© 1996 Jean Yves Vigneron
© 1996 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 2 — Autumn 1996 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 2 — Autumn 1996 | Report of the 3rd International Conference of Associations Affiliated to the I.U.A. |
Drawings made by Jean Yves Vigneron using Windows® “Paint” software (Texts taken from the URANTIA Book)
This study is entirely based on the description of the universe presented to us in the URANTIA Book in papers 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Interested readers can obtain the files by sending a blank diskette to the association’s office. They can also be downloaded from the French-language website according to an explained procedure.
In considering these views, we suggest that the reader refer to the various relevant papers in The URANTIA Book.
¶ THE ETERNAL ISLAND OF PARADISE:
The divine residence
PARADISE is the eternal center of the universe of universes and the abiding place of the Universal Father, the Eternal Son, the Infinite Spirit, and their divine co-ordinates and associates. This central Isle is the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe. Paradise is a material sphere as well as a spiritual abode. All of the intelligent creation of the Universal Father is domiciled on material abodes; hence must the absolute controlling center also be material, literal. And again it should be reiterated that spirit things and spiritual beings are real. (UB 11:0.1)
God dwells, has dwelt, and everlastingly will dwell in this same central and eternal abode. We have always found him there and always will. The Universal Father is cosmically focalized, spiritually personalized, and geographically resident at this center of the universe of universes. (UB 11:1.2)
The Father is always to be found at this central location. Did he move, universal pandemonium would be precipitated, for there converge in him at this residential center the universal lines of gravity from the ends of creation. Whether we trace the personality circuit back through the universes or follow the ascending personalities as they journey inward to the Father; whether we trace the lines of material gravity to nether Paradise or follow the insurging cycles of cosmic force; whether we trace the lines of spiritual gravity to the Eternal Son or follow the inward processional of the Paradise Sons of God; whether we trace out the mind circuits or follow the trillions upon trillions of celestial beings who spring from the Infinite Spirit—by any of these observations or by all of them we are led directly back to the Father’s presence, to his central abode. Here is God personally, literally, and actually present. And from his infinite being there flow the flood-streams of life, energy, and personality to all universes. (UB 11:1.4)
Nature of the Eternal Island
In form Paradise differs from the inhabited space bodies: it is not spherical. It is definitely ellipsoid, being one-sixth longer in the north-south diameter than in the east-west diameter. The central Isle is essentially flat, and the distance from the upper surface to the nether surface is one tenth that of the east-west diameter.
These differences in dimensions, taken in connection with its stationary status and the greater out-pressure of force-energy at the north end of the Isle, make it possible to establish absolute direction in the master universe. (UB 11:2.2-3)
The eternal Isle is composed of a single form of materialization—stationary systems of reality. This literal substance of Paradise is a homogeneous organization of space potency not to be found elsewhere in all the wide universe of universes. It has received many names in different universes, and the Melchizedeks of Nebadon long since named it absolutum. This Paradise source material is neither dead nor alive; it is the original nonspiritual expression of the First Source and Center; it is Paradise, and Paradise is without duplicate.
It appears to us that the First Source and Center has concentrated all absolute potential for cosmic reality in Paradise as a part of his technique of self-liberation from infinity limitations, as a means of making possible subinfinite, even time-space, creation. But it does not follow that Paradise is time-space limited just because the universe of universes discloses these qualities. Paradise exists without time and has no location in space.
Roughly: space seemingly originates just below nether Paradise; time just above upper Paradise. Time, as you understand it, is not a feature of Paradise existence, though the citizens of the central Isle are fully conscious of nontime sequence of events. Motion is not inherent on Paradise; it is volitional. But the concept of distance, even absolute distance, has very much meaning as it may be applied to relative locations on Paradise. Paradise is nonspatial; hence its areas are absolute and therefore serviceable in many ways beyond the concept of mortal mind. (UB 11:2.9-11)
“The central Isle is geographically divided into three domains of activity:” (UB 11:2.4)
On upper Paradise there are three grand spheres of activity, the Deity presence, the Most Holy Sphere, and the Holy Area. The vast region immediately surrounding the presence of the Deities is set aside as the Most Holy Sphere and is reserved for the functions of worship, trinitization, and high spiritual attainment. There are no material structures nor purely intellectual creations in this zone; they could not exist there. It is useless for me to undertake to portray to the human mind the divine nature and the beauteous grandeur of the Most Holy Sphere of Paradise. This realm is wholly spiritual, and you are almost wholly material. A purely spiritual reality is, to a purely material being, apparently nonexistent. (UB 11:3.1)
The central Isle ends abruptly at the periphery, but its size is so enormous that this terminal angle is relatively indiscernible within any circumscribed area. The peripheral surface of Paradise is occupied, in part, by the landing and dispatching fields for various groups of spirit personalities. Since the nonpervaded-space zones nearly impinge upon the periphery, all personality transports destined to Paradise land in these regions. Neither upper nor nether Paradise is approachable by transport supernaphim or other types of space traversers.
