The Third Eye
and LSD

The  belief,  that  in  madness,  there  may  exist  a  core  of  numinous  knowledge,
is  commonplace  in  all  human  societies.   In  the  Western  tradition, the  doctrine
that  truth  may  be  obtained,  through  a  state of  mind, in  which,  reason  is  dislocated,
a  state  of  ecstatic  revelation,  is  generally  supposed  to  have  originated,  with  the Thracian  worship  of  Dionysius, later  becoming  synthesized  by  Pythagorus, and to
have  received  its  most  complete  elaboration,  in  the  dialogues  of  Plato.
 

These  disputations,  most  frequently  arise,  in  connection  with  accomplishment  in
the  creative  arts,  where  the  biographies  of  many  greatly  talented  people,  are
replete,  with  histories  of  bizarre  behavior  of  one  kind  or  another.
 

It  is  impossible,  however,  to  make  such  correlation  on  any  kind of  statistical
basis,  since  for  every  "mad  artist"  on  the  model  of  Van  Gogh, one can point
to  two  equally  creative, original, and  productive  artists,  on  the  sane and  sober
models  of  J. S.  Bach  or  T. S.  Eliot.

In  addition,  to  the  artificially  induced  LSD  state, there  are  other, naturally
occurring  temporary  states,  in  which  there  is  a  collapse  of  the normal  routines,
by  which  the  mind,  ordinarily  processes  the  information  it  receives  of  the
outside  world.
 

Not  only  Hitler, but  before  him,  Alexander  the  Great, Julius  Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte... all  reportedly  suffered  from  mysterious  seizures,  which  overtook  them,
at  seemingly  random  times... often  inconveniently.  Dostoevsky, also  suffered  from
these  states, and  his  reports  of  them,  are  sufficiently  detailed,  to  permit  a  more
certain  medical  diagnosis  of  his  affliction... some  kind  of  psycho - motor  epilepsy.

As  he describes  the  "aura"  which  precedes  his  seizures, the  language  is
remarkably  similar  to  that  used  by  LSD  subjects.   Dostoevsky  wrote: "For  a  few moments,  I  experience  such  happiness  as  is  impossible, under ordinary
circumstances  and  of  which,  other  people  can  have  no  notion.  I  feel complete
harmony  in  myself  and  in  the  world  and  this  feeling  is  so  strong and  sweet,
that  for  several  seconds  of  such  bliss, one  would  give  ten  years of  one's  life;
indeed, perhaps  one's  whole  life."
 

Others  have  reported, on  these  aura  states  as  well.   Along  with  the  feelings of
peace  and  euphoria, there  is  a general  impression of  a clear  and golden  shimmering light.   Quite  often,  there  is  a  sense of  cerebral  clarity  as  well, and  solutions of
a  lovely  simplicity,  appear  for  the  most  intractably  knotted  problems.
 

This  last  notion,  is  the  one  implied,  in  the  term  psychedelic  (mind  manifesting),
which  seems  gradually,  to  be  coming  into  general  use, to describe both the class
of  drugs  and  those  states  of  mind,  with  which they  are  associated.

Reports  of  these  kinds  of  exalted  states,  have  come  to  us  not  only  through
the  literature  of  religious  fanaticism;  such  accomplished  scientists  as  Pascal
and  Newton,  have  written  of  being  overcome  by  mystic  trances,  to  which,
they  attribute  many  of  their  creative  insights.  William  James  well  understood,
that  the  mystic,  was  often  able  to  effect  an  almost  miraculous  synthesis,
between  this  world  of  "imagined"  reality  and  the  world  of  phenomena.

In  recent  years, psychology  has  tended, to  its  discredit, to  ignore  these  elements
of  William  James's  thought.   One of  the  happy  by-products  of  LSD,  has  been  the
revival  of  interest  in  William  James,  on  the  part  of  academic  psychologists,
who  had  previously  thought,  that  these  concerns  of  his, were  a cranky  eccentricity,
in  the  body  of  his  worthwhile  work.
 

Two  famous  reports, of  modern  times  of  this  kind  of  correlation, between  the
hard  factual  world  of  science  and  the  dream  world  of  the  psychedelic  state,
are  those  of  Friedrich  Kekule, the  German  chemist,  who has  written,  that  he  was "presented  with"  the  closed - chain  theory,  of  the  structure of  the  benzene molecule, during  one  such  dream - trance  state,  and  Otto  Loewi,  who  wrote,  that  in 1921,
he  awakened  from  a  dream,  in  which  was  described  to  him,  the  means  by
which  chemical  transfer  was  accomplished,  between  nerve  and  effecter  cells.
Loewi,  rushed  down  to  his  laboratory, where  he  proceeded  to  prove,  the  reality
of  the  dream... an  accomplishment,  which  led  to  the  Nobel  Prize.
 

