Caroline de Surany

— Portrait of a multifaceted practitioner

Back in March, we met Caroline in Nice, France, our home city. She gave us indications so we could meet at her secret spot, in a beautiful garden located in the city’s hills. At the edge of this garden lies a little entry, hidden between rocks and palm trees. We took this small and narrow way, and landed where she usually leads her ceremonies. We were in our own bubble, hidden in this amazing garden, the three of us grateful for creating this new connection with cacao.

I experienced my very first cacao ceremony a couple of weeks before this encounter and it was with Caroline as a facilitator. A very unique and deep moment. When I left, I knew we had to meet again to talk about cacao and her own experience.

Caroline is a practitioner exploring with a range of practices such as watsu, silvotherapy, shamanic drum, cacao etc… She’s also a writer and always has a new idea or project in mind! Cacao bears a special place in Caroline’s life and we talked about her own relationship with it and what she observes while working with this specific plant-medicine.

Caroline's own cacao story

How would you define 'ceremonial cacao' ?

Caroline / To me, ceremonial cacao must be grown in ethical conditions, it’s essential, that’s why I have it brought from Auroville by an ethical entrepreneur I know.
Ceremonial cacao must also, in my opinion, be intentional, that’s why when I receive it and I wrap it, I magnetize it by setting an intention of softness and openness for the person who will drink it.
I also think it’s best to have it as minimally processed as possible to keep all the benefits.

What, in your personal story, led you to cacao?

I traveled in India after working a couple of years in the fashion industry. I wasn’t really looking for my « spiritual path » specifically, but I already knew I wanted to connect things and practices together. I randomly started to learn Watsu when I was living in Auroville, then I met Reiki while biking in the Himalaya, and step by step I started studying silvotherapy and shamanism. Cacao was naturally coming on my path as it’s a plant that can be considered of shamanic use.

But how I met cacao for the first time is really funny actually. I was working on my new book, writing, and out of nowhere, I decided that the couple in my story would have a cacao ceremony together. I didn’t know anything about it, never heard of it really! So obviously I needed to start looking for information. I thought ‘Ok if I really want to know about it, I need to try a ceremony’. A friend of mine knew a shaman who was working with cacao so that’s how I met cacao for the very first time.

What was your first impression of ceremonial cacao?

It was a total chock. The journey in itself wasn’t spectacular but it was definitely after the ceremony that I felt it. It was a special feeling, I was so happy, it was almost extreme, everything was beautiful, even the tiniest flower! I felt I needed to dive deeper and try different ceremonies. So I did many ceremonies in France: collective and individual ones. Every time this feeling was getting stronger and stronger.

What changed inside of you after these ceremonies?

I decided to learn how to lead my own ceremonies. I also did a 21-days cure of cacao. I knew deep down that all the therapies I tried until then started to clear my path, but cacao was there to bridge the last gaps.

I have this image in mind that there are rocks and you put sand in them to fill the gaps completely — this sand is how I picture cacao in my own journey.

About cacao's power

How do you perceive cacao?

I practice sylvotherapy, so to me cacao is first of all a tree, and you can heal with a tree’s energy. You put your intention in it and then you work with the tree. You give your emotions, the tree receives it, it helps you to process your emotions and to fill you with new energy from its roots.

During ceremonies I often work with this image, blending your own roots with cacao’s roots, it always has an impact, whether people have an ability to let go or not.

What do you think is the message of cacao?

To me cacao is related to childhood, to the affect. I feel like cacao is the mama as in « Cacao Mama » , here to hug you. From my personal experience and what I observed in ceremonies, people who had issues with their moms are even more responsive to cacao and its healing process.

Cacao allows you to find your personal power, you can decide when you need the help of cacao, its softness and comfort.

Why is cacao a great plant to combine with ceremonies?

Everyone experiences ceremonies in their own way, but there is often something based on the emotional cleansing, like old emotions or traumas that come up to the surface. This power coming from a tree is very strong, this cleaning effect. Cacao is here to help with those emotions, to live big journeys and to welcome what has to be revealed.

What do you feel when working with the plant’s energy?

I think I’m incredibly lucky to have discovered cacao. I was already working with trees in sylvotherapy, and cacao was the link between what I practiced in hypnosis and sylvotherapy: intense inner journeys offering an opening and a strong connection.

Cacao has become an ally present in everything I offer. The magic happens everytime. I have lots of ideas, everything I launch is either a success or a quick failure and I save time, it’s as if everything intensified and accelerated since the magic of cacao accompanies me.

Ending on a personal note

Your routine with cacao?

After my training I had my 21-days cure of cacao and I did the first 7 days with my kids, it was very intuitive for them and a great moment all together every morning, singing mantras and taking our time.

I’m not drinking it on a daily basis now, but only when I feel like I need it, like a boost when my energy is low. That’s a way to open up again to the world, especially during spring!

What was the most impactful thing (movie/book/experience) that helped you lately?

I met a cook who works with emotions who recommended a dictionary of food symbolism to me. I find fascinating the impact that everything we eat can have on us. Cacao made me become aware of that, this book allows me to check this fact with each food, it’s amazing.

“The Symbolism of Food” — Christiane Beerlandt

Something you want to share?

I discovered Cacao ceremonies in a strange way, I was writing a novel and the characters had a cacao ceremony. I didn’t know what it was, that’s where it all started. I’ve rewritten this book five times since then, spent weeks editing it with my editor, and it’s out [just now] in mid-October! I am very proud because it is my first novel, the title is “Le bruit de l’absence”, it appears in Nami editions.