Part of the Casswiki article series Cassiopaean Experiment
This is one of the core precepts presented by Laura Knight-Jadczyk in the Wave series. We could say that this is the fulcrum on which free will and the duality of service to others and service to self balance.
Choices in the ordinary sense are essentially always conditioned, that is, the existence of the possibilities is a consequence of previous causes and the person making the choice estimates consequences and arrives at some decision using some sort of system of values which itself is a consequence of yet other factors. Furthermore, the system of values used to weigh the choice depends on which little I happens to be “on duty” at the time, which itself depends on past habit and the specific circumstance of the moment.
Such processes are what is commonly called exercise of free will. These are quite adapted to the world of A influences but do not represent any true creativity or freedom. Man’s possible contribution to creation, “helping God,” as Gurdjieff puts it, calls for free will of a different order.
Religions speak of man’s free will. This is logical since some degree of free will must be recognized in order to rationalize the diverse rewards and punishments promised by religions. This is one example of systems of values which set up weights for choices: Yes, man has the free will to sin but will pay by eternal damnation. Choices made within such systems of values are not unconditioned, they are weighted and generally made by the individual in order to maximize personal gain, however this gain be defined in the system at hand. Sometimes man reacts in rebellion, deliberately inverting the weights of the values but this is no less mechanical than the initial system of conditions. Social norms, business, cultures and the like are other sources of similarly weighted systems of choices. All these have their place and are useful for organizing man’s life but these are not free will in the metaphysical sense, even if they sometimes claim differently or deny the very question.
We note that all the above systems revolve around control, either in the sense of society setting up values that control its members or in the sense of the individual making choices for the purpose of getting a predetermined result. We could even say that especially modern society burdens people with countless trivial choices between basically identical alternatives, trivializing choice while creating the illusion of freedom and diversity. This is quite clear in both politics and religion.
The unweighted choice is a spiritual act. It can only be understood as the introduction of something unconditioned into a conditioned world. In a certain sense, it is the negation of all the criteria of choice discussed thus far. It is not chosen from among a set of choices offered by the environment. It is not made in order to obtain a predetermined result. It is recognizing an essential quality of self, sometimes called invariant nature or consciousness director. Gurdjieff speaks of measuring the lower by the higher. The personality is the realm of the self-serving conditioned choices and it is, through its various little ‘I’s, the party in charge. The unconditioned choice comes from beyond it. We could say that it is the act of choosing to give expression to a spiritual principle, to ‘align oneself with an archetype or ‘thought center.’ In a sense this is surrender before a higher principle. Yet this is the greatest act of freedom, insofar this breaks away from the entire paradigm of the self-serving calculations of conventional choice.
We could say that this is part of the master taking charge of the coach. This does not negate the practical intelligence of the driver or the senses and strength of the horse but gives them a higher purpose, a direction which they could not attain or keep by their own devices alone.
The unweighted choice is the gateway which leads from the world of 3D STS to the possibility of STO polarization. A certain “bankruptcy”, as Mouravieff puts it, is generally needed for such a choice to become possible. One must see one’s former system of values as inadequate and be free of consideration for self, of anticipation of results and so forth. Such a state is exceptional and does not occur without shock. The alignment with STO is more than good works or thoughts. Good works and thoughts may be conditional and in the end based on ideas of control and contain no intrinsic freedom or creativity. The liberation is a mystical thing for which no exterior definition can be complete. In the words of the tradition, the vessel must be emptied before it can be filled with spirit.
There is possibly a service to self polarizing analog of the unweighted choice, involving deliberate choice of raising the subjective self above all others. This too may take place in a moment of crisis and can involve a conversion of sorts. The STS idea of freedom and creation is however quite different, as in freedom for self to appropriate the freedom of others. Generally, unconditioned creativity has no place in such a system.
Laura Knight-Jadczyk discusses this concept in the Wave series through her own experience of ultimate disillusionment with the world: Even if the values of STO are not generally appreciated by the world, it can be one’s choice to manifest these values in the world, even if this had no effect on anything. This is an act at the archetypal level.