Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements – The First Agreement
“The first agreement is: Be impeccable with your word. It sounds very simple, but it is extremely powerful. Why your word? Your word is the power that you have to create. Your word is the gift that comes directly from God. The Gospel of John, in the Bible, speaking of the creation of the universe, says, ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word is God.’
Through the word you express your creative power. It is through the word that you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests through the word. What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will all be manifested through the word…
The human mind is like a fertile ground where seeds are continually being planted. The seeds are opinions, ideas, and concepts. You plant a seed, a thought, and it grows. The word is like a seed, and the human mind is so fertile! The only problem is that too often it is fertile for the seeds of fear. Every human mind is fertile, but only for those kinds of seeds it is prepared for. What is important is to see which kind of seeds our mind is fertile for, and to prepare it to receive the seeds of love…
During our domestication, our parents and siblings gave their opinions about us without even thinking. We believed these opinions and we lived in fear because of these opinions, like not being good at swimming, or sports, or writing. Someone gives an opinion and says, ‘Look, this girl is ugly!’ The girl listens, believes she is ugly, and grows up with the idea that she is ugly. It doesn’t matter how beautiful she is; as long as she has that agreement, she will believe she is ugly. That is the spell she is under…
Be impeccable with your word. This is the first agreement that you should make if you want to be free, if you want to be happy, if you want to transcend the level of existence that is hell. It is very powerful. Use the word in the correct way. Use the word to share your love. Use white magic, beginning with yourself. Tell yourself how wonderful you are, how great you are. Tell yourself how much you love yourself. Use the word to break all those tiny, little agreements that make you suffer.”
