How Did Paris Jackson End Up As a New Age Model and Shaman-in-Training?
Though she has the pedigree and piercing blue eyes, the tree-loving bohemian Paris Jackson seems like an unconventional pick for a model. Her Instagram is a catalog of crystal memes and meditations in nature, and that in itself leaves us puzzled. At one point did the star-on-the-rise become so spiritual? And beyond that, why?
Paris credits her initial ties to spiritualism as the result of being "raised by a hippie."
Or at least someone who believed in religious freedom. "I was taught to educate myself as best I can on as much as I can and choose what works best for me," she explained to Vogue Australia. "I studied Buddhism for about two years before finding Wicca. The main reason I stuck with that is because it all comes down to worshipping nature. Right now I consider myself on the healer’s path as I study to hopefully become a shaman one day."
We'll get back to the shaman part, but for now, let's just focus on the "healer's path" part. There's an element of spread-the-wealth when it comes to that statement, because there was definitely a time in her life when Paris was so damaged she needed healing herself.
In her early teens, she struggled with adjusting to the real world.
Suffice to say, it was not easy growing up Jackson, and Paris took it particularly hard when she lost her father at the age 11. Not only was she, and still continues to be, heartbroken by losing "the only thing that has ever been important to me," but she now had to join the outside world after living an eccentric life in seclusion.
The transition was not easy, and her lack of real social skills further isolated her as the weird kid. Severe depression followed and that, paired with a sexual assault at the age of 14, manifested in her first suicide attempt.. .of many. "It was just self-hatred," she told Rolling Stone of her last attempt in 2013. "Low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn't do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore."
Alongside her lack of will to live, young Paris struggled with addictions.
Paris has been candid about the fact that her early teens were marked with drug use. "I was doing a lot of things that 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds shouldn't do. I tried to grow up too fast, and I wasn't really that nice of a person," she said. She's also alluded to having troubles with alcoholism. Under the weight of cyberbullying, Paris posted in a now-deleted Instagram comment, "I am expected to literally sit … all day replying to comments people leave me (positive or negative)? I have AA meetings to go to."
In the wake of all her struggles, it's easy to see Paris leaning on new age practices as a form of therapy and self-care.
In 2017 E News! reported that Paris had joined a spiritual support group at a meditation center in Malibu. She's also Instagrammed (topless) meditation sessions at the Lake Shrine Temple, a retreat center in Pacific Palisades, CA. Without question, meditation is what helps center Paris after all the craziness she's endured in the public eye. And according to one insider at the time, "getting spiritual guidance also has been a key part of her recovery from addiction issues."
This all checks out: Paris starting small with meditation sessions and then loading up on other new age techniques to mend her wounded soul. She definitely embraces healing crystals, even to the point where she owns her own quartz crown.
And what's with Paris' chakra tattoo?
"I got them as I always felt they were there," she told Elle Australia. "I just needed to scrub off the skin." For those not in the know, the seven chakras are believed to be the pockets of our body in which energy flows through. Each chakra has a color that relates to different elements of physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness, and having a particular color chakra blocked can lead to complications within oneself. With Paris representing the chakras in their full spectrum on her chest, she's enforcing that it's important to be spiritually sound and replenish your colors when you're struggling.
All these lifestyle choices probably led to her side quest to become a shaman.
"My training involves Reiki and learning how to be a mentor," she said. "As an apprentice, I'm really excited to be on this path because there is no end to it. It's a really beautiful process." Now feeling more balanced and in tune with her life, it makes sense that Paris would want to help others out.
Ultimately, Paris grew up being urged to think outside the box, and fell into some left-of-center practices to heal her soul.
Really, Paris' leanings towards spiritualism is all about recovery from trauma and open-mindedness. So, while it's easy to write off opening of her Photoshopped third eye as just a phase, it's important to understand that this is a woman who has been through hell and back. And yeah, if some quartz stones and topless meditation helps her through it, then chant on, Paris Jackson.
