The Sufi Way is a contemporary expression of a perennial spiritual path; the public training programs of the Sufi Way are known as The Open Path. This name signifies a path open to all regardless of religious beliefs, and more specifically a spiritual path of openness, immediacy, and freshness, unbounded by concepts. Based on a tradition of oral teachings and an emphasis on direct experience, the transmission of this realization in the Sufi Way typically occurs in small group contexts and through one-on-one guidance. The Sufi Way/Open Path sponsors in-depth training programs, practice and study circles, meditation retreats, healing and worship services, cross-cultural pilgrimages, wilderness rites-of-passage, and individual spiritual guidance.
Throughout these programs, the practice of council is used extensively. The spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way, Elias Amidon, was trained in council practice by Gigi Coyle, Jack Zimmerman, and with Steven and Meredith Foster at the School of Lost Borders.