The Pineal Gland – The All-Seeing Eye
Ancient and esoteric traditions knew of the potential of the pineal gland. The ancient Greeks thought it to be our connection to the “realms of thought”. Buddhists see it as a symbol of “spiritual awakening”. In Hinduism the pineal connects with the third eye chakra (the sixth chakra), the seat of “intuition and clairvoyance”. Jesus proclaimed that “the eye is the lamp of the body”, so if your eye is clear, “your whole body will be full of light”. Rene Descartes said that the pineal is the “seat of the human soul”. Ancient traditions believed that the pineal serves as the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. When the brain is cut lengthwise down the middle, the sagittal view of the limbic system looks very similar to the hieroglyphic symbol for the Egyptian “Eye of Horus”. The iris of the Eye of Horus is the pineal gland, and that’s why it is called the third eye, representative of our inner vision.
Keep the Pineal Gland operating and you will never grow old, you will always be young. – Edgar Cayce
What is the Pineal Gland?
Directly on the midline of the brain sits a singular pine cone shaped endocrine structure called the pineal gland. Unlike many paired structures, such as the different lobes of the brain, the amygdalae and hippocampae, the pineal gland is an unpaired or singular structure. It’s reddish-gray in color, the size of a rice kernel in humans (5-8mm), located in the epithalamus (epi = above), and swaddled into the joining groove where the two halves of the thalamae meet. The pineal gland is fully matured by the toddling age of 1-2 years. Thereafter it remains stable until the weight of the pineal gradually increases from puberty onwards.
The pineal gland of evolutionarily older animals, such as lizards and amphibians, is also called the ‘third’ eye. Just like the two seeing eyes, the third eye possesses a lens, cornea, and retina. It is light-sensitive and helps regulate body temperature and skin coloration-two basic survival functions related to environmental light. – Rick Strassman
The Evolution of the Pineal Gland
In evolutionary older animals such as reptiles and amphibians, the pineal gland is visible on the top of the head. It gets referred to as the “third eye, pineal eye, or parietal eye”, because structurally it contains a lens, cornea, and retina. The pineal eye also produces melatonin, which makes it light-sensitive and able to regulate body temperature and skin coloration which are survival functions related to environmental light.
As new species evolved, the pineal gland moved deeper into the brain. In birds the pineal gland is covered by the thin bones of the skull where it picks up the environmental light that shines through the bones. The mammalian pineal gland is buried deep inside the middle of the brain and is therefore, not directly sensitive to light. Light is sent to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) by light sensitive nerve cells in the retina of the eye. When light is detected, the pineal produces serotonin. When light is no longer detected, the pineal converts the serotonin to melatonin, which synchronizes the SCN to the light-dark (day-night) cycle.
It is interesting to note that both sexual differentiation and the pineal gland appear around the 49th day after conception (7 weeks gestation). This makes sense when one considers the role of the pineal gland in triggering the onset of puberty. The pineal gland develops from specialized tissue in the roof of the fetal mouth, which is not brain tissue, making the pineal a foreign or non-neuronal body within the brain. Once the pineal is developed, it migrates to the center of the brain, arguably the “best seat in the house” according to Dr. Rick Strassman (“DMT The Spirit Molecule”). The pineal consists mostly of pinealocytes and glial cells. The pinealocytes produce the hormone melatonin and the glial cells support the neurons by transmitting information to other cells, provide nutrition, and maintain homeostasis. The pineal gland is abundantly innervated with adrenergic nerves (nerves sensitive to adrenaline/epinephrine and noradrenaline/norepinephrine). Adrenaline and noradrenaline released by the pineal adrenergic nerves (not the adrenal glands) turn on the synthesis of melatonin in the pineal. This was a surprising finding because the pineal gland exists outside the blood-brain barrier and should therefore, be responsive to blood-borne chemicals. The pineal gland is guarded from adrenaline and noradrenaline by specialized nerve cells that “vacuum” up chemicals produced by the adrenal glands before they reach the pineal. This protective barrier system ensures that melatonin will not be produced during the day or in stressful times.
The pineal gland is located on the roof of the diencephalon, behind the third ventricle. This is a very strategic position for quick access to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), emotional, and sensory brain structures. When visual and auditory electrical and chemical impulses enter the brain, the impulses are transmitted via the optical and auditory nerves through sensory hubs (mounds of specialized brain tissue) called visual and auditory colliculi. These colliculi act as relay stations for the sensory impulses on their way to the hypothalamus (the brain’s sensory switching station), amygdala (to check for danger), and sensory cortices involved (visual cortex in the occipital lobe and auditory cortex in the temporal lobe). What does this have to do with the pineal gland? Well, according to Dr. Strassman, the pineal is located directly above these colliculi, separated only by a narrow channel of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). When the pineal secretes chemical substances into the CSF, the colliculi are submerged in said substance immediately.
The Circadian Rhythm and Its Chemicals
The pineal gland regulates the body’s internal clock by monitoring lightness and darkness in the outside environment. This cycle is called the light-related circadian rhythm. Cycles ruled by the pineal gland include the sleep/wake cycle, the onset of puberty, and the menstrual cycle. Melatonin is abundant in babies and children before puberty, which is how sexual development in young children is inhibited. During puberty and adolescence, melatonin is produced later in the evening, usually around 11:00pm, and stays elevated until later in the morning. That is why adolescents’ sleeping patterns seem to move two time zones west. They go to bed much later and it’s a mammoth task to get them up in the morning. This shift in melatonin production during puberty allows for sexual maturation in adolescents.
Serotonin, which is the precursor for melatonin, is chemically derived from the alkaloid tryptamine and both serotonin and melatonin are synthesized in the pineal gland. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the brain’s own hallucinogenic compound, is chemically similar to serotonin and melatonin, as well as ayahuasca, the botanical drink made in the Amazon. However, its regulated biosynthesis in the mammalian pineal gland has not been proven, probably because of its Mercurial fleet-footedness. The hallucinogenic action of DMT kicks in within 15-30 minutes and lasts for about 1-2 hours. The liver metabolizes DMT quite fast because the half-life (the total amount of the substance in the body is reduced by 50%) is short, much shorter than the 1-2 hour timeframe. The psychoactive effects of plant-based psychedelics start after about 20 minutes and last between 2-5 hours. The half-lives of these psychedelics are much longer.
De-calcify the pineal gland with the detergent of imagination – Dean Cavanagh
Calcification in the Pineal Gland
When the adult pineal gland is X-rayed, small calcium deposits are visible. This calcification becomes more pronounced in older adults. One of the main causes of this calcification is fluoridated water. Fluoride decreases melatonin, causing accelerated sexual development in females and the onset of puberty at younger ages. To deter calcification in the pineal, also reduce the use of fluoridated toothpaste, non-stick cookware (with PFOA and PFC), ingesting processed foods, foods sprayed with pesticides, and synthetic calcium supplements.
The Difference Between the Pineal and Pituitary Glands
The pea-sized pituitary gland sits in the midline fossa (pocket) of the wedge-shaped sphenoid bone, the sella turcica (also known as the Turkish horse saddle), and is part of the hypothalamus (hypo = below; the brain’s sensory switching/relay station). It is attached to the brain via a tube of blood vessels and nerve cell projections. The anterior pituitary consists of hormone-secreting epithelial cells, and the posterior pituitary is made up of unmyelinated (no sheath of fatty myelin insulation) secretory neurons.
The pineal gland influences the secretion of the sex hormones follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in the pituitary gland. Researchers removed the pineal gland in rodents, and this caused an increase in the concentration of FSH and LH in the pituitary. Then the researchers administered melatonin, however, the concentrations of FSH and LH did not return to normal levels. The conclusion drawn was that the pineal influences the pituitary in more ways than just via the secretion of melatonin. These ways are not all known yet. Researchers also know that too much melatonin may block the pituitary gland from secreting hormones that play essential roles in the development of the ovaries and testes, and regulatory functions such as the menstrual cycle.
The Functions of Melatonin in the Body
Serotonin gets us up and busy in the morning. However, when it gets dark, the pineal gland converts the serotonin to melatonin to prepare us for sleep. Melatonin goes down as stress hormones increase. This is an evolutionary adaptive function so that you don’t sleep through dangerous situations. When stress hormones go down, melatonin levels increase. It stops cortisol over-secretion in response to stress and improves carbohydrate metabolism. People who live under stress are always craving carbohydrates and storing it as fat. In antiquity, famine was stressful because the survival gene was turned on. Stress produced cortisol and the body could store carbohydrates as fat easier to ensure survival (a reserve of energy in the body). Therefore, people under stress are more likely to crave carbohydrates and store it as fat around the abdomen.
Melatonin breaks the stress cycle, and lowers triglyceride levels. It minimizes hardening of the arteries, and heightens both cellular and metabolic immune responses. Certain tumor development in laboratory animals is reduced with higher levels of melatonin, and it increased the lifespan of certain laboratory animals by 25%. Melatonin increases REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and has a very important neuro-protective role in the brain. It is also an important free radical scavenger and antioxidant (anti-cancer; anti-aging, anti-heart disease, anti-stroke, anti-neurodegenerative, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory). Melatonin aids DNA repair and replication, and is therefore, essential for our bodies to repair and regenerate.
The Secrets of the Pineal Gland
The pineal gland has photoreceptors and this was known to the ancients. People who experience an OBE (Out of Body Experience) or NDE (Near Death Experience) often claim that they see a silver cord (the cord that links the astral body to the physical body). It appears that the pineal gland is our connection to the higher dimensions giving us access to the psychic and spiritual realms.
Consciousness is governed by light and so is the pineal gland. Therefore, the pineal is the center of consciousness. When you wake up in the morning and the receptors in the back of your eyes pick up the signal of light, the optic nerve sends the light signal to the pineal gland which then starts to produce serotonin (the daytime neurotransmitter which regulates mood). Consciousness is therefore guided by the sun.
According to James Tyberonn from “Healing Matrix”, the energy of the earth is higher than it was in 2012, and it will continue to increase. The solar storms bombarding the earth have been proven to create psychoactive experiences. The color of light changes our consciousness, and if the sun is changing, it is possible that our consciousness is also changing. All this is part of the greater awakening that we are experiencing at this time. By getting sunlight, avoiding toxins, and undertaking various forms of meditation, one may increase the performance of this one tiny gland and bear witness the greatest secrets of the universe.
The Pineal Breath
No one explains the purpose and execution of the pineal breath better than Dr. Joe Dispenza. In the following section I prefer to quote him almost verbatim with just a few choice ideas of my own thrown in for good measure.
The Purpose of the Breath
The purpose of the breath is to pull the mind out of the body, to take all the energy out of the first three energy centers in the body (chakras 1-root; 2-sacral; and 3-solar plexus), and pull it up to the brain. This is the sexual energy we use for procreation, and the energy we use for survival and food digestion. The first three energy centers are driven by survival. The majority of people live in these first three energy centers, repeating the same thoughts and feelings ad nauseum.
Every thought has a frequency which produces an energetic field. The majority of thoughts from these energy centers revolve around sexual identity, sexual fantasy, pain, guilt, shame, unworthiness, anger, aggression, judgment, frustration, fear, etc. Those thoughts then create neuropeptides which in turn signal certain hormonal centers in the brain which create feelings which create similar thoughts which create neuropeptides and so on and so on. Now you have created a loop that becomes your state of being. Therefore, the thought that became the emotion is then stored as energy in the first three energy centers of the body. Very little energy is stored in the upper four energy centers of the body (chakras 4-heart; 5-throat; 6-third eye; and 7-crown). The repetition of this loop/cycle over time is conditioning the body to become the mind of that emotion. That is how 95% of who we are becomes a set of subconscious emotional reactions, behaviors, habits, and hardwired programs where the body (which is the subconscious mind) runs the show. To break this cycle, we need to pull the mind out of the body and back up into the brain.
