Kabir Helminski is a Shaikh of the Mevlevi Order of Sufis founded by Rumi. With his wife, Camille, he directs the Threshold Society in Aptos, California. He has translated four volumes of Rumi's poetry and is the author of Living Presence. The Sufis, as the mystics of Islam, have for 1400 years been "educators of the heart."

According to Helminski, this path is experiential, mystical, and practical. It is "a spiritual recovery program for those addicted to the separate self." With its emphasis upon transforming the ego, purifying the heart, and activating spirit, Sufism proclaims that the highest attainment is none other than "the Completed Human Being."

Helminski, writing with the ease and fluidity that comes with years of discernment, discusses the seven levels of the self, the important role of the spiritual teacher, the blessings of spiritual conversation, the courtesy of the path, the living word, and the sacredness of everyday life. The author's exquisite overview of Sufism and all its resources enables him to enchant us with the sayings of Muhammad, aphorisms that stir the soul, themes for contemplation from Rumi, and a helpful glossary.