Thunder Part 3 - Day Two of Seminars

First Seminar….

"There is Power in the Blood - Cutting as a Part of a Ritual, Ceremony and Spirituality in M/s and D/s Relationships" by Master Jim and slave marsha

Before I move on to more about the actual seminar, I want to share this little story…I am not sure when it was exactly if it was at SMART Fest 2002 or OLF 2002, but Master Jim and slave marsha spoke at one of them. I could not attend, but every time I saw BDSM friends after that I had almost all of them tell me that they wished I could have seen Master Jim and slave marsha. They would tell me that they kept thinking of me as they heard them speak and felt I would have really enjoyed hearing them. Almost all of them told me that Master Jim and slave marsha had similar beliefs in M/s that I did.

Since then, I have not had a chance really to see them, until this year. And after just hearing them at this one class I wish I could just sit down and listen to them all day. They are incredible people and speakers and I am so very grateful to have witnessed the ritual and ceremony they did for Thunder.

This seminar touched me the most. Master and I do not do cuttings. Just something He isn't interested in and to tell you the truth I am not either. But the ritual, the ceremony and the sprituality involved in them we understand and know. As I said we are not into cutting, but it was Master Jim and slave marsha not the cutting that really touched me. The ritual - their words to each other - their interaction with each other is truly incredible. I have always enjoyed their blog and forum and now to have heard them speak in person was truly an honor.

Master was not feeling well but wanted me to attend so he went with me but had to leave and then came back towards the end. I wished I could have experience more of it with him but I also totally understood that he was not feeling well and was very grateful to Him that He allowed me to attend without Him.

It was such an intense awesome experience…

When I walked into the room they were holding it, I felt little prickles of energy flowing over my body. I pushed it away as that makes me uncomfortable at times (because I deny often that I even feel things such as that) and since Master was not feeling well, I was a little on edge anyway. We sat down and after 5 minutes of being there - and the seminar not even starting yet - I was crying.

Someone should have told me I would need a box of kleenex!

I am really not going to get into the ritual itself because I guess part of me feels it was personal even though it was done at this event and in this public setting.

Before they started the ceremony though they just kind of told thoughts of what they were going to do and they went over just some basics on cutting. They said specifically that they would go over just "some basics on cutting, but that this was not a cutting class." So before they started the ceremony they asked if people had questions about it. So, what kind of questions did they get? Cutting questions. It annoyed me because the people were not getting this was a more about ceremony and ritual then cutting. Yes the cutting is PART of the ritual but the class was not on cutting but on the ceremony and ritual with a cutting as a part of it.

Master Jim said that this topic they offer is on the list of classes they do, but that it does not get chosen very often but that when it has - it has come at a time they have needed this type of ritual. So this one was brought to them for a reason. At the time, it was chosen they were not sure of the reason but as time went on, they understood why it came about.

I think something that I made a big impression on me…is that they don't just talk about a subject they live it. Technique classes are great….as I said I really loved Jason Ryan's Bondage class (and duct tape to come below). But D/s and M/s classes about topics such as obedience, protocol, ritual, ceremony and just living day to day in an M/s - those are really hard to express and lead as a class. Because the play stuff we all can do…we all can learn. But the just living of daily life is hard at times!

So, to me they didn't just talk on this subject they lived it right there for all of us to see….and I am sure this is how they hold all of their seminars. They touch on such everyday issues in M/s relationships…problems, fears, and bumps that we all encounter to various degrees. And they put it out there to share how they deal with these things.

I keep coming to tears as I write this because it was such a wonderful experience.

This spiritual ritual and ceremony was opened up to us at Thunder and I can't even find words for it. I am very grateful for the opportunity to witness it and be a part of it.

The ceremony was for slave marsha to let go of some fears. She read them out loud to us. She was so brave to do this in front of us all…exposing herself…I am sure it makes you feel very vulnerable. And not only did she read these fears, but also Master Jim owned up to failures on the fears she read to us. Basically saying he failed her. I can think of a handful of Dominants I know who admit when they were failing their slave and then to do it publicly….wow. That was very brave of him to admit.

He not only did that but then told her that he understood her fears but that he dispelled them and told her that he will help her with these fears. It was not something she was going to have to go alone and solve and fix or get over. But that he was her Master and would help her let them go.

