I’m not a sequel fan. That is, until I watch the sequel…or read the book. And admittedly, the first half of this book didn’t grip me. I continued though because the other books in my stack to read are way heavier (literally and figuratively) and although it initially wasn’t gripping, I enjoyed the way the story was being told.

“The Voice of Knowledge” by Don Miguel Ruiz is like a sequel to his book, “The Four Agreements“. He however goes into more detail about this theory that each of our lives are just stories, and it’s up to us to believe or change the story the way we want, because after all, we are the main character in each of our own. Detailing his own personal experience of how he started believing in this theory gives insight into how people can really change direction and follow their true path (he was a doctor who is now an author and master of the Toltec Mystery school tradition).

And while this is the focus of the first half of the book, the second half intrigued me. His describing how emotions are a reaction to our stories and how to overcome this, while nothing new, made such sense that when his chapter on common sense was being read, I giggled a little. Yes, there’s a chapter on common sense and I loved it. Because it emphasizes how basic and simple the ideas are. They’re not over the top, complicated, intricate ideas that only super-intelligent people are supposed to understand. These are practices that any of us can and probably should incorporate into our daily lives but the hard part (yes, there always is a hard part) is that it takes being conscious and aware of our thoughts and actions to change.

Yep, there’s the catch. Being aware. Conscious. And most likely wanting change. To yourself, not trying to change the rest of the world.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. It has points to ponder after each chapter, story telling that I thoroughly enjoyed and it was a continuation of “The Four Agreements” which is a book to read more than once. The theory is simple and makes you wonder why many of us struggle to make these ideas into habits. And then you come to understand that the words are easily spoken, but the actions a little more difficult to follow through on. Oh, like the rest of life, I guess.

“You know, most people around the world believe that there is a great conflict in the universe, a conflict between good and evil. Well, this is not true. It’s true that there is a conflict, but the conflict only exists in the human mind, not in the universe. It’s not true for the plants or the animals. It’s not true for the stars or the trees, or for the rest of nature. It’s only true for humans. And the conflict in the human mind is not really between good and evil. The real conflict in our mind is between the truth and lies. Good and evil are just the result of that conflict.” – Don Miguel Ruiz