Analysis for Nate Vulgamott, 22 June 2001

This is how you described the room:

It is cool but some warmth radiates from the lamp on the desk. the room seems to be some kind of library and office. There is a blood red leather couch with brass buttons sewn into the seams. there is a desk in the far corner, dark reddish brown with white notebook paper scattered across it. the chair by the desk is old fashioned looking, also dark reddish brown with a green backing in three parts like a spreading fan. there are armrests on the chair and also very old looking brass wheels. the walls are lined with bookshelves that contain hundreds of books apiece, each one seems to be either blue, red, green, or Brown, simple leather coverings with gold trim, some with red ribbons for bookmarks. The carpet is red with gold colored lines in fancy formal patterns like interconnecting gold seashells, while it is also dotted with small specks of blue and green. There is a fireplace in the far wall. old fashioned, dark mahogany mantle. the fire is blazing, but the room still seems cool, as if there were a draft.

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 comfortable room suggests a childhood that was pleasant. Note also the subject seems torn between describing the room as cold and warm. Certain objects radiate warmth (the lamp, the fireplace) but the majority of the descriptions seem cold, strict, austere. The significant detail in the description of the room tells us that the subject has rich, lasting memories of childhood.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

The forest is filed with enormous towering trees that seem to touch the sky. it appears they are pines and some sort of towering rain forest trees. they are thick enough to block out much of the sun, making it feel like a cool dusk. there are also many smaller trees and bushes growing on the ground, not allowing me to see any farther than twenty feet in any direction.

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 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 could fit three men abreast, and thigh it appears to be straight for the next twenty feet or so, i get the sense that at the end of my field of vision it begins winding. The path is little more than a path of moist brown leaves decomposing on the ground, not well traveled or easily visible unless you are on the path.

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. 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 is a natural waterfall carved into a grey rock face very high up. the water appears to be white as it runs down the cliff face and into the small river below. It is not very noisy and the sound is quite soothing as it melts into ones ears. the water in the river at the bottom is cold and clear, you can see the reflections against it in the middle, and you can see through it to the bottom of the tiny riverbed where the water meets the shore.

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.

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:

It is a dull forest green drinking gourd, with two large circular bumps, the larger one making the bottom and the smaller one forming the top. there is an old leather strap that has now turned black, and is worn thin. it is about half an inch in width and moist in many spots , because it has been sitting on the ground for a long while. The gourd has a spout at the end of if shaped like a small train whistle, and appears to be made of brass or some other shiny yellow metal. the spout is exactly in the middle of the gourd.

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. Note the conflict in style here: the majority of the gourd is primitive and earthy, except for the brass spout. A touch of romance, perhaps, or a desire for the same?

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 appears to be very old, possibly made of dull gold, though ot is very dirty. It is a long thin rod with two, squarish pies attached to the bottom of the rod to open the lock. the end of the key is large and heart shaped, with a larger heart forming the outside and a thin gold lattice web filling in the inside until it formed a smaller heart cutout that is empty and can be seen through. the heart design on the end is also very thin, thin as a wire. it would appear to unlock some sort of secret and imposing gate,with a large wall around it, with something very old and valuable behind its large walls.

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. Decorative keys suggest that the subject wants an attention-grabbing, one-of-a-kind 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.