In the days between Christmas and New Year’s, I’ve been working with a prayer from A Course in Miracles (ACIM) in preparation for the new year. It’s been really helpful to me so I wanted to share it with you too!

If you’re a Course student, you know that our grievances fuel the ego. Our grievances keep us believing we’re bodies. They keep us in the dream cycle of birth and death, they draw the veil of forgetfulness down over our minds, and they literally play a role in picturing the world we see.

Healing grievances is how we wake up.

If you look about the world, it appears that we’re going backwards. But I refuse to give up hope.

On Christmas night, upon reading the section in A Course in Miracles called, “Christmas as the End of Sacrifice,” I was flooded with inspiration because the end of this section contains a really powerful prayer and sentences about the new year being born. Here is the section:

“This is the time in which a new year will soon be born from the time of Christ. ²I have perfect faith in you to do all that you would accomplish. ³Nothing will be lacking, and you will make complete and not destroy. ⁴Say, then, to your brother:

 

⁵I give you to the Holy Spirit as part of myself.
⁶I know that you will be released, unless I want to use you to imprison myself.
⁷In the name of my freedom I choose your release, because I recognize that we will be released together.

 

⁸So will the year begin in joy and freedom. ⁹There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. ¹⁰Accept the holy instant as this year is born, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening. ¹¹Make this year different by making it all the same. ¹²And let all your relationships be made holy for you. ¹³This is our will. ¹⁴Amen.” (ACIM, T-15.XI.10:1-14)

I wanted to share the format I’ve been working with to incorporate this prayer into my day, every day from now through New Year’s Day. The format is inspired by the same format of review lessons I’ve recently been working with.

If you’re not already doing the ACIM lessons, I invite you to join me in this practice!

Here are the steps I’ve been following:

1. In the beginning of the day, I choose a person to dedicate this prayer to for the entire day. If you feel ready for it, choose a person with whom you have a grievance.

2. Every morning, I spend five minutes in quiet meditation, focusing on this prayer and the person I’m dedicated to. If I’m feeling unfocused, I might re-read the prayer several times. I let the words of the prayer (and the surrounding paragraphs) sink into my heart.

3. I set an hourly reminder on my phone, so every hour throughout the day, I am prompted to turn my attention to this prayer. I say the prayer (in my mind) to the person I’m working with every hour.

4. Note that it is important to actually FEEL the meaning of the words in the prayer. Take your time when saying the prayer. It can be helpful to repeat that person’s name in the prayer too. For example:

⁵I give you, [PERSON’S NAME], to the Holy Spirit as part of myself.
⁶I know that you will be released, unless I want to use you, [PERSON’S NAME], to imprison myself.
⁷In the name of my freedom I choose your release [PERSON’S NAME], because I recognize that we will be released together.

5. Before bed, I spend five more minutes in meditation, focusing on this prayer, the person I’m dedicated to, and the meaning behind the words.

6. Repeat this practice every day between Christmas and New Year’s focusing on a different person each day (or stay with the same person if you feel moved).

I’m doing this practice every day from Christmas through January 1st (if you’re starting the ACIM Lessons on January 1st, you can conclude this practice on New Year’s Eve). While you can work with any person you want to in your mind, it can be especially powerful to pick people with whom you hold grievances.

Let’s read the concluding paragraph (referenced above) one more time:

“So will the year begin in joy and freedom. ⁹There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. ¹⁰Accept the holy instant as this year is born, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening. ¹¹Make this year different by making it all the same. ¹²And let all your relationships be made holy for you. ¹³This is our will. ¹⁴Amen.” (ACIM, T-15.XI.10:8-14)

Let’s take our place in the Great Awakening through our willingness to forgive our most challenging relationships as we welcome the new year. And if this brings up enormous resistance in you, don’t sweat it! Allow yourself to be where you are. In the above prayer, you can work with anyone you feel ready to join with.

I hope this supports you.

Love in the Highest,

Corinne xo