U-64-Anatomy of Exercise No. 49- Psychic Diagnosis 1^st Method from “64- Master Monograph Section Initiate Degree 7 Nos. 15-17”- Monograph 15 By AMORC Whistleblower Pierre S. Freeman

From Christian Bernard Monographs

Experiment No. 49 – Psychic Diagnosis 1^st Method

Both of the experiments detailed in this monograph involve the identification of illness or disease through psychic means. Two different methods of achieving this outcome are described. Here is the first.

1. The afflicted person must be a friend, family member or close associate.
2. Have the person lie down on a flat, comfortable surface with their feet slightly apart and their arms down by their sides.
3. Place your non-dominant hand palm down about 18 inches above the patient.
4. Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose in a consistent rhythm as you move your palm up and down the patient’s body at this distance. If possible, have the patient follow the same breathing pattern.
5. If you get the impression of heat on your hand, then immediately administer treatment to the first thoracic ganglion (spinal column at the base of the neck). The method for this treatment is detailed in the Sixth Degree monographs.
6. If you receive no impression of heat then follow the exact same steps using your other hand.
7. If you receive the impression coolness in this hand then administer treatment to the third cervical ganglion (middle of the spinal column along the neck).
8. If you receive neither a cool or hot impression then repeat the procedure, alternating your hands each time.
9. If there are no reactions after three attempts, then administer a positive and negative treatment as detailed in the Sixth Degree monographs.

According to the Class Master, this method of diagnosis is made possible by the psychic stimulation of the pineal gland, which in turn stimulates the hypothalamus. The triggered hypothalamus then creates the hot or cold sensations within the hand through the radial nerve.

Examining the Pineal Gland

A Brief History

In the endocrine system at the center of the brain lies a tiny, pinecone shaped organ known as the pineal gland. The first descriptions of this organ can be found in Greek literature in the works of the medical doctor and philosopher Galen.

Galen proclaims that the pineal gland is primarily used to support the movement of blood through the blood vessels of the body. This theory flew in the face of mainstream opinion at the time, which was that the pineal gland was responsible for governing the flow of psychic pneuma into the brain (air necessary for the functioning of the vital organs and therefore the spirit). Because Galen had already performed numerous autopsies and gained a working knowledge of human physiology he knew that it would be impossible for the pineal gland to serve this function, as it was actually attached to the outside of the brain.

By the Middle Ages other ancient academics like Avicenna had built upon these ideas and had begun to posit the pineal gland as some sort of gateway to the imagination. According to 10^th century physician Qusta ibn Luqa, the organ’s primary use was in the recollection or banishment of memories based on the position of the individual’s head and eyes. By the later medieval period, scholars had settled upon the idea that the pineal gland was responsible for governing the entry of spirits into the brain.

Human understanding of anatomy had advanced a great deal by the Renaissance era; enough that the idea of the brain being populated by empty chambers containing vaporous spirits had been thoroughly debunked.  Despite this progress in medical knowledge, the most renowned literature published about the pineal gland at the time, was based on a completely erroneous understanding of basic physiology and anatomy.  The book was called Treatise of Man; the author was famed philosopher Descartes.

Culling together disproven theories from mystical literature, Descartes once again made the claim that the pineal gland contained the keys to imagination, memory and bodily movements. He also claimed that the organ held fiery animal spirits, which swirled about the ventricles of the brain. Descartes went on to describe the pineal gland as the principal seat of the rational soul.

While Descarte’s theories were soundly rejected in the spirit of 18^th century rationalism, they later found a home in the teachings of Madame Blavatsky, who we’ve spoken about many times in these analyses.  Seizing upon Descarte’s ideas, Blavatsky allied them with mystical Hindu beliefs about the organ of spiritual vision, concluding that the pineal gland was simply the atrophied vestige of this third eye.

The Pineal Gland and Scientific Research

Many of the false assumptions surrounding the purpose of the pineal gland were due to failings on the part of scientific research. As we all know, where rational explanations fail mystics are only too happy to infer the presence of the supernatural without even the slightest bit of evidence.

Thankfully our understanding of what this organ does has come along a fair bit over the past thirty years. In 1958, scientists managed to isolate the hormone excreted through the gland and identified it as melatonin, a substance which the body secretes to help regulate its sleep cycle, immune responses and even reproduction. In lower vertebrates the secretion of melatonin through the pineal gland is controlled by the presence or absence of sunlight, while human beings are no longer photosensitive in this sense of the word, some of us are markedly affected by the absence of sunlight, which can be seen in instances of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

As for the third eye hypothesis, it turns out that Blavatsky may have been mixing fact with science fiction again. While the pineal gland is present in most animals, certain species of lizards have an additional organ known as the parietal eye which is attached to the pineal gland. Unfortunately, no mammal has ever been found to have this extra eye attached.

Conclusions

While the pineal gland’s involvement in the regulation of our sleep cycles certainly deserves further investigation, any claims that this tiny organ possesses psychic sensory abilities which can then somehow be translated into physical sensations are completely without merit. The only stimulus the pineal gland will reliably respond to is light, and even then the only response your body will have is to become more relaxed. So where do impressions of heat and coolness come from? Only Rosicrucian Order AMORC knows.