The Mastery of Love
In "The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship," don Miguel Ruiz, a Toltec spiritual teacher, guides readers on a journey towards self-transformation and fulfilling relationships through the ancient wisdom of the Toltecs. Ruiz emphasizes that true love stems from self-acceptance and self-love, challenging the limiting beliefs and agreements that hinder genuine connection and personal growth.
I loved this book because of how Don Miguel Ruiz tore through the layers of relationship complexity to its simplest form. Ruiz’s depiction of the “pain body” as a representation of our own personal baggage and how that can underlie relational issues was very easy for me to visualize. Not to give too much away, as the sum of the teachings is greater than its parts, but Ruiz compares a strong relationship to two ships sailing independently but side by side. Neither ship needs the other to stay afloat or to move through the water. Instead, both are seaworthy, sailing along harmoniously. When one ship becomes too reliant on the other, both ships then suffer. And should their journey together ever come to an end, both are capable of sailing on to the next journey.