We invite you to be held in...
The Embrace:
A Weekend filled with delicious Cacao in various forms, intended to bring you into a deeper connection with your heart, body, and this beautiful Mayan plant medicine, which brings us back to the truth of Love.
When: July 25th - 27th
Where: Summit, Utah
Investment: $400
An ancient Mayan prophecy tells us that Cacao's mission is to travel the world and unite the hearts of all of the separated tribes of Earth. We aim to support her in that.
With a shared passion for bringing the spirit of Cacao to our communities, we decided to create an immersive experience specifically to honor this incredible plant sacrament. Cacao brings profound nourishment in both physiological and emotional ways, and every drink of this medicinal beverage contributes to the feeling of being wrapped in a warm, safe, comforting embrace.
Cacao teaches us where the love is, or isn't, in our lives. Cacao teaches us how to experience life from the heart; through the ears of love; through the eyes of love; through the voice of love. Giving us access to love even in the most difficult of times, this medicine reminds us that seeing the world through the lens of the heart is always possible.
We created The Embrace to offer people something they deserve: A few days of being wrapped by, immersed in, and served with...Love. Diving into an intimate, heart-focused weekend, guests will leave feeling liberated, restored, and in a more loving relationship with all that is.
Through The Embrace, we will all take ourselves on a journey of tending to our deepest and most tender needs through the heart-centered focus of Mama Cacao.
• What This Gathering includes •
A Pre-retreat consultation
Post-retreat Integration support
A Pre-retreat consultation
We aim to serve you in the safest, most integrous, and most informed way possible. Whether you know you will be sitting with us or want to have a phone call with one of us before making your decision, we are available to you for a consultation and medical evaluation. These calls are to answer questions you may have, get pertinent medical
We aim to serve you in the safest, most integrous, and most informed way possible. Whether you know you will be sitting with us or want to have a phone call with one of us before making your decision, we are available to you for a consultation and medical evaluation. These calls are to answer questions you may have, get pertinent medical information from you, learn about your intentions for joining us, and get clear on the diet for ceremony. If you register for ceremony before having a consultation with us, we will contact you to schedule a phone call.
A Heartfelt Weekend
Post-retreat Integration support
A Pre-retreat consultation
From the moment you arrive, you will be greeted with a hot cup of Cacao, a warm embrace, and an environment that welcomed you as you are. With several Cacao ceremonies, two Rapé ceremonies, two Sound Journeys, a nature excursion, private energy healing sessions, and all meals provided, you are sure to have a nourishing, cup-filling, heart
From the moment you arrive, you will be greeted with a hot cup of Cacao, a warm embrace, and an environment that welcomed you as you are. With several Cacao ceremonies, two Rapé ceremonies, two Sound Journeys, a nature excursion, private energy healing sessions, and all meals provided, you are sure to have a nourishing, cup-filling, heartwarming experience. All meals will be organic, vegan, and gluten-free, and you are invited to camp on our beautiful land at no extra cost. We only host up to 12 hearts for these experiences, so reserving your spot ahead of time is required. The intention is to create an intimate, safe, tight container for everyone to journey deep while also creating meaningful interpersonal connections.
Post-retreat Integration support
Post-retreat Integration support
Post-retreat Integration support
"Integration" is the most important layer of any ceremonial experience, as it is what locks in the "healing" and insight that come through the ceremony. We hold integrative sharing circles the day after each ceremony so that everyone has an opportunity to talk about their experience while receiving feedback & support from us. We will sche
"Integration" is the most important layer of any ceremonial experience, as it is what locks in the "healing" and insight that come through the ceremony. We hold integrative sharing circles the day after each ceremony so that everyone has an opportunity to talk about their experience while receiving feedback & support from us. We will schedule integration meetings with the group that will be hosted on Zoom following the weekend, and Etheric will also schedule private integration calls with everyone.
