, by the way, because that will kill all of the properties and you don't want to add a ton of sugar and then make it into something that. Like hot chocolate. Yeah, it's not hot chocolate. It is medicine. Yeah, for sure.

Okay, so let's just talk about that boiling bit because I think what most people do when they have tea or anything is they boil water and then they add in the substance. So what should we be doing the temperature wise with this cacao?

Well, don't boil your water for sure. Don't boil the cacao.

So do you boil it and then just add in some regular water with that one?

Well, the way I do, I have a kettle that you can set it to certain temperatures.

Got it.

Which is the best thing.

I should get one those of those. Because I'm just boiling it and then I'm like, okay, let me just like leave it alone for 10 minutes and come back. And then I forget and then it's cold.

Yeah, so.

So I'm just killing everything when I put in the boiled water.

Yeah, of course. Yeah, you're pretty much killing it all off. It's like pointless because you kill. Yeah, you kill off the properties, the enzymes, the good fat, all that stuff.

What I've been doing. Actually it's funny because I didn't realize the rose petals you've brewed separately, but I've been doing that with the blue lotus tea. I've been making the blue lotus tea, which we're infusing right now, which is. Is blue lotus petals, which are just very intuitive. Enhancing Egyptian ancient medicinal plant. Also got it from Anima Mundi. But yeah, so I've just been making the blue lotus tea separately and just keeping that in my fridge just to always have. And then mixing the cacao. So, yeah, and that's been really beautiful because it's amazing, especially because you can't really have cacao at night because it's so energizing. With the blue lotus, you kind of can, because that's very common.

So you can. But just really small amounts. Right. So you would want to have like a quarter of an ounce. It can really help with, like lucid dreaming, actually. So you can do it in that way.

Love that. And another thing with the cacao is, you know, a lot of people are doing bulletproof coffee because of the fats. Right. They're fasting and they want fats. But I found, like, I was trying it, but just coffee is just too dehydrating for me. I really can't do it. So. But with the cacao, you kind of are doing it naturally. You don't need to add in McDonald's CT oil or ghee or any of that stuff, because cacao is just natural fats and there's no sugar in it. If you use monk fruit, there's no sugar.

And you know what you can do? You can buy cacao butter, you can buy cacao butter. Just don't buy cacao powder because the powder is processed. And like we said, it's all killed.

Off all the time. Right. So you wouldn't. Okay. Because I also got this cacao powder and it said ceremonial cacao powder. But I'm like, how could this be?

Well, then they made a ceremony around it. Right. Because we can do that too. So if you. If this is your first time and you're hearing about cacao ceremonies and you want to try and you have cacao nibs and you have cacao butter, or you have cacao paste, or you have even the powder, you can start with what you have and you can set your intention and you can make it into a ceremony. So that's what they're saying. But then you have something that is like, truly ceremonial, that is literally from Guatemala, from the ones that it started with. Right. The originators, the OGs.

Right.

It's a little different.

Yeah. Because with the cacao butter, they're taking the actual, like, brown Cacao powder and it's just the pure fat, you know? Oh, I just saw a dolphin go by. Do you see it?

No.

Where you'll see dolphin or by sign of good luck here. But yeah, the cacao butter is just like white creaminess, whereas the cacao powder is just going to give you that really chocolatey taste. Cacao paste. Would that be very similar to what the ceremonial cacao is?

Because it's both similar. Yeah, okay. Exactly. It's the pure stuff.

So the purest, right?

Yeah.

Super fascinating. And then cocoa. Let's just talk about the difference between cacao and cocoa, because people need to know this.

Cocoa is just chocolate. It's processed chocolate.

There's nothing. There's nothing good for you. Because I've seen brands be like, oh, it's like golden milk with cocoa and acting like. That's the. It's. That's Hershey's. Yeah, that's Hershey. You don't want that.

You don't want that.

It's just. It's burned. It's like as if I processed or pasteurized your green juice.

Yeah, there's like, no point.

There's no point. It's the odwalla of the cacao world. Processed, you know, juice, AKA sugar.

Oh, my gosh. The worst. Yeah, yeah, it's the.

Stay away from the Hershey's. Odella.

Yes.

If you're listening to this from Odella, I'm sorry, but.

Sorry. Like, 25 grams of sugar.

25 grams. We can't do it here. Okay, amazing. So I want to talk also just a little bit about working with ancestors, because that's a huge thing that a lot of people. It's coming face to face with them right now. They're realizing a lot of the traumas they've held on to are not just their own, but have been passed down intergenerationally.

