Coffee Folkore, Magick, and Medicinal, Turkish Coffee Recipe and Divination, Cafe Nation by Regi

I caught a mild cold over the past week.  Because of my Narcolepsy a mild cold really drains me.  I take ritalin for the sleepiness but I don't take the med. after about 4pm because it can interfer with my sleep schedule.  At around 5 PM yesterday I was about to crash, and my throat was irratated and I was a little headachey fatigued.  So I took some coffee grounds with 1/2 the caffine, a good pinch of skullcap and a good pinch of allspice and simmered it on the stove.  I strained the tonic and added sweetner and some milk.  It actually did help keep me going so I thought I would add it in remedies. 

So use enough coffee and water to brew a good strong cup.  A decent pinch of skullcap and a decent pinch of crushed allspice berries.  Bring the liquid to a simmer...  Add sweetner and Milk - Drink Up
 
 
Coffee- 
Health Benefits of Coffee Due to Stimulant Effects

Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. The caffeine in coffee gives a nice boost to your metabolism which can increase your energy level and boost your metabolism. Both of these actions can aid in weight loss.

The stimulant effect of coffee can also affect your brain function. Recent studies show that on average people who drank at least two cups of coffee each day showed improved cognitive ability, increased memory recall ability, better logic comprehension and scored higher on basic IQ tests.

Preventative Health Benefits of Coffee

When consumed in moderation coffee can actually provide health benefits according to the growing number of scientific studies. Antioxidants neutralize cancer causing agents which reduces the cell degradation of free radicals. Recent studies show that coffee is the primary source of most Americans intake of antioxidants.

There have been studies that have demonstrated that drinking coffee can lower your risk of developing conditions such as:

  • Parkinson’s disease – two separate studies were conducted on the relation to coffee and Parkinson’s disease. The first study found that the relation to the amount of coffee consumed was related to the likelihood of developing the condition. The second study showed that when compared to non coffee drinkers, those that were heavy coffee drinkers were less likely to develop Parkinson’s.
  • Type 2 Diabetes – Harvard School of Health conducted a study to determine the effects of coffee in relation to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It was found that when drinking six 8 ounce cups of coffee a day that men could lower their risk by 50% and women could lower their risk by 30%.
  • Alzheimer’s disease – People who drink 2 cups of coffee each day were compared to those who drink one cup or less per day and it was determined that the people who drank more coffee lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease considerably.

I was looking for coffee diviation and magick but all I found was this book-

"Cafe Nation" the following is a few exerts-

Coffee divination once enjoyed widespread popularity because of the beverage's long-recognized ability to energize. It encouraged extended social interaction and sharpened mental acuity. Sufi mystics knew centuries ago that coffee had the ability to aid in meditation and prayer. This heightening of the senses lends itself naturally to promoting creative and intuitive thought. Grounds, bubbles, and the array of symbols traditionally used for divination from tea leaves to Tarot cards are keys to understanding ourselves, bypassing overly logic-driven thought to reach deeper instincts.

This system of divination uses interpretations that draw upon the characteristics of specific coffees. Rather than simply replicating ancient methods and meanings, it draws upon the history of coffee divination and presents them in an entirely new format more relevant to contemporary life. Both the distinct flavors of each coffee and the histories of their nations of origin serve as apt parallels for the issues faced by contemporary individuals.

Go ahead, choose your favorite brew. Put on a pot of coffee, or let the barrista set the steamer whirring. Close your eyes. Let the rich aromas envelope you. Take in deep, contemplative breaths. Allow the fragrance to penetrate your whole being. Slowly, take one sip, then take another. Let the elixer take effect. Relax. Feel your cells alight. Open your eyes. The air brightens around you. Let your thoughts flow naturally. When you are ready... ask your question

Okay through out the book it has these kind of  meditations and exercises.  It also has coffee history and folklore exerts.  Here is a recipe for Turkish Coffee and using it for Diviation-

How to Make Turkish Coffee

"Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." -Turkish Proverb

Ingredients:

  • Sugar
  • Coffee, ground to a fine dust
  • Cardamom, ground (optional)

Instructions: To prepare Turkish coffee, you will need an ibrik. The sizes of ibriks can vary greatly, making it difficult to provide exact measurements. As a general rule, you can't have too much sugar or too much coffee! Spoon several teaspoons of sugar into the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with purified or spring water up to the point where the pot begins to narrow. Fill the rest of the space, up to the very rim, with extra-fine coffee grounds (any ground spices can be added to the coffee grounds, or if ground is unavailable, whole spices can be thrown in with the sugar). For Turkish coffee to work, you must grind it until it is as fine as baby powder. If you don't have a grinder that can manage this, just ask your local coffeehouse to grind your beans for you before you go. Be sure to tell them you will be brewing Turkish-style.

