Dreaming with Cacao

Enhancing Dreamwork, Lucid Dreaming, and Soul Connection with Ceremonial Cacao

The Ancient Roots of Cacao and Collective Dreaming

Long before our modern world turned cacao into chocolate, it was revered as sacred medicine by the Maya, Aztec, and other Indigenous peoples of Central and South America.

In ancient rituals, cacao wasn’t consumed casually—it was imbibed with prayer and reverence, as a bridge to the divine. Shamans would drink cacao to lift the veils between worlds, journeying beyond the physical into spirit realms. These experiences weren’t just for personal growth—they were done to retrieve wisdom and power on behalf of the entire community.

It is said that Cacao was also used as a tool for collective dreaming! As a way for the tribe to attune to the soul of the Earth and the voices of the ancestors, to navigate uncertainty and restore harmony.

Ceremonies often took place at night, when the waking world dimmed and the dreamworld opened. Cacao activated the heart, stirred inner vision, and helped the dreamer slip into the liminal spaces in-between.

Though many of us today live far from those ancient fires and jungle temples, we are still dreamers. The soul still speaks—through symbols, archetypes, and the weird and wonderful world of our dreams. And cacao, in her wisdom, is still here, ready to guide us.

Dreams as the Voice of your Soul

In our modern world, dreamwork has mostly become a forgotten language—but I believe it is one well worth remembering.

Dreams are not just random images; they are messages from your soul, maps from your unconscious, rich with archetypal meaning. As Carl Jung eloquently said:

“The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul…”

It’s through this hidden door that we can access the deeper, more mysterious truth that’s alive within us. Dreams help us heal and awaken, and they can help us realign with our path. But what if we could enhance them—make them clearer, more vivid, more potent?

There are several commonly known dreaming herbs for enhancing lucidity and dream recall. But it is little known that cacao may be amongst them.

Cacao – a dream ally of the Heart

The Chocolate Shaman we worked with often spoke of cacao’s ability to “lead us to the gateway”.

Ceremonial cacao has the psycho-active properties of theobromine and anandamide to relax and calm, whilst simultaneously heightening awareness. The heart-opening theobromine and soothing magnesium activates the mind without overstimulating the nervous system. This unique combination of stimulation and relaxation may create an ideal state for lucid dreaming and dream recall.

Before we share a beautiful practice to combine Ceremonial Cacao with Dreamwork, first let’s look at helpful ways to work with your dreams. Here’s a few hints Sjha’ra learnt along the way…

Tips to Remember your Dreams:

Eat a light meal before bed – avoid going to sleep on a full stomach.
Unplug any electronics by your head.
Always keep a journal open, with pen ready, beside your bed.
Your brain should be relaxed. Meditate before bed to calm the mind if that helps.
Get enough sleep. How many hours will depend on you.
Interest is critical! I’ve noticed that once I’ve neglected to write my dreams down a few nights in a row, this can bring on a dream drought. Conversely, as soon as I start recording dream fragments and start working with them, my dream recall opens up like pandora’s box!

Tips for Awakening in your Dreams for Lucid Dreaming

Physical tests: AKA “Reality Checks”. Choose 1 or 2 and repeat as many times during the day as you can. My lucid friend Susannah from @SusannahIsThisADream and MagicOfDreaming.com recommends setting a phone alarm reminder 10 times a day, or more, to prompt reality checks throughout your entire day. Here are a few:

Touch test: Touch things, and ask, Am I dreaming? In the astral realm you cannot really touch physical things, your hand will go through them!
Hands Test: Look at your hands and deeply observe them, fingertips, hands, centre of the palms. If you see colours and energy, you know you are in the astral.
Finger Test: pulling your finger to see if it stretches.
Foot Test: Look at your feet. In the other dimensions your feet won’t actually touch the floor.

Preparing for sleep: prepare yourself with little rituals before sleeping. This may be to intentionally set yourself up for a deep peaceful restful sleep but also to encourage lucidity. Here’s a powerful example of one I love for Lucid Dreams, that you can try:

Cacao and Elemental Meditation: Night time Ritual to invoke Powerful or Lucid Dreams

This ritual offers a profound threshold for you to cross before stepping into the dreamworld and may help bring on lucid dreams. It was first taught to me more than a decade ago by Chati an Indigenous Guatemalan Wise Woman Shaman I was privileged to study with. It has evolved slightly since then.

What you need:

Journal, pen, candle, lighter, glass of water, incense, crystal, Cacao Dreaming Elixir (see recipe below).

Preparation:

Unplug any electronics by your head and gather all you need, placing it beside your bed, ready.
If it works for you to drink cacao before bed prepare your Cacao Dreaming Elixir* with mugwort, lavender and blue lotus. Otherwise, you may prefer to prepare only a half serve that you can drink if you get up to wee during the night.

