The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four AgreementsThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a delightful book that aligns beautifully with the Reiki precepts. While reading it recently, I was reminded again and again of the universality of the these truths and how helpful they are in our day-to-day lives.

The Four Agreements are:

  • Be impeccable with your word
  • Don’t take anything personally
  • Don’t make assumptions
  • Always do your best

The Reiki Precepts are:

Just for today:

  • I will not anger
  • I will not worry
  • I will be grateful
  • I will do my work honestly
  • I will be kind to every living thing

There are a lot of different translations and interpretations of the Reiki Precepts or Principles.  (The list above provides the gist of them.)  As we compare them with the Four Agreements we see that honesty is noted in both.  Indeed honesty makes your life more calm and compatible and allows the love and light of the universe to flow through it.

Always doing your best is a way to be kind to every living thing.  When we do our best, we honor ourselves and others. While not making assumptions helps us to avoid anger and worry.  When we assume someone will act in a certain way or a situation will have a particular outcome, we set the stage for feelings of anger and disappointment.  Even the act of assuming is one where we are living in the future where that mindset can lead to feelings of anxiety and worry.  Feelings of gratitude also help us to counteract negative feelings and selfish thoughts.

However, one of the Four Agreements really stands out for me with the statement, “Don’t take anything personally.” We all live from a place of our own perceptions, emotions, and mental states.  This leads to a lot of assuming about others and their experiences of a situation and their motives for acting in certain ways.  If we fully embrace this idea of taking nothing personally and understand that others are acting from their own points of view, we can liberate ourselves from a lot of grief and hurt from other people’s actions and words.

I invite you to reflect on this Agreement.  Place your hands over your heart, close your eyes, and say to yourself, “Just for today, I will take nothing personally.” Pay attention to your breath and as your attention drifts gently bring your mind back to the statement, “Just for today, I will take nothing personally.” After about 5 minutes, release your hands and go about your day.  What is it like for you to see the world in this new way? Let us know in the comments below!