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.