The Urantia Book Fellowship

The Soul: Origin, Evolution and Destiny

Part 6: Qualitative and Quantitative Soul Growth

Contents of this study

Initial relationship with the Supreme Being


1. The seven psychic circles are denominated cosmic levels -- the meaning grasps and value realizations of the approach to the morontia consciousness of initial relationship of the soul with the emerging Supreme Being. (1209; #6) Mastery of the cosmic circles is related to the quantitative growth of the soul--the comprehension of supreme meanings (maximum finite meanings) -- the realization of cosmic citizenship, kinship with the Supreme Being.

The qualitative status is wholly dependent on the grasp of living faith that mortal man is a son of the eternal God. But this is only about one seventh of the way to mastering the circles. The realization of our universe citizenship is directly related to the Supreme Being. It is true we must know that God is our Father and we are his son -- which is the good news that Jesus so often spoke of. This qualifies us for entrance in the seventh circle. The circles are attained from the seventh to the first.

But our inheritance of a universe citizenship concerns the Supreme Being, since he is the over-controller of the time-space level (the supreme level). Through the experiential Trinities he manifests as co-absonite and co-absolute, and even as co-infinite in the Trinity of Trinities.

Therefore we must look to him for citizenship and for knowledge of our universe inheritance. It is this very relationship that makes it impossible fully to explain the significance of the cosmic circles to the material mind. (1211;2) The whole of the seven psychic circles is only relatively related to God-consciousness. One may become more and more God-conscious in his daily living (just as God conscious as a first circler) but he is still just God-conscious, still in the seventh circle, and these lower circle beings are far less conscious of universe citizenship -- of experiential relation to the Supreme Being, The motivation of faith produces sonship with God. "But make no mistake! This survival faith is a living faith, and it increasingly manifests the fruits of that divine spirit which first inspired it in the human heart." (Please read 1916;3) Faith is the inspiration of the spiritized creative imagination. It acts to release the superhuman activities of the divine spirit. (Read 1459;4,5,6)

Completions of decisions -- Action!, is essential to evolutionary attainment of consciousness of (progressive) kinship of the cosmic actuality of the Supreme Being. Potentials become actuals in the finite realms of the Supreme only by and through the realization of choice experience (choosing to do the will of God). Joining the qualitative growth (faith) to quantitative attainment (cosmic awareness is achieved by choosing to do the will of God). This choosing joins spiritual faith to material decisions in personality action, a reciprocal and therefore mutually beneficial experience. Such wise co-ordination of spiritual and material forces augments both morontia comprehension of Paradise Deities and cosmic realization of the Supreme. (1209; #6)

Other references concerning the circle attainment:

"The individual progress of human beings is measured by their successive attainment and traversal (mastery) of the seven cosmic circles. These circles of mortal progression are levels of associated intellectual, social, spiritual, and cosmic insight values. Starting out at the seventh circle, mortals strive for the first, and all who have attained the third immediately have personal guardians of destiny assigned to them". (569;4)

"You start out in your mind of mortal investment in the seventh circle and journey inward in the task of self-understanding, self-conquest, and self-mastery and circle by circle you advance until (if natural death does not terminate your career and transfer your struggles to the mansion worlds) you reach the first or inner circle of relative contact and communion with the indwelling adjuster." (1242;2)

Jesus explains what the will of God is. (1454;3)

Jesus' teaching to trust in the overcare of the heavenly Father was not a blind and passive fatalism -- Doing the Father's Will (1579; #8,1,2) -- from a four hour teaching conference, special instruction to Peter, James, and John.

2. Balanced Growth (1209; #6) Though the traversal of the seven circles of cosmic growth does not equal fusion with the Adjuster, the mastery of these circles marks the attainment of those steps which are preliminary to Adjuster fusion. Development of the intellectual nature faster than the spiritual renders communication with the Adjuster difficult and dangerous. Lack of spiritual capacity makes it difficult to transmit spiritual truth to such a material intellect. Likewise over-spiritual development tends to produce a fanatical and perverted interpretation of spirit leadings of the divine indweller. Successful traversal of these levels demands the harmonious function of the entire personality.

