One of those rare movie stars who has managed to be successful for many years, Salma Hayek has been a big deal since the '90s. Due to Hayek's lengthy and respected career, she has millions of fans who are interested in her personal life.
Some stories about Hayek's personal life show she has a lot to be thankful for including her incredible lifestyle. On the other hand, some aspects of Hayek's real life are far less desirable including the fact that her brother once got her sued. As amazing as those stories are, the incredible thing is many stars don't know Hayek has been linked to an alleged cult.
Did Salma Hayek Join A Cult?
Putting aside any debate about what kind of institution the Ramtha School of Enlightenment is for now, it is fascinating to look at why Salma Hayek has been linked to it. As of the time of this writing, there is very limited evidence pointing to Hayek's potential association with Ramtha.
Easily the least credible piece of evidence that Hayek is a follower of Ramtha's teachings stems from a 2017 blog post written by someone who goes by brucesmith49. In brucesmith49's post, they claimed that Hayek had "started attending RSE" classes. According to brucesmith49, they sent a letter to Hayek asking her to be their "date for the Christmas Ball at Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment".
If that was the sole evidence that Hayek has been a Ramtha student, it would be easy to dismiss that idea. However, there is much more credible evidence. In 2014, a Seattle Weekly article about the Ramtha School of Enlightenment included the following passage.
"Knight has attracted thousands of paying faithful to Yelm, including actresses Linda Evans, Shirley MacLaine, and Salma Hayek, who have all agreed not to divulge the sect’s secrets."
Easily the most compelling piece of evidence that Hayek has been involved with Ramtha comes from an often-cited organization. In 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center published an article looking at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. In that piece, it is claimed that unknown "RSE officials" stated that Hayek was a Ramtha student at that time.
The same year that Seattle Weekly and Southern Poverty Law Center published their aforementioned articles, Hayek starred in a movie titled The Prophet. While promoting that animated film, Hayek spoke to The Guardian about her personal beliefs.
During that interview, Hayek revealed that she was brought up Catholic, but her comments made it clear she no longer was an active member of the church. Hayek was also asked if she is spiritual and her response was telling.
"I am a spiritual person but I am not a religious spiritual person. I don’t want anyone giving rules to my relationship with God or my spirituality. Sometimes I find spirituality in art or in science because it’s about discovering the source of who we are. Spirituality is about creation and the exploration of the unknown."
Based on Hayek's comments, it seems like she might be open to different spiritual teachings as long as there weren't hard rules to be followed. That said, there is no denying that Hayek didn't mention Ramtha when she was having a conversation about her spirituality.
Of course, stars like Hayek may not want to talk about being involved with a controversial group. As a result, Hayek not speaking about Ramtha isn't confirmation that she has never been involved with the group.
At the end of the day, there is no way to definitely say whether Hayek has ever embraced Ramtha since she hasn't confirmed or denied the reports. That said, it seems very likely that if Hayek ever was involved with the group she may not be now. The reason for that is all the evidence that Hayek may have had an interest in Ramtha's teachings is many years old.
What Is The Ramtha School of Enlightenment?
Throughout Hollywood history, there have been many examples of stars who've become followers of newer belief systems. Easily the most famous example of that is Tom Cruise's relationship with Scientology. In fact, so much attention has been paid to Cruise's Scientology beliefs that fans want to know how much he donates to the religion.
Considering that several celebrities have been linked to the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, it seems like more people should know about the group. Despite that, very few people have any idea about the teachings of Ramtha's leader JZ Knight.
According to several articles about the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, the group is a cult that uses brainwashing, mind control, and intimidation. On top of that, the Southern Poverty Law Center's article claims the group's leader J.Z. Knight regularly says offensive things.
"During the 16 or so hours the students spend in a spiritual drinking game (students must drink every time Ramtha/Knight does), Knight will disparage Catholics, gay people, Mexicans, organic farmers, and Jews," said Southern Poverty Law Center's article.
According to Ramtha believers, J.Z. Knight channels a 35,000-year-old being called Ramtha the Enlightened One. Knight claims that through channeling Ramtha, she can teach her students how to live their lives to the fullest.
On Ramtha.com, the group has a biography of Ramtha and Knight. More importantly, the website explains what they believe potential students will be able to learn.
"Ramtha's teachings address the fundamental questions about human existence and the human person, our origins and destiny, good and evil, the soul, death and life, the world, our relationship to others, and the nature of space, time, and the fabric of reality."
On the group's website, Ramtha the Enlightened One's reasons for wanting to be channeled are described. "My name is Ramtha the Enlightened One. I am a human being who once lived here and have a very dynamic story to tell. I am here to lead my people from being asleep to waking up and doing something with this life that is original, making known the unknown, and marching out of this abyss into greatness."
First formed in 1988, the Ramtha School of Enlightenment still appears to be going strong to this day.