The central Isle ends abruptly at the periphery, but its size is so enormous that this terminal angle is relatively indiscernible within any circumscribed area. The peripheral surface of Paradise is occupied, in part, by the landing and dispatching fields for various groups of spirit personalities. Since the nonpervaded-space zones nearly impinge upon the periphery, all personality transports destined to Paradise land in these regions. Neither upper nor nether Paradise is approachable by transport supernaphim or other types of space traversers. (UB 11:4.1)
Concerning nether Paradise, we know only that which is revealed; personalities do not sojourn there. It has nothing whatever to do with the affairs of spirit intelligences, nor does the Deity Absolute there function. We are informed that all physical-energy and cosmic-force circuits have their origin on nether Paradise, and that it is constituted as follows: (UB 11:5.1)
See also the other paragraphs of booklet 11 dealing with the breathing of space, the spatial functions of Paradise, the gravity of Paradise and the unique character of Paradise
The Sacred Spheres of Paradise
“BETWEEN the central Isle of Paradise and the innermost of the Havona planetary circuits there are situated in space three lesser circuits of special spheres. The innermost circuit consists of the seven secret spheres of the Universal Father; the second group is composed of the seven luminous worlds of the Eternal Son; in the outermost are the seven immense spheres of the Infinite Spirit, the executive-headquarters worlds of the Seven Master Spirits.” (UB 13:0.1)
The seven sacred worlds of the Father
The Father’s circuit of sacred life spheres contains the only inherent personality secrets in the universe of universes. These satellites of Paradise, the innermost of the three circuits, are the only forbidden domains concerned with personality in the central universe. Nether Paradise and the worlds of the Son are likewise closed to personalities, but neither of those realms is in any way directly concerned with personality.
The Paradise worlds of the Father are directed by the highest order of the Stationary Sons of the Trinity, the Trinitized Secrets of Supremacy. Of these worlds I can tell little; of their manifold activities I may tell less. Such information concerns only those beings who function thereon and go forth therefrom. And though I am somewhat familiar with six of these special worlds, never have I landed on Divinington; that world is wholly forbidden to me.
One of the reasons for the secrecy of these worlds is because each of these sacred spheres enjoys a specialized representation, or manifestation, of the Deities composing the Paradise Trinity; not a personality, but a unique presence of Divinity which can only be appreciated and comprehended by those particular groups of intelligences resident on, or admissible to, that particular sphere. The Trinitized Secrets of Supremacy are the personal agents of these specialized and impersonal presences of Divinity. And the Secrets of Supremacy are highly personal beings, superbly endowed and marvelously adapted to their exalted and exacting work. (UB 13:1.1-3)
DIVININGTON:
“1. DIVININGTON. This world is, in a unique sense, the “bosom of the Father,” the personal-communion sphere of the Universal Father, and thereon is a special manifestation of his divinity. Divinington is the Paradise rendezvous of the Thought Adjusters, but it is also the home of numerous other entities, personalities, and other beings taking origin in the Universal Father. Many personalities besides the Eternal Son are of direct origin by the solitary acts of the Universal Father. Only the Father fragments and those personalities and other beings of direct and exclusive origin in the Universal Father fraternize and function on this abode.”
