The Pineal Gland - The Third Eye

We have, in fact, a third eye. It is located to the middle of the brain, and it is called the pineal gland. It's an endocrine gland, but it's also an eye.

For long, modern science considered the pineal gland a useless remnant from our evolutionary past. That has gradually changed, but still only a fraction of this important organ's functions has been mapped and understood.

In “Blue Light, Blindness, Sleep Disorder & Cancer” I wrote:

In 1958 melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, was isolated. It is manufactured from serotonin by an enzyme which is inhibited by light. (Interestingly, another area producing melatonin is the retina of the eyes!) This hormone has proved to regulate sleep, affect the hormonal balance, dreams, sexuality, immunity, and much more.

More interesting for our current discussion: the pineal gland transforms external "observations" to signals that can be shared with the brain, nervous system, and body. Such observations are related to light, temperature, possibly magnetism, and other similar qualities.

Heraphilus (fourth century BC) described thought as regulated by the pineal body, while René Descartes (French philosopher, 1596-1650) considered it the intersection between mind and body, the location of the soul.

Indian philosophy knows a third eye, the mind's inner eye, a spiritual centre and a channel of occult powers. In India some women still paint a red mark in the middle of the forehead; a symbol of the third eye, and a sign of religious or spiritual commitment. A similar custom once existed in China and elsewhere.

There is no doubt, the third eye is the pineal gland, which shows many striking similarities to an eye; indeed, it is, or once was an eye; and the serotonin-melatonin system is involved in all higher mental functions (not excluding rational thought). So-called paranormal abilities are associated with an enlarged or very active pineal gland. Its size is not constant, but varies with external conditions. Activity, control, and size can also be affected by targeted training.

A human pineal gland stimulated electrically generates the impression of light. Among birds and certain other animals (whose pineal body lies just under the skull) it is sensitive to external light. In New Zealand there is a lizard called Tuatara; the pineal body of this species is located in a cleft in the skull, covered by a transparent membrane, beneath which there is a lens and a pigmented area, a retina. The nerve connections are not those of an eye as we understand it, so it is supposed to be a vestigial eye. Removal of this organ disturbs the lizard's reactions to various external stimuli.

Although located in the middle of the brain, the human pineal gland is sensitive to external light as well. For a stimulus to reach it, however, the eyes are involved. In “Blue Light, Blindness, Sleep Disorder & Cancer”, I described the system like this:

“Light enters through the eyes, stimulates the retina, signals are then transferred through the optic tract (a bundle of nerve fibres) to the hypothalamus (another gland), and then further to the pineal gland.”

The degree of presence and absence of light is the major regulator of the production of melatonin.

Melatonin can play a role in life-extension (retarding ageing), but the pineal gland secretes other substances affecting ageing too. Studies on mice show that if the gland is removed they die earlier. Transplantation of a pineal gland from a mouse of another age than the receiving one changes the ageing process of the latter to more resembling the age of the former (and of the transplanted gland).

Can blindness reduce the risk of cancer? Yes, obviously. Melatonin inhibits the growth of several forms of cancer cells. As already stated, the major regulator of melatonin production is the level of presence or absence of light. Light turns it off. If blindness is total, no light enters the system, and the melatonin level is generally higher. Studies confirm that blind animals have less cancer.

Even if many "modern" mammals are adapted to be active during daytime, among them the primates (to which humankind belongs), all early species might very well have been nocturnal. They appeared in the world at about the same time as the dinosaurs; but while the latter dominated life on land for approximately 130 million years, only small species of other classes survived. The recipe for survival was to be small and nocturnal. Only when the dinosaurs disappeared, the members of the mammal class grew in individual size and occupied new niches. Perhaps we all stem from nocturnal creatures, and possibly such a heritage can sometimes be noticed. Our sight and the melatonin system identify us as day beings, but many individuals are more inclined to be night active. Such an inclination is not always a result of "bad habits" but can be very fundamental for that person. (For more on that, see "The Inner Clock – Reality or Superstition?".)

(This article is based on material previously published in Meriondho Leo and in my e-book “From Vision to Visual Music”, 2017.)

Related articles:

Blue Light, Blindness, Sleep Disorder & Cancer

The Inner Clock – Reality or Superstition?

Other articles related to eyes or vision:

COLOUR & NEGATIVE REALITY: Do we sometimes see what is not?

Being Blind and Suddenly See: Bliss or Curse?

The Most Powerful Eyes

The Apple of Your Eyes & Too Much Shame Makes the Eyes Drop Out

The Eye As A Metaphysical Symbol

What is an Eye? For What Purpose Do We Have Eyes?

Colour Vision & Why is Human Colour Blindness so Relatively Common?

Lutein & Zeaxanthin: Nutrients that Protect Your Eyes from Ageing

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