This is how you described the room:
The room is unfinished. The window has not been installed and several small rolls of carpet are propped up against one of the walls. The morning breeze is cool and refreshing and the sun is just starting to peep over the tall eastern plateau.
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 room is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; this suggests the subject had a bland, uninspiring childhood. No furnishings at all tells of either a complete absence of memories from that time or active suppression of said memories.
You wanted to leave the room.
The subject wanted to become an adult.
This is how you described the forest:
The forest is not very thick and has grown up through a narrow canyon. It is a mixture of pine and cedar trees. The day is bright and sunny and just a little warm. Small rivulets of water cross the path on their way down to the small river in the bottom of the canyon.
The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up. Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive.
This is how you described the path:
The path snakes up the side of the canyon wall. The canyon all itself is not very steep, but the trail is not very wide. The trail is sandy with small sandstone boulders creating steps for the hiker. The trail is a favorite of the locals of the area, but it is not well known to outsiders.
Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. A few, scattered obstructions indicate the occasional problem in adolescence, but nothing consistent nor insurmountable. 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. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time.
This is how you described the water:
The trail ends at the top of the canyon where water gushes out of the rock face of the canyon. The small waterfall is about 10 feet high. It splashes down into a small pool built by stacking up sandstone rocks and sandbags around one end. The water is cold and refreshing after hiking in the warm air.
The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex. Fast-moving water indicates a strong, active sex drive.
When you came to the water, you crossed it.
The subject is open to new sexual experiences.
This is how you described the cup:
Something caught my eye on the bank of the pool. It is a leather bota bag with a shoulder strap which makes it easy to carry.
The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A practical container indicates that the subject is pragmatic when it comes to questions of marriage.
You left the cup behind.
The subject is not interested in marriage.
This is how you described the key:
As I continue on, something shiny catches my eye. I bend down and brush the sand from around, of all things, a key. It is a stainless steel key with a plastic coating on one end which helps when turning the key. It looks like a FORD key. I wonder if it fits the Ford Bronco that was left at the trailhead by a previous hiker.
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). An ordinary-looking key suggests that the subject desires a nondescript career. Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a 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.