What does ontological mean?

Ontological means to me the starting point of all thought, all philosophy. It means the realm of being beyond whose surface we cannot see. Some call it being. Some logic. By any name it is the without-which-nothing. And it is also the one we cannot claim to comprehend fully. It is the penumbra around our immanent frame. And it is my contention that within this being lie values that are an inherent and universal aspect of what it means to be human.