Welcome,
Beautiful souls.
Thank you for being here.
Start settling in,
Making yourself comfortable.
I'm going to invite you to hold your cacao.
Gently against your heart.
Feeling its warmth resting there against your chest.
Closing your eyes.
Taking a slow,
Nourishing breath in.
And a long gentle breath out.
And again,
In.
And out.
Allowing your breath to soften your shoulders.
Soften your jaw.
Soften your body.
As you arrive here.
All upon the goddesses,
Our angels,
Our guides,
And our loved ones in spirit.
Surround this space with pure love so that we may feel safe.
Surround each of us with your loving presence so that we may feel protected.
And guide us with your wisdom,
So that we may move through this experience in a way that serves our highest good.
May we be held.
May we be guided.
May we be open to receive.
Breathing in that beautiful energy,
That loving light feeling that love all around us as you breathe it into your heart.
Feeling the warmth of cacao against your heart.
Breathing in her earthly aroma starting to open to the magic in our cups.
Thank you Mama Cacao for the beautiful gift we are about to receive.
With gratitude we honour the wisdom keepers,
The ancestors and the traditional custodians of the lands where this cacao first grew.
We thank the farmers and families whose hands lovingly planted,
Nurtured,
Harvested,
And shared this gift with the world.
We thank the rich earth that held her roots.
The reins that nourished her.
The sun that warmed her and the winds that carried her to us tonight.
May we receive this cacao.
With open hearts and deep respect.
We're going to do something a little bit different tonight.
Tonight we're going to start by taking a small sip of Mama Cacao to begin this journey.
Just enough to feel her warmth.
Feel her connecting us here.
And then allow your cacao to rest in your hands as we step into a world of wonder.
I'm going to invite you to visualise in front of you an ancient wooden desk.
It's old.
Beautiful,
A little mysterious.
And spread across it are herbs,
Flowers,
Roots,
Spices,
Tools.
Each one carrying its own energy.
And sitting in the centre of the desks is an hourglass.
That this isn't just any ordinary hourglass.
Its two chambers are completely empty.
And at the center is a copper core.
On the desk is a small collection of herbs.
And as you pick up each one,
Feel its energy.
And then place it into one side of the hourglass chamber.
The first one is Cedar.
Feel its strength,
Its courage,
Its steadiness as it goes into the hourglass.
You then pick up the chilli,
Feeling its heat,
Its fire,
Its personal power.
The next item you pick up is garlic.
And you feel its protective energy,
That boundary between you and what is not yours.
You then see the sandalwood.
And you feel how it is both grounding and soft,
Its ability to bring strength without hardness.
And finally,
A yellow dandelion,
A tiny golden flower,
Representing the sun.
One side of that hourglass is now complete.
And you see another selection of herbs appear.
Again,
You hold each one,
Feeling their energies before placing it into the other side of the hourglass.
And the first one you see is Makkah,
For its vitality,
The energy that feeds and nourishes.
The next one is Jasmine.
Notice its softness,
Its openness,
Its invitation towards love.
The next jar is mugwort.
Feel into the unseen.
The quiet knowing.
Part of you that senses before it understands.
And the next one is lavender.
The softness,
The calm,
Its grace.
And finally,
A white dandelion,
The same flower but transformed,
Its soft white seeds now representing the moon.
As you look at your hourglass,
You now truly notice the copper at its centre.
The core.
The bridge that connects both sides.
This core doesn't separate the two sides,
It joins them.
It's a conductor.
Carrying energy from one side to the other.
Because these energies were never meant to exist separately.
This hourglass holds the balance of masculine and feminine energies within us.
Two energies that can work together,
Complementing and supporting each other.
Neither above.
Neither below.
Simply connected.
Bringing your cacao back to your lips,
Taking another small sip as you turn your hourglass.
Watch as the contents begin to move.
The sun begins to meet the moon.
Strength meets softness.
Protection meets openness.
Courage makes calm.
Boundaries meet love.
Nothing needs to defeat the other.
This vessel holds it all.
Invite you to continue to sip your cacao and as you do so visualize holding that hourglass within your heart.
I learned to give.
I learned to please.
There's hardness in my heart because I struggle to believe I learned to react I learned to control.
There's hardness in my heart because doing was my role.
I am the moon i am the sun together as one together we grow not above Not blue.
Not against,
Not alone I am the river I am You give me feeling.
I give you a home.
We are the stillness,
We are the flame We are both listening,
Together we can change I am soft i am gentle i am strong i am bold we have listened We have grown no longer against,
No longer alone We give and receive.
We give and receive.
We protect and soften.
We stand and surrender.
We act and listen.
Balanced and whole.
The moon and the sun.
Working together.
Together as one.
Give and receive.
We give and receive.
We protect and soften.
We stand and surrender.
We act and listen.
Balanced and whole.
The moon and the sun.
Working together,
Together as one We give and receive.
We protect and soften.
We stand and surrender.
We act and listen.
Balanced and whole,
The moon and the sun.
Working together,
Together as one.
As we become aware of that hourglass held safely in our hearts.
Remember,
Not above.
Not below.
Not against.
Not a line.
We don't have to choose between strength and softness.
Between action and stillness.
Between giving and receiving.
Between protection and surrender.
Breathing into your heart.
Understanding that we can hold both.
We can listen and act.
We can soften and stand.
We can give and receive.
We can hold both.
We can be both.
That is balanced.
That is whole.
That is one vessel.
As you carry your hourglass forever in your heart.
You realize.
You are the vessel that holds them both.
Thank you and blessed be.
