I'm going to invite you as we open tonight's ceremony to close your eyes,
Placing both your hands over your heart and start taking some nice beautiful nourishing breaths as we arrive here in this space,
Coming together,
Preparing for our day ahead if it's morning for you or preparing to end out your weekend if it's night,
Some breathing into our hearts as I open our ceremony.
Beautiful Goddess,
Surround me in light,
Strong and true,
A shield of power for all I do.
No harm shall pass,
No ill shall stay,
Only love and peace to light my way.
With every breath,
I stand secure,
Protected,
Grounded,
Calm and pure.
Invite you to breathe in that light,
Breathing in that love,
Breathing it in,
That energy that connects us all here in this space together.
And as we breathe in that light,
May this space be soft and bright,
Held in warmth and quiet light,
Hearts connected far and near,
Gathered gently together here.
Breathing in that energy of us all coming together to hold space tonight.
One more nice deep nourishing breath.
And when you're ready,
I invite you to hold your cacao so that you feel the warmth in your fingers,
In your hands,
Starting to smell that aroma.
If you're called to placing your cacao directly against your chest so that you feel the warmth radiating into your heart.
Mama Cacao,
Your gift we receive with grace.
Thank you for holding this sacred space.
We honour the ancestors,
The lands,
The histories.
And we thank the farmers and families who tend to your trees.
May this cup be warm in our hands,
A quiet bridge across distant lands,
Together,
Sipping,
Breathing slow,
Held in cacao's heart we grow.
Breathing in that aroma with this cup of cacao tonight,
We journey into the archetype of the wise old woman,
The one who walks between fear and truth.
With Mama Cacao as our guide,
We open our hearts,
Our bodies and our minds to the guidance,
The strength and the wisdom that is already within us.
As we take our first sip together,
May Mama Cacao gift us the power of earth to ground us,
To support us,
To root us deeply into the steady nourishing strength beneath us.
We sip for the power of earth.
And as you feel that first sip entering your body,
Breathing into its energy,
Breathing in the earth energy,
Grounding you,
Perhaps visualising standing barefoot on the earth,
Feeling the grass beneath your feet as you breathe it in.
With our next sip together,
May Mama Cacao gift us the power of air to breathe life into our bodies,
To soften our mind,
To inhale peace and exhale all that feels heavy.
We sip for the power of air.
Breathing into that sip,
Breathing into that air energy,
Visualise yourself standing perhaps somewhere where there's fresh,
Crisp morning air,
A place that you can smell that fresh air,
Where you can feel that fresh air,
Maybe even see it blowing out of your mouth on a cold,
Crisp day.
Breathing in,
Connecting with that air energy,
That breath of life.
With our next sip together,
May Mama Cacao gift us with the power of fire to awaken our passions,
To ignite our creativity and to release all that no longer serves us.
We sip for the power of fire.
And as you breathe in to that sip,
Breathing into that fire energy,
Perhaps visualising yourself burning away all that no longer serves you,
Allowing that flame within you to ignite,
Stirring your creativity,
Igniting and awakening your passions,
Breathing into that fire energy.
With our next sip,
May Mama Cacao gift us with the power of water to feel deeply,
To honour the ebb and flow within us and to allow our emotions to move freely.
We sip for the power of water.
As you breathe in to that sip,
Connecting in with the water energy,
Visualising yourself standing at the ocean's edge,
Allowing the ocean's ebb and flow to wash over your feet,
Feeling the power of the ocean,
Breathing into that water energy,
That flow,
That cleansing.
With our next sip,
May Mama Cacao gift us the power of spirit to connect with our intuition,
To trust the quiet whispers within and to remember we are always supported.
We sip for the power of spirit.
As we breathe in to that sip,
Feeling that spirit energy connecting with us,
Visualising yourself hearing those whispers,
Trusting your instincts,
Expressing your intuition,
Breathe into that energy with these elements of earth,
Air,
Fire,
Water and spirit woven within us.
Mama Cacao,
We thank you for these gifts,
We thank you for your guidance and we thank you for your presence.
I now invite you to gently place a hand over your heart,
Take a nice deep breath in and a slow breath out and in this moment,
Make a promise to yourself to keep showing up for your healing,
For your growth,
For your becoming and we sip to the power of you.
And as you breathe into that energy,
I'm going to invite you to continue sipping your cacao as we connect in with tonight's song.
Breathe into that energy,
The earth,
The air,
The fire,
The water,
The spirit,
It lives in you.
I invite you to keep your eyes closed,
Feeling the warmth of cacao within you,
This heart medicine preparing you for the journey ahead tonight.
Continue to breathe nice and deep,
Making yourself comfortable.
The journey that we are going to take is into a special forest.
Know that while you are here,
You are safe.
I invite you to visualize a pre-dawn forest,
The world is still wrapped in darkness with only the faintest hint of a new day on the horizon.
The forest is quiet,
The animals are resting,
The air is still.
As you move gently through the trees,
You come across a cottage,
It's a special cottage standing tall on chicken legs,
And it may look like something from a childhood nightmare,
But deep in your heart you know that this place holds wisdom,
A kind of wisdom that not everyone gets to receive.
You walk slowly around the cottage and there,
By the fire,
Is Baba Yaga,
Hunched over her staff,
Ancient,
Powerful,
Watching.
You step forward with courage,
Knowing there is wisdom for you in this special meeting.
As Baba Yaga lifts her gaze and sees you,
A deep sense of calm and clarity washes over you,
She gestures for you to come closer and you sit with her beside the fire.
She watches you closely,
She can see beyond what is shown on the surface.
Taking a moment here to reflect on your life,
On all that has brought you to this exact point.
After a moment in quiet reflection,
Baba Yaga speaks to you.
I,
Like many before me,
Have been misunderstood.
I am not here to harm you,
I am here to reveal you.
I am the one who walks with you through the dark,
Who asks the questions others are too afraid to ask.
I am wild,
I am free,
I answer to no one.
And because I do not conform,
I have been feared.
But there is nothing to fear when you truly know who you are.
Baba Yaga leans closer,
Her presence strong and steady as she says to you.
So tell me,
What is holding you back?
What are you afraid of?
What truth have you buried that is ready to rise?
It is time,
Baba Yaga says,
Time to stop running from your shadows,
Learn their names,
Listen to their cries and honour what they have come to teach you.
Your pain is not your enemy,
It is a seed and with care it can transform into something powerful,
Something true.
Baba Yaga reaches towards you and whispers,
Hold out your hand and into your palm she places a gift,
A totem,
A symbol,
A word,
Something just for you.
Take a moment to notice what it is and what it means for you.
Take this with you,
She says,
Let it guide you as you walk your own path.
Choose yourself,
Choose your truth,
Choose your freedom.
You carry my strength with you now.
Blessed be,
Child.
The time has come for you to leave this special place.
As you begin to rise from your seat next to the fire,
Paying thanks and gratitude to Baba Yaga,
Gently making your way back through the forest,
You notice that the darkness has begun to soften and in the distance the sun starts to rise.
You feel its warmth,
Its quiet promise of a new beginning.
On this walk back through the forest,
Take time to acknowledge the wise words that Baba Yaga bestowed on you as you hold your totem close,
Knowing its power lives within you,
That Baba Yaga lives within you.
Embrace that wise,
Wild woman,
Feminine power energy.
And when you feel ready,
Begin to return to your body,
Gently wiggling your toes,
Your fingers,
Maybe having a stretch before softly and gently opening your eyes.
Thank you and blessed be.