A living together becomes a living apart, when the pineal gland has not been able to create a luster of spiritual togetherness and emotional attachment. (“I wonder what went wrong.”) – Erik Pevernagie (artist & writer)
When you continuously draw your energy from these survival centers, you reduce the life force energy that surrounds your body by turning that energy into chemistry. The result of this is that you become “more matter and less energy, more particle and less wave”, as Dr. Joe so eloquently states. Therefore, if we vibrate at lower frequencies, we become more disconnected and separated from the quantum field that surrounds us. This is “me-me-me survival mode” with very little energy for empathy, compassion, and connectedness. This survival energy also keeps us stuck in the past as we constantly repeat the same thoughts and emotional reactions 95% of the time. The body, as the subconscious mind, effectively keeps us planted in the past with little to no energy left to look at, plan, or see possibilities in the future.
The body is also a magnet with the head in the direction of the north (positive charge) and the base of the spine in the direction of the south (negative charge). All magnets have an electromagnetic field that surrounds them, and so does the body. This is the life force energy that surrounds the body and becomes depleted when you constantly draw energy into your survival centers. This depletes the polarity between the head and tailbone as well as depleting the charge of this force field. The energy consumed by the survival thoughts and emotions gets stored in the energy centers and nothing is returned to the force field. Before we talk about how to release this stuck energy, let’s look at the vehicle we will use to achieve this.
The Role of the Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
Inside the spinal column and skull there is a closed circuit of fluid called the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) made up of protein, salts, and solution. When you inhale and exhale you activate a natural mechanism that works like a pump. When you inhale, the sutures of your skull open up and the sacrum (base of the spine) flexes back to drain the CSF down. When you exhale, the sutures of the skull close and the sacrum flexes forward to push the CSF up. This action propagates a wave-like action. It takes one molecule of CSF 12 hours of normal breathing to be pumped in this manner from the sacrum up the spine to the brain through the four cerebral aqueducts or ventricles. Then it takes another 12 hours for that same molecule of CSF to be pumped back down to the sacrum (two cycles in 24 hours with normal breathing).
When we do the pineal breathing exercise by intentionally breathing deeper than normal and contracting the muscles in the abdomen, we forcefully push the CSF up the spine to the brain at an exponentially increased rate. This releases the creative energy stuck in the survival energy centers, opening up space in these centers for growth and access to the higher centers. This energy is not released out into the electromagnetic field that surrounds the body, but it is coaxed up into the brain. So, which intrinsic muscles are involved in the breath? The muscles we use for both urination and defecation, intercourse, the muscles of the lower and upper abdomen, and the bum – the muscles of the pelvic floor.
How to Do the Breath
Sit up straight and breathe deeply, in and out. When ready, inhale deeply through the nose. Hold the breath and lift the perineum up, front and back, contract the muscles in the pelvic floor, pull the naval in towards the spine, and contract the upper abdominal muscles. Sip in a bit more air, and relax the jaw. You may notice that you tend to clench your jaw when you do these contraction exercises. Juan Pablo (Juanpa) Barahona (Quantum Health on MindValley) says that the jaw is connected to the pelvic floor. Juanpa also suggests to pump the pelvic floor muscles in the beginning by contracting and releasing the muscles over and over again. This will strengthen weakened muscles until the contraction can be held for longer periods of time, and helps you to familiarize yourself with the workings of the different sets of muscles. Visualize the CSF being pushed up from the base of the spine, to the thoracic area, through the neck, through the head and out the top of the head. Try to hold this breath and contraction for as long as you can, taking little sips of air if you have to. Release the breath and make the sound “aaaaaahhhh”, if you so desire.
Whoever said the soul and the body met in the pineal gland was a fool. It’s the asshole, stupid. – André Aciman
What are the Results?
The CSF is made up of charged molecules (proteins and salts in solution). According to physics, when charged molecules are accelerated, an invisible field called an inductance field is created that moves in the direction of the charged molecule. The more charged molecules in the solution, the bigger and more forceful the inductance field.
