Notes on Occult Anatomy

[ecosophia]

In the process of exploring the background to G.W. Carey's cell salt protocol, the basis of the experiment many of us have been doing for the last few months, I've been digging into late nineteenth and early twentieth century writings about the occult anatomy of the human body. It's a fascinating field, and one of the most fascinating things about it is that there seems to be a coherent tradition in American occult circles that is neither the system of chakras that the Theosophical Society borrowed from Hindu tradition, nor the system of energy centers that the Golden Dawn borrowed from Cabalistic tradition. Two good outlines of this third system I've found so far are Manly Hall's pamphlet Occult Anatomy and his book Man: The Grand Symbol of the Mysteries, but no doubt there are others -- Hall is just the author from that period I'm most familiar with. 

Among the things that I find intriguing about this alternative system is that it tends to pay very close attention to the actual anatomy of the nervous system. The solar plexus, the big cluster of nerve tissue located behind the stomach, is an important center, perhaps the most important in general, but a great deal of attention also focuses on the adrenal glands and their associated nerve plexi, and above all on the pituitary and pineal glands, which are located on the underside of the brain. There are various exercises that work with the solar plexus and some other nerve plexi -- and there's, ahem, a certain regimen involving cell salts that seems to relate to the same thing. 

If I understand correctly -- and I'm still in the early stages of this research -- the solar plexus, properly stimulated, sends an influence up to the pineal gland, which then releases something into the cerebrospinal fluid.  A narrow passage allows the cerebrospinal fluid to pass from the third ventricle of the brain, where the pineal gland is, to the pituitary gland. According to the theory, when the substance the pineal gland releases reaches the pituitary, that's the "opening of the third eye" -- of course not a physical opening of an eye, but the awakening of certain capacities for direct perception of the spiritual world. The same substance, as it circulates through the cerebrospinal fluid more generally and then passes out through the membranes around the brain into the blood, is thought to cause certain noticeable improvements in general health. 

This is not the same as the awakening of kundalini, the sexual energy at the base of the spine. That's something the old authors knew about, by the way -- they all read Arthur Avalon's books on the subject once those were in print. It's a subtler, safer process, and my working guess at this point that it functions by way of the vagus nerve, which connects the solar plexus with the underside of the brain without going through the spinal cord at all. The vagus nerve also coordinates the immune system -- it's the basis for many of the processes studied by the jawbreakingly named scientific specialty of psychoneuroimmunology. 

There's quite a bit of old literature on how to do things with the solar plexus so that it has indirect positive influences on the brain and the adrenal system. I'm going to be reviewing that over the next few months, to see how it interfaces with Carey's protocol and theories. We'll see where all this leads. 

Comments

Fascinating!

[(Anonymous)]

This is really interesting, especially since it seems to link neuro-anatomy with psychic capacities.
I'll try to get these 2 books and read them.

Re: Fascinating!

[ecosophia]

That link is one of the things I'm starting to focus on at this point. Fascinating indeed!

[sdi]

Ha! How timely, for two reasons.

The first is that I was going to ask you to recommend some works on occult anatomy in the next Magic Monday. (I've noticed that after years of meditation, various spots in my body "light up" during practice and at other times, and I was curious to get some background on what's occurring. I was aware of Leadbeater's The Chakras, but it wasn't very helpful to me, as only a few of the spots I've mentioned correspond to these.) So, thank you for name-dropping Hall's texts, I'll start my research there.

The second is that I watched the documentary series Magical Egypt: Season 2 a few weeks ago, and they mentioned this same pituitary/pineal connection. The premise of the series is that brain anatomy is frequently depicted in ancient spiritual art and architecture. I am not sure it'd be useful to your research, but the synchronicity is such that I thought I'd mention it just in case.

[ecosophia]

Hmm! I wonder where the Magical Egypt scriptwriters got that from. More leads to follow...

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Mr Greer,

There's is one more important step in the endocrine system - Hypothalamus. Hypothalamus is a part of a brain. Is considered as part of the nervous system and endocrine gland as well. It releases hypothalamic hormones (or hypophysiotropic hormones) that exert its primary influence over the pituitary gland, which in turn controls other endocrine glands with tropic hormones.
Hypothalamus is called a "link between body-mind-nerves-endocrine glands".

