In an interview published yesterday with the Sunday Times, Sir Paul McCartney revealed that he once “saw God” after taking DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), a powerful psychedelic drug, in the 1960s. Discussing his spiritual beliefs, McCartney linked his belief in “something higher” to the DMT experience, which, while not totally transformative, “was a clue” as to the possibilities of God’s existence.
The Beatles star consumed the drug with Robert Fraser, AKA ‘Groovy Bob': an art dealer, gallery owner and instrumental figure in the Swinging London scene of the 1960s. Fraser is known for having sponsored Yoko Ono’s 1966 exhibition at the Indica Gallery, where she famously met John Lennon for the first time.
“We were immediately nailed to the sofa,” McCartney said about the trip. “And I saw God, this amazing towering thing, and I was humbled. And what I’m saying is, that moment didn’t turn my life around, but it was a clue.”
Explaining his vision, he said: “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 both Robert and I were like, ‘Did you see that?’ We felt we had seen a higher thing.”
Said to be the most potent psychedelic drug on earth, DMT can cause extremely powerful and lucid experiences at just miligram-level doses. Due to the intensity of its effects, DMT never experienced the popularity of classic counterculture hallucinogens like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, which are well-known for their influence on The Beatles’ music after 1965.
McCartney went on to describe his approach to reincarnation. After his wife Linda’s death in 1998, he grieved in the countryside and longed for her to “come back to give [him] a sign”. In a “thrilling” turn of events, Paul spotted a white squirrel, which he took to be this sign.
Paul’s new solo album, Egypt Station, is due for release on September 7th via Capitol Records and can be pre-ordered here.
‘Egypt Station’ – out September 7th
