Analysis for Rivet Kitten, 6 June 2001

This is how you described the room:

This room is very sterile and cold, like a hospital room. It is vaguely unsettling to be in. The walls are bare, the window is half-shuttered. I am sitting in a chair and I am by a desk, the only furnishings in the room. On the desk there are pictures of strangers. They look very happy, and I wish that I could jump into the pictures to get out of the room.

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. Few, simple furnishings tells us that the subject has few memories of that time. The photographs are interesting, possibly suggesting a withdrawal into a fantasy world to escape the problems of reality.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

The trees are enormous. They command this forest. No light manages to filter through their tightly-knit branches. The undergrowth is very thick, and it is very difficult to navigate the forest. I try to do so without disturbing the forest's natural state. I am obviously an intruder here, an outsider, so I try to make my way though causing as little disruption as possible.

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. A very dark forest tells us that the subject felt considerably oppressed by the attentions of the adults.

This is how you described the path:

There is no path to be spoken of - therefore, the going is very difficult. Undergrowth tangles up between the giant trees.

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. Lots of obstructions on the path indicate many problems during adolescence.

This is how you described the water:

I come upon a giant waterfall. It is beautiful and astounding. The water is pure and clear - I drink from the pool at the bottom of it to quench my thirst, and it is good. There are two brightly colored fish swimming in the pool.

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 crossed it.

The subject is open to new sexual experiences.

This is how you described the cup:

The vessel is a wine goblet. It is elegant and simple at once - it is made out of beautiful, light blue glass - nearly irridescent at times - but strangely unbreakable.

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. Normally, a glass like this would be considered decorative; however, the qualification that it is “unbreakable” gives it a strongly practical character.

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:

This key is like no other key I've seen before - it is beautiful, elaborate, but so thoroughly rusted over with age that I doubt it will open whatever it once did. I ache with a desire to know what it is that it was made for.

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). The “ache” comment seems to suggest that this cynicism disturbs the subject. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind 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.