Rating: 
Summary: Has its place, but maybe not the place you expect
Review: This book is very different in style and tone from the other `Toletec Wisdom' books. It is written by someone other than don Miguel, and has a different form. Instead of a series of succinct, simple stories told in the first person, it is a flow of information in many forms that is more `out there' and enigmatic. The destruction of Atlantis, a new definition of `hell', the `Allies' who are actual beings that feed on our fear - these and more lend a Castaneda-like feel to this book. It is an interesting book to read when you are in a relaxed, free-form, jazzy kind of mood, ready to curl up on the sofa and drift from idea to idea. This kind of mood is necessary, because the book lacks a clear-cut form. The same kind of mood you would want to be in to read Zecharia Stichin, or David Icke. For more clear-cut, less impressionistic reading on the same basic subjects - spirits, the journey inward, journeying, ethics, etc - try the other Toltec books, Energetic Anatomy by Mark Rich, or even the books of Sylvia Brown, a well-known psychic. All have something to offer people on this path.
Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly a guide but solid principles & teachings
Review: "Beyond Fear" does not go into "how to steps" of achieving freedom & joy but it certainly guides you through principles that are consistent with Don Miguel Ruiz teachings. In essence, people of power are those who are open, loving, and nonjudgemental: for them the universe is a place of wonder, exporation and adventure. What I liked most about the book is the way the author, Mary Carrol Nelson, weaves elements of Toltec knowledge & ceremonies into the book, along with biographical content. She describes personal experiences by Don Miguel Ruiz & his significant other "Gaya" that changed their lives. I liked the book! I would read anything by and about Don Miguel Ruiz....Erika B.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy
Review: A surprising and illuminating view of life and the interrelatedness of all creation. Easy-to-follow practices, such as meditations and visualizations, add to the power and impact of the concepts taught by Don Miguel. This is not just "a nice idea" book, but is an actual guide to releasing the fear that haunts us all from the time we become conscious, as little children, until we die. The visual style of the writing makes it easy to distinguish Don Miguel's words from Mary C. Nelson's. Worth reading again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Two and a Half Stars
Review: Being an avid Casteneda fan, I have to say I was disappointed with this book. I could barely bring myself to finish it. The author combines Christian and Buddist teachings with a white washed version of the Toltecs. For example, the book describes some of the ancient Toltec ruins as pure places of love. Perhaps Ruiz forgets that human sacrafice was practiced on some of those very same ruins?I put this book down and reread Casteneda's works and Regan's Evolution of a Warrior. Far better in my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: A friendly Warning
Review: Beware: You may be in danger of loosing respect and credibility for Don Miguel Ruiz after reading this book. I loved his Four Agreements and Mastery of Love and was shocked and disappointed by this book. I could not even finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Original teachings from the master
Review: Beyond Fear is packed full of insight, guidelines for living, and incredible truths. I was led to Beyond Fear after reading the Four Agreements, which I found to be trite and too "slimmed down" for my taste. It seemed like dumbed-down re-wordings of the essential truths in Beyond Fear, which packs so many strange and wonderful ideas into a book that I return to it again and again. It is the original book of don Miguel's teachings - to "Billghs" and others who say "stick to the originals": Beyond Fear is the original. This book came first, and is the blueprint for the others. Read it again and you'll see.
Rating:
Summary: go to the source!
Review: Go and get a book called "tales from the time loop" by David Icke! It covers all this and much more! One of the best books to come around in decades...
Rating:
Summary: go to the source!
Review: Go and get a book called "tales from the time loop" by David Icke! It covers all this and much more! One of the best books to come around in decades...
Rating: 
Summary: sorry i don't get it
Review: Having heard of Ruiz from several acquantainces I picked up the 4 Agreements and Beyond Fear looking forward to learning something about the Toltecs. First of all, one notices a revisionist streak with respect to history as we know it: the Toltecs who built Teotihuacan were an aggressive militaristic culture, far from the peace-loving sages portrayed by Ruiz. So who are his "Toltecs"? I must confess I have been disappointed by the "shamanic wisdom" dispensed with by Ruiz. It looks to me that this guy combines simple common sense ("be impeccable with your word"; "don't take anything for granted" etc.) with terminology filched from Castaneda (stalking, luminous egg, assemblage point, second awareness etc) and spices it up with a New Agey dose of guru worship. Apparently, the impeccability and a loving heart did not prevent Ruiz from snagging his new partner Gaya from a happy marriage of 25 years; the mumbo jumbo of soul- mating going back for 13+ generations made me uneasy with the whole work. To me it seems the book's aim is to make Ruiz look like a guru. If he's a guru, who are his gurus? What are Ruiz's influences? Clearly, Zacharia Sitchin with his extraterrestrials is a huge presence; then of course Castaneda, maybe Blavatsky who one might expect a cultured Mexican to be familiar with. Who are Ruiz's teachers? Who made a "nagual" out of him? Apart from his grandmother, there seems to be nobody. Ruiz's insights mainly come from "visions" obtained during journeying amidst the ruins of Teotihuacan. This is where he got all the (specific!) information about, say, Atlantis, Lemuria, and other similar and beloved fables of old. I think Ruiz has reached the pinnacle of new age shamanism. In this book we get a synthesis of his endeavours, that is, a skillful package offering exactly what a contemporary seeker for ancient ways might be looking for. For me it was unsatisfying and unconvincing. My recommendation would be to read Jamie Sams.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent summary of the teachings of a modern day nagual.
Review: Having read don Miguel Ruiz's book, "The Four Agreements" and after meeting him at a lecture, I picked up a copy of "Beyond Fear" with the hope of learning more about Miguel's process. I wasn't disappointed. Author Mary Carroll Nelson has crafted a very well written summary of the life experiences and teachings of a modern day nagual (keeper of spiritual knowledge). Readers unfamiliar with the words of Ruiz are presented with a clear explanation of his principal teachings and a glimpse of the man behind the message. While not exactly a "how-to" book, "Beyond Fear" does contain a few exercises and ceremonies to help the reader align themselves with the spiritual practice that is the basis of The Four Agreements. Those agreements are: Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personally. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. The basic premise of Miguel's teachings is that we must break old patterns that are based in fear and replace them with new "agreements" that are based in love, shedding the habits of "judging" ourselves and others and no longer being a "victim" of those judgements. And, the way to do that is to adopt The Four Agreements as a code of conduct, which is the "Toltec guide to freedom and joy." Anyone can become a Master of Intent. All it takes is a conscious effort to look at your life and "your world" without fear or judgements and realize that the dream you are dreaming can be whatever you want it to be.
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