An archangel of Nebadon mentions:
You should understand that the morontia life of an ascending mortal is really initiated on the inhabited worlds at the conception of the soul, at that moment when the creature mind of moral status is indwelt by the spirit Adjuster. [Paper 48:6.2, page 551.7]
This quotation indicates that morontial life begins on our planet at the formation of the soul through a sincere moral choice, heralding the arrival of the indwelling Thought Adjuster. The joint formation of the morontial soul with the Adjuster provides access to morontia realities, and it is possible for a human personality to know and experience a taste of morontia life during his or her earthly life with the absolute conviction of being part of this great morontial family.
The Urantia Book gives us some information about the activities in the schools of education and training on the morontia worlds in Papers 47 and 48. These papers give us an opportunity to study and join these morontia schools during our earthly life. Man has the power to transcend time and space and live as if in direct contact with the Heavenly Father through his vast personality circuit and through the indwelling presence of the Thought Adjuster. “Man’s ability to transcend himself is the one thing which distinguishes him from the animal kingdom” [111:6.9].
The morontia nature of the soul necessarily involves the first steps in morontia life, and its evolution allows human personalities to access morontia realities guided by their indwelling Adjuster and assisted by other mindal and spiritual influences. All these influences are essential to guide personalities in the evolution of their morontia soul through the psychic circles. The seventh psychic circle heralds the beginning of morontial evolution for personalities and:
This signifies the united function of the seven adjutant mind-spirits under the direction of the spirit of wisdom, the encircuitment of the mortal creature in the influence of the Holy Spirit, and, 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 truly potential citizen of the local universe. [Paper 110:6.13, page 1210.8]
The seventh circle is the starting point for the evolution of the morontia soul and is the first circle to be attained by the personality since it involves the unification of the seven adjutant mind spirits, the influence of the Holy Spirit, the operation of the Spirit of Truth, and the reception of the Thought Adjuster.
The psychic circles represent levels of personal mental attainment, a concrete realization of the seven adjutant spirits and the reception of a Thought Adjuster. The attainment of the seventh circle transforms the individual into a true “potential citizen of the local universe.” Like the Spirit-Adjutants, the psychic circles include seven stages of individual and progressive growth.
It is difficult precisely to define the seven levels of human progression, for the reason that these levels are personal; they are variable for each individual and are apparently determined by the growth capacity of each human being. [Paper 110:6.7, page 1210.2]
This quotation reveals the difficulty of specifying the progressive levels in penetrating the seven circles; it concerns exclusively the volitional attributes and the sovereign status of the personality. The Solitary Messenger also mentions:
The seventh circle. This level is entered when human beings develop the powers of personal choice, individual decision, moral responsibility, and the capacity for the attainment of spiritual individuality. [Paper 110:6.13, page 1210.8]
Four powers stand out in this seventh circle: It is actually the first for the personality and is the beginning of personal progression through the higher circles; it initiates the phenomenon of personal evolution within the psychic circles accompanied by a Thought Adjuster. “Entrance upon the seventh circle marks the beginning of true human personality function” [110:6.1].
The seventh circle is not very well defined in relation to the others but concerns exclusively the status of the human personality; it forms a set of four elements (or powers) as stated before and is considered to be the first group of four circles that demonstrate the advancement and evolution of the personality within the psychic circles. These are:
7th – Personal choice
6th – Individual decision
5th – Moral responsibility
4th – Ability to attain spiritual individuality
Considering that the ascending career begins with a personal choice favorable to the arrival of the indwelling Adjuster, it would be fair to say that the seventh circle involves a personal choice associated with absolute sovereignty and free will of the personality.
By associating these four elements, starting from the seventh circle by making a personal choice; the sixth circle logically implies an individual decision by that personal choice. An individual decision engages the personality in the fifth circle towards moral responsibility for that individual decision and, finally, moral responsibility weaves the link to the fourth circle; spiritual individuality through the sovereign free will of the personality.
This seventh circle (the first reached) is composed of four separate elements that can be coordinated simultaneously by a sincere moral choice, an individual decision, a commitment to one’s moral responsibility, and one’s ability to achieve spiritual individuality. It is through the status of the personality and the primacy of will that these four circles function in harmony. I believe this is the reason why the seventh circle is hardly defined by the Solitary Messenger, because it concerns only the evolution of the individual status of the human personality.