When physical, mental and spiritual powers are in triune harmony of development, then a maximum of light and truth can be imparted. (1209; #6,4)

"But how unkind knowingly to defile or otherwise deliberately to pollute the physical body." "All physical poisons greatly retard the efforts of the Adjuster to exalt the material mind..." and "...mental poisons of fear, anger, envy, jealousy, suspicion, and intolerance likewise tremendously interfere with the spiritual progress of the evolving soul". (1204;3)

"Love, even when once genuine, can, through disappointment, jealousy, and long-continued resentment, be eventually turned into actual hatred." (1927;1)

Circle attainment is by balanced growth, one by one from the seventh to the first through intellectual decisions, moral choosings, and spiritual development. The adjuster can register his picturizations of destiny with augmenting vividness and conviction upon this God-seeking mind-soul. Conquest of these levels is reflected in three ways:

    • 1. Adjuster attunement
    • 2. Soul evolution
    • 3. Personality reality.

Entrance to the seventh circle is made when humans develop:

    • 1. Powers of personal choice
    • 2. Individual decision
    • 3. Moral responsibility
    • 4. Capacity for attainment of spiritual individuality

This signifies:

    • 1. A united function of the seven adjutant mind-spirits under the direction of the spirit of wisdom.
    • 2. Encircuitment of the mortal creature in the influence of the Holy Spirit.
    • 3. (As on Urantia) The first functioning of the Spirit of Truth together with the reception of a Thought adjuster in the mortal mind.

Entrance upon the seventh circle constitutes a mortal creature a potential citizen of the local universe.

3. Entrance upon the third circle: The mortal receives a personal seraphic guardian of destiny. The Adjuster endeavors to morontia-ize the mind of man during the remainder of mortal life. He then works for the first circle. (1210)

4. Achievement of the first circle: From the seventh to the third circle there occurs increased and unified action of the seven adjutant mind-spirits. From the third circle onward, the adjutant influence progressively diminishes.

The mastery of the first cosmic circle signalizes the attainment of pre-morontia mortal maturity and marks the terminatino of the conjoint ministry of the adjutant mind-spirits as an exclusive influence of mind action. (1211; LP) Purely spiritual development may have little to do with planetary material prosperity but Circle attainment always augments the potential of human success and mortal achievement. (1211;5)

"Concerning mind, emotions, and cosmic insight, this achievement of the first psychic circle is the nearest possible approach of material mind and spirit Adjuster in human experience." (1210;LP)

Beyond the first circle mind becomes increasingly akin to the intelligence of the morontia stage of evolution, the conjoined ministry of the cosmic mind and the super-adjutant endowment of the Creative Spirit of a local universe. (1211; LP)

5. Benefits of Seraphic assignment and Personal Guardians. We receive seraphic aid in accordance with human attainment of circle of intellectuality and spirituality. The planetary seraphim are indeed ministering spirits sent forth to do service for those who shall survive. "...they are the ministering spirits who live so near you and do so much for you". (1241; 1,2)

"Originally, the seraphim were definitely assigned to the separate Urantia races. But since the bestowal of Michael, they are assigned in accordance with human intelligence, spirituality, and destiny." (1241; #1,2) Meticulous assignments of organized seraphim, under chiefs, is explained in the paper, Seraphic Guardians of Destiny. (Please read 1241, Introduction, #1 and #2 )

6. Concerning Adjuster Communication

The divine spirit makes contact with mortal man in the realm of the highest and most spiritualized thinking. It is your thoughts (not your feelings) that lead you Godward. The mind that really hears the indwelling adjuster is the pure mind. All such inner and spiritual communion is termed 'spiritual insight'. Such religious experiences result from the impress made upon the mind of man by the combined operations of the adjuster and the Spirit of Truth -- as they function amid and upon the ideas, ideals, insights, and spirit strivings of the sons of God. (1104;LP)

The Spirit of Truth is not the letter or law of truth. It is the conviction of truth, the consciousness and assurance of true meanings on real spirit levels. Truth is a spiritual reality value experienced only by spirit beings who function upon supermaterial levels of universe consciousness and permit its activation to live within their souls. It is not merely exalted knowledge. (1949)

"The great challenge to modern man is to achieve better communication with the divine Monitor that dwells within the human mind. Such an experience constitutes God-consciousness and is mightily confirmative of knowing God -- the assurance of sonship with God. Otherwise the assurance of sonship must be reliant on faith experience. (2097) Read "Communion: Adjuster with the spirit of the Son, Infinite Spirit. (1681;2)

"As the soul of joint mind and Adjuster creation becomes increasingly existent, there also evolves a new phase of soul consciousness which is capable of experiencing the presence, and of recognizing the spirit leadings and other supermaterial activities, of the Mystery Monitors."

