FAL E HAFEZ
What is Fal-e Hafez?
Fal-e Hafez is an Iranian form of bibliomancy in which a collection of poems by the 14th-century poet Hafez is opened at random, and the poem that catches the eye is read as the answer. It is a national custom rooted throughout the Persian-speaking world, enjoyed with family around Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) or before an important decision.
Overview
- System
- Omen Reading (reads a single poem opened at random)
- Origin
- Iran
- What You Need
- A collection of poems (Divan) by the poet Hafez
- Best For
- Life, love, either-or decisions
- Time Frame
- Today to the days ahead
Origins & History
Fal-e Hafez is a form of bibliomancy using the "Divan," the collection of poems left by the 14th-century Persian poet Hafez. Many Iranian households keep a copy of this collection, and the sight of family members taking turns to divine with it on the nights of Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) or Yalda (the winter solstice) can still be seen today.
Holding the closed collection with both hands while silently thinking of a question, one opens it at random and reads the first poem (ghazal) that catches the eye as the answer. How the reader receives the literarily challenging language of the poem is left up to them, and the practice is cherished less as simple prophecy and more as a custom for prompting self-reflection.
How It Works
- 01Silently think of a single question.
- 02Hold the closed collection of poems with both hands.
- 03Open it to a page at random.
- 04Read the poem that first catches your eye on that page, alongside your question.
What It Reveals
This is well suited to gaining a nudge of encouragement for a life choice, the direction of a romance, or an either-or decision. However, because the language of the poems is metaphorical and open to a wide range of interpretation, it is not a form of divination that pins down specific events or dates, and it has a strong character as a custom for prompting self-reflection.
Related Methods
References
- Wikipedia: Hafez (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez)