Spiritual Blogs

The history of the world is profoundly scattered with elements of mystical enlightenment and all the wonderful symbolism that surrounds them. From ‘cosmic precession’ and ‘ley lines’ to crystals and “magic mushrooms” – there is a whole range of different theories, which endeavour to explain the unusual effects. However, there is one paramount and unique portion of this folklore which is utilised by all of them and held up as being the most important aspect of the human mystical experience.

As Philip Gardiner and I have shown in our books, The Serpent Grail and The Shining Ones, something of importance is being referred to in the myths and legends associated with the Grail and this “something” exists in the head, or rather the brain. Those readers, who are familiar with “new-age” literature and its various concepts, would say that this “something” must be the pineal gland. Is the pineal gland, the ‘seed,’ the Philosopher’s Stone? . . The Philosopher’s Egg?

For those readers who were already under the impression that this “seed-stone” or “egg” is the pineal, it would be a logical conclusion to make. As to what the esoteric function of the pineal might be, there have been thousands of explanations – from the far-fetched idea of the pineal being an “alien implant” to the equally “new-age” idea of the pineal being a “cosmic communication device”. However, after everything we have looked at during the course of our research, it is only now that we are truly able to see the real significance in this peculiar biological device – something the ancient cultures we know of may have also noticed, or the knowledge of which had been passed onto them in the form of analogy, metaphor and symbolism.

In eastern mysticism the pineal gland is linked with the ‘Third Eye’ – the second sight or the mystical, or inner, psychic vision, which is believed to be man’s “doorway” towards enlightenment and the “glory of god”. For many mystics, the pineal is said to be associated with the sixth chakra vortex – the brow chakra or Ajna. I am now going to put to rest some ‘old age’ and “new-age” misconceptions about the pineal gland. It has been said and believed – and mostly in the “new-age” literature – that the pineal gland is the fabled, mystical, occult and esoteric ‘third eye’.

Some will say that the ‘third eye’ is the pituitary gland, and others, that the ‘third eye’ is both the pineal and the pituitary. Many of us still believe that the so-called “third eye” is a fanciful notion and doesn’t really exist. There is surely much confusion here, and it is evident now that this uncertainty cannot be resolved by just stating or believing that there is no such thing as the ‘third eye’ – especially if our ancient ancestors believed in it and everything we find is leading us to it. In my view the significance of the ‘third eye’ is all part of the ‘Grail Code’, linked to something we have yet to discover at Giza in Egypt. The following lends some clues as to what we are dealing with in regard to this code, which I am attempting to reveal in full.

The Brain Centres in Architecture

It is obviously a truth to state that the ancients dissected the human body and it is self-evident that they – or possibly an unknown and advanced culture before them – did the same with the brain. When we overlay the side-view of the human head onto many sacred places we discover a remarkable thing. The centre of the brain, the eyes, the mouth, the seventh Chakra at the bregma or crown of the head, and its centre, ‘the bindu’ above the head, all seem to match up with important elements of the architectural or archaeological site. We should note that the monk’s tonsure (popular during medieval times) was really in reference to the crown chakra and the bindu point above the head by which one is connected to the ‘godhead’, and was an alternative to trepanning (opening) of the skull), as practised by the Merovingians and also in ancient times and by many different cultures. Of course, we have to remember that these are sites that have ancient links. It is a recorded fact that many of our modern churches are built upon much older sacred sites which some say are linked with the energy paths of the earth. Although the “new-age” view of Ley Lines and Dragon Paths is limited in my view, it is a startling discovery to find that sacred sites are linked to the very mind or nous, and we were to discover that this amazing fact would lead us on yet further paths of enlightenment. After finding these correlations in many old sacred buildings, churches and cathedrals, Philip Gardiner and I finally attempted this overlaying with Lichfield Cathedral which I will describe here as an example. The reasons are quite simple.  It is a place close to Philip’s hometown geographically, and it is a place that Philip believes is involved in the wider story of the Grail.

