What we’re about
HAFEZ: "A Poet for Poets": We've been meeting every other Saturday via ZOOM for 1 year! I'm taking a little break and hope to start again in the Fall!! This group is devoted to sharing the wisdom of the profound Persian mystic and poet: HAFEZ of Shiraz.
(While we read the poems in Persian, they are immediately translated into English, and the discussions around them are also mostly in English - in other words, the group is open to both English and Persian speakers!)
Hafez is an unrivaled spiritual master-poet whose mysticism has continued to win over hearts since the 14th century. The material's beauty and transcendence lends itself to "never getting old" with people regularly turning to Hafez's words for guidance.
HAFEZ's devotees span the globe: from India to the US, from Germany to Australia. Goethe and Nietzche were devoted fans of Hafez - Goethe went so far as calling Hafez his "celestial friend." Meher Baba was devoted to Hafez. Inayat Khan, who introduced Sufism to the West, revered the man. And Ralph Waldo Emerson waxed lyrical about Hafez, calling him "a poet for poets." I taught a private weekend class on HAFEZ for 5 years, and have drawn from that experience in designing these monthly gatherings. They should help us to slowly enter the world of a profoundly wise mystic and poet.
Monthly Gatherings: Our monthly gatherings are focused on themes ("Love", "Benevolence", "the Magi" etc.) and I select couplets/"beyts" from various poems that cover that month's particular theme.
The meetings are limited to 8 members, and will take place at one of our area's many locations offering delicious Persian cuisine. In the company of friends and delectable food, the gathering hopes to facilitate a good way to nourish our souls and our bellies at the same time - "joy" to Hafez was a way of rejoicing the presence of the divine.
Do come and join us. With an open heart - an accessible "heart" being a key ingredient to experiencing Hafez - wonderful things happen in our get-togethers. And of course, come with a healthy appetite! Again, Hafez was a fan of experiencing the divine here on earth through "joy!"
LINK: To learn more, here's a link to a feature and Q + A on the Hafez class I used to teach:
http://www.paaia.org/CMS/teaching-the-divan-of-hafez-one-ghazal-a-week.aspx
Afsaneh