In modern anatomy, pituitary and pineal body are not considered as a part of the nervous system. Also, I couldn't find information about pineal body influencing a pituitary gland, but up to date physiology books say that "pineal body function is still a mystery".

Something new, that for sure Halls book is missing, is an EDS - Enteric Autonomic Nervous System, (part of the Autonomic Peripheral Nervous system) that may as well be called "belly brain". Research about its working is in progress. Modern anatomy books don't mention any nervous centre in a place of solar plexus.

I recommend You to look for the book "Mosby's Essential Sciences for a Therapeutic Massage" by Sandy Fritz. Up to date anatomy and physiology with relation to human wellbeing, mind, energy and soul. Fritz in her book looks for correlations between western physiology and Indian and Chinese knowledge. Not the whole book is about those links, is mostly anatomy and physiology, but You can find there many interesting pieces of information.

Michał

[ecosophia]

The hypothalamus got some discussion in the old literature, which I'll be following up. As for the solar plexus, it's called the celiac (or coeliac) plexus in current anatomical texts; here's the Wikipedia article on it as a starting place. Thanks for the book suggestion; I'll keep an eye out for it.

[(Anonymous)]

You may find this thought-provoking (or just provoking):
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/human-consciousness-0014444

[ecosophia]

Funny. The scientist they cite is about the three hundred thousandth person to claim to have solved that particular problem in some mechanistic fashion.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks JMG

I grew up in Ireland where the water is fluoridated, not that they tell you. There seems to be hard scientific evidence that fluoride accumulates in the pineal gland. (Luke J. (1997). The Effect of Fluoride on the Physiology of the Pineal Gland. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Surrey, Guildford. p. 177.)

I have decided not to use fluoride toothpaste and now thankfully live in an area that doesn't fluoridate the water supplies. I can't imagine that a fluoride soaked pineal gland promotes either physical or spiritual well-being.

[ecosophia]

I grew up in the United States, where it's public knowledge that the water is fluoridated. I note, though, that interest in alternative spirituality has skyrocketed in the US since fluoride started being added to the water supply, and if I understand correctly, something similar is happening in Ireland -- certainly the Catholic church no longer has as much influence as it once did, and the Irish Druid and Golden Dawn scenes are very active. Thus the concentration of fluoride crystals in the pineal gland may be having unexpected effects...

[(Anonymous)]

Here is another one:
http://opsopaus.com/OM/BA/JO-TEP.html

[ecosophia]

Opsopaus is always spot on. I note, though, that he's basing his system very specifically on the chakras.

[(Anonymous)]

How about The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tradition by G.R.S. Mead?

[ecosophia]

Good question. I've just found and downloaded a copy.

[redmachus]

JMG,

I'm curious to see where your research takes you. Years ago, I read some of A.T. Still's works on Osteopathy. Today it's considered a mainstream science (mostly), but in the early years it ranked up there with phrenology and mesmerism in the eyes of the established medical community. Still was an interesting character; he dabbled in quite a few activities in his day, including spiritualism, fighting in the "Bleeding Kansas" battles, and inventing a number of interesting mechanical devices. The more interesting of his theories are largely downplayed these days, particularly in the field he created, some for good reason. I doubt he ever considered what he did "occult anatomy", but I wouldn't be surprised to find a significant overlap.

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Interesting. He may well deserve a look.

[avalterra]

Interesting! Science has, only recently, tripped across a similar gut to brain communication. They are focused on the flora but have gone so far as to say that the gut acts as a "second brain."
https://www.mhanational.org/fitness-4mind4body-gut-brain-connection

[ecosophia]

Fascinating. Thanks for this.

[yuccaglauca]

>>I'm still in the early stages of this research

That part surprises me. I'm currently at the beginning of the 4th grade of the Dolmen Arch, and I thought the text was not only discussing a "third system," but that the system was based on it--the Solar Plexus Awakening and Grand Psychic Breath don't exactly resemble chakra exercises. The work that gets added into the SoP is a bit closer to what I've seen of Golden Dawn stuff, but it's distinct enough that I thought it might derive from that "third system."

