CONTRA NATURA: Consciousness, Will, and the Two Universes

Forward

This work distinguishes between the objective universe, the domain of time, space, matter, and energy, and the subjective universe, the field of individual experience through which all perception occurs. It maintains that consciousness is the necessary condition for any knowledge of the objective universe, and therefore cannot be fully reduced to it.

Two general orientations are contrasted. The natural approach seeks alignment with the objective universe and treats the subjective as secondary or derivative. The non-natural approach affirms the individual as a distinct center of awareness, rejects the goal of dissolution into the objective order, and treats both the objective and subjective universes as domains to be understood and engaged.

The guiding principle of the non-natural path is the development and application of Will through conscious effort, self-awareness, and deliberate interaction with both internal experience and external reality.

________________________________________________________________________

There is a fundamental locus of awareness that underlies all experience. This is not the ego, personality, or physical body, but the observing consciousness through which all phenomena are known. Every perception, thought, and sensation arises within this field of awareness, making it the necessary condition for any experience whatsoever.

Existence may be understood as a single totality, the Universe, within which two analytically distinct domains can be identified: the objective universe and the subjective universe. The objective universe consists of all phenomena that exist independently of individual perception, structured by time, space, matter, and energy. The subjective universe, by contrast, is the internal field of experience unique to each sentient being, including perception, interpretation, memory, and imagination.

Definitions:

Objective Universe (OU): That which exists independent of observation, the measurable and law-governed domain of time, space, matter, and energy.

Subjective Universe (SU): The individual field of experience through which the OU is apprehended, including both perceived phenomena and internally generated constructs.

Crucially, the OU is encountered only through one’s SU. There is no access to an objective world except through the mediation of consciousness. This introduces an asymmetry. The SU depends on the OU for its content, while the OU appears as known reality only through the SU. The psyche therefore, cannot be fully reduced to the objective order, since it is the condition through which that order is experienced.

Example:

In objective terms, a house is an arrangement of materials organized according to physical laws. Within subjective universes, that same structure acquires meaning, identity, memory, value, or aversion depending on the individual. Even if the physical structure is destroyed, the house may persist as a psychological and symbolic construct within the subjective universe.

What is Unnatural?

George Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky advanced a distinction between mechanical existence and conscious development. Human consciousness does not evolve automatically. Biological processes unfold mechanically, but consciousness requires deliberate effort. Left alone, the human organism follows the path of least resistance, often referred to as the way of nature, which operates without awareness.

To follow this natural course is to remain governed by habit and automatic processes. The body ages, patterns stabilize, awareness diminishes, and behavior becomes increasingly conditioned. Nature optimizes for survival and efficiency, not for expanded consciousness or intentional self-development.

Human beings, however, possess self-awareness. This allows for deviation from mechanical behavior. One can observe oneself, interrupt patterns, and choose actions that go against ingrained tendencies. This capacity for reflective choice marks the beginning of what may be called the Black Flame.

The unnatural is not a rejection of nature in a literal sense, but a resistance to its unconscious momentum. It is the deliberate cultivation of consciousness through practices such as self-observation, self-remembering, and sustained attention. These require effort and discipline. Without such effort, consciousness does not develop and tends instead toward greater automatism.

This creates a clear asymmetry. If unconscious processes were sufficient to develop consciousness, awareness would naturally increase over time. In practice, the opposite occurs. Without intervention, individuals tend toward increased mechanical behavior rather than heightened awareness. Consciousness must therefore be actively maintained and developed.

From this perspective, the way of nature represents unconscious continuity, while the unnatural path represents the conscious assertion of Will against that continuity. It is more demanding and less stable, but it is the only path by which consciousness can exceed its given condition. This approach is identified as the Western Left Hand Path.

The Natural Approach to the Objective Universe

The natural approach to the objective universe emphasizes adaptation and alignment. It seeks harmony with the structures of the objective order and often aims at dissolving the sense of separation between the individual and that order. Many religious and philosophical systems express this as a return to unity, where separation is viewed as error or imbalance.

This approach contains a structural paradox. The desire to unite with the objective universe presupposes a distinction between the one who seeks and that which is sought. The intention to unify already implies separation. Without an initial sense of division, the goal of unity would not arise.

From this follows a simple conclusion. Any conscious act directed toward the objective universe, even when framed as surrender or union, affirms the separation between subject and object. Consciousness always establishes this relationship. It does not eliminate it.

As a result, awareness of separation does not remove it. The effort to become one with the objective order, when consciously undertaken, cannot achieve complete unity because the act of striving preserves the distinction it seeks to overcome.

The natural path therefore, approaches unity as an ideal that can be approximated but never fully reached. It is asymptotic, approached indefinitely without final convergence, because consciousness itself maintains the condition of separation.

The Non-Natural Approach to the Objective Universe

If the individual is understood as an autonomous center of awareness, distinct from the objective universe, then the goal shifts from union to utilization. The objective universe becomes something to engage and employ rather than something to merge with.

In this view, attempts to dissolve into the objective order are seen as misunderstandings of the relationship between subject and object. The distinction between observer and observed is not a defect to be corrected but a condition to be used. The objective universe functions as a field of constraints and resources through which the individual expresses Will.

Positions that advocate unity with the objective order are considered incomplete because they require separation to be conceived. Purely materialist views that reduce consciousness to objective processes also fail to account for the fact that all knowledge of the objective universe depends on subjective experience.

Both the religious drive toward unity and the reductionist denial of subjectivity are therefore set aside. The non-natural approach affirms the conscious agent as primary in experience and proceeds through deliberate interaction with the objective universe rather than submission to it.

The Natural Approach to the Subjective Universe

Within naturalistic and objectivist frameworks, the subjective universe is treated as secondary. It is viewed as a byproduct of objective processes rather than an independent domain.

In atheistic forms, subjective experience is often regarded as useful mainly for entertainment, communication, or emotional regulation. Imagination, art, and symbolic expression are accepted but interpreted as fictional or indirectly tied to objective reality. They are not considered significant in themselves.

In religious forms, the subjective universe is acknowledged but constrained. Subjective experiences such as visions or symbolic insights are accepted only when they reinforce an established doctrinal framework. When they do not align, they are dismissed as error, illusion, or pathology. Their validity depends on external authority rather than intrinsic value.

In both cases, the subjective universe is denied autonomy. It is treated as dependent, secondary, and subordinate to objective reality. It may be used when convenient and dismissed when not. This results in a general devaluation of the psyche, which is not regarded as a domain of independent significance.

The Non-Natural Approach to the Subjective Universe

From the non-natural perspective, the subjective universe is treated as an active domain. It is not rejected or subordinated but used directly as a field of influence.

At a basic level, the subjective universe can be used symbolically. Images, narratives, and internal constructs serve to clarify intention and structure thought. These are not viewed as escapism but as tools for organizing consciousness and directing Will.

At a more developed level, this approach involves exploration of subjective structures. One examines one’s own subjective universe, considers the subjective frameworks of others where relevant, and identifies points of interaction with the objective universe. This creates a working understanding of how these domains relate.

From there, deliberate intervention becomes possible. Through focused attention and sustained intention, elements within the subjective universe are reorganized toward desired outcomes. This may include changes in perception, behavior, or relational dynamics.

The measure of effectiveness is not whether these constructs correspond to objective reality, but whether they produce intended results. In this sense, the subjective universe functions as an operative field rather than a passive reflection. It is shaped through conscious effort and directed according to the individual’s Will. The non-natural approach evaluates subjective constructs in terms of coherence and efficacy, and treats the expansion of conscious agency as the primary objective.