So I think a really good way to do it is to work with the cacao. I mean, it helps me. It changed my life because with the cacao, I could connect with my true self and my ancestors and recognize that I get to be their dream come true, their walking miracle. And I get to heal all the traumas that have been before me. Right. I get to be all of the love and transmute all of that. That pain and that fear into love, you know?

So just being, you think is the best way?

Yeah, just being. And I think like tapping in with yourself, and I think cacao helps to do that. And tapping in with your ancestors in that way. Do you know What?

I mean, yeah, totally. Yeah. I mean, it's like, it's just as simple as being the best version of yourself, because that's what your ancestors would have wanted. And then I think it's also awareness which just comes. Comes from doing the self work, you know, just if people are like, what does that even mean? Like an ancestral trauma, like, how do I even know? For me, it's like looking at what are the beliefs that I have that aren't really serving me and then going to the root of them and realizing that that actually never came for me. That was taught to me. And then how is it given to them? Well, that was taught to them and taught to them and taught to them. And it's all just based on fear. And most of the times we see this same issues happening, whether it's scarcity, mindset across intergenerations, or whether it's sexual abuse or whether it's, you know, just fear of survival, which was the one that was in my family. And I think that we in this generation, as indigo children, crystal children, rainbow children, have come forward to be like, nope, this is not going to work anymore. And I'm going to be the one who, who steps foot in front of this. And that can be really hard because you're going against, you know, maybe 10 generations plus of carrying on this story. And when you let go of that story, oftentimes your family might not even recognize you because you're like, well, who are you without this story? Like, we're all broke. Like, that's just who we are, or like we all are this or that. And. And it can feel like letting go of a part of your identity. But the thing is, it was never actually true. Truly your identity.

Yeah. We get to transmute that fear into like love and be love and be that example. Yeah.

Yes. So people out there who are listening, they want to start working with the cacao. What do you recommend? Any places to get it or things to look out for, etc.

So there's a. There's a lot of different brands out there, beautiful brands. You can find them on Instagram. Instagram. If you look up ceremonial cacao, my favorite is Keith's cacao, and I have it on my website. You can get it from my Instagram or my website. Christine Olivia underscores my Instagram and then I am Christine Olivia is my website. So you can find it there. That's my favorite one. Of course, it's the most powerful one. I've had many different types and blends and all of the things. And it's the most powerful, most potent from the cacao shaman in Guatemala. It's San Marcos La Laguna.

Okay. So I will link to that because that's the same one I bought too. The keeps cacao, and I've been enjoying it. And I also sent you. I saw some cacaos that have, like, rose and this and that, which, I don't know, maybe. Maybe they're not as potent, but it's cool to see that, you know, there's like lavender, cacao, and then try them.

All and see what works for you. Right. Like this one is the one for me. So. And everyone's going to be different for sure. So many good ones.

Yes. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast and showing your wisdom. I'm super excited right now to do a little cacao ceremony with you for rose gold goddesses. So if you are Rose Gold Goddess, head into the group to see it. If not, we would love to have you. So head over to rosegoldgoddesses.com to join the waitlist so you can be part of it in our next launch.

Yay.

Salut.

Salut.

We're drinking out of the cutest Frida cups right now.

I love these. They're so cute.

Yes. I am craving a cup of cacao right now. So if you want to get your hands on some. My favorite is the tantric rose cacao from ceremonial cacao.com. so it's ceremonial-cacao.com. the brand is called Firefly. Super, super good. I really like it because the cacao is actually into these little discs. Sometimes you buy cacao and it's like in this very, very big block and it's really hard to cut it up and it gets really messy and. And then you. You lose a lot of cacao because you're chopping it up and it's just like all these little pieces everywhere. So I really like how this brand has it in little discs. This is not even sponsored by them. I'm literally just telling you the one that I like. And then tantric rose one, it's just like, oh, it's like the most delicious, sensual rose gold goddess flavor ever. So ceremonial-cacao.com with coupon code sample Sahara. We'll have that in the show notes, and it's going to change your life. So I hope you feel inspired to have more cacao, to just have more ceremony, more time for you to sit and enjoy your drink, connect to your heart, connect to your soul, and let the plant medicines that Mama Gaia provides us with nourish your body. So thank you Christine for being on the podcast. And if you loved this episode, I would love if you could leave me a review in the iTunes store. And as a free gift, I will share with you the the first half of my unreleased book Eat Right for your mind body type. Simply email a screenshot of your review over to SaharaetFeelFresh.com again Sahara S A H A R AatFeelFresh.com and I will send you over the first half of my unreleased book Eat Right for your mind body type. Thank you and namaste. I.