Mother Teresa for the '90s?

Marianne Williamson is Hollywood's New Age attraction, blending star-studded charity work with mind awareness

Every Saturday morning at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in West Hollywood, Marianne Williamson steps to the pulpit before a packed house. But she is no ordinary minister: the church has been rented and the message is decidedly New Age nondenominational. Impeccably groomed and clad in designer clothes, the slender brunet launches into a sermon that mixes Christian exhortations, meditative slogans and psychotherapeutic advice: "Align your mind with God and watch miracles happen." Then she saunters down the nave to "share" with the audience. "Anytime you think someone owes you something, it's a limit on your happiness," she counsels a distressed young...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!