A purposeful approach to reflection is less like a glass bottom boat and more akin to a personal submarine: we direct the craft through the waterscape of our mind focusing in on the subtler areas.  Places that may have been ignored or obstructed from view when looking down from above are now visible with this direct, precise approach to reflection.

From this place of active reflection, we also gain the ability to modulate our experience.  Simply bearing witness to the intricacies of the self causes them to stir, and in this state of healthy disturbance, we get a close-up view of what is happening behind the scenes.  

Imagine looking down from the surface through that glass bottom boat, a big wave stirs up the sand…  we lose our sight and are left blind.  But up close, in that personal submarine, we have powerful spotlights bringing focus and clarity into our expedition.  

We welcome the waves, the disturbance, the movement of the mind as helpful resistance training to direct our focus amidst the storm.  With practice, we gain the ability to remain steadfast within the chaos and even use it to our advantage.

​Here is the recipe Santa's workshop would use if they were in the Spiritual-Gift Giving Biz.

Step One:  Select your "Gift"

Look within, review the gifts which you already have, the progress you've already made.  Hone in on the growth that’s apparent, then turn your gaze forward, envision that evolution and allow it to lift you higher yet.  Now take a step back, see that whole process from a distance, wrap it up in a pretty little (or massive) box, put a bow on top and write your own name on the tag.

​Step Two: Clear some space.

Just like if you were to sit down at a desk, when doing the work inside we must clear away the mess if we want to make progress.  When sitting with cacao (or any other time,) a great way to do this is through guided meditation.  Allowing your guide to stay-the-course for you so that you might sink a little deeper into that clarified "work" space.

Step Three:  Chocolate … Duh!

Using ceremonial Cacao we send our-"self" the gift which has been crafted by our-self, for our-self, from our-self.  The food of the gods is quite the blessing, plant medicine that is so easily accessible, with no harsh side effects.  We sit with cacao as a way to implement that gift into our psyche, into our spirit, and into our hearts.

Would you like to do this?  

Join me on December 10th in Downtown Easton, Pennsylvania as we gather with a special holiday blend of cacao and send ourselves THE gift.  Special guest and friend Galen Deery will be crafting an epic soundscape for us as we move through this space, helping to soften and facilitate the shifts we create within.

Reserve a space Here

​Tell your friends on Facebook

~noun
Definition: Loving Kindness; The Buddhist virtue of kindness; Love for no reason other than to give Love; In Theravada Buddhism, meditation focused on the development of unconditional love in all beings.
​

To offer love and kindness with no agenda, simply because it is good for humans to offer love and to receive it, to be shown kindness and to give it.


This is where real healing happens.  This is where the real work is done.


Cut through all of the vails and the hang ups, the trauma and the hesitation, see the real parts of  yourself, for who you are beneath it all, and see your partner in that same light.  It’s the ugly crying and the sweet sobbing, the bashful smiles and the deep belly laughter that emanate from this place of genuine self.


Then Love that place!


Get to know this place, feel through the uncomfortable parts of the body, let the gaze try and pull away from the eyes of another, but hold fast, see deep and become aware of the aversion to truth.  It is only after we get passed this place of hesitation that we can start to see reality.


Learn to offer unconditional love with no attachment to the receipt of affection.  With some practice we begin to unfold our minds idea of how we love and then rewrite the process into something centered in benevolence, in kindness, in free spirited, hippy dippy love... The good stuff:)

​

The past few weeks have been about simplifying.

It started in my morning meditations with cacao, the recipe just kept falling away until all that was left was the basics.  Sitting with Tanzanian Cacao, some honey from the Easton Farmers Market and a heavy scoop of a mild cayenne.  "Less is more" comes to mind.

I'll admit, my bowl of cacao simplified as my taste buds asked for it to do so, but as that happened I began to notice that it was reflective of something deeper.  Cutting out the unnecessary to make room for what's important in this moment.  

Instead of an "intense" asana practice, I found myself sitting with the Sanskrit mantra, So Hum, which translates to I Am.  The more I chanted, the more I began to feel a sense of clarity, of clean-ness, of simplicity.  Chanting slower and slower, time began to really drag and then it hit me!  Everything I've been doing as of late has been to find space, opening myself up to a blank page where I could draft out a new and improved version of myself,  Jesse v2.0.

Its working.

Taking the time to slow down opens up the space between moments, making the present moment more understandable, more digestible and more malleable.  I think that is at the core of these Cacao Ceremonies.  When we clear away old thought patterns through meditation, whether guided or not, we can better assess our reality, then meet that reality in the most efficient way possible.

