7 Steps to Magical Hot Chocolate
If you’ve heard of divination at all, you’ve probably heard about Tarot Cards, crystal balls, and reading tea leaves. That last one is called tasseomancy! Tasseomancy also refers to reading the sediment from wine or coffee grounds. It's an ancient art that marries the magic of image with the magic of nourishing your body, and we’re lucky as modern witches to have plenty of space to play with this practice!
I’m not really a tea person; I want to be, because tea is so elegant, but it’s just not something I usually reach for. But hot chocolate? Hell yeah, hot chocolate! Do us hot chocolate drinkers not deserve to seek advice in our beverage just because it’s cocoa and not chamomile? I think not! Come along, hot chocolate enthusiasts, I have a spell for you! I call it "Cocoa-mancy".
Step 1: Choose a mug. Choose with intention! You can use the same one you always use if it’s your favorite or if you’re setting the intention to bless this particular mug with winter magic (that could be a cool idea!), but maybe you have one with a silly saying or illustration that actually fits the occasion better. Or maybe you have a “nice mug” that you don’t usually use because of reasons (maybe it's not dishwasher safe, I get it!) Use the nice mug! There’s a reason it’s a mug and not a painting.
Step 2: Make hot chocolate however you like it. Swiss Miss, grandma’s secret recipe, whatever works for you. There are some great vegan recipes out there, and some amazing fair trade cocoa companies!
No matter which recipe you use, you’ll have to stir your potion at some point, so make that intentional too. Stirring clockwise symbolizes drawing your intention towards yourself. Stirring counterclockwise symbolizes offering your intention outward. If you have a favorite number or work with numerology, add that many stirs to the process!
Step 3: Add some more magic. Cacao itself is sacred to many cultures, particularly to the Indigenous cultures of Central and South America who honored cacao in ceremonies of fertility, birth, and death. So ya know, you COULD stop there! But what else could you add? A few drops of a gem essence? Carnelian would be perfect for this spell, since it’s all about getting warm and so is hot chocolate, but choose the intention that best supports you. A single cinnamon stick? Cinnamon also symbolizes warmth, as well as abundance, love, and protection. It’s used in rituals for drawing in money and success. Nutmeg? Nutmeg is said to bring good luck and good health. Marshmallows? It’s been a long time since marshmallows were made with actual marshmallow root, so maybe marshmallows can just symbolize softness and sweetness because you def deserve that. But also, the Neighborhood Witch Watch isn’t gonna bust down your door for using “imitation” marshmallow root for a love spell. You’re running the ritual, here.
Step 4: Hold your mug of cocoa until you can feel the warmth transferring to your body. Take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent, and as you exhale imagine the steam wrapping itself around your body and pushing out any “cold” energy or intrusive thoughts.
Step 5: Gaze into your cocoa. Let your eyes go just a little out of focus, so the marshmallows or herbs or just the foam from the drink itself is just a little blurry. Think “finding pictures in clouds”. As you gaze, keep in mind the intentions you added to your cocoa by way of ingredients. What do the images in your cocoa say about this intention? Do you see the shape of an animal? A person? A place, or thing? Jot down any thoughts as you gaze, or speak them into a voice-recording app for reviewing later. You can look up common tasseomancy symbols, but remember that symbols only symbolize something because YOU recognize it as a symbol. Ya know? Like maybe a Wolf symbolizes leadership, but you're seeing your family dog because they're your special spirit guide!
Step 6: Now you can drink your cocoa. Let the sweetness fill all your energetic nooks and crannies, remind yourself that you SUPER deserve this treat, and ponder the messages your cocoa showed you. Take them to heart.
Step 7: Wash your dang mug! Right away! Do not make yourself or your housemates deal with dried-on cocoa or marshmallows- cleaning up is like closing the circle of this spell. Thank your vessel for holding your magic. Thank the universe for giving you a moment where you can have this luxury. Thank the water for cleansing your vessel. Thank yourself for doing a chore that Paige from HausWitch truly hates doing.
What do you think, witches?! What else could you add to this sweet ceremony? Now that you know what you're doing, you could get really elaborate next time and charge your ingredients in the moonlight, or build a whole Hot Chocolate Altar like you're a kitchen Magician! Crystals like Hot Chocolate Serpentine or Sugar Plum Lepidolite would be great "batteries" to complete the cocoa circuit.
