Where in the Universe Are We?

The observatory's warning light had finally stopped flashing.

But the map still glowed with the name of the world where the rebellion had begun:

JERUSEM.

"That's where Lucifer made his declaration," Tyrion said. "But where is Jerusem?"

"Headquarters of Satania."

"And Satania?"

"A local system."

"Local to what?"

We had heard about a rebellion involving 607 inhabited worlds and a seven-hour speech by Van. Yet none of these celestial places appeared on an ordinary road map.

Tyrion planted his four little paws beside Earth.

"I'd like to know our address," he said. "Preferably before somebody sends us a bill for the rebellion."

Normally, a map answers with a dot, a street name, and perhaps an estimate of the traffic.

This one kept unfolding.

The Address That Wouldn't Fit on an Envelope

At the bottom of the chart was a small blue planet: oceans, clouds, continents, and the one world on this itinerary we know is real because it's our home.

Beside it, a label:

URANTIA — INHABITED WORLD 606 OF SATANIA.

"Six hundred and six?" Tyrion asked. "Is that our rating?"

"No. It's the world's number."

"Good. I was preparing an appeal."

In The Urantia Book, Urantia means Earth. It's described as one of many inhabited worlds belonging to a local system named Satania.

Now, Satania may sound alarming. But in the book it names a system of worlds, not a universal conviction that every resident wears a cape and plots mischief.

Its headquarters world is Jerusem.

That name ought to ring a bell. It's where Lucifer's rebellion erupted. Our previous adventure, it turns out, had a very specific address.

We're Going to Need a Bigger Map

"What's outside Satania?" asked Tyrion.

The chart pulled back to reveal Norlatiadek, a constellation with headquarters on Edentia.

An astronomer might use constellation for a region or recognized pattern in Earth's night sky. The book uses the same word for an administrative division of a local universe. A familiar word doing a very unfamiliar job.

"And who's above that?"

The chart pulled back again.

Nebadon, the local universe said to be governed from Salvington by Michael, its Creator Son.

The same Michael whose authority Lucifer challenged.

"So the rebellion wasn't merely a disagreement with the immediate supervisor."

"Not remotely."

"I'd hate to see the appeal paperwork."

And beyond Nebadon? Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse, whose capital is Uversa.

There it was. A complete chain of administrative relationships:

URANTIA → SATANIA → NORLATIADEK → NEBADON → ORVONTON.

All of this belongs to the book's account, not to any map that astronomers have established. But we could finally begin to understand where its extraordinary stories were supposed to unfold.

Six Superuniverses Nobody Introduced

Surely Orvonton was the end of the map.

Of course it wasn't.

Six other immense regions appeared, arranged in the book's portrayal around a still more extraordinary central creation.

Seven superuniverses. Ours is number seven, Orvonton. The remaining six are described without the convenient roll call of proper names that a mortal traveller might reasonably demand.

Tyrion stared at the six largely anonymous regions.

"Seven superuniverses, and somebody forgot six name tags? I think we're dealing with the same department that scheduled Van's speech."

We even have a thoroughly fictional inquiry into this scandal, The Six Superuniverses Nobody Introduced. We'll leave that optional detour for later.

Behind the joke, however, lies an immense idea. The book imagines our own cosmic region not as the whole of reality but as one great part of a developing creation.

One Billion Worlds. That's Not a Typo.

Then the central universe came into view.

Havona.

Unlike the evolving superuniverses, the book calls Havona eternal and perfect. It describes one billion worlds in seven circuits surrounding Paradise.

"One billion?" Tyrion sat down.

"That's what the book says."

"Are we expected to visit every one?"

"Not by next Tuesday."

These worlds are not presented merely as decoration. In the book's portrayal of spiritual ascent, they become settings for profound learning and growth on the way toward Paradise.

Imagine that: even an imagined universe of perfection still has something new to teach you.

The Centre That Never Moves

At last, the map stopped.

At the centre lay Paradise.

Not an earthly tropical island. Not a star. Not even an ordinary planet. The book describes the eternal Isle of Paradise as the stationary centre of its universe of universes and the dwelling place of Deity.

For ascending creatures, Paradise also represents the eventual destination of a journey that begins in places very much like Earth.

Tyrion considered this magnificent conclusion.

"Does it have a gift shop?"