Godfroi de Bouillon the first crusader to become King of Jerusalem in 1099, and in all but name, is made immortal in a wonderful statue on the external, south transept. Godfroi, as we discovered, would become more and more important to the central tale of the Grail story and intrinsically linked with not just the propaganda of the story, but also the whereabouts of one of the Grails – but this perhaps would have to wait for a future book. On the other side of the Cathedral near the ‘Chapter House’ there is the famous Seal of Solomon, large as life, high up in the elegant window. This again, was important to the legend of the Grail, but again, the reasons must wait. The most important aspect of the symbolism employed at Lichfield however, is the image of Christ within the west doorway. He is seated high up in the archway of the door. Surrounding him are all the animals of the fields. It is an image reminiscent of the ‘Horned Man’ or Cernunnos that we see in relief on the side of the Gundestrup Cauldron and elsewhere right across Europe – as if this connection was meant to be acknowledged.

As with the Gundestrup Cauldron, the ‘Horned Man’ is surrounded by beasts; but the most important aspect is, that he is in control and therefore utilizing the power of the serpent. The other animals are there, but it is the serpent, which gives him the power – and for a reason which I will reveal later. In the image of Christ at Lichfield it is the serpent in the style of the immortal and eternal Ouroboros that he is seated above; crushing it below him and therefore having the power of the serpent symbolically transferred to himself. Now, all of this (and there is more at Lichfield) is very interesting and links the story of medieval Christianity to the early Ophite and ‘snake cults’ of the ancients.


But, what does all this have to do with these power centres within the brain? As I previously discovered, by overlaying a side-view cross-sectioned image of the human head and brain onto the ground plan of ancient sacred sites, we could reveal links between the important glands inside the head and thus show that the architects understood what was really inside the brain. Well, quite simply, by overlaying the image of the head onto Lichfield we found that the eyes looked directly out of the mystical north door. The centre of the brain the Thalamus – is positioned exactly in the centre of the Cathedral. The crown chakra was exactly where the great altar was situated and the throat chakra ran straight up the centre of the Nave.

Drawing a line from Godfroi’s statue to the eyes of the head ran straight through the centre of the head and brain – again, the thalamus – and especially, the nucleus of the thalamus, the Massa Intermedia. The Seal of Solomon, the symbol of the ultimate god, was above the bindu or crown chakra. The pineal gland and the pituitary gland were neatly placed under two columns running at 45 degrees to each other. A remarkable situation and one which would prove to be fruitful in the search for later artefacts, however, in this instance it is used for the sole intent to show just how the pineal gland and other gland-related power centres in the brain were so important to both the ancients and the later Christian medieval architects and reveals that there is a secret tradition surrounding this knowledge. There is a wealth of further information which shows just how central to the sacred geometry of the ancients the pineal gland and the other centres in the brain were, but the question, ‘why?’ needed to be asked. What possible reason could the ancient builders and priests of the various cultures of the globe have for including the design of the pineal, the pituitary and the thalamus within their structures?

And why was the pineal, the pituitary and thalamus part of the Caduceus and snake symbolism? The answer is that all three – as noted in the Triad and/or Holy Trinity and also personified in the god of wisdom Thoth-Hermes the “Thrice Greatest” – were associated with the ‘Third Eye’ – not just the pineal. And so the reason why there is so much confusion surrounding the so-called ‘third eye,’ is because the ‘third eye’ – associated with the shamanic use of thehypnagogic-trance state, and what is termed astral, ‘inner sight’ or ‘second sight’ – is actually activated by both the cyclical functions of the pineal and the pituitary (the power centres in the brain) becoming in some way synchronised. The pea-sized, pituitary and pineal glands are located within the third ventricle at the center of the brain (See Figure 1). The carotid and thyroid glands, the thalamus and bindu centre are also indicated.)

Now perhaps for the first time since it was first known, it can be revealed explicitly that the esoteric ‘third eye’ is really associated with the Thalamus at the centre of the brain. As we will see, it is the thalamus, which is the ‘seed-stone’ (philosopher’s stone) and the “cosmic egg”. I was later pleased to find that Mavromatis, the author of the book, Hypnagogia (no doubt the most extensive work on the subject) states his opinion “that the Thalamus is the centre of consciousness and is the source of hypnagogic phenomena”. All this time people have been led a “wild goose chase.” It would seem that the traditional notion that only the pineal is indeed the ‘third eye’ has served as an ‘occult blind’ to put those who are “not worthy” of knowing it, “off the scent” as it were, while reinforcing the idea that the male-related pineal gland is very important – which it is, but for reasons I will reveal later. Let’s take a close look at these three power centres in the brain, as well as the Carotid Gland in the neck (which is also important) – beginning with the pineal.

