The Urantia Book

25. The Messenger Hosts of Space

6. The Celestial Recorders

^25.6.1 These are the recorders who execute all records in duplicate, making an original spirit recording and a semimaterial counterpart - what might be called a carbon copy. This they can do because of their peculiar ability simultaneously to manipulate both spiritual and material energy. Celestial Recorders are not created as such; they are ascendant seraphim from the local universes. They are received, classified, and assigned to their spheres of work by the councils of the Chiefs of Records on the headquarters of the seven superuniverses. There also are located the schools for training Celestial Recorders. The school on Uversa is conducted by the Perfectors of Wisdom and the Divine Counselors.

^25.6.2 As the recorders advance in universe service, they continue their system of dual recording, thus making their records always available to all classes of beings, from those of the material order to the high spirits of light. In your transition experience, as you ascend from this material world, you will always be able to consult the records of, and to be otherwise conversant with, the history and traditions of your status sphere.

^25.6.3 The recorders are a tested and tried corps. Never have I known of the defection of a Celestial Recorder, and never has there been discovered a falsification in their records. They are subjected to a dual inspection, their records being scrutinized by their exalted fellows from Uversa and by the Mighty Messengers, who certify to the correctness of the quasi-physical duplicates of the original spirit records.

^25.6.4 While the advancing recorders stationed on the subordinate spheres of record in the Orvonton universes number trillions upon trillions, those of attained status on Uversa are not quite eight million in number. These senior or graduate recorders are the superuniverse custodians and forwarders of the sponsored records of time and space. Their permanent headquarters are in the circular abodes surrounding the area of records on Uversa. They never leave the custody of these records to others; as individuals they may be absent, but never in large numbers.

^25.6.5 Like those supernaphim who have become Custodians of Records, the corps of Celestial Recorders is of permanent assignment. Once seraphim and supernaphim are mustered into these services, they will respectively remain Celestial Recorders and Custodians of Records until the day of the new and modified administration of the full personalization of God the Supreme.

^25.6.6 On Uversa these senior Celestial Recorders can show the records of everything of cosmic import in all Orvonton since the far-distant times of the arrival of the Ancients of Days, while on the eternal Isle the Custodians of Records guard the archives of that realm which testify to the transactions of Paradise since the times of the personification of the Infinite Spirit.

7. The Morontia Companions

^25.7.1 These children of the local universe Mother Spirits are the friends and associates of all who live the ascending morontia life. They are not indispensable to an ascender's real work of creature progression, neither do they in any sense displace the work of the seraphic guardians who often accompany their mortal associates on the Paradise journey. The Morontia Companions are simply gracious hosts to those who are just beginning the long inward ascent. They are also skillful play sponsors and are ably assisted in this work by the reversion directors.

^25.7.2 Though you will have earnest and progressively difficult tasks to perform on the morontia training worlds of Nebadon, you will always be provided with regular seasons of rest and reversion. Throughout the journey to Paradise there will always be time for rest and spirit play; and in the career of light and life there is always time for worship and new achievement.

^25.7.3 These Morontia Companions are such friendly associates that, when you finally leave the last phase of the morontia experience, as you prepare to embark upon the superuniverse spirit adventure, you will truly regret that these companionable creatures cannot accompany you, but they serve exclusively in the local universes. At every stage of the ascending career all contactable personalities will be friendly and companionable, but not until you meet the Paradise Companions will you find another group so devoted to friendship and companionship.

^25.7.4 The work of the Morontia Companions is more fully depicted in those narratives dealing with the affairs of your local universe.

8. The Paradise Companions

^25.8.1 The Paradise Companions are a composite or assembled group recruited from the ranks of the seraphim, seconaphim, supernaphim, and omniaphim. Though serving for what you would regard as an extraordinary length of time, they are not of permanent status. When this ministry has been completed, as a rule (but not invariably) they return to those duties they performed when summoned to Paradise service.

