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Cultures, philosophies and mythologies
The secretory activity of the pineal gland has only relatively recently become understood. Historically, its location deep in the brain suggested to philosophers that it possessed particular importance. This combination led to its being a "mystery" gland with myth, superstition and metaphysical theories surrounding its perceived function.
René Descartes, who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland,[14] called it the "seat of the soul".[15] He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body.[16] This was in part because of his belief that it is unique in the anatomy of the human brain in being a structure not duplicated on the right and left sides. This observation is not true, however; under a microscope one finds the pineal gland is divided into two fine hemispheres. Another theory was that the pineal operated as a valve releasing fluids, thus the position taken during deep thought, with the head slightly down meeting the hand, was an allowance for the opening of these 'valves'.
The pineal gland is occasionally associated with the sixth chakra (also called Ajna or the third eye chakra in yoga) or sometimes the Seventh (Crown) chakra. It is believed by some to be a dormant organ that can be awakened to enable telepathic communication.[citation needed]
The pineal gland has relevance for Discordianism which is rooted in Californian psychedelic culture (although in this case it is likely a satire of the mysticism attributed to it in the aforementioned examples).
Writers such as Madame Blavatsky and Alice Bailey, considered early proponents of the new age movement, use the pineal-eye as a key element in their spiritual world-view...(see Alice Bailey: "A Treatise on White Magic", Madame Blavatsky: "The Secret Doctrine")
The notion of a 'pineal-eye' is also crucial to the philosophy of the seminal French writer Georges Bataille, which is analyzed at length by literary scholar Denis Hollier in his study Against Architecture.[17]
"But the head has a hole in it. The pineal eye, the organ of not-knowing, is the undoing of science. If science thought up man, the pineal eye unthinks him, spends him extravagantly, makes him lose the reserve in which, at the summit, from his head position, he was guarding himself."[18]
In this work Hollier discusses how Bataille uses the concept of a 'pineal-eye' as a reference to a blind-spot in Western rationality.
"When I carefully seek out, in deepest anguish, some strange absurdity, an eye opens at the top, in the middle of my skull. This eye opening up onto the sun in all its glory, to contemplate it in its nakedness, privately, is not the work of my reason: it is a cry escaping from me. For at the moment when the flash blinds me I am the splintering brilliance of a shattered life, and this life - agony and vertigo - opening up onto an infinite void, bursts and exhausts itself all at once in this void."[19]
The pineal gland also plays a role in the transformation of a scientist into a grotesque monster in the H. P. Lovecraft-inspired film From Beyond.
source: Wiki ~
The secretory activity of the pineal gland has only relatively recently become understood. Historically, its location deep in the brain suggested to philosophers that it possessed particular importance. This combination led to its being a "mystery" gland with myth, superstition and metaphysical theories surrounding its perceived function.
René Descartes, who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland,[14] called it the "seat of the soul".[15] He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body.[16] This was in part because of his belief that it is unique in the anatomy of the human brain in being a structure not duplicated on the right and left sides. This observation is not true, however; under a microscope one finds the pineal gland is divided into two fine hemispheres. Another theory was that the pineal operated as a valve releasing fluids, thus the position taken during deep thought, with the head slightly down meeting the hand, was an allowance for the opening of these 'valves'.
The pineal gland is occasionally associated with the sixth chakra (also called Ajna or the third eye chakra in yoga) or sometimes the Seventh (Crown) chakra. It is believed by some to be a dormant organ that can be awakened to enable telepathic communication.[citation needed]
The pineal gland has relevance for Discordianism which is rooted in Californian psychedelic culture (although in this case it is likely a satire of the mysticism attributed to it in the aforementioned examples).
Writers such as Madame Blavatsky and Alice Bailey, considered early proponents of the new age movement, use the pineal-eye as a key element in their spiritual world-view...(see Alice Bailey: "A Treatise on White Magic", Madame Blavatsky: "The Secret Doctrine")
The notion of a 'pineal-eye' is also crucial to the philosophy of the seminal French writer Georges Bataille, which is analyzed at length by literary scholar Denis Hollier in his study Against Architecture.[17]
"But the head has a hole in it. The pineal eye, the organ of not-knowing, is the undoing of science. If science thought up man, the pineal eye unthinks him, spends him extravagantly, makes him lose the reserve in which, at the summit, from his head position, he was guarding himself."[18]
In this work Hollier discusses how Bataille uses the concept of a 'pineal-eye' as a reference to a blind-spot in Western rationality.
"When I carefully seek out, in deepest anguish, some strange absurdity, an eye opens at the top, in the middle of my skull. This eye opening up onto the sun in all its glory, to contemplate it in its nakedness, privately, is not the work of my reason: it is a cry escaping from me. For at the moment when the flash blinds me I am the splintering brilliance of a shattered life, and this life - agony and vertigo - opening up onto an infinite void, bursts and exhausts itself all at once in this void."[19]
The pineal gland also plays a role in the transformation of a scientist into a grotesque monster in the H. P. Lovecraft-inspired film From Beyond.
source: Wiki ~
I thought it was responsible for producing melatonin, the sleep hormone...?
Shut the fuck up, newb.
pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, or epiphysis) is a small endocrine gland in the brain. It produces melatonin, a hormone that may modulate wake/sleep patterns.[1][2] It is shaped like a tiny pine cone, and is located near the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?fulltext=Search&search=pineal gland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?fulltext=Search&search=pineal gland
That's just a scent gland that gets blocked.
No no no. The dog's pineal is in its brain too. The one near the anus is not an endocrine gland. All it does is produce a scent.
They say that when humanity was young and spiritual we used to have a third eye at the back of our head, but when our bodies became more materialized the third eye diminished and lost its power. It was an organ of spiritual vision.
In some lower vertebrates the pineal gland has a well-developed eyelike structure, while in others it functions as a light receptor.
In some lower vertebrates the pineal gland has a well-developed eyelike structure, while in others it functions as a light receptor.