Doesn't the concept of zen kind of go against complexity? Or at the very least, the electric guitar goes against the concept of zen, originally "chan" in Chinese meaning "silence."
Anyway, in general, the bridge pickup gives a more trebly sound, with a sharper attack, but less sustain (well, the last part is theoretically correct -- YMMV). The neck pickup generally gives a warmer, more mellow tone, with a softer attack than the bridge pickup.
I can't say anything about parallel vs series, or in phase vs out of phase (other than out of phase will probably sound thinner, due to the frequencies that are canceled out). I think 7 switches should be able to get you plenty of options: two phase switches, two coil tap switches, two parallel/series switches, and a 3-position LP-style switch. With that many switches, however, I can't even begin to tell you how to wire it up.