Sacred Cacao - Dark Chocolate Truffles

Introducing Olivia Ward, a sacred sister, chef for WITCH CAMP and guest on our grimoire.

My love for cacao runs deep. As a Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant, Food Scientist, Reiki Practitioner and Kitchen Witch, I have come to appreciate the energetic, medicinal, nutritional and functional properties of this sacred food on an all-encompassing level. I want to give you a run down of how magnificent cacao actually is and my experience with it.

Incorporating Cacao into ceremony and ritual

Honestly, any food, herb or drink can be incorporated into ceremony or ritual. To me it is all about the intention and presence that you have with the food. Cacao is a beautiful food to incorporate into any sort of heart chakra ceremony, womb healing ceremony or love ceremony (honoring self love, calling in a child, birth of a child, bonding of a friendship or spouse, connection with mother nature, etc).

I participated in a cacao ceremony at the Wild Women Wild Roses festival outside of Edmonton, AB earlier this summer that was transformational. As I sat in meditation, taking in the senses of the hot cacao drink that was crafted by a wise Indigenous woman, I had a vision of my late Great Baba holding a baby boy. She passed me the baby and the baby nuzzled into my chest. I physically felt my heart and womb crack wide open. The cacao helped guide me to this message. Little did I know I was one week pregnant at the time, even though after that experience I intuitively knew I was with a child.

 When using cacao in ceremony or ritual, it is important to really take in the sensations of the cacao that you are honoring. You can incorporate cacao into a ceremony through an elixir, hot chocolate beverage or Dark Chocolate Truffles (see recipe below). Which ever you choose start by:

  • Giving thanks to the farmers, growers, and makers of the product you are enjoying

  • Bring the cacao to the heart first, tapping into your heart beat and feeling into the heart space

  • Guiding the cacao up to your nose, taking in the deep earthy, bold aroma

  • Gently running the cacao over your lips, feeling the luscious texture

  • Moving the cacao into your mouth where you can savor every morsel of this decadent, sensual, medicinal, nutrient dense and sacred food

  • Feeling into your body’s sensations after consuming. The warmth, grounding, possibly energy or head rush, heart and womb opening that the energetics and chemical compounds of cacao bring to your body. Honoring cacao in this way can help to bring stillness and presence to the moment, helping you to tap into your body even more.

Dark Chocolate Truffles - Created by Olivia Ward

These Dark Chocolate Truffles are the perfect combination of dark chocolate and cacao powder to heighten your senses, open your heart and ground you into the earthiness of the bold flavor. Make a batch to keep in the freezer when going into ceremony, to enjoy as an act of self-love and pleasure through out the day or to give as a gift. This recipe can also be found in my latest e-book Liv’s Dairy Free Kitchen, with many other recipes to nourish the soul.

 Ingredients

  • 1 cup 60-70% dark chocolate, finely chopped (or coarsely ground in food processor or high speed blender)

  • 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

  • 1 tbsp raw honey

  • 1 tbsp refined coconut oil

  • 1/8 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup cacao powder

 Instructions

  1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl.

  2. In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk and honey to 176F, or just before a boil forms, while continuously whisking.

  3. Transfer the milk and honey mixture to the bowl of chopped chocolate with a spatula, begin mixing the liquid mixture into the chocolate, starting at the middle and working your way to the outside of the bowl until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.

  4. Add in the coconut oil and blend uniformly using a hand held immersion blender. Allow the chocolate to cool to 77F on the counter then blend once more with the immersion blender for the smoothest texture.

  5. Place the chocolate mixture in the fridge to harden so that it can be handled (approximately 45 minutes).

  6. Once cooled, scoop out 1 tbsp of chocolate and roll between hands to form a ball.

  7. Roll the ball of chocolate in cocoa powder to coat.

  8. Place on a tray and keep refrigerated until serving or freeze for air tight container for up to 3 months. This chocolate melts quickly, therefore always keep it chilled.

 

Written by Olivia Ward, BSc, C.H.N.C, Reiki Master

Olivia Ward (aka Liv) is a Certified Holistic Nutritional Consultant, Reiki Master, Bachelor’s of Science degree graduate and founder of LivNourished, a holistic wellness practice and blog that unites body, mind and soul through nourishing food, intuitive connection and embracing simplicity. Olivia is passionate about teaching how to become your own best health advocate by going beyond food and tapping into your intuition. Olivia uses an integrative approach to discovering the root cause of your symptoms and creates a unique experience with each session offered to meet your individual needs. Olivia offers full body holistic nutrition assessments, integrative reiki sessions, workshops, cooking classes, online resources and dairy free and gluten free recipes through her blog www.livnourished.com.

Moon Well