For decades, Madonna has rarely given interviews — and when she did, it was usually to promote albums, tours, or films. This time, however, during her conversation with Jay Shetty on the On Purpose Podcast, she made it clear: there was no product to sell. She simply wanted to share almost three decades of spiritual study, particularly Kabbalah, and how it quite literally saved her life. The result was a raw, vulnerable, and profoundly revealing testimony.

Why Speak Out Now?

Madonna explained that she has long been asked how she managed to survive loss, scandal, and relentless pressure without collapsing like so many of her peers — from Michael Jackson to Basquiat. Her answer is disarmingly simple: spiritual practice is the foundation of her survival. It’s not about institutional religion, but about living with the conviction that nothing is random — every challenge arrives with a lesson.

Motherhood as Awakening

She revealed that she only realized the urgency of a spiritual life when she became pregnant with her daughter, Lourdes (Lola). Until then, she believed ambition and sheer survival instincts were enough. Motherhood confronted her with the question: What am I going to teach her? That’s when she began her deep study of Kabbalah, discovering not only answers but also the courage to see herself as a channel for something greater.

Success, Light, and Limits

Madonna spoke about how she views her art: not as possession, but as channeling. “I’m not the owner of my talent, I’m its manager. The light is not mine, I just transmit it.” She believes many artists shine brightly but burn out because they don’t understand that limit. That’s why she keeps discipline: praying before shows, weekly study, and moments of reflection even while touring.

Suffering and Suicidal Thoughts

In one of the most striking passages, Madonna confessed she once contemplated suicide during the darkest days of her custody battle over her son Rocco. The wound of abandonment — echoing her mother’s early death — almost destroyed her. “I thought: I can’t accept losing a child.” Spiritual practice gave her the tools to see suffering not as punishment, but as a lesson.

Radical Acceptance and Fragility

She also recalled her near-death experience in 2023, when she spent four days unconscious with sepsis. The key teaching was radical acceptance: understanding that you cannot control the timing of recovery, only surrender to the process. Out of that ordeal came reflections on forgiveness and even new songs, such as Fragile (about her late brother, Christopher) and Forgive Yourself, in her upcoming 2026 album.

Forgiveness as Liberation

Known for her combative spirit, Madonna admitted it took her years to understand the corrosive weight of resentment. Forgiving her brother on his deathbed brought her immense relief: “It was like lifting tons off my shoulders.” Her conclusion is clear: forgiving others and ourselves changes destinies, relieves karmic weight, and opens space for light.

Social Media, Comparison, and Constant Vigilance

She criticized the role of social media in amplifying feelings of inadequacy. For Madonna, spiritual training today is daily: recognizing that the vortex of comparison is an illusion and remembering she is already enough. “It’s a constant conversation you have with yourself,” she said.

The Challenge of Letting Go as a Mother

Madonna described motherhood as her greatest lesson in not controlling outcomes. She doesn’t want her children to be rich or famous — only authentic and free from fear of judgment. She admitted the common mistake of giving them everything she lacked and realizing that this can kill desire. She is learning to “say nothing” and trust that each one will find their own path.

The Final Purpose

At the end, she synthesized her journey: “My soul’s purpose is to reveal light in the world. Whether as an artist, mother, friend, or leader. I want a lot, but I want it to share, not to keep.”

By opening up her spiritual life, Madonna dismantles the armor that for decades made her appear indestructible. Between confessions of vulnerability, episodes of extreme pain, and revelations about near-death, emerges a woman who recognizes that the greatest act of rebellion is refusing to be imprisoned by ego, comparison, or resentment. Her message is both simple and devastating: light cannot be possessed, only transmitted. Perhaps it is precisely this awareness — rare in someone who has reached such heights — that explains why she is still here, defying time, silence, and darkness.