Paper 15 Overview: The Seven Superuniverses

Paper 15 provides a comprehensive description of the physical organization and administration of the seven superuniverses that, along with the central universe of Havona, make up the grand universe. The superuniverses contain trillions of potentially habitable worlds organized into systems, constellations, local universes, minor sectors, and major sectors, each with their own headquarters and governance structures. Our planet Urantia is located in the superuniverse of Orvonton, which is known for its merciful ministry to mortal beings.

The paper explains how the superuniverses move in a vast, orderly pattern around Paradise, detailing the formation of stars and planets through various nebular processes. It describes the architectural headquarters worlds where superuniverse governments are based, outlines the circuits that connect the realms, and examines the administrative and judicial functions of superuniverse governance. Throughout the paper, the remarkable scale of cosmic organization is balanced with the assurance that even though Urantia is but one world among trillions, it receives precise administration and loving care.

From the Universal Father's perspective, universes exist primarily in terms of their personalities rather than their physical aspects. The Father relates to personalities as their progenitor, while the Eternal Son and Infinite Spirit deal with universes as creator partners. Beyond the central universe of Havona, the cosmos is organized into seven superuniverses that occupy the first space level surrounding Paradise, with the Seven Master Spirits radiating their influence from the central Isle.

The sevenfold organizational scheme of the superuniverses was established early in the materialization of the universal creation. These vast domains are governed by supremely wise beings called the Ancients of Days who have administered these realms since near eternity. Throughout these expansive domains, there operates a sophisticated technique of intelligent control for both physical and spiritual forces, with universal gravity functioning in majestic power and perfect harmony. Understanding the physical constitution of these realms helps one better appreciate the spiritual governance and the advancement opportunities provided for the will creatures inhabiting the countless planets across the seven superuniverses.

From the limited perspective of Urantia's short history, it might appear that your planet and its universe are plunging into uncharted space. However, according to the records of Uversa and the observations of higher orders of beings, the universes are engaged in an orderly, well-understood, and perfectly controlled processional movement around the First Great Source and Center and the central universe. The seven superuniverses follow a definite path, traversing a gigantic elongated circle in a counterclockwise course around Paradise and Havona.

Urantia is situated in a local universe that isn't yet fully organized, existing in proximity to numerous partially completed physical creations. Your planet is traveling along a predetermined path of the superuniverse space level, passing through the same space that your planetary system or its predecessors traversed ages ago. The superuniverse of Orvonton, to which Urantia belongs, has passed the southeastern bend of the space level and is advancing beyond it, moving swiftly through the long and comparatively straightaway northern path. Urantia's local universe of Nebadon is positioned toward the borderland of Orvonton, with your solar system well out toward the periphery, though there remain other physical systems beyond yours.

Only the Universal Father knows the exact location and number of inhabited worlds in space. The paper presents approximate figures to convey the immensity of the material creation, stating that there are seven superuniverses in the grand universe constituted according to a hierarchical organizational scheme. The basic organizational unit is the system, comprising approximately 1,000 inhabitable worlds governed by a System Sovereign, followed by constellations of 100 systems overseen by three Most Highs.

The organizational hierarchy continues upward with local universes consisting of 100 constellations governed by a Creator Son, minor sectors containing 100 local universes administered by three Recents of Days, major sectors encompassing 100 minor sectors overseen by three Perfections of Days, and finally superuniverses comprising 10 major sectors ruled by three Ancients of Days. The grand universe totals approximately seven trillion inhabitable worlds plus the architectural spheres and the billion inhabited spheres of Havona. These estimates are approximations as new systems continuously evolve while others temporarily pass out of material existence.

Almost all the stars visible to the naked eye from Urantia belong to the seventh section of the grand universe—Orvonton. The vast Milky Way system represents the central nucleus of this superuniverse, extending beyond the borders of the local universe of Nebadon. This enormous aggregation of stars, space islands, nebulae, and planets forms an elongated-circular grouping constituting about one-seventh of the inhabited evolutionary universes.

From Urantia's astronomical position, looking through the cross-section of nearby systems to the Milky Way reveals that Orvonton's spheres travel in a vast elongated plane. The Sagittarius sector contains the rotational center of your minor sector, with the physical system of your sun originating from the Andronover nebula. Urantia experiences multiple revolutionary movements: its rotation around the sun, the solar system's circuit around the former Andronover nebula center, the rotation of stellar families around the Nebadon star cloud center, the movement around the Sagittarius center, the rotation of minor sectors around major sectors, the whirl of major sectors around Uversa, and finally the counterclockwise processional of Orvonton and six other superuniverses around Paradise and Havona.

While creation and universe organization remain under the control of the infinite Creators and their associates, the process follows an ordained technique conforming to the gravity laws of force, energy, and matter. There remains some mystery associated with the cosmic ancestry of the ultimatons (the most basic particles), though these forces originate in Paradise and respond to the nether Paradise center. Paradise force organizers transform space potency into primordial force, evolving prematerial potential into physical reality manifestations.

