Welcome everybody.
Thank you for being here.
We're going to start by making ourselves nice and comfortable.
Holding our cacao gently against your heart Feeling its warmth resting there against your chest.
Closing your eyes.
And take a nice slow nourishing breath in.
And a long gentle breath out.
And again,
In.
And out.
Allowing your breath to soften your body.
Releasing your shoulders.
Unclenching your jaw.
As you arrive here.
I call 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.
And may we be open to receive.
Taking a nice deep breath,
Breathing in that energy,
Breathing in that white light.
Feeling it wrapping around you like a warm blanket.
Breathing it into your heart.
Feeling safe,
Feeling loved.
Feeling protected.
Feeling that warmth of cacao against your heart breathing in her beautiful aroma as we open to the magic in our cups.
With deep gratitude,
Thank you Mama Cacao for this sacred medicine that we will receive tonight.
Thank you for your grounding presence and your heart-opening magic.
With gratitude,
We also 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 and shared this gift with the world.
May we receive this cacao with open hearts and deep respect as we gather here together tonight.
With our first sip together.
May we feel the earth beneath us,
Growing deep roots.
As we sip,
Feel the power of Earth within us.
Breathing into that energy.
Allowing the earth.
To hold you.
With our next sip together,
May we feel the air all around us singing her soft,
Sacred song.
And as we sip,
Feel the power of air within us.
Breathing into the energy of that sip,
Allow the air to breathe life into you.
With our next sip together.
May we feel the fire,
Burn away what's not true.
And as we sit,
Feel the power of fire within us.
Breathing into that sip,
Allow the fire to renew you.
With our next Sip Together.
May we feel the water wash away old emotions.
And as we sip,
Feel the power of water within us.
Breathing into that energy,
Allowing the water to cleanse you.
With our next sip together.
May we feel spirit calling us home to ourselves,
Whispering,
You are free.
And as we sip,
Feel the power of Spirit within us.
Breathing into that sip.
Allow spirit to guide you.
Breathing in that energy,
Feeling the earth,
The air,
The fire,
The water and the spirit.
As you continue to sip your cacao,
Breathing into those elements.
Mm-hmm.
Fair fire,
Water,
Spirit,
Earth hold me Air breathe me,
Fire renew Water,
Soothe me Spirit,
Guide me home the room.
I belong there sings of sacred song the fire burns what's not true water heals makes me new Spirit whispers,
You are free All of this lives in me I am held,
I am free All the elements in me Earth,
Roots deep I belong Air sings soft,
Sacred song Fire burns what's not true Water heals,
Makes me new Spirit whispers,
You are free All of this lives in me I am held,
I am free All the elements in me I am held,
I am free,
All the elements I am held,
I am free Fair,
Fair fire,
Water,
Spirit Earth,
Hold me,
Air,
Air Breathe me,
Fire,
Renew Water soothe me Spirit,
Guide me home breathing into that energy.
Or the elements within you.
And if you are still sipping your cacao,
That is okay,
You can keep sipping.
Otherwise,
I invite you to place your cup down,
Making yourself nice and comfortable.
With the warmth of cacao running through us,
Going to take a little journey.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Taking a nice deep breath.
I'm going to invite you to imagine yourself sitting at a beautiful old wooden table.
The kind of table that feels as though it has its own stories.
In front of you are little glass bottles,
Each one filled with herbs,
Flowers,
Leaves,
All around you,
Bunches of herbs hang from wooden racks,
Slowly drying in the warm air.
Shelves line the walls filled with jars and bottles of every kind.
There are crystals catching the flicker of candlelight,
Carved wooden boxes,
Brass vessels,
Beautiful old books.
And a soft scent of herbs and earth fill the room.
As you look around you realise you are inside an old apothecary.
And somehow this place feels familiar.
Perhaps it awakens something within you.
That part of you that knows the wisdom of nature.
Taking another slow breath.
And notice the beautiful ancient book resting open on the table in front of you.
And beside it sits a magnificent cauldron.
There's a fire inside that's already glowing.
And as you move closer,
Looking at the open page of the book,
You see the words,
Releasing ritual.
And beneath them,
The first instruction says,
What are you ready to release?
Take a moment here.
Think about what you've been carrying.
Perhaps it's a situation,
A habit,
A limiting belief,
An old story about yourself.
An emotion that has stayed around for too long.
Maybe it's something from the past,
A relationship,
A place,
Even a version of yourself that you have outgrown.
Or just perhaps as something you simply know that you are ready to stop carrying.
There's no need to force an answer.
