He devoted himself to the mastery of the ancient ancestral wisdom, studying earnestly with his mother, and completing an apprenticeship with a powerful shaman in the Mexican desert. Stunned by this experience, he began an intensive practice of self-inquiry. A near-death experience changed his life. Instead, distracted by modern life, Miguel chose to attend medical school and become a surgeon. The family anticipated that Miguel would embrace their centuries-old legacy of healing and teaching, and carry forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge. Combining new insights with old wisdom, don Miguel has dedicated his life to sharing the ancient Toltec wisdom by translating it into practical concepts that promote transformation through truth and common sense.ĭon Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of healers, and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and a nagual (shaman) grandfather. In the tradition of the Toltec, a Nagual guides an individual to personal freedom. don Miguel's message is simple, practical and when implemented, even incrementally, changes lives. The tools shared by don Miguel are based on common sense and shared with such simplicity, that the universal message underlying his teaching is recognized by many.