The sixth chakra is often known as the Third Eye. However, according to the postulates of yoga (specifically those written by H. H. Mahatapaswi Shri Kumarswamiji) ,the pituitary gland of the sixth chakra and the pineal gland of the seventh chakra must join their essence in order to open the Third Eye.
PITUITARY GLAND
The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea and is located behind the center of our forehead, between our eyes. Therefore, the sixth chakra is often called the Brow Chakra. The pituitary gland is known as the master gland because it acts as a main control center that sends messages to all the other glands from its two lobes, the posterior and the anterior. The pituitary gland prompts the proper growth of glands and organs and regulates sexual development.
The pituitary gland is called the “seat of the mind” with the frontal lobe regulating emotional thoughts such as poetry and music, and the anterior lobe regulating concrete thought and intellectual concepts. On the other hand, the pineal gland is known as the “seat of illumination, intuition and cosmic consciousness”. The pineal gland is to the pituitary gland what intuition is to reason.
PINEAL GLAND
The pineal gland is cone shaped and is located in the middle of the brain behind and just above the pituitary gland. The pineal gland contains pigment similar to that found in the eyes and is connected to the optic thalami, hence it controls the action of light upon our body. The pineal gland is located in the posterior end of the third ventricle of the brain and the pituitary gland is located in the roof of the third ventricle. It is said that the joining of the essences of these two glands in the third ventricle is what opens the Third Eye.
The pineal gland acts in two ways to inhibit the action of the pituitary gland. First, the pituitary gland is responsible for activating adolescence and the beginning of sexuality, and the pineal gland checks the pituitary gland to prevent premature sexual awakening. Second, human thought is regarded as a result of suspended action, and the pineal gland inhibits the immediate discharging of thoughts into action. This inhibition causes us to look inward and to deeply ponder our actions and reactions.
This introversion is indispensable for self-realization as it displaces our attention from the outer world to the inner. When the external world disappears, our circle of consciousness contracts because our primary attention is focused upon our inner self. It is this inner attention that magnetizes “spiritual light” into the pineal gland.
THE THIRD VENTRICLE
The third ventricle of the brain is a narrow opening lying near the base of the cerebral hemispheres and separating the two thalamic areas. These thalamic areas are the brain’s “storehouse” of all our sensory perceptions. When the pituitary and pineal glands are fully developed and stimulated through meditation upon the sixth and seventh chakras, their vibrations fuse and activate the Third Eye. Once the Third Eye is open we have personal access to higher knowledge. The opened Third Eye is called the “Eye of the Soul”.
Shiva yoga is a form of yoga practice which concentrates on awakening the pineal gland. This gland is often dormant because our third dimensional self is usually focused on the outer sensate world rather than the higher spheres. Shiva yoga teaches that cosmic light descends to meet the individual through the optic thalamic nerve connection of the crown chakra. Once the Kundalini has risen to the pituitary gland, it merges with the cosmic light which the pineal gland has received in the third ventricle.
MYSTICAL MARRIAGE
The human brain has a fundamental resemblance to a human, androgynous embryo. The pituitary gland holds the positive, masculine charge and the pineal holds a negative, feminine charge. When the masculine and feminine energies meet in the brain it is known as the Mystical Marriage. The Mystical Marriage initiates the birth of our multidimensional consciousness and our conscious passage into the fifth dimension and beyond.
The rising Kundalini pulls the energy up from Mother Earth through the nerve channels, into the medulla oblongata, through the pons area of the brain and then down into the pituitary gland behind the eyes. The increasing pituitary radiations then pass through the third ventricle to awaken the pineal gland which has received light from the higher dimensions. The feminine earth energy merges with the masculine pituitary gland and the feminine pineal gland receives the masculine unmanifest energy from Spirit. When the two awakened chakras’ essences meet in the third ventricle, there is the union and harmony of spirit into matter as the multidimensional forces of spiritual light merge with the matter of our third dimensional brain.
THE THIRD EYE
The opened Third Eye is also known as the Middle Eye of Shiva, the Eye of Horus, and the Horn of the Unicorn. The Temple of Maat in early Egypt was dedicated to the process of opening the Third Eye. The Third Eye is an etheric, or fourth dimensional, eye. It acts as a sensitive receiver, and transmitter, by which vibrations of many different types can be translated, interpreted and dispersed into our third dimensional brains to gain wisdom and illumination. Through this EYE, inner planes, thought forms, and higher entities are perceived. A better sense of cause and effect is also acquired.
All eyes need a lens to give meaning to a perceived light sensation, including the Third Eye. The Third Eye’s lens is located in our aura, just in front of our sixth chakra. The psychic construction of this lens is part of the discipline that leads to the accurate perception with our inner eye. By using this point in our aura (between our eyes and in the center of our forehead) as a focal point during meditation, we can facilitate the development of our Third Eye’s lens. Using this form of meditation also facilitates theta wave consciousness.
THETA WAVES
Theta waves (4-7 cps) occur in sleep and are dominant in our highest state of meditation. We normally only experience theta waves as we drift off to sleep, during some dreaming, and as we return from the depths of delta sleep. The pictures we perceive as we drift off and awaken are in theta wave. During theta wave meditations, we are in a waking dream where vivid imagery flashes before our inner vision. In this state, we are extremely receptive to information sent from the higher dimensions.
The Shamanic State of Consciousness, which is theta brainwaves, allows us to journey into the higher planes. The steady-rhythmic beat of the drum struck four and one-half times per second (theta waves are 4-7 cps) is the key to transporting a shaman into the deepest part of his or her Shamanic trance. The constant and rhythmic-drone of Tibetan Buddhist chants that transport the monks and other listeners into realms of blissful meditation also follow this rhythm.
Theta waves have also been identified as the gateway to learning and memory. Theta meditation increases creativity, enhances learning, reduces stress and awakens intuition as well as other extrasensory perception skills. Theta consciousness allows us to connect with our creative inspirations, spiritual guidance and peak experiences. Through theta wave meditation, we can open our Third Eye and access the delta waves that unite us with Universal Energy and Cosmic Consciousness.
