Cacao: Medicine of the Heart

The heart chakra acts as a bridge connecting the physical earthly chakras and spiritual centres. It is the home and seat of the soul, reminding us of how limitless we are. The heart governs love, compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness. It monitors our relationships and our joy for life and others. When the heart is closed, contracted, and neglected, we feel loneliness and isolation - we feel sadness and pain. When the heart is open and balanced, we feel joy, love, and a zest for life and living.

Many of us have experienced a 'broken heart'. While the heart cannot literally break in two, it can feel the pain of extreme emotion, loss, and stress with such intensity that broken heart syndrome manifests as chest pains, shortness of breath, and irregular heartbeat - symptoms not unlike a heart attack. Psychologically, heartbreak can trigger symptoms like depression, anxiety, grief. In addition, it can disrupt eating habits, sleep patterns, and overall motivation, impacting daily life.

A Journey to the Heart

At Dream Awake – when we take participants on a journey to the heart, we guide them through compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, joy, love and trust. To understand what it is to truly forgive and to be grateful. To trust themselves and their own intuition and guidance – these are all pathways to connecting with the heart chakra and our limitless self.

Cacao Medicine of the Heart

While there are many proven practices for heart chakra work - pranayama techniques, Yoga asanas, mantras, chants and meditations – my favourite is the sacred cacao. It is celebrated not only for supporting physical heart health, but also for its ability to heal and open the heart energetically.

Healthy Heart

The scientific name for cacao is Theobroma Cacao. Theobromine is like caffeine but different in that it affects the heart rather than the brain. Research has shown that it dilates blood vessels, which leads to greater blood circulation. This can help lower blood pressure. Coupled with the minerals and vitamins in cacao (Vit A, E, K1, B complex and zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium), we have a symbiotic medicine for heart-health.

Thanks to its high antioxidant content it has the ability to combat free radicals which age us and increase inflammation in the body, therefore diminishing cardiovascular health. Because it crosses the blood brain barrier, it can reduce stress and anxiety, thus promoting heart and mental health.

Most importantly, cacao regulates the neurotransmitters of the brain such as dopamine and serotonin, creating sensations of happiness and relief. This brings clarity of mind and the consciousness to move through the day and interact with others mindfully.

The benefits of cacao go far beyond what I've mentioned here. The list goes on, possibly another blog post entirely.

Compassion

The Mayans used cacao for conflict resolution, understanding its ability to invoke compassion. It nourishes the body and serves as a medicine to transcend the physical and feed the spirit. When we drink cacao, we experience a sense of fullness - not of the belly but of the heart and soul. A calmness descends bringing with it a feeling that life is going to be ok.

The secret of cacao is that it enables us to feel. It enables us to become more conscious and mindful. It activates our empathy and allows us to show up better with those around us, to react better to the situations of life, to take better care of ourselves.

In the words of one of the Mayan elders – Tata Jerico:

“With sacred Ka’kaw we can reconnect with mother earth, feel her again in our being. We can feel how the water flows in ourselves. We can feel how the air gives us oxygen. How the water refreshes and vitalizes us. We can feel as we walk barefoot on the earth how we don’t feel hot nor cold. This is the energy of the sacred Ka’kaw, it enables us to feel.”

Through cacao, we find a gentle pathway back to our heart centre – not forcing it open, but allowing it to naturally expand with compassion, presence, and connection.

Images used are from the soul cards of Deborah Koff-Chapin.

Fin and Cath are founders of Dream Awake working with cacao as a medicine for healing. Their next workshop is on Saturday, 28th June @ Mission Bubble Studio, London, SE22.