Carlos Santana made headlines recently when he revealed to People that he had forgiven his childhood abuser. After that, Billy Idol publicly reacted to the news through a Twitter post. Giving some context and quoting the guitarist, he wrote:
“Between the ages of 10 to 12, a man sexually abused Carlos Santana, but he just for gave him saying, ‘If I don’t forgive him, I go into the darkness with him. If I forgive him, I go into the light, and he comes into the light with me.’ Wow!”
Santana addressed the abuse for the first time in a 2000 interview with Rolling Stone, claiming that he was abused ‘almost every day’ for two years by a man that crossed the Mexican border and brought him gifts. After telling his story back then, he commented on the effects of this experience by saying:
“All the times I was angry with the original band or with my wife, till ’95, it was all of that. I have learned to convert all this energy now into something productive and creative. At the time, I’m sure I made hell for the original guys in the band and the first ladies I was with because I didn’t have a way to express it and crystallize it and heal it. It’s just fuel now. You use it to do something creative with.”
According to his recent words, the guitarist used a certain method to get to the point mentioned above and heal himself:
“For example, this person who abused me sexually, instead of sending him to hell forever, I visualized him like a child, and behind him, there was a lot of light. So I can send him to the light or send him to hell, knowing that if I send him to hell, I’m going to go with him. But if I send him to the light, then I’m going to go with him also.
There’s this saying, ‘Hurt people hurt people.’ It’s my pain. It did happen to me. But if you open your hands, and you let it go, then you don’t feel that anymore.”
Santana’s life and experiences will be further detailed in the upcoming documentary, ‘Carlos,’ which will be released on June 17. A week after the premiere, the musician will be embarking on his ‘1001 Rainbow Tour’ across North America.
Between the ages of 10 to 12 a man sexually abused #CarlosSantana, but he just for gave him saying ‘ if I don’t forgive him, I go into the darkness with him. If I forgive him I go into the light and he comes into the light with me’ wow!
— Billy Idol (@BillyIdol) June 16, 2023
