it has been 4 years since I discovered the magic of cacao and quite honestly, I’m not sure how I would have managed them with out her. the quiet mindfulness that has been born from her influence is nothing short of amazing. it is really just the small things that I’ve incorporated each day under her guidance that brings exuberance and joy to my day…scribing my daily intentions on a candle before lighting it and releasing them to the universe, whisking rose (for love) and blue lotus (for enlightenment and a daily dose of rebirth) into my water before adding a little honey/maple syrup and ceremonial cacao, choosing to listen to music that soothes me while I sit and journal my thoughts, desires and dreams as well as the happenings from the day before along with everything I am grateful for. sometimes the greatest relief can come from just emptying your fears, concerns and upcoming challenges onto the page to give your mind rest. I also surround myself with meaningful things that make me happy…incense, crystals, my oracle decks, plenty of colorful markers and pens for my journal and very often a kitty curled up in the chair near by.

so many people don’t like to talk about grief…they treat it like its something that is an illness that you are embarrassed to have. like its the acne of emotions and if we just put a healing lotion on it, it will go away. nothing is farther from the truth. grief is sneaky and often ruthless. grief has this way of hiding away in the shadows of your soul and waiting until you think you’ve gotten a handle on it and then it just pops up when you catch sight of a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower because you will never forget that they were your mom’s favorite or you sit down to an espresso like you did with your dad where you snuck sugar (brandy and sambuca) into the coffee shop to make just a normal day a celebration. grief has a way of coiling up inside of you waiting to strike like a rattlesnake when you aren’t remembering to guard yourself…