Paul McCartney: ‘I saw God’ during drugs trip
SIR Paul McCartney has revealed that he once “saw God” after taking a powerful mindaltering hallucinogenic drug.
According to The Beatles legend, the entity appeared to him as “a massive wall,” and the extraordinary experience affirmed his belief that there is a “higher” power.
Speaking of the time he took the substance during the band’s heyday, he said: “I once took a drug, dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
“I was immediately nailed to the sofa. And I saw God, this amazing towering thing, and I was humbled.”
Describing the encounter as a clue that there is “something higher” rather than a lifechanging moment, he added: “It was huge. A massive wall that I couldn’t see the top of, and I was at the bottom.
“And anybody else would say it’s just the drug, the hallucination, but we felt we had seen a higher thing.”
While the group’s music was heavily influenced by psychedelic drugs in their latter years Sir Paul was widely considered the “good” Beatle, who took fewer drugs than bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
DMT is a naturally occurring drug, with many users reporting out-of-body experiences and “spiritual” insights. It is found in the psychedelic Amazonian brew ayahuasca, drunk by indigenous tribes in the South American rainforest.
The 76-year-old music icon also told of the moment he believed his late wife Linda had “come back to give me a sign” after her death from breast cancer in 1998 aged 56.
Speaking of the time he saw a rare white squirrel in the country, he said it was a “great moment” as it allowed him to believe that lost loved ones were looking down on him.
He added: “It thrilled me. Goosebumps. Obviously, I have no proof it was her at all, but it was good for me to think that.” Sir Paul also reflected on the state of the world, in particular this year’s surge in violent crime.
His new album Egypt Station, to be released on Friday, features a song called People Want Peace.
And while Sir Paul admits the topic of “world peace” does not feature on many hit songs these days he believes the tide will turn.
“Violence and arrogance are back,” he said. “It’s like how fashion goes in cycles, how bellbottoms came back. We are heading towards sense, but we are into the next pendulum swing now.”