How does the author structure the book, The Four Agreements?

“The Four Agreements – A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz has seven chapters that lay out the guideline to self-identity and freedom in an orderly and logical manner. This structure makes for easy understanding of the tenets that Ruiz poses to the reader. He first explains what the “Dream of the Planet” or society’s idea of what is acceptable and then provides a remedy to a system that produces sad, confused and fearful individuals.

Ruiz’s pathway to freedom and bliss discards the “Dream of the Planet” and replaces it with agreements that will replace poisonous emotions with custom agreements that will meet the need of the individual and allow the real person who had been lost and nearly forgotten to emerge. In the end the new agreements will lead to a communion with God and the chance to live in bliss in a heaven on earth.

Preceding the first chapter is a section entitled, “The Toltec.” Ruiz explains the source of many of his ideas tracing it to the wisdom and knowledge of the spiritual Toltec culture that existed over a thousand years ago in Mexico. Following the final chapter is a section entitled, “Prayers.” Included in this section are prayers for love and for freedom. There is a short bio of the author that describes his family as a long-time spiritual one dedicated to healing and teaching. He broke out from that mold and became a physician and surgeon. But a near-death accident renewed his interest in the spiritual world returning him to the family tradition.