From  the  time of  Dionysius, to  the  time of  Plato, the  cultures  of  the  Mediterranean, consented  to  this  doctrine, that  claimed  the  existence, of  an  order  of  ultimate
reality,  which  lies  beyond  apparent  reality,  and  that  this  "paranormal"  reality,  is accessible,  to  the  consciousness,  only  when  the  "normal"  routines,  of  mental
data  processing  are  dislocated.
 

It  was  Plato's  pupil,  Aristotle,  who  spoiled  his  master's  game.  Following  upon
Aristotle,  Western  philosophy  became  bifurcated.  The  philosophical  temper  of  our civilization, being  scientifically  and  technically  oriented, is  basically  Aristotelian.
 

No  such  rational  figure, as  Aristotle,  arose in  the Orient,  to  a  position  of  equal eminence.  Regardless  of  the  reasons,  Indian  anatomists  and  zoologists, who  were
no  doubt,  just  as  curious  as  the  Greeks,  about  the  origins  of  life,  and  as  skilled
in  dissection, did  not  feel  compelled,  to  set  their  disciplines  up,  in  opposition to metaphysics.

The  system  made  a  heroic  attempt,  to  join  together,  the  seeming disparate
entities  of  body  and  mind.  It  is  a  very  complicated  doctrine;  in  oversimplified
terms, the  system  encourages  the  practitioner,  to  progress  through  the  control
of  six  stages, called  chakras, of  body - mind  coordination.  The  sixth, the  highest
and  most  exalted  state, is  called  the  "Sahasrara".
 

The  physiological  site of  this  sixth  chakra,  the  "Sahasrara",  is  located  in  the
center  of  the  forehead;  it  is  symbolized  by  an  eye, the  third  eye, the  inner eye,
or  the  eye of  the  mind.   When  this  eye  is  opened, a  new  and completely  other dimension  of  reality...  is  revealed  to  the  practitioner  of  yoga.  Western  scholars
when  they  first  came  upon  this  literature,  took  the  third  eye  to  be,  an
appropriately  poetic  metaphor  and  nothing  else.

But  in  the  middle of  the  nineteenth  century, as  the  subcontinent  of  Australia  and
its  surrounding  territory...  came  to  be explored, a  flurry  of  zoological  interest...
centered  upon  a  lizard  native  to  the  area, the  tuatara  (Sphenodon  punctatum).
 

This  animal  possessed, in  addition  to  two  perfectly  ordinary  eyes,  located on
either  side of  its  head, a  third  eye  buried  in  the  skull,  which  was  revealed
through  an  aperture in  the  bone, covered  by  a  transparent  membrane, and 
surrounded  by  a  rosette  of  scales.   It  was  unmistakably  a  third  eye, but  upon
dissection, it  proved  to  be  nonfunctional.

Though  it  still  possessed  the  structure of  a  lens  and  retina, these  were  no
longer  in  good  working  order;  also  lacking,  were  appropriate  neural  connections
to  the  brain.   But  the  presence of  this  eye...  in  the  tuatara, still poses  a  puzzle
to  present-day  evolutionists, for  almost  all  vertebrates  possess  a  homologous
structure, in  the  center  of  their  skulls.
 

It  is  present  in  many  fish, all  reptiles, birds  and  mammals, (including humans).
No  functional  role,  whatever, could be  imagined  for  this  structure in humans  and
it  remained  merely  an  anatomical  curiosity  until  1898,  when  Otto  Heubner, a
German  physician, wrote a  paper , associating cancers  of  this  organ...  with  instances
of  precocious  puberty  in  children.

Directly  as  Rapport  announced  his  discovery,  the  new  chemical,  came  under
intensive  scrutiny.  Biochemists  were  eager  to  find  means  of  augmenting  its  role,
as  a  clotting  agent  and  vasoconstrictor.   They  were  also eager  to  find  means  of blocking  these  functions.