[ecosophia]

The material I put in the Dolmen Arch was the first set of clues I'd gathered. There's a huge amount of further literature and teaching on the subject -- that's why I noted that it's early days yet.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow! thank you for this entry JMG.
For the past few months I have been experimenting with an asana yoga practice after CGD ritual, and so far it has been lovely. Beginning to understand more and more the yogic philosophy relating to BKS Iyengar, the topic of asanas connecting and activating the certain energies of the body has been integral to this experiment, as I want to make sure the asanas are connecting to the ritual in a beneficial way. Occult anatomy, I am finding, is a big interest of mine and I am excited to see where the journey takes me.
As well, I am now re-reading Hali for the second time, and something I glanced over last time was the notion of the Radiance using the machine which activates the pineal gland (along with the practices and presence of The Great Old Ones). This topic has been in my thoughts recently, I haven't figured out why yet. But then I haven't had time to have a proper meditation on it yet.
This post has been most inspiring in making a connection from the solar plexus to the pineal gland, and making me think I might need to explore that path.
Now to do some more testing....
Many thanks JMG,
sydsquid

[ecosophia]

Excellent! Test away -- and let us all know what you find.

[robertmathiesen]

Does Augusta Foss Heindel's pamphlet, "Astrology and the Ductless Glands" (1936), fit into the history of the ideas that you are exploring here? Manly Palmer Hall comntributed a preface to it. It came out a year earlier than Hall's "Occult Anatomy." (The author was Max Heindel's wife.)

More generally, I vaguely remember hearing something like this sort of occult anatomy from my first esoteric teacher (outside of my own family), Clesson Hopkins Harvey, back in the middle 1960s. Harvey was a product of Katherine Tingley's variant of theosophy, and had been educated (K-12) in the school system Tingley set up at Point Loma in California. He went on to get an advanced degree in physical chemistry at UC Berkeley, and taught physics in Berkeley High School when I was a student there.

As an esotericist, Harvey went well beyond Tingley's theosophy when I knew him, and he had evolved his own system from his years of study of the Old Egyptian Pyramid Texts and also the Tibetan materials published by Evans-Wentz and others.

PS Augusta Foss Heindel's pamphlet is available online at: http://iapsop.com/ssoc/1936__heindel___astrology_and_the_ductless_glands.pdf

[ecosophia]

Thank you for this -- I've just downloaded it. At first glance it looks like a blend of the occult anatomy tradition I'm following with Max Heindel's somewhat idiosyncratic cosmology: that is to say, what you'd expect from the author. (She was Max's student as well as his wife, as so often happened in those days.) Hall was another student of theirs early on, of course. As for your first teacher, that doesn't surprise me -- the tradition I'm looking into seems to have been all over the US occult scene in the early 20th century, especially though not only in California!

[dfr1973]

You likely know this, but William Walker Atkinson had a book titled "The Solar Plexus; or the Abdominal Brain" (IIRC) which I've not yet read so can't comment on more than just the title. Could be another thread, and one that predates Hall.

[ecosophia]

I've downloaded it.

Foramen reticularis

[(Anonymous)]

Der JMG,
for whats it's worth, two years ago I attended a course where a neurologist said that the foramen reticularis is responsible for filtering sensory data before reaching the brain. Maybe oft Interstate, maybe not.

Re: Foramen reticularis

[ecosophia]

Interesting. I'll look into that.

Weird Experience

[youngelephant]

I experienced the pineal-pituitary thing listening to youtube third eye music while high on cannabis 5 years ago (don't smoke anymore). I saw this info once before and lost it so thank you. I didn't know the solar plexus played a role.

Re: Weird Experience

[ecosophia]

So noted! Many thanks for the data point.

Neuroanatomy

[(Anonymous)]

This is pretty interesting. One of my professors did some of the original work on the enervation of the pineal gland so he covered it exhaustively in class. While the input is autonomic it is from the sympathetic chain not vagal afferents. Now the sympathetic nervous system from a lot of the same places as the vagus, and right next to the solar(celiac) plexus lies several masses of nervous tissue, the celiac ganglia, the largest ganglia of the autonomic nervous system. Both the solar plexus and the geliac ganglia are both mediating the bidirectional flow of information between the CNS and mostly the viscera.

locating solar plexus

[scotlyn]

Thanks for this. I am extremely interested in the energetic anatomy, however approached. As you know I am most familiar with the energetic anatomy developed by theoreticians in the Traditional and Classical Chinese Medicine schools.

