Divination and fortune-telling is one of the oldest professions of humanity. In the past, it was considered a science and everyone in a society, from rulers to the condemned, believed in it. But today, in the eyes of observers and modern intellectuals, it has turned into a pseudo-science and superstition. It is still believed by some people and there are still citizens who, for the sake of entertainment or belief, go to fortune-tellers and pay for it, to hear about their past, present, and future. Fortune-tellers who believe they are “serving the people” and are not willing to receive a fortune for themselves.

In the following report, we have spoken with two fortune tellers. We will call them “Sohila” and “Maryam” (these names are pseudonyms). Sohila claims to have been practicing fortune telling for ten years, while Maryam has been doing this for thirty years and also has a university education. Both of them rely on this job as their source of income and say that if they had another job, they would give up fortune telling.

People are more interested in “prayer” than “fortune-telling”.

Our fortune tellers say that their colleagues do not only rely on one method, but some read fortunes using cards and others are interested in combined fortunes. However, Soheila says that her customers are “mostly looking for prayers rather than fortune telling, and many of them do it for entertainment. In fact, people mostly want to receive a prayer instead of knowing about their past and present and looking towards the future, in order to solve their problems. Of course, for these individuals and customers, fortune telling and prayer taking is not just a form of entertainment, they are also looking for a tool to solve their problems from another world that they believe in.” These problems usually revolve around relationships between spouses and emotional and sexual partners. Both fortune tellers mentioned that the main issue for their customers is marital relationships and infidelity in Iranian society. Both Soheila and Maryam say that these issues have increased more and more in recent years. It seems that both the government and the concerned individuals in

One common point among both fortune tellers is that they are not and have not been people who seek prayer. One says, “I give a verse from the Quran to my clients and warn them against seeking prayer,” while the other says, “I am not involved in prayer and praise at all.” But the point here is that, according to Maryam, those who come to her are looking for magic and prayer, and some even seek death prayers for this and that. This means that their sexual and emotional partners have betrayed them and now they are looking for death prayers for their partners through fortune tellers and prayer writers. As Soheila says, 90% of fortune teller clients are motivated by emotional and sentimental reasons, and only a few are motivated by other reasons such as economic motivations.

Increase in the number of visitors to fortune tellers in recent years.

It is interesting to know that apparently not everyone can be a fortune teller; fortune telling requires training and a classroom setting. Of the two fortune tellers we spoke to, one became familiar with this issue from childhood and learned fortune telling in a class of two or three people in adulthood, and the other learned from another fortune teller who they themselves had consulted. This means that the training of fortune telling in Iran is passed down from one person to another, and today’s fortune tellers teach tomorrow’s fortune tellers. When someone learns, for example, palm reading, they can also learn other types of fortune telling like tarot. As Maryam says, “Anything can have a fortune; from coffee fortune telling to cloud and cigarette leaf and saffron fortune telling.” Maryam says that “any shape that appears can be interpreted.” Of course, the story is not limited to just this training. Soheila believes that “this work requires a strong sixth sense” and Maryam

Diversity of clients towards fortune tellers.

One interesting point in these two conversations is the diversity of clients who visit fortune tellers. According to these two fortune tellers, their clients range from surgeons and physiotherapists to women’s health specialists and employees of the Sepah and Ministry of Defense, as well as bank programmers. This means that the clients of fortune tellers include a wide range of citizens with different professions and interests. Many of these clients are either referred to the fortune teller by another client or find them through social networks. These clients also tend to have a high level of education and the ability to influence sensitive places. In terms of age range, Maryam, who has been practicing fortune telling for thirty years, says, “My clients are usually over forty because betrayals and infidelities usually happen in their forties or fifties.” However, Soheila says, “My clients do not have a specific age range, for example, one of my clients was a seventy-year-old married man

Our source of income is fortune-telling.

One point here is the issue of income for fortune tellers. Fortune telling is the source of income for both fortune tellers that I have spoken to. When I asked about their income, neither of them answered. But Maryam, when I was talking to her, wrote to me that the night before she had a flight and in the morning her plane landed in a different city. Soheila also, according to her words, is in a financial situation that is making her life difficult. But one interesting point in both of their words is that, according to Soheila, if she had another source of income, she would leave this job because “it is full of negative energy for her. And every day she has to listen to people’s words and issues that are not interesting to her.” Maryam also says that if she had the opportunity for another income, she would not continue this job 100% because “the problems she sees make her upset and depressed.” Maryam also

Those who do not take fortunes for themselves.

Why don’t you get a fortune for yourself? Both of them believe in their fortunes, but neither is willing to get one for themselves! Soheila openly says that she doesn’t like to get a fortune for herself. She says she knows her past and present and doesn’t want to know her future. She is not only unwilling to get a fortune for herself, but also for her children. Maryam also says that she cannot get a fortune for herself because she has complete control over herself and does not have the power to get a fortune for herself. She says she has gone to other fortune tellers for fortune telling and still considers herself stronger in this matter. Maryam says that she has also been inspired by the issues of her friends and this inspiration has helped her to achieve something. In fact, our fortune tellers do not get a fortune for themselves. They say they believe in their work. But still, they are not willing to get a fortune for themselves. The answer to

We must be customer-oriented.

Do customers of fortune tellers experience stress and worry after hearing the result of their fortune and during the process? The answer is yes. Maryam says that someone who wants to have their fortune told also experiences stress. She says that if the customer’s stress is misplaced, she tells them not to worry. This means that if the fortune is about that stress, Maryam’s response would be that the stress is misplaced and the customer should follow through. However, Soheila says that if the customer is stressed, she tries to do something in the conversation to alleviate their stress. She says that there must be a good emotional and social connection between the fortune teller and the people in order for her to do her job. Maryam also says that some of her customers have told her that they no longer see her as just a fortune teller, but rather as a friend. The tool of fortune tellers is these public relations and positive interactions with their customers. The customer must ultimately be satisfied

In many conversations, fortune-telling is perceived as a form of entertainment and a humorous matter. When I posted a story about this issue on social media, I received responses from my friends such as “let me tell your fortune” and playful reactions. However, the conversation with these two fortune-tellers proved that the issue is much more serious than these words. Fortune-telling is widespread in Iran and has a serious financial cycle, which creates the possibility of a fortune-teller’s life revolving, especially in these difficult economic conditions. Some psychologists also believe that seeking fortune-tellers is a form of escape from reality. Many of the customers of fortune-tellers are educated members of society, but they believe in fortune-telling. It is clear that in Iran today, fortune-telling and the popularity of it is increasing day by day. It seems that the issue of fortune-telling should be taken out of the realm of entertainment for observers and social activists and turned into a serious concern, as it