Analysis for sol-D, 21 April 2000

This is how you described the room:

I awake to find myself in an odd yet familiar room. It's dark, I think. I have the impression that I bumped around on some of the furniture, so it's possibly well furnished. I don't have any particular negative feelings, so I probably enjoyed it at least somewhat, or was totally apathetic to it. I'm not sure. My vision is blurred, as though I've been drugged. I find it hard to focus my mind on anything. What is my name? Where am I? Oh yes, some sort of room. I think it's dark.

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. (We define the room to be bare from the lack of described furnishings.)

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

I teeter out the door, or possibly a window, and wander around until I find myself in some sort of forest. My mind is starting to clear. Perhaps I was under the influence of carbon monoxide. I blink in the harsh, unaccustomed sunlight. A forest? A concrete forest! I'm surrounded by buildings. The trees I have previously been only vaguely aware aware of turn out to be neat, orderly rows of cherry trees, one week past blossom. Damn. They remind of the cherry tree my grandparents used to have. A particularly bad storm ripped it in twain. I feel so deprived.

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. The concrete “forest” suggests that some of the strongest parental influences were not parental at all: television, movies, and books. A well-lit forest tells us that the subject had considerable freedom at this time.

This is how you described the path:

It's a narrow sidewalk, of the small rundown city variety. It LOOKS easy to navigate, but is filled with hidden menace. Cracks. Gum. Leaves. GARBAGE. Everywhere garbage. I see some annoyingly dead-eyed children wallowing in the filth. I avert my eyes.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited options for emotional growth at this time. Lots of obstructions on the path indicate many problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

An Oasis in the concrete jungle! The perilous sidewalk ends at the edge of a rather large puddle, occupying a pothole. It looks like somebody left a hose on. In fact, I can see the water trickling into it, snaking down from some uphill destination. Miraculously, it's path managed to circumvent the garbage in the street.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Stagnant or still water suggests a sex drive that is absent or pathologically inactive, not by choice of the subject. Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant issues regarding sex.

When you came to the water, you went around it.

The subject is not interested in new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

The path is clean, here, and soft grass lines the sidewalk. Somebody has left a "drinking vessel" here. It's one of those Pokémon cups for little kids. The sort that is made of clear plastic, with the handle doubling as a straw. You know the sort I mean? The handle/straw bit looks as though it has been thoughtfully chewed. It's a glorious find, really, and I envy it's owner. I had seen a cup like that at TARGET but felt too silly to actually purchase one. *sigh*

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. This cup seems to invoke passions in the subject beyond a simple drinking glass. Perhaps the subject mourns a lost opportunity for marriage?

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 the chuck key to the drill that I lost last week! I pick it up and smile ruefully. I may not be able to get my entire drill back, but at least I can have this small part. Plus, the bastard that swiped it will have to find a NEW chuck key before s/he can use my drill. Of course I'll have to find a new drill before I can use my chuck key. I sigh again, and drop my Pokémon cup. I had planned on taking it home and working it into my next sculpture but the key has reminded me that I don't have enough money to purchase a new drill. I guess I could always try prostitution. Tell me, though, what's the difference between a starving artist and a starving whore? Probably a roll of duct tape and some hot glue. What's a chick to do?

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). A drill chuck key is definitely an unusual choice here, both from its appearance and purpose. This suggests that the subject seeks a highly original career and hopes that the career enhances her individuality.

You avoided the bear.

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

When you came to the wall, you tried to go around it.

The wall represents death: by trying to walk around it, the subject shows an acknowledgment of death, but also a need for an alternative to its finality, such as an afterlife or reincarnation.