The Four Agreements, Quick Draw McGraw

My friend just returned a book I lent her & we went out last night so she could buy a copy of it for a birthday present. I have given it a couple times as a birthday present also. It’s one of my very favorite books. It is so seemingly simple & yet holds such deep wisdom. It’s called The Four Agreements – a Toltec Wisdom book by Don Miguel Ruiz. I highly recommend it & think everyone should read it - at least once.

The 4 agreements are: (this is printed on the front cover)
1- Be Impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
2- Don’t take anything personally – Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3- Don’t make assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can totally transform your life.
4- Always do your best – Your best is going to change from moment to moment, it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self- judgment, self-abuse and regret.

From meditation:
There are 2 types of anger: attached & reflective.
Reflective is more quick and impulsive. It leaves you quickly. An example is a mother who yells at her child for running out in the street.
Attached anger is something that lives with you, something you hold on to. It gets personalized and attached to your ego.

Your natural self can not be harmed. It can evolve but it can not be brought down.

If we are here for the evolution of the soul, to face challenges and learn lessons for our soul’s progression then I was wondering how, if everything in the physical plane – the ego, the material world is not real, is an illusion, then how does it influence and affect the soul, and if it does.. then it must be somewhat real. John’s answer was that it is the negative, the fear, the worries, anxiety, pain that is not real. So when we face our challenges with negativity – anger, jealousy, envy, hate & other fear based negative emotions – this is not real and just adds to the illusion, but when we solve the problem with positive love-based solutions then our soul passes the challenges and evolves.
It was asked that when we all get to a state of perfection, when the world gets to a perfect state – wouldn’t we all be the same? Yeah, what about that? I really like being who I am & also it seems like the world would get a little boring with everyone being the same – not that I really expect it to be a bad place or anything, it must be good or else all these people would not be striving for enlightenment all the time. But John claimed that we would all still be unique & that makes me feel so much better. The world would be a much different place though.. we wouldn’t have the rules that we have now, we wouldn’t need them as people wouldn’t want to hurt each other. So we would have freedoms that we don’t have now – like we’d be able to have sex on the street.. hey, not hurting anyone (interesting example ; ) Made me think that maybe this is where my authority issues come from. I do have them.. have always been a natural born rebel, in a very peaceful way.. can’t help it, its just who I am.

Oh, AND Quick Draw McGraw and his side-kick, the clever Baba Looey, and his alter-ego, the Zorro-like avenger El Kabong and especially the episode where he pulled the magic needle out of his back pocket and stabbed himself with it to lunge up to the window of the castle with a YOW – his solution - as the front door was locked – this reminded John of the don’t know mind?? –must be in its creativity!
The show premiered in 1959 with new shows produced until 62. The other two segments of the show were "Snooper And Blabber," the adventures of the cat and mouse detectives Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse, and "Augie Doggie And Doggie Daddy," which featured the Jimmy Durante-like Daddy trying to keep up with his mischevious son. There were 45 episodes made in the series.

I lost track of time & only noticed it at 5 min to 8, Yoga class is from 8-9.. and I actually changed & made it in time! That was quite something! Olof was in for Jeannie tonight.