Cacao & Damiana Blue Moon Ceremony

Once in a Blue Moon, we experience a moment that summons our deepest desires, and if we can pause to take the moment in, the unimaginable may just occur. Right action, heart-imbued effort, and coming together with others is just the formula to align us to this path. The Blue Moon is the second moon in the same month and is thought to enhance intentions and deepen our emotional aliveness. This Blue Moon is also a Supermoon and so exerts its force upon our Earthin bodies just a little bit extra.

We'll come together this Summer evening in a beautiful wellness space nestled in the heart of San Anselmo. The Ceremony will be a weaving together of the medicine wheel, drumming, sound bath, embodied movement, meditation, musical journeying, Reiki, and more. We'll open up our circle to the Elements, Directions, and other energies that come in a Good Way.

You can come with an intention or no intention, be as active as you wish, or just let go and receive - there is room for you to come as you are. The wisdom of Cacao & Usnea will offer you the Grace of receiving just what you need which may or may not be what you thought you wanted.

Why Cacao and Damiana?

To begin with, they play well together. Both growing wildly in and around equator regions. Both were used by the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs in a sacred, healing manner.

Cacao is a “heart opener,” literally and symbolically, as it’s a vasodilator — a substance that opens your blood vessels and stimulates blood flow. A cup of raw ceremonial Cacao will increase blood flow in the brain and body by 30% for about three hours. Another reason Cacao is known to open the heart is that two of the chemicals in Cacao — phenylethylamine and anandamide — make you feel somewhat blissful, open, euphoric, and satisfied. Some report that the feeling Cacao generates is similar to that of falling in love or becoming intimate. 

Damiana has been considered a plant medicine for hundreds, potentially thousands, of years to feel lighter and more easy-going, less stressed, and more chill. You might also have a happier gut and experience more energy. Damiana does have some psychedelic properties, but not the sort that will make you drop into kaleidoscopic altered states. The psychoactive components in the plant, won’t do anything more than lift your mood and deliver you to a more copasetic state of mind. 

Physiologically, they’re purported to work in different ways depending on the end result, although it’s worth noting that there hasn’t been a ton of research in this area. That being said, aphrodisiacs are thought to:

So, what about its aphrodisiac qualities? Yes, Damiana - as well as Cacao, are aphrodisiacs - but maybe not in the way you have come to understand what one is.

• Relax smooth muscle and increase blood flow throughout the body, which can lead to enhanced arousal - Cacao has one of the highest concentrations of magnesium than nearly any other plant on Earth, and the nitric oxide in Damiana that increases blood flow and relaxes blood vessels
• Change brain levels of neurotransmitters, such as - Dopamine, glutamic acid, and oxytocin all thought to boost mood, increase energy, enhance arousal 
• Increase levels of androgens, hormones like testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) 

What I've really learned from working with Damiana is that I feel more embodied, sensual, vibrant, and at ease in my skin. So instead of hypnotically finding myself suddenly erotically transfixed - I feel awakened and more open.

***Note***

VIDEO: A videographer from Keith’s Cacao (Carlos Marcus) will be respectfully filming the event as they will be featuring me in a profile and video. We will have video release forms for you to sign at the Ceremony. If you wish to come, but not be filmed, please let us know and we will find a way to honor your request.