You might be forgiven for thinking that pop stars are a materialistic bunch, only interested in getting hold of the next swimming pool, bowl of grade A Columbian or pair of identical twin camels, and yes, that's true for 90% of them (particularly the lead singer of The Elwood Sisters, Clare "two camels" Weston), but some stars are searchers, explorers, nay, trailblazers in the search for enlightenment.
Girls Aloud celebrate the summer solstice in their own unique way (by miming their latest single).
Who, for example, unless they've been on Saturn for the last couple of weeks - not an impossibility according to followers of New Age guru, Richard Madeley (no relation), can have failed to notice the recent US fashion for worshipping Norse gods?
"As soon as I got into it, it all started to make sense to me," gushes chart-topping beauty Rowena Pevensey. "My cat died last week and I'm going to give him a proper Viking burial. I've bought the dinkiest little boat and a can of lighter fuel. It's what he would have wanted."
"Odin is like a Well Cool Dude, man!" agrees Jav, the bassist from upcoming Nu-Punk act Thor 9. "He's got this big hammer see, and he bangs it on the clouds and thunder comes out. No wait a second, that was Loki."
Meanwhile Sting has announced his intention to grow plaits and live in a longhouse. "I didn't like all that berserker stuff," he explained, "being a female Viking is more my kind of thing. I'm a sensitive and caring man."
Over on this side of the Atlantic, however, the enthusiasm for all things alchemistic continues unabated and apparently sales of round glass flasks, coily tubes and dry ice have tripled.
Francis Rossi is very proud of his home made alchemy equipment.
"I was this close to finding the philosopher's stone the other day," moaned Noel Gallagher to our very own Leona Cash recently. "I'd narrowed it down to one of three lumps of dolorite, when Liam came along and chucked them all into the canal. I think he was trying to sink a swan."
Whilst alchemy suits some people it's not everyone's cup of elixir. Several younger popsters have dubbed it "old-fashioned" and are trying their hands at necromancy and voodoo.
"I got into it through the Religion of the Month Club," reveals teen icon Matt Fleck. "Mark Knopfler put me onto them. What they do is they send you a new religion every month and you believe in it until it's time for the next one. They're usually pretty cool. Like sometimes you don't even wanna give them up at the end of the month, but you gotta or they'll cancel your membership." He looks sad for a moment. "I liked Taoism, it was kinda neat."
But it's not all peace and love; sometimes there's a darker side. Belgian metal freaks Astroworm have been frequently criticized for their espousal of Neo-Frooviism. One of its more controversial rules is that each day followers have to go up to a random old lady in the street and shout quite loudly at her. Clara Falkirk (94) was the victim of one such assault: "This young man dressed in black leather and studs came right up to me and went 'aaaaaaaargh!'. I told him to piddle off and he burst into tears."
Oh, and Sharleen Spiteri refuses to go on stage until she has sacrificed an owl. But that's not a religious thing - she just doesn't like owls.
WINDYPOPS SAYS: I wonder what Gods believe in?