Analysis for Lycida, 12 May 1999

This is how you described the room:

The first thing I notice is yellow. Then I notice my feet are cold. Burnished gold carpet, faded yellow wallpaper, a desk, a chair, a window. I think I may be in a basement.

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. An uncomfortable room suggests a childhood that was devoid of happiness. That everything is bright and yellow may suggest that any comfort was a manufactured façade. The items in the room are average, which tells us that the subject has the normal 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 short and scrubby and the underbrush is thick. The sunlight filters through the thin foliage on the trees and feeds the ground.

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. A well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

The path is primarily discernible by its lack of trees. The undergrowth has concealed most of the path, but it is barely visible through the plant life.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. Poor visibility of the path tells us the subject was often confused by the changes brought on by adolescence. That plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults.

This is how you described the water:

I see a stream. Although it would be easily forded (I could probably do it without getting my feet wet), it is well-fed by small local springs. The water is clear and cold.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). The movement of the water suggests a normal, average if somewhat playful 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:

The vessel is small and made of red clay. It looks somewhat like a Greek amphora, but without decoration.

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 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 an old brass skeleton key, turning green in the dirt. Perhaps it unlocks a nearby cellar or toolshed.

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. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional career.

You confronted the bear.

In a crisis, the subject prefers the direct, no-nonsense 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.