Analysis for Kitarra, 21 April 2001

This is how you described the room:

This is the room of my parents' house that I used to live in before I went to college. It is just on the cold side of comfortable, though the sunlight streaming in through the uncurtained window gives the room an appearance of warmth. Once cluttered with posters and other familiar possessions, the room is now eerily bare; the walls are empty, the floor is clean. I recognize none of the items in the closets, and the sheets are not mine. Despite this, my feet instinctively know the path from the door to my bed in the 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. An uncomfortable room suggests a childhood that was devoid of happiness. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood. Note that the furnishings are not familiar; as if the subject is in denial of the memories from that time.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

This forest is thick and green. Sunlight filters through in odd shapes between the leaves, needles, and branches of the immense trees that loom above my head. The redwoods that tower over me must be thousands of years old! In respect for this ancient and beautiful place, I try to place my feet where they will do the least harm to the delicate layer of ferns that covers the entire ground as I head towards the promising sound of a waterfall that thunders in the distance over the whispers of the forest.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Very tall trees imply that the adults had a significant and substantial impact on the subject’s life. Note that the subject goes to extreme measures to not disturb the forest. A semi-dark forest tells us that the subject felt somewhat oppressed by the attention the adults gave.

This is how you described the path:

The path that led to the forest was at first quite well-kept, but fell into greater and greater disrepair the further into the forest it reached. It is almost as if the forest is reclaiming the path - vines cling to the gravel, trees have fallen onto the path and rotted, and in that dirt new life has grown. Eventually the path disintegrates completely and I am led onwards on intuition and curiosity alone.

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. The lack of evidence of fellow travelers suggests strong feelings of isolation at that time. That plants are the major source of obstructions tells us that the subject’s problems arose mostly from interactions with adults. Perhaps the clue is the comment that “the forest is reclaiming the path,” as if the adults, seeing the subject mature, vainly attempted to keep the subject a child forever.

This is how you described the water:

I have finally reached the waterfall I heard. It is majestic. The water soars downwards over smooth, rounded rocks in a revelation of gravity. At the base of the waterfall, shrouded in a silvery mist, is a clear pool of water that leads to a stream. The water in the pool is so clean that I can see the individual rounded, glassy pebbles at its bottom. Shimmering fish dart away from my intrusive shadow as I wade through the crisp, cool water, staring in awe at the gorgeous waterfall. I wonder if there is a cavern behind it?

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Rushing, violent water indicates a powerful, vigorous, and quite possibly compulsive sex drive. Clear water tells us that the subject has no issues regarding sex. The presence of life in or around the water indicates a strong desire for children.

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:

This is an old, wooden cup. It is rounded and smooth, almost like a bowl. I do not think it could stand up on its own. Its edges have been smoothed by the pounding of the waterfall; the cup has probably been here for years. The wood grain is raised from erosion, but the cup is so smooth. There is a small hole near the lip that may once have been used to hang it from a belt.

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:

This key is so rusted that it will probably never again unlock what it was once intended to. It appears to be either quite old or quite weathered. There is little detail in the key's teeth, which suggests that it is a skeleton key for an entire building, rather than being for one specific room or cabinet. It is slightly bigger than the average house or car 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). Note that the key is worthless: this suggests that the subject is cynical about finding any satisfaction through a job. 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.