Analysis for Sly, 23 January 2005

This is how you described the room:

the room is very dark, theres four walls, made from a sort of metal. sheet iron, not painted, still metal colored. theres padded areas where the windows should be, and a single green light-bulb hanging from the ceiling with a chain dangling to switch it on and off, but i try to switch it on, it flashes for a second, goes out, and it doesn't work anymore... no more decorations, an empty, feelingless room, with a single not-working lightbulb.

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. A very uncomfortable room suggests a highly traumatic childhood. 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:

the forest is extremely dark, with one street lamp to guide my way. the path is yellow/brown mud and stones. to either side of me there are tall fir trees. they look almost black in this light. i can barely see the sky, there are so many of them.

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

This is how you described the path:

the path is very visible in that it is the only thing in the forest with a light-shade of color, light yellows and browns, comprising of soft mud and rocks. it is very solid underfoot, almost painful to walk on. it is easily navigated as it goes in one straight line, and there are no obstructions, thought it is very narrow, as though a child were meant to walk it.it is clearly abandoned. no-one has walked this path in years it would seem. there are a few animal prints going across from one side of the forest to the other, but it is impossible to mae out where they go after they enter the trees, and i cant fit between the trees to search.

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:

the water is a very small stream, easily stepped over. it is a rancid greeny/red color, as though something died in it upstream.the smell coming from it is almost unbearable, no-one could ever drink from this water, there seems to be no point for its being here.

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. Murky, dirty, or otherwise unclear water suggests that the subject has significant 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:

the flask is made of metal. its very cold to the touch. dust has built up over the flask. it has been unused for a long time.whatever liquid was once in it has long since drained away to be replaced with two small spiders, who have seemingly made this flask their home.

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 left the cup behind.

The subject is not interested in marriage.

This is how you described the key:

the key is, as with everything in this forest, very old and dusty. it reminds me of a skeletons hand for some reason.it looks like it could be the key to a very old house, or a castle. it seems to be of a victorian, or earlier origin, a time when care was taken in every aspect of everyday life.

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 to palaces, castles, and other fortifications are normally indicative of a desire for power. 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 tried to go around it.

The wall represents death: by trying to walk around it, the subject shows an acknowledgment of death, but also a need for an alternative to its finality, such as an afterlife or reincarnation.