Teachers, Guides, and Mentors
The community of the Sufi Way might be compared to a wild and lively garden with many kinds of flowers, medicinal herbs, and fruit trees growing in profusion. Many offer their fragrance quietly and almost unseen, while others give what they can more openly, like apple trees and blueberry bushes. To follow this metaphor, the people listed on this page make themselves available to those who find this garden in a variety of ways — some are teachers who offer formal programs, others guide small groups who gather in the garden, and others nourish relationships as mentors to individuals. If you would like to make contact with anyone listed here, please contact ihsan@sufiway.org and ask for their email address.
United States
lsha Francis
I first met Murshid Fazal Inayat Khan in Germany in 1972 and lived and worked continuously with him in the U.S., Europe, and India until 1982, when my wife Fadua and I moved to Buffalo, New York. With Murshid Fazal’s passing in 1990, my work within the Sufi Way continued with Murshida Sitara Brutnell and now with the current Pir of the Sufi Way, Murshid Elias Amidon.
I am now based in Portland, Oregon, enjoying life in the Northwest of the US with my daughter Ana and her family. I have been blessed these 50+ years within the lineage of Hazrat Inayat Khan, along with all of those who have followed him. It is both a wonder and a mystery, this intertwining of lives, purposes, and work. That we embrace change is all that allows us to remain, in some ineffable sense, the same.
Puran Lucas Perez
I joined Murshid Fazal at the Khankah in 1971 and spent the next five years living and working closely with him both in England and Holland. That experience left me with an insatiable thirst for the next unknown and an irrepressible inclination toward love and friendship. As a writer, musician, digital artist and Magic Theatre maker, my path winds through the soulscape I believe lbn Arabi refers to as the 'imaginal! realm,' where creativity and spiritual practice can converge. Professionally I run New Age Com, a digital media and communications consulting firm.
Basheera Kathleen Ritchie
In the 1970s I initiated into what became known as the Sufi Ruhaniat International, over time taking on many responsibilities and various initiations in the Ruhaniat. Through a series of events, I chanced to correspond with Elias in the mid-2000s, not realizing then that he was a non-dual teacher or how my life would soon be changing. I met Elias in person in 2007 and took initiation into the Sufi Way, a cousin to the Ruhaniat, both of which emerged from the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan.
My current focus within the Sufi Way is on the liminal space within which our own consciousness spontaneously interweaves and interacts with the eternal effluence of creation. For me, this is witnessed through explorations in meditation (specifically The Welcoming Practice, as outlined by Pir Elias) as well as forays into the magical language of the other-than-human, whereby dreams, the ancestors, and Nature reveal their wisdom.
Ihsan Chris Covey
Growing up as a “PK” (preacher’s kid), I became disillusioned with institutional religion from a young age. Yet I always sensed a deeper pull homeward toward the heart of things—in nature, in beauty, in music, in others, in myself. As a teenager I began a lifelong immersion in philosophy, Buddhism, meditation, and the Sufi poets. I later moved from Canada to Japan and back to the USA, navigating careers in education, mental health and whole person wellness, while healing and rediscovering myself in the wake of a traumatic brain injury. My ongoing spiritual questions and deep longing for inner connection led me to the Sufi Way and the Open Path, and I received initiation in 2011.
As I explore new expressions of contemporary and classical Sufism, I also offer gatherings for Sufi Way Denver, including spiritual conversation, reflection, meditation, movement, and Zikr practices. Watch a recent interview I gave on practical spirituality and Sufi approaches
Ihsan is also the Sufi Way Director of Administration, and you can reach him with any questions.
Akbar Ronnefeldt
I have been connected with the Sufi Way for the last fifteen years, and I now facilitate a dream group for the Sufi Way community. My background is in body-centered psychotherapy, which I've practiced for the last thirty years, along with facilitating dream groups. I have participated in various Sufi groups, including the Qadiri in Morocco where I learned Qadiri dream work. I was also initiated into the Inayati Healing order in 1998. My wife Karen and I live surrounded by natural beauty in Mendocino County, California.
United Kingdom
Suzanne Inayat-Khan
I have been deeply involved with Sufi Way since I first discovered its existence as a young woman in 1975. I live and work with my husband Omar in the UK. Together we hold Sama Circles and Sama retreats — a mixture of musical meditations including zikr and other experiential practices. In addition, I offer Sufi Way activities online and in person, whether through one-to-one conversations or leading group retreats. I love creativity, spontaneity, sincerity and, most importantly, being human — myself and others! I am a Murshida in the Sufi Way and an ordained interfaith minister, a mother and grandmother and, I trust, a loyal and encouraging friend.
Judy Ryde
I have been involved in the Sufi Way for 36 years and was initiated by Pir-o-Murshid Fazal in 1986. I was initiated as a Murshida by Pir o-Murshid Elias in 2012. He gave me special responsibility within the Sufi Way for Care Giving as an important part of our collective purpose. I particularly focus on care for care-givers in approaching this task so that care givers can develop both wisdom and resilience in carrying out their work, whether it be within a caring profession or among family and friends. I have been a psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer for 30 years.
Sharif Peter Hawkins
I have been involved in the Sufi Way and, before that, the Sufi movement for over 40 years and was initiated by Pir-o-Murshid Fazal, who became a close friend and colleague and with whom I ran a number of joint workshops. In 2012, I was initiated as a Murshid by Pir-o-Murshid Elias. He gave me special responsibility within the Sufi Way for Rites of Passage ceremonies and, with the help of several Mureeds, we are developing universalist ceremonies that are aligned to the needs of the 21st century. My many roles include author of many books, professor of leadership, consultant, coach, retreat guide, mentor, grandfather, friend, lover, searcher, and gardener, and I travel internationally giving talks and workshops, mostly on the leadership and coaching required to face the challenges of our time.