“The secrets of Divinington include the secret of the bestowal and mission of Thought Adjusters. Their nature, origin, and the technique of their contact with the lowly creatures of the evolutionary worlds is a secret of this Paradise sphere. These amazing transactions do not personally concern the rest of us, and therefore do the Deities deem it proper to withhold certain features of this great and divine ministry from our full understanding. In so far as we come in contact with this phase of divine activity, we are permitted full knowledge of these transactions, but concerning the intimate details of this great bestowal we are not fully informed.” (UB 13:1.4-5)
SONARINGTON:
“1. DIVININGTON. This world is, in a unique sense, the “bosom of the Father,” the personal-communion sphere of the Universal Father, and thereon is a special manifestation of his divinity. Divinington is the Paradise rendezvous of the Thought Adjusters, but it is also the home of numerous other entities, personalities, and other beings taking origin in the Universal Father. Many personalities besides the Eternal Son are of direct origin by the solitary acts of the Universal Father. Only the Father fragments and those personalities and other beings of direct and exclusive origin in the Universal Father fraternize and function on this abode.”
“The secrets of Divinington include the secret of the bestowal and mission of Thought Adjusters. Their nature, origin, and the technique of their contact with the lowly creatures of the evolutionary worlds is a secret of this Paradise sphere. These amazing transactions do not personally concern the rest of us, and therefore do the Deities deem it proper to withhold certain features of this great and divine ministry from our full understanding. In so far as we come in contact with this phase of divine activity, we are permitted full knowledge of these transactions, but concerning the intimate details of this great bestowal we are not fully informed.” (UB 13:1.4-5)
SPIRITINGTON:
“3. SPIRITINGTON. This world is the “bosom of the Spirit,” the Paradise home of the high beings that exclusively represent the Infinite Spirit. Here forgather the Seven Master Spirits and certain of their offspring from all universes. At this celestial abode may also be found numerous unrevealed orders of spirit personalities, beings assigned to the manifold activities of the universe not associated with the plans of upstepping the mortal creatures of time to the Paradise levels of eternity.”
“The secrets of Spiritington involve the impenetrable mysteries of reflectivity. We tell you of the vast and universal phenomenon of reflectivity, more particularly as it is operative on the headquarters worlds of the seven superuniverses, but we never fully explain this phenomenon, for we do not fully understand it. Much, very much, we do comprehend, but many basic details are still mysterious to us. Reflectivity is a secret of God the Spirit. You have been instructed concerning reflectivity functions in relation to the ascension scheme of mortal survival, and it does so operate, but reflectivity is also an indispensable feature of the normal working of numerous other phases of universe occupation. This endowment of the Infinite Spirit is also utilized in channels other than those of intelligence gathering and information dissemination. And there are other secrets of Spiritington.” (UB 13:1.9-10)
VICEGERINGTON:
“VICEGERINGTON. This planet is the “bosom of the Father and the Son” and the secret sphere of certain unrevealed beings resulting from acts of the Father and the Son.”
“The Secrets of Vicegerington encompass those of trinitization and trinitization is the secret of the authority which allows one to represent the Trinity, to act as vicegerent of the Gods.” UB 13:1.11-12
SOLITARINGTON:
“SOLITARINGTON. This world is ”the bosom of the Father and the Spirit“. It is the meeting place of a magnificent army of non-world beings revealed from the joint acts of the Universal Father and the Infinite Spirit.” UB 13:1.15
“The secrets of Solitarington; in addition to certain secrets of trinitization, this world holds the secret of the personal relationships between the Infinite Spirit and certain higher descendants of the Third Source and Center.” UB 13:1.18
SERAPHINGTON:
“SERAPHINGTON. This sphere is the “bosom of the Son and the Spirit” and it is the world which serves as home to the immense host of unrevealed beings created by the Son and the Spirit.”
“The secrets of Seraphington comprise a triple mystery and I can only mention one of them, the mystery of the seraphic transports.” UB 13:1.19-20
ASCENDINGTON:
“ASCENDINGTON. This one world is the ‘bosom of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit,’ the meeting place of the ascending creatures of space, the home sphere of the pilgrims of time who pass through the universe of Havona on their way to Paradise. Ascendington is the actual Paradise home of the ascending souls of time and space until they attain Paradise status.”
“The secrets of Ascendington include the mystery of the gradual and certain construction, in the material and mortal mind, of a spiritual and potentially immortal counterpart of character and identity. This phenomenon is one of the most perplexing mysteries of the universes, namely the evolution of an immortal soul in the mind of a mortal and material creature.” UB 13:1.21-22
[Due to its length, the article has been divided into four parts. The second, dealing with the central universe, will be presented in the next Urantian Link]
¶ Links
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 2 — Autumn 1996 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 2 — Autumn 1996 | Report of the 3rd International Conference of Associations Affiliated to the I.U.A. |