Analysis for Metal Fatigue, 18 March 2004

This is how you described the room:

The room is roughly square, perhaps twenty feet on a side. The walls and floor are covered in ceramic tiles glazed in warm earth tones. Despite the hardness of the surroundings, it is comfortably warm, perhaps due to a hypocaust. Odd angular frameworks of brass and ebony are suspended from the walls and ceiling. Cloth is stretched over some parts, making them into serviceable, but uncomfortable, chairs. The ceiling is very high and seems shrouded in mist. Warm yellow light emanates from frosted glass wall fixtures.

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 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:

It is an evergreen forest appropriate to a continental microthermal climate, mostly pine and fir. The temperature is slightly chilly, and feels even more so because of the high humidity. It is dimly lit. Visibility is limited by mist.

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:

The path is unmarked, merely a well-trodden rut covered in damp pine needles which prick at my bare feet. It is unobstructed but circuitous, about as wide as my arms can reach.

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. 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 canal lined in weathered slabs of limestone, carefully fitted. It is only about six feet across and flows slowly from left to right. The water is very cold and clear, but a layer of murky sediment covers the canal's floor. In places, branches and stones have fallen into the canal, making miniature rapids where the water burbles and splashes.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Slow, gently moving water suggests a passive, restrained, calm 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:

A battered pewter flagon, crudely fashioned. It is decorated with a cast relief of a cornucopia of fruits and grains. The whole thing looks vaguely Norse.

The vessel, or specifically the practicality of the vessel, is how the subject approaches marriage or bonding. A decorative container indicates that the subject views marriage as a romantic adventure.

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:

It is a shiny gold churchward key about six inches long, with a wide oval loop at the top. A beam of sunlight pierces the mist and glints off it. The wards look a little like the superimposed letters "M" and "H". It looks like it probably unlocks a big, heavy door, probably of iron-bound oak.

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). Having the key open a house, car, or other commonplace use tells us that the subject has no extraordinary expectations about a career. Old-fashioned keys suggest that the subject desires a traditional 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.