Don Miguel Ruiz: The Toltec Art of Life and Death
Dirk Terpstra: And that’s what I personally like the most about this book: I am reading a very impressive and beautiful story, but at the same time, I feel that I learned so much, so I think you accomplished this in a very special way. I also highly resonate with your philosophy of life and with the stories that we keep telling ourselves. It was a true delight to read your book.
OMTimes: Miguel, when you found yourself between life and death during your nine-week coma after you suffered from a heart attack, your spirit continued to have a deep connection with your mom’s spirit. It seemed that you were ready to leave your body, while your mom (Sarita), who always had so much influence on you, used all her seduction techniques to bring you back. Beside of the fact that your mom didn’t want to lose you, what was the deeper intention of Sarita to connect with you in this way?
Don Miguel Ruiz: Well, Sarita, of course, she’s my mother and also my mentor, has taught me a legacy, which also comes from my grandfather. At the point that I had my heart attack, actually just a moment before I had my heart attack, I was speaking with her, and she told me: “You don’t have the right to die. You cannot die before I do, and I will do everything that lies in my power to bring you back.”
I was, of course, excited because then I could keep experiencing my physical body, even though my body was in such a pain. It really hurt so much in the chest. I was also really excited that I would be able to share this story someday. Then, I went into a coma with this conversation that I had with my mother. I think it is important to understand that the story that we live — our creation — we populate that with secondary characters. The secondary characters that we think we really know. And these characters make our reality. Because it’s true that my mother is alive, the fact that I have children, that I have friends and so on, are the ones who live in my mind. But they are just a copy of them, they are not them. Every character that lives in our story is an extension of the first character, of the main character. Then, in my story, really everybody is Miguel. Sarita is Miguel, Lala, which is all my mother, is Miguel. All the ancestors are Miguel.
