This thread is in response to Sageous and his statement that the third eye is a metaphor.

Hi Sageous.

I don't know much about the third eye, partially because I've never thought about it. But in my experience some of the other chakras are a lot more than metaphors. They have specific locations in the body and they do stuff, and I'm not getting this from reading about them anywhere. Ironically, now that I read through the list on wikipedia, the third eye is the only one that I don't experience. So now I'm interested in thinking about that one.

Various 'beyond dreaming' experiences such as we've discussed here are for me connected to the partial opening of some of these centers. The dream experiences started at the same time I started experiencing those more. With retrospect it seems a little strange I never mentioned that here, but I guess it was because it happened gradually, without me paying much attention, and like I said I was never into that kind of 'spirituality'.

Upon further reflection, I should slightly relax my assertion that the centers open by themselves without any help. I guess its natural for efforts or events to precipitate 'opening' when the time is close. But I still think that its not something to yearn for. 'Opening' them doesn't seem to me like an unambiguously good thing. And they don't 'close' again, at least not quickly and without some degree of psychological injury.

I also think that 'opening' and 'closing' isn't a binary thing. They are never more than very partially opened or developed. If any of them were fully developed and open, nobody would be able to handle that. We have enough trouble with the power and sensitivity we have already.

Regards.