We can learn much from the ocean's tides, while they are consistently rhythmic they still vary from day to day, notably most intense (highest and lowest) during the new, and full moons.  We are part of the same bio-system and find the same rhythmic variance in our own state of being.

Meeting their intensity with a relatively more intense practice of awareness seems to be an effective way to change our reality.

Last night I found myself sitting in front of my harmonium beside a good friend and a few new friends. About 30 people looked on as I started playing the mantra, as I paused, hoping, waiting and praying they would sing back, we were suddenly surrounded by voices.  

The room transformed.  

Where just moments ago there was an open-mic full of rock and roll, poetry and folk jams, there was now a sacred space full of heart.  A violin and electric guitar danced with an ethereal song to either side of me and the words, "Jaya Jay Shiva Shamboooo - Maha Deva Shamboooo" rang out from every corner of the room.  Building in intensity, the drums began to beat stronger and stronger and soon after we collectively drifted downwards into a sweet song, and then silence.

The cheers boomed too soon in my opinion.  For just a moment, in that silent space, there was perfection.  Every heart in the room beating to the same rhythm, our minds quiet, it was beautiful!


This Sunday were pulling together a new kind of kirtan band.  I honestly have no idea how it will evolve, but I'm certain it will carry a sense of that beauty seen in Bethlehem last night.

Join me in honoring that quite place within, where our intuition sings and sitting with cacao Sunday, July 23rd at 7pm.  We're gathering again at Sarah's farm in Upper Black Eddy (15 mi south of Easton,) overlooking the Delaware from high above for cacao, breath work, yoga Nidra (guided meditation) and kirtan.

Click here to purchase a spot (limited spaces available.)
*Should it rain, we will reschedule to the following Sunday*

-Hari Om

This weekend is a time of reflection, simply put, the moon is reflecting the suns light onto the earth, onto us, and in a full moon we experience the highest amounts of reflected light that we will most likely ever bear witness to.


So what does that mean?


During this time of 'reflection', we are more able to see 'Our-Selves', even without looking we notice more of what is coming from within.  Our whole lives, we listen to that inner guide, that inner 'Self', the Paramatma (translated: super-soul) to some degree, and if we're not living in accordance with what our innermost self is yearning for, we feel a sense of dissonance, of separation, of detachment.


The disconnect in our society is not necessarily an external phenomena, we all have something inside that is the same in all of us.  That place of gut feeling, our intuition, spontaneous inspiration, etc… When we are not able to see our selves, to hear our selves, that is when it's time for reflection, time to look within. 


Lucky for us, we have a giant rock to remind us of this every month…It's called the moon.


As a greater and greater amount of light is reflected back onto us, even with the sun's direct light fading, our animal bodies, our reptilian minds they know what that means, despite when our (sometimes overly) logical minds miss the message.  It's time to look inward, to see what's going on inside of us, and then realign our decisions/ goals/ tasks/ plans/ jobs/ lives/ relationships to 'reflect' what is within.


How does Cacao play into all of this?


The spirit of Cacao and the physiological sensations that come with consuming sacred Cacao, is akin to a guide.  A teacher to our Paramatma, the guide already within us.  When I sit with cacao (like I am right this moment)  I find it incredibly easy to understand what it is my heart is trying to communicate. 


Have you ever felt like your intuition/ heart/ inner voice is screaming a million words a minute, but in a completely foreign language, impossible to discern what it is you really want?

I have.


Cacao is my translator.


Cacao is my teacher.


Cacao is my friend.

Join me this Saturday, under the full moon, with a steaming cup of Ceremonial Cacao, prepared for just this purpose and a grand fire to listen in to that teacher within you. 

It's there, can you hear it?


Hari Om




Event Details:

Cacao - Fire - Full Moon Ceremony

Saturday June 10th @ 7pm
GreenMouth Farms (10 miles south of easton)
Bring a few blankets to sit on/ lay on/ keep warm!!


RSVP to JesseEppinger@gmail.com
Payment: Venmo @Jesse-Eppinger


Please RSVP by Friday June 9th so I can prepare enough cacao.
I will send an email with the address after your space is confirmed.

Happy Spring my friends!

This springtime weather is lifting the last of my winter slumber, I feel my fire building and the horizon growing brighter.
I hope you feel the same:)


A practice in gratitude has been the backbone of my growth and evolution.  It is the root from which we learn how to act with compassion, how to find peace within in response to our interaction with the external world.
This Mother's Day I am especially inspired to focus in on how much strength and power comes from the mother, from our mothers collectively, from the nurturing spirit, from the goddess in us all.  This will be the intent and direction I call in with Cacao on Saturday.


