Come sit by the Fire
There's room for you
Come sit down by the fire, there’s room for you here in the circle. There’s cacao left for you, let me pour some into your cup. Don’t drink it before it is time to drink!
All settled in?
Let’s start by smelling the cacao, connecting to its essence1.
[…]2
The connection between all of us and the cacao is a miracle.3
This cacao wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the love and hard work of the people that produced it. The producers raised the cacao trees, harvested their beans and converted the beans into the cacao that went into your cup.
Let’s also be mindful of past generations of cacao growers. For centuries, growers have picked out the most potent beans, planting them to bring forth the next generation of cocoa trees. The cocoa in your cup wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for their steady work.
And now, let’s lift our heads higher. Throughout the vastness of the cosmos, our mother earth is the only known bearer of life. Cacao wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for her fertile soil, livable temperatures and the blossoming ecosystem that surrounds us.
You are also a creature of this earth, connected to every part of the tree of life. The Cacao that went into the cup is a relative of yours.
And there is an even closer relationship; as the fragrance of the cacao enters your nostrils, know that separateness is an illusion. We’re all part of the universe, made up of the same dancing energy. When you drink the Cacao, the universe is tasting itself.
In a sense, you are the Cacao. We are the cacao.
I now invite you to make eye contact with someone, speak the phrase “In lak’ech”, and then drink the Cacao. “In lak’ech” means “I am you and you are me”.4
As in: “an extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter and used for flavouring or scent.”
Imagine satisfied post-smelling exhalations here
As in: “a remarkable event or development that brings very welcome consequences.”
I could have used the term eucatastrophe, but that’s a bit niche.
This is a bit of a new age phrase, badly translated from Mayan language.
Regardless of the origin, I find the intent beautiful.
Also, identity is transitive, so me == cocoa & you == cocoa → me == you.
Facts & logics.