I'm going to invite everybody to make themselves comfortable,
Closing their eyes,
Placing our hands over our heart and starting to take some nice deep breaths.
Just arriving here as we take a moment to open tonight's circle.
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.
May this space be soft and bright,
Held in warmth and quiet light,
Hearts connected far and near,
Gathered gently together here.
Invite you to breathe in that light,
Visualise yourself breathing in that beautiful white light from the universe,
That light connects us,
It energises us,
It keeps us safe.
Feel it wrapping around you like a warm blanket,
Breathing it in,
Feeling us all coming together to hold space in this beautiful ceremony tonight.
Taking one more nice deep breath in and a slow breath out.
When you're ready,
I invite you to hold your cacao so that you feel the warmth in your fingers as we pay gratitude to this beautiful plant medicine.
Mama cacao,
Your gift we received 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.
With gratitude,
Respect and deep care,
We give thanks to the earth,
The fire,
The water and the air.
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.
Taking a moment to breathe in that beautiful aroma,
With mama cacao as our guide,
We gather here tonight to open our hearts,
To honour what has been and to release what no longer serves.
May this sacred cup support us in returning to ourselves,
Grounded,
Clear and free.
Holding your cacao against your chest,
Taking a moment to feel its warmth,
Its grounding presence.
Throughout our lives,
We form energetic chords to people,
Places,
Habits and beliefs.
Some of these connections nourish us and some,
Over time,
Begin to weigh heavy.
They keep us looping,
Repeating and holding on long after their purpose has passed.
As we prepare to take our first sip together,
I first invite you to bring to mind a person,
A place,
A habit or a belief that you feel ready to let go of.
Not with judgment,
Not with force,
Not with negativity,
With just a gentle witnessing and a deep knowing.
Taking a nice deep breath,
Holding that connection in your mind as you take your first sip,
To witness this connection,
To notice where it lives in your body,
Where do you feel the pull.
Breathe into that.
Breathing into that first sip,
Witnessing that connection,
Noticing where it feels heavy in your body.
Bringing your cup back to your heart,
Continuing to breathe nice and deep before we take our second sip together.
We honour the connections,
We whisper a quiet thank you,
Because even the heavy things have shaped us,
They've taught us,
They've guided us in some way.
And as you sip,
Just ask yourself gently,
What did this connection give me?
What did I learn?
Breathing into your heart,
You don't need all the answers,
Allow your breath in and out,
Allow a soft sense of gratitude,
Taking that moment to honour that connection.
Now that we have acknowledged this connection and thanked it for the lesson,
It's time to close this chapter.
To free our energy,
To cut the cords.
In your mind's eye,
I invite you to visualise two candles before you,
A black candle and a white candle.
Gently pick up the black candle and carve into it a word,
A symbol or an image that represents that connection that you are releasing.
Take your time.
Now place it down and lift the white candle.
This candle represents you,
Whole,
Clear,
Unburdened.
Now carve into it a word or symbol that represents your liberated self.
Placing both candles before you,
We're now going to wrap a red string around each candle.
This string represents the energetic cord that has bound you to this connection.
Notice its tension and as you light both the candles,
Watch the flames begin to dance.
Slowly the wax begins to melt.
And as the candles burn and we take our third sip together,
We say,
By breath and by flame,
This cord now burns.
I stand in my power,
My energy returns.
With a grateful heart,
I release the pain.
From the ashes,
I'll rise again.
Breathing into your heart.
Continue to sip your cacao as your candles burn down towards the string.
By breath and by flame,
This cord now burns.
I stand in my power,
My energy returns.
With a grateful heart,
I release the pain.
From the ashes,
I'll rise again.
By breath and by flame,
This cord now burns.
With a grateful heart,
I release the pain.
By breath and by flame,
This cord now burns.
I stand in my power,
My energy returns.
With a grateful heart,
I release the pain.
Taking a deep breath in.
And as you exhale,
Notice that the string has burned away,
Leaving only ashes.
The connection has dissolved,
Your energy has returned to you.
You are free.
Breathe into that release.
Feel the space this creates within you.
The lightness,
The openness.
As you gently say to yourself,
I close this chapter with gratitude.
And open to new pathways,
Possibilities and peace.
When we release what no longer serves us,
We create space for what is meant to arrive.
And as you walk gently from here,
Guided,
Grounded and held,
May you carry this lightness with you into all that comes next.
Thank you,
And blessed be.
