^48:3.16 ¶ These custodians of the transition phases of ascendant life are supreme in the management of morontia affairs. They were created for this work, and pending the factualization of the Supreme Being, always will they remain Morontia Companions; never do they perform other duties.

^48:3.17 As systems and universes are settled in light and life, the mansion worlds increasingly cease to function as transition spheres of morontia training. More and more the finaliters institute their new training regime, which appears to be designed to translate the cosmic consciousness from the present level of the grand universe to that of the future outer universes. The Morontia Companions are destined to function increasingly in association with the finaliters and in numerous other realms not at present revealed on Urantia.

^48:3.18 You can forecast that these beings are probably going to contribute much to your enjoyment of the mansion worlds, whether your sojourn is to be long or short. And you will continue to enjoy them all the way up to Salvington. They are not, technically, essential to any part of your survival experience. You could reach Salvington without them, but you would greatly miss them. They are the personality luxury of your ascending career in the local universe.

4. THE REVERSION DIRECTORS

^48:4.1 Joyful mirth and the smile-equivalent are as universal as music. There is a morontial and a spiritual equivalent of mirth and laughter. The ascendant life is about equally divided between work and play — freedom from assignment.

^48:4.2 Celestial relaxation and superhuman humour are quite different from their human analogues, but we all actually indulge in a form of both; and they really accomplish for us, in our state, just about what ideal humour is able to do for you on Urantia. The Morontia Companions are skillful play sponsors, and they are most ably supported by the reversion directors.

^48:4.3 You would probably best understand the work of the reversion directors if they were likened to the higher types of humorists on Urantia, though that would be an exceedingly crude and somewhat unfortunate way in which to try to convey an idea of the function of these directors of change and relaxation, these ministers of the exalted humour of the morontia and spirit realms.

^48:4.4 ¶ In discussing spirit humour, first let me tell you what it is not. Spirit jest is never tinged with the accentuation of the misfortunes of the weak and erring. Neither is it ever blasphemous of the righteousness and glory of divinity. Our humour embraces three general levels of appreciation:

^48:4.5 1. Reminiscent jests. Quips growing out of the memories of past episodes in one’s experience of combat, struggle, and sometimes fearfulness, and ofttimes foolish and childish anxiety. To us, this phase of humour derives from the deep-seated and abiding ability to draw upon the past for memory material with which pleasantly to flavour and otherwise lighten the heavy loads of the present.

^48:4.6 2. Current humour. The senselessness of much that so often causes us serious concern, the joy at discovering the unimportance of much of our serious personal anxiety. We are most appreciative of this phase of humour when we are best able to discount the anxieties of the present in favour of the certainties of the future.

^48:4.7 3. Prophetic joy. It will perhaps be difficult for mortals to envisage this phase of humour, but we do get a peculiar satisfaction out of the assurance “that all things work together for good” — for spirits and morontians as well as for mortals. This aspect of celestial humour grows out of our faith in the loving overcare of our superiors and in the divine stability of our Supreme Directors.

^48:4.8 ¶ But the reversion directors of the realms are not concerned exclusively with depicting the high humour of the various orders of intelligent beings; they are also occupied with the leadership of diversion, spiritual recreation and morontia entertainment. And in this connection they have the hearty co-operation of the celestial artisans.

^48:4.9 The reversion directors themselves are not a created group; they are a recruited corps embracing beings ranging from the Havona natives down through the messenger hosts of space and the ministering spirits of time to the morontia progressors from the evolutionary worlds. All are volunteers, giving themselves to the work of assisting their fellows in the achievement of thought change and mind rest, for such attitudes are most helpful in recuperating depleted energies.

^48:4.10 ¶ When partially exhausted by the efforts of attainment, and while awaiting the reception of new energy charges, there is agreeable pleasure in living over again the enactments of other days and ages. The early experiences of the race or the order are restful to reminisce. And that is exactly why these artists are called reversion directors — they assist in reverting the memory to a former state of development or to a less experienced status of being.

^48:4.11 All beings enjoy this sort of reversion except those who are inherent Creators, hence automatic self-rejuvenators, and certain highly specialized types of creatures, such as the power centres and the physical controllers, who are always and eternally thoroughly businesslike in all their reactions. These periodic releases from the tension of functional duty are a regular part of life on all worlds throughout the universe of universes but not on the Isle of Paradise. Beings indigenous to the central abode are incapable of depletion and are not, therefore, subject to re-energizing. And with such beings of eternal Paradise perfection there can be no such reversion to evolutionary experiences.

^48:4.12 Most of us have come up through lower stages of existence or through progressive levels of our orders, and it is refreshing and in a measure amusing to look back upon certain episodes of our early experience. There is a restfulness in the contemplation of that which is old to one’s order, and which lingers as a memory possession of the mind. The future signifies struggle and advancement; it bespeaks work, effort, and achievement; but the past savours of things already mastered and achieved; contemplation of the past permits of relaxation and such a carefree review as to provoke spirit mirth and a morontia state of mind verging on merriment.

^48:4.13 Even mortal humour becomes most hearty when it depicts episodes affecting those just a little beneath one’s present developmental state, or when it portrays one’s supposed superiors falling victim to the experiences which are commonly associated with supposed inferiors. You of Urantia have allowed much that is at once vulgar and unkind to become confused with your humour, but on the whole, you are to be congratulated on a comparatively keen sense of humour. Some of your races have a rich vein of it and are greatly helped in their earthly careers thereby. Apparently you received much in the way of humour from your Adamic inheritance, much more than was secured of either music or art.

^48:4.14 ¶ All Satania, during times of play, those times when its inhabitants refreshingly resurrect the memories of a lower stage of existence, is edified by the pleasant humour of a corps of reversion directors from Urantia. The sense of celestial humour we have with us always, even when engaged in the most difficult of assignments. It helps to avoid an overdevelopment of the notion of one’s self-importance. But we do not give rein to it freely, as you might say, “have fun,” except when we are in recess from the serious assignments of our respective orders.