Analysis for Marphyre, 2 April 2004

This is how you described the room:

the bed squeaks a bit, it has a metal frame, a tile floor, the walls are painted light blue, a tile floor, a wooden rocking chair in the corner, and a small bookcase on one wall. The window is open, and the white curtains are blowing in a light breeze. The door is wooden, with a small window at the top

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 room is neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; this suggests the subject had a bland, uninspiring childhood. The depth of description tells us that the subject has strong memories of childhood.

You wanted to leave the room.

The subject wanted to become an adult.

This is how you described the forest:

It is bright outside, early morning. The trees are in bloom, bright green leaves, with a slightly grown over trail that leads off for about 300 feet and turns off to the right. I can hear the breeze blowing through the trees, and can hear water flowing somewhere nearby.

The forest is growing up, and the trees are those adults with whom the subject interacted at that time. Average-sized trees imply the normal influence adults have on a child: neither insignificant nor impressive. That the forest is very bright tells us that the subject had extensive freedom while growing up.

This is how you described the path:

The trail is barely visible, mostly grown over. It is easy to navigate however, like it had been travelled over a lot in the past, but has been abandoned for a long time. There is a lot of grass and a few vines running across the trail.

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.

This is how you described the water:

The water is a large creek. The walls of the creek are about 10 feet high, with some tree roots coming out of them. The water itself is clear, but fast moving. There are several large, smooth rocks coming out of the water that could be used to get across the creek.

The water is the subject’s sexuality. What interests us here is the clarity of the water (representing attitude) and its movement (representing libido). Fast-moving water indicates a strong, active 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 an old bowl, made out of some kind of clay. The clay is about a quarter of an inch thick, and there is a chip about the size of a nickel at the top, with a crack going down to the bottom of the bowl. It seems to be sturdy and well-made.

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 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 very old key. It is decorated with three small red jewels, and the rest of the key is made of gold. It is very ornate at one end. There are two small teeth at the other end. The key is slightly bent. I think that it went to an old chest, maybe it fell out of a wagon when they were making a trip through here a long time ago.

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. 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.