one. There are the twelve Knights of the Round Table
and several other similar examples. Perhaps the
meaning of twelve around one is related to sacred
geometry, as twelve is the number of equal-sized spheres
that fit perfectly around a central, thirteenth sphere,
forming a stable solid.
      The relationship between the Twelve and the One,
between the Many and the One, brings us to the third
component of our gyroscope, the balance of forces
between the axis and the whirling circle. Note what
Jesus says to John about the round dance:

     "Thou that dancest, perceive what I do, for
thine is this passion of the manhood, which I am
about to suffer . . . Learn thou to suffer, and
thou shalt be able not to suffer . . . that
suffering also which I showed unto thee and the
rest in the dance, I will that it be called a
mystery." (Verses 96 and 101)

     The image of Jesus suffering on the Cross is a familiar
one. What is the mystery of this suffering? There are
some mythological parallels, described in Campbell's The
Masks of God. There is the Norse god, Wotan, for
example, who hangs from a tree, speared in sacrifice to
himself, in order to learn the secret of the Runes. There
is also Ixion, forever bound to the Wheel of Life by his
passion; yet it is his passion that also creates the wheel
and sustains it.
     The Sun Dance also has something to teach about
suffering. The leather strap from the central pole is
gouged into the dancer's chest. As the dancer leans back,
pulling on the strap, he enters into suffering. If he moves
too close to the center, the strap becomes slack and there
is no suffering. If he pulls back too hard, his skin tears
and he separates himself from the dance. Maintaining
the maximum amount of tension that the flesh will allow,
the dancer sustains the suffering. At a certain point, the
body ceases to distinguish suffering from non-suffering,
and at that moment the dancer is initiated into the
mystery by a vision.

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