Asterisks are, first, a way of attempting to defeat Algorithms/bots snooping for certain terms.
If it is someone else's page I think it courteous to spare them being snooped for something I said.

Second, an indication of scepticism about accepted use of a term or concept. (You also see this eg with people's use of various spellings of "God".)

Note sdi's use of a gif for a certain word in the Isis and Osiris myth a little while back... I am not savvy enough to do that trick. :)