The Divine Simplicity
by Zone
“Provides powerful ambient music for conjuring spells from the Egyptian Book of the Dead,” said one well-disposed soul, with another proclaiming an album “saturated with so many cultural influences and traditions as to make fixity of origin a futile pursuit, this is music that is made at once for its own sake and for that of all who listen to it.”
The name ‘The Divine Simplicity’ was inspired by the concept of the ‘The Divine Simplicity’ as expounded by the 13th century priest, of the Dominican Order, Saint Thomas Aquinas, who developed the comprehensive system of theology & philosophy know as Thomism. The name is also the title to the last chapter in Zone’s book ‘Beautiful Machine’.
Released on Potentia (catalogue No.ZONE CD004) in 1994 on CD format only, in an initial edition of 1000 copies, and distributed through World Serpent Distribution.
The front cover of the CD booklet depicts an unknown street within the old part of the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
The CD’s rear cover picture was photographed by Andrew in 1985 when visiting the Summer Palace of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is of the fountains and golden statues located within the Summer Gardens, at the entrance to the palace. This photograph was taken from the third chapter, entitled ‘Golden Rain’, of Zone’s book ‘Beautiful Machine’.
The CD booklet also contains pictures of the White Mosque in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, and the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania. All the photographs used in the CD booklet taken prior to the break up of the old Soviet Union and were chosen simply due to their sense of grandeur.
Three sections of inspirational text were reproduced within the CD booklet.
The first was taken from the summary of Zone’s book ‘Beautiful Machine’, as printed on the books dust jacket:-
'The Divine Simplicity' allows for absolute complexity within the utter simplicity of Unity,
Unity as seen in all its diversity and also the underlying Unity of all that appears as diversity.
The second was taken from Jean Arp’s poem ‘Breath’, which reads:-
"A crystal-sounding sky
displays its whirlwinds of light
on the colorless world of death.
Beauty with a wide invincible breastplate
and glistening limbs
alights before the absurdity of the void.
And a flood of divine light
dashes through the immensity of a breath."
The third being a part reproduction of the poem ‘The Divine Simplicity’ also taken from Zone’s book ‘Beautiful Machine’.
The CD itself was printed with a copy of the original picture, from which the ‘Beautiful Machine’ project logo was derived. This picture is of the golden mosaic’s that adorn the walls of the Gur Emir Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Andrew had visited the mosque back in 1985 and had been overwhelmed by it’s intricate beauty.
The project logo for ‘The Divine Simplicity’ is the Potentia Logo itself, which represents the ‘Axis Mundi’, or centre of the world, where all pairs of opposites come together. In this static cross, the place of the interaction of macrocosm and microcosm, stands man.
The title to the track ‘The Wisdom of the Prophets’ was taken from the name of the book regarded as Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi’s most important work, translated from it’s original Arabic name of ‘Fusûs al-Hikam’.