We ( me and my loving partner), recently went to see don Miguel Ruiz and his sons, don Jose Ruiz and don Miguel Ruiz Jr. For those of you who don't know his work, don Miguel Ruiz is famous for his book, The Four Agreements. Oprah loved this book and placed it on her favorites list.
The Four Agreements include:
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take things personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.
My 13 year old boy is reading this book at the moment. He's doing writing exercises and examples about each agreement. It's been quite a teaching and learning moment for both of us. These agreements encompass the question Who am I? They also allow the reader to explore integrity, honesty, and self acceptance. This is a book you can read over and over and get different themes every time. A must read for everyone who wants to know themselves on a deeper level.
We were blessed to see all 3 of the Ruiz men together which doesn't happen often! We were impressed by the generational stories of their beautiful family. My son would have been a little bored by asking the question WHO AM I ? for 2 hours so he opted out of the evening. However, I regretted that he wasn't there because I was so moved by the way these beautiful mexican men openly loved each other in front of everyone, with NO SHAME. They cried and laughed with tears of joy and sadness for each other. They tenderly hugged and kissed each other, and LOVE just oozed from their pores. Jose talked about when his father had a heart attack and how upset he was to almost lose him. He also spoke about how his father would always call him to come to tour with him. He said " No Papa! You are going to force me to speak in front of all those people." don Miguel said, " No Jose. I'm not going to do that to you." As soon as Jose comes to visit him don Miguel pushes him to speak in front of hundreds of people. Jose said that was his first out of body experience. This changed Jose and he decided he had stories to tell also but, in a different flavor than his father. don Miguel Jr. told beautiful stories about his mother and grandmother and the rich roots of their Toltec heritage. He talked about his connection with his brother and father and how grateful he is to have been born to such beautiful souls. There is nothing like seeing men openly loving each other in a pure and genuine way.
I was so impressed with how don Miguel supported each of his children to honor their own unique gifts." Our spiritual paths look different from your neighbor. That's what makes us special. " There were lots of words spoken in 2 hours by all 3 men but what I REALLY felt was the GOOD ENERGY rising in the room. By the end of the evening I was in the "zone. " I felt tired but it was more that sleepy. I was in an altered state and so was my partner. ( I'm glad I was driving. LOL)
When my son is a little older I hope he will have the chance to experience being in these Ruiz's presence. As a Latino (panamanian,puerto-rican,jamaican, gringo) young man , he is always faced with the threat of violence when he shows his vulnerable side. I am proud that he has a bromance with his best friend and isn't afraid to be close and loving to his bestie. I want him to see more models of men being close and loving with each other. I recommend that every man go see don Miguel and his sons while he is still here on the planet. It is an experience you will cherish and never forget. I am reading the Fifth Agreement now so stay tuned for the next blog post......