Listening to the Unknown
Greek Coffee Readings
During my tour in Lisbon, I was fortunate enough to connect with a few Portuguese locals — friends, or friends of friends, of those working at the embassy. The Marine House, as it's commonly called, served as our on-site living quarters and informal gathering space. Complete with a fully stocked bar, it was a hub of social activity for the diplomatic community.
In more restricted posts — like my first tour in Riyadh — this kind of hospitality was often extended to the broader expatriate population, made up mostly of Western contract workers. In contrast, the Marine House in Lisbon offered a sense of ease. Surrounded by the warmth of the Atlantic and the slower pace of Portugal, it remained relatively peaceful throughout the year. Not all Marine Houses are so lucky — some are located in combat zones or politically volatile regions, where comfort and connection are rare luxuries.
About halfway through my time in Lisbon, I befriended a young Portuguese couple who had attended one of our gatherings. "Suzanne," as I'll call her, and her aloof but endearing partner soon invited a few fellow Marines and me into their lives. Over the weeks and months that followed, the two, three, or sometimes four of us developed a close bond. It was a welcome reprieve — a chance to leave the compound, explore the countryside, and get to know our host nation in a more intimate way.
Suzanne came from a Portuguese-Greek family, and as I later learned, she was connected to the royal lineage of Greece. More than that, she was deeply skilled in the ancient art of Greek coffee readings — a traditional method of divination that interprets the patterns left by dried coffee grounds in a cup.
Her companion, Nicolás, was intuitive by nature, and the two of them would spend hours discussing the symbolism and language of the grounds. I was invited into these conversations — and, eventually, the practice itself. They taught me how to brew the coffee, drink it with intention, and read the remaining grounds for signs, symbols, and meaning.
What began as cultural curiosity became something much deeper — a quiet initiation into the art of listening to the unseen.
The Briki and the Drinking of Coffee
It always began in the dimly lit kitchen of Suzanne's downtown apartment. We'd start with the briki — the small stovetop pot, just the right size to brew a cup or two of water. She'd add a few heaping spoonfuls of Greek coffee grounds, a touch of sugar, and apply just enough heat to bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
"Not too much stirring," she would say. "We'll need the coffee grounds for reading." It's a hard thing to picture if you've never received a Greek coffee reading — this ancient ritual that's both casual and sacred, practical and mysterious.
People often confuse Greek coffee with Turkish coffee, which shares a similar look and preparation method. Both are finely ground, both served in small, potent doses. But in my experience, Greek coffee has a softer, smoother flavor. Still strong, yes — but more subtle than the robust intensity of Turkish brews. The sugar added during brewing not only sweetens the drink but helps crystallize the grounds, giving them more definition for interpretation once the cup is read.
But the joy of Greek coffee is not just in the drinking — it's in the ritual. First, you sip. Then, as the brew cools, the flavor deepens into a syrupy, bitter-sweet concoction, thicker than anything you'd find in an American mug. The grounds settle at the bottom into a sludgy mix — just enough to paint the future, if you know how to read it.
Timing matters. If the grounds dry out too much, they're unreadable. And you must drink from a demitasse cup with a proper saucer. Once the coffee is finished, and after a few gentle swirls of the wrist, the reader covers the inside of the cup with the remaining grounds, then quickly flips it upside down onto the saucer.
And then — you wait.
A few minutes pass, just enough time for the grounds to settle and dry into their own symbolic language. By then, both reader and recipient are well-caffeinated, and psychically attuned. Brow open, eyes softened, the channel begins.
This is where the true conversation begins — one spoken through symbols, shapes, shadows, and second sight.
The Greek Coffee Reading Symbols
Intuitive readings, by their nature, are subjective experiences. They allow the reader a wide field of interpretation — an open channel through which messages may emerge. Some impressions arrive subtly and may be passed over, dismissed as insignificant or only partially received. But when the reader is centered, attuned, and connected to their higher channels, the messages that come through from spiritual allies can be clear, concise, and deeply aligned with the seeker's intentions.
An intuitive working from an authentic source draws upon psychic awareness that extends beyond the physical senses — awareness that arises from realities beyond the ordinary world. Greek coffee readings are one such practice. They allow a gifted reader to speak with the unseen, delivering messages that move through the third eye, throat, and heart chakras — received and transmitted through energetic resonance, not just language.
Though intuitive, these readings are not without structure. Time, for example, is mapped across the cup in symbolic form:
The bottom of the cup represents the past.
The middle or sides of the cup reflect the present and near future circumstances.
The lip or rim, including overflowing, reveal messages tied to the future or what is coming.
Each layer carries its own story — sometimes linear, sometimes layered — and the shapes formed by the grounds become symbols, messages, or archetypal imprints waiting to be read.
These signs are not always universal. Cultural experience plays a role in shaping how we perceive them. What one reader sees as a snake, another might see as a river. A symbol that represents wisdom in one tradition may signal danger in another. From my experience, no two readers will interpret a cup exactly the same, and that's exactly how it should be.
Each intuitive is connected to their own Source, and through that connection, they receive and translate information in their own style. Still, it's not uncommon for multiple readers to arrive at the same essential message — each using their own language to reflect the same deeper truth.
Many symbols arise instinctively, carrying meaning that bypasses logic and lands directly in the body. Some symbols may be deeply personal to the reader or the recipient; others may remain mysterious, their meanings unfolding over time. Clarity, in these moments, is shaped not by intellect, but by energetic resonance — the clarity of the psychic imprint that arrives through extrasensory perception.
This is the difference between spiritual reception and speculative projection.
To truly read the symbols — to scry with an open brow and a connected heart — is to enter communion with unseen guides. The vessel may be inanimate, but the message is alive. When received authentically, the reading becomes a moment of truth — one shaped not by guesswork, but by the living presence of spiritual guidance, spoken through a gifted reader, and heard by the one who is ready to receive it.