Chocolate was once hailed as the food of the gods by ancient people, and today’s people find it enchanting as well. Find out the ancient magical meaning of chocolate and how you can use it to make your own magic today.
If you're looking for a sweet treat you might long for chocolate and if you're looking for a gift to let someone know you love them, you might also reach for it. Chocolate has been in use for over 4,000 years and its popularity has grown. It might be delicious or a great gift for the people you love, but did you know that chocolate has magical and medicinal properties? Join SpiritualBlossom to explore the magical significance of chocolate. Learn about its humble roots in the Andes and how it spread throughout Mesoamerica before it was taken overseas by early European explorers. Find out some magical properties of chocolate and how you can use chocolate in your own magical practice. Then enjoy a new recipe on a classic chocolate cookie and get started making it.
What is Chocolate?
Chocolate is food that's made from cocoa beans or seeds that have been ground after roasting. The word chocolate itself comes from Spain but indigenous Nahuatl people called it “cacahuatl” which means “cacao water.” It was also known as the “food of the gods.” The process of making the seeds edible takes a long time. Cocoa beans are harvested a couple of times a year. Ripe cocoa pods are picked from the trees and the pod is chopped open, revealing the seeds, also called cocoa beans. These look like a ripe fruit, but taste bitter until processed.
The beans are allowed to ferment for some days and this breaks down the acid in the beans. They are then dried on trays laid out in the sun for close to a week. They are then roasted and various processes can be used afterwards to produce products ranging from solid chocolate, cocoa nibs, or cocoa powder. Africa grows about 70% of the world’s chocolate. Chocolate generates over $100 trillion in revenue annually, and it is believed that women eat twice as much chocolate as men do. Americans are believed to consume about half of all chocolate sold worldwide. To watch harvesting and production of the cocoa, see here: Cocoa Beans and Bulk Chocolate | How It’s Made | Science Channel
Chocolate’s Magical History
Chocolate didn't make it around the world overnight. Possibly first used by the Olmecs and then the Mayo-Chinchipe people of the north Peruvian Andes and Ecuador, it was probably given to the Mayans and Aztecs through trade. It was shared with European explorers, and they took it back home to Europe before it made it all over the world. It was used for magic throughout the ages.
Mayans
While today's people typically like their chocolate sweet, it was believed that the Mayans had their chocolate as a spicy, bitter drink. They added cornmeal and the combination of the maize with chocolate was considered to be sacred. It was a big part of their culture and big events like initiation rituals for men and marriages included uses of chocolate. The Mayans said that chocolate was the food of the gods and they worshipped the tree and the chocolate beans.
They had their own goddess of chocolate named Ixcacao and she blessed them with good harvests and fertile land. Chocolate was used as dowries for marriages and the bride and groom with ceremony drink chocolate for the wedding. Children were baptized by being anointed with ground cocoa beans blended with flowers. Cacao beans were a symbol of prosperity and the vessels and utensils used for making chocolate were buried with their rulers. Read about how to bring more prosperity into your life the magical way here: The Guide to Prosperities: How to Attract Fortune
Aztecs
Moctezuma II is the Aztec emperor believed to have shared chocolate with Herman Cortez around 1520 CE. By that time, chocolate was as valuable as gold and it was used as currency. The Aztecs also made something called “xocolatl”, said to be energy boosting and refreshing to drink with chocolate. Chocolate was used to heal digestive issues, fevers, coughs, and infections. It was a status symbol, associated with the rich and rulers, and warriors were gifted chocolate for great deeds in battle. It was mixed with the blood of human sacrifice victims and given to the next round of victims to seal them to their fate. Chocolate was used in special occasions and rites of passage like marriages and festivals.
The New World
Although Cortez was introduced to chocolate earlier, it is believed chocolate didn’t make it to Europe until the 1580’s. There, the Europeans didn't attach religious significance to it, but they believed that it had medicinal value. It was thought of as an aphrodisiac and the rich served it differently than the Mayans and Aztecs did. They liked it sweetened and served hot and it was very popular with the aristocracy. Cortez thought of chocolate as a fatigue fighting substance and the Quakers drank it as an alternative to alcohol. A French pharmaceutical company called Menier marketed chocolate as a recreational drug in 1816 saying it both soothed and stimulated. Valentine’s Day is a holiday when a lot of chocolate is gifted to people. Read about that holiday here: Happy Valentine’s Day- All About the Day
Chocolate Today
Today's people think of chocolate in terms of how it enhances mood and creates emotional endearment. It is believed to soothe anxiety and lift depressive spirits. That also helps to soothe agitation associated with Premenstrual Syndrome and as a way to stimulate the appetite. Chocolate is believed to create emotional closeness between people and that's why it's given as a gift. Some people would say this isn't magic, but science that chocolate has a chemical reaction to the body.
Chocolate is so popular that around the world, 5 million tons of it is produced every year. There are multiple different types of chocolate. Dark chocolate has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, but milk chocolate has milk added so it has less. White chocolate doesn't contain any cocoa but it is made with cocoa butter, and it's very popular too. It takes about 400 cocoa beans to produce just a pound of chocolate. However, don't worry about running out of chocolate anytime soon because each cacao tree can produce about 2500 beans. It is believed that between 40 and 50 million people are employed in the chocolate making trade. One serving of milk chocolate has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.
Magical Properties of Chocolate
So, what are these magical properties of chocolate that people have sworn by for countless generations? For one thing, chocolate is believed to be an aphrodisiac. On the scientific level, it's medicinal, and heals the body. It's also used as a mood enhancer and magic. Basically, chocolate creates changes in the body and that makes great magic happen.
