the  balance  of forces between the two.  The system as a
whole  has an important property,  a  certain type of self-
generated  creative  stability.  Using  the  components of
the  gyroscope  as  an  outline,  and  with the aid of a few
pictures  and  some  contemporary dreams  I'll  present a
brief synopsis  of  some universal symbols related to the
mythological background of the Sundance motif.
     Beginning with the axis, we have the universal symbol
of the  Tree of Life,  which  may symbolize creation, the
human   psyche   as   a  growth  process,   or  the  line  of
communication    between    Heaven   and   Earth.   From
earliest  times,   the  Tree  of  Life  has  been  pictorially
portrayed   with   people   standing   around   it,   perhaps
tending  to  its  needs.  Often  in  these pictures,  there is
above  the  tree  either  the  sun,   a  winged  figure,  or  a
winged  figure  within  the  sun,  symbolizing perhaps the
source  and  goal  of the fertile inspiration that gives rise
to the tree.

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