Original fictional artwork, not a photograph or an illustration from The Urantia Book.
Atlas Special FeatureCosmic Curiosities🎭 Fictional Comedy Special
The Six Superuniverses Nobody Introduced
Seven superuniverses. Seven proper names, according to the book. One name supplied to the reader. This may be the longest roll call ever conducted with the shortest attendance sheet.
For a work that describes extraordinary stretches of cosmic geography, The Urantia Book leaves a surprisingly ordinary question unanswered: What should we call the other six superuniverses?
It gives the seventh a name—Orvonton—and describes its headquarters, Uversa, and its place in a vast cosmic organization. The other six are generally introduced by number. Paper 17:1.5 provides a particularly clear illustration of the naming pattern.
This is not evidence that the superuniverses exist, nor a logical contradiction. It is an unexpectedly entertaining example of information the text says exists but does not disclose to us.
Naturally, the Reversion Directors have requested an opportunity to investigate the matter.
What follows is original fictional satire—not a passage from the book, a claim of actual celestial communication, or a substitute for the source analysis below.
Tonight's Performance: The Great Superuniverse Roll Call
Location: A wholly imaginary celestial auditorium. Seven name cards sit on a table. Six are blank.
The Master of Ceremonies approaches the microphone.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Welcome, ascending mortals, to our introductory course in cosmic geography. Tonight you will learn the proper names of all seven superuniverses!”
Thunderous applause.
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Before you begin, have you read the source material?”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Of course!”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Then this should be educational for both of us.”
Act I — Six Magnificent Introductions
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Superuniverse Number One, please introduce yourself.”
SUPERUNIVERSE ONE: “Number One.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Your proper name?”
SUPERUNIVERSE ONE: “Not supplied in the reading assignment.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Very well. Number Two?”
SUPERUNIVERSE TWO: “Number Two.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “And on your name tag?”
SUPERUNIVERSE TWO: “Also Number Two. The printing department has been very consistent.”
Polite celestial laughter.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Number Three?”
SUPERUNIVERSE THREE: “Present.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Could you possibly provide a name?”
SUPERUNIVERSE THREE: “Would a number help?”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Apparently not.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Number Four?”
SUPERUNIVERSE FOUR: “Four.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Perhaps you have something else to add?”
SUPERUNIVERSE FOUR: “Four is even.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Thank you for that breakthrough.”
The celestial mathematics faculty requests that its name not appear in the programme.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Five? Six? Anyone?”
SUPERUNIVERSE FIVE: “Five.”
SUPERUNIVERSE SIX: “Six.”
The Master of Ceremonies stares at six empty name cards.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “We have now introduced six immense cosmic divisions and obtained exactly zero proper names.”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Excellent progress. You have identified the limits of the available data.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “And the limits of my patience.”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “That's the advanced course.”
Act II — At Last, a Name!
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Would Number Seven please step forward?”
SUPERUNIVERSE SEVEN: “ORVONTON!”
The auditorium erupts. Three cherubim faint from the shock of an actual proper noun.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “FINALLY! A name! Do you happen to know what the other six are called?”
ORVONTON: “The book indicates they have names.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Wonderful! May I have them?”
ORVONTON: “Not from the paragraph we're reading.”
The Reversion Directors give Orvonton a standing ovation for impeccable textual discipline.
ASCENDING MORTAL: “So we have seven superuniverses, one name, and six blanks?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Correct.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “I've got one mortal brain, a day job, and an entire universe of questions. Could I at least have a second brain?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Your request has been assigned to the department of unreasonable expectations.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “How long is the wait?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “We have not yet defined long.”
Act III — The Missing-Name Inquiry
A celestial registrar arrives carrying a filing cabinet.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “Have you brought the six missing names?”
REGISTRAR: “No. I've brought six folders documenting the fact that we don't have them.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “There must be a complaint procedure.”
REGISTRAR: “Certainly. Form 7-C: ‘Request for Clarification of an Undisclosed Proper Noun.’”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “When do we receive an answer?”
REGISTRAR: “That depends on whether your question is philosophical, historical, logical, or administrative.”
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: “It's a NAME!”
REGISTRAR: “Ah. A lexical-scope issue. Please take another number.”
The Reversion Directors collapse in laughter.
ASCENDING MORTAL: “Surely this is a contradiction!”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Not necessarily. A place can have a name even when a book doesn't tell you what it is.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “Then what's our conclusion?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “One disclosed name. Six unanswered name requests. Zero contradictions established by that fact alone.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “Well, at least that's something.”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Excellent. You've passed the introductory examination.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “And what's next?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Patience.”