"I don't recall one being mentioned."

"A café?"

"Also not mentioned."

He thought for a moment.

"Well, if people spend eternity travelling somewhere, I sincerely hope the welcome is exceptional."

We looked at the map together.

It was almost impossibly large. Yet the book's proposed universe keeps returning to an arrestingly small idea: one growing person matters, even among all those worlds.

We set out asking where Earth was.

We arrived at a question about what it might mean to belong.

Unfold the Map for Yourself

Our short-form cosmic address runs:

URANTIA → SATANIA → NORLATIADEK → NEBADON → ORVONTON

The complete address in the book also includes two intermediate administrative sectors, Ensa and Splandon. Our simplified map follows the main places we'll encounter.

Beyond Orvonton lie six other superuniverses surrounding Havona, with Paradise at the centre.

We've just zoomed outward from Earth to see the whole extraordinary arrangement. The chapters ahead do the opposite: beginning at Paradise, we'll journey from the centre back toward Earth, one destination at a time.

🗺️ The Cosmic Map

An Atlas illustration, not an observed or scale-accurate astronomical chart.

🔎 Factoid — Where the Address Comes From

• Urantia, Nebadon, Orvonton, Havona, Paradise: Foreword 0:0.5–0:0.6
• Seven superuniverses: Paper 15
• Urantia as world 606 in Satania, Norlatiadek, Nebadon: 43:0.1
• The fuller administrative address, including Ensa and Splandon: 15:14.5–14.7
• Jerusem as Satania's headquarters: 46:0.1
• Havona's billion worlds in seven circuits: Paper 14
• Paradise as the eternal centre: Paper 11

Tyrion's dialogue and the observatory are original fiction. The cosmic geography comes from the book; its structures have not been independently established by astronomy. Explore separate scientific and historical questions in our Evidence & Verification investigations.

🧭 Optional Detours — Follow a Different Cosmic Thread

The adventure continues to Paradise below. If you're curious about a particular destination already mentioned, you can explore it separately:

• Satania — The system where the rebellion began
• The Seven Superuniverses — The bigger picture
• Havona — The book's billion-world central universe
• The Six Superuniverses Nobody Introduced — A fictional investigation
• Civilization Atlas — The lives behind the worlds

These optional detours do not replace the next chapter.

A Small Problem with Cosmic GPS

Just as I was about to fold the map, Tyrion noticed a sign for a celestial navigation service.

"Finally," he said. "Someone who knows where we're going."

🎭 Celestial Intermission — Cosmic GPS: Recalculating Since Eternity

An entirely imaginary navigation lesson conducted by the Reversion Directors.

ASCENDING MORTAL: "Excuse me. Could you help me find my place in the universe?"

CELESTIAL NAVIGATOR: "Certainly! You are currently on Urantia, in Satania, within Norlatiadek, inside Nebadon, in the superuniverse of Orvonton."

MORTAL: "Wonderful! And how do I get to Paradise?"

NAVIGATOR: "Proceed through the appropriate stages of spiritual development."

MORTAL: "I meant driving directions."

NAVIGATOR: "Recalculating..."

MORTAL: "How long will the journey take?"

NAVIGATOR: "Your estimated arrival time is unavailable."

MORTAL: "WHY?!"

NAVIGATOR: "Because your destination is eternal, your current location is temporary, and you're trying to navigate spiritual reality using Google Maps."

MORTAL: “So there's no signal?”

NAVIGATOR: “Full bars. The metaphysics are the problem.”

The assembled Reversion Directors applaud.

MORTAL: "Fine! Can you at least tell me where to park?"

NAVIGATOR: "Certainly. Please begin by locating your vehicle."

The celestial transportation faculty collapses in laughter.

---

This performance is fictional satire, not a quotation from The Urantia Book or an actual description of cosmic transportation.

The Next Door: A Centre That Never Moves

Tyrion studied the map once more.

"So we started on Earth, followed our address all the way out, and found Paradise at the centre."

"According to the book."

"And now?"

"Now we start at the centre and work our way back toward home."

Tyrion watched the imagined worlds wheel around the brilliant point marked PARADISE.

"One question," he said. "If everything else is moving, how can the centre stay perfectly still?"

That is exactly where our next adventure begins.

Continue the Adventure — Paradise: The Centre That Never Moves →