Attuning to the Week Ahead with Cacao
Soulful Sundays is a weekly ritual guide designed to help you reconnect with yourself and the universe. Each week, we explore a theme aligned with the energies around us, offering practices that bring you into deeper connection with your inner world, the natural rhythms of life, and the cosmos.
These practices are intended to be flexible, allowing you to carve out space in your day, whether in the morning or before bed, to cultivate mindfulness and presence. Cacao, as a sacred tool, is woven into each practice, enhancing the experience and bringing more heart-centred awareness to your ritual.
Theme of the Week: Recognising Triggers
This week, we explore the theme of recognising triggers. Triggers are emotional reactions that often arise in response to situations that remind us of past wounds or traumas. By recognising our triggers, we can loosen their grip and create space for healing and personal growth. Through mindfulness, somatic practices, and journaling, we will observe our reactions, learn from them, and use cacao to help integrate these experiences with grace and self-compassion.
The Daily Rituals
Each day includes a mindfulness practice, somatic/embodiment practice, and journaling reflection. Cacao can be incorporated to deepen your connection with the day’s focus.
Monday: Awareness of Triggers
- Mindfulness Practice: Sit in silence for 5–10 minutes, focusing on your breath. As thoughts and emotions arise, particularly those that feel reactive or uncomfortable, gently notice them without judgement. Observe what emotions or sensations these triggers stir within you.
- Somatic Practice: Place your hand on your heart and breathe deeply. Imagine each breath soothing any discomfort or tightness. As you exhale, visualise releasing the tension that accompanies triggered emotions.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: What situations or comments have triggered you recently? How did you respond? Write down one or two examples.
- Cacao Ritual: Prepare a cup of ceremonial cacao. As you drink, hold the intention of creating space between your trigger and your response. Let the cacao help you cultivate a gentle awareness of your emotional reactions.
Tuesday: Exploring the Root of the Trigger
- Mindfulness Practice: As you go about your day, notice any instances where you feel triggered. Take a moment to pause and breathe deeply. Ask yourself, “What past experience might this be reminding me of?”
- Somatic Practice: Shake out your body for 2–3 minutes, allowing any tension to release. Pay attention to how your body feels when a trigger arises.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: What past experiences do you associate with your triggers? How might your past be influencing your present reactions?
- Cacao Ritual: Sip your cacao slowly, visualising the warmth of the drink melting away any resistance to exploring these deeper parts of yourself. Let the cacao open your heart to past wounds that need healing.
Wednesday: Compassion for Self
- Mindfulness Practice: Place your hand on your heart and close your eyes. Spend 5 minutes repeating a loving-kindness mantra: “May I be free from suffering. May I be gentle with myself. May I grow through my challenges.”
- Somatic Practice: Gently rub your arms and shoulders, offering yourself comforting touch. Acknowledge the difficult emotions and triggers with kindness.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: How can I show myself more compassion when I’m triggered? What self-soothing techniques can I practise when I feel overwhelmed?
- Cacao Ritual: Hold your cup of cacao, thanking yourself for your willingness to grow. As you drink, let the cacao fill you with self-compassion and love.
Thursday: Understanding Others’ Triggers
- Mindfulness Practice: During interactions with others today, notice if someone else’s behaviour triggers you. Instead of reacting, take a deep breath and remind yourself that they may be triggered too.
- Somatic Practice: Ground yourself by planting your feet firmly on the ground and feeling the earth’s support. As you feel rooted, let this connection help you stay calm in the presence of others’ triggers.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: How can I bring more compassion to others when they are triggered? What signs do I notice in others that show they might be reacting from a place of pain or trauma?
- Cacao Ritual: Prepare your cacao with the intention of fostering empathy. As you drink, reflect on how triggers connect us all, and how understanding this can lead to more compassion in your relationships.
Friday: Shifting Your Perspective
- Mindfulness Practice: Visualise a recent triggering situation, but this time, observe it from a higher perspective. Imagine yourself floating above the situation, seeing all aspects from a neutral viewpoint.
- Somatic Practice: Stretch your body, extending your arms wide as if opening yourself up to a new perspective. Let the stretch symbolise your willingness to shift how you see triggering moments.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: What can this trigger teach me about myself? How can I shift my perspective to see this as an opportunity for growth rather than something negative?
- Cacao Ritual: Drink your cacao while holding the intention to shift your perspective on a current challenge. Let the cacao expand your heart and mind, allowing for a more open and loving view of the situation.
Saturday: Integration and Healing
- Mindfulness Practice: Take 10 minutes to meditate on the word “integration.” Visualise your mind, body, and spirit coming into alignment as you bring awareness and healing to your triggers.
- Somatic Practice: Lie down and place your hands on your belly. Breathe deeply into your belly, feeling the rise and fall. As you do, imagine integrating all that you’ve learned this week into your body and being.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: What steps have I taken toward healing this week? How can I continue to integrate this awareness into my daily life?
- Cacao Ritual: As you drink your cacao, imagine the healing energy of the drink permeating every part of your being, helping you integrate the insights and growth from this week.
Sunday Closing Ritual: Gratitude for the Journey
- Mindfulness Practice: Spend 5–10 minutes in gratitude, reflecting on the ways your awareness of triggers has grown this week. What have you learned? What are you grateful for?
- Somatic Practice: Take a slow, mindful walk in nature. With each step, breathe in gratitude for the journey you’re on. Feel the earth beneath your feet and the air around you, supporting your healing.
- Reflection Questions/Journal Prompt: What have I learned about my triggers? How can I continue to approach them with compassion, both for myself and others?
- Cacao Ritual: End the week with a cacao ceremony, offering gratitude for your personal growth. As you drink, give thanks for the opportunity to recognise your triggers and heal. Let this closing ritual symbolise your commitment to continued self-awareness and compassion.
Bringing It All Together
As we come to the end of this week’s journey, may you carry forward the deepened awareness and compassion that recognising triggers brings. Remember, each trigger is an invitation for growth, and by facing them with presence and self-compassion, you allow for profound healing. Continue to integrate these practices into your daily life, knowing that with every step, you are moving towards wholeness and more mindful living. Your Ritual awaits.
