Chapter 1
What's a Third Eye, Anyway?
"The light of the body is the eye: therefore if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."—Jesus of Nazareth
Recently a gentleman named Craig Loverich from New Zealand shared his third-eye experience with me:
"When I first began reading your book Ascension, that night I got into bed. Just moments after closing my eyes to go to sleep, I had a wonderful experience… like an explosion in my mind's eye. I had no idea what it was. It was as if brilliant white paint exploded all over/within my mind's eye. The experience only lasted for a moment. However it was awesome, and like nothing I ever had before. It left me with a sense of peace and being cleansed.
"At the time I had no idea what had taken place. However later in your book I read the information you provided about this. Since then, it has happened again."
Craig's description is typical of what might occur when your "third eye" opens. This fortunate experience is a sign of awakening to higher consciousness.
Seeing through Your Third Eye
What is your "third eye"? And how can you open it?
Through the window of your eyes, you can view the ever-changing landscape of your beauteous, miraculous world. You can delight in beholding the glorious manifest creation around you—both the natural world and man-made objects. You perceive this magnificent world with your five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling.
But there is a sixth sense. With this sixth, higher sense perception, you can open the gateway to subtler realms of existence. You can develop an inner eye and view an invisible world, consisting of multiple dimensions, alternate realities, subtle planes, spiritual worlds filled with light, and parallel universes of indescribable wonders. This eye of wisdom, knowledge, illumination, and intuition is aptly named "the third eye."
The mechanism of sight, according to science, is a marriage between the object of perception, your two eyes, and your brain. It is believed the mechanism of inner sight (insight or intuition) uses an inner third eye, seated in the pineal gland. This gland, somewhat of a mystery to modern allopathic medicine, is well known to Ayurvedic medicine of India, to Chinese medicine, to Druidic, Judaic, Islamic, Taoist, Mayan, Tibetan, Aboriginal and other cultures, and to ancient Egypt, Sumeria, Assyria, Babylonia, Greece, Rome, and Mesoamerica.
In India this third eye is known as ajna chakra, a subtle energy plexus in the center of your brain, seated in the pineal gland. It is the portal of higher vision, where you can see what is not evident to your eyes. The ajna chakra is not in your physical body. If you were to dissect a cadaver, you would not find it anywhere. It is located in your subtle body.
Throughout the ancient and modern world, this third eye seated in the pineal gland has been named "divine eye," "all-seeing eye," "mind’s eye," "eye of the soul," "inner eye," "eye of illumination," "eye of wisdom," "Eye of Horus," "third eye," "eye of providence," "eye of God," "sixth chakra," "ajna chakra," and "brow chakra."
In this book you will explore the third eye in depth. You will discover the workings of your subtle body and its relation to your physical body. Through using the methods in this book, you will learn how to awaken your third eye and develop super-sensory perception by various traditional and non-traditional methods, both ancient and modern.
Why Develop Your Third Eye?
There are untold benefits to exploring your third eye. This eye of wisdom and intuition is literally your inner teacher. In India, the planet Jupiter, associated with the third eye, is called Guru, which can be translated as "spiritual preceptor" or "teacher." Therefore, by awakening and developing your third eye, you are opening lines of communication between your ego self and your higher self.
What can this inner teacher do for you? In one word: miracles! When you open the eye of inner wisdom, you begin a flow of divine guidance. When you learn how to perceive that flow, allow it, trust it, learn how to test whether it is real, and then follow the true inner guidance you receive, then miracles will begin to happen everywhere, in every part of your life.
The third eye is the eye of illumination, which shines the light of wisdom upon your pathway. It is the wayshower, the beacon that guides you to your true destination—the home you have been longing for. It is the lighthouse of consciousness, which truth-seekers everywhere long to attain. Seated in that treasure trove is your inner wisdom, the very essence and source of your true Self. There you come home to the place of perfect peace, divine understanding, inner joy, fulfillment, and utter contentment.
The third eye is where truth lies, and where all that is untrue dies and disappears. Nothing false can live in the light of pure wisdom. The third eye is the seat of discernment and discrimination. There you distinguish between what is real and unreal. The truth shines in that inner radiance, where you are enveloped in divine light, which shines upon all equally, the just and unjust, the rich and poor, the healthy and diseased, both male and female, in all religions, paths, social statures, and economic ranks.