In a paper  published  in 1953, he  pointed  out  the  odd  fact,  that  LSD-25,  was  a
potent  antagonist  to  Serotonin.   Two Biochemists,  working at  the  Rockefeller
Institute, D. W.  Woolley  and  E.  Shaw,  were  similarly  struck  by  this  odd coincidence. They  tested  a  number  of  other  chemicals  antagonistic  to  serotonin  and  wrote in
a  rather  startled  tone,  "Among each of  these  compounds, are  some, that  cause
mental  aberrations.
 

If  this  be  true, then  the  naturally  occurring  mental  disorders,  for  example
schizophrenia, which are  mimicked  by  these  drugs, may  be  pictured  as being the
result  of  a "cortical  serotonin  deficiency",  arising  from  metabolic  failure...
rather  than  from  drug  action.

This  announcement  produced  a  thrill  of  excited hope, which was  short-lived.
There  were other  antagonists  to  "Serotonin"  just  as  potent  as  LSD, which had
no effect  whatsoever  on  mental  states.
 

"Serotonin"  also refused  to pass  through the  so-called  "blood - brain barrier."  If
it  was  injected into the bloodstream of  an animal (or a human), it  did not  seem to
pass  into the brain.  But  the medical profession, accommodated  itself  easily, to this particular  disappointment,  for  this  discovery  and a series of others, which occurred
during the same period, gave rise to a  whole new  set  of  concepts, concerning the
roles  of  various  chemical  compounds...  manufactured  within  the  brain.

Many of  them,  were molecules  of  a  type known as  amines.  They  were not, strictly speaking, hormones,  since  they  were not  produced and  secreted by  glandular  tissue,
but  by  scattered  specialized cells, including nerve cells.  They  came to be called, in a quaint  reversion to eighteenth century diction,  "Neuro humors".
 

According to Webster, a humor is a  fluid or  juice of  an animal or  plant,  specifically
one of  the four  fluids:  blood, phlegm, choler, and  melancholy, conceived as entering
into the constitution of  the body and determining, by  their  relative proportions, a person's health  and  temperament;  hence one's  disposition, or  state of  mind, whether
constitutional, habitual, or  temporary.
 

The  discovery of  the chemical  nature of  these humors,  led to the development of
chemicals  antagonistic  to  them, and  thus,  to  entire  families of  humor - regulating
drugs.  The  tranquilizers, anti-depressants, nervous - system  stimulants, and so on.

But  despite  this  new  knowledge, the mystery  of  the  LSD - serotonin antagonism
persisted.  Serotonin  is  not an unusual  chemical  in  nature.  It  is  found in many
places,  some of  them odd, like the  salivary  glands  of  octopuses... others  ordinary:
it  abounds  in plants;  bananas,  figs, plums  are  especially  rich  in  it.
 

What  was  it  doing in the brains of  humans?   What  was  its  evolutionary  history?
 

In  1958,  a Yale Medical School professor of  dermatology, named  Aaron  B.  Lerner, published  a paper on the  pineal  gland,  which  placed  this  elusive  substance, in
some  vague  kind  of  historical perspective  and  provided  for  it  a  real  functional
role,  in  the brains  of  mammals.

He  proved  that  "Melatonin"  was  a  hormone, that  it  was  produced  specifically,
by  the  pineal  organ, and  that  therefore,  this  organ  was  a  true, functioning  gland,
not  merely  a  vestigial  sight  organ, a  relic  from  our  reptilian  past.


He  discovered, moreover, how  "Melatonin"  was  manufactured  by  the  pineal,
by  the  action  of  certain  enzymes  on a  precursor  chemical,  which  must  pre-exist
in  the pineal,  in order  for  it  to  be  transformed  into  melatonin.  This  precursor
chemical...  turned out  to  be  "Serotonin".

But  try  as  he  would, Lerner  could  find  no connection...  between  Melatonin and
the  pigment  cells  of  mammalian  skin.  In  fact, he could  find no use  whatsoever,
for  Melatonin  in the body  of  mammals.
 

The  task  of  exploring  the  role,  played  by  Melatonin,  in  the  bodies  of  mammals
was  undertaken  by  a  brilliant  Biochemist,  Julius  Axelrod, working at  the  National Institutes of  Health  in  Bethesda, Maryland, in the  company  of  several  young 
associates, notably  Richard  Wurtman  and  Solomon  Snyder.   They  discovered  the
basic  biochemical  sequences,  performed  by  the  pineal,  in  the manufacture of
Melatonin.  They  found  that  it  was  produced  from Serotonin, by  the  action of  two enzymes, an  acetylating  enzyme and a  methoxylating  enzyme.

