The limbic system (yellow) ends via the girdling cortex (green) in the cerebral cortex (violet), at the point where "the third eye" is localised. 

The third eye - the king's round table

At the king's round table, the king meets with his advisors ("voices from the people") to make important decisions. This place where "King Consciousness" decides with his advisor how to run the "country" (body and resources for action) is anatomically speaking located in the third eye.

King, advisor and people - in the human brain

In the human brain, the "guiding" as well as the "advising" structures are found. "King Consciousness" is anatomically located in the frontal cerebral cortex (violet), the "Counsellor" in the girdling (cingulate) cortex (green). As such, it is characterised by its "proximity to the People", which the limbic system which controls bodily functions. In fact, anatomically, the umbilical cortex belongs to the limbic system. This ends slightly above the point between the eyebrows in the frontal cerebral cortex, where the Hindu "bindi" is marked as a point on the forehead.

Overview of brain functions

For more details, see Consciousness and the Human Brain.

The Goal: Dominion of Loving Consciousness

The "good" king and mindfulness

The goal is for the human being to use his loving consciousness to "rule" well in his life. In doing so, his body and its resources represent his "promised land" (see kingship in life). The human being receives information from the limbic system about the body and its state of health. As a good ruler, he is attentive, notices exhaustion, pain or feelings. However, he does not let this overwhelm him, but carefully considers what might be the appropriate behaviour in the given situation. In this way, the unconscious is integrated. It is brought to light and given a place and a voice.

[See also The Conscious and the Unconscious - King and Queen, The Holy Wedding - WholenessThe Integration of the Shadow - The Path through the Underworld and The Escaped Prisoner as illustrative examples].

The Weak King and Serpent's Tongue

The devious adviser

When "King Consciousness" is weak, his scheming advisor gets too much power and can start to rule from ambush. In doing so, he will negatively influence the king and increasingly paralyse and poison him through negativity, lies and intrigues.
In addition, the country is run down and exploited by his ruthlessness in pursuing his own interests in power.

Figure 2: The dragon snake and the king's treasure
(the cingulate cortex and the limbic system)

The limbic system controls the body and the unconscious functions. These are the "treasure" of King Consciousness, which - figuratively speaking - is guarded by the "dragon snake" (anatomically speaking, the cingulate cortex).

The Dragon Serpent - the Ego and the Drive

The challenge is that the human being with his consciousness dwells in an "animal" body that is controlled by unconscious functions(drives). The "snake" is first of all simply a symbol for the life instinct that has risen to consciousness (see Life and the Snake).
With access to consciousness, however, the formerly animal instinct of self-preservation has developed into the power instinct, which is identical with the ego. The ego wants to seize consciousness and use strategy ("cunning") to extend its power to control everything (see The Fall of Man account).

Stress and alarm - the Opportunity for the dragon, the old snake

The problem is that in its natural state, the human brain allows priority activity of the limbic system when alarmed.

With stress, the chance of the snake as the libidinous, power-oriented ego has come (see The snake in the head - our old reptilian brain). If no limits are set for it, it develops into the dragon, which represents the spiritual reality of power with its wings and which sets up its reign of terror with its fire of destruction.  

Overcoming the Dragon

Slay or tame?

In human lore, different ways of defeating or overcoming the dragon can be found. The youthful hero slays it with his sword (for example, the legend of George, the dragon slayer). The female way is the gentler one. According to the legend Saint Martha tamed the dreaded dragon of Tarascon by singing songs to him. Thereupon he followed her gently like a puppy. This is a vivid image for the integration of the shadow.
The dragon in its collective dimension is equated in the Bible with the devil and Satan(Revelation 20:2).

The spiritual path: Activation of loving consciousness

Awareness and the third eye

As mentioned, it is important to integrate the unconscious, which draws attention to itself through physical reactions, i.e. to perceive it lovingly with the conscious mind (see above). Jesus made this statement:

The light of the body is thine eye: if thine eye be clear, thy whole body is light; but if it be evil, thy body is dark. See then that the light that is in you is not darkness. If therefore thy whole body be light, and have no dark part, it shall be all light, as when the lamp lighteth thee with her beam.[1]

The "eye" can very well be associated with the "third eye" in this context. It is "light" when the human being recognises the truth about himself and with his loving consciousness takes over the dominion over the body with its drives (see The Consciousness and the Unconscious - Light and Dark ).

Raising awareness and training networking

There are various techniques that help to calm the limbic system with its constant alertness and thus strengthen the predominance of the cerebral cortex. Examples are reflection or meditation, but also physical exercises (for more on this see How do I concretely steer my life in a positive direction?).

Prayer: living relationship in the now

The strength of prayer lies in establishing a relationship with a good "instance" who is a strong helper and thus lifts us beyond our own limitations. Relationship always happens here and now. It brings the person back from an undefined future (worries) or from a past that has already happened (painful memories) into the present. Life wants to be lived in the now!

In the Jewish prayer tradition, the connection thinking (forehead) - heart (feeling) - hand (deeds) is figuratively underlined by the "tefillin".

For example, the prayer "Our Father" covers all seven areas of human existence and thus forms an abridged version of man's heroic journey: