1. The Four Agreements By Don Miguel Ruiz

2. About the Author  “Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a humble family with ancient traditions in rural Mexico, the youngest of 13 children. He considered himself very lucky; as this was where he learned from an early age that everything is possible, if we really want it” (Ruiz Productions LLC, 2010, para. 1).  His parents left Miguel their legacy of the Toltec tradition. Nonetheless, it was not until he experienced near fatal car accident that he realized that the “Toltec wisdom of his family contained all of the tools needed to change human kind” (Ruiz Productions LLC, 2010, para. 4). He understood that it is not only about healing the physical brain, but also the human mind.

3.  According to Ruiz Productions LLC. (2010), Don Miguel has dedicated his life to sharing the new message that he created by combining old wisdom with modern insights, and is based in common sense and truth. “His message is simple and when implemented, even incrementally, changes lives” (para. 8).  “Only you can change the world that you create, and by changing your world, the world will change… and that is the Truth that will set you free” (Ruiz Productions LLC, 2010, para. 11). About the Author

4. Introduction  Toltec teachings show us a way of life that is “empowering and leads to freedom” (Toltec Foundation, n.d., para. 1).  Don Miguel Ruiz claims that dreaming is the main function of the brain, and it does so 24 hours a day, whether we are asleep or awake. The difference is that while we are awake, “there is a material frame that makes us perceive things in a linear way” (p. 2).

5. Introduction- Continued  The process of “domestication of humans” (p. 6). He says that children believe everything that we adults tell them. Then, that belief becomes faith, which “controls our whole dream of life” (p. 5).  “There is no truth to be found. Wherever we turn our heads, all there is, is truth, but with the agreements and beliefs we have stored in our mind, we have no eyes for this truth” (p. 15).  Additionally, he talks about the inner Judge, who uses the Book of Law to judge our thoughts, actions and feelings, or lack there of. Then, the part of us that receive the judgment and feels sorry for himself/herself is the Victim.

6. Be Impeccable with Your Word  “It is the correct use of your energy; it means to use your energy in the direction of truth and love for yourself” (p. 32).  “Gossip has become the main form of communication in society. It has become the way we feel closer to one another, because it makes us feel better to see someone else feel as badly as we do” (p. 38).  “We must begin to understand what the word is and what the word does” (p. 42).  “This is the first agreement you should make if you want to be free, if you want to be happy, if you want to transcend the level of existence that is hell… Use the word to share your love” (p. 44, 45).

7.  First, we need to change the way we treat ourselves before we can change how we treat others, especially those we love.

8. Don’t Take Anything Personally  “You don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices” (p. 58).  “Your are never responsible for the actions of others; you are only responsible for you” (p. 60).  *Remember that a lot of times, what people say or think is about themselves, not about us. For example, their current mood will change their perception of you or your work. Therefore, if they are in a bad mood or in a negative state of mind, their perception (and hence their opinion) will be influenced.

9. Don’t Make Assumptions  “We don’t perceive things the way they are. We gave the habit of dreaming with no basis in reality” (p. 65).

10. Always Do Your Best!  Don’t do less than your best, and don’t try to overdo yourself either.

11. Book Review by Jane Lane  Being implacable with our word “is a powerful concept about using free will to make correct choices that lead one closer to God” (para. 8).  “I like the concept that there can be no fear if you don’t take anything someone says as personal” (para. 9).  Jane expresses her concern regarding NOT taking ANYTHING personal. She explains her fear this may lead to passivism, which in turn may lead to us ignoring our problems and the problems in society instead of creating change. Near Death Experience Research Foundation(NDERF)

12. Book Review by Jane Lane- Continued  Regarding assumptions and gut feeling, Jane reminds us how they can both be wrong, but should not be ignored. “Generally, a good easy route to remember and follow is to not make assumptions. However, sometimes it is not only necessary, but it is a key process by which we can quickly gauge our outside world” (para. 12).  It seems Jane’s only opposition to the chapter about “always doing your best” is that we need to be concerned with the future to the extent of planning and setting goals to accomplish. Near Death Experience Research Foundation(NDERF)

13. The Denial System  “It is good to have a denial system, because it allows us to cover our wounds and still function” (p. 116).  It is a necessary evil  When we allow our emotions to take over our behavior, we do and say things that we don’t mean, that we later regret  We need to learn how to control our emotions, and not let our emotions control us. Again, we need to learn how to CONTROL them, not merely suppress them as we do with the denial system.  How? By refraining them: hold them and express them at the right moment

14. Forgiveness  In order to heal we need to forgive:  First, we must forgive those who we believe have hurt us, have done wrong to us  Not necessarily because we thing they deserve to be forgiven, but because we love ourselves, and we don’t deserve to pay for their injustice  Then, we need to forgive God  Finally, once we have forgiven God, we can forgive ourselves and stop the never-ending self-rejection.

16. References Long, J. (1999). The four agreements: Book review. Near Death Experience Research Foundation. Retrieved August 1 st, 2011 from http://www.nderf.org/4AgreementsReview.htmhttp://www.nderf.org/4AgreementsReview.htm Ruiz, M. (1997). The four agreements: A practical guide to personal freedom. Amber-Allen Publishing Inc.: San Rafael, CA. Ruiz Productions LLC. (2010). Retrieved August 1 st, 2011 from http://www.toltec-foundation.orghttp://www.toltec-foundation.org Toltec Foundation (n.d.). About the Toltec. Retrieved August 1 st, 2011 from http://www.toltec-foundation.org/aboutToltec.asphttp://www.toltec-foundation.org/aboutToltec.asp