cacao & cryptids and why I'm trying to shift the narrative around them

let’s first talk about WHY I am talking about cryptids - in January I started a mentorship program with a dear friend of mine that also happens to practice as a shamanic healer. I wanted to explore the gifts that I know I have but often spin into the narrative that I am crazy and not just that special; who else tells themselves that, come on, show of hands. I know I am not alone in this.

in my very first session, the list of things I’d like to learn, discuss, experience etc. was discussed and on that list was the word “cryptid” - I had no idea what that was, so I thought. after voicing that thought, it promptly became one of my homework assignments - find out what they are and present information on 3 of them. I had no idea what I was walking into and was greatly surprised when I knew about them, just didn’t know the categorical name for them.

thus my love for cryptids was born. but here’s the thing, I didn’t like the way they were portrayed. beacons of fear, ominous beings that foretold of death, bringers of negativity and sometimes even jokes. it was when I was reading stories about them that I was caught by the fact that, like human beings, what we didn’t know about them caused us to form negative opinions. they don’t act, look, express themselves like we do, so they must be bad; not unlike the way we treat many of our neighbors.

it was with these feelings that I started down the path of what they could represent on a folkloric level. how they existed in a more ancestral, thought provoking, lessons could be learned here kind of way and so “cacao & cryptids” was born.

my goal is to record one story a week for all of 2026, some weeks will revolve around an actual cryptid, other weeks we will include their kin, beings that are real but can carry some of the same stories and folklore as the cryptids but in a less dark and scary way. these kin will often be a lead into the next cryptid and tie storylines together.

I think my goal is to show that fear is a human construct created from not being open to the unknown and I'm joining forces with cryptids and their kin to make that happen. so I hope you will join me for each week’s short story. they all live on tikTok and instagram, maybe I'll create a YouTube channel specific to these, but for now, visit my social media platforms to listen and don’t forget your cacao (or favorite beverage). they aren’t long, so far the longest one is just under 6 minutes. its a great way to take a breath, relax and center yourself.

so far, we’ve explored: yeti, woodwose, wolf, wendigo and owl. can you guess who will be next?

see you soon, boundless blessings,