Intelligent articles on BDSM Dominance /submission:
Sir Magic discusses what is a slave in this new century of wannabes in the BDSM Lifestyle community

So you want to call yourself a slave?

by Sir Magic

BDSM... is much like the oceans of the world, broad deep and varied.

As with nature it ebbs, flows, changes and has logic and language all it's own. It is no secret I am a traditionalist. I began my journey into this world over 19 years ago, before the World Wide Web existed in the form we know today. In other words, I was doing this before AOL existed.

In our world "all slaves are submissive (sub's) but not all subs are slaves". In the more traditional or older practiced protocols, the slave is the highest form of submissive. To be recognized as a slave is an honor and a form of accomplishment. In a sense with traditional lifestyle practitioners, a sub plays at living it. A slave lives it. This is a common view among long time RT (real time) BDSM folks much to the dislike of VT or virtual (cyber) players. This piece of writing isn't about cyber. It is a Traditionalist point of view about sensual slavery as a real lifestyle, not a cyber-sex (chat room) diversion or escape. I am here to help you ask the question, "Am I a slave ?"

The sub:

• Does pleasing and serving others give you a strange sense of inner satisfaction?
• When you were young did you always love to play the captured one or the slave girl/boy?
• Did you have to be the one who served the tea at the make believe tea parties as a little girl?
• Does the thought of being owned, being property turn you on?

A submissive is one who hears the calling to submit, to surrender their control to another and not only obey, but serve. A sub lives to give of themselves to another; to see the needs of their Dominant come first. In doing this, the submissive fulfills a deep, aching, silent void within them.

Do not think just because someone is a submissive they are weak. To the contrary, some of the strongest individuals I know are sub's and slaves. Within BDSM there is a saying, "I'm submissive, not stupid ". What this ultimately means in my eyes is with "if you look down upon a submissive for being so, you have totally missed the whole point... and you're an asshole.

The "sub" differs from the slave in key area's. Technically, as much as I dislike it, you can "be" submissive and it is something you can "do". A submissive has a laundry list of things they will NOT do and conditions they will only serve under.

With the proliferation of on-line BDSM chat rooms and cyber "wannabes" the line between sub and slave has been seriously blurred. It is not uncommon now for the term "sub" or "slave" to be used interchangeably when in essence they ARE different things.

From my perspective, as a long time, real life practitioner, if you are Married or cyber, you can be a sub. However, until you are at the feet of your Dom (or Dominant) with their collar around your neck, you can't be a slave in the true sense of the term. If you are married and your Dominant is someone other than your spouse, I don't see how you can truly be a slave. The old saying applies here, "you can't serve two Masters (Mistresses) ".

The Slave:

A slave is everything a sub is, but has taken it to a higher plane. Being a slave isn't something you just do, a slave is something you ARE! It is more than submission, it is a state of mind; a state of complete and total spiritual surrender of your empirical essence to another. For a slave, life is about service, to their Dominant and others. A true slave lives to not only give pleasure, but be enjoyed as well. For a slave, there is NO greater pleasure than for their Master or Mistress to set them upon a task, use them sexually or have them used.

A slave in essence has few or NO limits. Their Dominant has absolute control over their, life, body, mind and soul. They find the act of someone having such power over them an immense turn on and comfort which completes their whole being. There are many forms of service but for simplicity I'm going to break it down into three:

The Pleasure slave:

This is probably the most common form of service otherwise known as sexual service. Everyone talks about pleasure slaves, many even make the claim but few truly understand what it really means or entails. A true pleasure slave exists to be used sexually. You have no say about when, where, how or who. That is now the right of your Dominant to decide, not you. Within this concept there are some givens which I will mention.

You are property or chattel, however you are valued property and your Master or Mistress WILL NOT, should NOT place you at serious risk. In other words, if your owner chooses to "give" you to another for their enjoyment, is the Dominant's responsibility to ensure safe sex or other arrangements are made.

A pleasure slave usually is a highly sexual being, or is trained to be. A smart Master or Mistress knows it is unwise to ever allow a pleasure slave complete satisfaction, for they are meant to be in a state constant sexual excitement. The latter is very important. Pleasure slaves understand they exist for one thing (basically) and one thing only; and they are to be ready at all times.

Do you have what it takes to be a pleasure slave?

If you answered yes to at least 9 of these questions you may have what it takes. Beyond this, pleasure slaves are traditionally trained in other arts besides sexual pleasure.

The Domestic slave: There are those who get great pleasure and dream of life revolving around "Domestic" service. A Domestic slave is just as dedicated as a pleasure slave but their calling is serving the needs of their Master's or Mistress's household. The best Domestic slaves enjoy picking up after their owners. They are consummate cooks, neat, orderly and it is their personal duty to protect their Dominants Castle from the forces of dirt. With a competent domestic slave at hand, a Dominant have never want of a clean shirt or warm meal. The Dominant is the spiritual backstop or anchor of their life. They are the caretakers of order for the Dominants universe.

The Business Slave: They are often called, "Executive assistants", "personal companions", "personal secretaries" and other such mundane names. Often they are not only a slave but an employee in some cases as well. Like the Domestic slave they bring order to a Dominant's universe, except they do it not only at the Dominants feet but in the business arena as well. It is not uncommon for the business slave to be responsible for running their Dominant's business and still be a total slave in mind, soul and body. Don't let this duality fool you, it is more than possible for a devoted slave, and competently run a multinational company. Being a slave is a reflection of WHO you are, not necessarily what you are capable of accomplishing.

Final Thoughts and points:

If you think being a slave is easy, mindless and a great escape from the responsibilities of your life decisions, you're wrong ! What makes an outstanding slave is this:

A great slave is intelligent, dedicated, motivated and loyal. They understand the Master (Mistress) / slave relationship is built on a foundation of trust and a consuming need to serve. Within their absolute surrender, they realize being a slave is HARD work and are not afraid of it.

Do not think the Dominant has it easy either. A slave requires immense care, time and work. A Dominant should not even consider taking a slave in a 24/7 relationship until he or she has matured. This is where many inexperienced Dominants set themselves and the slave in their care upon the road to disaster.

If you have made it this far, either in your heart or soul you "hear the call". If you don't, I hope you have been enlightened. If you do, look within, accept who and what you are. You have a road before you. Do you have the guts to walk that road?

If you truly are a slave soul, then you must follow it. If you don't you shall know NO peace until you do. There will forever be a singular void within your spirit you'll neither understand nor vanquish. This I know, "slave soul". I am your Yin. You are my Yang. We are two parts of a whole, a never-ending balance of opposing needs, locked together forming a singular and powerful universe and spiritual bond.

If this essay called to you I invite your comments, thoughts or opinions.

© 1999 Sir Magic "..the Darkangel" (TM). All Rights Reserved