When I tell people I pray every day, they think I’m devout or God-fearing.

I wouldn’t say that I’m religious. I don’t belong to a synagogue, church, monastery, or a mosque. And I don’t believe in any generally accepted dogma.

I’m just someone who has witnessed the resonance and miracles created from the prayers we cast. I’ve felt the bright, white light beating on my skin and the warm breeze slide down my arms when I sit and pray. I’ve sat with others while deep in their prayers and watched them become enveloped in an extraordinary light.

Every time we close our eyes, open our hearts, and hold an intention, there is the possibility for our life and those in our prayers to be altered—for the better. Our prayers are energetic vibrations. They are felt, sensed, and heard by the Powers-That-Be.

We can make our prayers louder or softer and allow for their radiance to affect our lives—or we may close ourselves off from the divine intervention.

I wasn’t always a believer in all of this, though. My eyes would glaze over whenever I was told, “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” It felt like an empty promise, like a means of getting on with things. For me, thoughts and prayers were synonymous with another’s apathy.

But what I hadn’t taken into account was my own sincerity and the high hopes I had for myself and others. I’d forgotten about the instances I asked the universe for guidance and found immeasurable solace. And I overlooked the times when countless prayers had been answered, like when my best friend met the love of her life or when she landed a perfect job.

I didn’t know that our divine nature—our desire for hope and possibility—is ever-present within us, even in our darkest moments.

I learned that my disenchantment was solely the product of my psychology, a mental framework formed in childhood and perpetuated by a confirmation bias. I realized the walls of my own resistance prevented the light of my prayers and those intended for me to come to life.

In Sacred Sisterhood, a class designed and led by Jenai Lane, an accomplished spiritual teacher and author of Spirit Led Instead: The Little Tool Book of Limitless Transformation, I learned about the potentiality of our prayers, collectively and individually. Over 12 months, our sisterhood prayed for each member every day. We held a personal intention for each sister within our high spiritual hearts.

The list of prayers that came into fruition over this time is long and miraculous. There was one large sum of money, more than one improved physical conditions, and a dream home that presented themselves. And there was an endless stream of abundance, joy, and creativity.

But what was the most striking of all the actualizations was the grace in moving through difficult, personal life events and the capacity for simultaneously lifting up others.

It appears that our acts of giving and receiving prayers had increased our capacity to be of service to others, and in turn we received more from the universe than we had ever imagined.

My personal prayer, the one I asked the group to hold for me, was to be at home in my own heart. While this may seem too esoteric to measure, I can say with certainty that I awoke each morning with a greater sense of ease and self-acceptance. I stopped my incessant search outside of myself for a comfortable place to dwell. Instead, I found a place to call my own inside of myself.

I can only attribute my peacefulness to the prayers I received and my willingness to welcome them.

We all have access to the magic of the universe. We can manifest our dreams, radiate light and joy, and be filled with love. All we need to do is open our hearts, let the love in, and pray.

Here are five tips I’ve learned that will help amplify our prayers:

1. Get the mind out of the way. When we form an intention, we don’t second-guess, judge, or question it. I used to begin my prayers by telling the universe I wouldn’t ask for anything else ever again. My worthiness was an internal debate, and it distracted me from knowing what I needed.

We can place our hands upon our heart and find that place deep within us that knows what is in our best interests. It is from our hearts that we formulate the words, create an image, or feel a sensation that will resonate out into the universe and ask to be answered.

2. Clarity. Once we have a prayer in our heart, we can clarify the wording, enhance the picture, and deepen the sensation. We can envelop it in high vibrational colors like gold or white. The clearer we are in our knowing, the higher it will vibrate out into the universe.

3. Blocks. Many of us will unintentionally inhibit our dreams to some degree from taking form. We do this by holding and storing an emotional energy within the mind, body, or both. This may present as body pain, negative thought patterns, or self-limiting beliefs.

We can locate the stagnant energy and speak directly to the pain. We allow ourselves to thoroughly feel the emotional discomfort. Whether the sentiment is anger, shame, or resentment, we accept it and offer ourselves compassion. We let the emotion move through us. Then we can offer forgiveness to whatever has hurt us.

Forgiveness is the key to letting it go and letting the light into our lives. Forgiveness may take some time. A somatic therapist, acupuncturist, and a meditation practice are all helpful in this process.

4. See it. Envision your prayer as a reality. See your prayer in your mind’s eye as if it has come to fruition.

5. Accept the outcome. Sometimes what is actualized may look different than what we had desired. We can trust that what appears for us is exactly what is meant to be.

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