by Don Miguel Ruiz (1997)
Price: $12.95
Reviewed by: Eleanor Johnston
Remember the novels of Carlos Castaneda in the 1970’s? They taught the traditions of the shamanic Toltec religion that flourished inMexico and the southwestern states before the arrival of the Europeans. Like other early American traditions, the Toltec features trickster figures, spiritual wisdom and ecstatic transformations. This book summarizes Toltec beliefs--think Castaneda without plot or peyote.
For today’s North Americans to appreciate this book, it is presented in a self-help style with New Age-style countercultural aphorisms organized in an accessible, elegant format. The Four Agreements are: ”Be Impeccable With Your Word,” “Don’t Take Anything Personally,” “Don’t Make Assumptions,” and “Always Do Your Best.” By focusing on and striving toward these practices, promises the book, the reader can lead a happy, God-filled life.
Readers who look beyond Christian orthodoxy can hope that the Toltec, like the many other religions threatened by Western secular culture, survives into the future. Reading it is like reading a book by the Dalai Lama, a manuscript of ancient Norse sayings, or a collection of Taoist proverbs. Could it be that, if we look back far enough in comparing all the world’s ancient religions, we will find a shared theology, a common wisdom, a saving mysticism?
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