The Pineal Gland

The pineal gland is cone-shaped like a ‘pinecone’ as its name implies and is located behind and above the pituitary gland. The pineal is symbolised by the pinecone at the top of the Thrysus staff of the pagan-shamanic god, Dionysus/Bacchus – the staff again, representing the spine. Amongst other things, the pineal regulates our circadian rhythms associated with the day/night, waking/sleeping cycle. Its part of our internal clock, set to the day and night cycles produced by the rotation of the earth on its axis in the light of the sun. Amongst other things, the pineal is known for its production of melatonin and seratonin – the production of these chemicals relying on the day/night, light/dark cycle. The chemical melatonin is a derivative of seratonin; the neurotransmitter that also controls our mood swings. During the day, and in response to light, a signal is fired from the retina in the eye via the suprachiasmatic nucleus to the pineal gland, which then secretes and stores a large quantity of seratonin.

Figure 2: Pineal Gland

In response to darkness, and via the same signal route, the pineal gland then begins to convert the stored seratonin into melatonin, which is then released into the brain and blood, inducing sleepiness throughout the night. Here we have the same cyclical swing between opposites, positive and negative – as light during the day increases the production of seratonin (associated with daylight seen as “positive”) and decreases the production of melatonin (associated with the dark – i.e., ‘night-time’ and so seen as “negative.”) Lower amounts of light hitting the eyes means lower levels of seratonin and therefore higher levels of melatonin. Lower seratonin levels can also result in depression (negative,) whereas higher levels of melatonin result in fatigue and a desire to sleep. So, seratonin is associated with the positive ‘waking state’ triggered by light or daylight, and melatonin – triggered by darkness – is associated with the negative ‘sleeping state’. Now, the fusion point between these opposites – being also the transliminal phase or neutral, zero-point node, which happens twice in every cycle – corresponds with the ‘hypnagogic state’ – being the point in the waking-sleeping cycle where we are usually unconscious. So then, one’s control over these glands, and the opening of the ‘third eye’ is due to holding one’s total conscious attention at this point. We can now see why the ‘hypnagogic state’ is important and was utilised by the ancients and known as the shamanic ‘trance state.’

The Pituitary Gland

The Pituitary has been called the ‘Master Gland,’ this is because it coordinates all the other glands, controls growth and is essential to the life and ‘well-being’ of the individual. It is said that removal of the pituitary from the brain will cause death in three days. Like the pineal gland associated with the day/night cycles, the pituitary gland is also dual in nature and this duality is also expressed in its physical composition. It has two lobes, each of which performs a different function. These are known as the anterior and posterior lobes.

Figure 3: The Pituitary Gland showing Anterior and Posterior Lobes

Its interesting to find ‘new-age’ writers stating that the pituitary gland has a glowing ‘phosphorescent’ appearance, which is similar to the effervescent light of the ‘full moon’ and that it has been known that the Egyptians knew this because they called the pituitary the “Star Chamber of Isis” as the goddess Isis was associated with the moon – but there really isn’t any evidence of this that Egyptologists are aware of. According to ancient esoteric tradition, the pituitary gland represents the feminine principle and the pineal the masculine. However, like the brain of both male and female individuals, the two hemispheres express the opposite traits associated with the ‘logical-reasoning’ male principle (left-brain) and ‘emotional-intuitive female principle (right-brain.) Various esoteric traditions maintain that the predominantly, feminine-related pituitary gland, reflects this same duality. The frontal or ‘anterior lobe’ is associated with the reasoning and intellectual mind of the male and the ‘posterior lobe’ is associated with the emotional, imaginative female nature. This comes from the ancient belief that there is a connection between emotional and mental deficiency and a lack of development in the pituitary gland – and surprisingly, many endocrinologists and psychologists have expressed the same view. We will also add a not-so-well known gland to our list – known as the Carotid Gland or Carotid Body. As we will see, this gland was also important to the ancients and is also important in the esoteric, mystical traditions.

