The Urantia Book. Urantia Foundation
except to enjoy many pleasant and profitable sojourns as the invited guests of the Spirit-fused residents.
37:5.11 (411.9) Except for those few who attain Uversa and Paradise, these worlds are the permanent residence of the Spirit-fused survivors. Such designed limitation of mortal ascent reacts to the good of the local universes by insuring the retention of a permanent evolved population whose augmenting experience will continue to enhance the future stabilization and diversification of the local universe administration. These beings may not attain Paradise, but they achieve an experiential wisdom in the mastery of Nebadon problems that utterly surpasses anything attained by the transient ascenders. And these surviving souls continue as unique combinations of the human and the divine, being increasingly able to unite the viewpoints of these two widely separate levels and to present such a dual viewpoint with ever-heightening wisdom.
6. Celestial Overseers
37:6.1 (412.1) The Nebadon educational system is jointly administered by the Trinity Teacher Sons and the Melchizedek teaching corps, but much of the work designed to effect its maintenance and upbuilding is carried on by the Celestial Overseers. These beings are a recruited corps embracing all types of individuals connected with the scheme of educating and training the ascending mortals. There are upward of three million of them in Nebadon, and they are all volunteers who have qualified by experience to serve as educational advisers to the entire realm. From their headquarters on the Salvington worlds of the Melchizedeks, these overseers range the local universe as inspectors of the Nebadon school technique designed to effect the mind training and the spirit education of the ascending creatures.
37:6.2 (412.2) This training of mind and education of spirit is carried on from the worlds of human origin up through the system mansion worlds and the other spheres of progress associated with Jerusem, on the seventy socializing realms attached to Edentia, and on the four hundred and ninety spheres of spirit progress encircling Salvington. On the universe headquarters itself are numerous Melchizedek schools, the colleges of the Universe Sons, the seraphic universities, and the schools of the Teacher Sons and the Union of Days. Every possible provision is made to qualify the various personalities of the universe for advancing service and improving function. The entire universe is one vast school.
37:6.3 (412.3) The methods employed in many of the higher schools are beyond the human concept of the art of teaching truth, but this is the keynote of the whole educational system: character acquired by enlightened experience. The teachers provide the enlightenment; the universe station and the ascender’s status afford the opportunity for experience; the wise utilization of these two augments character.
37:6.4 (412.4) Fundamentally, the Nebadon educational system provides for your assignment to a task and then affords you opportunity to receive instruction as to the ideal and divine method of best performing that task. You are given a definite task to perform, and at the same time you are provided with teachers who are qualified to instruct you in the best method of executing your assignment. The divine plan of education provides for the intimate association of work and instruction. We teach you how best to execute the things we command you to do.
37:6.5 (412.5) The purpose of all this training and experience is to prepare you for admission to the higher and more spiritual training spheres of the superuniverse. Progress within a given realm is individual, but transition from one phase to another is usually by classes.
37:6.6 (412.6) The progression of eternity does not consist solely in spiritual development. Intellectual acquisition is also a part of universal education. The experience of the mind is broadened equally with the expansion of the spiritual horizon. Mind and spirit are afforded like opportunities for training and advancement. But in all this superb training of mind and spirit you are forever free from the handicaps of mortal flesh. No longer must you constantly referee the conflicting contentions of your divergent spiritual and material natures. At last you are qualified to enjoy the unified urge of a glorified mind long since divested of primitive animalistic trends towards things material.
37:6.7 (413.1) Before leaving the universe of Nebadon, most Urantia mortals will be afforded opportunity to serve for a longer or shorter time as members of the Nebadon corps of Celestial Overseers.
7. Mansion World Teachers
37:7.1 (413.2) The Mansion World Teachers are recruited and glorified cherubim. Like most other instructors in Nebadon they are commissioned by the Melchizedeks. They function in most of the educational enterprises of the morontia life, and their number is quite beyond the comprehension of mortal mind.
37:7.2 (413.3) As an attainment level of cherubim and sanobim, the Mansion World Teachers will receive further consideration in the next paper, while as teachers playing an important part in the morontia life, they will be more extensively discussed in the paper of that name.
8. Higher Spirit Orders of Assignment
37:8.1 (413.4) Besides the power centers and the physical controllers, certain of the higher-origin spirit beings of the family of the Infinite Spirit are of permanent assignment to the local universe. Of the higher spirit orders of the family of the Infinite Spirit the following are so assigned:
37:8.2 (413.5) The Solitary Messengers, when functionally attached to the local universe administration, render invaluable service to us in our efforts to overcome the handicaps of time and space. When they are not thus assigned, we of the local universes have absolutely no authority over them, but even then these unique beings are always willing to help us with the solution of our problems and with the execution of our mandates.
37:8.3 (413.6) Andovontia is the name of the tertiary Universe Circuit Supervisor stationed in our local universe. He is concerned only with spirit and morontia circuits, not with those under the jurisdiction of the power directors. It was he who isolated Urantia at the time of the Caligastia betrayal of the planet during the testing seasons of the Lucifer rebellion. In sending greetings to the mortals of Urantia, he expresses pleasure in the anticipation of your sometime restoration to the universe circuits of his supervision.
37:8.4 (413.7) The Nebadon Census Director, Salsatia, maintains headquarters within the Gabriel sector of Salvington. He is automatically cognizant of the birth and death of will and currently registers the exact number of will creatures functioning in the local universe. He works in close association with the personality recorders domiciled on the record worlds of the archangels.
37:8.5 (413.8) An Associate Inspector is resident on Salvington. He is the personal representative of the Supreme Executive of Orvonton. His associates, the Assigned Sentinels in the local systems, are also representatives of the Supreme Executive of Orvonton.
37:8.6 (414.1) The Universal Conciliators are the traveling courts of the universes of time and space, functioning from the evolutionary worlds up through every section of the local universe and on beyond. These referees are registered on Uversa; the exact number operating in Nebadon is not of record, but I estimate that there are in the neighborhood of one hundred million conciliating commissions in our local universe.
37:8.7 (414.2) Of the Technical Advisers, the legal minds of the realm, we have our quota, about one-half billion. These beings are the living and circulating experiential law libraries of all space.
37:8.8 (414.3) Of the Celestial Recorders, the ascendant seraphim, we have in Nebadon seventy-five. These are the senior or supervising recorders. The advancing students of this order in training number almost four billion.
37:8.9 (414.4) The ministry of the seventy billion Morontia Companions in Nebadon is described in those narratives dealing with the transition planets of the pilgrims of time.
37:8.10 (414.5) Each universe has its own native angelic corps; nevertheless, there are occasions on which it is very helpful to have the assistance of those higher spirits of origin outside the local creation. Supernaphim perform certain rare and unique services; the present chief of Urantia seraphim is a primary supernaphim of Paradise. The reflective seconaphim are encountered wherever the superuniverse personnel