When you are able to accelerate the molecules of the CSF and create the inductance field, all the energy stored in the survival energy centers that was destined to be used for procreating, digesting food, and to survive gets pulled up into the brain and in turn it activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) that governs fight or flight. The arousal created by the SNS pushes the energy up past the thalamic gate, activating both hemispheres and pushing the brainwaves past beta into gamma brainwaves (32-100 Hz). Now the individual is super-conscious and super-aware. The level of this blissful euphoric state will differ from individual to individual. When the gamma brainwaves are activated, the pineal gland also gets activated, and it upgrades melatonin to create a very powerful antioxidant called benzodiazepine. This is a Valium-like substance that relaxes the survival centers within the brain. In this state, the brain also produces the chemicals found in hibernating animals, resulting in a loss of sex drive, loss of appetite, and a loss of preoccupation with the outer world. The body goes into stasis (stability through change) while the neocortex (the thinking mind) gets sedated. The pineal also sends a signal to the pituitary gland which in turn produces oxytocin. The oxytocin signals nitric oxide and the nitric oxide causes the arteries in the heart to swell and the individual experiences the feelings of love, gratitude, and connectedness.
How to Activate the Pineal Gland
Within the pineal is floating water with stacked small crystals of less than 20 microns in length formed by biomineralization. When the individual does the breath and squeezes the muscles of the pelvic floor and abdomen, intrathecal pressure is created. This pressure pushes up against the pineal gland and compresses the crystals, causing a piezoelectric effect by taking a mechanical stress (tensing the muscles and pushing the CSF up into the brain) and creating an electrical charge. When the crystals become electrically charged, the pineal gland becomes like a radio antenna, enabling it to pick up frequencies faster than the speed of light from the quantum field. The pineal will pick up a frequency and transduce it (turn it into a picture). This is the moment that the individual experiences an inner vision. This is also when the pineal produces DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), the most powerful hallucinogenic substance produced in the brain. This is why the pineal is referred to as the third eye.
I think that’s why often people in creative fields can feel so alone is because there’s a constant third eye, that constant watcher. – Oscar Isaac
Conclusion
The pineal is lined on the inside with tissue called pinealocytes which are similar to the rods and cones in the retina of the eye, making it the third eye of the brain – the internal eye. With the transducing abilities of the pineal, an internal vision can be more real than what is experienced in the outside world. The pineal breath moves the stagnant energy stuck in the first three energy centers, and we all know that stagnant waters or energy breed disease. Emotion has to keep moving, so think of it like this: E-motion is Energy in Motion and the breath liberates the emotion as energy into the brain. If the pineal breath is practiced regularly, the energy moves, and results in more brain coherence and energy circulating through the brain and body. The activation of the autonomic nervous system, which in turn stimulates the pineal gland, creates the perfect elixir to heighten the possibility of enjoying a mystical experience when meditating. The pineal gland enables us to indeed have three eyes: two with which we look and one with which we see.
Want to know More
Bibliography
DMT The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences by Rick Strassman, M.D.
Pineal Gland from Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland
Pineal gland by Chales H. Emerson
https://www.britannica.com/science/pineal-gland
Substance abuse and dependence by Derek G. Waller BSc (HONS), DM, MBBS (HONS), FRCP, Anthony P. Sampson MA, PhD, FHEA, FBPhS, in Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Fifth Edition), 2018
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/dimethyltryptamine
Secrets of the Pineal Gland – Gaia
https://www.gaia.com/video/secrets-pineal-gland?fullplayer=feature
Rewired with Dr. Joe Dispenza | Gaia
Dr Joe Dispenza (2020) – Pineal Gland Activation [SECRET BREATHING TECHNIQUE REVEALED]
Quantum Health: Day 2 – Understanding Grounding in the Body by Juan Pablo Barahona on MindValley
www.mindvalley.com
DMT, Pineal Gland & The Piezoelectric Effect | Dr Joe Dispenza
