A student of Sufism for over 40 years, in 2004 Elias was appointed to be the spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way International (www.sufiway.org), a contemporary and non-sectarian inner school in the lineage of the Indian mystic and musician Sufi Inayat Khan. He teaches and holds retreats on nondual spirituality and Sufism throughout Europe and the United States, and is known for his direct and experiential approach to spiritual realization.
From child to elder, Elias has lived a multi-faceted, engaged life. The son of an artist and a social activist, he has worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, architect, professor, writer, anthologist, environmental educator, peace activist, wilderness quest guide, and spiritual teacher. He founded, co-founded, or helped to develop several schools: Heartwood Owner-Builder School, the Institute for Deep Ecology, the Boulder Institute, the graduate program in Environmental Leadership at Naropa University, the Sufi Way, and the Open Path.
Co-editor of the books Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and Prayers for a Thousand Years, he has worked for many years in the field of peace and environmental activism in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and with indigenous tribes in Thailand and Burma on issues of cultural continuity and land-rights. He was instrumental in founding the Masar Ibrahim Al Khalil (www.abrahampath.org), an international project dedicated to helping Middle Eastern countries open a network of cultural routes and walking trails through the region.
The Open Path of the Sufi Way
- For information about Open Path Trainings and Retreats, click here.
- For writings by Elias on the Open Path, click here.
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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.