“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home,” noted choreographer Twyla Tharp once said. For the artists themselves, though, sometimes the opposite is true: The brighter the spotlight, the duller their inspiration. In Hollywood, sometimes you can’t truly be inspired unless you’re a shape shifting juggernaut, walking a new spiritual path every week, kickin’ it with monks and wearing Kabbalah bracelets.
Kooky as artists’ “spiritual retreats” may seem, there’s no questioning that travel engenders change in our vision, putting things into perspective or opening new windows of creativity. Superstars have had life-altering awakenings thousands of miles from Beverly Hills since superstars as we know it have existed. Let’s run through four of the most notable celebrity pilgrimages, starting in the sixties, and run through their chosen destinations to decide whether it’s worth following in their footsteps or avoiding their crazy missteps.
The Beatles: Rishikesh, India
The pilgrimage: “Sexy Sadie / she’s the latest and the greatest of them all,” sang John Lennon on “Sexy Sadie,” a sneering track from The Beatles’ White Album. Read the rest of the lyric sheet and it’d seem like Lennon’s skewering a stuck-up socialite who harshed his mellow, but it’s actually a thinly-veiled diss track at ‘60s icon Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, creator of the practice of “Transcendental Meditation.” People the world over—particularly flower-child celebs—idolized the Maharishi’s supposedly pioneering practices, willing to travel thousands of miles to the Maharishi’s ashram in Rishikesh, India to learn his methods. Among the Maharishi’s fans was Beatle George Harrison, who encouraged his band mates to join him on spiritual retreat along with actress Mia Farrow, her sister, Prudence, singer Donovan, Beach Boy Mike Love and a few visitors.
While it was a fruitful period for the band’s songwriting—essentially the entire White Album was written in Rishikesh—one by one, the band grew disillusioned with the prophet. Though it’s never been proven, a rumor was started that the Maharishi tried to use his transcendental powers to seduce female guests in the ashram. No true superhero would use their powers for such dubious aims, right? Lennon thought so too, using it as his reason for leaving the ashram for good and eventually writing “Sexy Sadie” to express the bad taste he got from the teacher’s “black magic.” It fits in quite well, doesn’t it?: “Maharishi/What have you done?/You made a fool of everyone!” Lennon eventually changed the titular subject of the song at the request of Harrison, whose appreciation of Maharishi never truly waned.
The place: Rishikesh remains a popular destination since the Beatles put it on the map. It’s now dubbed the “World Capital of Yoga” and receives spiritual visits from faithful the world over. Though the Maharishi’s original ashram is now closed, plenty other ashrams and temples are open throughout the city if you wish to explore. Rishikesh is also scenically set where the Ganges River meets the Himalayas, and its surrounds make for a superb spot if you’re looking to do some extreme river rafting, cliff jumping or trekking.
Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam: Marrakech, Morocco
The pilgrimage: Fewer artists come more misunderstood than Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens. After visiting the raucous island of Ibiza, Stevens’ tune changed upon visiting Marrakech, Morocco, where he was moved by street musicians playing “music for God,” which ran counter to the rock ‘n roll lifestyle patronized by his peers in the industry. He became infatuated with this concept and began exploring his faith. After becoming particularly taken with a copy of the Qu’ran, Stevens announced his conversion to Islam (both in name and religion) and departure from his multi-million dollar songwriting career at its peak.
While Yusuf Islam says he’s found inner peace due to his new faith, converted life hasn’t always been easy. To combat misperceptions about the Islamic faith, particularly after the 9/11 attacks, he joined the Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism. Three years later, he was detained by U.S. customs officials, who had him pegged on a “no-fly” list; Islam believes officials had mixed him up with another individual who had a similarly-spelled name.
