Try Something Woo
One late summer day, my friend stopped by to pick up some tomatoes and catch up on all the things that had gone on in our lives over the past month. After we filled each other in on the news, gossip, and frustrations, she asked if I had plans for the weekend. I told her I intended to take part in a cacao ceremony in honor of the equinox on Saturday and asked if she would like to join me.
Her response was what would be expected from a speech pathologist, “C-c-c-cow? Is it a stuttering convention?”
“Nope, it is a sacred ceremony in which we sip cacao, an elixir made from the cacao plant, and lose ourselves in the healing sounds of crystal bowls and drums. I think you would get a lot out of it.”
“I never heard of that. Sure, why not!”
So on Saturday, September 23rd, Naomi and I attended her first ever Cacao ceremony led by the talented and soft-spoken Annie Palmer at Grass Roots Yoga, our favorite little yoga studio. There we got cozy on our mats at the back of the room while at the front Annie had laid out a beautiful Autumn altar. Before she began, Annie briefly explained the history and sacredness of cacao. Since I provided Naomi with very little information beforehand, she was pleasantly surprised when she learned that the ceremony had Native American roots.
There is a good reason why I asked my skeptic of a friend to join me. She recently lost her father and has been handling his estate. I know how that feels all too well because I was in her shoes nearly five years ago. Sometimes we get so caught up in our responsibilities that we forget to feel our grief. I thought having a space to quiet her mind and just focus on her feelings for a few hours might give her brain and body some much-needed rest. Can you guess how it all worked out?
The afternoon was a success. Naomi quickly relaxed into the woo-woo atmosphere as the sounds of drums and the scent of sage washed over her. She drank the warm bitter-sweet elixir and followed my lead when it came time to choose a card from Seasons of the Witch – Mabon Oracle deck and a crystal from Annie’s altar. Naomi’s card was the Harvest Moon which encourages one to focus on self-care and prioritizes rest and her stone was Tigers Eye which helps overcome fatigue and discouragement. When my friend learned the meanings behind her choices, she became convinced that she was right where she needed to be and whispered to me that the experience was better than church.
My experience that day was just as meaningful. I always go to cacao ceremonies with an open mind and ready to learn something about myself. I pulled the Tabacco card which states, “Feed your ancestors, raise the sacred smoke to them, for they are hungry to connect.” I giggled to myself. I had just finished telling Naomi that the 20th anniversary of my mother's passing was coming up and anyone who knew Ginger knew that she liked her cigarettes. Likewise, my Dad was a long-time smoker. I can't say I'm surprised by my choice since I'd love nothing more than to connect with my parents. To round out the woo-ness of it all, the stone I was drawn to was an ibis jasper. Jasper is known as the “supreme nurturer”. It sustains and supports through times of stress, and brings tranquility and wholeness. I went into the sound immersion with a lot to wonder about and full heart.
We left the yoga studio that afternoon elated and mindful. For me, just knowing that my friend both enjoyed and valued her experience made me feel so good. I loved witnessing the moment when the skeptic realized that the “woo-woo hooey” isn’t nonsense at all. When it was over, she said her mind went blank and her body hummed while she lay still during the sound immersion. She said that even though she tried she could not think at all but she felt peaceful and grounded. The following Monday she texted me to thank me for giving her peace and to let me know that she felt so good after going to “ccccow”. Sometimes we need an external nudge to get out of our heads and into our hearts.
This week I’ll be taking my own advice and trying something new and woo woo thanks to my friends who took a chance and tried cacao with me. A few days after my wonderful time with Naomi last month, I saw an event for psychic medium Deborah Hanlon being hosted by Grass Roots Yoga I have never attended anything with a psychic medium but my once not-so-bendy friend Michele says she’s wonderful and that we should go. I then asked Naomi and she was all in. So, this Friday, I just may be the skeptic turned believer when I join my friends for a night of exploration of magic and messages from beyond our realm. As I’m typing this, I’m sitting here smiling because I am reminded that my deceased big sister, whose birthday is today, was a believer and I know she would happily join me if she could. Who knows, maybe she will. Now I’m getting excited for Friday night.
Sharing this got me thinking about the importance of trying something new. It doesn’t have to be a cacao ceremony or seeing a psychic, it can be a new art technique or a new way to solve an old problem. The point is all of us should try new things because chances are trying something new will increase our self-confidence and open doors to enlightening experiences. The many benefits of staying curious and trying new things include Improved memory, mood, and motivation, increased adaptability and agility to acquire new skills, overcoming fears and discovering new talents, and flexing and fulfilling your potential skills. Wasn’t that what happened as we grew from children to adults? Every day we encountered different and unfamiliar things and we were encouraged to try them to see if we liked them. Wasn’t trying new things how we found our favorite hobbies and foods and even our careers? Being an adult doesn’t mean exploration has to stop. Just think, if you continue to pursue new experiences, then you will most likely be more interesting and fun to be around.
Life is too short to stagnate. If I’ve learned anything from my 48 years on this Earth is that none of us know how long we have to be here. I dedicate this long overdue wondering to my late sister, Ginna. She was a beautiful and flawed complicated woman who at 41 and feeling unfulfilled decided to go on an adventure to Ireland with her sons. She was so excited and called me before she left to tell me she loved me. I can picture her at the airport, sitting with her boys and the other travelers in their group waiting to board the plane. Sadly, she left this world before stepping foot on it. So remember that being alive is a gift and never take it for granted.
Thank you for wondering along with me. Maybe the thinning of the veil this time of year will make my new experience something to remember. I’ll be sure to write about it if it does because life is wonderful when you just take the time to wonder about it.
Thumbnail Photo by Leeloo Thefirst: https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-wood-caffeine-coffee-8942923/