^25.8.2 Members of the angelic hosts are nominated for this service by the local universe Mother Spirits, by the superuniverse Reflective Spirits, and by Majeston of Paradise. They are summoned to the central Isle and are commissioned as Paradise Companions by one of the Seven Master Spirits. Aside from permanent status on Paradise, this temporary service of Paradise companionship is the highest honor ever conferred upon the ministering spirits.

^25.8.3 These selected angels are dedicated to the service of companionship and are assigned as associates to all classes of beings who may chance to be alone on Paradise, chiefly to the ascendant mortals but also to all others who are alone on the central Isle. Paradise Companions have nothing especial to accomplish in behalf of those with whom they fraternize; they are simply companions. Almost every other being you mortals will encounter during your Paradise sojourn - aside from your fellow pilgrims - will have something definite to do with you or for you; but these companions are assigned only to be with you and to commune with you as personality associates. They are often assisted in their ministry by the gracious and brilliant Paradise Citizens.

^25.8.4 Mortals come from races that are very social. The Creators well know that it is “not good for man to be alone,” and provision is accordingly made for companionship, even on Paradise.

^25.8.5 If you, as an ascendant mortal, should reach Paradise in the company of the companion or close associate of your earthly career, or if your seraphic guardian of destiny should chance to arrive with you or were waiting for you, then no permanent companion would be assigned you. But if you arrive alone, a companion will certainly welcome you as you awaken on the Isle of Light from the terminal sleep of time. Even if it is known that you will be accompanied by someone of ascendant association, temporary companions will be designated to welcome you to the eternal shores and to escort you to the reservation made ready for the reception of you and your associates. You may be certain of being warmly welcomed when you experience the resurrection into eternity on the everlasting shores of Paradise.

^25.8.6 Reception companions are assigned during the terminal days of the ascenders' sojourn on the last circuit of Havona, and they carefully examine the records of mortal origin and eventful ascent through the worlds of space and the circles of Havona. When they greet the mortals of time, they are already well versed in the careers of these arriving pilgrims and immediately prove to be sympathetic and intriguing companions.

^25.8.7 During your prefinaliter sojourn on Paradise, if for any reason you should be temporarily separated from your associate of the ascending career - mortal or seraphic - a Paradise Companion would be forthwith assigned for counsel and companionship. When once assigned to an ascendant mortal of solitary residence on Paradise, the companion remains with this person until he either is rejoined by his ascendant associates or is duly mustered into the Corps of the Finality.

^25.8.8 Paradise Companions are assigned in order of waiting except that an ascender is never placed in the charge of a companion whose nature is unlike his superuniverse type. If a Urantia mortal were arriving on Paradise today, there would be assigned to him the first waiting companion either of origin in Orvonton or otherwise of the nature of the Seventh Master Spirit. Hence the omniaphim serve not with the ascendant creatures from the seven superuniverses.

^25.8.9 Many additional services are performed by the Paradise Companions: If an ascending mortal should reach the central universe alone and, while traversing Havona, should fail in some phase of the Deity adventure, in due course he would be remanded to the universes of time, and forthwith a call would be made to the reserves of the Paradise Companions. One of this order would be assigned to follow the defeated pilgrim, to be with him and to comfort and cheer him, and to remain with him until he returned to the central universe to resume the Paradise ascent.

^25.8.10 If an ascending pilgrim met defeat in the Deity adventure while traversing Havona in the company of an ascending seraphim, the guardian angel of the mortal career, she would elect to accompany her mortal associate. These seraphim always volunteer and are permitted to accompany their long-time mortal comrades back to the service of time and space.

^25.8.11 But not so with two closely associated mortal ascenders: If one attains God while the other temporarily fails, the successful individual invariably chooses to go back to the evolutionary creations with the disappointed personality, but this is not permitted. Instead, a call is made to the reserves of the Paradise Companions, and one of the volunteers is selected to accompany the disappointed pilgrim. A volunteer Paradise Citizen then becomes associated with the successful mortal, who tarries on the central Isle awaiting the Havona return of the defeated comrade and in the meantime teaches in certain Paradise schools, presenting the adventurous story of the evolutionary ascent.

^25.8.12 [Sponsored by One High in Authority from Uversa.]