The Last Barrier

by Reshad Feild

Other authorsSalik Chalom (Illustrator)
Paperback, 1977

Status

Available

Call number

297.4

Collection

Publication

Harper & Row (1977), 183 pages

Description

This classic work by Reshad Feild, one of today's best-known Sufi teachers in the West, tells the compelling story of his journey into an ancient and powerful spiritual path. Starting as a London antique dealer, Feild comes into contact with the enigmatic Hamid, a Sufi teacher who leads him into a world of mystery, knowledge, and limitless love. On his journey, which takes him to the mystical sites of Turkey, Feild is forced to confront his own inner weaknesses and falsehoods. Hamid and the events of his search take him again and again into confrontation with the limits of his own being, enabling him to shed the false conditioning that lies between himself and his true nature. This hard-to-put-down adventure is a travelogue in more ways than one. It tells of Feild's exhilarating explorations into mystical Turkey, a land of whirling dervishes and the tombs of great saints, but also a world that opens into the divine love that lies at the heart of all.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
This tale of an Englishman's gradual induction into Sufism in Turkey provides an engaging, mystery-ridden narrative, and some convincing descriptions of mystical states. The angle is highly experiential, with little explanation of Sufi doctrine, and only a modicum regarding practices. The
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author-aspirant is eventually received into the Mevlevi Order, but it is unclear whether Hamid, his principal teacher throughout the account, is himself of the Mevleviye. Important social subtexts include the outsider status of Feild (not an orthodox Muslim) and the proscribed status of Sufism in Turkey. This latter item suggests that the story--which offers no specific dates--took place prior to the Turkish government's lifting of its ban on the Mevlevi Order in the 1950's.

It is a quick read, and I found myself pretty sympathetic to its ideals--despite its invocation of the "New Age" in the last chapter. The indicia note that "Portions of this book have appeared in New Age Journal." The "last barrier" of the title doesn't even occur until the epilogue, but it involves a pristine example of spiritual development by magical means.

Perhaps this book would be a good pick for those who savored the initiatory mechanics in Fight Club. It has that abusive (yet illuminating!) guru groove.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1976

Physical description

183 p.; 7.8 inches

ISBN

0060625864 / 9780060625863

Local notes

MdP- Gift of Marcelle du Praw

Other editions

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