In The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Mexican author, don Miguel Ruiz, draws upon ancient Toltec wisdom, offering a platform for a life of freedom. Recognizing that we’ve been domesticated since early childhood, we do ourselves a great service by absolving ourselves from pre-programmed social expectations and adhering to just four agreements. This masterpiece outlines an approach to freeing ourselves from many self-limiting beliefs that confine us within various states of suffering. By following a new set of just four agreements, we can break free from force-fed captivity.
Be Impeccable with Your Word
Do not speak negativity into the universe. Speak with integrity, careful to choose only words that express positive intent. Avoid speaking against ourselves or gossiping about others. Be diligent to only use the power of words in the direction of love and truth.
Don’t Take Anything Personally
When someone is nasty or treats us poorly, don’t take it personally. Their attitudes and behaviors may convey a lot about them, but they have nothing to do with us. Nothing others do is because of us. What others say and do is a projection of their reality, their dream—but not ours. By immunizing ourselves to the opinions and actions of others, we reject victimization and needless suffering.
Don’t Make Assumptions
Humans inherently desire knowledge and understanding; we tend to make assumptions to fulfill our need to know. We won’t always know what other people have been through, where they are coming from, or what they want, and other people won’t always know these things about us. Assumptions are nothing more than fabrications that we tell ourselves, ideas that serve to create potential drama. Rather than making assumptions, ask questions to focus on the truth, not what we think is the truth.
Always Do Your Best
This fourth agreement allows the first three to become deeply engrained habits. Our best will change from moment to moment; it will be different when we are healthy or well-rested as opposed to sick or tired. If we always do our best, it will always be unreasonable to judge ourselves in a negative light. If we don’t judge ourselves negatively, we reject the suffering synonymous with guilt, blame, or regret.
Summary
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals that self-limiting beliefs rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by don Miguel Ruiz
In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.
The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship
by don Miguel Ruiz
The Mastery of Love illuminates the fear-based beliefs and assumptions that undermine love and lead to suffering and drama in our relationships. Using insightful stories to bring his message to life, Ruiz shows us how to heal our emotional wounds, recover the freedom and joy that are our birthright, and restore the spirit of playfulness that is vital to loving relationships.
The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World
by don Miguel Ruiz
Develop an understanding of how tied you are to any belief, idea, or opinion. Each level represents how controlled you are by your own particular way of thinking. Armed with the awareness of which beliefs and ideas you are most attached to, you can better navigate the recurring situations in your life that cause you suffering, release any unhealthy beliefs that are no longer serving you, and create a future that is in alignment with your true and authentic self.
The Circle of Fire inspires us to enter into a new and loving relationship with ourselves, with our fellow humans, and with all of creation. Through a selection of beautiful essays, prayers, and guided meditations, Ruiz prepares our minds for a new way of seeing life, and opens our hearts to find our way back to our birthright: heaven on earth. The result is a life lived in joy, harmony, and contentment.
The Four Agreements Companion Book: Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life
by don Miguel Ruiz
The Four Agreements Companion Book takes you even further along the journey to recover the awareness and wisdom of your authentic self. This companion book is a must-read not only for those who enjoyed don Miguel’s first book, but for anyone who is ready to leave suffering behind, and to master the art of living in our natural state: happiness.
Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy
by don Miguel Ruiz
In order to practice The Four Agreements, before we can achieve the Mastery of Love, we must move beyond fear. Fear is the source of all the negative agreements we’ve made with life, and it can alienate us from the joy that is our birthright. This comprehensive guide to the teachings of don Miguel Ruiz includes the basic elements of Toltec wisdom and the spiritual practice that is the basis of The Four Agreements.
The three questions provide a practical framework that allows readers to engage with Ruiz’s transformative message and act as a vehicle for overcoming fear and anxiety and discovering peace of mind. An essential guide for all travelers pursuing self-knowledge, understanding, and acceptance, The Three Questions is the next step in our unique spiritual metamorphosis.
The Fifth Agreement takes us to a deeper level of awareness of the power of the Self, and returns us to the authenticity we were born with. In this compelling sequel to the book that has changed the lives of millions of people around the world, we are reminded of the greatest gift we can give ourselves: the freedom to be who we really are.
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