Written by Lauren Alfred:

Welcome to the first post of our monthly Full Moon Cacao Ceremony series. While a little late, this month the moon was full in the cardinal air sign of Libra. There is a window of three days before and three days following a full moon that the energy is ripe for ritual, so there is still time to prepare your Tribal Moon ceremonial cacao and feel the vibes of love as you open your heart to the energies of this moment. By element Libra is an air sign – intellectual, social and richly communicative. Ruled by Venus, it is the energy of artistic beauty, partnership and the journey of relating to others in coming to know our deeper self in love, truth, balance and harmony.

As the moon peaked on Sunday evening I was sitting outside under it’s luminous glow, looking out at the mountains near my current home and talking with a friend about women’s cycles, the art of humility and being around the right people throughout life’s journey. It was a moment of felt harmony, connection and understanding. Most of us are aware that the moon exerts a magnetic force on bodies of water and that as humans, we are made of a large part water. It has a strong effect on womens cycles as we well know, and as I expressed my feelings that being humble to this truth is key to relational understanding, a sense of true peace came over me. Being humble really is such a gift!

It was in this moment that I truly embodied the understanding that through coming to know another, I more deeply come to know myself. It is our relationships where we can learn so much about ourselves, and in coming to know ourselves we can more readily feel empathy and connection to ‘the other’.

Coming back to the energies of Libra, it belongs to the cardinal group of signs alongside Aries, Cancer and Capricorn. The seasons of cardinal signs are aligned with the start of a new season in the wheel of the year. It is a time to take action towards beginning new projects with enthusiasm, however we must remain mindful not to become impulsive, as a tendency to do so may also arise with this energy. A cacao ceremony during the Libra full moon is a wonderful time to set new intentions especially relating to artistic projects, communication and cooperation with loved ones, new collaborations and business ideas or committing to the deepening of existing partnerships.

As with all full moon energies we must remain mindful of the shadow expression of an astrological sign, and this is also a good time to set an intention to release what is no longer serving us as the moon wanes over the next two weeks. The shadow side of Libra can potentially express itself in the form of aloofness, avoidance, judgmental thoughts and behaviours, righteousness and manipulation. It is healthy to look deep within during your cacao ceremony to see where any of these issues may be playing out in your life and fully commit to becoming more conscious of how this may be effecting your loved ones or your world in general. Sometimes by avoiding these shadow expressions we are inviting more challenging lessons into our lives.

At this time such lessons may arrive in the form of imbalance, unfavourable outcomes in relationships, lack of discipline, unclear communication or clouded thinking. It is ok to go through these experiences, however it helps to remain mindful and perhaps even journal or talk with a dear friend about it if you are doing ceremony together. This is what the Cacao Spirit and medicine is for. It assists us in looking deeply within to see what we may find. It will always show us the door, but it is up to us as to whether we are ready to walk through it. It will guide us and encourage us but it will not kick us through the gateway in the same manner that other plant medicines tend to do. We always have sovereignty and choice when it comes to the cacao ceremony.

Affirmation for your Full Moon in Libra Cacao Ceremony 

“With integrity and truth, I honour the agreements I have made with others and in collaboration with the Divine. My choices are tests that I have created, held up towards my Higher Self, Natural Law and the True Will of God”.

As you sit in quiet meditation during your cacao ceremony, you may feel called to change the words to better suit your personal circumstances. It does not matter whether you are focusing on artistic pursuits or relationships – such as romantic connections, friendships, family or business collaborations. Even themes relating to the expression of universal balance and order can come into play beyond your personal sphere of life; it is all Libran energy. Just know that the time is ripe for topics of honour, integrity and truth to arise. How they may be playing out in your life will be personal to you. If you have faith and trust that the Cacao medicine will show you what you need to see at the right moment and keep your heart open to it all then your Tribal Moon Cacao full moon ceremony will guide you to a deeper sense of beauty, harmony and inner peace.