A Desert Journey

Your desktop is spilling over with unfinished paperwork; the rest of the office has already gone home for the night. You look up at the clock and it laughs back. You wonder, with a sinking feeling inside, if this job will ever be done...
The professor drones on and on through a three-hour double lecture on the world's most boring subject. There's no space left for doodles in your notebook, and you're only thirty minutes into the class. You begin to think you're somehow been frozen in time...
Waiting can be a special form of torture, worse than any momentary pain. The combination of frustration and boredom can send even the bravest heart into a state of panic. Our first journey will bring us face-to-face with the infinite. Take a moment to prepare yourself, an enter the eternal desert...


Question 1: You are riding a camel across the cast and empty expanse of a seemingly endless desert. You have ridden until you are near exhaustion. What words would you say to the camel that has carried you all the way?

Question 2: Just at the point when you thought you'd die of thirst, a beautiful oasis appears. But someone has arrived before you. Who is this other traveler? (use the name of a person you know)

Question 3: Time passes slowly in the desert, and it feels like an eternity before the lights of a town appear on the horizon. You have finally reached your destination. What are you feelings as you come to your journey's end?

Question 4: The time has come to part with the camel you have ridden for so long. Just as you dismount, a new rider climbs into the saddle to rake your place. Who is the new rider? (use the name of a person you know)

Key:
The desert and the camel theme symbolizes the journey toward personal independence. Specifically, this scenario reveals your feelings about parting with a lover. Your answers show how you might react when the time comes to go your separate ways.


Question 1: The words you spoke to the camel reveal what you might say to yourself when you realize love has been lost. Did you try words of encouragement like, "We'll make it through somehow!" or "Don't worry, this can't go on forever"? Or was there a hint of despair-- "We're lost... this is hopeless... I think we're going to die out here"?

Question 2: In psychological terms, the oasis symbolizes the key to solving one's problems. The person you encountered here could be someone who has helped or comforted you in the past or one you might turn to in times of need.

Question 3: The town at the journey's end stands for the order restored to your emotions once you've recovered from a broken heart. Your feelings upon reaching the town are your true feelings about finally getting over a lost love.

Question 4: The new rider is a person toward whom you feel a secret rivalry, jealousy, or resentment. Is the person you named a rival in love or maybe someone who once broke your heart?

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