Miguel Ángel Ruiz

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Don Miguel Ángel Ruiz (born 1952) is a Mexican author, nagual, shaman, and teacher.

He went to medical school and was a surgeon until a near-death experience impelled him to seek answers in ancestral traditions of the Toltec in which his mother was a curandera (healer), and his grandfather a nagual (shaman) who, after death, continued to teach Ruiz in his dreams.

His most famous and influential work, The Four Agreements, was published in 1997 and has sold around 4 million copies. It advocates personal freedom from agreements and beliefs that we have made with ourselves and others that are creating limitation and unhappiness in our lives. Ultimately, it is about finding one's own integrity, self-love, and peace within this reality. The Four Agreements are:

Be Impeccable With Your Word.
Don't Take Anything Personally.
Don't Make Assumptions.
Always Do Your Best.

Ruiz also wrote a workbook as a companion to The Four Agreements. He then wrote several other books, including The Voice of Knowledge, Prayers, and The Mastery of Love. In Beyond Fear, by Mary Carroll Nelson, he discusses some of his beliefs through a series of interviews, including his belief in the legend of Atlantis; his belief that the sun entered its sixth age on January 11, 1992, which should lead to a new age for humanity; and his belief in the spiritual power of the pyramid of the sun at Teotihuacan. He can speak English. He often lectures and leads retreats in the United States. Many of his students are American. In 2002 he suffered a massive heart attack, but has since recovered. He has handed the Eagle-Knight lineage over to his son Don José Luis.