Perhaps peacegirl's "movement in the direction of greatest satisfaction" may have a role to play. When greater satisfaction includes physical phenomena as affinity, or attraction, or magnetism, then a natural tendency to find comfort (fit) could lead to a causal action.
Gravity is the exercise of something falling and settling down at its lowest point (closest to the center). Things will actively fall down, but never actively fall up. It's a one way street ---------> , evolution.
An interesting example is how a plant seed knows it is upside down 8" below the surface. It has a gimbal system which tells it what direction it is facing. http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/06/21/155508849/how-do-plants-know-which-way-is-up-and-which-way-is-down
I am not really sure what connection you meant to imply but again we should remove the anthropomorphisms. Contrary to Mr Krulwich's remarks, the seed does not "know" anything. Its ability to grow in the correct direction is determined entirely by the effect of gravity on some internal mechanism. The plant no more knows which way is up than does a bubble in a bottle of water when you turn the bottle upside down and it naturally floats in the direction of the new "up".
Of course, the process itself works without sentience, but that is the point isn't it? There is a natural tendency for some stable systems to attain equilibrium, but other natural systems are unstable and evolve or disintegrate.