United Prayers Across America
A National Prayer Project to Awaken the Sleeping Giant

Conference Call #24

Forgiveness and Peace

Carol Beyer

May 29, 2006

I am honored to be with you this evening. Together we accomplish a great work as we pray for America—and for her awakening into a greater, more inclusive, and more loving consciousness.

This weekend we have celebrated and remembered the brave men and women who defended our country during times of war. These are the heroes of our time, for they have preserved our rights and given their all for those who came after them. One wonders how we can ever say thank you enough for their courage and sacrifice.

It seems wars have been waged since time began. Warring families, tribes, and nations have created an erroneous pathway for resolving disputes, large and small. One begins a war with many grievances. Another continues it to protect their interests, so protection becomes a viable reason to go to war. Yet, wars are the most terrible events in human history. Lives lost, bodies maimed, and evolution delayed by individuals and nations who believe in the illusion that a war is necessary for the "good of the people."

Tonight I would like to speak about a subject all the world could understand better: forgiveness. It is such an important subject that the Lord taught us to repeat it every time we say his prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Much of what is happening in the world today is a result of anger and greed derived from past wounds. Wounds inflicted centuries ago seem to persist to this very hour. The old adage, “an eye for an eye” is still in play in our world of illusion.

The quotations I have chosen for tonight are about forgiveness. The Course in Miracles offers these words: Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free. A powerful idea. It also tells us: Think not that forgiveness of your brother serves but you two alone, for the whole new world rests in the hands of those two who enter here to rest. And this, a personal quote for each of us: My forgiveness is the means by which the world is healed, together with myself. Let me, then, forgive the world, that it may be healed along with me.

These words demonstrate the great power hidden within the art of forgiveness. Maybe forgiveness is the key that unlocks the mystery associated with the achievement of peace. We all hold on to the skeletons of the past. Divorce is so common; violence so prominent. Nations, cultures within nations, and religions are all guilty of holding onto past grievances. When do we admit our mistakes and make amends so we can let go of the rage from the past? Are we destined to carry it on from generation to generation, contaminating our future and our children’s future? Contaminating the very sacred earth we walk upon?

It may be a tall order to change the world, but we can begin within ourselves. The Master Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is within. That is the place to start. There is a practice taught in the Ageless Wisdoms that assists the process of forgiveness. It is called the Nightly Review, and it works in this way:

In the evening, before sleep… review the day’s events in a backwards fashion. Start with the last thing you did before the review and think backwards through your day. Whenever you come upon a situation that was disruptive or disagreeable in any way, acknowledge it and search for a better solution, a better way to handle it. In doing this you begin to dissolve that interaction. Future problems may be diverted as you gain further understanding. You learn to handle similar situations that may arise, for you have already worked out wiser solutions during these nightly reviews. As we come to understand others, we look into our own motivations for certain responses. We learn to forgive others and ourselves. As we raise our consciousness through the Nightly Review we ever so slightly raise the collective consciousness of our nation and even the world…just as the Course in Miracles states.

Forgive each other, forgive ourselves, forgive the world! Forgiveness allows for a new beginning. We no longer carry nagging baggage around on our shoulders. When one forgives, it is as if the incident never happened at all. We are free to begin again; free to choose again—wiser, yet unencumbered by our thoughts of revenge or shame. Until we learn to forgive, there will be no peace ever—anywhere—in our lives or in the world.

I can email a forgiveness prayer process to anyone who would like to practice deeper forgiveness of unresolved issues. At the end of this call, Anne Edwards will give you my e-mail address.

Jesus the Christ tread the way back to the Father’s house by demonstrating the pathway in his own life. Through the five greatest periods in his own life, he leads us today. These passages include his Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.

Let us observe briefly how his path and ours can come together.

1. Step One is the celebration of his Birth. The awakening of the sleeping divinity within each of us demonstrates that we are born again. We begin birthing the new consciousness, the Christ Consciousness. We recognize our soul star shining in all its glory, leading us to a greater light.
2. Step Two is the Baptism. This is the time in our lives when we release the old life, becoming new in our feelings, thoughts and actions. We are aware of the illusions that deceive our minds and hearts. Here is where forgiveness weeds out the foreign matter of the personality. We forgive ourselves and our brothers and sisters as we experience a greater awareness.
3. Step Three is the Transfiguration. By contacting the inner light, we allow it to radiate out to all. Jesus told us not to hide our light, but shine it forth in all its glory. Long ago, on a hillside, he revealed his great light to Peter, James, and John. In Mathew we are told, "The Godly will shine as the sun."
4. Step Four is the Crucifixion. We stop being afraid of the future and what may happen. We know that all is part of God’s plan, and we cooperate. We are no longer concerned with judgment from others. We stand up for The Kingdom of God. We deeply trust in our God.
5. Step Five is the Resurrection and Ascension. When all things will be made new, and when we awaken to the divinity within each soul—within each nation. We live in a world born again in an expanded new image of wisdom, love, and divine intent; a world forgiven, where wars are no more. Truly then will we honor those who gave their all for America. Let each of us awaken to the sleeping divinity inside of us. Let us share our vision as we awaken our own sleeping giant and inspire the voice of holiness in the American Giant.

I would like to pray with you the Aramaic translation of the Lord’s Prayer and dedicate it to all people, especially to the heroes and heroines of America.

The Rev. Dr. Carol Elizabeth Beyer is an ordained minister with Light of Christ Community Church in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She earned her doctorate in Religious Studies at Sancta Sophia Seminary, one of the few mystery schools in the country. The Seminary stresses Esoteric Christianity, Spiritual Healing, and the Ageless Wisdom given to us by the great teachers from all religions and traditions.

As a Registered Nurse, Carol became interested in the Healing Arts and established a practice of Healing and Spiritual Counseling in Asheville, North Carolina. She is an advisor and teacher to students in the program at Sancta Sophia Seminary where one can pursue holistic and religious studies and earn a degree through a program that includes a blend of home study and on-campus participation.

Carol lives in Surprise, Arizona where she helped to establish a spiritual group in her community so other seekers of spiritual truth could consciously explore their part in God's Plan for his people.