Here is what you can expect from opening the miraculous inner eye of wisdom:
• Greater confidence as you discover your true purpose.
• Greater wisdom as you tap into the source of all wisdom.
• Access to inner counselors who will guide you on your path.
• Making decisions effortlessly, with commitment, certainty, and assurance.
• Clarity of mind in all endeavors.
• Development of psychic and intuitive abilities.
• Spiritual development of higher consciousness.
• Direct communication with higher beings.
• Greater inner peace, fulfillment, contentment, and joy.
• See through illusions to perceive reality and truth.
• Spiritual gifts of subtle sensory perception, prophecy, and direct voice.
• Robust physical health, wellbeing, longevity, and youthfulness.
Take the Third Eye-Q Test
You might be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in this book—even the idea of the third eye. Or perhaps you have studied spiritual disciplines for decades. Even if you think you are an expert, this quiz just might stump you. Measure your Third Eye-IQ here by circling the correct answers in this multiple-choice test:
1. What is the third eye?
A. The all-seeing eye in the forehead. B. The Cyclopes. C. Clairvoyant ability. D. The seat of wisdom. E. An endless peyote trip.
2. What is a chakra?
A. A wheel. B. The center of the body. C. An energy that should be balanced in the body. D. A nerve in the body. E. Chalk that smells rotten.
3. What is the ajna chakra?
A. The highest energy center. B. The command center. C. My chance for enlightenment. D. A plexus in the nervous system. E. Shock and awe.
4. What does the pineal gland do?
A. It produces male hormones. B. It awakens the third eye. C. It secretes pinoline in the dark. D. It regulates sugar metabolism. E. It produces pinecones for Santa.
5. Who dubbed the pineal gland "the principle seat of the soul"?
A. Plato. B. Baruch de Spinoza. C. Rene´ Descartes. D. Ralph Waldo Emerson. E. Dr. Scholl.
6. What is DMT?
A. A compound that produces psychedelic experiences. B. A compound that the third eye uses to see inner light. C. A compound that awakens prana in the body. D. A compound that produces melatonin. E. Where I go to take my driver's test.
7. What does the word Guru mean?
A. The ajna chakra. B. The planet Jupiter. C. The third eye. D. A teacher who knows better than me what is best for me. E. Who Gollum was in a past life.
8. What does the word prana mean?
A. Moving or breathing forth. B. Subtle energy. C. The breath of life. D. A breathing exercise. E. A man-eating fish.
9. What is a nadi?
A. A sound. B. A bull that Lord Shiva rides. C. A subtle energy conduit. D. A word that means "nothing." E. Where I look up prices of used cars.
10. What is kundalini?
A. Energy in the third eye. B. Serpent power. C. A sign that I'm experiencing higher consciousness. D. A goddess from India. E. A pasta.
11. What is sushumna?
A. A conduit of subtle energy. B. A conduit of energy that is always open. C. A conduit of energy in the brain. D. A conduit of energy through which kundalini flows. E. The name of the author of this book.
12. What are ida and pingala?
A. Nerve plexuses in the body. B. Autonomic functions of resting, digesting, feeding, and breeding. C. Energy conduits associated with the autonomic nervous system. D. Male and female sides of the body. E. Conjoined twins from Siam.
13. What is a granthi?
A. A distressed mind. B. A psychic knot. C. Attachment to material things. D. Stuck energy in all the chakras. E. What a fat guy does after eating too fast.
14. What is a bandha?
A. A muscular lock. B. A yoga posture. C. A breathing exercise. D. Raising the diaphragm. E. A guy in a ski mask who robs me at gunpoint.
15. What is soma?
A. The nectar of immortal life. B. The physical body. C. The subtle body. D. The life force energy in the body. E. Yo-Yo Ma's sister.
16. What is yoga?
A. A physical exercise program. B. Breathing exercises. C. Eastern philosophy. D. To yoke. E. Boo Boo's pal.
17. What are the Yoga Sutras?
A. A dialogue between Lord Shiva and Mother Divine. B. Aphorisms of ancient seers. C. Threads of divine union. D. Aphorisms of Hatha Yoga. E. What aliens use to sew the Space Needle.