Paradise force organizers initiate nebulae, creating tremendous cyclones of force that eventually produce the ultimatonic units of universe matter. These actions bring into existence spiral and other nebulae that serve as the source of suns and their planetary systems. Nebulae vary greatly in size and productive capacity, with some having created as many as one hundred million suns. Local universes are organized with exactly one one-hundred-thousandth part of the total energy charge of a superuniverse, regardless of nebular relationships. Not all spiral nebulae are engaged in sun making, and the Milky Way galaxy consists of numerous former spiral and other nebulae that have undergone internal catastrophes and external attractions leading to rearrangement.

Most of the mass contained in superuniverse suns and planets originates in nebular wheels, though some matter forms through direct action of power directors and some originates in open space. Space bodies can be classified into ten main groups according to their origins. Concentric contraction rings form when immense nebulae undergo condensation through multiple-ring formation rather than splitting into double star systems or evolving as spirals.

Other formation types include whirled stars thrown off from mother wheels of highly heated gases, gravity-explosion planets created when tidal upheavals project matter beyond a sun's gravity-reclamation zone, centrifugal planetary daughters formed when large suns throw off matter that assembles into small worlds, and gravity-deficiency spheres created when suns reach a critical size and split. Additional classifications include contractural stars where outer planets draw in neighboring worlds, cumulative spheres that grow through meteoric accretion, burned-out suns, collisional spheres, and architectural worlds built for special purposes according to precise plans and specifications.

Regardless of their origin, space spheres are classified into five major divisions: suns (stars of space), dark islands of space, minor space bodies (comets, meteors, and planetesimals), planets (including inhabited worlds), and architectural spheres. With the exception of the specially constructed architectural spheres, all space bodies have evolved through natural processes as part of God's creative plan implemented through time-space techniques operating through created intelligences.

Suns exist in at least a thousand different states and stages, some emitting light with heat while others shine without heat. The energy stored in physical matter particles is almost unimaginable, becoming available as light when subjected to the tremendous heat pressure in blazing suns. Orvonton is illuminated by more than ten trillion blazing suns, with two trillion more too distant to be seen from Urantia. Dark islands serve as powerful balance wheels for gravitational stability in many constellations. Of the cold planets, only about one in forty is habitable by beings of human order, with Urantia being nearly ideal in size, density, and location for human habitation.

Each superuniverse government is headquartered near the center of its space segment on a world specifically constructed for its purpose and populated by accredited personalities. These architectural headquarters worlds are space bodies built for their special function rather than naturally evolved planets. They are independently lighted and heated, with each having a sun that gives forth light without heat similar to the Paradise satellites, while heat is supplied by energy currents circulating near the sphere's surface.

Time is standardized on superuniverse headquarters, with the Orvonton standard day equaling almost thirty Urantia days and the Uversa year comprising one hundred standard days—approximately eight and one-fifth Urantia years. The seven superuniverse headquarters worlds share the nature and grandeur of Paradise, increasing in material size, morontia beauty, and spirit glory from system capitals to the central Isle. As mortals ascend the universe, progressing from material to spiritual realms, they retain appreciation for previous existence levels while experiencing the architectural spheres that serve as training worlds for different stages of ascension.

The headquarters spheres of the superuniverses function as efficient power-energy regulators for their various sectors, serving as focal points for directing energy to their component local universes. Superuniverse power centers and physical controllers—living and semiliving intelligent entities specially constituted for this purpose—perform further regulatory functions. These entities don't possess will but execute their highly specialized functions in an intelligent, automatic manner inherent to their organization.

Evolving energy has substance and weight, though weight is always relative, depending on revolutionary velocity, mass, and antigravity factors. The universe plan for maintaining equilibrium between matter and energy involves the continual making and unmaking of smaller material units. Without the intervening influence of power controllers and antigravity forces, gravity would eventually convert all energy into matter. When mass becomes overly concentrated and threatens to unbalance energy circuits, physical controllers intervene unless collisions between space bodies naturally dissipate matter back into energy forms. Star observers can predict much physical phenomena, but predictability decreases with distance from Paradise as unfathomable forces of the Absolutes and experiential Deities come into play.

The universal circuits of Paradise pervade the seven superuniverses, including the personality gravity of the Universal Father, spiritual gravity of the Eternal Son, mind gravity of the Conjoint Actor, and material gravity of Paradise Isle. Within the superuniverse space level, there are two primary energy-circuit divisions: the superuniverse circuits and the local universe circuits. The superuniverse circuits include the unifying intelligence circuit of a Master Spirit, reflective-service circuits, Mystery Monitor circuits, communication circuits of the Eternal Son, the flash presence of the Infinite Spirit, Paradise broadcasts, and energy circuits of power centers.

Local universe circuits include the bestowal spirit of Paradise Sons (like the Spirit of Truth on Urantia), the circuit of Divine Ministers (Holy Spirit), and the intelligence-ministry circuit including adjutant mind-spirits. For a local universe to join the settled circuits of light and life in its superuniverse, it must meet two primary requirements: physical stability with stars and planets in equilibrium on clear, settled paths, and spiritual loyalty with universal recognition of the Sovereign Son who presides over that local universe. Nebadon, our local universe, has not yet achieved settled physical order or spiritual family membership in the supergovernment, though superuniverse representatives assist its directors with their challenges.

