So I was cleaning out my journal from three years ago, and something stopped me cold. There on page 43 was a list of people I was angry with – names I’d completely forgotten about. Old bosses, friends who’d disappeared, family members who’d said hurtful things.
What struck me wasn’t the list itself but how much energy I’d been wasting holding onto all that stuff. Three years later, and some of those situations still made my stomach tighten when I read the names.
That’s when Sharon introduced me to something she calls the “forgiveness prayer” – five simple words that completely shifted how I handle these emotional blocks. It’s not fancy or complicated. Actually, it’s so simple you might dismiss it at first (I nearly did).
These Five Words Changed Everything
The forgiveness prayer is beautifully simple: “I release you with love.”
That’s it. Five words.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you. These words contain tremendous power when used with intention. The prayer isn’t about letting someone off the hook or saying what they did was okay. It’s about freeing yourself from the energetic cord that keeps you bound to negative situations and people.
When we hold onto resentment, we’re essentially carrying around extra weight that drains our manifestation energy. Think about it – how can good things flow to you when your energy field is cluttered with old grudges?
I first tried this with someone who had betrayed my trust in a business deal. Every time I thought about this person, my body would tense up. The anger felt justified – and it was! But it was also poisoning my ability to trust new opportunities.
Why Your Resentments Block Your Manifestations
Remember what Napoleon Hill wrote in Think and Grow Rich? He said that negative emotions disrupt the orderly function of our mind. Resentment might be the most disruptive of all.
When we hold grudges, we’re essentially living in the past. Our energy gets trapped there. And the Law of Attraction responds to our dominant emotional state – so if we’re constantly revisiting old hurts, we’re actually attracting more situations that match that frequency.
It’s like trying to drive forward while staring in the rearview mirror. You’ll crash eventually.
The forgiveness prayer works because it acknowledges the person or situation while simultaneously releasing your attachment to it. It’s a declaration of freedom – for yourself.
One client told us she had been holding onto anger toward her father for twenty years. After practicing the forgiveness prayer daily for two weeks, she noticed money starting to flow into her life again after years of financial struggle. Coincidence? We don’t think so.
How to Use the Forgiveness Prayer (Without Feeling Fake)
Look, I know what you’re thinking. “These people don’t deserve my forgiveness” or “This feels fake – I can’t just say words and make my feelings disappear.”
You’re right. The prayer isn’t magic, and forgiveness doesn’t happen instantly. But here’s how to make it work anyway:
1. Start with something small. Choose a minor irritation or slight before tackling your biggest resentments.
2. Say it out loud. “I release you with love.” The vibration of your voice matters.
3. Focus on how YOU feel afterward. Any lightness? Any relief? Pay attention to that.
4. Repeat it daily. Sometimes I say it 10-15 times toward the same person before I feel any shift.
5. Don’t expect your feelings to completely change overnight. This is a practice.
The key is understanding that this isn’t about the other person at all – it’s about freeing up your own energy field.
I remember working with this businessman in Dallas who couldn’t seem to close any deals. When we dug deeper, we discovered he was still furious about a partner who had left their firm five years earlier. Every time he met a potential new partner, that old energy would surface and sabotage the connection.
After working with the forgiveness prayer for just three weeks, he signed two major contracts. His energy had shifted, and people could feel it.
The Science Behind This Spiritual Practice
Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting or condoning. The forgiveness prayer works on an energetic level that science is just beginning to understand.
Research from Johns Hopkins found that forgiveness can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Stanford researchers discovered that people who practiced forgiveness experienced significant increases in hopefulness and self-efficacy.
All of these physical and emotional improvements create a clearer channel for manifestation.
When your system isn’t bogged down with the stress chemicals produced by resentment, you’re more receptive to inspiration, opportunities, and the synchronicities that lead to your desires manifesting.
It’s like cleaning a clogged pipe so water can flow freely again.
One of the most powerful aspects of the forgiveness prayer is that you don’t need to say it to the person directly. This is internal work that changes your energy field regardless of whether the other person ever knows about it.
Start with the Person in the Mirror
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.
Try looking in the mirror and saying, “I release you with love” to your own reflection. Many of us carry tremendous guilt and shame about past mistakes, failed attempts, or times we didn’t show up as our best selves.
These self-directed resentments block our good just as effectively as anger toward others.
My friend kept beating himself up about a business that failed ten years ago. He had lost his savings and felt like a failure. Every time he tried to start something new, the old shame would creep in and he’d sabotage himself.
He started using the forgiveness prayer while looking in the mirror each morning. Three months later, he secured funding for his new venture. The investors specifically mentioned his “confident energy” as a key factor in their decision.
Self-forgiveness clears the path for self-trust, which is essential for manifestation.
When Forgiveness Feels Impossible
For deep wounds or trauma, forgiveness can seem not just difficult but impossible. In these cases, the forgiveness prayer becomes a daily intention rather than an immediate solution.
You might need to start with: “I am willing to consider releasing you with love” or even “I want to be ready to release you with love.”
Honoring where you truly are is important. Forcing forgiveness when you’re not ready can create more internal conflict.
Also remember that forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation. You can release someone with love while maintaining healthy boundaries that keep them out of your life.
The energy shift happens within you, not in your external relationship with them.
One woman in our manifestation circle had experienced serious betrayal from her business partner. She started with “I am open to someday releasing you with love” – that was all she could honestly say. Six months later, she was able to genuinely say the full prayer. The transformation in her energy was visible to everyone around her.
This Isn’t Just About Feeling Better
The forgiveness prayer isn’t merely a self-help technique to feel better (though it does help with that). It’s a manifestation accelerator.
When you clear these emotional blocks, you create space for what you’ve been asking for. Nature abhors a vacuum – when you release the old energy, new energy flows in.
Try this: Identify one person or situation that still makes you feel angry or resentful when you think about it. Before bed tonight, close your eyes and visualize that person or situation. Then simply say, “I release you with love.”
Notice how your body feels immediately afterward. Any lightness? Any subtle shifts?
Repeat this for seven days and watch for changes in your manifestation results. Many people report unexpected opportunities, surprise connections, or resources showing up within days of beginning this practice.
The forgiveness prayer might be just five simple words, but they create a powerful ripple effect in your energy field – and ultimately, in what you’re able to attract and create in your life.