Reshad Feild
Encyclopedia
Reshad Feild is an English
mystic
, author, spiritual teacher, and musician. He is the author of more than a dozen books about Sufism
and spirituality
and has exercised a huge influence amongst western seekers over the last forty years.
and served in the Royal Navy
, where he had an undistinguished career. In the early 1960s Feild was a founding member of the popular British folk trio The Springfields
.
Feild was influenced spiritually by the teachings of, among others, G. I. Gurdjieff
and P. D. Ouspensky
. He was very much involved with spiritual healing, and was involved with the Alice Bailey
community. In the late '60's, he was initiated as a sheikh in the Sufi Order International
by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
. He also met and studied with Bulent Rauf
, a Turkish author and translator who himself stemmed from a long line of Sufism going back to the Andalusia
n mystic Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
(1165–1240). He established the Beshara Centre at Swyre Farm in Aldsworth, England, in 1970. A description of events at this center is given in the books I, Wabenzi and Beshara and Ibn 'Arabi: A Movement of Sufi Spirituality in the Modern World, by Rafi Zabor
.
In December, 1971, he and a group of students went to Konya
(Turkey
), to meet Bulent and see the sema
of the Mevlevi
order of Dervishes. While there, he met a former sheikh
, Suleiman Dede. In 1972 Feild resigned his role in the Sufi Order. In 1973, he resigned his role leading the Beshara Centre and went to Los Angeles, Tepoztlan, Mexico, and Vancouver Island, BC, where he taught on his own. In 1976, he was made a sheikh in the Mevlevi order by Suleiman Dede, and moved to Boulder, CO where he started a small center. In Boulder Reshad assisted in introducing the sema
ceremony – which was declared a cultural world heritage by UNESCO
in 2004 – to America and Europe, thereby opening it up for the first time in history to women as well as non-Muslim
participants (i.e. students).
Since then, Reshad Feild has been teaching the essence of the universality of Sufi teachings, making them available to people of all religious and spiritual backgrounds. He has published more than a dozen books, some of which have been translated into many languages. In his best selling autobiographical novel The Last Barrier, he gives a fictionalized account of how he met Bulent Rauf.
He is the father of actor J. J. Feild.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
, author, spiritual teacher, and musician. He is the author of more than a dozen books about Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and has exercised a huge influence amongst western seekers over the last forty years.
Life and career
As a young, upper-class Englishman, he was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, where he had an undistinguished career. In the early 1960s Feild was a founding member of the popular British folk trio The Springfields
The Springfields
The Springfields were a British pop-folk vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland and included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, record producer Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, later a noted Sufi writer, who was latterly replaced by Mike Hurst, who...
.
Feild was influenced spiritually by the teachings of, among others, G. I. Gurdjieff
G. I. Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff according to Gurdjieff's principles and instructions, or the "Fourth Way."At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity."...
and P. D. Ouspensky
P. D. Ouspensky
Peter D. Ouspensky , , a Russian esotericist known for his expositions of the early work of the Greek-Armenian teacher of esoteric doctrine George Gurdjieff, whom he met in Moscow in 1915.He was associated with the ideas and practices originating with...
. He was very much involved with spiritual healing, and was involved with the Alice Bailey
Alice Bailey
Alice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB to her followers, was an influential writer and theosophist in what she termed "Ageless Wisdom". This included occult teachings, "esoteric" psychology and healing, astrological and other philosophic and religious themes...
community. In the late '60's, he was initiated as a sheikh in the Sufi Order International
Sufi Order International
The Sufi Order International is an organization dedicated to "Universal Sufism" as elaborated by Hazrat Inayat Khan.The order is currently led by Pir Zia Inayat Khan, the grandson of Hazrat Inayat Khan and son of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan....
by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Vilayat Inayat Khan
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, was the eldest son of Sufi Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, head of the Sufi Order International. Pir Zia Inayat Khan is Pir Vilayat's son and successor as Pir of the Sufi Order International...
. He also met and studied with Bulent Rauf
Bulent Rauf
Bulent Rauf was a Turkish-British mystic, spiritual teacher, translator and author. From 1945 to the early sixties, he was married to Princess Faiza, sister of King Farouk of Egypt....
, a Turkish author and translator who himself stemmed from a long line of Sufism going back to the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n mystic Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Moorish Sufi mystic and philosopher. His full name was Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn `Arabī .-Biography:...
(1165–1240). He established the Beshara Centre at Swyre Farm in Aldsworth, England, in 1970. A description of events at this center is given in the books I, Wabenzi and Beshara and Ibn 'Arabi: A Movement of Sufi Spirituality in the Modern World, by Rafi Zabor
Rafi Zabor
Rafi Zabor is a Brooklyn, New York music journalist- and musician-turned-novelist. He received the 1998 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for his first novel, The Bear Comes Home, which follows an alto saxophonist - who happens to be a bear - in his pursuit of musical perfection...
.
In December, 1971, he and a group of students went to Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
(Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), to meet Bulent and see the sema
Sema
Sama is a Sufi ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance". These rituals often includes singing, playing instruments, dancing, recitation of poetry and prayers, wearing symbolic attire, and other rituals...
of the Mevlevi
Mevlevi
The Mevlevi Order, or the Mevlevilik or Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded in Konya by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian. They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form...
order of Dervishes. While there, he met a former sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
, Suleiman Dede. In 1972 Feild resigned his role in the Sufi Order. In 1973, he resigned his role leading the Beshara Centre and went to Los Angeles, Tepoztlan, Mexico, and Vancouver Island, BC, where he taught on his own. In 1976, he was made a sheikh in the Mevlevi order by Suleiman Dede, and moved to Boulder, CO where he started a small center. In Boulder Reshad assisted in introducing the sema
Sema
Sama is a Sufi ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance". These rituals often includes singing, playing instruments, dancing, recitation of poetry and prayers, wearing symbolic attire, and other rituals...
ceremony – which was declared a cultural world heritage by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 2004 – to America and Europe, thereby opening it up for the first time in history to women as well as non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
participants (i.e. students).
Since then, Reshad Feild has been teaching the essence of the universality of Sufi teachings, making them available to people of all religious and spiritual backgrounds. He has published more than a dozen books, some of which have been translated into many languages. In his best selling autobiographical novel The Last Barrier, he gives a fictionalized account of how he met Bulent Rauf.
He is the father of actor J. J. Feild.
Published works
- The Last Barrier : A Sufi Journey (autobiographical trilogy part I) ISBN 0-906540-52-6
- To Know We're Loved : A Time to Love and a Time to Die (formerly "The Invisible Way: A Time to Love - A Time to Die" ISBN 0-906540-04-6, autobiographical trilogy part II) ISBN 0-89556-154-9
- Going Home - The Journey of a Travelling Man (Autobiographical trilogy part III) ISBN 1-85230-878-8
- The Alchemy of the Heart ISBN 1-4208-3110-0
- Steps to Freedom: Discourses on the Essential Knowledge of the Heart ISBN 0-9625412-1-4
- Here to Heal ISBN 978-0895561572
- Reason Is Powerless in the Expression of Love ISBN 0-9625412-0-6
- Footprints in the Sand ISBN 1-85230-027-2
- A Travelling People's Feild Guide ISBN 1-85230-003-5
- Breathing Alive: A Guide to Conscious Living ISBN 1-85230-050-7
- The Inner Work (3 volumes) ISBN 978-3-905272-21-5, ISBN 978-3-905272-22-2 and ISBN 978-3-942914-01-7