Keith, the Chocolate Shaman

Today I have been at the  Chocolate Shaman, to attend the Cacao Ceremony and to feel the energy of the heart and to play with it.
Watch the video    

or read Keiths blog http://ceremonialcacao.blogspot.com/

The Cacao Ceremony

I went to San Marcos by boat, the same boat as you have seen on the trailer.

The boat stopped at several places where locals went on and off. San Marcos is one of the bigger villages and I thought to recognize it. But when I asked the boatmen I was told that we just left San Marcos. The boatmen was so kind to return and let me go off the boat.

Two kids where following me, asking me the usual questions, like where I am from and whats my name. They where very helpful showing me around the town, telling me who lives in which house and what they are doing. We where on the way to a hotel which offers rooms on top of trees. Then we came along a house on which was written Cacao Ceremony. The boys told me that here lives an Americano who makes chocolate. The hotel was quite interesting since it had even a bathroom up there in the tree.

Then we went back to the center of the town. On a local shop I met a woman from Israel which I met on a bus some days ago. We had a discussion on eating vegan. She was so kind to take the part of the two kids in showing me around.

The kids where insisting on getting a tip. They got one Quetzal and had to divide it.

I was shown the healing center where my actual guide was taking massage lessons. On the street we met a couple telling us that today there is a cacao ceremony at the so called chocolate shaman.

Later we met a woman in my age telling me that she was already 14 years in San Marcos and going as well to the Cacao Ceremony. Now i became interested and asked my guide about this ceremony. She could not tell me much but asked me to come with here since also she wanted to attend the ceremony. I asked how long it takes and she told me that it takes as long as is needed, but i could leave the ceremony at any time. Last time, she told me, it was around seven hours.

Then I asked if I had to pay something. The answer was that I could give a donation if I wanted. So we went to the place I had already seen with the two kids. This time we entered the door and went through a nice garden.

We arrived at the terrace of the house, where a very nice women with long white hair received us. Also the people we met on the street earlier where here.

We where around 10 people when the cacao was served. Then Keith, the cacao Shaman, also with long white hair, came to sit down with us. On a table there was raw sugar and some other staff to ad to the cacao. The Israeli woman asked if there was a blender to ad the bananas she brought to the cacao.

A blender was found and she got the cacao or hot chocolate mixed with bananas.

She let me taste, it was delicious.

Then Keith welcomed us and started to tell us everything about chocolate.

What he told us you can read at http://ceremonialcacao.blogspot.com/
He told us not to drink it in combination with certain medicaments to treat depressions. Also people with heart problems should not drink it.
I asked if there was anything else in it than pure cacao as  the beans he showed us earlier. No just chocolate powder and hot water, was his answer. Its taste was intense and I drunk the whole cup. It felt warm, the surroundings where nice and I put the attention to my body. I felt my breath, my stomach  my legs. It felt good,  apart of my left knee  which was injured. 

I continued to feel my body from the head to the toes, it felt alright. Keith spoke about the heart chakra and that we would work on it. Without that he told me I put my right hand on the middle of the chest, where the heart chakra is supposed to be. Keith started to ask the first person in the circle how she felt and went clockwise through the group. I was the fourth in the circle.

The first person in the group, the woman who welcomed us seemed to be experienced and Keith asked her to work with the last of the circle.

I thought about my Buddhist initiation and  my spiritual name "Nuovo camino del cuore" which translates to new path of the heart. The I thought about the heart meditation I learned from the teacher in Arezzo.

Keith spoke about the book "The celestin prophecy" and ask how many of us had read Ekkard Tolle. Some hands went up, mine included. While Keith was working with two women in front of me I continued to work on my heart. I could put my hand already at a distance from my chest and still felt the energy of it. Then it was my turn, Keith asked me to open up more, so I was encouraged to open my hand even further, Keith just said "more" and "more" I was laughing because it worked and I finally was able to include Keith and the two women next to me in mY energy circuit. Keith sad again "more" and I was even able to include the whole group. He said to include not just the group, but the whole country. I went up to the States, Canada and Europe, concentrated on my wife in Germany and my family in Italy. Keith told me that I was into Krya Yoga and Hinduism. First I didn't understand the word "Krya" Keith spelled it for me until I understood.

He told me that the electric flashes I felt where normal and that I should continue my way like this.

Keith was right, I was influenced by Krya Yoga, it was the first spiritual praxis I learned. The Israeli women already was working on an other person from the circle. Her friend, also Israely was next. Time passed very quick, I looked at the watch, it was time to go to the boat. I had to get the boat at 17:05. Before I left I bought some cacao beens and left a donation. Said goodbye to Keith hugged the woman with the long white hair. The two other women next to me, my Israely guide and her friend.

Then I looked at the garden, the tree with the red flowers, Keith spoke about it during the ceremony and turned to the door. I had a last look at the wooden door with two pictures about the ceremony and went up the hill and then down to the beach to catch the boat. On the boat there was also Michael a Polish guy and a pretty women from Estonia, called Olivia. the boat left, Keith told me not to pay more than 15 Quetzal. I tried to pay 10, telling the boatman that the local women next to me paid only 8. The boatmen insisted that I pay 25, at the end I gave another 5. I didn't have change so I gave 20, waiting until I got the change.

So, it was 15 I had to pay.

It was already dark when I went to the Hotel.