DON MIGUEL RUIZ AND HIS AGREEMENTS
© by Miro Lipinski
It is a rare person that can influence not only his generation, but the generations that follow. Since the publication of his The Four Agreements in 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz has established himself as one of the iconic figures in what I like to call the human potential movement, and what others may term, “New Age.” Don Miguel’s work is not of this age or another age, however, but of both—and beyond. It is timeless, which renders it a natural masterpiece. Apparently many people agree, as The Four Agreements is continually on the “New Age” bestseller lists, even now, 15 years after its first publication, with no sign of its diminution in such coveted standings.
Born in 1952, Don Miguel was raised in a family of healers but gravitated to the secular world by going to medical school to become a surgeon. A car accident made him reevaluate his life and secular goals, and, returning to his roots, he took on the work of a shaman. But there were more changes coming, as Don Miguel relinquished the healing facet of his work. “I didn’t like it because of the way that people see me as a healer,” Don Miguel related to New Visions in 2006. “They want miracles and I really don’t like to work for miracles. What I want is for them to see that there are different ways to live life. There is a way to make life so easy so that anybody can enjoy life, because this is the point, to enjoy life, to be happy.”
He assembled his teachings into The Four Agreements, which was published by Amber-Allen, a small independent press established in 1990. The rest is bibliographic history, with the book achieving both widespread acclaim and amazing success. It couldn’t have happened to a better book. The Four Agreements is captivatingly clear and calm, relating truths in a straightforward manner. It is a book of depth, but no one should feel out of his or her depth in reading it and accessing its wisdom. All is housed within a snuggly and wonderfully designed book of 150 pages, making it a perfect companion (slippable into a backpack or large pocketbook) to take on travels far or near, even if just to a neighborhood cafe.
In 2002, Don Miguel suffered a massive heart attack, and was in a coma for 9 weeks. Miraculously he recovered, but his heart retained only 60% of its function, and he would spend years in pain. His work schedule had to be reduced to accommodate this new reality. Meanwhile, he waited and waited for the availability of a heart for a transplant. That day came on October 9th, 2010. “The new heart brought me back to life and released the chronic pain that I’ve had for 8.5 years,” stated Don Miguel in a recent interview with New Visions. “I feel completely normal, strong and in good shape.”
As can be confirmed by Don Miguel’s October 2011 Mind Body Spirit Expo appearance at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, the master teacher and thinker is back, in good cheer and equally good health, exuding warmth and love for all. If you have been touched by this man’s words and thoughts, you should see him in person. If “the agreements” are new to you, seeing and listening to him could be a wonderful, transforming introduction.
And he brings along, not only the wisdom behind the Four Agreements, but the awakening to an additional Fifth Agreement, based on the spiritual and intellectual developments that were gathered into a new book, The Fifth Agreement, written with his son, Don Jose, before Don Miguel had his heart transplant.
As Don Miguel says: “The time has come for the Fifth Agreement—which is ‘be skeptical.’ Do not believe me, do not believe anyone else, and most importantly do not believe yourself—but learn to listen. The truth is always present beyond all our beliefs and distortions, ready to be heard, ready to be experienced.”
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Don Miguel Ruiz will make a special appearance at the MIND BODY SPIRIT EXPO, taking place at the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison, NJ, on April 15th. There will be a special reception with Don Miguel starting at 12:30pm, with his event beginning at 2pm. Tickets available by phone: 215-627-0102 or online at MindBodySpiritExpo.com. Tickets will also be available at during the expo, April 13-15th.
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