The human body is the temple of God. Scientists have discovered that there are two brains, one in the head and one in the stomach. This is something that modern science has just recently discovered, but the Ancestors in antiquity have known this for thousands of years. This knowledge is actually encoded in the scriptures. Both brains originated during fetal development from tissues called the neural crest.
When the neural crest divided, it produced the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. There are 12 cranial nerves in the brain (head). Out of the 12, one departs and goes down into the lower part of the body (the stomach) and connects the brain in the head to the brain in the stomach. The brain in the stomach is made up of the enteric nervous system, which consists of the entire gastrointestinal system. The brain in the gut actually is older than the one in the head and of course it is connected to more of the intuitive aspect of your being.
This is why when entering into certain spiritual practices; the Elders give certain meditation techniques to communicate with the brain that is in the stomach. It must be noted that there are more nerves in the enteric nervous system than the central nervous system.
As I stated earlier, our ancestors have known this information for thousands of years.
Studying the spiritual systems and cultures of antiquity can shed light on the subject.
In the book Coming Forth By Day (the Book of the Dead) of Kmt (ancient Egypt), it is stated that the 4 sons of Heru (Horus) assist their father (Heru) in ascending to heaven. This is done by the use of a ladder in the eastern sky. In the body the 4 sons of Heru (Horus) represent the stomach (Duamutef), intestines (Qebehsenuef) liver (Imsety), and the lungs (Hapi). That is the gastrointestinal system plus the lungs. In the text of Coming Forth By Day (the Book of the Dead), Heru (Horus) states that Hapi is the greatest of his children. The lungs are a part of the sema, a glyph that represents union or the union of the two lands in ancient Kmt. It is the lungs through the windpipe, that bring in the breath of life.
When the King (Nesut-biti) made his transition into the afterlife, the liver, stomach, intestines, and the lungs were preserved in canopic jars and the brain was discarded. This gives an illustration of what was considered more important than others in the ascension process (going to a higher level of consciousness). The heart was looked upon with so much importance that it was left in the body.
In ancient Egypt the heart was looked upon as a god and was believed to contain the human soul. In southwest Nigeria amongst the Yoruba people, Ògún (Yoruba deity) is associated with the heart and represents truth. In traditional Yoruba court the individual would swear to Ògún. This is key, because it is impossible for the heart to lie. It is in the heart that the cellular memory records your current and past lives. That is why the heart is part of the judgment scene in ancient Egypt.
Baba Akasanmon Alatunse
Ifá Priest & Astro-Numerologist