Salvation for stars

“They seem to have everything: acclaim, money and status. And they find they’re still not happy,” Rabbi Chaim Solomon, who teaches at the Kabbalah Centre, said of stars seeking spiritual refuge.

Delicate red strings worn around the wrists of Taylor, Madonna and Roseanne are subtle declarations of faith in Kabbalah while other luminaries, like Scientologist John Travolta, are outspoken.

“When you’ve been involved in something for 22 years, and it’s helped you to the level that its helped me, I can’t even imagine not communicating about it,” he said.

The world’s second most famous Buddhist, actor RichardGere, remains the devoted sidekick of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, while tirelessly plugging the positive effects of zen.

And Kung Fu star Steven Seagal soaked up the limelight when recognised by the head of Nyingma Tibetan lineage as `tulku,’ or the reincarnation of a 15th century lama from a school that is older than Dalai Lama’s.

Scientology packs the most star power, drawing to its cause Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire), Anne Archer (Fatal Attraction), and musicians Isaac Hayes, Chick Korea and Lisa Marie Presley.

And Deepak Chopra — an endocrinologist and one of the hardest working gurus in Hollywood — has made millions with his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind while officiating at celeb weddings. Why so much spiritual groping in Hollywood?

“Cosmically, this is a time of spiritual revelation. People are more open to ancient and biblical concepts,” said Kabbalah teacher and rabbi Abraham Hardoon. “You see it everywhere — in books, music and movies”.

Solomonsaid the Kabbalah has helped stars deal with character traits — such as impatience or a sharp tongue — that may hurt them, especially when the public goads them into acting as they would expect.

The steely Madonna, who lashed out at detractors after she eviscerated mainstream acceptable limits on eroticism with her tome Sex, can be found at meditations softly uttering yoga chants.

Madonna has become a good mother while “learning to temper aggressiveness with understanding for other people,” Solomon said. Of Roseanne’s infamous outbursts, the Kabbalah has “definitely had a profound effect, but there’s more to go”.

Famous Scientologists, such as Travolta (Pulp Fiction) and Cruise, also have a symbiotic relationship with their faith, drawing spirituality while battling for the church’s legitimacy in Germany where it is seen as business run by extremists.

Stars “give people a better understanding of what it is about,” Scientology International vice-President Janet Weiland said. “…itmakes people sit up an notice and think about what is going on here”. Kabbalah teachers make housecalls to the stars while the Church of Scientology has separate facilities called `Celebrity Centres’ that cater to prominent members needing counseling and services. “We do have quite a number of celebrities,” Weiland said. “People in the arts have odd schedules and we try to accommodate them.”