The Carotid Gland

In the esoteric traditions the carotid gland is known as the ‘alta major:’ however, apart from the work of the medium and esoteric writer, Alice Bailey, the carotid gland is hardly ever mentioned in “new-age” literature, so why would this gland be important? Well control over one’s breathing is necessary for yoga and meditation and the carotid gland is associated with the respiratory system – i.e., breathing, and maintains homeostatic control over the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The duality inherent in the cycles of opposites is again evident here in the inhalation of oxygen and the exhalation of carbon dioxide – which this gland controls.

Figure 4: Location of Carotid Gland in the neck

So then to recap, we have seen that the three glands just described are associated with homeostatic control over the cycles of opposites associated with one’s immersion in the material world and one’s ‘material existence’ – just like a ‘diving suit’ – and in the following ways:

Pineal: The day/night cycles also related to the waking/sleeping cycle.

Pituitary and Hypothalamus: Regulates body temperature – keeping a homeostatic balance between the extremes of hot and cold. These also regulate the growth of the individual – i.e., keeping a relative balance between large and small and short and tall.

Carotid: The inhalation/exhalation, breathing cycles and levels of oxygen (in-breath) and carbon dioxide (out-breath) in the blood.

Although not proven, apart from one’s own experience of it, it is said that when all three are in balance – and especially the pineal and pituitary glands – a synchronized or quantum state is created within the brain, and this synchronization takes place within the thalamus and is again experienced as the ‘hypnagogic state.’

The Thalamus

Contrary to what many would think or like to believe, the evidence I have been looking at shows that it was the thalamus which was considered by the ancients to be the ‘seed-centre’ of one’s physical existence, and so at last I can reveal, that in regard to the physical body, the thalamus is the “Philosopher’s Stone,” and the “Philosopher’s Egg” – and this is supported by many of the things we have already looked at. The walnut-sized thalamus is at the centre of the brain, located on top of the brain stem or the limbic system known as the Reptilian Brain. Now we know what the ‘serpent’s head’ is in regard to the brain – it being most likely a refererence to the Reptilian Brain – the part of the brain which is said to be stimulated during psychic activity^[1] – but more on this later (see Figure 5.)

Figure 5: The Thalamus at the centre of the brain

The thalamus has two lobes known as the ‘thalamic bodies,’ which look like a smaller version of the two hemispheres of the brain known as the cerebrum. Interestingly, the name ‘cerebrum’ is a composite of Ceres, meaning ‘cross’ and RU – CerebRUm – again associated with the ancient Egyptian life symbol – the Ankh, which we will come to later. The two lobes of the thalamus are connected together by a tubular bundle of nerve fibres at their centre, called the massa intermedia or the interthalamic adhesion – see below. In the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the thalamus is described as being “egg-shaped” – and if we look up ‘Thalamus’ on the Internet, we will find many references to it resembling an egg. Around the massa intermedia, the two thalamic bodies are separated by the ‘third ventricle;’ one of the few spaces in the brain which is filled with cerebral spinal fluid. The thalamic cells demonstrate high proliferative activity, frequently fusing via the massa intermedia, which is a non-neuronal structure. In other words, and in esoteric thought based on correspondences with the sexual, procreative process, the egg (thalamus) is continually being “seeded” or “fertilised” – suggesting re-creation. The term ‘re-creation’ here means ‘repeating patterns’ – i.e., re-patterning. Most importantly, the reason why this ‘ancient shamanic priesthood’ may have placed so much emphasis on the thalamus was because, like the centre of the earth, the thalamus is smack-bang at the centre of the brain.

But not only this, the thalamus is the major sensory and motor relay nucleus in the brain; it is our “central control box” and is our interface with the reality around us. In other words, it acts like the hub of the whole wheel. When one part of the neocortex – one “spoke” of the “wheel” – communicates with another; it does so via the thalamus – being the centre of the whole sphere. If there were anything in the physical body that would represent the centre of consciousness itself, it would be the thalamus at the centre of the brain. This is also the opinion of many of today’s neurologists, and I would suggest that an ancient prehistoric culture – a shamanic ‘serpent cult’ or priesthood (the Shining Ones) also understood this. To esoteric initiates the thalamus, known as the Optic Thalamus was regarded as the real ‘third eye’. Esotericist, Alice Bailey, tells us that Francis Bacon, a Rosicrucian, and whom many believe to be the man most likely to have written the plays attributed to Shakespeare, regarded the soul to be at the centre of the brain, and again, this could only be the thalamus.

