Elizabeth Rabia Roberts and Elias Amidon are spiritual teachers and citizen-diplomats working for peace in areas of conflict around the world.
__________
We co-founded the Boulder Institute for Nature and the Human Spirit in 1994 and now direct its Path of the Friend programs.
With over 35 years of cross-cultural and interfaith experience, we have worked and taught in the United States, Europe, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Since 2001 our work has focused on building understanding and bridges between the people of the Middle East and Central Asia and the people of the West. We lead multi-faith pilgrimages, and work with local individuals and organizations to develop new initiatives. We also raise and distribute funds for grassroots projects in these regions. Our purpose is to bear witness to the realities on the ground and carry stories from these cultures back to the United States and Europe.
In 2004 Elias was appointed the spiritual leader of the Sufi Way International, a contemporary and non-sectarian inner school in the lineage of the Indian mystic Sufi Inayat Khan. He leads spiritual retreats and trainings and mentors people in a number of countries.
We also have been involved with deep ecology education and the training of environmental activists since 1985. We were founding faculty of Naropa University’s graduate program in Environmental Leadership, the Institute for Deep Ecology, and the Spirit in Education Movement in Thailand. We continue to lead Wilderness Quests (also known as “vision quests”) in the deserts of Utah.
We teach and speak extensively about citizen diplomacy, social justice, and the spiritual life. We are editors of the anthologies, Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and Prayers for a Thousand Years.
Elizabeth in dialogue at Deir Mar Musa, Syria; Elias in conversation, Damascus; on quest in Utah.
“Elizabeth and Elias have been shaped by the forces of their lives to be emissaries of peace. It is their gift and their calling. They know how to listen. They communicate respect and understanding. They have the ability to penetrate the social masks and make heart connection. They know the nuances of person-to-person diplomacy.”
– Robert Gass
Global leadership trainer
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
m
m
The Path of the Friend is a project of the Boulder Institute for Nature and the Human Spirit,
a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. 1644 Pearl Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302 USA.