The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Don Miguel Ruiz is known as a nagual, or shaman, of the Toltec tradition. The Toltecs were an ancient group of scientists and artists that was formed to explore and preserve the practices and spiritual knowledge of the ancient ones. It is not a religion, but a way of life that embraces spirit and honors all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. Toltec wisdom arises from the same essential unity of truth as other sacred esoteric traditions that are found all over the world.

The Four Agreements are very simple, yet very profound. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book is a beautiful instruction guide to achieve a life of freedom and happiness. Don Miguel Ruiz goes step-by-step, with practical advice and examples, to help us achieve these four agreements. Embracing and living the Four Agreements is a challenging yet amazing rewarding experience which will lead you on a road to personal freedom and enlightment.

The Four Agreements

Be Impeccable With Your Words - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don't Take Anything Personally - Nothing that others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Don't Make Assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Ruiz has so much to offer in this brillantly written book. One thing to remember, however, is that Toltec wisdom, by definition, is an ancient wisdom. Is this some new, revolutionary technology for self-improvement? No, the fact is that in one way, shape or form, we've all heard these types of admonitions from other sources in our lives. What Ruiz does well is package them in a novel way and provide practical insights into how we can best apply them. The bottom line is that, even if you've heard something like this before, it never hurts to be reminded about good advice you've received in the past.

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