Have you ever been psychoanalyzed? Would you like to be?

#1 – Late in the day, sun is setting fast. Mostly shaded and dark in the woods, but I can still see the path.

#2 – I drag it along behind me switching arms when I get tired.

#3 – Large body of frozen water. Silent.

#4 – The wall is made of large stones. I climb it with the help from nearby trees.

#5 – I see an open field and catch the last bit of sunset.

#1 Afternoon, drizzeling rain, but the trees are mostly stopping it from hitting me.
#2 I am wearing a backpack so I put the key on the backpack and pull it behind me.
#3 An 8 foot wide bubbling creek with rain falling in it, so it is running fast.
#4 The wall is sheer rock. I walk til I can go around it.
#5 I see a huge field full of flowers and 5 deer are standing at the furthest end. They stop and look at me.

Challenge #1
It’s early evening, the weather is finally beautiful and I feel happy.

Challenge #2
I would take it. And depending on how heavy it was – either toss it in my purse and heave that thing along the path or carry it over my shoulder (if it’s that big and heavy).

Challenge #3
The body of water is a swirling, rushing, river – it’s about 14 feet wide and it looks chilly.

Challenge #4
The wall is made of kitten hair, finely woven together but so solid that you’d never get through. I would do a controlled burn of the wall and try to burn a doorway through.

Challenge #5
Rolling green hills and a beautiful sunset.

1. It’s dusk, it’s raining, and I’m content.

2. I’ll carry it in my hand, probably the left even though I’m right-handed, and turn it over several times as I walk.

3. It’s a shallow creek that makes splashy sounds as it runs and the rain plips against the surface. The water is clear, clean, and cold.

5. The wall is made of the same timber of the trees in the wood. I’ll follow its length until I find a door. The key fits and I’ll go through to the other side in no time.

6. A giant oak tree with a swing.

#1 – Early morning, say 7–9am depending on sunrise time. It’s temperate, not too hot or cold. I feel well, energetic and excited about my little trip through nature.
#2 – I take the key with me, if nothing else it’s an interesting find. I put it in my backpack.
#3 – The body of water is a creek, the water is clean to drink and you can see fish in it.
#4 – It’s an old stone wall, like something from an ancient castle. I walk around it until I see the gate. Try to open it but it is locked. I remember the key and unlock the gate and walk through.
#5 – Once on the other side there is a courtyard, that presumably used to be part of the structure, but the walls have eroded and are in disrepair. The structure is an old inn of some sort, with relics from the middle ages. Once I climb the stairs I see a window, and looking out of it I can see a steep cliff that drops of out over the ocean.

I think I might be getting a bit long with my answer here. So that’s good enough.

#1. It’s 3AM. The rain is consistent & heavy. The sky is somehow clear & the moon is bright enough to light the way. I feel like I am heading in the wrong direction.

#2. I carry the key off the path a ways & bury it deep beneath the wet soil. I leave it behind.

#3. The bridge has no end in sight. It disappears into a vanishing point on the horizon. The water down below is clean & clear, 5 feet deep & flowing at an incredible speed. So fast & steady that it looks like a conveyor belt of water. This water spans as far as the bridge.

#4 This wall is made out of bullet proof glass. I can see through to the other side, but will never get there. I throw a rock or two at the wall, just to test it. I turn around & head back.

Since my #4 answer kind of bumps into #5, I will answer it, despite my turning back.

#5 On the other side of this glass wall. Is nothing. It’s filled with a daylight that somehow doesn’t pass through the glass wall. It’s just a bright void.

#1 Late afternoon, overcast skies, I feel apprehensive.

#2 This is actually very difficult for me to decide. I think I will take it, as long as I don’t fear getting tetanus from it. I will hold it close to my chest to carry it, hopefully causing the least amount of stress possible on my back and arms, and switch to on top of my head on and off. I have muscle trouble, and carrying something that is heavy for me is a big deal. If I push it, I might not be able to continue, or at minimum will have to take a break.

#3 It’s a stream, only about 10 feet across, very shallow, clear running water moving at a fairly fast pace.

#4 The wall is a stone wall. I would try to climb over it if it is not too tall.

#5 A verdant open space, fairly flat with some trees in the distance. The sun is coming out, and the skies are bluer.

