Analysis for Moonmoose, 2 December 2002

This is how you described the room:

the room is chilly and dusty, with dark wood panelling and no furniture in sight. a shaft of light pours in through one window, and you can see dust motes floating in it. it looks like either a very well-made wooden barn or a sort of plain Japanese house.

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. No furnishings at all tells of either a complete absence of memories from that time or active suppression of said memories.

You wanted to stay in the room.

The subject did not want to grow up.

This is how you described the forest:

It is dim in the forest because the trees are so close together. The trees are all evergreens, tall and skinny. The terrain is bumpy and irregular. The ground is covered in moss and pine needles, and the roots of the trees are gnarly.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Tall trees imply that the adults had a strong influence on the subject. 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:

It is a clear path, but it's narrow and twisty. It seems to be maintained, but there must not be much traffic.

Adolescence is represented by the path through the forest. The visibility of the path tells us that the subject had a good idea of what to expect from adolescence. A narrow path suggests that the subject had limited 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 narrow, rocky creek of quick-flowing cold water. Green stringy algae clings to the rocks along the bottom, but the water itself is clear.

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:

It is a small glass bottle, about the size of a beer bottle. It's pretty dirty, and there's no label. The mouth of the bottle is chipped.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. That the container is refuse or damaged suggests a cynicism about the institution.

You left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

It is an antique-style key, big and skeletal-looking and made of brass. It unlocks a chest of drawers. At the bottom of the top drawer, tucked away, is a book.

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 ultimately provides access to a book: the subject desires a career that will further a quest for knowledge. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional 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.