Posted by: Jan on March 11, 2008
Categories: Mind/Body/Spirit // Comments Off on Britney Spears, Janis Joplin, and Oprah Winfrey – The Everyday Spirituality of Influential Women
It never was about money. It never was about sex or drugs. It was about following a dream. Like many famous women before them, their everyday spirituality offers several lessons.
Spirituality is your personal relationship to whatever you perceive as beyond the material world, time and space. “A central defining characteristic of spirituality is a perceived sense of connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself.” (Wikipedia)
Within these parameters, you can find several qualities of everyday spirituality in the lifestyle of Britney and Oprah.
• Value education.
Around 13 years old, Britney attended high school for a year. Oprah, molested around the age of 9, grew up in a dysfunctional home. Yet, at 13, Oprah received a scholarship for high school.
Who was the rebellious teen, pregnant at 14? Oprah! Sent to live with her father, education became a priority in her life. From honors student to oratory contest winner, Oprah achieved a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.
• Appreciate opportunity.
As a youngster, Britney Spears sang in her Baptist choir. She performed in off-Broadway productions and popular tv shows. Oprah worked at a local radio station while she studied communication at the university. Both women met people who opened doors for them. But each had to do her part and grow her future with hard work.
• Be on purpose with your life.
On stage or on the street, a life with purpose is more than the next performance. How these women handle relationships, sex, money, and drugs are some of the tell tale signs of where their everyday spirituality is headed. Spirituality is a body, mind, and soul experience. All three aspects need to be functioning well to be in balance and on purpose.
• Make a contribution.
Britney gives society a legacy of music and entertainment. But at what price to the woman performing? What kind of message to the young girls who idolize her? Oprah may be one of the richest and most influential women at this time. In her leadership academy for girls in South Africa, she exemplifies spiritual leadership with philanthropy.
There are striking similarities between Britney Spears and rock-and-roll star Janis Joplin. Janis had an “anything-goes lifestyle” that used “drugs and alcohol to both increase the artistic creativity and to handle the tensions of coming down.” (official Janis Joplin site) Janis died in 1970 of a drug overdose at the age of 27.
Britney still has time to turn things around for herself. She still can choose to make a difference with a better lifestyle and everyday spirituality.
If history is going to repeat itself, I put my vote in for more women like Oprah.
Janice M. Puta
Spirituality mentor and energy practitioner: www.OurSpiralJourney.com
Author of Pathways: Takes for the Spiritual Seeker
Free Preview: www.OurSpiralJourney.com/pathways