Specifically the pineal gland and ancient Egypt. I didn't want to post this in mags thread but that thread got me thinking about it. A lot of religions and cultures have beliefs surrounding a "third eye". In Egyptian culture the Eye of Horus is the symbol of protection and good health. There is a theosophical theory that the Eye of Horus symbolizes the pineal gland. I have limited knowledge on the pineal gland, or these 'esoteric' theories, but find the concept interesting. If anyone else has thoughts I would love to hear them. Can anyone recommend any good books regarding the pineal gland (not looking for anything highly medical) or more info on ancient egypt regarding the subject.
I was going to suggest The Relic, but that's about the hypothalamus and it's connection to the lost Kothoga tribe.
The concept of the pineal gland in mythology is the gateway to the spirit world. I would definitely read "DMT the spirit molecule". As for the third eye aspect of religion. Many believe that through deep meditation, one can train the pineal gland to open the doorway to the entire universe, not just another part
http://www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com/proof-that-the-pineal-gland-is-literally-a-3rd-eye/ Here is a good breakdown on why some believe in this connection.
Don't get me on this rant man! I am a psychedelic astronaut that has consumed large amounts of mescaline, DMT (free base or ayahuasca), LSD, and psilocybin. Of course I've dabbled in maryjane and Molly as well. There was one point where I was consuming combinations of LSD, mescaline, Molly and hitting DMT during various peaks. In the end, I've seen things that can only explain the unexplainable. You can believe they are just biochemical firings of your organic computer, but some of the most intense, unnatural and things I've never seen before experiences have taken place.
It is a very interesting concept. Do we simply ignore the things we don't expect to be there? Have you heard about this? http://boingboing.net/2011/08/12/how-language-affects-color-perception.html
That's what I'm saying exactly... And you can go further and say science has benefited greatly to find realities from things that can't be seen from the naked eye. The atom, DNA, bacteria, gravity and the list goes on. If we lived in a society that said "No point in believing it because I can't see it" then those pioneers that discovered these things would have never thought to look for them.
I will say there is going to be a limit to this "extra perception." The eye will physically not be able to see things it simply cannot see. It's a matter of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. But there might be some patterns that we don't naturally recognize.
I don't know if you watch "brain games" but there was an episode explaining how all the senses are used to give us a perception of reality. They used one example of food experts (critics, chefs) and blind folded them. They were able to make out what good item they ate most the time. But the moment they plugged their nose, the experts got them all wrong. I believe that we have more than just seeing, hearing, smelling and touching. I think there is another sense, maybe even two. One is "spiritual" or you can call it "energy". Everything puts off a form of energy reading. I think there is a part of us that can pick up these readings. And with the help of psychoactive drugs, that sense is amplified.
Dark matter! We wouldn't be here without it but basically have no idea wtf it is or why/how it's here.