Analysis for Horselover Fat, 1 February 1999

This is how you described the room:

The temperature is neutral. The furnishings are rich, with dark hardwoods, leather books, and finely tooled metal doodads. A subtle picture is inlaid into the floor. Damn it, I think this is a scene from Myst.

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. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The trees are many, but poorly rendered. That would be thick, I think. It's fairly light, as the programmer has incongruously specified a dramatic but unlikely light source under the canopy.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive. A well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

It's wide and easily navigated, laid out in wood shavings, lined with those little metal wickets. Not too many people seem to use it.

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 wide path indicates that the subject had numerous options for emotional growth at this time. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that 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 lake, or at least it seems to be-- the far side is hidden by mist. Or should I say shrouded? Let's go with shrouded. The water itself seems to have been created in a supernova some 7 billion years ago. It's wet. The wind causes some small, satisfying ripples.

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.

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 small clay vessel, poorly made, with an attempt at a coat of arms stamped on the side. Probably some poor medieval's first attempt in shop class. There is a dark liquid inside. The subtle odor of Yoo-Hoo wafts up from the vessel.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A container that is both decorative and practical indicates that the subject considers both romantic and pragmatic aspects of marriage.

You took the cup and filled it.

The subject is interested in marriage, and sex will be a significant part of that relationship.

This is how you described the key:

The key is virtual, consisting of a random sentence from Finnegans Wake. Like everything else in that book, it's incomprehensible to non-English majors. No doubt it unlocks some magnificent treasure. People always leave keys to their magnificent treasures lying around outside.

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). Keys that allow access to treasure or other valuable things indicate that the subject is fixated on gaining wealth through a career. The subject’s feigned indifference to the treasure suggests that this desire for wealth is kept hidden. A virtual key is unusual, to be sure, but to have it come from “Finnegans Wake” implies that the subject would prefer to have the career appear academic, possibly elitist.

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.