After attaining the status of spiritual individuality through the first four circles (7 to 4), the personality emerges in the third circle of morontial evolution and is then assigned a personal seraphic guardian:
The Adjuster’s work is much more effective after the human ascender attains the third circle and receives a personal seraphic guardian of destiny. While there is no apparent concert of effort between the Adjuster and the seraphic guardian, nonetheless there is to be observed an unmistakable improvement in all phases of cosmic achievement and spiritual development subsequent to the assignment of the personal seraphic attendant. When the third circle is attained, the Adjuster endeavors to morontiaize the mind of man during the remainder of the mortal life span, to make the remaining circles, and achieve the final stage of the divine-human association before natural death dissolves the unique partnership. [Paper 110:6.14, page 1210.9]
The third psychic circle represents a culmination in personal development after the attainment of spiritual individuality by the association of the four elements, or powers, of the seventh circle. Movement to the third circle denotes an improvement in cosmic accomplishments and in spiritual development.
From the seventh to the third circle there occurs increased and unified action of the seven adjutant mind-spirits in the task of weaning the mortal mind from its dependence on the realities of the material life mechanisms preparatory to increased introduction to morontia levels of experience. From the third circle onward the adjutant influence progressively diminishes. [Paper 110:6.20, page 1211.5]
As soon as the personality has reached the third circle accompanied by his seraphic guardian, he approaches the second circle; the circle where:
…the Adjuster endeavors to morontiaize the mind of man during the remainder of the mortal life span, to make the remaining circles, and achieve the final stage of the divine-human association before natural death dissolves the unique partnership. [Paper 110:6.14, page 1210.9]
The morontia life of a moral personality begins on his home planet at the conception of his soul in partnership with his Thought Adjuster; it is through the second circle that the Adjuster endeavors to make the mind of the personality morontial during his mortal life by means of mental transformations, by a manner of being, acting, or reacting according to the events of daily life which promote the progression of the soul.
The attainment of the first circle “is the nearest possible approach of material mind and spirit Adjuster in human experience“ [110:6.15]. This first circle is the final circle of progressive fulfillment of a human mortal before fusion. Eternal fusion always depends on the absolute will, the free will of the personality and its dedication to do the will of the Paradise Father.
In summary, I propose that the seven psychic circles are as follows in the order of the evolution of the human personality:
7th – Personal choice.
6th – Individual decision.
5th – Moral responsibility.
4th – Ability to achieve spiritual individuality.
3rd – Phases of cosmic fulfillment and spiritual development.
2nd – The Adjuster strives to make man’s mind morontial for the rest of his mortal life.
1st – The closest possible relationship between the mortal mind and the spiritual Adjuster in man’s experience.
Traversing the psychic circles is part of the personal experience of the human personality in its morontial growth during its temporal life and is the fulcrum that provides access to the mansion worlds. As presented by a Solitary Messenger of Orvonton: “Therefore does a seventh circler go on to the mansion worlds to attain further quantitative realization of cosmic growth just as does a second or even a first circler…”[110:6.18].
Psychic circles are related to mental transformations and the individual progression of personalities in aspects of consciousness; these are in action as soon as the personality uses its mental abilities in a quest to live divinely, according to the will of the Heavenly Father. Morontia life begins with the formation of the soul on our planet; its growth and evolution always depend on the decisions, free will and absolute will of the personality.
Proposed Segments of Psychic Circles
Although the psychic circles are always concerned with the mental aspects of personality, they are divided into four different segments: “The psychic circles are not exclusively intellectual, neither are they wholly morontial; they have to do with personality status, mind attainment, soul growth, and Adjuster attunement” [110:6.3].
1 – Personality status
2 – Mental achievements
3 – Soul growth
4 – Agreement with the Adjuster
Personality status is linked to the first four circles (7 to 4) and corresponds to the first segment of the circles.
Mental achievements are connected to the third circle and correspond to the second segment of the circles assigned to all phases of cosmic achievement and spiritual development.
Soul growth is related to the second circle and corresponds to the third segment of the circles where the Adjuster strives to make man’s mind morontial for the rest of his mortal life.
Agreement with the Adjuster is related to the first circle and corresponds to the fourth segment of the circles, which is the closest possible match between the material mind and the spiritual Adjuster in the experience of man.
These four segments of the psychic circles always concern the mental progression of the personality through four progressive stages of evolution and is a personal experience and acquisition as a result of one’s own individual efforts. Through these four levels of psychic circles, and considering that morontial life begins as soon as the morontial soul is created through union with the Thought Adjuster, it is possible to reach a morontial state before bodily death and to come to live in accord with one’s indwelling Adjuster.
The human mind is in no way bound to time and space by transcendence but is entirely bound to the prerogatives and free will of the personality. The psychic circles are therefore the seven personal stages of morontia progression during the earthly life.
The individual progress of human beings is measured by their successive attainment and traversal (mastery) of the seven cosmic circles… [Paper 49:6.8, page 569.3]