We love Cacao. We honour the sacred Cacao spirit and its energetic, heart-opening and nourishing medicine. We want to learn from the Cacao tree and nurture all stages from planting, growing, harvesting to serving the heart-opening medicine. Together, we weave the vision of a healthy, spirited Cacao forest grown in right relationship with the people and the land ♥︎
We encourage closing a circle within our offerings, blessing the source, learning about sustainable practices on the field and supporting the Cacao farmers and their families. We envision a living bridge between people, plants and traditions to sustain the quality of life so that consciousness, gratitude and love can blossom. We invite you to take the journey with us.
Plant a tree today to create a long-lasting impact. Connect with us via email if you would like to make a larger donation or support an entire phase within the reforestation practice.
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 · Meet the Cacao Gardener Family · 7 pm CET · The Pagamento · Register
Tuesday, September 20, 2022 · Meet the Cacao Gardener Family · The Cacao Nursery
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 · Meet the Cacao Gardener Family · Introducing the Initiative
The Heart of the Forest - We cultivate awareness for the Cacao Spirit, the Tribal Elder Spirits of the forest and for Pachamama. Our gifts to the Cacao Gardener vision are considered a sacred blessing to the spirits of the rain forest, the planting of trees as well as for the safeguarding of traditional knowledge and sacred practices. We believe that we harvest what we plant and cultivate respect for us and the living world.
Cultivating Spirit - We envision growing into a global community of Cacao Gardeners who align to cultivate Spirit within their offerings. We intend to learn from the Cacao tree and witness all stages from planting to growing to harvesting. Feel welcome whether you are a guardian of the earth, a facilitator of sacred practices, a healing artist, a ceremonial leader, a keeper of the fire, or a student of life.
Reporting to Pachamama - We respect Pachamama as our teacher and report to her. We honour the resources we are given, value rest and relaxation and remember to breathe out. We are guided by the evolution of consciousness, yet strive for the simple way of the heart. We open to receive the guidelines of the 'Honourable Harvest'. In our work, including our communication and interactions, we follow the circle way. We cultivate transparency.
Cacao Blessing - Our partners are visionaries who are committed to protecting and safeguarding biodiverse Cacao forests and who intend to invest in the cultivation of traditional Cacao seeds, varieties and knowledge and practices related to the sustainable and ceremonial production (and consumption) of Cacao. We ensure that the donations arrive.
In early 2017 I started to share the teachings of the Cacao Spirit through the Cacao School and shared the classroom with beautiful people from all around the world.
In almost every class, we discussed the idea of closing a circle within our offerings while looking at Cacao's history, the global market and how the once sacred plant Cacao was transformed by the Europeans - first into medicine and then into industrial chocolate. Later, we entered the state of Ceremony and experienced the original heart medicine of the Cacao Spirit and witnessed how we were able to connect with a highly evolved consciousness effortlessly. The veils between the worlds lifted and carried the voice of the forest, calling us.
We wanted to connect with the source of Cacao and envisioned becoming godmothers and godparents to a Cacao tree. What if we could give something meaningful for all that we had received from the Cacao Spirit?
There are those projects that do not flow until you find the right ingredients. I think about one creation myth of the Mayan people: "many ingredients were mixed, but only when Cacao was added, the human was created". I needed a team and the experience of working together for the vision to come into manifestation. In 2020, I asked students to step into the medicine circle, represent one element and midwife a vision that allows to come full circle within our offerings.
Within the dreaming process we opened to be guided on how to value our resources, cultivate the circle way, breathe out instead of pushing through and overall enjoy our humanness while dreaming a bridge to carry intentions and sacred blessings for the nurturing of Pachamama and the Cacao Elder Spirits. Meeting every (other) week, we experienced the blessing of practice, patience and continuity. Then we were introduced to the Sierra Divina project and started to build a bridge between Europe and Colombia.
We welcome you into the sacred circle and to a journey into the heart of the sacred forest and into the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Colombia, the place the Kogi Mamos and Teyuna Elders call the 'Heart of the World'. We envision to growing into a global community of Cacao Gardeners who align with the Cacao Elder Spirits to cultivate integrity and wisdom within their sacred offerings. Feel welcome whether you are a guardian of the earth, a facilitator of sacred practices, a healing artist, a ceremonial leader, a keeper of the fire, or a student of life.
Thank you for being the guardian that you are. We are weaving. And we are many.
Serap Kara
Berlin, Autumn Equinox 2021