"The entire experience of Adjuster communion is one involving moral status, mental motivation, and spiritual experience. The self-realization of such an achievement is mainly, though not exclusively, limited to the realms of soul consciousness, but the proofs are forthcoming and abundant in the manifestation of the fruits of the spirit in the lives of all such inner-spirit contactors". (65;2,3)

"...you should rejoice in the recognition of the ever-present possibility of immediate communion with the bestowal spirit of the Father so intimately associated with your inner soul and your spiritualizing self". (63;2 Please read 62; #1)

"You must not regard co-operation with your Adjuster as a particularly conscious process, for it is not. But your motives and your decisions, your faithful determinations and your supreme desires, do constitute real and effective co-operation." (1206;2) Read the four ways by which you can consciously augment Adjuster harmony, and note that obligations to the Supreme Being are involved. (1206;4 to end of page)

7. Superconsciousness: "Creature mind, before acquiring the ability to recognize divinity and worship Deity, is the exclusive domain of the adjutant spirits. With the appearance of the spiritual response of the creature intellect, such created minds at once become super-minded, being instantly encircuited in the spirit cycles of the local universe Mother Spirit.. (403;4)(Holy Spirit) (Read Man's first super-mind endowment. 1129;1)

The Mother Spirit not only provides the initial life spark, and the original mind circuits, plus the ability to reproduce, but she bestows the higher spirit mind by en-circuiting the mortal mind in the Holy Spirit --the highly spiritual function of the spirit of the personal presence of the local universe Mother Spirit, the Divine Minister.

This is the endowment of superconsciousness in mortal mind, the superimposition of spirit-mind upon the adjutant functioning mind (even as the "superimposition of the endowment of morontia mind upon adjutant mind initiates the pre-spiritual -or morontia career of local universe progression.") (1237;2)

"When mind is thus endowed with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it possesses the capacity for consciously or unconsciously choosing the spiritual presence of the Universal Father -- the Thought adjuster." (Choosing, meaning desiring) (379; #5;4)

References on super consciousness

  • 1095;4,5 Proof of superconsciousness. (Please read this whole section 1094; #1)
  • 1099;5 Superconscious level, the zone of immediate contact with the Adjuster
  • 1207;3 Revelations of the adjuster appear through realms of the superconscious
  • 1209; #6;4 Spiritual truths are resident in the higher superconsciousness
  • 1435;2,3 "... animals, (not having worship and wisdom) cannot experience super consciousness -- consciousness of consciousness. Knowledge is a possession of the mind, truth an experience of the soul, the progressing self. The eye of the material mind perceives a world of factual knowledge, the eye of the spiritualized intellect discerns a world of true knowledge. These two views, synchronized and harmonized, reveal the world of reality, wherein wisdom interprets the phenomena of the universe in terms of progressive personal experience."

8. Work of the Adjusters in the mortal mind: When the human mind flows freely in the liberated but controlled channels of creative imagination and sometimes during sleep, the Adjuster is able to arrest the mental currents, to stay the flow, and then to divert the idea procession to effect deep spiritual transformations in the higher recesses of the superconsciousness. Thus are the forces and energies of mind more fully adjusted to the key of the contactual tones of the spiritual level of the present and the future.

"It is sometimes possible to have the mind illuminated, to hear the divine voice that continually speaks within you, so that you may become partially conscious of the wisdom, truth, goodness, and beauty ---of the potential personality constantly indwelling you." (1199; #5,1-3) (Also read The Adjusters Work In The Mind". 1207l; #4)

Adjusters utilize direct prepersonal channels of communication with God, and they are likewise able to utilize the spirit-gravity circuit of the Eternal Son -for registering the homage and bona-fide adoration of God by a mortal. (65; #3,2)

9. What is synchronization with the Adjuster?

A few mortal candidates for never ending life utterly fail to attain identity fusion with their faithful Adjusters. Such beings have ascended through the local system, through the seven hundred and seventy-one worlds of the constellation, and the four hundred and ninety worlds of Salvington, and still cannot attain oneness with their Adjusters. Some synchronizing difficulty inhibits Father fusion. (449; #8, 1-3)

