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10 Questions About The Pineal Gland That Add To The Mystery Of Spirituality

The  pine cone shaped, pea-sized pineal gland, located in the center of the human brain, is an organ of tremendous interest these days. To many spiritual seekers it is the ‘seat of the soul‘ and the ‘third eye,’ the anatomical part of the human body that acts as our spiritual antennae, connecting us to the non-physical, spiritual planes of existence. However, to many scientists and rigid materialist thinkers, it is strictly an endocrine gland responsible for the secretion of the hormone melatonin, a substance which, among other things, aids in the regulation of our circadian rhythms.

Far from cased closed, this small, but intriguing piece of the human organism is the source of endless…

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 The Pineal Gland, Seat of Spiritual Connection

You may think of the spiritual world as being completely beyond and outside of the body, but in fact spirituality is a built-in feature of the human brain. Just as we have ears to help us hear sound waves and eyes to help us see shapes and colors, we have a bodily organ to help us attune to the spiritual world. It is called the pineal gland.

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Shining new light on the pineal gland

The pineal gland is a small structure that in humans is located deep within the brain but in zebrafish is found directly under the skull. Its primary function, however, is conserved in fish and humans: the nightly release of melatonin. While the human pineal gland detects daylight via the eyes, the fish pineal gland senses light directly.

What our ancestors’ third eye reveals about the evolution of mammals to warm blood

French philosopher René Descartes believed that the pineal gland, a tiny button of neurons located in the depth of our brain, was the seat of the soul.

An Overview of the Pineal Gland

For being such a tiny structure, the pineal gland has a colorful and misunderstood history. It’s considered a somewhat mysterious organ, as its function was discovered last of the endocrine glands.

Know your brain: Pineal gland

There are no neurons that leave the pineal gland to carry signals to other areas of the brain. Instead, the main output of the pineal gland--and the way it communicates with the rest of the nervous system--is melatonin.

My 9-Year Love Affair With Melatonin

Melatonin’s basic mechanism is simple: The brain’s pineal gland naturally secretes melatonin, a hormone, when darkness falls—signaling to the body that it’s time to sleep. Melatonin supplements mimic this process, tricking the brain into thinking it’s bedtime.

The Pineal Gland

The pineal gland was called the "third eye" by ancient people. It was thought to have mystical powers. This may be why the French philosopher Descartes decided that the pineal gland was the seat of the human soul, the location of what we call the mind. The pineal does contain a complete map of the visual field of the eyes, and it plays several significant roles in human functioning.

The Secrets of Sleep

Even God needed a seventh day to rest from all that he created.

Third Eye - Pineal Gland

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the "third eye") is a small endocrine gland. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions. It is located near to the center of the brain between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join. Unlike much of the rest of the brain, the pineal gland is not isolated from the body by the blood-brain barrier system. It is reddish-gray and about the size of a pea (8 mm in humans).

Third Eye Blind? A Guided Meditation

So, how do we open our third eye? Thank Shiva, the answer's simple: Yoga and meditation. In fact there are studies proving that meditation triggers the pineal gland to produce melatonin, creating the relaxed state of sleep in an awake brain.

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You & Your Hormones

It is not unusual to see pineal cysts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. These are benign and not harmful. However, on rare occasions, tumours of the pineal gland are found. There are some extremely rare reports of precocious puberty (early puberty) in individuals with pineal gland cysts or tumours. It is not clear whether these changes in puberty are caused by melatonin or some other hormone, such as human chorionic gonadotrophin, which is reported to be released by some pineal tumours. Otherwise, there are no known diseases associated with over or underactivity of the pineal gland.