For as long as people have observed and studied the pineal gland, they have speculated about its functions. We now know that the pineal gland is stimulated by light and that, in humans, it secretes a single hormone – melatonin.
Researchers have determined that melatonin has two primary functions in humans. It controls circadian (or biological) rhythm, and it regulates certain reproductive hormones.
It was Galen (ca. 130 – ca. 210 CE), the ancient Greek physician and philosopher, who first provided us with an anatomical description of the pineal gland. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he believed that its primary function was to support the flow of blood through the circulatory system.
Galen went to great lengths to refute the widely held idea that the pineal gland regulated the flow of psychic pneuma in the canal between the middle and posterior ventricles of the brain. In Greek, pneuma means “breath,” but when used in a spiritual context, it refers to “spirit” or “soul.”
His view didn’t gain traction with everybody. In fact, priests, shamans and spiritual adepts in a wide variety of cultures held on to belief that the pineal gland connected the physical world with the non-physical world of energy and consciousness.
It’s interesting to note that many scientists and academics continue to wonder why ancient cultures associated the pineal gland with the unseen world. But to anyone with a mastery of metaphysics, the relationship is easy to explain. It’s the pineal gland’s connection to the chakras.
For more than a century, the most widely held view of Yogic, Buddhist and Tantric adepts has been that there are seven chakras. The first five chakras are located along the spine. It’s the position of the sixth and seventh chakras, however, that explains why the pineal gland has been associated with the third eye (the sixth chakra) as well as with intuitive insight and the higher functions of the soul. The male poles of these two chakras are located adjacent to the pineal gland, and both chakras are associated with the higher functions of the soul.
A Short Course in Energy Work
The word chakra comes from Sanskrit, the sacred language of India, and means “wheel.” There are two distinct parts of a chakra – the chakra gate and the chakra field. For people with the inner vision, a chakra gate will look like a brightly colored disk that spins rapidly at the end of what looks like a long axle or stalk. The wheel portion of the chakra gate is about three inches (about eight centimeters) in diameter and perpetually moves or spins around a central axis. Emerging from the center of the disk are what appear to be spokes.
The main function of the chakra gate is to provide the subtle field and physical-material body with prana. Although chakra gates have additional functions, the principle part of a chakra is the vast reservoir of prana and its precursor consciousness, which we call the chakra field. The chakra field is connected to the chakra gate, and the healthier the chakra field, the more consciousness and prana will be distributed by the chakra gate.
Along with its communal functions, each chakra has one or more individual functions. The primary function of the sixth chakra is to regulate awareness, memory, intuition, reasoning and rational, deductive thought on the level of soul. The seventh chakra regulates the higher functions of mind including transcendental consciousness.
The French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes was fascinated with the pineal gland. In his “Treatise of Man” he explains, “My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul and the place in which all thoughts are formed.”
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Madame Blavatsky, the founder of theosophy, identified the “third eye” as the “eye of Shiva” and concluded that the pineal gland of modern man is an atrophied vestige of this “organ of spiritual vision.”
Even today, there are scientific researchers who believe that the pineal gland’s functions go beyond simply secreting hormones.
In his book “Light: Medicine of the Future,” Jacob Liberman explains that “… the pineal represents the inward seeing eye. Meaning that activating this third eye helps us see life beyond the typical limitations of our perception, bringing clarity of vision.”
For more than forty years, I’ve studied the structure and function of the subtle field, and I’ve learned that there is a deep and abiding connection between the pineal gland, the radiation of the sun and Atman – the thumb sized point on the right side of the heart chakra, where bliss enters your subtle field.
Bliss is an enduring condition created through the union of consciousness (Shiva) and life-affirming energy (Shakti). If you combine the subtle resonance of the sun and the pineal gland with Atman, you can go beyond the resonance of the sixth and seventh chakras to the source of life itself. Then you can radiate their combined resonance through your subtle field as empathy for yourself, Gaia and Universal Consciousness. I’ve designed the Pineal Gland Meditation so that you can have that experience now.
The Pineal Gland Meditation
To begin The Pineal Gland Meditation, sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. Breathe deeply through your nose for two to three minutes. Then assert, “It’s my intent to center my awareness in my pineal gland.” Once your awareness is centered in your pineal gland, you will feel a glowing sensation that quickly fills your body space. Enjoy its resonance for two to three minutes. Then assert, “It’s my intent to center myself in my third heart, Atman.” After a few moments, you will experience a shift of awareness from your individual self to your universal Self. As soon as that happens, complete the process by asserting, “It’s my intent to create a synergy between my pineal gland, Atman and the subtle resonance of the sun.” Take ten minutes to enjoy the resonance this synergy has created. After ten minutes, count from one to five. When you reach the number five, open your eyes and bring yourself out of the meditation.