A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
I will no longer allow anyone to manipulate my mind and control my life in the name of love.”―Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
About the Author:
Don Miguel Ruiz is a renowned spiritual teacher and an internationally bestselling author. He was born into a family of healers and practitioners of ancient Toltec traditions in rural Mexico, where he studied to become a surgeon. Later, he studied as a Toltec shaman, or Nagual, after a car accident that led him to reevaluate his existence.
He published the first edition of The Four Agreements in 1997. He has since then dedicated his life to sharing his message through practical concepts to promote transformation worldwide.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz SUMMARY
The Four Agreements is an introduction to the Toltec spiritual philosophy.
Who Were the Toltecs?
The Toltecs were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones.
However, they were forced to conceal their ancestral wisdom over the millennia and maintain these practices in obscurity.
Then somehow, the esoteric Toltec knowledge was brought to the light and passed on through generations by different lineages of naguals. (A name given to the Toltecs means; masters and students.)
“Living according to the four agreements,” explains Ruiz, “reverses domestication and creates the dream of heaven on Earth.”
Without further delay, here’s The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Please enjoy.
The First Agreement
Be Impeccable with Your Word
“How much you love yourself and how you feel about yourself are directly proportionate to the quality and integrity of your word.” Writes Ruiz.
Using words can create a heaven of Earth or hell of Earth.
Ruiz explains, “If you can recall from the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word is God.”
In other words, this means words have the power to create.
In the book, Ruiz mentioned how Adolf Hitler was able to use words to manipulate others, start a war, and ultimately forge hell on Earth.
Ruiz points out that our words are the most powerful tool we have as humans.
It is the tool of magic.
However, like a double-edged sword, it can create inner peace or torment.
Words are like spells, and humans use words like black magicians, thoughtlessly putting spells on each other.―Miguel Ruiz.
Ruiz reminds you that “Whenever you hear and believe or agree with an opinion, it has become part of your belief system.” And so being impeccable with your word means not using the word against yourself.
Rather it’s to use your energy in the direction of truth.
To be impeccable, Ruiz advice us to avoid doing these four things:
- Gossip. “Avoid gossiping at all costs.” Says Ruiz. Gossip is black magic at its very worst because it is pure poison.
- Toxic people. Be aware of the people you surround yourself with all the time.
- Judging others. Don’t get caught in a constant loop of judging other people. Use your energy to promote what you love instead.
- Empty promises. Keep your agreements. Say what you mean, & mean what you say.
The Second Agreement
Don’t Take Anything Personally
“When we take something personally,” explains Ruiz, “we assume that people know exactly what is happening in our world. As a result, we try to impose our worldview onto their world.” Don’t take it personally, Ruiz would remind us. Because as soon as you agree with a negative comment or someone else’s deconstructed criticism, the poison then goes through you, — negatively infecting your mood.
So, whatever someone else thinks and feels, is based on how they see the world according to their belief system. It rarely has anything to do with you.
Ruiz points out, that sometimes it’s best to be humble and curb your egos when receiving compliments or criticism because opinions (good or bad) are never static.
The Third Agreement
Don’t Make Assumptions
“The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth.” Writes Miguel Ruiz.
We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking; then, we take it personally if it doesn’t align with our demands.
Furthermore, explains Ruiz, we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our words.
We create a lot of emotional poison just by making assumptions and taking it personally.
As Miguel Ruiz puts it, asking questions is always better than assuming.
When we believe something, explains Ruiz, we assume we are right about it to the point where we will destroy relationships to defend our position.
According to the author, real love is accepting others the way they are without trying to change them. If you try to change them, this means you don’t really like them.
When you make these assumptions, it creates a lot of inner conflicts. Says Miguel Ruiz.
We assume that others think the way we think!
Feel the way we feel!
Judge the way we judge!
As a result, we fear being ourselves around others.
We think everyone else will judge, victimize, abuse, or even blame us, as we do to ourselves.
In these conditions, Ruiz suggests having good, — transparent communication.
As Miguel Ruiz put it, “This is the mastery of intent, the mastery of the spirit, love, gratitude, and the mastery of life.
The Fourth Agreement
Always Do Your Best
Your best will change from moment to moment. Explains Ruiz.
It will be different from when you are healthy and when you’re sick.
However, try not to let those off-days stack up.
The first three agreements will only work if you do your best. Explains the author.
Doing less than your best may lead to frustrations, self-judgment, guilt, regrets, and, ultimately, feeling uninspired.
On the other hand, Ruiz explains doing your best is taking the right action because you love it, not because you’re expecting a reward.
As he beautifully puts it, “God is life. God is life in action.”
He remarks that the simplest way to say, “I love you, God,” is to live your life doing your best.
Under any circumstance, always do your best, no more and no less.
…
Quick recap:
If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you. If that person doesn’t walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.”― Miguel Ruiz.
- Life is defined by perspective, which is the dream of reality: a different outlook or vision results in more positive or negative energy.
- Words hold the power to persuade, hurt, or uplift others. Use your words carefully. Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.
- Nothing others do is because of you.
- People who make assumptions become committed to those assumptions and deny any contradicting truth. Please don’t make assumptions or pretend that you know it all. Ask the difficult questions.
- Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean; mean what you say.
- Under any circumstance, do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
Thank you for reading!
