Bill Lohmann: After great loss, inner peace and a new mission
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NELLYSFORD Kia Scherr was never angry that terrorists killed her husband and daughter in India last November.
Sad, profoundly sad, as you might expect. But angry? Never.
"How could I be angry . . . surrounded by so much love?" Scherr said last week during an interview at the wooded sanctuary in the mountains of Nelson County that is home to the Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality.
The love came not only from family and the Synchronicity community but also from thousands of strangers worldwide who expressed sympathy and support for Scherr after her husband Alan, 58, and daughter Naomi, 13, were among the more than 170 killed in attacks last Nov. 26 in Mumbai, India. Members of Synchronicity, including the Scherrs, were in India on a spiritual retreat.
After the attacks, Kia Scherr refused to condemn the terrorists, instead speaking of forgiveness, compassion and unconditional love. She quoted biblical Scripture: "They know not what they do."
Her comments "came from my heart," she says now, evidence of an inner peace and view of life developed over years of meditation and more than a decade of living a communal, Spartan lifestyle at Synchronicity.
"I felt an immediate acceptance that that's simply what happened," Scherr said. "Certainly there are all of the emotions that go with it. I never denied myself those feelings at all, as painful as they still are.
"The question for me is, Well, who am I then? I'm still here, so let me come forward. There's an opportunity. People are coming around, asking questions, so what a tremendous opportunity to share a message that reflects the value of life."
The opportunity is manifesting itself in One Life Alliance, an organization officially launching Thursday -- the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks -- that will feature a Web site to encourage conversation about "the sacredness of life" and classes and retreats in community building and conflict resolution. Scherr will serve as president.
The organization's first hands-on effort is "Peace Dragon," an art project that works with children to create peaceful images. The project is directed by Linda Ragsdale, an author and illustrator who was wounded in the attack and had promised to teach Naomi Scherr how to draw dragons.
The simplest, and perhaps most important, way people can participate is to "honor the sacredness of life in yourself and in everyone you meet," said Master Charles Cannon, founder and spiritual director of Synchronicity who was leading the retreat in Mumbai.
"Today, when you go to the Wal-Mart, look into the eyes of the cashier and just honor that," said Cannon, dressed in traditional saffron-colored clothing. "Here's another human being sharing the same life experience, and we're all doing the best we can. So, be compassionate, be kind, be loving."
Set on 400 acres off a country road, the Synchronicity property radiates tranquility with walking paths twisting through forested hills. Piped-in chanting and meditative music provide a harmonic backdrop to life here.
Synchronicity Foundation is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, spiritual and educational organization that focuses on meditation and a holistic lifestyle, including diet and exercise. About a dozen men and women live as monks on the property, along with Cannon. An additional 100 members of the community live in the surrounding countryside. Thousands and thousands of others worldwide tap into the organization through retreats or meditative products.
Like the Synchronicity philosophy of life that includes the notion that "where there is light, there is shadow," the anguish of the attacks in Mumbai has resulted in a windfall of attention, leading to an expansion of the organization's audience.
So, this year, the feelings of Thanksgiving will be a bit complicated for the Synchronicity community.
"It's a memorial day for us," said Cannon. "But it's also a celebration of life."
Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or
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