Cacao ceremony: Active imagination and the mundus imaginalis
Dear friend.
This afternoon we would like to invite you to a ritual of cacao and active imagination; a journey to explore the so-called “Mundus Imaginalis”.
Today imagination is often denigrated as unreal or made up. In other words, pure fantasy. But what if we acknowledged the true imagination (imaginatio vera) as an organ of perception, and a legitimate way of knowing? And what if we honored the realm that we perceive with this organ—the imaginal world of gods, daimons, and angels—as equally real, in the sense of having an effect upon our psyche and our lives?
According to C.G. Jung, these forces are autonomous archetypes that populate the stratum of the psyche which he called "the collective unconscious". And if not acknowledged, they tend to force their reality upon us in rather unpleasant and symptomatic ways. As he put it:
“We are still as much possessed by autonomous psychic contents as if they were Olympians. Today they are called phobias, obsessions, and so forth; in a word neurotic symptoms. The gods have become diseases; Zeus no longer rules the Olympus but rather the solar plexus, and produces curious specimens for the doctor’s consulting room...”
By cultivating the imagination and engaging with these psychic forces, they can on the other hand become allies, helpers, sacred figures, guardians of the soul from whom we can draw meaning, vitality and insight.
This is the intention of Active Imagination and our exploration this evening; to create a safe and supportive space, through which we can engage with the realm of the imaginal. This can be seen as as a way of "soul-making" and of cultivating the imaginative heart.
CACAO
On our journey we will have the help of the fabled old plant medicine, Cacao Theobroma. Cacao was once revered as a “food of the gods” and used for ceremonial purposes by the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. When ingested in this rather unprocessed form cacao has proved to stimulate our nervous system, and gently enhance our sensitivity. This makes it a benign but powerful ally when it comes to working with our emotional life, our creativity, and imagination.
We will therefore begin our journey by sharing, honoring, and ingesting cacao. From here we will set forth on our imaginal journey, that will be lightly guided and accompanied by a soundscape.
PRACTICAL
Dates in the spring 2023
13th of May
Time: 14.00-18.30 (you are welcome to arrive a bit earlier to settle in)
Place: 'Virkelig' Yoga Studio, Tagensvej 85C
Price: 400 DKK (if you would like to join, but you are economically challenged, please contact me, and we’ll find a solution)
Registration: Please write Nikolaj at nikolajknub@hotmail.com or 26705189
Max. number of participants: 10
What to bring: If you have a sacred object--a stone, gem, flower, image, etc.that has a significance for you, then please bring it for the altar. It can be a good idea to have loose and comfortable clothes on that you can lay down and move in. Also, please bring a snack or two for landing after the journey. It is a good way to ground before leaving the space.
Cacao preparations and precautions: In order to experience the full effect of the cacao please come with a fairly empty stomach. Snacks or a light meal are okay, but avoid eating a big meal at least 2 hours before the ceremony. Cacao contains quite a few psychoactive components that stimulate our neurochemistry and increase our blood flow. Therefore, if you have any heart condition, are pregnant, or are using any anti-depressant/psychotics, then please let us know so we can adjust the dose of cacao for you.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nikolaj at: nikolajknub@hotmail.com or 26 70 51 89