The headquarters of each superuniverse serves as the seat of high spiritual government for time-space domains. The executive branch originates in the Councils of the Trinity and is directed by one of the Seven Master Spirits who administers through the Seven Supreme Executives. Each superuniverse is presided over by three Ancients of Days who serve as joint chief executives of the supergovernment, whose executive branch consists of seven different groups of administrators.

The first four administrative groups—Ancients of Days, Perfectors of Wisdom, Divine Counselors, and Universal Censors—are Trinity Personalities created directly by the Paradise Trinity. The remaining three groups—Mighty Messengers, Those High in Authority, and Those without Name and Number—are glorified ascendant mortals who have achieved Paradise and been embraced by the Trinity. The coordinating council of each superuniverse includes these seven executive groups plus sector rulers and regional overseers. The superuniverses maintain complete isolation from each other, knowing of mutual affairs only through the Paradise clearinghouse maintained by the Seven Master Spirits.

On superuniverse headquarters worlds like Uversa, representatives of the autocracy of perfection and the democracy of evolution meet face to face. While the executive branch of the supergovernment originates in the realms of perfection, the legislative branch emerges from the evolutionary universes. The deliberative assembly of each superuniverse consists of seven houses, with each local universe that has been admitted to the superuniverse councils electing a native representative to serve for approximately one hundred years of superuniverse standard time.

These representatives are chosen by high councils of local universes from among ascending-pilgrim graduates who are temporarily staying on the superuniverse headquarters while on their way to Havona. Throughout Orvonton's history, there has never been a disagreement between the executive division and the deliberative assembly, demonstrating perfect harmony and working agreement. This harmony testifies that evolutionary beings can attain heights of perfected wisdom qualifying them to work alongside personalities of perfect origin and divine nature, foreshadowing the ultimate triumph of the Universal Father's evolutionary concept.

The judicial branch of the Uversa government does not have a separate personnel but functions through the other administrative groups. In these courts, an Ancient of Days, a Perfector of Wisdom, or a Divine Counselor presides depending on the case's nature and gravity. Universal Censors present and interpret evidence, Mighty Messengers defend evolutionary beings, and Those High in Authority portray the higher government's attitude. The verdict is typically formulated by a commission comprising Those without Name and Number and selected personalities from the deliberative assembly.

The courts of the Ancients of Days serve as high review tribunals for the spiritual adjudication of all component universes. Although local universe Sovereign Sons have supreme authority in their domains, they voluntarily submit matters for counsel or adjudication to the Ancients of Days. Judgments involving the extinction of will creatures always originate from and are executed from superuniverse headquarters. The rulings of these supreme tribunals are always unanimous, representing the concurred opinions of the Ancients of Days and the Master Spirit who presides over that superuniverse, with no appeal possible from their decisions and judgments.

Major sectors, comprising about one-tenth of a superuniverse with approximately 100 billion inhabitable worlds, are administered by three Perfections of Days, Supreme Trinity Personalities. These governments primarily handle intellectual matters rather than spiritual concerns, adjudicating routine administrative issues for referral to the Ancients of Days. The seventy satellites of Umajor the fifth (the major sector containing Urantia's region) are devoted to intellectual training and development for ascending mortals from all Orvonton.

Minor sector governments, presided over by three Recents of Days, focus mainly on physical control, unification, stabilization, and routine coordination of local universe administration. Each minor sector encompasses about one billion inhabitable worlds. Minor sector headquarters worlds serve as meeting places for Master Physical Controllers and are surrounded by seven instruction spheres for training in physical and administrative knowledge. Administrators at both sector levels receive reports from Trinity observers stationed on local universe headquarters (Unions of Days) and constellation headquarters (Faithfuls of Days), relaying this information upward through the administrative hierarchy.

Seven major evolutionary purposes are unfolding across the superuniverses, with each major purpose finding fullest expression in one particular superuniverse. Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse containing Nebadon and Urantia, is renowned for its lavish bestowal of merciful ministry to mortals, for how justice is tempered by mercy, and for how power is conditioned by patience. Though difficult to fully describe, Orvonton's evolutionary purpose seems to interassociate the six unique purposes manifested in the other superuniverses into a meaning-of-the-whole.

Each superuniverse has a unique nature and individual destiny, with much of Orvonton's activities remaining unrevealed to Urantia. Our planet is number 606 in the planetary group of Satania, which currently has 619 inhabited worlds. Satania is system number twenty-four in the constellation Norlatiadek, which is number seventy in Nebadon. The local universe Nebadon is number eighty-four in the minor sector Ensa, which is number three in the major sector Splandon, the fifth major sector of Orvonton. Despite being one world among an almost infinite family, Urantia is precisely administered and lovingly fostered as if it were the only inhabited world in existence.