Toltec Wisdom, The Four Agreements Book, Teachings, Personal Growth

admin Self-Help, Spirituality March 18, 2012April 13, 2012spiritual growth, toltec, wisdom 0 Comment

Realise Self-Discovery – Toltec Wisdom

What Is Toltec Wisdom About?

It is about transcending the ideas you have about who you are and discovering what is real about you.

It is the wisdom to know how to live in a way that makes a difference.

It is about learning to listen and get your direction not from your mind, but from your heart and gut.

What Is Wrong With Following The Mind?

Does your mind know how you got here? Your mind is not designed to know anything about you. The mind is so very useful at many things but knowing what is right for you is not one of them.

We misunderstand what mind is. Because we rely on it so much day-by-day we give its function too much kudos, we start to believe the only way to know something is through thought.

Our mind willingly assumes the role of master in command. All the while direction for your life and your purpose is quietly screaming instructions from your torso.

Where Do These Instructions Appear?

They appear in your being. You have thoughts, you have emotions, you have mind and you also have being.

Your being is that feeling of aliveness that you can turn your attention towards. Without being/aliveness/life force your body would be a heap on the floor.

Your being is most easily felt in your torso.

Around the heart and down in the gut you feel that is really you. When you say ‘this is me’ you will accompany this statement with a touch to the chest. That statement won’t feel accurate unless you touch your heart space.

Why Do We Not Listen?

We identify as the contents of mind so if we think we are the mind of course we will only follow it.

It is easy to justify to ourself and others through rational thought and logic why we do things. It is a far less acceptable way to society and friends to say I am doing this because I feel it. Mind is given kudos and feeling is disregarded in our society.

Toltec wisdom is about the teachings which give you the courage and trust to align with your true self and surrender the mind to this greater wisdom we have within.

Why Is This Important For Personal Growth And Spiritual Growth?

you become honest and authentic
life flows more easily and effortlessly for you
you suffer less
your life has greater meaning and purpose
you have greater inner peace and contentment

Toltec Teachings

admin Self-Help, Spirituality March 18, 2012April 13, 2012spiritual growth, toltec, wisdom 0 Comment

The Wisdom Of Toltec Teachings

Toltec teachings are about wisdom. The wisdom to follow your in-built guidance system instead of the conditioning and influence of society.

Wisdom

You see if you turn within and listen to the small voice or the gut feeling you have then you are on your own in this big world. If you do take notice of what your gut is guiding you towards then you have faith and confidence that you are being led to the right place at the right time to discover what you need to learn.

The alternative is to be influenced by those to emotions fear and greed. Have a look at how financial markets operate. There is very little rationality to them and if you have ever tried to trade on a market you will see how strong these emotions are.

So it is with your life. In the absence of something larger than you to cling to and use as your guidance system you will flit from one thing to the next, spend up large every weekend on stuff to get that short term buzz that makes you feel alive, and be at the mercy of clever marketers and advertisers.

All you will ever need to know about your life is there already. That is not saying it all becomes clear and you can see your path but if you view your life as a journey and so long as you follow your gut you will feel fulfilled and meaningful.

Why It Pays To Be Honest

Toltec teachings are also about integrity and being honest, keeping your word and expressing your truth, even if doing so upsets another person. If you continue to pretend and make up who you are instead of outstretching your arms and saying to the universe, ‘this is who I am right in this moment now, take it or leave it’, then you are splitting yourself and abandoning who you are.

Take Responsibility

The quickest way I have found to transform and grow in consciousness is to take responsibility for everything that you perceive or think. Anything that happens within your experience of life is your responsibility. It is difficult to prove that childhood abuse or being a victim of a violent incident is your responsibility but the irony is that if you do think about these things in such a way you then grow past these events and your life improves.

I am not saying you caused these things to happen but rather responsibility implies they took place for some reason, even if you don’t know what the reason was.

The Four Agreements Book, Don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec Wisdom

admin Self-Help, Spirituality March 18, 2012April 13, 2012the four agreements, toltec, wisdom 0 Comment

The Four Agreements Book

The four agreements book comes out of ancient Toltec wisdom that originated in Southern Mexico.

Who Wrote It?

Don Miguel Ruiz was born in 1952 and raised in Mexico amongst a family that had a long line of healers and teachers of Toltec wisdom. Toltec refers to a collection of people who practiced a way of life and shared common insight into wisdom and knowledge of life in Southern Mexico thousands of years ago.

When Was It Written?

He completed and had the book published in 1997. In 1987 he began healing practices but began to see that he preferred teaching to healing. Teaching is more about empowering people to discover themselves what is true, and I fully understand and share his preference in this regard.

I first heard of the book by a fellow retreat attendee in 2005, Napa Valley, California.

What Is The Four Agreements Book About?

Most everything that this website is about. Integrity, honesty, authenticity, personal responsibility for your thoughts, words and actions.

Ruiz also writes about noticing just how much we assume is true. We assume we know how other people feel and think and we are almost always completely wrong.

Developing unshakable personal power in the face of other people’s words and behaviour. Know that other people have a lot of stuff going on and the way they behave towards you is not your responsibility. You are responsible and empowered about how you behave in return though. Hint: next time you have a confrontation or situation where you need someone else’s cooperation, quietly say to yourself with your attention on them ‘I love you’ repeatedly.

This technique is amazing and I use it a lot! In quick time you notice the other person’s attitude change, all because you have changed your energy. As one of my teachers used to say ‘you must go first’.

Either do your best or allow yourself to move onto something where you can do your best. There are no rules about what you must be good at doing, what you must enjoy or when you should do it. If you want to do something or it needs to be done and you can then do it. Otherwise don’t do it.

Across all the teachings and all the ancient wisdom of the world through to modern day psychologists and spiritual teachers, no one says anything new.

Some teachers or some traditions will present and explain the knowledge in a way that resonates with you and helps you transform the way you live. Your job is to keep seeking and following what comes into your awareness and apply it in your life if it feels right for you.

At the right time the right books, workshops and opportunities will present themselves to you. The Four Agreements book has been a best seller for many years. The way you live your life; your attitudes towards yourself and others, is a major determinant of your experience of life. This book is a great place to start.