Melatonin  did, in  fact, suppress  physiological  sexuality  in  mammals.  If  test
animals  were  stimulated, to manufacture excessive  amounts  of  Melatonin, their
gonads  and  ovaries  tended  to become reduced  in  size, to  shrink, to  atrophy.
The  estrous, or  fertility  cycle in females, could  likewise  be  altered, experimentally,
by  doses  of  melatonin.

This  was  proved  by  a  University of  California  Zoologist, W.  F.  Ganong, who
implanted  photocells , adjacent  to  the  site of  the  pineal, in  sheep and got  altered readings,  from his  instruments, depending on  whether  the  animals  were  standing
in  direct  sunlight  or  in  shade.
 

On  the other  hand, if  animals  are  blinded, or  have  the  nerves  connecting  the eye
to  the  brain  severed, some of  the pineal  rhythms  are  dampened, just  as  though  the animals  were  being  maintained  in  continual  darkness.
 

But  there  is  still a  sufficient  number  of  discrepancies  in  the  evidence, to  leave  the question  of  direct  light  sensing,  by  the  pineal, open  for  the  moment.  Axelrod  and Wurtman,  believe that  there  are  other, undiscovered  chemicals  being  manufactured
by  the  pineal, for  they  see  signs  of  enzyme  activity,  which  cannot  be  accounted
for,  by  either  Serotonin or  Melatonin.

Since Lerner  had  done his  original  pineal  research at Yale, his  colleagues,
belonging to various disciplines, had become  fascinated with his work, even before
it  was  published.   As  a result, Yale had a kind of  head  start  in pineal  research.
 

Among the first, to pursue the trail of pineal hormones and Neuro humors, was Nicholas Giarmin, a professor of pharmacology, who had been a former student of Gaddum's, at Edinburgh and remembered  the connection Gaddum had made,  five years previous
between LSD  and  Serotonin.
 

They  are measured by a unit,  known  as  the nanogram, which is one billionth of a
gram.  Not only are assay  procedures  highly  critical, but  since drastic  chemical
changes  occur, between  that  state which  we call  life, and that  which  we define as
death, it  is  difficult  to prove,  that  the  amounts  of  any  given entity,  found on autopsy,
are the same as  those,  which might  be  found  in the  same tissue, in the flush of life.
 

Giarmin and Freedman confirmed, that  the human brain, manufactures  Serotonin,
at  various  sites,  other  than  the pineal.  It  is  produced in  scattered  isolated cells, but
the density of  these cells...  varies  with  their  location in  the  brain.  For  example, in the thalamus, they  discovered  61  nanograms  of  Serotonin,  per  gram of  tissue;  in the hippocampus, 56 ng.;  in  the  central  gray  section of  the  midbrain, they  found 482 ng.
But  in  the pineal, they  found  3140  ng. of  Serotonin  per gram of  tissue.  The  pineal
was  unmistakably  the  richest  site of  Serotonin in  the brain!
 

Since  the pineal  seems  to produce  Serotonin, in excess of  its  needs  for  Melatonin production, what  happens  to  this  excess?  Does  the gland  provide a  kind of 
Serotonin  reservoir,  for  the  brain as  a  whole?  Can one make  a correlation  between pineal  Serotonin and  mental  disorder?

As  its  name  would  imply, the  pineal  looks  like a  miniature  pine cone,  sitting in
the middle of  the brain,  atop a  stalk-like  appendage.  The  vascular  and  neural
connections,  between it  and  the rest  of  the body, run down this  2  stalk,  into the
spinal  column and  the central  nervous  system, not  into  the brain  proper.  If
Serotonin  from  the  pineal,  does  get  back  into  the  brain  proper, it must  do  so
through  such a circuitous  route,  that  many  workers  discredit  this  possibility.
 

Though  their  work,  only  accidentally  impinged, on  making  such  correlations,
Giarmin and Freedman, did  find that  the pineals,  of  certain deceased mental
patients,  who had  suffered  from  specified  mental  disorders,  showed  a  considerable excess  of  Serotonin  in  their  pineals.  The  average  amount  of Serotonin,  found
in  the  pineals  of  normal  persons  is  about  3.52  micrograms  per  gland.
 

The  same  difficulties,  which  confronted  them, also confront  other  workers, who
might  be  tempted  to  confirm  these  findings  on  a  larger  scale.
 