Place the pot on your stove burner at a low setting (remember, it used to simply cook by sitting on hot desert sands!). As it begins to heat, you'll notice the grounds becoming wet from the water below. Soon after, it will begin to foam upward. Take the pot off the heat before it boils over, and stir it for a few seconds until the foam subsides a bit. Repeat two more times. Pour into demitasse cups (or, if you're like me, pour all of it into one big cup) and serve. The coffee will and indeed should have grounds still in it. They will quickly subside to the bottom of the cup. Drink until it becomes impossible (which is my general rule for all coffee!).

How to Do Traditional Coffee Divination

We have a sort of Mother Witch . . . which are the Coffee and Tea Throwers to tell People's fortunes. -From Round About Our Coal-Fire, 1731

"If you want to improve your understanding, drink coffee." -Sydney Smith, 1771-1845

Reading Coffee Grounds The most well-known coffee divination technique is the reading of coffee grounds. The method is virtually identical to tea leaf divination, and both are known collectively by the term Tasseography. To read coffee grounds, you will of course need to prepare your coffee in such a way that there are grounds to read. If you are at a coffee house, the residue from a cappuccino will work nicely as well-just make sure that the cup is not so tall that you can't see clearly all the way to the bottom.

Ask yourself the following question: "What do I need to know about my present situation?"

What do you now see in the cup? The grounds will arrange themselves in random patterns. Interpreting the patterns is a little like a Rorschach test or laying on your back reading cloud formations. What you see and what it means to you will be very individual-two people reading the same cup can come up with very different interpretations, and both can be equally true.

Now, take out a piece of paper and pen, and in a stream-of-consciousness style, begin jotting down your thoughts as you casually meditate on the shapes you see there. Above all, don't edit yourself. If the first thing that comes to mind has nothing to do with the coffee, jot it down anyway. For example, the first thing that enters your thoughts might be the dry-cleaning you need to pick up that afternoon. Write it down, all the while continuing to stare at your cup as if you were lying face up on your lawn staring at the clouds above. As much as possible, don't even look at the paper you are writing upon-keep your eyes on the grounds in your cup. It doesn't matter if your writing is illegible-it will be legible enough to you when you go back to it, if only enough so as to jar your memory to recall what your thoughts were at that moment.

Continue writing for at least ten minutes. This will be long enough for you to enter the first stages of a meditative state, both by the exercise of looking at one thing and by the rhythmic pattern of your free association and the motion of your hand upon the paper. If your mind keeps wandering back to your dry-cleaning let it. Observe the thought, jot it down, and let it pass, moving onward to whatever comes next as you continue to stare at the cup.

When you do readings yourself, you needn't feel you need to read every cluster of grounds in your cup (remember-you can also read the remains of foam at the bottom of your cappuccino cup instead of grounds). If you are drinking Turkish coffee, there are so many grounds this would take you forever! Interpret only what speaks to you. In fact, some of what may come to mind as you do the reading might not seem to have anything to do with what is in the cup at all. There is no right or wrong here. Each of your interpretations are "correct." You really do have all the answers within you. Most of the time we just don't want to hear the real answer. Trust yourself.

Since I used the book so much in this discussion I will also share that you can buy it on amazon

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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries had its humble beginnings as an idea of a few artisans and craftsmen who enjoy performing with live steel fighting. As well as a patchwork quilt tent canvas. Most had prior military experience hence the name.

 

Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries.

 

Vendertainers that brought many things to a show and are know for helping out where ever they can.

As well as being a place where the older hand made items could be found made by them and enjoyed by all.

We expanded over the years to become well known at what we do. Now we represent over 100 artisans and craftsman that are well known in their venues and some just starting out. Some of their works have been premiered in TV, stage and movies on a regular basis.

Specializing in Medieval, Goth , Stage Film, BDFSM and Practitioner.

Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries a Dept of, Ask For IT was started by artists and former military veterans, and sword fighters, representing over 100 artisans, one who made his living traveling from fair to festival vending medieval wares. The majority of his customers are re-enactors, SCAdians and the like, looking to build their kit with period clothing, feast gear, adornments, etc.

Likewise, it is typical for these history-lovers to peruse the tent (aka mobile store front) and, upon finding something that pleases the eye, ask "Is this period?"

A deceitful query!! This is not a yes or no question. One must have a damn good understanding of European history (at least) from the fall of Rome to the mid-1600's to properly answer. Taking into account, also, the culture in which the querent is dressed is vitally important. You see, though it may be well within medieval period, it would be strange to see a Viking wearing a Caftan...or is it?

After a festival's time of answering weighty questions such as these, I'd sleep like a log! Only a mad man could possibly remember the place and time for each piece of kitchen ware, weaponry, cloth, and chain within a span of 1,000 years!! Surely there must be an easier way, a place where he could post all this knowledge...

Traveling Within The World is meant to be such a place. A place for all of these artists to keep in touch and directly interact with their fellow geeks and re-enactment hobbyists, their clientele.

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