Coffee Magic: Rituals in Caffeine
Do You Want to Do Some Witchcraft?
Coffee is sacred; ask anyone that drinks it.
It’s right up there with birthday wishes and evening prayers, and has billions of marketing dollars behind it. A coffee order is a personality at this point. We are what we drink.
I’ll be honest, I love coffee magic and a huge component for me is spite. I didn’t drink it until my very late 20’s and did it because I had an ex who loved coffee and I never drank it with him. I only started drinking it after we’d parted and I’d given him the fancy coffee maker I kept at my house back. I’m like that, you know, I’ll pack your bag for you.
Now I get to have coffee with me every morning and he doesn’t. I like that.
I am not above defining myself by my seasonal coffee preferences. I’ve been told I drink my coffee like a cop (black, two sugars), which remains one of the meanest things anyone has ever said to me.
Witches are known for tea blends, and tea is excellent, but coffee is just as much a ritual as anything else. And often one around pleasure. Coffee has built empires (derisive) and forged culture (I really recommend this link, coffee history and its tie to Islam is fascinating!).
Whenever people are interested in getting involved in the “esoteric arts” (this is the most pretentious term I could come up with on the spot but I believe that I’ll find a worse one in the future), the daily practice of small stuff is so crucial. It’s really difficult to overhaul your entire morning routine to incorporate a deep meditation, but for the ten minutes you solve a basic need and pleasure? That’s pretty workable.
I have an irrational collection of mugs. They hold pens, they hold chocolate chips, they hold treats for the crows, they hold water for cats, and they all have specific meanings. There’s the lighthouse mug my grandmother gave me that reminds me of sunny windows and sitting in her backyard, there’s the cauldron mug that is the only one that hasn’t managed to get broken or stolen, and there’s the Budweiser holiday tankard I bust out on days where I need a little Christmas. I choose them very consciously in the morning, for comfort, inspiration, or change.
My coffee ritual has been called “Meth Lab Coffee” by friends of mine who I am still technically speaking to, but it came out of a hatred for gadgets. I hate batteries and plugs. So my pour over coffee method involves a wide mouth mason jar, a metal strainer that I got as a gift inside something that broke, and my kettle that I got at TJMaxx fifteen years ago.
I found a pentacle iron trivet at Goodwill (I’m a decent thrifter when it comes to weird goodies) that I set my jar on in order to add a bit of magic to the structure. Depending on the day I might add some hot peppers to my grounds to add some passion or speed to whatever magic I’m working with, or I rotate some simple syrups in (lavender, rose), and I use slate coasters with sigils drawn on them for different kinds of magic -- love, calm, focus, or healing.
I have an iron vintage machine that works surprisingly great despite it being hand cranked, and I grind whole beans from the corner store.
Small rituals compounded with repetition. So if you're looking to wedge some witchcraft into your incredibly busy life, make some special additives and take your coffee space. Doesn't have to be fancy.
Right now, I’m drinking a lot of COVO coffee which I buy through Bay Area Solidarity with Gaza. It’s gorgeous ground coffee with cardamom and I’ve been stirring in orange simple syrup to give myself an elaborate morning treat. It’s a very American thing to encourage people to do direct action exclusively through their dollars, but if you are interested in supporting your local communities, I recommend checking out Halal markets near you and trying Turkish and Palestinian coffee. I believe very solidly in the need for a permanent ceasefire and a free Palestine which is being occupied and actively destroyed by Israel as an extension of American overreach in the Middle East. So supporting Bay solidarity with Gaza feels like a small (and insufficient way) to engage in holy space with the people of Palestine, and encourages me to study and more deeply understand a culture that is actively being victimized by my own. You might try something similar in your life.
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