The White Lense Spectacles
daevid allen, for John Cullen
The drawing is presented as a pair of white lense spectacles mentioned in the gong mythology and defined as lenses which are able to see through the outer appearance of things and reveal secret realities.
The left hand lense carries the experience of making the album: daevid allen 'n'existe pas' in 1978. This was an emotionally turbulent time in Deia, Majorca, where I was living. The relationship with Gilli was about to change radically and I was on a path of chaos where everything I believed was being radically challenged by the world around me.
The inverted triangle represents the downward path into density. It is interesting to note that two tracks on the album are in 22:7 time. This is the secret purpose of the Gong Mandala, i.e. to bring into parallel proportion 22 and 7 otherwise known as Pi. You can hear the two beat cycles one against the other on track two. The same sequence is repeated on track 7. Around midnight as I was recording the vocal to NON GOD WILL NOT GO ON a local artist friend who was angry with me, climbed up the wall on to the balcony and burst in through the studio door. He wanted to kill me but I just sat him down, put a microphone in front of him and he screamed: "LIFE!". You can hear this voice at the end of the track.
The right hand lense carries the experience of making the album: 'Now is the Happiest Time of Your Life' in 1976. This was a time of joyful spiritual discipline and self discovery. I had left Gong behind and had survived the hangover with a year of holistic healing in Deia. I was drug free and alchohol free and meditating daily. Every afternoon I walked the goat tracks up the mountains playing my tiny guitar and most of these new songs came to me as I walked. It was the start of a bright new cycle in my life. Gilli and I were strong together, Tali and Orlando were both at pre-school and I had found a group of talented local musiciains to work with.
The woman supporting the circle of meditators in the Deia valley represents the sacred female manifestation of the male deity above. My spiritual guides at that time were sourced from esoteric philosophies and thus religion free. The Sadhu with the long dreadlock represents one of the many Babas I had learned from on my travels.
The person in the circle bottom left represents the contemplative observer who watches and writes.