Cacao ceremony | Cacao practitioner | Ceremonial cacao | Creativity | Practitioner profile
Plagued by emotional overwhelm and disconnect, multi-disciplinary artist Alexa Maithe felt something in her creative expression was "off." But when she found herself standing on a porch in Guatemala, staring into Keith “the Chocolate Shaman” Wilson's radiant eyes as she took her first sip of his 100% Pure Ceremonial Grade Cacao, she sensed that everything was about to change.
That day was the prologue to a profound transformation—a voyage into her authentic artistic essence. One that would lead her to a place of understanding, loving, and embracing her sensitive, creative spirit. And from where she could create with ease, inspiration, and joy.
Depression and emotional overwhelm strike many sensitive souls, and at 16, Alexa Maithe was no exception. Mistreated by those around her who could not understand her heightened awareness and sensitivity, Alexa felt many aspects of her life were “a little bit torn in turmoil.” Her relationship to creativity thus began, she says, “from this little brokenness.” As is true for many creatives, art became Alexa’s way of organizing both her inner world and her heightened perception of the world around her. Art “was making me feel that my sensitivity was being understood by these brush strokes, these drawings of rage that were somehow transmuted into these different lines,” she says. It was confusing yet cathartic for her, therapeutic.
Alexa became obsessed with the artistic method, pursuing studies in Florence and Berlin, both veritable Meccas in the art world. Everything on the outside appeared ripe for artistic success. But despite learning how to be an accomplished artist, something in her creative expression still felt what she describes as “off.” It felt haphazard, almost like she wasn’t aware of how or why she was creating.
“There was a certain thing missing from my heart,” she explains. “I didn’t feel it had coherence and organization. That word, 'organization,' is very important because I felt things were happening but didn’t fully understand or recall how I did them. When Keith’s Cacao came into my life, many things started getting organized inside me. And it was like, wow! Different emotions, a sense of self-clarity, an understanding of the hypersensitivity—everything came together into an organized schema. Keith’s Cacao allowed me to begin comprehending the complex world inside me.”
Alexa remembers the day she met Keith with much fondness. “That day stands out for me! Not least because of this man, this 'old soul' who was so like a big tree, a big tree of wisdom… It was also how he was presenting himself, so empty and full at the same time.” Alexa had tried different brands of Ceremonial Cacao from Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica, and even others from Guatemala before, but the energy of Keith’s Cacao felt so different, so much more potent to her. “The love and calmness that Keith’s Cacao had was deeper than all the others. I felt so much emotion come through." From that moment onward, she entered into a deep relationship with Keith’s Cacao that changed her as a person—and artist.
Her year-long daily practice with Keith’s Cacao catalyzed a detoxification process of body, mind, and spirit. She describes it as cleansing the traumas trapped within her body, keeping her stuck in the past. She could finally feel her body aligning with her spirit and the present moment.
At the end of this one-year process, Alexa felt called to take what she had learned and begin applying it to her art. And it changed it profoundly. “When it came to expressing certain philosophical ideas and spirituality through my art, these began making sense in my body. I was embodying with truthful passion and awareness what I wanted to express,” she says.
Today, Alexa uses Keith’s Cacao to “go to the source and receive... the next stage” for her creative expression. “The psychoactive components in Keith's Cacao make it easy for us to concentrate,” she says. “And this concentration takes us directly to the main source of where we want to go—or where it wants to take us. So ideas and things become instantly very clear.”
Alexa’s artistic process now begins with a cup of Keith’s Cacao and some dancing and movement to, as she says, “receive the channeling of the information that I want to transmute into a project or… a more clear and concise idea on how to portray things in the physical world.” She feels this "adds a profoundness” to her work, imbuing it with a spirit, something celestial beyond my own interpretation. It also allows the work to arise from something I don't have control of.”
Alexa also shares Keith’s Cacao with others at NAN, an eco-hotel and retreat center in La Tigra National Park in her home country of Honduras. NAN is where she creates her art, dances, and leads ceremonies with Keith's Cacao. Her motivation is to help others experience "the gift of Keith's Cacao, which is the magic of being wholly present." She hopes others open themselves to fully believing that the change they wish to see can happen.
“I feel that Keith’s Cacao allows you to slow down so you can feel deeply, be present, aware and observant… to organize your ideas and your expression,” she says.
Alexa’s experience with Keith’s Cacao has transformed her as a person and as a vehicle of creative expression. She feels the spirit of Keith’s Cacao has become a part of her, integrating into her being. It is this healing, creative spirit that she desires to share with the world as an artist and as a Keith’s Cacao practitioner.
You can follow Alexa’s cacao-infused creative projects on her Website and Instagram account.
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