Impeccable

When I was a child, the popular saying was “a man’s word is his bond.”  I haven’t heard that expression now in decades.  

King Solomon, David’s son, long ago commented “In all thy getting, get understanding.”  For the better part of 40-years, the getting, it seems, has been primarily – for the few – immense material wealth.   The 10 Commandments now seem laughably old fashioned.  

Among ancient civilizations wisdom was rich, and we do well to revisit our past.  The Toltec, a Meso-American culture that predates the Aztec, held four precepts to be key.  Don Miquel Ruiz, a descendent of the Toltec, wrote “The Four Agreements” about “self-limiting beliefs.”  The book, copyright 1997, has been published in 52 languages worldwide, and spent one decade as a New York Times bestseller.  

The first precept, which he calls an “Agreement” is deceptively simple: “Be impeccable in your word.”  He writes, “Your word is the power that you have to create.  It is through the word that you manifest everything.  Regardless 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.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the word was God” is the opening statement of the Christian Gospel of John.  Ruiz explains and expands, “The word is not just a sound or a written symbol.  The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create events in your life.  But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you.  One edge is the misuse of the word, which creates a living hell.  The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love, and heaven on earth.”

As there is light, so there is darkness, which principle was embodied in the brilliant German orator whose message of fear and hatred manipulated a country of highly intelligent people.  Again Ruiz, “He led them into a world war with just the power of his word.  He convinced others to commit the most atrocious acts of violence.  He activated people’s fears with the word, and like a big explosion, there was killing and war all  around the world. …He sent out all those seeds of fear, and they grew very strong and beautifully achieved massive destruction.”

It is worth remembering that Hitler rose to power through a democratic election, via the German Workers Party, in 1932.  Having campaigned as a populist, he consolidated power as a demon.  

The Agreement’s verb is “impeccable,” which is derived from the Latin prefix in-, meaning “not,” and the verb peccare, meaning “to sin;” to be impeccable is to be without sin, but to the Toltec sin was different from the Christian meaning.  Ruiz explains, “A sin is anything that you do which goes against yourself.  Everything you feel or believe or say that goes against yourself is a sin.  When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself.  Being impeccable with your word is the correct use of your energy; it means to use your energy in the direction of truth and love for yourself.”

Simple truths are easily understood.  Or are they? While driving on errands with my son, we talk about these.  Again and again, to help guide his future, I draw from the past.  

The Toltec had four agreements:

• Be impeccable with your word
• Don’t take anything personally
• Don’t make assumptions
• Always do your best

To this I would add two more: 

• Let integrity be your bank account
• Let compassion, more than logic, guide your path

At this sun drenched solstice, fruits ripen and vines reach ever higher…