From the international bestselling author of The Four AgreementsIn The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz revealed how the process of our education, or “domestication,” can make us forget the wisdom we were born with. Throughout our lives, we make many agreements that go against ourselves and create needless suffering. The Four Agreements help us to break these self-limiting agreements and replace … replace them with agreements that bring us personal freedom, happiness, and love.In The Fifth Agreement, don Miguel Ruiz joins his son don Jose Ruiz to offer a fresh perspective on The Four Agreements, and a powerful new agreement for transforming our lives into our personal heaven. 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.___________________About the AuthorsDon Miguel Ruiz is the international bestselling author of The Four Agreements (a New York Times bestseller for over a decade), The Mastery of Love, The Four Agreements Companion Book, The Voice of Knowledge, The Circle of Fire, and The Fifth Agreement. The teachings of Ruiz are best known for transforming complex human issues into simple common sense — a talent that has earned him millions of fans and international acclaim.Don Jose Ruiz grew up in a world where anything was possible. From the moment he could speak, he became an apprentice of his nagual (shaman) father, don Miguel Ruiz, and his curandera (healer) grandmother, Mother Sarita. As a teenager, he traveled to India to study with friends of his father, and at the age of twenty-three, he became the successor to the family lineage. In the tradition of his ancestors, don Jose has dedicated his life to sharing the teachings of the ancient Toltec. He lectures and leads classes across the United States and at sacred sites around the world.Janet Mills is the founder and president of Amber-Allen publishing and coauthor, with don Miguel Ruiz, of six books in The Toltec Wisdom Series. Mills is also the creator of “The Four Agreements for a Better Life” online course, editor of Deepak Chopra’s bestselling title, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and publisher of the world-renowned “Seth Books” by Jane Roberts. Her life’s mission is to publish books of enduring beauty, integrity, and wisdom, and to inspire others to fulfill their most cherished dreams.
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These agreements will challenge the tyrant, judge, and victim in your head.
Toltec Wisdom is not a religion, while it does embrace Spirit. It is described as a way of life with ready accessibility of happiness and love.
When a book speaks what your soul sings!
Before domestication, our tendency was to explore, express creativity, seek pleasure, and avoid pain.
I have read no better book to describe how we are conditioned from birth. How it’s easy to feel we have lost ourselves along the way under many layers, what is truth, how to seek it, and how to claim our power back, which is rightfully ours.
I have awakenings and then go spiritually dormant and the cycle continues, well this was one of those books that sparked it again. I have felt my heart opening, wanting to be a better person, and consciously choosing the agreements I am making in life. I’m on the path to being my truest most authentic self again. This will be a re-read for me anytime I need a reminder on any of the 5 Agreements to live by. This is now one of my favorite books along with THE ALCHEMIST.
“By the time we grow up, our faith is already invested in so many lies that we hardly have any power left to create the dream we want to create.”
A section of the self-mastery guide talked about how power comes back to children when they find out the “lie” of Santa Claus, even though it is tradition, took my breath away. This story really opened up my heart. So many of my previous “agreements” I had unknowingly made, shattered. Be ready for your “reality” to crumble. Say goodbye to all the lies you tell yourself! Reality check, oh ya!
What did I learn? (If you don’t want SPOILERS, stop reading here.)
Awareness of the truth is the first step to self-mastery.
• Rule #1 Be Impeccable With Your Word- otherwise, YOU are using your knowledge against YOURSELF.
We learn to gossip by agreement.
• Rule #2 Don’t Take Anything Personally- Everyone is living in their own dream. We are all dreaming all the time, if you can imagine or think you are dreaming, you don’t have to be asleep. Now I understand the saying “reality is but a dream”. Once you realize this, you have the power to make the dream as you wish.
• Rule #3 Don’t Make Assumptions- It’s best to ask questions and be clear.
• Rule #4 Always Do Your Best- Your best will change from moment to moment depending on various factors but no matter what always do your best. Not 80% one day and 100% the next, always do your best.
• Rule #5 Be Skeptical But Listen- “Symbols are only the truth because we agree, not because they are the truth.” A tree is a tree because we all agree so, that may not be what the creator called it. We as humans have the need to come up with language and symbols to communicate.
Three masteries to guide us out of suffering and return us to our true nature: Happiness, Freedom, Love
Some of my favorite quotes shared:
“All humans are artists, all of us.”
“If you practice self-love, you will master self-love.”
I’m so happy I picked this up at my local used book store years ago, and am just now reading it for the very first time. (Quarantine life!) I should have read it YEARS AGO! I was undecided between purchasing THE FOUR AGREEMENTS or this one, but I saw other readers/reviewers say this one recaps that material and includes the bonus fifth agreement. I’d still like to read all of his other books though because I really enjoyed this. It brought me much peace.
There were many metaphors used as examples to understand the depth of topics. It really helped put things into “laymen” terms. Some of the topics presented, I’ll have to go back and re-read because when your world is being reconstructed, it takes practice.
If you’d like to surrender the lies that keep you in bondage… study this book and try to live by its principles if it resonates with you. The goal is to live YOUR LIFE instead of the life of THE BELIEF SYSTEM. This is a practical guide to self-mastery.
These agreements are the song my mind, body, and soul will sing!
Love this book!