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www.CSEcenter.org

At the innermost level of our being, we are serene. Only the surface level of our 

awareness can be disturbed. Events and circumstances are always changing; 

observe them with dispassionate objectivity while remaining inwardly calm 

and discerning. You will then live peacefully without being overly influenced by 

external conditions. Truth students who know they are spiritual beings and who 

know the reality of God and the natural laws that cause effects to occur, have 

peace of mind in the midst of changing circumstances.
Cosmic Forces That Can Influence the Mind and Consciousness

The existence of subtle, cosmic forces that can influence mental states and 

states of awareness are known by only a few people who have the intellectual 

capacity to comprehend them. Paramahansa Yogananda's guru, Swami Sri 

Yukteswar, explained his views regarding the influences of cosmic forces in a 

small book, The Holy Science, first published in India in 1894. The following, brief 

overview provides insight into this timely subject: 

Centuries ago, sages in India taught a theory of time-cycles to explain the  
influences of cosmic forces on human beings and evolutionary trends on our 
planet. Their calculations were based on the idea that forces from the center 
of our galaxy influence the electromagnetic field of the solar system and the 
mental and intellectual faculties of its human inhabitants.
When our solar system is at the most distant point from the galactic center, 

human powers of perception and intellect are weak, soul awareness is obscured, 

and ignorance of the facts of life prevails. When our sun and its planets are 

nearest to the galactic center, powers of perception are refined, intellectual abili-

ties are pronounced, soul awareness is more evident, and spiritual enlightenment 

is more common.

The duration of one complete time-cycle is 24,000 solar years. Sub-cycles (eras) 

within this grand cycle are designated as a 1,200-year ascending era of confusion 

during which most people are able to comprehend only what can be perceived 

by the senses; a 2,400-year era during which comprehension and utilization of 

electric, magnetic, and atomic forces is possible; a 3,600-year era during which 

mental and intellectual powers are highly developed; a 4,800-year era during 

which intuitive powers are unveiled and many people are spiritually enlightened. 

This era is followed by another 4,800-year era during which the mental and intel-

lectual faculties of most people will begin to diminish as the sun and solar system 

begin to move away from the galactic enter.

We are now in the early phase of an ascending 2,400-year era as indicated by 

the rapid advancement of science and technology during the past two hundred 

years. During transition phases from one era to another, influences of both eras