"I give you water"
I have had a delightful weekend. I spent large parts of it feeling very very subby, and I love Tom massive amounts, and, yeah. Happy. I'm waiting until my friend can send me the pics she took of our costumes before I write about the club, but in the meantime this seems as good a time as any to re-post this beautiful photo that Chross called to my attention last week:
I've seen a lot less good D/s photography than I have good spanking photography, but this diptych really nails it for me. During scenes, when I get thirsty, I ask permission for a drink - and if I am allowed one, Tom always holds the cup for me while I sip. There is something so tender, so vulnerable about it. I keep my hands clasped behind my back and we judge each other's tiny movements without speaking, careful not to spill a drop. When I'm blindfolded it's even more intimate. Tom's movements are courteous, ceremonial. If you've ever taken Catholic mass (and I have, years ago) it's hard not to be reminded of that.
Sharing drink has always been a powerful bonding experience for humans: from communal toasts; exchanging of sips between a bride a groom; strangers passing around bottles of water at a rave; to Robert Heinlein's ritual of giving water in Stranger in a Strange Land. It speaks to something deep within us, I think.
Looking forward to seeing the picture. Link seems to be broken.
ReplyDeleteThe image works when you click on it, but the preview doesn't show up.
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, Pandora! This is the most beautiful post you've done!
ReplyDeleteI feel exactly the same way about "the sharing of water" -- one of my favourite things is the take a sip of water and pass it to my lover in a kiss, during play or just for no reason at all!
Our bodies are composed of up to 60% water (our brains are 70% water!) and so it must be a fluid that is precious to us, and of which the sharing between intimates must have profound (or at least warm and tender) meaning....
Oh, those are gorgeous photos. And yes, I think I know exactly what you mean about the sensual sacredness of water, and the beautiful images of sharing it.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, this gives me ideas for things I must try out with my boys, in our various ways round. :-)
Ophelia
Ah yes. Thanks Ludwig. Great photos Pandora.
ReplyDeleteKarl - Oops, it seems that Chross' image host doesn't like direct links. I didn't notice because it worked fine on my computer, but it must have saved it in the cache. I uploaded it to my own webspace this morning, so there shouldn't be any problems now :)
ReplyDeleteZille - Oh, I'm so glad you know what I mean! Thankyou for the lovely comment :)
I tend to resonate with water; I've used it in a number of different rituals, and I'm drawn to natural watercourses. Of course any elemental model has its limitations, but this kind of symbolism, and the tradition behind it, is where ritual and ceremony draws a lot of its power. In our culture, and the cultures that pooled into it, water has long held associations of life, sanctity, healing. I think that's one of the reasons the sharing of water feels so particularly joyful and affirming. The other elements have different meanings for us; and so fire is about ferocity, focus, awakening, and if you were to use fire in a D/s ritual it would have a very different flavour.
This is mostly cultural, of course. I wonder what D/s ritual looks like in non-Western cultures, but I guess that D/s must feel very different, and have very different core constituents, when arising from a different cultural context.
Ophelia - I couldn't believe it when I saw those photos; they capture the whole experience so perfectly for me. I think those of us who are inclined towards the ceremonial for other reasons are more likely to find this sort of sharing profound; of course D/s doesn't have to be theatrical and ritualistic to be meaningful, but a lot of us are theatrical and ritualistic sort of people ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear about the success of your ideas, when you've tried them! *hugs*
You have produced some treasures for us Pandora, but this takes the biscuit. It's as personal, as intimate, as.... (I cant think, how about watching someone breastfeeding.?) The sense of devotion, concentration, of need fulfilled. Wow.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that of course D/s ritual is different in different cultures ... but I really haven't seen any that are unrecognisable, it's just that other cultures bring new and wonderful ideas (like the formality of a Japanese tea service, for example) to the mix.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that most cultures do see the elements (fire, water, etc.) in a not unsurprisingly similar manner. We are all just humans, after all, all living on this Earth, and our ancestors all learned to live in accordance with the elements ... while fire can mean ferocity, it can also mean warmth and life ... and I think pretty much every culture recognizes such basic things. (That is, in this regard, cultures are more alike than unalike!)
Hmmmm ... I feel an article coming on about this sort of thing ... wanna co-write one with me?
Zille:
ReplyDeleteElemental systems do also vary: Druids work with Land, Sea and Sky (which are not quite Earth, Water and Air): and the Chinese system has five material elements including metal.
Ritual as a tool and its effects on humans are a field of fascination for me; D/s has been heavily informed by my religious development, and vice versa. Both tend to come through in my political thinking as well. Politics is, after all, another form of psychodrama.