Talk:2001-09-20-To TR Or Not To TR, Is That A Question?

Hi O...,

As far as glands are concerned, Olfana explained that part of this transmission process, on the physical level, involves the PINEAL gland, which is located in our brain. I think this gland is more directly involved in transmitting than perhaps the pituitary gland is.

Here is info I got from WEBMD:

The Pineal Gland: a small, conical structure attached by a stalk to the posterior wall of the third ventricle of the cerebrum, believed by many to be an endocrine gland. In certain amphibians and reptiles the gland is thought to function as a light receptor. In most mammals, including humans, it appears to be the major or unique site of melatonin biosynthesis; the effect of melatonin on the body and the exact function of the pineal body remain obscure. Called also the pineal body.

Olfana told me, in 1995, in a joking manner, that if they ever did an autopsy on me, that they would find I have a larger than normal pineal gland in my brain, and that was one of the reasons she picked me as a TR. :-) She likened it to picking someone with a good musculature, if you wanted to train them as a gymnast. Olfana is the only person I know who values me for my gland......

Love, Susan

T/R, is that a question?

Friends,

The teachers have been saying that not everyone (in a group) is going to T/R -- not necessarily because we are hesitant and not ready, but because it apparently takes, as Will said way back, a certain chemical to be required in the brain to make this extraordinary process probable.

I wonder if Abraham was talking about the same topic:

Practicing the stillness is a wonderful way to uncross your wires. To disconnect yourself from the world and reconnect with Father is a time for further instruction and understanding from Him. This sensitivity can be physical in the ways of electrochemical within the brain. This is perfectly common for this world that is now out of isolation and for the first time discovering what it is like to have full spiritual benefits. You see, the circuits and the electrochemical transmitters in the human brain all tie together. This is Father's original plan. This is how it was supposed to be all along. -Abraham, Woods Cross, Utah, USA: 11/13/ 01

Then, I came across this section from the Urantia papers (my emphasis):

3. Spirit-reception series. There are three groups of mind design as related to contact with spirit affairs. This classification does not refer to the one-, two-, and three-brained orders of mortals; it refers primarily to gland chemistry, more particularly to the organization of certain glands comparable to the pituitary bodies. The races on some worlds have one gland, on others two, as do Urantians, while on still other spheres the races have three of these unique bodies. The inherent imagination and spiritual receptivity is definitely influenced by this differential chemical endowment.

Of the spirit-reception types, sixty-five per cent are of the second group, like the Urantia races. Twelve per cent are of the first type, naturally less receptive, while twenty-three per cent are more spiritually inclined during terrestrial life. But such distinctions do not survive natural death; all of these racial differences pertain only to the life in the flesh. [UP 49:5:6]

So, what are those "glands comparable to the pituitary bodies"? And what for the plural form: "bodies"? Don't we just have one? The encyclopedia says, "The pituitary is a small bean-shaped, reddish-gray organ located in the saddle-shaped depression (sella turcica) in the floor of the skull (the sphenoid bone) and attached to the base of the brain by a stalk; it is located near the hypothalamus. The pituitary has two lobes-the anterior lobe, or adenohypophysis, and the posterior lobe, or neurohypophysis-which differ in structure and function. The anterior lobe is derived embryologically from the roof of the pharynx and is composed of groups of epithelial cells separated by blood channels; the posterior lobe is derived from the base of the brain and is composed of nervous connective tissue and nerve-like secreting cells. The area between the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary is called the intermediate lobe; it has the same embryological origin as the anterior lobe."

So, there is the anterior and the posterior lobes (plural), and the area between, the intermediate lobe.

"The Pituitary Gland is called the master gland, the pituitary secretes hormones that control the activity of other endocrine glands and regulate various biological processes. Its secretions include growth hormone (which stimulates cellular activity in bone, cartilage, and other structural tissue); thyroid stimulating hormone (which causes the thyroid to release metabolism-regulating hormones); antidiuretic hormone (which causes the kidney to excrete less water in the urine); and prolactin (which stimulates milk production and breast development in females). The pituitary gland is influenced both neurally and hormonally by the hypothalamus."

Let's look briefly at the hypothalamus which is "important in regulating the internal activities of the body. Although the hypothalamus constitutes less than 1 percent of the total volume of the brain, it has an important influence on many of the body's functions, including sexual behavior, emotions, hormone production, and the autonomic nervous system.

"The human hypothalamus weighs about 4 g (0.14 oz) and is found behind the eyes, directly below the brain's thalamus and above the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus is divided into several distinct nuclei, that is, aggregates of nerve cell bodies. These nerves connect the brain with the hypothalamus and the hypothalamus to virtually all regions of the nervous system. The hypothalamus also receives nerve inputs from the erogenous zones (the genitalia and nipples), the viscera (internal organs), and the limbic system (concerned with motivation and drive).

"The hypothalamus controls a wide range of functions. It directs the "fight or flight" response of the autonomic nervous system. Fear or excitement causes signals to travel to the hypothalamus, which triggers a rapid heartbeat, faster breathing, widening of the pupils, and increased blood flow. The hypothalamus monitors blood glucose levels and the body's water content to regulate appetite for food or drink. It regulates sleep and sexual behavior."

And not a word about T/R-ing! ;-)

This inquiring mind asked the teachers, and low and behold, a Mighty Messenger answered: see page.