Figure 6: The Thalamus as the central relay station in the brain

On the surface of the thalamus is a thin layer of cells called the nucleus reticularis which regulates the transmission of this information by its inhibitory influence upon all thalamic nuclei. It is said that the nucleus reticularis plays an important role in the focusing of attention and has the task of filtering out the numberless sum of impulses that come flooding into our brain at any given moment. It assures that all messages are prioritised and regulated, as if acting like a valve or control device. For example, while at a party and while listening attentively to someone talking, all other incoming information around us will be automatically suppressed and censored. This says something about our perception of the world around us – in that we tend to ignore a lot of the information around us and this is due to the default laws of the reality we are focused in and partly due to our personal beliefs, our mindset and what we prefer to give our attention to – one of the reasons why it is said that we tend to perceive and experience only 10% of the universe or ‘multiverse’ around us, and why some 10% of our DNA remains inactive – inappropriately called “junk-DNA” by our scientists. It is said that the destruction of the thalamus causes inability to dream, which reveals that along with the hypothalamus it is indeed a kind of midpoint “gateway” or “gatekeeper” between the conscious-self and the subconscious realms – i.e., those realms of information that the conscious-self usually cuts itself off from during the waking hours or waking half of the cycle.

Modern physiological studies of the thalamus have emphasized the global properties of the thalamus and of the cerebral cortex in operations that underlie changes in conscious state, sleep and wakefulness, and attention and cognition.^[2]

I have already mentioned the Torus or toroidal vortex many times in my other articles, and so in regard to the central position of the thalamus in the head, it is not surprising that we find a connection between the thalamus and the Torus. The following is from the Webster Dictionary:

Thalamus:

1. A mass of nervous matter on either side of the third ventricle of the brain; called also optic thalamus. 2. Same as Thallus. The receptacle of a flower; a torus.^[3]

If we look up the Greek word ‘Thallus’ – which is obviously linguistically linked to the word ‘phallus’ – being the male penis, and perhaps we should note that pen in ‘Penis’ means, ‘head’ – we find that it means, a “young shoot or branch”^[4] as we find sprouting from a seed. The spinal column is linked to the thalamus via the brain stem – the Reptilian Brain, which again, we will come to later. According to esoteric traditions, the spinal cord and brain is the ‘tree of life’ and the image of a flower also applies. The etymology of the word ‘thalamus’ and its derivatives are interesting, in that it seems as if at a deeper level we are being told that:

1. The ‘seed’ of one’s existence is the thalamus.
2. That it is both the flower and the seed, and that one’s body (the spine) grows from it – just like the universe which has grown from the seed – being the proto-atom of the “big bang.”
3. That in turn, and when activated, it “blooms” or “flowers” into being from this same root which was created from it.

The above is why the ‘altars’ of ancient stone circles, as well as temples, cathedrals and churches, really represented the centre of the creation, the centre of the earth, but also the thalamus at the centre of the brain, or possibly the seventh crown chakra (the bindu or void) with which the thalamus is intimately connected. For more insights which are agreeable with many of the themes I am addressing here as well as the shamanic knowledge concerning ‘oscillating systems’ and periodic cycles already touched on, I would recommend that the reader look up a paper on the Internet entitled Inner Self Located. The information given in this paper is indeed reliable, being based on the most ancient of Indian scriptures, the Upanishads of the Vedas, of which there are 108 verses. This paper contains the following quotes in regard to the thalamic centre of the brain:

‘The embryo brain consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain and brain-stem. These are the specific areas of the brain that are discernible about five weeks after conception. As the brain grows and expands these areas remain the central core and guiding influence.’^[5]

‘That the embryo brain region is the location of the Self is consistent with the many references in the Upanishads to the Self being the ‘seed’, ‘the source’, ‘the creator.’^[6]

If true, then it makes sense that during the enlightenment experience, one’s consciousness gathers together and journeys back to that ‘original seed-point’ – as represented physically by the thalamus. In other words, the thalamus represented the ‘immortal’ part of man’s existence – his ‘core-essence,’ which gets carried over from one lifetime to another.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK TO CONTINUE THIS EXCELLENT ARTICLE: http://ideasolar.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/the-gate-of-god-by-gary-osborn/