Like Scent for Chocolate
A journey with Mama Cacao
The origin of chocolate begins with the cacao pods of a tree in Mesoamerica. The seeds contained within these large pods were, and still are, taken on a transformational process, ground and mixed with other ingredients to create a beverage by the ancient Olmec, Mayan and Aztec people, known as xocolātl. This spicy elixir was used during rituals and as medicine. In these ancient cultures cacao was honored with many festivals and is featured in their creation myths.
Cacao theobroma, the latin name for chocolate, literally means “food of the gods”. The early people of Mesoamerica perceived a correlation between chocolate and blood, chocolate as both the blood of the Earth and essence of life.
From the rain forest of Mesoamerica, meaning middle america, this edible wonder was brought back to Spain by conquistadors. The seed eventually was processed by the Dutch van Houten family using advances in manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution that resulted in the bars and delicious confection we adore today. Rich, creamy chocolate offers physical pleasure to the palette and soothes the nervous system.
Pure Ceremonial Cacao, differing from our modern sugary bars and drinks, is a super food and a gentle heart-opener medicine that can enhance focus, boost mental clarity and connection to the self.
My roots go back to the port city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I was born and shaped by a group of women originating from Europe with a rich culture in cooking, knitting and home remedies. As far back as I can remember, I have felt a strong connection to the imagination and nature, with a leaning toward the Venusian realm.
During my certificate training in aromatherapy the first item I created was a chocolate mint lip balm with cocoa butter and cacao in the base. Later on, in February of 2003 when I was introduced to natural perfume, I began sketches for a chocolate fragrance based in alcohol. The request had come from one of my aromatherapy students asking me to make her a Vanilla+Chocolate perfume.
Two years later, shortly after a trip to Ecuador where we had the opportunity to see the cacao tree and seeds in the Amazon jungle, I launched the first tier of the cacao solid perfume. They were creamy unguents that felt decadent and luxurious to put on the skin. The chocolate base was made with Scharffen Berger 99% cacao, cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder and theobroma cacao extract from South America.
Due to the success of the first tier, I expanded the palette by traversing the imagination into a more eclectic terroir. Delicious and taunting you even more than before, combining the marvelous South American elixir with such botanical wonders as Rose, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Vanilla Orchid Bean and Moss.
In 2017, when I made the move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I befriended Mark J Sciscenti a chocolate historian, artisan chocolatier and pastry chef. In 2005, Mark was the sole founder of Kakawa Chocolate House here in Santa Fe. Mark, along with my ample new lab/studio space, inspired me to revisit the series. My first task was to reformulate the cacao base, which took me a bit of time and exploration. I created a much simpler chocolate fragrance to be worn as a perfume, or used as a lip or face balm. I called the fragrance Cacao Soul Flower derived from the French soliflore, meaning "single flower", a perfume term applied to fragrances dominated by one single note.
More recently, a sequence of auspicious stepping stones brought me to the hosting of a Cacao Ceremony with a group of three amazing ladies working in the healing arena. We have decided to birth our first ceremony next Tuesday, March 19th with the formal arrival of Spring. In alchemy, Spring begins the cyclical year. The re-awakening of the earth with seedlings and more sunshine facilitating the same for us humans. We now come out of the period of hibernation and awaken to the new energies of the season. What do you intend to manifest and birth into your life? I invite you to join us to celebrate the Spring Equinox with ceremonial cacao, shamanic journeying, sound healing and the rebirth of my rose cacao fragrance.
Figure 7: Pétales
The classic combination of Chocolate and Roses.
Fragrance family: GOURMAND, FLORAL
Rose, the Queen of fragrance, adored by ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians and the courts of European Renaissance marries the magical seeds from the Aztec Indian legends.
Roses, as other flowers, are the reproductive organs of the plant. As such they blossom open exuding their enchanting aroma to attract pollinators such as honey bees, moths and hummingbirds.
In the Arab world, where the rose originates, glorious gardens have been created as an homage to the rose and a place for contemplation. In poetry, literature and aromatherapy the rose is associated with the human heart.
Come and gather with us to celebrate the arrival of Spring with the heart medicine of cacao. Learn more and register here.
Here is a link to a video titled Sitting in Ceremony with Keith Wilson | The Cacao Shaman.