From tea to cocoa
In the beginning – over 35 years ago – a deep spiritual connection came into my life. A few years later, the Red Lion Teahouse was born from this. Soon after, love arrived in the safe and welcoming space of the teahouse. My wife and I have been on a spiritual journey together, which continues to this day, and is one of the greatest gifts of my life.
We breathed this communal and spiritual space together for ten unforgettable years, and then it was time to say goodbye. After that, 14 years in New Zealand opened up before us - an extremely uplifting, new quality of existence, in which we transitioned to a close-to-nature, sustainable and organic lifestyle. The last four years of this period saw the birth of our first deep plant journeys, including a beautiful encounter with cocoa.
We returned home in 2022. That's when the construction of everything that was essential for us from this began, and the spiritual connection with cocoa, the ceremonies and the passing on of ceremonial quality cocoa(cacaojourney.com) . Since then, nearly 1000 connections have been made in individual and group spaces, and we deeply experience: this plant reminds everyone of what they brought with them on their own life journey, if they really turn to it from the heart.
The guardians of the ceremony are helpers on the path to remembrance
There are times when we feel that there is more to us than what we are experiencing right now, but we don't know how to connect with it. For many, cocoa is just a tasty drink, for others it is a deeper encounter with themselves. You don't have to know where the path leads, you just need to feel like you are going. You don't have to believe in anything, just be present. The ceremony with cocoa is a ceremony with yourself, and it doesn't give answers, but lovingly and gently reminds and makes space for what has always lived within you. There is a plant that doesn't give, but accompanies. Those who feel a calling will find it.
If you feel a calling, you can find current events here:
Many people hold space with cocoa in many ways, attaching different techniques and traditions to it. According to anthropologists, there is little written evidence of whether ancient cultures had elevated ceremonial forms, so it is difficult to speak of tradition. Yet we live and hold it in a way that I would rather call classical: with respect, humility and gratitude. These values have set a direction for us: simple, clean, and the focus is on the sacredness of the plant itself and its transformative potential.
The experience of nearly a thousand individual and group spaces has confirmed this: cocoa is transformative in itself. Everything else - master plants, plant drops, individual and collective attunements - only subtly connect to it, making what is already enough clearer and deeper. Our inner journey has shown us this path. We want to help everyone find their own connection with the plant and its spirituality. In our experience, what really helps with this is keeping the cocoa space clean so that everything it can give can show up in its natural way.
For us, this is what is true—and only in this way can we be authentic. This creates a safe space where others can connect through the plant to themselves, to others, to the universe, and to the unnameable. Over the years, we have seen that cacao does not give us insight. Cacao is a ferryman: it takes us from our current state of consciousness to an expanded, fuller expression of ourselves. The gift ultimately comes from ourselves to ourselves. Cacao is a loving, sacred companion.
It is no coincidence that the Mayans called cocoa the food of the gods, because it helps change consciousness and rise. It enables us to connect to higher spheres, to the fullness of ourselves. It offers a much broader context and gives a different quality of understanding, in which previously invisible doors of possibilities can open. It helps creativity, learning, immersion and productive work. It increases energy levels, helps focus and maintain concentration, while at the same time opening the loving space of our hearts. Because of this, it provides wonderful support on a relationship level. Consuming cocoa is actually an intimate partnership. Like a wise teacher, it gives us exactly what we need, far beyond our expectations and desires. So the saying is true: “If you don’t accept the teaching, don’t drink the teacher.”
You can read about cocoa and its effects at the end of the description. For the ceremony, we select the one that resonates most with the ceremony at hand from twelve different types of cocoa. Which one is chosen is determined by the common intention and the quality of the moment. All cocoas can be purchased on the day of the event or online. We dissolve the cocoa with plant-based milk and do not flavor it with anything to preserve its original character. The historical and cultural characteristics of that area carry something that can be experienced purely, which is diminished if it is mixed with a desire to shape it to your own taste. Of course, this is also just a point of view based on experience and nothing more. On the day of the ceremony, we should eat carefully. Vegan food is the best choice and we should eat our last meal five to six hours before consumption. If someone wants to experience a deeper experience, they can do a juice fast that day. Avoid coffee, alcohol, and animal products that day, and make sure to drink enough water. Since cocoa is a diuretic, don't be dehydrated before the ceremony, but to avoid disturbing the experience by going to the bathroom too much, replenish your body with enough water afterward.
In ancient South American cultures, it was believed that these plants have a natural connection with higher spiritual spheres. Anyone who has participated in plant ceremonies has experienced the authenticity of this. That is why it happens that a kind of attuned connection spontaneously occurs the day or even days before the ceremony. As in many ceremonies, pure intention plays an important role here. Before drinking this special juice, it is worth declaring and breathing into the cup the clear intention of why we are here and what we want to gain deeper insight into. In connecting with plants, we can very often experience the wise teaching that we receive what we need, not what we desire.
With love: Zoltán Balázs and Hajnalka Kunerth