You linked to the wikipedia article locating the corresponding coeliac plexus "behind the stomach and the omental bursa, and in front of the crura of the diaphragm, on the level of the first lumbar vertebra." This makes it easy to locate on the Du channel, the energetic pathway traversing the posterior central line of the body trunk, at the first lumbar vertebra lying between Du-5 and Du-6 - the latter being the point that is consistently referenced in connection with the solar plexus.

Whereas on the Ren channel, the energetic pathway which traverses the anterior central line of the body trunk, things are not as clear. I have now found references to the Solar Plexus being variably located at (or associated with) Ren-12, Ren-14, or Ren-15, depending on the source. (These all lie in the upper half of the central line that runs from the place where the ribs diverge to the navel). And I am uncertain as to which of these points lies most directly in front of the 1st lumbar vertebra.

So I would like to know what formula you would use to locate the solar plexus from the outside and front of the body. Thank you.

[(Anonymous)]

This is only tangential to the topic. Anyway:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/what-does-cerebellum-really-do/616689/

So, in 1986 dr. Lerner theorized that the cerebellum is way more important than previously thought, and now the idea gained traction.

I guess it is just a coincidence that Stan Gooch wrote about the complexity of the cerebellum in Creatures from Inner Space, first published in 1984, two years before...

[(Anonymous)]

Hi John Michael
A system that is slightly to one side of your focus is Autogenic Training. Developed in the 1930's by a german doctor.
It works on the relaxation response and also develops degree of control (or influence) on the Autonomic Nervous system
To my eye it stems from Yoga and Ayurveda use of the Tattvas without any direct focus on the chakras. Apparently it gets into "psychic development" in the advanced stages.
Plenty of cheap books out that teach the method and here's pdf
https://wholehealth.wisc.edu/tools/autogenic-training/
I know it's not your focus but you may find this Indian "esoteric anatomy book" by a suitably dead person of use to you.
http://rainbowbody.com/asana/NaturesFinerForces.pdf
Also I'll post something soon on my findings on using the vortices during the 5 Tibetan Rites
cheers
Lurksalong

[yuccaglauca]

You clearly state that this is not the same thing as Kundalini awakening, but am I correct in thinking that you're implying that all three systems are largely parallel regarding the eventual effects of "opening the third eye?"

More specifically, is "the awakening of certain capacities for direct perception of the spiritual world" that results from the three systems essentially the same, or are there different capacities that result?

[jeffinwa]

Fascinating post; immediately brought to mind Vagus nerve stimulation/health, gut/brain connections, third chakra/solar plexus (certainly close anatomically). The probability drive seems to be engaged.

Other than your appearance in "The Great Work" would you recommend the series as a source of information? I ask because the "Magical Egypt" series includes it as part of a package set.

Gut brain

[(Anonymous)]

It’s possible to feed your gut brain by eating green banana flour or a raw potato. The gut bacteria that feed on indigestible starch make serotonin, the neurotransmitter. I know if I eat a tablespoon my dreams become extremely vivid and my waking hours more chill. It’s believed also it helps increase muscularity.

Solar placement

[(Anonymous)]

The choreographer Agnes De Mille, known for the abdominal contractions used so extensively in her works Rodeo, Oklahoma!, and Fall River Legend, considered the solar plexus to be the primal source of authentic movement. I have no idea where she came across that belief, but she subsequently become a major proponent of engaging the solar plexus to project emotions outward. A friend of mine who worked with her back in the day said that no one could get her to shut up about the solar plexus. She may be a useful lead.

When I was dancing butoh, Poppo Shiraishi always began by demanding we move from our “small universe” (a few inches below the navel) and ended by admonishing us for moving too much from our “big universe” (the head). Poppo was not big on positive reinforcement. The Japanese idea of the small universe is a completely different energy center than the solar plexus but equally fascinating. When you really begin moving from there, you enter a trance or semi-trance state where “you” disappear and the subconscious takes over. It’s very humbling when you come back into yourself after ten or fifteen minutes of your best dancing, but you have absolutely no memory of what transpired during that entire time. It’s also frighteningly disorienting to come out of that kind of trance during a performance, and to have no idea where you are or what you’re supposed to do next.

