The British Study Edition of the Urantia Papers

arrival of the Planetary Adams. The transactions of such beings and the efforts of the Material Sons to improve the evolutionary races often result in the appearance of a limited number of creatures who are difficult to classify. These unique beings are often midway between the Material Sons and the evolutionary creatures; hence their designation, midway creatures. In a comparative sense these midwayers are the permanent citizens of the evolutionary worlds. From the early days of the arrival of a Planetary Prince to the far-distant time of the settling of the planet in light and life, they are the only group of intelligent beings to remain continuously on the sphere. On Urantia the midway ministers are in reality the actual custodians of the planet; they are, practically speaking, the citizens of Urantia. Mortals are indeed the physical and material inhabitants of an evolutionary world, but you are all so short-lived; you tarry on your nativity planet such a short time. You are born, live, die, and pass on to other worlds of evolutionary progression. Even the superhuman beings who serve on the planets as celestial ministers are of transient assignment; few of them are long attached to a given sphere. The midway creatures, however, provide continuity of planetary administration in the face of ever-changing celestial ministries and constantly shifting mortal inhabitants. Throughout all of this never-ceasing changing and shifting, the midway creatures remain on the planet uninterruptedly carrying on their work.

^37:9.12 ¶ In like manner, all divisions of the administrative organization of the local universes and superuniverses have their more or less permanent populations, inhabitants of citizenship status. As Urantia has its midwayers, Jerusem, your system capital, has the Material Sons and Daughters; Edentia, your constellation headquarters, has the univitatia, while the citizens of Salvington are twofold, the created susatia and the evolved Spirit-fused mortals. The administrative worlds of the minor and major sectors of the superuniverses do not have permanent citizens. But the Uversa headquarters spheres are continuously fostered by an amazing group of beings known as the abandonters, the creation of the unrevealed agents of the Ancients of Days and the seven Reflective Spirits resident on the capital of Orvonton. These residential citizens on Uversa are at present administering the routine affairs of their world under the immediate supervision of the Uversa corps of the Son-fused mortals. Even Havona has its native beings, and the central Isle of Light and Life is the home of the various groups of Paradise Citizens.

10. OTHER LOCAL UNIVERSE GROUPS

^37:10.1 Besides the seraphic and mortal orders, who will be considered in later papers, there are numerous additional beings concerned in the maintenance and perfecting of such a gigantic organization as the universe of Nebadon, which even now has more than 3,000,000 inhabited worlds, with 10,000,000 in prospect. The various Nebadon types of life are much too numerous to be catalogued in this paper, but there are two unusual orders that function extensively on the 647,591 architectural spheres of the local universe, that may be mentioned.

^37:10.2 ¶ The Spironga are the spirit offspring of the Bright and Morning Star and the Father Melchizedek. They are exempt from personality termination but are not evolutionary or ascending beings. Neither are they functionally concerned with the evolutionary ascension regime. They are the spirit helpers of the local universe, executing the routine spirit tasks of Nebadon.

^37:10.3 ¶ The Spornagia. The architectural headquarters worlds of the local universe are real worlds — physical creations. There is much work connected with their physical upkeep, and herein we have the assistance of a group of physical creatures called spornagia. They are devoted to the care and culture of the material phases of these headquarters worlds, from Jerusem to Salvington. Spornagia are neither spirits nor persons; they are an animal order of existence, but if you could see them, you would agree that they seem to be perfect animals.

^37:10.4 ¶ The various courtesy colonies are domiciled on Salvington and elsewhere. We especially profit from the ministry of the celestial artisans on the constellations and benefit from the activities of the reversion directors, who operate chiefly on the capitals of the local systems.

^37:10.5 Always there is attached to the universe service a corps of ascending mortals, including the glorified midway creatures. These ascenders, after attaining Salvington, are used in an almost endless variety of activities in the conduct of universe affairs. From each level of achievement these advancing mortals reach back and down to extend a helping hand to their fellows who follow them in the upward climb. Such mortals of temporary sojourn on Salvington are assigned on requisition to practically all corps of celestial personalities as helpers, students, observers, and teachers.

^37:10.6 There are still other types of intelligent life concerned with the administration of a local universe, but the plan of this narrative does not provide for the further revelation of these orders of creation. Enough of the life and administration of this universe is being herewith portrayed to afford the mortal mind a grasp of the reality and grandeur of the survival existence. Further experience in your advancing careers will increasingly reveal these interesting and charming beings. This narrative cannot be more than a brief outline of the nature and work of the manifold personalities who throng the universes of space administering these creations as enormous training schools, schools wherein the pilgrims of time advance from life to life and from world to world until they are lovingly dispatched from the borders of the universe of their origin to the higher educational regime of the superuniverse and thence on to the spirit-training worlds of Havona and eventually to Paradise and the high destiny of the finaliters — the eternal assignment on missions not yet revealed to the universes of time and space.

^37:10.7 [Dictated by a Brilliant Evening Star of Nebadon, Number 1,146 of the Created Corps.]

PAPER № 38 MINISTERING SPIRITS OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSE

Melchizedek

^38:0.1 There are three distinct orders of the personalities of the Infinite Spirit. The impetuous apostle understood this when he wrote respecting Jesus, “who has gone to heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.” Angels are the ministering spirits of time; authorities, the messenger hosts of space; powers, the higher personalities of the Infinite Spirit.

^38:0.2 ¶ As the supernaphim in the central universe and the seconaphim in a superuniverse, so the seraphim, with the associated cherubim and sanobim, constitute the angelic corps of a local universe.

^38:0.3 The seraphim are all fairly uniform in design. From universe to universe, throughout all seven of the superuniverses, they show a minimum of variation; they are the most nearly standard of all spirit types of personal beings. Their various orders constitute the corps of the skilled and common ministers of the local creations.

1. ORIGIN OF SERAPHIM

^38:1.1 Seraphim are created by the Universe Mother Spirit and have been projected in unit formation — 41,472 at a time — ever since the creation of the “pattern angels” and certain angelic archetypes in the early times of Nebadon. The Creator Son and the universe representation of the Infinite Spirit collaborate in the creation of a large number of Sons and other universe personalities. Following the completion of this united effort, the Son engages in the creation of the Material Sons, the first of the sex creatures, while the Universe Mother Spirit concurrently engages in her initial solitary effort at spirit reproduction. Thus begins the creation of the seraphic hosts of a local universe.