Just allow whatever comes to mind to come.
Placing maybe one hand over your heart and one hand over your belly.
Taking a nice deep breath.
And with kindness ask yourself,
What am I ready to let go of?
What no longer needs to come with me.
You don't need to judge it.
You don't need to understand it completely.
Simply acknowledge it.
And in your mind's eye,
See yourself writing these things down,
One by one.
Putting them onto a page.
Allowing the words to leave your mind.
And become something that you can finally place down.
When you are ready.
Take your list.
And stepped towards the cauldron.
The flames dance gently in front of you.
And they're little bottles of herbs that you notice on the table.
You pick up the first one and it says sage for cleansing.
Take some of those leaves and place them into the fire.
Watch the smoke rise.
Imagine yourself clearing space,
Creating room,
Letting the old begin to loosen its grip.
As you take a nice deep cleansing breath in.
Hand out.
And then you notice another bottle.
This one says bay leaves for wisdom.
And you place a few leaves into the flames,
Listening to the soft crackle.
And as you watch them burn,
Allow yourself to remember.
You already know more than you think you do.
Perhaps you don't need all the answers.
Perhaps you simply need to trust the wisdom you have gathered along the way.
Breathe in that wisdom.
You reach for the next bottle and it says cinnamon for strength.
And you take a little cinnamon stick and place it into the cauldron.
The warm familiar scent rises around you.
Feel it in your body,
Feel it in your spine and gently allow yourself to sit a little taller.
Not because you need to become someone else.
But because you are remembering your own strength.
You are remembering that you have survived difficult things.
You have learned,
You have grown,
And you are still here.
Breathing in that strength.
The next bottle that catches your attention says Rosemary for releasing.
And you place it into the flames.
And as the smoke rises,
Imagine some of the weight that you've been carrying beginning to lift.
You don't have to carry every old story forever.
You don't have to keep punishing yourself for what you didn't know back then.
You can acknowledge the past without living inside it.
Breathing in.
.
.
That rosemary scent.
And you see one more bottle that says lavender for healing.
And as you place the lavender into the fire,
Its gentle scent fills the air.
And for a moment,
You simply breathe.
There's nothing to fix.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing you need to become.
Just this moment.
Just you.
And for the first time in a while.
Maybe you can offer yourself a little forgiveness for the things that you held on to.
For the ways you protected yourself.
For the times you didn't know what to do.
You did the best you could with what you had.
And now you know something different.
Now you are ready to choose differently.
Breathing in that beautiful lavender scent,
Feeling its healing power.
And as you stand there,
Holding your list in your hand that you wrote,
These things that you've been carrying.
You don't need to take them with you anymore.
Take a nice deep breath.
When you are ready.
Hold the list over the flames.
But before you release it,
Let these words become your own.
I release the stories of my past.
I embrace my wholeness here at last.
I fill my path with joy and love and trust the wisdom from above.
I release the stories of my past I embrace my wholeness here at last I fill my path with joy and love and trust the wisdom Release the stories of my past I embrace my wholeness here at last Fill my path with joy and love and trust the wisdom I release the stories of my past I embrace my wholeness here at last I fill my path with joy and love and trust the wisdom from above And as the chant ends,
Let the paper fall into the fire.
Watch as the flames take hold.
The words disappear,
Becoming ash.
Becoming smoke.
Becoming something that no longer needs to be held.
And as you watch it burn,
Breathe.
Feel the space that has been created.
Don't have to feel it immediately,
Just notice.
There is space here now.
Space to breathe Space to create.
Space to choose.
Space to be yourself.
Taking another slow breath.
And see yourself standing before the cauldron.
Feeling a little lighter.
A little clearer.
A little more connected to yourself.
You haven't become someone new.
You have simply released some of what was getting in the way.
Now you can remember who you really are.
Perhaps this is what your inner witch has been reminding you all along.
That you don't need permission to release what no longer serves you.
Don't need to wait for the perfect moment.
You can return to this ritual whenever you need it.
Whenever something has become too heavy.
Whenever an old story needs to be rewritten.
Whenever you need to make space for what comes next.
As you take a nice deep breath with your hand over your heart.
Quietly thank yourself for being willing to let go.
And when you are ready.
Step away from the cauldron.
Carrying only what is yours to carry,
Leaving the rest behind.
And as we slowly and gently return back into ourselves.
Leaving the apothecary.
Remember.
The cauldron is always here.
The fire is within you.
You don't have to carry every old story forever.
You can acknowledge the past without living inside it.
You are allowed to release what no longer serves.
Thank you and blessed be.
