The Four Agreements
by Don Miguel Ruiz

Nagual Term Analysis

Ruiz defines nagual as having a dual meaning according to the Toltec people: the term refers to the light between the stars and also refers to a shaman or “master” of Toltec wisdom. Ruiz describes himself as a nagual descended from the “Eagle Knight lineage.” A nagual, for Ruiz, is a person who recognizes their true nature: as light that shines an abundance of love, just like everything else in the universe, including God, as well as the stars (which are named tonal). Matter, therefore, is just an illusion. Instead, reality is made up of tonal (the light of the stars) and nagual (the light between the stars), and a nagual is also a person who has mastered the art of perceiving the world this way.

Nagual Quotes in The Four Agreements

The The Four Agreements quotes below are all either spoken by Nagual or refer to Nagual. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Judgment and Fear Theme Icon
).

Chapter 6. The Toltec Path to Freedom Quotes

A Toltec becomes wise, becomes wild, and becomes free again.

Related Characters: Miguel Ruiz (speaker)
Page Number and Citation: 100
Explanation and Analysis:
Ruiz has outlined four agreements—which are agreements to behave in specific ways that people can choose to adopt in order to experience happiness in their lives. Here, he explains that honoring the four agreements allows a person to undo the indoctrination they received as young children, which taught them to act according to society’s rules. For Ruiz, the indoctrination process—in which a person learns social rules and agrees to act in accordance with them—is a process of “domestication” which transforms a person from a carefree child into an adult who self-regulates their behavior based on society’s rules. Ruiz’s advice for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit ea
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Nagual Term Timeline in The Four Agreements

The timeline below shows where the term Nagual appears in The Four Agreements. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Toltec
Beliefs, Agreements, and Transformative Happiness Theme Icon
...of scholars who were centered around Teotihuacan (near Mexico City) thousands of years ago. The naguals (“masters”) of Toltec wisdom held ancient knowledge about a way of life focused on happiness... (full context)
Introduction: The Smokey Mirror
Human Perception, Reality, and Universal Love Theme Icon
...being spread throughout the universe. He calls the stars “tonal” and the light between them—including himself—“nagual.” The student concludes that “Everything is God,” and that human perception is “light perceiving light.” ... (full context)
Human Perception, Reality, and Universal Love Theme Icon
...life as we know it manifests as varied mixtures of the tonal (starlight) and the nagual (light between the stars). Suddenly, the student feels an overwhelming sensation of peace and wants... (full context)