In the 1990’s New York experimental modern dance scene, centered around Judson Church and Movement Research, many of the avant-garde cultivated a “head-tailbone connection” or “coccygeal-occipital connection” to be able to move integratedly or naturally. In a few cases, that connection allowed dancers bodies to flow with amazing ease, appearing to move instinctually without conscious thought or interruption. In many other cases, it caused dancers to adopt a set of self-conscious mannerisms intended to mimic that natural flow, which they could not achieve. Alas, those studied mannerisms went out with them into the street to mix with all the catty back-stabbing, jealousies, and gossip until a head-tailbone connection became more associated with dancerly affectation rather than ease or grace. Nonetheless, that energetic connection is real, and the spine is the obvious mechanical structure linking the occiput to the coccyx.

I wondered, upon reading of Hall’s focus on the solar plexus, whether it could be located at the mid-point of the spine. Solar plexus yields rather vague anatomical results on the internet, but it’s synonym celiac plexus pulls up much more anatomically precise images for the injection of nerve blocks. Several of those images put the celiac plexus at the level of T-12 or the disc above it. Other images put the celiac plexus at L-1 or the disc above it. So, I’m guessing that the bottom part of T-12 is the average location of the celiac plexus in humans. While that’s not the midpoint of the height of the spine from coccyx to occiput as measured in a straight line, the body has no obligation to measure anything in straight lines based on grids. Measuring the length of the spine along its natural curves, as the body probably experiences its length, puts the midpoint right around the lower part T-12. Hmmm.

Why would the solar plexus be located right next to the midpoint of the spine? That’s a very interesting question to which I haven’t come up with any convincing answers. The nerves from the plexus feed into the spinal column higher up above the midpoint, so the nerves wouldn’t seem to be able to act like any type of spinal regulator at the half-way point. Perhaps the plexus exerts some energetic or chi effect right there alongside the middle of the spine? If that energy (chi) can travel along nerves, then an energetic pulse from the solar plexus at the midpoint of the spine would arrive at the top and bottom of the spinal column at the same moment, which might have some interesting effects. Craniosacral therapy works on restoring the balanced pulse of the cerebrospinal fluid as it is absorbed and released by the brain rhythmically. How would an energy pulse from the center of the spinal column reaching the ends simultaneously affect that fluid pulse? Or is the upper endpoint for the solar plexus’ energy actually the pineal gland? Is there a lower endpoint for the energy equidistant to the pineal, like say the root chakra or perineum? So many questions.

When I looked up the connection between the solar/celiac plexus and the adrenals I found lots of chakra mentions but no scientific research. That seems kind of odd given that the adrenal nerves pass through the celiac plexus. Are scientists so afraid to research anything that might corroborate alternative practices that they ignore the most interesting questions? The chakra mentions note that the solar plexus is also known as the will power center, making me wonder whether your wide-flung research might be more focused than perceived at first glance?

— Christophe

Reflections on Reflexology

[(Anonymous)]

Worthwhile research, JMG. Thanks for posting this.

A few years back my wife received training in reflexology. One of the things that I liked about it was its basis on human anatomy as we currently describe it (including many of the glands). She used to practice it on me, and I on her. And one of the amazing things that I found was the effect of pressing the spot for the solar plexis in the middle of the sole of the foot: not only did it produce heat and energy for the “client” (the one whose foot it was) but also the “practitioner”!

May your research help to reveal this very practical mysteries of how the human body functions and what can be done to optimize the health and well-being of this organism that we inhabit.

Ron M

[d_mekel]

I hope there are more pineal post. I had a fascination with near death experiences and dimethyltryptamine that eventually brought me to occultism. I recently listened to Damien Echols audiobook angels and archangels(nice forward btw). In it he was talking about his most profound experience he has had calling in an assortment of angels. The experience he describes sounds somewhat similar to DMT experience.