Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of healers in rural Mexico and later attended medical school and taught and practiced as a surgeon. He rediscovered the ancient teachings of his youth following his own near-death experience. A nagual in the Toltec tradition, he lectures, holds workshops, and leads groups on transformative journeys to Teotihuacan, Mexico. His works include the bestseller The Four Agreements and The Mastery of Love.
Mary Carroll Nelson is an artist and the founder of the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media, a national network of artists who express a holistic perspective. She is also the author of Artists of the Spirit (1994), in which she first wrote about don Miguel Ruiz and his presentation of the Toltec tradition.