Madonna has opened up about the role spirituality has played in her life and career.
In her first-ever podcast interview, the pop icon revealed that she began exploring spirituality shortly after giving birth to her first child, Lourdes, who is now 28.
In the latest episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Madonna discussed how her spiritual studies had shaped her worldview.
“You need to be spiritual to be successful,” she said. “Success is having a spiritual life, period. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have one.”
The Like a Prayer hitmaker first discovered Kabbalah, a mystical Jewish tradition, in 1996. Since then, she says, her faith has guided her personal and professional choices.
“What have I done for others? That’s really the only way you can be successful in life,” she told host Shetty. “It’s like the greatest amount of light is where there’s darkness and you can reveal the most amount of light.”
Madonna continued, “When you’re in a dark room, you turn on the light. When you’re in a room that’s already light, what do you, there’s no, um, effort made. So should we look for darkness?”
She added that her “soul’s purpose” is to “reveal light” in the world through her actions, explaining that she wants “it all” for the “sake of sharing”.
Reflecting on her past, the Queen of Pop admitted that earlier in her career she was a “slave or victim of other people’s opinions of me.” But with age, she has found strength in embracing her individuality.
“I don’t fit in, and not fitting in is what saves you,” she said.
Madonna also shared how spirituality has supported her during difficult times.
“Spiritual wisdom is not helpful when everything’s going your way,” she noted. “It’s helpful when you’re challenged and when you’re happy.”
