This practice was later adapted by the Arabs for coffee ground readings. The Arabs were also the first to discover coffee beans around 600 AD and created a monopoly on cultivating and drinking coffee for several hundred years. By the late 18th century, coffee had made its way to Western Europe and the Americas.

Both tea leaves and coffee ground readings are known as tasseography, or tasseomancy. The art is very much still alive and practiced by various seers from Greece, Persia, Russia, Armenia, and Yugoslavia. No matter what symbols the coffee grounds depict to each of them, the interpretation is very similar and accurate. As with any method of divination, it’s 50 percent knowledge, and 50 percent intuition.

Coffee readings are psychic readings done using a cup of coffee as though it’s a crystal ball. Ground Turkish coffee is mostly used when readings are done. Once only residue is left at the bottom of the cup after the coffee has been drunk, the cup is covered with a saucer, shaken and turned over upside down into the saucer, and left to dry.

The patterns formed on the inside of the cup trigger psychic insight and are then interpreted according to what they mean to the seer. However, in order for the reading to be meaningful or accurate, you must sip or drink the coffee while relaxing or while in a contemplative mood.

It is said that your mood or the vibes you are giving off while you sip your coffee can affect what the seer sees in the bottom of your coffee cup. A coffee cup that is drunk in a hurry, without the intention of it being read or while not in a relaxed state can’t be read. The grains will not appear to form any meaningful patterns; instead merely chaotic brown dots or mud in a cup. There are many symbols that can be seen in coffee ground readings but the most important thing to stress here is that all seers see different things and interpret their meanings differently. Some of the most common symbols recognized by many seers are listed below:

A deal completed, a proposal, and engagement.

Desire for children will be fulfilled.

Quarrels, unpleasant personal problems.

New home.

Journey, a project. If lines are clear, they will go smoothly.

A wish fulfilled, help from above. Fulfill your promise.

A new man, good news, engagement.

Moody person (white is good, black, be wary).

Victory over an ordeal.

Social advancement, promotion, change.

Lucky break.

Careful of electrical wiring.

Splendor, luxury, something you will be proud of.

Flirting.

Money, the size of the sum depends on the size of the fish!

Good piece of news.

Robbery, theft. (If there is a dot inside, stolen item will be returned.)

There are also a lot of legends that go along with the history of coffee in the Middle East. They are most common and have been handed down throughout the ages because of the prominence of coffee in these areas of the world. After all, coffee was discovered in the Middle East.

One of the oldest coffee legends tells of a young goat herder in Ethiopia, who in 650 AD went looking for his herd and noticed that after eating a certain kind of berry they had become particularly lively. He tasted the berries and his sleepy eyes were opened. A man from the town saw how lively this particular goat herder and his goats were and tried the berries. He then went back to his town where he mixed the berries with drinks at his monastery. When the monks first tried it they were disappointed by the bitter tasting flavor of the coffee and threw it into the fire. Soon, a delicious aroma began to fill the room. The monks then used the roasted fruits to create a brew, which they saw as a gift from God because it helped them stay awake half the night.

Coffee has since then become a signature drink in America since the time of the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Today it still exists as a form of diversion for young people in coffee houses around the world. From what I have read, many Arabs continue to have their coffee cups read and business is booming for seers such as Sahar Huneidi.

While growing up, Sahar was fascinated watching her mother’s friends, relatives and neighbors turn their coffee cups up upside down at the at the end of a meal or afternoon tea, and then gathering around to read each other’s fortunes. It seemed to her as though coffee cup readings were a rite of passage and she was curious and determined to become a master of the art. Now Sahar is a professional coffee cup reader and has even written her own book called “Your Future in a Coffee Cup,” which you can order from amazon.com. Sahar also does coffee cup reading workshops and individual readings. In order to contact her, go to www.psychicsahar.com, as her workshops might be a fun way to lighten up your next meeting.