Chapter Four
SPACE

Far away, in a direction no pointing finger can ever reveal, is a windless place that is more than a place. Constituting both place and thing, unrestricted by either feature or size, it resides in and encompasses all things. This is the circle of infinity, land of countless gateways, center and periphery of the universe.

Each minute bit of matter and every infinitesimal point of space is a tiny corridor connecting directly to the circle of infinity. Like silvery dandelion filaments, they radiate from the primordial to the manifest: from the primalate (an upholding reality) to the finalate (a derivative reality at a more relative level of being).

Fields

Except for the Infinite, nothing that exists does so of itself . Every reality that shares the bright daylight of being is composed of something else, contained in something else, and patterned by something else. If one could shrink smaller and smaller, first disappearing into the world of a vibrating molecule, then vanishing into the tininess of a spinning atom, then dwindling into the confines of an orbiting electron, one would finally approach the hovering ultimatons, whose clustered assemblage is the electron. Shrinking further, penetrating into the mysterious ultimaton, one would suddenly break through into swirling, inward vastness. This is the ever-present but unseen universe of fields, which push apart the utter nothingness to make room for the objects they weave within their depths.

A field is a reality that to an outside observer appears featureless. The deepening sea, the vaulting sky, and a blank sheet of paper each is a field. Within such spreading sameness can be neither size, extent, form, nor direction, qualities which, like words inscribed in black ink on white paper, are relationships between two contrasting realities.

Space and Charge

Imagine a volume of clear water and a separate volume of clear oil. Mentally mix these two liquids, then stir them. Features appear, tiny, glistening beadlets of oil suspended throughout the water. The water, oil, and oil-water correspond to a space field, a charge field, and a continuum field, respectively, illustrating a field interaction in which a field called a space field encompasses separate portions of another field, called a charge field. The mixture is a charged space field, or continuum.

Unlike the two liquids of the example, the space and charge fields of a continuum remain unmixed and unchanged at their original levels; only at a finalateward level, as a derivative reality, do they function together as a continuum.

In charged space, the finely arrayed beadlets, or charge elements, along with the interrupting areas of space giving them individuality of existence, provide a tabular medium capable of containing form and sustaining measurement.

Objects

Objects can be summoned into being in the liquid mixture above by persuading adjacent oil droplets to group into patterns defined within the metricity of the alternating oil and water. Similarly, in a second type of field interaction, charge elements in a continuum field called an impressate are influenced by a field called a patternate to gather together as objects. Carved in the very fabric of fields, these objects, the foundations of enstructurated matter, might appropriately be called foundates. Ultimatons, energetic vortices of whirling charge, are the foundates of the time-space realms (476:4-9), while foundates of motionless charge support the timeless structures of eternity (120:2,4).

Substance is mixed charge and space: aggregated foundates (1297:7-8). The URANTIA Book equates charge and force, referring to the force charge of space (139:5). Charge precipitates from force through energy to power (matter) (9:5-10; 126:1,5; 469:1-471:5). The universes yet to be, tells The URANTIA Book, exist as the supergravity force charge of pervaded space (139:5), unreactive to Paradise Gravity, responsive only to the Unqualified Absolute (469:5; 470:3).

In a third type of field interaction, a field called a superfield is, like a chemical diluted by water, diminished by a neutral diminisher field. The resulting field, realitized immediately finalateward and called the mainfield , is really the diminished function of the superfield .

The Existential Absolutes

The Infinite engages in self-limiting revelations as and through the Seven Absolutes of Infinity (4:14-5:18; 6:5; 1153:6). Wearing the cloak of infinite nonspiritual, actual reality, the Infinite stands forth as Paradise--absolute, existential, never-beginning, never-ending, boundless materiality (120:3; 126:5). Counterpoising Paradise among the Absolutes is the Unqualified Absolute, potential of all yet unmanifest nonspiritual reality (14:7; 1156:5). From the impenetrable depths of the Unqualified Absolute, physicalities emerge, coming under the control of Paradise (45:6; 329:6; 637:3).

Paradise exists and functions in several phases and roles--for example, as the absolute pattern (8:5; 10:5; 1156:2) and the absolute material controller (7:10-11). In addition, Paradise manifests as a material body, the Isle of Paradise (7:10; 118:1), tip of the limitless cosmic iceberg of Paradise reality. Paradise is the source and substance of absolute material gravity (101:2; 125:7) and the bestower of space (124:6; 134:6). The existential realities of the Seven Absolutes of Infinity, limited neither by space nor time (1173:5), arenot experiencible (1165:5). To subinfinite beings, the existential realities of Paradise and all the Seven Absolutes of Infinity are fieldlike. For all intents and purposes, to the world of finite beings, they are fields.

One might usefully employ the words Paradise or Isle of Paradise to refer to Paradise as a materialized body of reality and a separate word, Paradatia, to denote Paradise as an existential field (7:9).