ASCENDING MORTAL: “Does patience have another name?”
REVERSION DIRECTOR: “Yes, but we introduce it by number.”
Blackout. The six blank name cards receive an enthusiastic standing ovation.
Intermission: What Does the Book Actually Say?
Back to the factual record. The theatrical dialogue above is our own creation; the following claims are anchored to the book's text.
Paper 17:1.5 says that the seven executive Paradise spheres share their names with the corresponding superuniverses and states that the superuniverses were named after those spheres. In that passage, only the seventh proper name, Orvonton, is actually supplied.
It does not provide the proper names of superuniverses one through six. An omission is not, by itself, evidence that those names are deliberately secret or that their disclosure is forbidden.
| Superuniverse | Proper name disclosed? |
|---|---|
| Number One | No |
| Number Two | No |
| Number Three | No |
| Number Four | No |
| Number Five | No |
| Number Six | No |
| Number Seven | Orvonton |
For comparison, Paper 16:3.1 explicitly states that the Seven Master Spirits have names but that the narrator elects to introduce those beings by number.
The Master Spirits are not the superuniverses; this is a parallel example of naming practice, not a second independent proof that the same editorial choice explains the six undisclosed superuniverse names. The narrator's reason for withholding one set cannot automatically be assigned to the other.
Is This a Contradiction?
No formal contradiction follows from these passages.
The statements "seven superuniverses have names" and "only one of those names is disclosed in the text" can both be true.
The problem is not logical inconsistency.
It is incomplete disclosure.
The text supplies an organizational framework without supplying all the proper-name details in these cited passages.
Nor do those passages establish that the names were omitted for security, spiritual maturity, or some extraordinary administrative policy. Claiming to know why they are absent would require more than our imagination.
Logical takeaway: Names exist and names are not disclosed here are compatible propositions. Neither one entails the negation of the other.
Our fictional registrar's filing cabinet remains under investigation—but is not admissible as evidence.
Did The Urantia Book Really Describe Celestial Humour?
Yes—within its own narrative. Paper 48, Section 4 describes Reversion Directors who promote relaxation, recreation, and forms of humour appropriate to morontia and spiritual experience. Its statements about celestial life are textual claims, not externally verified observations.
The text also presents reminiscence as an important part of their methods. It explicitly cautions against humour that targets the misfortunes of the weak or vulnerable (48:4.4). Our own sketches aim their jokes at overcomplicated bureaucracy, exaggerated self-importance, and the mysteries of unfinished research—not at people who deserve kindness.
Paper 44:3.4 describes recreational buildings associated with their activities.
And Paper 48:4.14 makes an especially delightful claim: that reversion directors originating from Urantia contribute to the humour enjoyed during periods of recreation in Satania.
The passage even connects celestial humour with keeping one's sense of self-importance in perspective.
That makes a little affectionate laughter about the limitations of our own cosmic knowledge seem a fitting tribute to the theme.
An important distinction: The celestial auditorium, performers, audience reactions, and dialogue above are our own fictional inventions. The source passages do not describe this particular performance or establish a formal school dedicated exclusively to comedy.
Closing Perspective
One of the pleasures of taking an extraordinary book seriously is discovering that serious questions can sometimes be very funny.
The absence of six names doesn't settle the truth or falsehood of the book's cosmic scheme. It simply reminds us that even a detailed description can leave a reader with honest questions.
Our textual finding: Paper 17:1.5 supplies the name Orvonton, while leaving the other six proper names unstated. No contradiction arises merely because a name is said to exist but not provided. A complete account of the book's vocabulary would require continued attention to all relevant passages.
The invitation, meanwhile, is wonderfully human: keep learning, keep checking, and don't let your own certainty get so grand that you forget how to laugh.
The Reversion Directors thank you for attending.
Please collect any unidentified superuniverses from the celestial lost-and-found counter. Proof of ownership is required. A proper name would help.
Primary Sources
- Paper 17 — The Seven Supreme Spirit Groups — 17:1.5, on the naming of the superuniverses.
- Paper 16 — The Seven Master Spirits — 16:3.1, on names and numerical designations.
- Paper 48 — The Morontia Life — Section 4, on Reversion Directors, celestial humour, and the distinction between humour and cruelty.
- Paper 44 — The Celestial Artisans — 44:3.4, on recreational facilities.