Beyond face value

Hailing from the city of Tripoli in Lebanon, Marwan Arabi who began his career as a coffee cup reader has come a long way from his humble roots. The Perth-based man who's well-versed in palmistry, face reading, feng shui, numerology and spiritual cleansing visits 90 countries across the globe helping people best he can. Today, his clientele includes the who's who of Bollywood, Hollywood, businessmen, politicians and society.

SMALL BEGINNINGS

By the age of nine, Marwan, one of 11 children, learnt the art of coffee cup reading from his mother. "A few years later, we migrated to Australia and I soon realised I'm not a cup reader, but a psychic. An older man - a Muslim ustad (master), told me I'm not a cup reader. He said cup readers look at cups and predict the future but you look at the person and read them," he explains, adding, "I've been doing this for 32 years now. As I'm getting older, I feel like I'm developing a greater power, experience and understanding of people. My sixth sense is also getting stronger. I have a genie, she was born in 1609, she helps and guides me. She's been with me since I was a teenager. I read people's energies and accordingly advise them" Aside from reading people, Marwan also does cleansing – for those who have been cursed or who have a mental illness or obstacles in their life. The only time he stops is during the month of Ramadan or if he's tired or unwell.

VARIED CLIENTELE

While reading clients generally comes easily, there have been difficult cases. "This year, I had a woman come to me. I could read her husband perfectly, but I could not read her at all. This scares me because such people usually have their lives shortened," he explains. Marwan has had his share of strange cases. "I remember this Indian man, he's a lady actually. He brought a black bag to my house in Australia with about $30,000 in cash. He wanted me to make a curse to kill his mother-in-law so he could inherit her fortune. Often, mafia people come to me and want me to 'see' where the drugs are hidden. Once I met this man who asked me to help him have good sex with his wife. He said it's not working and wanted me to fix it. I suggested he see a doctor but he insisted I help. Even people who are dying, want to know when. I try to avoid this as I don't like to predict death."

INDIAN CONNECTION

"I started coming to India after I met a film producer. I felt he needed cleansing, that he had been cursed by someone. He wanted me to do it for him in Singapore where we met but I told him I needed to do it three times and spend much more time. That was my first trip to India. Most Bollywood stars want to know what's going to happen to their movie, will it work, how much it will make etc." explains Marwan who has been visiting the country for the past 20 years. He adds that while he likes India and it's people, he does not like the system. "I predicted a year ago that the Prime Minister would come into power. He will do a lot of good things for the country but unfortunately India's corruption...No matter how much you clean it up, there's just too much."

DEALING WITH SCEPTICS

As expected with his line of work, Marwan often comes across many sceptics. "The other day I had this lady come in and I scolded her. I said you've already come here, you've already paid, either you let me read you or leave now. When I'm reading people I'm different. My mind is challenged. As far as predictions go, only time will tell. I always tell people if I can see your past, there's no reason I can't see your present and future."

KEEPING A LOW PROFILE

"I like to keep a low profile. I can't abuse what I do. I have a genie, god gave me this gift that I can make a living from. Of course, I have to cover my expenses, but if you come to my house you will see I'm a simple man. If I pray for people, I don't charge. If it works or it doesn't work, it doesn't cost me anything," ends Marwan.