#1 – It’s the middle of the day, it’s sunny, the sky is blue, it’s warm. I feel content and adventurous.
#2 – I would take the key. I’d try to carry it in both hands, but if that failed, I’d drag it.
#3 – It’s a gently flowing shallow river. It’s about 10 feet wide. It’s calm and it’s easily crossable.
#4 – It’s a stone wall, made of interlocking stone “bricks”. I’d scale it as best as I could.
#5 – On the other side of the wall is a beautiful city in a valley surrounded by forest.

#1
 It is early dusk, the sky is clear and bright, the weather is warm, and I am feeling content.

#2 
I pick it up and enjoy the heft of it. I ponder taking it and realize someone may come looking for it. I put it in a place of prominence where it can be easily found.

#3 The body of water is a river the size of the Mississippi, the other shore is visible. It is moving quickly, but not with rapids. The water is clean and surrounded by nature.

#4
 The wall is made of cobblestone and transparent glass panes. I notice that if I am careful and diligent it is scalable.

#5
 It is simply another part of the forest, it looks the same as what I have been traveling in thus far.

I’ll bite. Sounds like fun. I hope you’re in the mood to read.

I’ve never really been professionally psychoanalyzed. I worked for a hypnotherapist once, and she read my natal chart for me, but that was about it. She was pretty loopy, though – had a shrine to the fairy goddesses she made up in her attic.

Challenge #1
It’s late afternoon, early evening. The time of day where the light is almost a golden orange. It’s my favourite time of day. The weather is fair, and the air is comfortably cool. It’s early autumn – the leaves are colourful, and just beginning to fall. I’m taking a walk in the woods for some quiet meditation. Nothing spiritual, I just feel comfortable among the trees. It centers me. I’m probably going to stop and rest against a tree and write for a while, as soon as I find a place with the “right energy”.

Challenge #2
It’s no secret – I’m very fond of keys and have collected them since I was a child. I would most definitely pick it up. I’ll just tie it on to the ribbon on which I keep my “Magic Keys” – my favourites from when I was young – and put it in my tote bag along with my writing book.

Challenge #3
The water is a… medium-sized creek, very calm. The kind you’d hunt for crayfish in. I could probably navigate over the stones if I liked, but the bridge is old and weathered – like something you’d see in a Tom Sawyer novel. I can’t resist the adventure – I’m taking the bridge. It’s wood that was once coated in white paint, though hardly any is left. It’s wet and gives under my footsteps. I’m tempted to stop and sketch the view, but the rail feels like it will break under my weight, so I hurry to cross.

Challenge #4
The wall is made of large flagstones and held together with straw and mortar. It’s quite old, and bits of mortar are flaking away. Moss grows in the cracks. The top isn’t much higher than my head, but it’s slick with the moss and wet – I cannot climb it. I do so want to see the other side, though. There’s a tree nearby with a long limb that comes close to the top of the wall. I tighten my tote bag on my back and start to climb the tree. I get a few scrapes – these are untame trees indeed, wrapped in thorny vines – but manage to make it to the limb.

Challenge #5
I lower myself from the limb onto the top of the flagstone wall. The stone I rest my foot on is loose, and slides away. I fall to the ground on the other side of the wall. I’m a little winded but not hurt.
I’ve landed in a clearing. It appears to have been left by a fire of some sort – there are charred stumps on the edge of the lawn bordering the rest of the wood. The clearing is a meadow of tall grass and wildflowers of purple and orange. The creek runs along the tree line, just on the other side of the burnt stumps. A deer heard me fall. She looked up from the clover, saw me, and bounded off across the creek into the wood. I’ve found a place to write.

Challenge #1
It’s twilight, clear skies, with a gentle wind blowing, and it’s warm outside. I’m calm and introspective.

Challenge #2
Because the key is somewhat heavy/a burden, I pick it up to examine it, but don’t take it with me since I don’t know what’s ahead of me, and I know that no matter what, I can’t turn around. I will place it somewhere, hidden, so that I might be able to retrieve it at a later time.

Challenge #3
The water is a creek, about 8 feet across, and 3 to 4 feet deep. I can hear the water bubbling and gurgling as it glides over smooth rocks.

Challenge #4
The wall is made of deep red brick, and it looks old – cracks are visible, but it still feels very solid, and vines cling to it in places. I notice a large tree with thick limbs on my side of the wall, with branches that reach the other side of the wall. I decide to climb it, and lower myself from these branches, once on the other side.