Day 1 - July 25th (Friday)
- 10:00am: Arrival to Deva Haven & Camp Setup (guests are welcomed to arrive Thursday evening, if desired)
- 11:30am: Introductions & Opening Prayers
- 1:00pm: Lunch
- 2:00pm: Mountain Excursion
- 6:00pm: Cacao Ceremony & Group Circle
- 7:00pm: Cacao Rapé Ceremony & Sound Journey
- 8:00pm: Dinner
DAY 2 - JULY 26TH (SATURDAY)
- 9:00am: Yoga, Breathwork, & Cacao
- 10:30am: Breakfast
- 11:00am: Personal Energy Work Sessions
- 4:00pm: Lunch
- 5:00pm: Group Circle
- 7:00pm: Cacao Embodiment Ecstatic Dance
- 8:30pm: Gong Journey
- 9:30pm: Dinner
Final Day - July 27th (Sunday)
Final Day - July 27th (Sunday)
- 11:0am Cacao & breakfast, with an integration circle & closing prayer
Depending on everyone's energy levels, we may start the final integration circle a little earlier or later than 11:00am. We will officially close the space when we are finished with the final integration circle. This is usually around 2:00pm, but the timing is fluid and
- 11:0am Cacao & breakfast, with an integration circle & closing prayer
Depending on everyone's energy levels, we may start the final integration circle a little earlier or later than 11:00am. We will officially close the space when we are finished with the final integration circle. This is usually around 2:00pm, but the timing is fluid and depends on the group's engagement.
Guests are absolutely not rushed away when we close the space. You are welcomed to stay and connect, rest, etc.
*Please keep in mind that this itinerary can change at any time due to unforeseen circumstances, new ideas, weather, etc.
• Your Facilitators •
• Shandell •
Medicine Woman & Organizer
Shandell is an intuitive healing guide with a passion for helping people find their way back to themselves - mind, body and spirit. Listening to the hearts of others and her own connection to Spirit, Shandell helps people find the place within that moves them forward, excites them, sees all the answers, and reminds them that they are already amazing!
Shandell has been serving Cacao for 6 years, drawing on the Nawals (Mayan calendar energies of the day) to help herself and others navigate each day in alignment with the heart of life. She loves helping others to cultivate a real relationship with the spirit of Cacao so that they may find what is truly alive in their hearts, and guides a monthly 20-day experience drawing people into a profound connection with unconditional love through communion with this beautiful medicine.
Shandell walks in a purpose of serving humanity with a heart-first stride. She holds certifications in many modalities of healing and psychic arts, including Energy Kinesiology, Somatics, Psychedelic Trip Sitteing, Psychedelic Integration as an Integration Specialist, Angel Connection, Chakra Balancing, Reiki (Master), Meditation Mentoring, Yoga, Sound Healing and Tarot/Oracle Card Reading.
• Etheric •
Medicine Man & Organizer
Born with a natural connection to his spiritual gifts, Etheric is a Medicine Man, Psychic Medium, and Medicine Musician. Initiated by an elder of the Mhuysqa tribe, Etheric is "plant-taught, self-studied, and Spirit-guided." He has learned how to activate profound healings in others, access a myriad of psychic & healing modalities, and facilitate beautiful plant sacrament ceremonies - all through his intuitive connections to the spirit and nature realms.
Etheric is passionate about educating people on the use of herbs & plants as medicines, and teaches people how to heal their traumas & illnesses while unlocking their own spiritual gifts. He has been studying with plant teachers for over 7 years and facilitating ceremonial experiences for 6 years. His plant sacrament facilitation includes work with Sananga, Rapé, San Pedro/Huachuma, Ayahuasca, Niños Santos, Cacao, and Blue Lotus. Dedicated to providing this work at a high caliber, Etheric holds himself and his ceremonies to a high standard that is built on a foundation of integrity, safety, education, reverence, and a combination of both traditional teachings and self-cultivated practices.
Following the guidance of his plant teacher allies, Etheric is devoted to bringing Earth's medicines and teachers to the world with passion in his gut, unconditional love in his heart, visions of transformation in his mind, and intentions of profound healing and clarity for all that he serves. Etheric is a queer person of color and welcomes those of any identity into his experiences.
• Michael •
Chef & Creative Doula
A creator of delicious dishes, Michael will provide us with yummy meals. Skilled at expressing love and care through food, Michael will whip up organic, nourishing plates for us to enjoy - he'll even curate some dishes with Cacao in them! He will provide us with breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday, lunches on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday, along with his natural ability to create safe, loving, and vulnerable spaces of support and expression.
Michael is a lover of transformational experiences and naturally serves as a steward to others throughout them. As a Creative Doula, he facilitates through compassionate, intuitive inquiry and guides towards fulfilment and the inherent liberated experience of the heart. Forever seated at the intersection of prayer and play, Michael invites you to shake off limiting beliefs and dive into a more beautiful truth.
