Analysis for Saffron, 20 November 1998

This is how you described the room:

It's warm and sunny. The walls are painted with bright colors, like orange or red. There's a four-poster, queen-sized bed with a billowy canopy. There's a Queen Anne-style chair against a wall, and a dresser with a light-colored finish and a mirror in a corner. The bed is in the center of the room, and those are the only furnishings. There's one painting on the wall, a landscape.

The initial room is the subject’s childhood. What interests us here is the general atmosphere of the room, in addition to the level of furnishings described by the subject. This comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

It's a fairly thin forest, mainly pine trees, some elms. It's very bright.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Small trees imply that the adults had a weak influence on the subject. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

It's fairly narrow, but well-traveled. It's got some twists and turns, but it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to navigate.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. The visibility of the path tells us that the subject had a good idea of what to expect from adolescence. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time. The strong evidence of fellow travelers tells us that the subject received a lot of support from friends and family during that potentially troubling time. That the path is free of obstructions indicates that the subject had no problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

It's a wide stream (or a narrow river). Definitely natural, and fairly smooth. There are a few rocks here and there to break the surface up, but it's slow-moving, so they don't have that much effect. The water is fairly clear and shallow (you can see the bottom).

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex.

When you came to the water, you crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

It's a plain silver chalice - no jewels or adornment.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A decorative container indicates that the subject views marriage as a romantic adventure.

You took the cup but left it empty.

The subject is interested in marriage, but sex won’t be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

It's brass-colored and looks like a house key.

The key is the ideal career for the subject. What interests us here is how the key appears (representing how others view the career) and what it may open (representing the subject’s goals for the career). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career. An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career.

You avoided the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the indirect, non-confrontational approach.

When you came to the wall, you jumped over it.

The wall represents death: by jumping over it, the subject not only acknowledges death but has come to accept its finality.