During mortal life the Adjusters simply cannot, in a single lifetime, arbitrarily co-ordinate and synchronize two such unlike and diverse types of thinking as the human and the divine. The few who have succeeded were translated directly to the mansion worlds without the experience of death. (1208;2) The synchronization possibly is reliant upon the conviction of truth in the mortal mind, and a whole-hearted consecration of will to do the will of God. There is a possibility that there exists an imperfection in or lack of whole-hearted desire for truth consciousness in the mind of the mortal who cannot synchronize. Perhaps he cannot conform to the adjuster's plan, cannot attain to divinity attunement, or cannot identify with the plan of the adjuster.

Every decision must be the highest in mind meaning and spirit value in relation to the level in which he is existing, evolving, and making those decisions. He must be divinely trustworthy, growing in wisdom steadfastly by his experience and guidance. "The Father has bestowed himself upon you, placed his own spirit within you -therefore does he demand ultimate perfection of you." (449;3)

Synchrony begins during the initial planetary life. "If you so fully conform to the adjuster's mind that you see eye-to-eye, then your minds become one, and you receive the reinforcement of the adjuster's mind." (1205;4)(See Results of Selfishness, Part III of this study numbers 4 & 7) Your adjuster is even now devoted to building up morontia transcripts of your true advancing selves for survival purposes. (1205;2)

Helpful References:

  • (1642;4) "Every earth child who follows the leading of the spirit shall eventually know the will of God." (Jesus)
  • (1947;7) "No man goes to the Father except through me. All who find the Father first find me."
  • (2083;3) The religion of Jesus demands dedication to seeking knowledge of the will of the Father
  • (381;1) "Those who have received and recognized the indwelling of God have been born of the spirit." "It is not enough that the spirit be poured out upon you. The divine spirit must dominate and control every phase of human experience."
  • (1400;LP) Jesus lived as if he were "seeing Him who is invisible."
  • (1192;2) "Do not, therefore, look to the Adjuster for selfish consolation and mortal comfort."
  • (1174;LP) "Sooner or later we all become aware that all creature growth is proportional to Father identification."
  • (69.LP) "When the mind believes God and the soul knows God, and when, with the fostering adjuster, they all desire God, then is survival assured."
  • (23; #2,1) "God is the source of truth in the mind spheres."

10. God-consciousness consists of three factors, three differential levels of reality realization:

  • 1. Mind consciousness - comprehension of the idea of God
  • 2. Soul consciousness: realization of the ideal of God
  • 3. Spirit consciousness the realization of the spirit Reality of God

By the unification of these factors of the divine realization, (no matter how incomplete) the mortal personality overspreads all conscious levels-- with the realization of the personality of God. (69;4) God-consciousness "sense", "feelings, intuition", or "experience which we have elected to call God-consciousness" (ll30;6) God-consciousness is equivalent to the integration of the self with the universe. (2097;3)

Quantitative fact; Qualitative value and Unity: (From Jesus' discourse on science)

"Quantity may be identified as a fact, thus becoming a scientific uniformity. Quality, being a matter of mind interpretation, represents an estimate of values... There is unity in the cosmic universe... the unchanging background of a living universe of continually changing impersonal relations... The universe-knowing state of mind can be had only by conceiving that the quantitative fact and the qualitative value have a common causation in the Paradise Father."

Regardless of how divergent the universe phenomena of fact and value may appear to be, they are, after all, unified in the Supreme. (Please read 1477;1 - 5)

11. Will -- the material self; Soul -- the morontia self; Selfhood -- the system.

(a) Will -- Material self

Adjusters work in the higher spheres of the mind (super conscious) seeking to produce duplication of every mortal concept of the mortal intellect. Therefore there are two realties which impinge upon and are centered in the human mind circuits:

    • 1. A mortal self (material self) evolved from the original plans of the Life Carriers.
    • 2. An immortal entity from the high spheres of Divinington, an indwelling gift from God.

But the mortal self is personal -- it has personality. It has mind and will. The adjuster, a pre-personal creature, has premind and pre-will. (1205;3) The Adjuster seeks co-operation with the material self, the mortal will.

"This mind must have evolved up through the ministry of the Seven adjutant mind spirits, and the material (personal) self must choose to co-operate with the indwelling adjuster in creating and fostering the morontia Self, the evolutionary and potentially immortal soul."