Aphrodisiac
Science hasn't proven this yet, but it is believed that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. It is believed that the emperor Montezuma and also Casanova ate a lot of chocolate because it would boost their sexual encounters. Even though there's no proof that chocolate boosts your sex drive or makes sex more pleasurable, it does boost some things in the brain. It contains phenylethylamine which is said to promote emotions associated with pleasure and love because it boosts dopamine levels. It also has mood improving serotonin and energy boosting theobromine. So maybe there is some truth in the magical belief that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. You might not need aphrodisiacs if you have great love advice, so read this article to find some: The Best Advice for Love
Medicine
Besides boosting mood, chocolate helps our body in multiple ways. Johns Hopkins Medicine has good things to say about the benefits of chocolate. First, if you think of eating chocolate as a celebration, you're more likely to maintain a healthy weight than if you think of chocolate as a guilty pleasure, which will trigger unhealthy eating behaviors. There are inflammation fighting compounds that protect your body against cell damage in chocolate and when eaten in moderation it will lower your blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots, increase blood circulation to the heart, lower your risks of stroke, coronary heart disease, and heart disease caused death. It also helps to balance your immune system and battle diabetes. Chocolate helps you to perform better athletically. Finally, it reduces your stress levels. Not bad. Speaking of medicine and healing, find out how to heal from past trauma here: Healing Form Past Traumas
Mood Enhancement
We won't reiterate what we said above about the aphrodisiac benefits of chocolate, however, Georgia State University says dark chocolate can elevate your mood by making sure you have healthy gut bacteria. Polyphenols , contained in chocolate, boosts our moods. They are a plant fiber and other foods such as red wine are chock full of them too. Polyphenols are believed to benefit digestion and overall health of the entire body because they help to grow beneficial gut bacteria and fight off bad bacteria. This boosts your mood by healing your brain and making you feel good. So, have some chocolate. Your health may depend on it. Read more from that study here: Dark chocolate may improve mood by altering gut bacteria, new study finds - Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
How to Use Chocolate in Magic
There's more than one way to use chocolate in magic. You can use it in healing, you can use it in aromatherapy, and you can even use it in recipes. Read on and find the author's very own recipe for a crowd pleasing chocolate cookie.
Healing
Simply ingesting the right amount of chocolate for your health can speed up healing. You can eat or drink chocolate for that. Believe it or not, you don’t have to eat sugar or any sweetener to have chocolate. Dishes like Mexican mole use chocolate in savory sauces, and eating small amounts of unsweetened chocolate can give you the health benefits of chocolate without a lot of sugar or calories. When you're dealing with circulation issues, heart problems, mood or psychiatric issues, or an upset stomach, it's possible that chocolate can help with healing.
Chocolate can heal the emotions also. A spell using chocolate can be done to help heal a friendship after a breakup. Take a picture of your friend who you had a break up with and then a picture of yourself. Melt some dark chocolate or milk chocolate and use it to attach your pictures together like glue. Before the chocolate dries, say these magic words: “ As this chocolate dries and seals our pictures together, may the good intentions in my heart seal our love and mend any rift between us. The next step is most important. After you have done this spell, go and talk to your friend and tell them that you will do whatever it takes to reconcile and get back together. This magic almost always works! Read about how the Zodiac signs break up here: Breakups with Each of the Signs
Aromatherapy
Not everybody likes the taste of chocolate, and that's alright. Some people don't digest chocolate very well, and that's not their fault. You don’t have to ingest the cocoa to use it for magic. Simply inhaling the smell of cocoa can be magical.You can still cook with chocolate for other people and enjoy the mood boost from inhaling the decadent aroma of the cooking or baking chocolate. Chocolate or cocoa scented candles or incense can be burned. You can also simmer a small amount of cocoa and water on the stove for a short time to set your home with the intoxicating aroma of chocolate. There's just something soothing that creates a home-like atmosphere and a feeling of comfort when the smell of chocolate fills the air. Read about making magic happen in your life here; Using Practical Magic in Everyday Life
In Recipes
No matter what your magical intention is, cooking and baking with a magical ingredient is a great way to do magic. Chocolate makes a great gift to endear someone to you, and what better way can you do that than to bake for them yourself? This simple cocoa powder recipe has fed and tantalized many of the author’s loved ones over the years. Traditionally, more sugar is used, but this version uses less sugar, and just needs to sit in the refrigerator to set the cookies. Feed this to the ones you love to heal them and make them happy. They stay fresh for weeks in the freezer, but there usually aren’t leftovers.
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
1 ½ cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
8 tablespoons butter or margarine
One teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups quick cook oats
Sift the cocoa with the sugar and add the milk in a medium saucepan until combined. Chunk the butter into 8-10 slices and add. Bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Then, boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Combine until smooth and add the oats, combining completely. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the cookies until they are firm. Almond butter can be substituted for those allergic to peanuts.
Chocolate is delicious, it's a mood enhancer, and it has powerful medicinal abilities. It's also considered sacred and has been used in magic for countless generations. The ancient Mesoamericans were the first people to use chocolate, and today it's one of the most popular things used around the world. You can use chocolates in your own magical practice in healing magic, aromatherapy, and for anything you want to in your recipes. May the sacred magical powers of chocolate share their magic with you. So Be It.
To learn more about magical practices, get a reading started with one of our psychics today.
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg Magazine and PaganPages.Org emag.