Simon Vivian
I grew up bilingual in rural Africa and worked there for a time which has deeply informed my life. Through unexpected synchronous connections in the early 1970's I found myself living in the Sufi community in the UK established by Pir-o-Murshid Fazal lnayat Khan, the founder of the Sufi Way. After six years in the community, I left with my wife and first son and led an active life in business, including in training, publishing, and business performance management. I also had an enjoyable time as a chef. Throughout this time, I would return to reconnect with friends in the Sufi Way, spending time working with Pir-o-Murshida Sitara and now with Pir o-Murshid Elias.
I assist the Sufi Way in an administrative capacity as well as leading a local Sufi Way Open Path group with my wife Sunnara.
In 2012 I retrained as a bodyworker and have a private practice in Malvern, UK. Sunnara leads a capella harmony singing groups which brings us both great joy.
Angelika MacArthur
I met the Sufi Way in 2007 in Bristol and was very happy to be initiated by Pir Elias Amidon,in 2015 at the Sufi Temple Murad Hassil in Katwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, where I learned that Hazrat Inayat Khan had conceived the Temple while meditating in those sand dunes in 1922. I continue to listen and follow the mysterious call of the open path, within this precious living community of friends that I love. I have been grateful to be involved with the conception and co-creation of the Living Sufism programs for the last few years.
I am mother to two beautiful adult daughters who live vibrantly and committedly from their hearts, while remembering to nourish their roots. I have training in classical ballet as well as in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. I have continued to explore forms of dance and embodiment, and I am currently involved in an improvisational form of conscious dance. Dance, movement, music, and rhythm have been mycompanions and teachers for as long as I can remember.
Ali MacArthur
In 2012, I attended a Living with Dying workshop sponsored by the Sufi Way. That inspired me to meet Pir Elias and to attend the Open Path trainings and every Sufi Way workshop I possibly could. I feel constantly nurtured by the teachings and the true friends I have found within this community.
I have spent several years in the UK hospice environment, accompanying terminally ill patients on their journey, in person and online, individually and in groups, offering guided meditations, relaxation, prayers, and most importantly, being with people as a caring listener. This work brought me deeply in touch with the beautiful essence of humanity.
I am very interested in deepening friendship, communication, and exploration between women, and in 2023 I initiated an online resource in the UK called Women in Conversation. This group of women connected with the Sufi Way is developing and proving valuable and enjoyable.
France
Mèhèra Bakker
When I was still a young music student, I came into contact with inclusive Sufism quite by chance. It was a revelation for me. It was as if a window had been opened. Since then, I have become more and more involved in Sufism. And for many years, I have been leading music-related programs and Zikr training, which are still ongoing. I live near Paris, France, with my husband, Dahan.
Kunderke Noverraz
I have been involved with the Sufi Way since 1975 and am truly grateful for every phase of this long relationship. Today, I am deeply inspired by Pir Elias’ teachings, while the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan continue to resonate within me.
I have been a Murshida of the Sufi Way since 2011 and have taught Sufism, Meditation, and Spiritual Psychology in many different programs and retreats.
As I am aging, I am deepening into Silence and am more aware of the fleeting nature of my personal self, while at the same time, the embrace of Love has become ever more beautiful.
Karim Noverraz
Born into an artistic, atheistic family, music study was part of my upbringing, and I was convinced from an early age that my path in life was to live and to create beauty.
After meeting my first teacher, Murshid Fazal Inayat Khan, rather than becoming a professional musician, I joined his Sufi community in the UK at the age of 21. There, I soon found myself working on importing and selling musical instruments from India.
Later, Murshid Elias became my second teacher. With the help of friends, I have translated the Open Path book into French and had it published. I teach the Open Path live or online, in French or in English. My wife, Kunderke, and I have led several pilgrimages in Turkey. I have recently led walking meditations in the Moroccan desert with Elmer Koole. Music has regained its place as the tuning fork of my life. I am still convinced that my path in life is to live and to create beauty.
The Netherlands
Elmer Koole
I have had a long-standing relationship with the Sufi Way, and over the years I’ve facilitated a variety of programs related to Sufism. I completed training as a Vision Quest guide and have been involved in several outdoor quests. Together with Karim Noverraz, I lead walking retreats in the Moroccan desert in association with the Sufi Way. I am also deeply involved in the Dutch Sufi Way association and in the care of the Sufi Temple Universel Murad Hassil, situated in the Netherlands.
I have an MSC in Ecology, and my professional life has been dedicated to conservation issues and international cooperation. I live in the Netherlands with my wife, Akke.
Umtul Valeton-Kiekens
I have been involved in Sufism since 1973. During a long work camp in Universel Murad Hassil, I met many Sufi-friends, and while attending the next event, I noticed that these friendships had grown, without any contact. I felt I had come back to family, to my spiritual home. I was initiated by Murshid Fazal Inayat – Khan in 1974.
I spent my working life in the book trade, and I currently run a Sufi group in my village. I enjoy walking in nature, gardening, writing, and painting.
Switzerland/Italy/Germany
Michael Wenger
From a young age, I experienced a deep sadness and certainty that I was in the process of forgetting something of infinite importance. I was trying desperately, and without result, to remember this incredibly important thing. I could not grasp it, but I was absolutely certain that I was intimately familiar with it.
I suppose it was this sadness and this curiosity that were at the source of my search up until this point. These two binaries guided me from the rebellious and adventurous youth to working with people for over thirty years on emotional healing through various teachers until I met Pir Elias’ Open Path and the Sufi Way.
I now offer Open Path activities in-person and online mainly in Italian language.