Join Alicia, Sybel and I at Easton Yoga for our special Mamma's Day Ceremony, full of Cacao, Kirtan and Lovee:)


Jai Ma

Save you Spot Here!

Cacao Ceremony is Saturday May 13th @ Easton Yoga.

Cacao offers us the opportunity to feel what is already there, it is a moment out of time, out of the routine of life where we can listen to the subtle sounds of our body, as opposed to the blaring thoughts of the mind.

What is the rhythm of your life? 

Where are the loud & intense areas? The noticeable growth, the highs, the memorable times, the exciting moments?  Where are the quiet times? The soft moments, the lows, the reflective spaces?


Looking back on our lives gives us the perspective to map them by a series of events (dots) and the time spent resting (spaces) between.  Rhythm is notated by a series of dots (notes) and the spaces (rests) between them.  The rhythms of your life make up your own unique song.

​
If you were to plot your life out on a map, you would see a series of 'dots' representing the memorable moments, the glimpses of excitement and experience.  In between each of these dots are spaces that comprise most of existence.


Just as in music, the empty space between dots is what defines them.  Without that space, the notes would have no value, no impact, no memorable qualities, no joy, no pleasure, no excitement.
Our default states of being & the routines we have make up the chorus. The times of learning, of growth, of action upon reflection make up the verses, each unique and different.  The tone of our dots is the way we resonate with the world around us and how our own melody plays out to our community, just like a song. 


What is the rhythm of your life, the beat of your drum?
When is the last time you heard your song?
You can plot it, you can play it aloud, you can score it out and work with the song until it is the masterpiece you desire.


Cacao brings us to the beat of our heart, our own special drum.  Sitting with cacao is like tuning the dial into your own unique song.  A way to listen to what is always there, always playing, always beating, but not always heard. 

To play a drum with an empty mind, in a meditative state is to lay your heart's beat out in the world.  The rhythm that follows is the story of your life manifested in song.  To do this with others creates an orchestra made up of the hearts and souls of each member.

I am excited to sit with a dear friend and one of the best musicians I know to match the tones of the community with Cacao this week.  Embracing cacao to hear the beat of our hearts, and then come together melding them into a collaboration of beings.

Sitting with Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band day in and day out has opened the space for me to clearly hear my song, to write the score of my life.  Eternally grateful for the lessons learned and space created by these beautiful souls.

Happy February My Friends!


The more the sun shines these days, the more I feel gratitude towards what comes from the earth.  Each sip of cacao is a gift, a powerful medicine offered to us from the Theobroma tree.  With each sip I am reminded of the past ceremonies, both the shared experiences and the solo adventures I’ve taken with cacao.  And with each sip I find myself more and more grateful for the ground I’ve covered thus far, which only perpetuates my view of the future.  

Every sip of life is a blessing for which we have the opportunity to create gratitude.

In each moment we can take a step back, realize that we are in the drivers seat, and that we have the ability craft the reality around us.  We do this by first changing our internal environment; our body, our mind, our emotions.  Then moving out into the world, we literally change the space around us.  Changing that internal world starts with setting the intention, with feeling the blessings we have, and want to manifest, it starts with loving ourselves.

February is the month of Love, that is generally associated with Valentines Day, gifts and…. Chocolate! (Yay). Not to knock the heart shaped boxes of coconut-caramel-bruléed creme de pecan filled deliciousness, but I think there is a deeper meaning to all this, a more fulfilling message that we can learn.  I’m finding that it is helpful to have a reminder to take time for loving ourselves, loving the life we live.  Just as Valentines Day is a ritual in which we show appreciation to our loved ones, I look at these Cacao Ceremonies as reminders to show some love to myself.

I show a little love, which leads to a little gratitude, which leads to a little sensation of feeling blessed, which leads to more love -> more gratitude -> more blessing -> leads to bigger love -> bigger gratitude -> bigger blessing…. It just keeps growing!!


Join us Saturday, February 25th from 5:00 to 7:00pm in a unique expression of love and appreciation of Cacao, the miracle food that supports this particular path of growth.  Join us in resetting the internal world, so that we might retune our external world.

Alicia, Sybel and I are looking forward to sharing a space with you again! Please RSVP HERE or in person at the Easton Yoga front desk so we can prepare enough cacao.  This ceremony is open to the public, so feel free to invite your friends and loved ones:)  
Many Blessings,

- Jesse

​