Challenge #5
I land on warm sand and notice that I’m on a beach, at night. I can hear the roar of the ocean, but when I look out to sea, I don’t see water. All I see are bright, glowing stars, clustered together in the millions, lapping at the shore. On the horizon, I see the moon – close, giant, glowing, craters and detail visible.

Challenge #1: It’s about 9pm. Cloudy, but no rain. I’m feeling pensive and reflective.

Challenge #2: I tend to be a pack rat. I pick it up and put it in my back left pocket.

Challenge #3: The body of water is a river, about 20 yards across. It’s muddy and unclear. But flowing well and fast.

Challenge #4: The wall is brick. The big kind that school walls are made from. I walk along the wall til I find a whole that I can fit through. First, I tag the wall though.

Challenge #5: There is a neighborhood. It’s quiet and still.

Challenge #1
It is night with a bright full moon, low humidity around 65–70 degrees.

Challenge #2
Leave it, it is of no interest to me. Let someone else, either a fool or someone better equipped pick it up.

Challenge #3
It is a large bay connected to the ocean with a thunderstorm coming in from the horizon. The bay itself is peaceful and quiet.

Challenge #4
It is made of granite lined with obsidian. I’d take the pleasure of climbing over it.

Challenge #5
a beach of pebbles that stretches for miles with the storm still visible on the horizon.

1. It’s the early afternoon, about 1–2 pm, and the sun is shining brightly.

2. I take it, and carry it on my shoulders. My back supports most of the weight, and my hands rest on the respective ends of the key. Like this.

3. The body of water is a river that is about 10 feet across, and is moving fast. There’s quite an elevation drop right at the bridge’s location, so the roar of the whitewater is quite loud.

4. The wall is made out of common cinder blocks which look very out of place in the forest. It’s only about 8 ft tall, so can I get a hand on the top with a running jump. I hoist myself up and over to the other side.

5. The other side of the wall looks exactly the same as the previous side, just a path through the forest.

I have to admit, upon reading this question, a very specific hike I took several years back came to mind, and certainly influenced my answer to question 1 and 3. I’m not sure why this particular hike sprang to mind, but… there you have it.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Your link doesn’t work.

@chyna Really? It does for me. Here it is again.

It hates me. Was it you without a shirt? :-)

ah, I see.

#1 Mid morning, the sun is up and it is going to be a warm day. I am looking forward to going for a walk with my dogs.

#2 I would look at the key, then carry on walking. More interested in walking my dogs.

#3 It is a quiet rippling stream … lovely to paddle in … the sun is shining on it.

#4 The wall is made of shrubs and trees, but there is a gap I can just get through and continue my walk.

#5 There is a large clearing in the forest, and a small lake, where I can sit and rest awhile, watching the wildlife.

1. It’s morning. It’s cloudy outside. I feel anxious and excited.
2. I pick up the key and put it in my backpack. I like antique objects and have a feeling I might be able to use it.
3. The body of water is the ocean. There is a calmness over the water. The waves are small. It seems to go on for miles and miles.
4. The wall is made of wood. There is a keyhole on the wall that the key I have been carrying fits into. The key would open a secret door in the wall so that I could pass through.
5. I see the beach. The sun is setting. I see him standing in the water waiting for me.

1. Early morning,not completely light. It’s foggy. I’m in a good mood.
2. I pick up the key and put it in my camera case.
3. I cross over a river, smallish, 10 feet wide or so, not too deep clear and cold
4. The wall is made of brick. I use the end of the key to clear away vines and brush and find a door
5. I go through and there is an old deserted cabin. I decide to stay.

So… when do we get the analysis?

@Seek_Kolinahr NOW!

I’d be interested to hear your insights… from everyone, about everyone, including yourself.

Challenge #1 (as the first Q in a new senario) represents… Your natural disposition to new and challenging situations.

Me… it’s just another line on the “to do” list… nothing to get excited about, and could turn into a chore.

I find it interesting… Some of you p8nted a picture of “good mood”, “anxious/excited”, “warm day”, “sun is shining”, “bright full moon”, “clear skies/calm”, “my favourite time of day. The weather is fair, and the air is comfortably cool”, “weather is warm, and I am feeling content”, “it’s warm. I feel content and adventurous”, “I feel well, energetic and excited”, “it’s warm outside. I’m calm”...

