Expert: arani_CsA - 11/26/2006

Question
First thank you for answering my question about long distance relationships. It helped immensely.
I would like to know what you have learned about the link between spirituality and slavery? If you can recommend any articles that can help me understand this aspect as I am sure that some of the feelings I have , being Masters and being able to serve Him, even from a distance, are indeed feelings of spirituality
Thank you

Answer
Hello...

i'm glad i was able to help you earlier; i hope i can do so again.  Please do bear in mind that my words here express a personal interpretation.  Others may have a different viewpoint, and indeed not all slaves are drawn to serve for the same reason.

my slavery comes from something deeper than a physical, or even an emotional, need.  It comes from my very soul, and is so much a part of me that, once i acknowledged it, i can't be anything else.  i like to talk about the second surrender; in other words, some slaves surrender to a Master, but others also surrender to themselves.  What i mean is that they surrender to the inner knowledge that they exist to serve, and to make life better for other people.  For some, one type of surrender will come before the other, and for others the reverse is true.

Slavery is not a religion, but shares many things with religion.  Some have likened slavery to a monastic lifestyle.  Those who have accepted a religious vocation will devote their lives to a combination of contemplation and self-improvement, and service to others.  They will feel a great sense of inner peace when doing so.

A slave, like a monk or a nun, requires an external focus for her surrender.  In this, the Master acts as a proxy, much like a priest acts as a proxy for the surrender of a nun.  Religious practice has been said by some to contain a number of sadomasochistic elements.  These can include penance, confession and absolution, service, abstinence, and flagellation.  Through the humiliation of the slave, the Master rises in stature; through her blindfolding He becomes all-seeing, through her bondage He becomes all-powerful, as she is punished He grants her absolution, and so on.

Masters are not gods, even though some of them might think so.  (*small grin*)  They assume a position more like a Christian priest -- one who guides the slave's surrender, and provides a link between the slave and that surrender.  Whereas a submissive will submit because she seeks physical and emotional gratification, a slave will surrender because she seeks ecstasy (or a union with a force greater than herself).  

Because a spiritual slave surrenders not only to her Master, but to the greater concept called Slavery, she is drawn to serve all.  Because of the pain and humiliation she suffers, she learns to tolerate those who may not feel as she does or who may even look down on her lifestyle.  She gains comfort from meditating on her life, and from more deeply understanding that part of herself which is drawn to that life.  

In my case, i was brought up in a church tradition that involves a tremendous amount of ritual.  i think this may have been what drew me to the Gorean lifestyle, in part, as the role-playing chat rooms demand highly ritualized behavior from slaves.  However, while Master also considers Himself a Christian, He doesn't feel the need to incorporate ritual into His worship.  And He also doesn't feel the need to give me a lot of rituals to follow in His service.  Something that i am currently doing is looking for rituals that i can prescribe for myself, to better my service to Him and to the world as a whole.

Now, Master and i do strongly believe that there are certain passages in the Bible that support our lifestyle.  We incorporated them into our wedding.  However, that has more to do with religion than with spirituality.  

i hope i have answered your question, at least to some extent.  If you do a web search on "slavery, spirituality, bdsm," i'm sure you can find a number of other articles.  And you can feel free to address any further questions to me as well.  

Good luck in your search.  

arani_CsA,
devoted property of Clampius_Arelius