I spend a lot of time on the witch-ier parts of social media, and in particular I see a lot of post about tea. Different blends and mixes for different spells, companies like Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends and The Witchwood Teahouse that specialize in teas for different magical workings. For the most part I understand the attraction to tea. It's easy to mix in different herbs for different meanings, and it can feel a lot like crafting a potion in your tea cup. Tea leaves have been used for medicine, magic and divination for centuries. However, what about coffee?
For me, I'm much more likely to reach for a hot cup of coffee than tea. I love making coffee every morning in my Mister Coffee pot and listening to the familiar bubble of coffee. Coffee is it's own kind of potion making, an alchemy that combines beans, heat, and time. So naturally, I began to think about the magical uses of coffee. What would it be good for? Do other people use coffee for magic?
Well before it powered the Western world and America ran on Dunkin', coffee was widely used in the Middle East. In Islam, coffee is attributed to Mohammed and it is said that Gabriel the archangel gave coffee to the prophet in order to replace wine, which is forbidden in Islam. From the 8th to the 14th century, coffeehouses where places where mystics and intellectuals could meet and discuss a wide range of topics. Even today, coffee plays an important role in the hospitality culture of the Bedouin tribes. When I went to Israel, one of the highlights of my trip was the coffee we had at the Bedouin tents. It was thick, rich, and warmed me down to my bones. Just like tea, coffee has it's own rituals and customs that are strongly connected to hospitality as well as the associations coffee now has with alertness and focus. In magic, we can harness these ideas and use coffee in a variety of magical ways.
As an offering - My grandfather drank coffee day and night until the day he died. He always had a pot going on his coffee machine, and would often drink a pot when he came home to have lunch with my grandmother. This makes a simple cup of coffee one of the best offerings for him. Other gods, deities, saints and spirits also love coffee and a cup of coffee or an offering of coffee beans can be a great way to feed them. Coffee can also be great in a hospitality offering, such as for a house warming. Coffee as an offering is the most common magical use that I have seen.
To boost other spells - In spell work, coffee is mostly used as an element that amplifies or speed up a spell. Dressing candles with coffee grounds, having a cup of coffee on your altar or drinking coffee before your spell, drawing sigils with coffee, or having a coffee oil are all amazing ways to add the coffee element to your spell work. (Fire safety note - coffee beans are full of oil and can cause your candle to flare or burn unevenly. When in doubt, use an oil infused with coffee beans, and not ground coffee on the candle itself.) Just sprinkling coffee in a circle around the dressed candle can boost your spells.
For mental clarify and focus - In A Wiccan Formulary and Herbal, A.J. Drew writes "Coffee is the author's beverage of choice as it heightens the cognitive abilities and frees one's mind from writer's block". Especially when combined with other herbs for focus, like mace or rosemary, coffee incense and room sprays can add a depth to your spells, divination practice, or meditation by allowing you to focus more clearly. You can also gain some of these effects just by the aroma alone. Try leaving a cup of hot coffee next to you as you meditate, or on your altar as you read tarot. Since I do my daily tarot pull in the morning, I often have my cup of coffee close at hand.
For divination - Coffee grounds can be read much in the same way as tea leaves. This is best with a coffee that leaves grounds behind, like Turkish coffee or espresso, instead of drip or filtered coffee. Make the coffee as you normally would and pour a cup. Drink as much of the coffee while thinking on your question, leaving only slightly wet grounds behind. Swirl the dregs of the coffee and then flip the cup upside down on a saucer. Once the grounds coat the cup, look inside and see what shapes you can find. A book on tea reading will give you some idea of the shapes and possible interpretations, but always use your intuition as a guide.
Don't be afraid to use coffee in your magical practice, or believe that following a magical path means you have to swap coffee for tea. Coffee is just as magical and can be a powerful tool in your practice. I know I will continue to work with coffee in many forms through my journey.
Further Reading
A Coffee Spell
Vaya's Witchcraft Coffee Correspondences
A Lady Gravedancer Magicks with Coffee (video)
Aunty Flo Coffee Magic
Coffee Ground Divination
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