Those are very positive outlooks in new and challenging situations. It gives clear insight as to how you would approach a new job requirement, a family struggle, or even if you’re just lost on vacation.

But others weren’t so positive… not negative, but definitely noting the confrontation from a new challenge being foisted upon you… “Cloudy, but no rain”, “Late afternoon, overcast skies, I feel apprehensive”, “I am heading in the wrong direction”, “Cloudy, but no rain. I’m feeling pensive and reflective”, “it’s raining, and I’m content.”...

That’s not negativity, but seems a more realistic view on immediate surroundings, noting the necessity for greater attention to details. Things could go wrong if one does not pay attention. Not a bad idea to pay very close attention in new situations.

What I find most interesting though, are those who noted the new challenge, the discomfit challenge it put upon them, yet somehow weren’t emotionally affect by it, taking it all in stride… Many of you were somewhere in the middle of positive, yet concerned to be aware.

Although @rpmpseudonym felt as though they were “heading in the wrong direction” and “The rain is consistent & heavy.”, they were not so worried about it because “The sky is somehow clear & the moon is bright enough to light the way.”

And @chyna said “drizzeling rain, but the trees are mostly stopping it from hitting me.”, as if, even though there is a problem, it’s not so bad, almost as if something/someone is protecting her.

Both consider the challenge before them, the problems that could arise, yet somehow keep a very positive outlook. Good peeps to have at your side when the ship is sinking fast.

@Shooter12 “the weather is finally beautiful and I feel happy.”

What do you mean by “finally”? Did you just come out of a hardship? Are things better now?

More to come when time permits…

Sorry all… I’ve been traveling and haven’t had the time to devote to replying to all of your great answers.

Challenge #2 is supposed to represent how one deals with burdensome emotional baggage.

Me… I drag it along behind me… Remember, we have no idea if it is valuable or not. But most of us seem to think it is, and so we lug it along without a clear understanding of why.

@chyna, @Katexyz, @kenmc, @free_fallin, and @lazydaisy seem prepared with the necessary equipment to carry it… (backpacks, cases, pockets) Notice they perceive the key as small enough to put into some type of carrying case, deeming it as not so burdensome at all, yet they insist upon carrying it anyway, placing some form of value upon it, even though “It is just large and heavy enough that it would be a burden to carry”.

Notice @Seek_Kolinahr views the key as similar to the others in her pre-existing collection, and proceeds to place in on the ring along beside them.

Others, like me and @jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities, @DominicX, @JLeslie, and @muppetish view the key as more burdensome but still insist upon lugging it around by slinging it over our shoulders, dragging it, or carrying it in our hands.

Interesting that @Shooter12 will try a carrying case first, but will carry on shoulders if necessary, insisting upon carrying it either way.

Now others have the incentive to leave their emotional baggage behind. The key is examined and weighed, “enjoy the heft of it” as @liminal puts it, but readily leaves it for someone else to deal with. @DrasticDreamer leaves the key, but “I might be able to retrieve it at a later time”, interestingly not carrying emotional baggage, but having access to it if needed.

@rpmpseudonym, @Winters, and @partyparty all feel the key is best left alone, either from being interested in more productive activities like “walking the dogs” or because carrying the key (the emotional baggage), is best left for “fools”.

The meaning behind Challenge #2 is to illustrate how we often view our emotional baggage as a key to our problems. It is a key, a key to solving our life issues. And as such, is often perceived as valuable. That’s why we have such problems letting it go, or leaving well enough alone. Our fear, our anger, our addictions, our jealousy… all perceived as valuable keys to our problems. But in reality they are burdensome shackles, often preventing us from continuing on life’s journey as intended.

Challenge #3… like it or not, represents your feelings about sex. I’ll let your answers speak for themselves without a lengthy examination. Remember, your answers would change depending upon the state of life you are in.

Me, the body of water (sex), at the time, was “frozen” and “silent”. And I must admit, at that time, I wasn’t gettin’ any.

You’ll have to figure this one out for yourselves. Your descriptions varied wildly from gentle, shallow, calm, to large, endless, and incredibly fast. Figure it out… Could your answer be a subconscious metaphorical representation of how you feel about your sex life currently?