Strong  suspicion, has  fallen  now  on  Serotonin...  as  being one of  the principal
agents  of  the  psychedelic  experience, but  whatever  its  role, it  is  certain that other
Neuro humors  are  additionally  involved, in  the chemical  transactions, which produce
the  state.  It  is  likely,  that  LSD  itself,  produces  certain  effects  quite on its  own.
 

Studies  made  with  tracer  elements  and  the electron  microscope, now  reveal  that
LSD  strikes  like a chemical  guerrilla, entering  into  receptor  granules  in  brain cells
swiftly, and then  leaving  swiftly  after  a  very  short  time, perhaps  ten or  twenty
minutes  (in  animals).  This  initial  period,  coincides  with  the onset  of  the most
violent  symptoms  of  the  LSD  state, as  it  is  observed  in  test  animals.
 

But  when  the twenty  minutes  are done, and  the  bulk  of  the  LSD, has  left  the
receptor  granules, it  is  replaced,  by  what  seems  to be excessive, or  supernormal, amounts  of  Serotonin.

Since the LSD  state, lasts  for  some ten hours, and during this  time,  Serotonin can
be measured, (again at autopsy), in supernormal amounts  in receptor  granules, it
must  be considered, one of  the  important  participants of  that  chemical  transaction
which  produces  the  state.
 

However, Melatonin  possesses  the same basic  indole  molecular  structure, as  the 
LSD molecule.  It  is  not  at  all,  difficult  to  imagine, how  this  substance could  be metamorphosed  into  a psychedelic  material.  But  so  far, injections  of  Melatonin
have  produced  no altered mental  states  in humans.
 

The use of  LSD, in exploring  these  strange, dislocated  states  of  mind, is  most
convenient, because  the  effects  are  invariably  reliable, and  within certain limits,
quite  predictable.  All  the  Neuro humors  tend  to alter, in one way or  another, the
data processing  programming of  the brain.  LSD  is  one of  the keys, which open
the compartment,  into  which, this drastic new  programming  can be  introduced.

For  most  of  us, most  of  the  time, our  world  is  a  Darwinian  environment.  We
must  manipulate ourselves  within  it, or  attempt  to  manipulate  it,  in order  to
survive.  These  survival  needs,  tend  to color our  appreciation of  this  world, and
we are continually  making  judgments  about  it.
 

The  principal  question, concerning  psychedelic  states  remains:  How  much
disruption... can the  system  tolerate?  "Cowper  came  to me,"  writes  William
Blake, "  and  said:  'O  that  I  were  insane  always...  Can  you  not  make me truly
insane?  I  will never  rest  till  I  am  so.  O  that  in  the bosom of  God  I  was  hid.
You  retain  health and  yet  are as  mad  as any  of  us... over  us  all.'"
 

The problem of  how  to maintain a  certain  madness...  while at  the same time,
functioning at peak  efficiency, has  now  captured  the  attention of  many
psychiatrists.  There  seems  to be a  point,  at  which "creative"  madness  becomes degenerative, impeding  function,  rather  than  stimulating  it.
 

But  as  they  speak  and  write, about  the onset of  their  illness, they  describe
psychedelic  experiences.   Why did  they  not "pass  through"  the experience, to be
enriched  by  it, as  did  William  Blake?   Here, for  example, is  the  report  of  a
twenty-one  year  old  student,  who  was  removed  to  a  mental  hospital, in
"a  severely  agitated delusion  state" :

Bowers  and  Freedman do not  tell us,  the  final history of  this  patient.  We do know, however, that  Cowper  asked  for  insanity and got  it.  He died, a gibbering idiot, while
Blake  lived on, into a ripe and  irritable old  age, still  working, still  writing, still  slipping
in  and  out of  his  mysterious  states, which  allowed him a clear and  brilliant  vision,
of  a  world  which, if  the rest of  us  see at  all, we see as  through a glass  darkly.
 

Man is  unique, by  virtue of being possessed by  intuitions, concerning the  scope
of  the mysterious universe he  inhabits.  He has  devised for himself, all manner of instruments  to probe the nature of  this  universe.  Now at  last, with the molecule of 
this  strange  acid, he has  found an instrument, which opens  the  inner eye of  the
mind, and  which may  hopefully  allow him...  to explore  the  vast  interior  spaces,
where  the history of  millions of  years of  memories  lie, entangled among the roots
of  the primordial  self.  Through it, we may  find a means of  understanding more
clearly, the roots of  madness  and of  helping  the insane... to return to the world of commonplace  reality.