• Rococo •
Disc Jockey
Rococo (Jonathan Kline) is an eclectic House DJ based in Southern Utah, celebrated for his dynamic and immersive sets that weave together deep grooves, tribal rhythms, and melodic textures. A rising star in the regional music scene, he has opened for genre-bending pioneers Dirtwire and performed at notable events such as E11, The Zion Reggae Festival, and the Tree(House) Festival. Rococo also holds a cherished residency with the South Temple Clubhouse Ecstatic Dance, where his transformative beats create a powerful space for connection and movement. Inspired by Southern Utah’s awe-inspiring landscapes, his music captures both the serenity and the energy of the natural world, offering audiences a unique blend of the organic and the electronic.
Rococo will provide the music for our Cacao Embodiment Journey on Saturday night, bringing us an amazing last night together. Cacao Embodiment is an intentional, guided Ecstatic Dance journey that brings us into a deep connection with our bodies and hearts through music, movement, and the medicine of Cacao.
• Private, Sacred, Ceremonial Land •
Located in the beautiful terrain of southern Utah, our 5-and-a-half-acre property awaits to welcome you home. Having a history of hosting sacred ceremonies and community gatherings here for over 2 years, Etheric has returned to this small-town retreat land to make it his home with his partner, Michael. Devoted to reawakening the dome temple and continuing to offer intimate, healing, liberating experiences within its womb-like walls, we welcome you to take a refreshing break from your everyday life and join us in peaceful, prayerful connection.
Our little slice of Earth here offers high-desert wilderness in which you can setup a tent, car-camp, or park a trailer, or you can setup a bed for yourself in our ceremony space if you'd prefer. With the intention of connecting people to nature while providing some nice creature comforts, this land offers a balance of the wild and the refined. We hope to have our yurt built in time to offer even more comfortable accommodations for our November gathering, and we will update here if that project is complete before then. The property provides 2 compost toilets just outside of the temple, and we will also be working to install an outdoor shower. Enjoy laying out on the temple's deck at night to be amazed by the show that the starry sky puts on in a region that is not dulled by the light pollution of big cities. This land is truly a breath of fresh, serene, healing air.
Less than a 3-hour drive north from Las Vegas, and just over a 3-hour drive south from Salt Lake City, this location is easily accessible via the scenic I-15 freeway. Sitting at an entry point to the awe-inspiring Dixie National Forest, we are also a short 30-minute drive to both Zion National Park, and Brian Head - two of Utah's greatest destinations. We are so honored and grateful to be able to welcome you onto such gorgeous, historic lands, and we fully encourage you to plan time to drive out into the mountains before or after your time with us to immerse yourself in Utah's beautiful landscape.
• Tent & Car Camping •
We have lots of carved out camping locations spread throughout our spacious 5-acre property. Whether you are sleeping in your comfy car or setting up a tent, there will be room for you to find the area that you like. The morning sun rises over the Cedar Mountains, illuminating the high-desert valley that we inhabit, and we are surrounded by BLM lands. Camping for even just a couple of nights here proves to be revitalizing in such beautiful ways. We do offer camping gear for rental, if that is needed. Guests can rent a camping accommodation setup that includes a tent, sleeping pad, blankets, a pillow, and a head lamp for the duration of their stay for an added fee of $100.
• The Deva Dome•
Our womb of a temple provides a unique way to experience the magick of ceremony. Impressive acoustics immerse us in a 360-degree surround sound experience, bringing live music and sound bath experiences to life. If you'd like, bring all of your bedding into the temple and setup wherever you'll want to be for the duration of your stay with us. The Deva Dome is more than spacious enough to fit everyone in attendance, just keep in mind that if you plan to sleep here, this will be the space in which we sit in all of our ceremonies and group experiences together.
• The Sights •
World-renowned for its unique and drool-worthy destinations, southern Utah is rich with sightseeing opportunities - many of which are just within a very short distance from our property. Visit the peaks and trails of Brian Head, the forests and streams of Dixie National Forest, the towering overlooks of Cedar Breaks, the peaceful waters of Duck Creek, or the famous Zion National Park - all within a quick 30 to 60-minute drive. Passionate about introducing Utah's beauty to everyone who travels to gather with us, Etheric will excitedly share all of his favorite nature getaways with guests. Take a cruise into the mountains before or after the retreat for a refreshing river-bath or hike. We will have a group excursion into the mountains on Saturday for some nature therapy and connecting to Cacao through the Earth itself.