Evening Ritual Steps:

Whisper this into your cup of Cacao Dreaming Elixir:

Blessings on this Cacao Dreaming Elixir
Open the door where dreams are born, 
Lift me to the higher planes and
Take me gently where the deep dreams are.

Give thanks and drink with reverence. (Leave a small sip in your cup by the bed in case you wake during the night—you can drink it to support reentry into the dream)
Sitting up in bed begin the meditation:
- Fire - Light a candle and contact the element of fire. This gives you power. Stare at the candle, then close your eyes and continue to “see” the flame. Open your eyes again and speak with the fire; “I can remember my dreams. I can be awake in my dreams!” As you say this trust it and believe it.
- Water – Hold your glass of water and contact the element of water. This gives you intuition. Gaze into the fluid water, then speak to the water, with trust and belief say; “I can remember my dreams. I can be awake in my dreams.” Take a few sips, so half the water remains. As you swallow, think, “I can remember my dreams. I can be awake in my dreams!”
- Air - Light some natural incense, resin, loose leaf sage, or even some Palo Santo. (Make it a ritual and always use the same kind). Breathe in deeply to take in the scent, see the smoke and make contact with the Air element. This gives you clarity. Say, “I can remember my dreams. I can be awake in my dreams!”. Trust it, believe it.
- Earth - Take a crystal in your hand. Amethyst is good or any other crystal is fine. Feel its solidity in your hand. Make contact with the Earth element. This gives you strength. Say with trust and belief, “I can remember my dreams. I can be awake in my dreams!”
Extinguish the flame and incense. Then write in your notebook the date, the time, the moon phase. (And if you want to keep a record for yourself, for self-study, record the key activities you did during the day). Keep your journal open, beside your bedside.
Now lie down and relax, focusing on your third eye. Set your intention to go to another dimension. You may want to choose to enter the element you felt most connected to. For example, if the water element really draws you in, set the intention to travel through a sacred body of water. See yourself diving into it and travelling through a portal into another dimension. Perhaps the next night the fire of the candle draws you more, so see yourself stepping into the sacred flame, through fire and into another dimension…
If you wake up during the night, recall any dreams. You can record them in full or just write the titles of your dreams with keywords. You can then fill out the details in the morning. Now is also the perfect time to drink your remaining Cacao Dreaming Elixir, relax and slip back into the dream realms…

Morning Ritual Steps:

When you wake up here in the physical, don't open your eyes right away. Keep them closed and recall what you've been dreaming with as many details as you can. Then write it all down in your journal. Always use present tense when recording your dream.
Light the candle, connect with the Fire element and see if anything else is recalled. If so, adding it to your journal.
Drink the other half of the water, connect with the Water element and see if anything else is recalled. Adding anything additional to your journal.
Light your incense, connect with Air and see if you can recall anything else.
Finally, simply hold your crystal, honour the Earth element and thank it.

Dreamwork Steps:

Prepare yourself your favourite morning brew of Sacred Earth Ceremonial Cacao just the way you like it. Take your cacao, your dream journal and pen and find a nice place to sit, either outside or by your altar. Take a moment to connect with the cacao, feel the warmth in your hands and affirm,
“I open my heart to the messages and medicine of my dream!” and sip your cacao.
Start to reflect on your dream, underline any symbols and archetypes. Allow any associations to flow onto your page. Feel the emotion of your dream. Ask what does my dream want? As Toko-pa Turner, an inspired Jungian dreamworker, suggests, ask, “What is the secret longing of this dream?” Listen and Wait. Wait until an answer comes. You may then even be inspired to enact a small ritual that will honour your longing.
Close this ritual by giving thanks for whatever you received.

This completes the Elemental Dream Practice.

May your dreams be vivid, your heart open, and your soul fully awake.
With cacao as your companion, you walk between worlds—bringing back the wisdom that was always yours to claim.

Cacao Dreaming Elixir

This blend is perfect before bed to enhance dream recall, intuitive clarity, and astral exploration. However, everyone responds to cacao differently. For some, the magnesium soothes them into a deep sleep. For others, its stimulating qualities may keep them awake. Start with a mini dose and trust your body’s guidance.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Blue Lotus flower petals (for calming the nervous system, deep sleep lucid dreams and peaceful altered states)
1 teaspoon of Mugwort (for vivid dreaming and spiritual travel. This herb is not recommended during pregnancy)
1/2 teaspoon lavender (optional, for peaceful sleep and third eye activation)
½ - 1 teaspoon of ground SEM Ceremonial Cacao (for heart centred dreaming, relaxing, lifting the veils, and shamanic work)
Boiled purified water
Paper & pen