Cacao: Food of the Gods

The first time I was introduced to cacao was in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, in a ceremony led by Keith Wilson, also known as The Chocolate Shaman. I came across the sign-up sheet while drifting through a spiritually oriented hostel towards the end of my travels. At this point, I had sat in a handful of solo mushroom ceremonies and recently worked with both Ayahuasca and Peyote for the first time.

You could say I was skeptical.

Cacao wasn’t psychoactive in the way I understood other plant medicines to be. I didn’t know what could possibly happen from drinking what, at the time, I largely understood to be chocolate.
As usual, I was humbled by the realization that my preconceived ideas and assumptions about any given subject rarely resemble what actually unfolds when I experience it firsthand.

What unfolded in Keith’s Cacao Ceremony was one of the most emotionally charged, heart-opening containers I had ever participated in. There were deep waves of emotional release, profound inner child healing, and my first experience of time traveling-yes, you read that right. It became unmistakably clear that my assumptions about what Cacao could do were limited at best.
That experience sent me down a rabbit hole of curiosity about cacao itself.

Theobroma cacao L. translates loosely to “food of the gods.” The word comes from Greek roots—theo (god) and broma (food)—and it feels fitting for a plant that has carried such reverence across time, culture, and ceremony.

Evidence suggests cacao was being used as early as 5,000 years ago in present-day South America, though if I’ve learned anything in my 30 years on this planet, it’s that the timelines science offers are often only partial maps. Humanity’s relationship with cacao likely stretches much further back than what has been documented.

Across ancient Mesoamerica, cacao was considered sacred. The Maya used it in weddings, ceremonies, ritual offerings, and important communal gatherings, seeing it as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. The Aztecs held cacao in such high regard that its beans were used as currency.

For countless generations, cacao has been worked with to honor ancestors, open the heart, foster community, support prayer, and deepen connection. It was never simply a food or beverage. It was a sacrament.

The Maya and Aztecs also believed cacao possessed powerful healing properties. Historical records describe its use for digestive issues, fatigue, cardiovascular health, and general vitality. Cacao was even used to enhance the effectiveness and taste of other medicinal preparations.

When the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they quickly took notice. Europeans began using cacao for many of the same conditions Indigenous peoples had long worked with it for, and some even regarded it as a miracle medicine. What traditional cultures had observed through centuries of relationship, modern science would eventually begin to investigate and explain.

Today, cacao is recognized as a nutritional powerhouse and a superfood. It contains significant amounts of magnesium, iron, potassium, and antioxidants. It is also rich in compounds such as theobromine, a gentle stimulant that supports circulation and alertness; phenylethylamine, often associated with feelings of pleasure and wellbeing; and anandamide, sometimes referred to as the “bliss molecule.”

In many ways, modern science is simply catching up to what our ancestors already knew, and I find this to always be a heartening confirmation of the wisdom that has long been held by the generations before us.

Of course, cacao’s story did not stop with ceremony and medicine.

When Europeans encountered cacao, they initially found it bitter and unfamiliar. Once sugar and spices entered the picture, it transformed into a luxury beverage for European elites before eventually spreading across the globe. Over time, cacao became industrialized, commercialized, and transformed into the familiar products lining grocery store shelves today.
Ie: Nestlé. Hershey. Reese’s.

What was once a sacred sacrament became a global commodity.

Today, there is ongoing conversation around the commercialization, commodification, and even gentrification of cacao ceremonies. I find these conversations are important and worthy of reflection. At the same time, the heart-opening, connective, and emotionally nourishing effects of cacao remain undeniable for many who choose to work with it intentionally.

Looking at cacao’s timeline, what becomes clear is not simply its nutritional value or cultural significance, but the depth of relationship humans have maintained with it across thousands of years. This plant has been honored, traded, ritualized, commodified, and rediscovered time and time again.

Like all sacred things that pass through human hands, cacao has accumulated layers of meaning through time, and came into this field already with a powerful vibration.
We may never know exactly who first discovered cacao or when humans first recognized its deeper gifts. What we do know is that cultures across centuries have consistently treated it as something more than ordinary.

And somewhere along the way, people began pairing cacao with mushrooms.

We’re not entirely sure who first discovered the synergy between the two, but anyone who has experienced them together can tell you there is something there. Whether through chemistry, ceremony, intention, or some combination of all three, cacao seems to soften the edges, open the heart, and create a welcoming doorway into deeper relationship with the mushroom experience.
Cacao stands firmly as a pillar of connection, reverence, community, and the mysterious intelligence woven throughout the natural world.