Goddess Gift E-Zine      
February 2009       

The Goddess of Chocolate

Will the Real Goddess of Chocolate Please Stand Up?

I have to admit it. After many moons of trying to write the story of the little-known Goddess of Chocolate, I've come to a standstill.  A nasty case of writer's block?  Maybe so.

It's not only that so many eco-geo-socio-political factors played a role in her story. Add in numerous wars and changes in the power structure. Wow! Not the kind of heartfelt story I had in mind.

The problem is that she comes, in various guises, from so many places and cultures and with so many names (mostly unpronounceable to the English tongue) that it makes my head spin.

Talk about multiple personality disorder! Which one of her incarnations deserves the spotlight?  I agonize.

>But wait, what was I thinking? Clearly, if there is one thing that chocolate is NOT about, it's not about agony!

That settles it . . . we'll do her honor by giving a respectful nod in the direction of each of her three identities and then in the next issue we'll spend some serious goddess time honoring the one that we know and love the best, the one that survived into modern times.

First, let's meet:

'Those who have been too long at their labor, who have drunk too long at the cup of voluptuousness, who feel they have become temporarily inhumane, who are tormented by their families, who find life sad and love ephemeral; they should all eat chocolate and they will be comforted.'

-Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

'Life is like a box of chocolates . . .
you never know what you're
gonna' get.'

Forrest Gump

Goddess of Chocolate: The Mayan Fertility Goddess Ixcacao

Nurturing fertility goddess. Plenty of food for everyone. Plenty of energy to tend the crops.

Brokers a deal that provides a home for the Sacred Twins, and plays a vital role in the creation of the human race.

What's not to love about this goddess of chocolate?
 

The Goddess of Chocolate :: Serving the Gods (Religion and Commerce)

Abducted by the ruling class to become the wife of the god of commerce, access to their beloved goddess is forbidden to the 'common folk'. One exception:  on the one day each year when a young life is sacrificed to the Sun, Ixcacao was allowed to accompany 'The Chosen One' to share her comfort.

Nevertheless, the goddess cannot be contained for long!

The Goddess of Chocolate Returns as a Goddess of Pleasure

In the end, the Goddess of Chocolate played a role in the collapse of the warring cultures and in the end of the practice of human sacrifice. She returned to her people, bringing fertility back to the land. In her new role as a Goddess of Love and Pleasure, the lesson she taught us was:

No more work without rest.
No more work without time for family and friends,
     and time for music and dance.
And above all . . .

No more work without love.

Goddess of Chocolate: Part 3  Coming Soon

Will be getting back to you with the final chapter of the Goddess of Chocolate Series . . . a brief issue in which we'll honor the goddess with some yummy quotes and recipes (some of them in the bitter mesoamerican style) and will also alert you to "the dark side" of chocolate. (Yes, I'm afraid there is one.)

AND (drum roll  . . . )

We'll announce the next Annual Goddess Contest :: 2009.  The 'Create-A-Goddess for Modern Times' was so much fun we had to bring it back for a second year. (Who could forget goddesses with names like Cellphonia, Asphalta, and the one we all identified with, the goddess Tumuchtado?)

Until then . . .

In closing,
   a reminder to...

Do what you love.
 

Sharon

Return to Goddess Gift         
     

Goddess Gift Copyright 2009 - The Goddess Path