ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVES: AMANDLA STENBERG CHANNELS 'THE FORCE'

Journalist KAREN BRAILSFORD was over the moon when actress and musician AMANDLA STENBERG agreed to meet her over Zoom for this heart-to-heart about spiritual matters for Spirituality & Health: A Unity Publication. Brailsford, a lifelong seeker who feels blessed to be Stenberg's mother, once captioned an Instagram photo of her daughter with Michael Bernard Beckwith of the Agape International Spiritual Center: "When your master teachers run into one another at a Hollywood event." Brailsford says she has learned a great deal from each one.

- KAREN BRAILSFORD

Stenberg's latest project, The Acolyte, an eight-part series airing on Disney+ starting June 4, marks her launch into the Star Wars universe. Stenberg plays the titular character. It's an adventure she was destined to take after a string of acclaimed roles in The Hunger Games, The Hate U Give, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and more. "Amandla" means "power" in Zulu, and George Lucas' world is all about "The Force." Talk about a match made in heaven. Here is their mother-daughter exploration of the spiritual underpinnings of Stenberg's life.

KAREN BRAILSFORD: I thought it would feel centering to begin by playing the Gayatri Mantra [considered the most powerful of all Hindu mantras] because it encapsulates what I think of you and spirituality. I remember trying to memorize the words, but you listened to it once and, boom. You got it. It's just one example of how magical and mystical you've always been.

AMANDLA STENBERG: Aww, you're going to make me cry.

KB: Crying's okay. It's healing!

AS: Crying's great! I love crying. It's very important to me.

KB: So, why did you say yes to this conversation with me?

AS: Recently I've been reflecting on my relationship to spirituality and what I deem my higher power. Life accumulates with responsibilities and events that can decenter you from a sense of groundedness. This past year I've realized there are practices indispensable to my being fully connected to my reality, to my body, and to my loved ones, and ultimately, they service my ability to navigate my life. This spotlight is an amazing way to reflect on this with you because spirituality has fundamentally shaped me as a person because of how you raised me.