![]() "Guilt is the other side of moral consciousness – we have 'eaten of the tree of knowledge,'" wrote psychologist Rollo May in his perceptive Power and Innocence. Through the use of a variety of psychedelic drugs, they sought to create a blissful state of innocence, a virtual Garden of Eden that was free of anxiety and guilt. But instead of directly confronting this violence, hippies were trying to rid themselves of evil by simply forbidding its existence. The use of hallucinogens by 1967 had offered escape for many people from the violent realities erupting in the culture. What made this marriage of pop artists and occultism possible was partly the continued intake of LSD, which held the possibility of reaching alternate forms of consciousness. Ron Hubbard, satanist Anton LaVey, and the dark mystic Aleister Crowley (who was featured on the cover of Sgt. Within this celebrated mystical mosaic also lay the demon seeds of Charles Manson, the growing popularity of the Scientology of L. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Tarot, The Kabbala, I Ching, witchcraft, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and various swamis were eagerly validated. While love appeared to be everywhere – and pop music definitely celebrated it – there was also a significant emergence of occultism. Before 1967, the occult was perceived as marginally archaic (and derided), but after Sgt. The bold quest for social, political and sexual freedom in the Sixties also contained a foreboding element that soon permeated the counter-culture and had a large an influence on it. "The sad fact was that LSD could turn its users into anything from florally-bedecked peaceniks to gun-brandishing urban guerillas," critic Ian MacDonald explained in Revolution in the Head. When extremists like the Manson Family and the Weather Underground used it to further their apocalyptic agendas, The Beatles became unwitting champions of this new revolution. It first gave credence to religious and political ideologues. ![]() ![]() But what The Beatles and their fans didn't discover, until shortly after 1967, was that LSD had more troubling ramifications. Throughout the evening, these two fractured geniuses briefly blended together as one. For five hours, they communed deeply, barely moving, except for a short excursion taken into the garden. He saw John as the Emperor of Eternity, a deity, while they both laughed and shared stories of past glories. From evening until dawn, the two men hallucinated together, staring into each other's eyes, looking for the firm connection they had when they wrote "I Want to Hold Your Hand." McCartney would later refer to the experience with Lennon as communing with the unknown. " rough edges and fuck-all personality only underscored Paul's pretensions, sparking a contrast that would haunt Paul for the rest of his life," wrote Bob Spitz in his biography, The Beatles. On that night he tried it with Lennon, he only wished to re-establish a bond they once had as songwriters, as brothers. A year later, McCartney actually caused some controversy when he admitted to the press that LSD had opened his eyes to new religious experiences. McCartney didn't enjoy losing control, or putting himself in a position where he couldn't find his way back home. Late in 1966, he finally dropped it with Tara Browne, but with mixed feelings. Most of The Beatles had taken acid by the time they finished Sgt Pepper, but McCartney had earlier held out. After arriving, McCartney was curious to see if taking LSD would bring him closer to his currently distressed friend. Since it was too far to drive to John's home in Weybridge, Paul took Lennon to his place. Paul McCartney decided he had better get his writing partner home safely. ![]() Pepper, John Lennon left the vocal session while tripping on acid. On March 21, 1967, the same day The Beatles were recording the chorus of "Getting Better" on Sgt. The Beatles with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1967.
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