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.
Rating: 
Summary: A friendly Warning
Review: I bought this book at a bookstore almost a year ago. Mainly only because of the title and that I had read The Four Agreements so was somewhat familiar with Miguel Ruiz. I just finished reading Beyond Fear finally after buying it almost a year ago.There are always various opinions about such writings and each person expresses their truth. I wholly resonate to the teachings in this book. As a matter of fact, before I started reading, I kept thinking about the Master/Apprentice concept for passing on secret wisdom. It makes sense to me. George Lucas depicts it in Star Wars. Jedi are like Toltecs in many respects. So I started to read this book and it got right into discussions of Masters and Apprentices which I personally found pretty synchronystic with my current feelings. I did not have any clue what the book was going to be about except for maybe something along the lines of The Four Agreements. Much different than that book I would have to say. More detail and bigger concepts to comprehend. The Four Agreements is a book for someone who cannot quite get themselves to read through or believe in the content of Beyond Fear. Regarding history revision being correct or accurate, who cares? I do feel that the history that is found in our educational system and studied by scholars is no more accurate than what one might think of this book. It all comes down to dropping belief systems and attachments to beliefs in order to truly discern and use intuition effectively. One must admit they know nothing at all before opening the doors to higher consciousness. Beliefs and knowledge are barriers to sacred wisdom. I would be more than honored if I could be an apprentice of Miguel Ruiz. If you are truly interested and intend to break free and discover spiritual freedom, reclaiming your divinity, then this book is worth reading again and again... I fully understand that we are dead to our divinity when we are born and we are to reclaim our divinity before we physically die in order to be born again. Read the book. And thank you Mary Carroll Nelson and Miguel Ruiz.
Rating:
Summary: Want to Recapture your Divinity?
Review: I bought this book at a bookstore almost a year ago. Mainly only because of the title and that I had read The Four Agreements so was somewhat familiar with Miguel Ruiz. I just finished reading Beyond Fear finally after buying it almost a year ago. There are always various opinions about such writings and each person expresses their truth. I wholly resonate to the teachings in this book. As a matter of fact, before I started reading, I kept thinking about the Master/Apprentice concept for passing on secret wisdom. It makes sense to me. George Lucas depicts it in Star Wars. Jedi are like Toltecs in many respects. So I started to read this book and it got right into discussions of Masters and Apprentices which I personally found pretty synchronystic with my current feelings. I did not have any clue what the book was going to be about except for maybe something along the lines of The Four Agreements. Much different than that book I would have to say. More detail and bigger concepts to comprehend. The Four Agreements is a book for someone who cannot quite get themselves to read through or believe in the content of Beyond Fear. Regarding history revision being correct or accurate, who cares? I do feel that the history that is found in our educational system and studied by scholars is no more accurate than what one might think of this book. It all comes down to dropping belief systems and attachments to beliefs in order to truly discern and use intuition effectively. One must admit they know nothing at all before opening the doors to higher consciousness. Beliefs and knowledge are barriers to sacred wisdom. I would be more than honored if I could be an apprentice of Miguel Ruiz. If you are truly interested and intend to break free and discover spiritual freedom, reclaiming your divinity, then this book is worth reading again and again... I fully understand that we are dead to our divinity when we are born and we are to reclaim our divinity before we physically die in order to be born again. Read the book. And thank you Mary Carroll Nelson and Miguel Ruiz.
Rating:
Summary: Too ambiguous....
Review: I found this book to wander around in circles. Your best bet would be go right to the source - read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz himself, and you will find the simplicity of his readings more beneficial - it's direct and intertwined with relations of the agreements with all aspects of life - home, friends, work - it's a wonderful philosophy, so to speak. Then read any of his other books and you will be pleasantly enlightened.
Rating:
Summary: Too ambiguous....
Review: I found this book to wander around in circles. Your best bet would be go right to the source - read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz himself, and you will find the simplicity of his readings more beneficial - it's direct and intertwined with relations of the agreements with all aspects of life - home, friends, work - it's a wonderful philosophy, so to speak. Then read any of his other books and you will be pleasantly enlightened.
Rating:
Summary: Clear concise understanding of the Toltec teachings
Review: I have read other books similar to this one. However Don Miguel presents the teachings in a very simple manner that anyone can understand. His teachings are so much from the heart one gets goosebumps knowing what he says to be true. It is a book I have recommended and gifted to several of my friends who are on this path as it gives a very clear idea of who we are, where we are and what we are becoming and how we can make this reality even better. An exceptional book. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: No need to fear
Review: I have read The Four Agreements, The Companion Book, The Mastery of Love and now Beyond Fear. Beyond Fear is totaly different than his other books, he gets a little bit out there with this one. I would highly suggest you read his other books first, start with this one and you will be lost. You need to build up to this book but it is certainly worth the read. I also liked Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey which helped me get in touch with some of the areas of my life that were preventing me from achieving freedom and joy.
Rating:
Summary: Life after Don Miguel
Review: I have read The Four Agreements, The Mastery of Love and now Beyond Fear. Beyond Fear is totaly different than his other books, he gets a little bit out there with this one. I would highly suggest you read his other books first, start with this one and you will be lost. You need to build up to this book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on how to reclaim our integrity.
Review: I like this book very much. I am biased, because I have been an apprentice of don Miguel Ruiz for four years, and the Toltec path has changed my life. Mary Carroll Nelson has done a wonderful job of bringing don Miguel's simple wisdom and love to the pages of this book. I have traveled many paths searching for my freedom, although I did not always know what I was looking for. Now, with this and don Miguel's other two books, and using the tools found here (The Four Agreements, Stalking and Dreaming, The inventory, recapitulation, forgiveness, etc.) I have reclaimed my personal power and found the simple peace that I was seeking. Thank you, don Miguel. I recommend that anyone who has read this far in these commments buy this and don Miguel's other two books (THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, and THE MASTERY OF LOVE.) And then do what he says! Miguel Ruiz lectures, leads workshops, and takes Power Journeys to Mexico and Peru, also. Find him, and go!
Rating:
Summary: Lost my respect for Miguel with this one
Review: I recently read The Four Agreements. I really liked it. I decided that I would like to read something else by Ruiz. I picked up this book and flipped through it in the bookstore. First of all, you find a bunch of crazy stuff about egg-shaped auras ripped off from Castanada. Then you find him saying he received a vision about Jesus having a wife and child who lived in France that he actually took from "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." Then you find out really what an intellectual lightweight he is when you read that Charlemagne melded Christianity to Roman Power. Excuse me, that was Constantine---not Charlemagne---neither he, Ms. Nelson or any of the editors caught this most basic historical blunder. Basically, Miguel goes from writing a very insightful little book (4 Agreements) to full-fledged historical-revisionist, New Age-guru crazy lunatic.
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