The Supercontinuum

Paradise materializations are not contained in space, but rather in Paradise area (120:4; 135:3). The substance of Paradise is absolutum (120:2), organized space potency (120:2), the presence of the Unqualified Absolute (126:4; 469:3,5).

Apparently Paradatia is an uncharged space field and the Unqualified Absolute its charge field. Their endless interaction is Paradise area, the physical supercontinuum, the charged superspace in which all Paradise-level physical reality exists. The physical continuum is the potency-misted impressate that Paradatia as a patternate moulds into realities reflecting its inexhaustible image. Paradatia is the pattern for Paradise substance. Paradise substance , not form, is the pattern for the universes of space and time (1263:2).

Possessing no inherent motion and responding directly to volition (120:4), Paradise, or ordinative, substance could undergo unlimited metamorphosis. One can imagine Paradise beings capable of expressing themselves by graceful changes of their very forms , while countless brilliant mechanisms of absolutum carry out their endless dictates. Nonspatial motion might be used to accomplish objectives unimagined by time-space beings. Superspace, like the substance woven from it, could respond to volition, providing immense powers of transit.

The Maincontinuum

Integrating the immutableness of Paradatia (81:5) and the unfathomability of the Unqualified Absolute across the void of being that separates them is the Universal Absolute, limitless correlator of all phases and levels of reality (15:3; 1298:3-7). As a diminisher , the Universal Absolute enables Paradatia to descend to a finalateward level and spread itself out as the mainspaceof the maincontinuum, containment of the whirling universes of time and space (15:3; 1156:6).

Time-space, or emulative, substance is not directly responsive to will. Decision-making volition, however, aligned with the will of Deity (648:1-2; 1303:8), can cause the inherent motions of time to evolve emulative substance into emerging patterns of Paradise perfection (647:9).

Space and superspace are parts of Paradatia. All actualized material reality is controlled by, even an extension of (82:3), Paradise. Paradatia, greater Paradise, residing in all physical things yet encompassing the vast universes of absoluty and finity, truly inhabits--is--the circle of physical infinity (467:4).

Kinds of Space

Space, according to The URANTIA Book, neither touches nor contains the Isle of Paradise (7:10; 120:3; 124:3; 133:10; 1156:2), separated from it by the quiescent midspace zones (124:3-5; 135:4). The distinction between Paradise and non-Paradise containments is preserved in referring to Paradise area as superspace and the space of the evolving universes as mainspace. Pervaded space originates beneath nether Paradise and spreads out laterally, counterbalanced by unpervaded space in the reservoirs above and below the Eternal Isle (120:4; 124:3-125:4).

Citing language and concept limitations, The URANTIA Bookrefers to some relationships of eternity as events(73:2; 73:4). Paradatia's Universal Absolute-articulated bestowal of mainspace, described as not occurring at any time, an eternity event (637:3), is an unending relationship between a primalate, Paradatia, and its finalate , mainspace. As a diminished finalate of superspace, mainspace is not absolute (135:2), but rather ultimate(1170:1)-- absolutely ultimate (1297:7).

The Dimensions

The physical, spirital, and mindal dimensions, brought into being by various of the Seven Absolutes of Infinity in combination, are structurally parallel (94:4; 1261:3). Though spirital beings inhabit material spheres (118:1; 139:4; 154:4) and exist with relation to physical space (1297:9), most material reality is to them unreal (498:6-7). Occupying spirit space (135:8; 1297:9) charged by spirit potency (13:7; 1149:6; 1261:3), they inhabit spirit forms (483:10) made of spirit substance (82:2) and carry on countless high spirit activities.

Space, charge, and the continuum can conveniently be referred to as spatium, fortium, and continuum, respectively. The prefix super or main can be added to these field identifiers, as in superfortium or maincontinuum . Physicus, spiritus, or mindus specifies physical, spirital, or mindal reality, respectively, as in Spatium Spiritus (the uncharged spirital space field) or Supercontinuum Physicus (charged physical superspace).

Total physical space is a labyrinthine sphere of crystal midspace hollowed out into chambers of specialized space. At its center shines the Isle of Paradise. At the midpoint of Paradise, reality hushes and thins, disappearing into the Infinity Point , focalized presence of the Infinite. This is the center of each of the seven dimensions (1439:5-7) of reality, every one a labyrinthine sphere of its own unique crystal midspace. Here, at the intersection of the dimensions, all things are one (47:3; 1275:4,8). Traveling outward in any sphere, the realities of the others disappear from view; but all continue to exist, without beginning or ending.

Space is the mechanism enabling ascending mortals to grasp the concept of simultaneity (1173:4). This leads to a comprehension of the spaceless separateness of the Absolutes (1439:7). And from this comes an understanding of the ascenders' own absolute and ultimate phases of individuality of existence (1226:14; 1281:6; 1292:3-6; 1293:2).