"Material mind is the arena in which human personalities live, are self-conscious, make decisions, choose God or forsake Him, eternalize or destroy themselves. (1216; #1;3)

"During life the mortal will, the personality power of decision-choice, is resident in the material mind circuits as terrestrial mortal growth proceeds. This self, with its priceless powers of choice, becomes increasingly identified with the emerging morontia-soul. (1219;2)

(b) Soul -- The Morontia self

"The material self has personality and identity, temporal identity.... provision having been made for the growth of the immortal self, the soul, it remains for man himself to will the creation or inhibit the creation of this surviving and eternal self. "As pertains to eternal survival, God has decreed the sovereignty of the material and mortal WILL, and that decree is absolute. (read 71;2,3) Read soul, the morontia SELF, portrays temporal decisions. (l216;LP) "This child of human and divine parentage constitutes the surviving element of terrestrial origin, it is the morontia self, the immortal soul". (1234;2)

(c) Selfhood -- The system

(1) Personality is that quality and value in cosmic reality which is exclusively bestowed by God the Father upon these living systems of the associated and coordinated energies of:

  • a. Matter
  • b. Mind
  • c. Spirit

"The bestowal of personality is the exclusive function of the Universal Father, the personalization of the living energy systems which he endows with the attributes of relative creature consciousness and the freewill control thereof." (70;3,4) (Personality imparts qualities of identity and creativity. 1227; NL) (Mind is always creative. 483;3)

(2) "Life is really a process which takes place between the organism (selfhood) and its environment. The personality imparts value of identity and meanings of continuity to the organismal-environmental association." (The system of matter, mind, spirit)(1227;3) (An organism is any highly complex thing or structure with parts so integrated that their relation to one another is governed by their relation to the whole)

"Relationships exist between two objects, but three or more objects eventuate a system. In the human organism the summation of its parts constitutes selfhood -- individuality -- but such a process has nothing whatever to do with personality, which is the union of all these factors... as related to cosmic realities. (1227;8)

(3) In selfhood:

  • 1. Physical systems are subordinate
  • 2. Intellectual systems are co-ordinate
  • 3. Personality is super-ordinate
  • 4. The indwelling spiritual force is spiritually directive (1227;LP)

(4) "The phenomenon of personality is dependent on the persistence of the identity of selfhood reaction to universe environment and this can only be effected through the medium of mind. Selfhood persists in spite of a continuous change in all the factor components of self. In the physical life the change is gradual. At death and upon repersonalization the change is sudden." (1235;2)

"Parts of the self may function in numerous ways -- thinking, feeling, wishing. But only the co-ordinate attributes of the whole personality are focused in intelligent action. (1228;2) (Memory is proof of original selfhood when repersonalized. l236;LP) Said Jesus "There begins to be something of an approach to unity in an evolving selfhood, and that unity is derived from the indwelling presence of a part of absolute unity which spiritually activates such a self-conscious animal-origin mind." (1479;NL)

(5) "Selfhood of personality dignity, human or divine, immortal or potentially immortal, does not however originate in either spirit, mind, or matter; it is the bestowal of the Universal Father.. (104;3)

(6) "The material self, the ego-entity of human identity, is dependent during the physical life on the continuing function of the material life vehicle. But selfhood of survival value, selfhood that can transcend the experience of death is only evolved by establishing a potential transfer of the seat of the identity of the evolving personality from the transient life vehicle -- the Material Body -- to the more enduring and immortal nature of the morontia soul." "This actual transfer from material association to morontia identification is effected by the sincerity, persistence, and steadfastness of the God-seeking decisions of the human creature." (1229;4) (1233;1-transferring the seat)

(7) "Selfhood is a cosmic reality whether material (earthly), morontial, or spiritual. The actuality of the 'personal' is the bestowal of the Universal Father acting in and of himself or through his manifold universe agencies.. To say that a being is personal is to recognize the relative individuation of such a being within the cosmic organism. The living cosmos is an all but infinitely integrated aggregation of real units, all of which are relatively subject to the destiny of the whole, But those that are personal have been endowed with the actual choice of destiny acceptance or of destiny rejection.. (1232 #5:1) (Read 1480;2- Without an adjuster not sufficient unity to warrant the designation of a selfhood).


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