Cacao Apprenticeship

Cacao and cacao ceremony has now become very mainstream. So many want to and are sharing this plant medicine all over the world.

With 22 years of experience in ceremony, and 12 years in ceremony with I’xCacao, I like to support and guide those that feel committed to diving deeper on their own journey of discovering themselves through the practice with this plant medicine, and that want to walk with Cacao with more knowledge, respect, and integrity. (Learn more about my path with cacao below)

If you plan on working with this medicine as part of your service and offering in this time, it is important to consider two paths:

  1. The path of exploration. On this path you don’t need permission or the blessing from anyone to share your practice and you can hold space based on your understanding of the medicine and your connection. (This is the path that most take until they realize it is deeper than it seems).

  2. The path of initiation by a teacher/guide that is a long ongoing transmission of the Spirit through the basic understanding that the space you hold is based on the personal work you have done, that Cacao is fire and there are deity’s involved, that there are different energies each day that call this spirit with specific intentions, that there are appropriate offerings that are important to guard your energy, and that it is important to honor and respect the original guardians of this Plant medicine as best as possible. This path is the one I walk now and the one I share with those that sincerely ask for my guidance and want to really understand the plant and the ceremony.

For me, sharing this medicine is pretty deep and a serious commitment and responsibility. That is why this offering is the initiatory path, which is a longer journey and relationship. On this path, we are continuously learning and listening.

The in-person experiences as part of this offering are co-facilitated with my wife, Giovanna, who has also been walking and deepening with this medicine since 2016.

Apprenticeship outline:

  • Four virtual sessions as preparation

  • To participate in 20 fire ceremonies, which could be done in either: Three 7-day in-person immersions OR Two 10-day in-person immersions in Nayarit, México. To complete within 2 years.

  • Integration call after in-person immersions

My path with IxCacao

I first learned about cacao in 2005 when I was part of a reforestation project in Palenque, México. We were camping in a cacao farm and there I learned how to roast, peel, and grind the cacao to make “bliss balls". It wasn’t until 2012 that I encountered cacao in a ceremonial way in Guatemala through Keith Wilson. After communing with IxCacao for a few days, I realized how powerful and potent that medicine was. It opened up my life and path in a way I didn’t expect.

In August 2012, I was with Quiche Mayan elders (Nan Fabiana & Tat Pedro) from Guatemala and asked them if they could share a cacao ceremony with the community. They agreed, and at that ceremony, they shared that it was the first time ever that they shared cacao with non-mayans.

Since then, I’ve been studying with these elders and continue to learn and discover the depth of this medicine. In 2018, I completed my initiation with the fire, under the guidance of Nan Fabiana and Tat Pedro.

I now share cacao mostly along with the fire ceremony. I continue to weave the ancient and the new beams together in my own practice.