18. What is a siddhi?
A. A yoga sutra of Patanjali. B. The highest intention of the meditator. C. Withdrawal of the senses. D. Perfection. E. New York, New York.
19. What is an asana?
A. A meditation practice. B. A seat. C. A chant. D. An exercise. E. J.Lo's backside.
20. What is pranayama?
A. A yoga exercise for flexibility. B. A yogic meditation practice. C. The best way to develop clairvoyance. D. A way to increase life force energy through breath. E. A pick-a-size paper towel.
21. What is samadhi?
A. Stillness of mind and body. B. Meditation. C. A philosophy from India. D. Freedom from the karmic wheel. E. Saturday in Paris.
22. What is ESP?
A. Seeing, hearing, and feeling things without the senses. B. Getting higher knowledge. C. Predicting the future. D. Having subtle sensory experiences inwardly. E. A cable TV sports network.
23. What is clairvoyance?
A. Clear seeing. B. Clear sound. C. Clear sensing. D. Clear scent. E. Clair de Lune's twin sister.
24. What is intuition?
A. Telepathy. B. Something women have. C. Insight. D. Predicting the future. E. What I have to pay to go to USC.
Scoring Your Test
Please mark one point for each correct answer. The answers are as follows:
____1:D. Your third eye, located in the pineal gland, is known as the seat of wisdom, of spiritual illumination, of higher learning and intuition, and of senses of higher perception: clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience.
____2:A. The Sanskrit word chakra means "wheel." These energy centers in your subtle body have a hub, where many conduits of energy converge, and they have spokes, or radiations of energy. When your chakras fully open, then you are robust, healthy, and happy.
____3:B. The ajna chakra, located in the pineal gland, is the seat of the third eye. All chakras are plexuses of energy, but this sixth major chakra is called ajna, which literally means "command center."
____4:C. Pinoline is produced in the pineal gland during the metabolism of the hormone melatonin. Production of melatonin, stimulated by darkness, relates to circadian rhythms.
____5:C. Rene´ Descartes dedicated himself to studying the pineal gland, and believed it to be the point of connection between the intellect and physical body. He was criticized by Baruch de Spinoza for this belief.
____6:A. The chemical DMT, or Dimethyltryptamine, is a powerful hallucinogenic drug that dramatically affects human consciousness. Some researchers believe it is produced by the pineal gland and, when ingested, awakens the third eye.
____7:B. Guru is the Sanskrit word for Jupiter, known as the preceptor of the gods. The ajna chakra (third eye) is associated with Jupiter. The Sanskrit roots gu and ru mean "darkness" and "light" respectively. Therefore, a true guru (teacher) is one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and brings the light of knowledge.
____8:A. The Sanskrit word prana means "moving or breathing forth." Prana is the life force energy within everything in the universe. It is also called chi or ki. The pranamaya kosha (energy sheath of the subtle body) is the seat of all chakras, including the third eye.
____9:C. Nadi is a Sanskrit word for conduits of subtle energy, through which prana (life force energy) flows in the subtle body. The Sanskrit word nada means "sound," and Nandi is Lord Shiva's bull. The Spanish word nada means "nothing."
____10:B. The Sanskrit word kundalini literally means "curled-up." It is a powerful, vital life energy at the base of your spine, which, when awakened, brings unusual experiences, bodily sensations, supernormal powers, and higher awareness. Kundalini is often called "Mystic Coil" or "Serpent Power," because it is coiled at the base chakra, and then uncurls like a cobra with its hood over your head.
____11:D. Sushumna is a specific energy conduit (nadi), through which kundalini flows. It begins at the base of the spine and runs all the way up through your spine and head until it reaches the crown chakra, above your head. Sushumna is closed in ordinary individuals, but as kundalini awakens, it forces sushumna to open and flow through it.
____12:C. Ida and pingala are subtle energy tubes that regulate the autonomic nervous system. Ida is associated with the parasympathetic system, and pingala is associated with the sympathetic system.
____13:B. Psychic knots or granthis are blockages that disallow the free flow of prana throughout the subtle energy body. The three main granthis are found in the root chakra at the base of the spine (bondage of physical gratification), the navel chakra at the abdomen (bondage of action and material life), and the third eye chakra at the pineal gland (bondage of ideas and psychic powers).
