Josh, Birthdays and Chocolate Ceremonies

My step- son, Josh, and I share January as our birthday month. Since all of our other kids have birthdays in the fall, I feel an astrological closeness to Josh because we were both born in the winter!

Bottoms Up!

In our travels in Mexico and Central America, I have had a chance to spend lots of quality time with Josh We have taken many opportunities to ‘catch up’ and get to know each other better. That has been, for me, a most significant gift.

This year, I decided to give Josh a different kind of birthday present. Yesterday I invited him to share a unique experience with me. Together we spent the afternoon with Keith, the Chocolate Shaman, well known here in San Marcos, Lake Atitlan.

Keith is a counsellor/healer who uses 100% pure organic chocolate as a stimulant to wake up emotional energy and create opportunity for self -exploration.

The Chocolate Ceremony begins at 12:30 in the afternoon. Keith facilitates these ceremonies about 3 times a week. Generally there are between 9 and 15 people who attend. The ceremony lasts approximately for 5 hours.

The participants are people who are seeking guidance in deepening self-understanding and identifying what Eckhart Tolle calls ‘pain bodies’. These are the pains that we accumulate in our lives that perpetuate negative energy and occupy our body and minds. Identifying those pain bodies helps us recognize and understand the stories that we create. The stories, ultimately, energize the pain bodies, which finds its expression in negative emotions such as anger, jealousies, regrets, and frustrations. The chocolate ceremony is a safe place to explore our pain bodies and to settle in to dissipating the pain and becoming happier and more emotionally positive.

That's Keith, "The Chocolate Shaman"

As we gather on Keith’s porch, each person receives a 2-ounce cup of pure liquid chocolate. Sweeteners and/or chili powder are offered to modify the taste for each individual’s desire. While we drink, Keith warns:

Do not drink this liquid if you:

·      Are taking any form of medical anti-depressants (migraines usually occur)

·      Have any form of chronic heart condition (blood flow speeds up too fast)

·      If you are a dog, a parrot or a horse (these animals don’t have the metabolic capacity to digest the enzymes)

The chocolate flows through our bloodstream as Keith gives a brief seminar about the benefits of chocolate. Referring to the work done in the 60’s with the use of psychedelics and therapy, Keith emphasizes that chocolate is not a psychedelic. It is a facilitator, a conduit, to open up one’s emotional depths and expand on ones’ spiritual and emotional capabilities. Swallowing generous amounts of chocolate, and skillful facilitation provides enormous opportunity for growth. (For more information, check out this website: (ceremonialcacao.blogspot.com)

The pure chocolate bean

As he speaks, and I drink, I wait for the effects of the chocolate to ‘hit’. As Keith begins to connect with others around the circle, I continue to wait. I’m not sure if the chocolate ever really affects me, but I decide to get into the flow anyway.

Keith moves around the room, and makes connection with each individual participant. There are tears…. many tears. And laughing too. Keith often suggests, “Close your eyes. Find the pain in your body. Give it a shape. Where is it? Go sit down next to it. Embrace it.”

For each person, the journey is different. Keith is incredibly tuned in and demonstrates unique intuitive gifts. He is adept at structuring his feedback and he is skillfully in tune with individual needs and potentials.

The group dynamic on the porch percolates as individuals go deeper into their own beings. It is easy to relate to others’ issues. No one is an island. We all share similar pains. The feeling of abandonment. Being pushed too hard. Not hard enough. Being squelched, or molded. Abused or neglected. Not loving ourselves. Difficulty loving others. Feeling lost, disconnected, numb. There are always issues. To ignore them is a means of feeding the pain. And we do…. we all do!

Recently I read about ways in which we dull our pain. It said, “Smoking suppresses anger and resentment. Pot suppresses sadness, and alcohol suppresses our fears.” Sound familiar? For me it does. I heard Keith say several times “Many people would rather die than confront these issues.” I believe that many do, through illness, or suicide, or misery.

I love this stuff! And I love sharing it with Josh. He embraces it (as I do) with a sense of adventure and exploration and growth. A journey into oneself, into connecting deeply with others, and to exploring our own human potential in a loving and compassionate world. Happy birthday Josh!