Many of us drink it each day without giving it much thought.
But the drinking of coffee is far from mundane...
The imbibing of coffee is something that’s happened for centuries but with a much more spiritual and magickal purpose.
From ancient Ethiopia to the Arab world, coffee has played a powerful part of magickal ritual.
In ancient Arabic, ‘taṣawwuf’ is a type of Islamic mysticism. But in the west, it’s more commonly known as Sufism.
The Arabic term for mystic is ‘Sufi’, a term meaning wool, which is related to the woollen clothing worn by early Arab mystics monks.
To the Sufi, coffee played a powerful role in their connection to the divine. Even today, coffee shops are an important meeting place for groups of Arab men who come together to discuss politics, religion and the news of the day. This hasn’t changed since ancient times.
The Whirling Dervishes are perhaps the best known of the modern day Sufi mystics from the Mevlevi order. Their practise of whirling around, known as the Sema ceremony, is a form of physical meditation, to get them into a trance like state in order for them to connect to the divine.
Coffee plays an important part in their preparation for this ritual - it’s thought that the coffee helps prepare their mind, body and spirit for the physically demanding action of whirling.
In Ethiopia too, the native land of the coffee bean, coffee has been used for thousands of years in magickal and ritualistic practises.
Ethiopian legend speaks of Kaldi, a goat herder who, after seeing the effects the coffee berries had on his goats, realised the importance of this plant.
For the Ethiopians, the preparation of the coffee is a deeply spiritual practise and is a multi-sensory experience. The fresh beans are first roasted in a flat pan over a fire. The aromatic smoke fills the air and is inhaled to bring on a state of deep meditation. Frankincense is also burned to add to the mesmerising atmosphere.
The beans are then ground in a mortar and pestle, in a rhythmic fashion, with the sound of the grinding adding to the sacred connection and trance like state. The ground coffee is then brewed in a special clay pot known as a Jebena, before being served in small ceramic cups.
This ancient ceremony symbolises hospitality, friendship, and social connection. Participants gather around the host, deep in conversation and sharing a communal experience that can last several hours.
The slow, deliberate process represents respect, mindfulness, and human connection.
For anyone who wishes to add coffee into their magickal repertoire, here are 3 magickal uses for this mystical brew:
1. Coffee scrying
Double or even triple brew a dark blend of coffee and pour it in a dark or black mug.
Take it to a quiet, darkened space and light a candle. Look into the “black coffee mirror” (the surface of the liquid) and allow your eyes to lose focus. Inhale the aroma as you gaze into the blackness.
What do you see?
2. Speed up spell work
If you have a spell that’s taking its time to manifest, sprinkle some coffee grinds onto your altar space to speed up the process.
3. Coffee Anointing
If you’re struggling from procrastination or struggling to push past a point of plateau when working towards a goal, brew a strong cup of coffee and anoint your temples and heart, to help you push through the blockage.
So there we are - utilise the power of coffee to aid you in your witchery and add a touch of caffeinated magick to your day.
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