____14:A. Bandhas are muscular locks—traditional yogic exercises that nudge kundalini, normally seated in the base chakra, to rise upward through sushumna nadi all the way above the top of the head to the crown chakra.
____15:A. Soma, the nectar of immortal life, is a mysterious substance mentioned in the ancient scriptures of India. Yogis believe it to be manufactured in the pineal gland, the seat of the third eye. It is said to be stimulated by the yogic practice of kechari mudra.
____16:D: The Sanskrit word yoga comes from the root yuj, which means "to yoke." The goal of yoga, therefore, is to yoke or unify individual spirit (the self) with universal Spirit (the divine). Yoga Philosophy is one of the six main philosophical systems of India. Hatha Yoga, which teaches physical culture, including postures and breathing exercises, is one of the eight major paths of Yoga.
____17:C. The Sanskrit scripture by the sage Patanjali called Yoga Sutras, written approximately 400 AD, literally means "threads of divine union." This is a book of aphorisms that teach ashtanga yoga (eight limbs of yoga), which forms the basis of the path known as Raja Yoga.
____18:D: The Sanskrit word siddhi means "perfection." The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the ancient scripture of India that explains how to attain perfection through yogic practices that help you develop singularity (kaivalya) —the state of spiritual enlightenment.
____19:B: The term asana is a Sanskrit word meaning "seat." Therefore yoga asanas, or yoga postures, are not exercises. Nor are they meditative states. They are body positions that are held for various lengths of time.
____20:D. Pranayama are breathing exercises that increase prana throughout your subtle energy system. They bring greater health, wellbeing, happiness, charisma, attractiveness, success, and inner peace.
____21:A. The Sanskrit word samadhi comes from the roots sama (equanimity) and dhi (intellect). Therefore it connotes evenness of mind and stillness of body in deep meditation, where bodily functions slow down and breath becomes imperceptible. When you attain a state of perpetual samadhi, then your awareness is no longer disturbed by deleterious effects of karmic law (cause and effect, action and reaction).
____22:D. ESP or "Extra Sensory Perception" is actually a misnomer, because you cannot have any experience without using the senses. Subtle sensory experiences of other dimensions can occur through expanded awareness, either in or out of meditation.
____23:A. Clairvoyance is from a French expression meaning "clear seeing." It means receiving ESP impressions through images—seeing messages in your mind's eye. The word is often used to describe receiving psychic impressions of any type—seeing, hearing, or feeling.
____24:C. Intuition is your higher self or "in-house counselor" giving you insight—a "still small voice" of inner wisdom, healing, love, and inspiration. Intuitive capacities are not gender-specific. Everyone can receive intuitive impressions through visions, words, and feelings.
Evaluating Your Test
Please add up your scores. Here are the results:
• If you got 24 right, your Third Eye-Q is 200. You don't need to read any spiritual books. You should write your own.
• If you got 19-23 right, you're a DOCTOR OF THIRD EYE. You have tremendous understanding of the third eye and your Third Eye-Q is 175.
• If you got 12-18 right, you're a MASTER OF THIRD EYE. You know a lot, but you have a few things to learn. Your Third Eye-Q is 150.
• If you got 7-11 right, you're a BACHELOR OF THIRD EYE. You still know a lot, but you have more to learn. Your Third Eye-Q is 125.
• If you got 1-6 right, congratulations, the odds are with you. You've successfully proven that random selection works. Your Third Eye-Q is 100.
• If you got them all wrong, it's no surprise. Your Third Eye-Q is 75.
• If you chose any of the E's, congratulations, you can laugh at a joke.
Are you surprised at some of the answers in the quiz? That's because so many myths surround these words. Having some familiarity with esoteric terms is not the same as understanding them fully. In this book you will delve into the true meaning of spiritual development through the third eye. You will learn and practice methods to open that eye of wisdom in practical, powerful ways that are easy to learn and apply.
This book is the key to unlock a great adventure. Through opening a doorway to the subtle realms, you can begin to explore all the marvels of the multidimensional creation that are usually hidden from view. Through opening your third eye and developing your sixth sense, you can enrich your life, create greater success, and awaken higher consciousness.
Let us begin this journey to deep understanding and spiritual upliftment now.