I cried and cried….

I could relate to slave marsha. I have had fears she expressed but not for the same reasons. And she put them all out there to us.

After she read them, they did the rest of the ritual with the cutting. And I was an emotional mess. And so totally touched. I felt so many emotions..but as I said I was a mess. But of course, there were friends of DM's sitting in front of us and so I felt I needed to grab the opportunity to introduce myself at the end of the ceremony. I did so very quickly and not even sure what I said to them. Soon after Master felt it was time to head me out of there to pull myself together for the next class.

So again….I am very grateful to have been a part of the experience and thank my Master for allowing me to attend and of course thank Master Jim and slave marsha for opening themselves up and living life right there for all of us at Thunder.

Second Seminar…

Well we were going to go to one. We actually went and I am sorry to say she annoyed me before she even got the class started. And Master kept asking me if I was okay after Master Jim and slave marasha's class and I was holding it together but with the woman annoying me I told Master and so he said lets go. We headed to our hotel room for a quick nap. Which I am sure I needed after my emotional time.

Third Seminar….

"Duct Tape - Sticking it to your sub" by Jason Ryan

As I stated before, I really enjoyed his bondage class. And well this one was even better. He was clear to hear and see. He explained things well and he also gave great suggestions and ideas. I could see all the little light bulbs going off in Master's head, as Jason would tell some little tips.

Master enjoys duct tape and has wanted to do more bondage with it but he did not want to be pulling off skin with it. And using saran will make a person sweat and get more hot. So, he wanted alternative ways. And Jason solved that problem right away.

Athletic Pre-Wrap. It is not like what you wrap your ankle in if you sprain it. This is the pre-wrap. They said you could get at sporting good stores. We have not got it yet. I know it is on the list though. Probably that and some PVC pipe from Home Depot.

So just a few tips we learned:

Make sure that the person does not have latex allergies

Of course, I already mentioned the pre-wrap. He said you could apply tape directly but it will pull on skin and injure so to make it less sticky by sticking it to clothing and ripping off a few times before applying to skin directly.

Expensive Duct Tape better because you don't have to cut it - it rips nicer

Vet Wrap - Compresses and Duct tape does not.

The more you layer the more strong the coating but also more layers the more heat trapped in.

Clean off duct tape residue with soap and water or a little baby oil. He also suggested that a person put on a little lotion before doing duct tape even when doing the wrap just in case any touches the skin with the lotion on first it makes it not stick so much and easier to come off.

If doing a cocoon of duct tape use 3 feet pieces and do one of the front and then one of the back in the same place. Because as you wrap - the wrap will twist on the body and at times twist the skin and flesh beneath it. So doing one on the front and then the back it helps balance it out and helps so that won't happen.

Store Duct tape in zip lock bags because if you leave it in with floggers or other materials the edge of the duct tape become coated

He did a hood and mittens. He did the mittens first. He had her form a fist around a little piece of PVC piping (not a tight fist) and not only was that for circulation and so that her nails were not digging into her hands as he wrapped but he also did a little bondage trick with it afterwards. After he had her hands all wrapped he slipped rope through the pipe. Of course, it is not stable enough to hold for suspension but like being tied down spread eagle on the bed….yum!

The hood he pre-wrapped her head and then her pony tail so that no stray hair got caught while taping. He did a little trick for the hood - I am not sure I can explain it properly but it was so clever because it allowed you to get the hood off quick and in one piece. He did the front of the face and then he took and did a little tube of duct tape with the sticky side out and then placed it down the back of her head and started taping over it but allowed for access to the tip of the tube. So then you when you wanted it off you slip your safety scissors into the tube and cut all the way down the tube. Then peel it back and it brings with it all the pre-wrap and tape. Then slip it off the face and it is off. Clear as mud? He also on the hood he had her open her mouth before taping over it because he did not want her jaw pressed totally together. And then he left nose open for breathing.

Well anyway, it was clever and cool. I really liked the mittens but the hood scared me.

Then our last seminar…

"Sensory Depravation and Sensory Enhancement Wrapping Bondage" by Scary Terry and Lady Patricia

Well first for some reason I did not get that second part of the title - I just read about the depravation and was excited. After doing the duct tape class, we thought it would be cool also. So we get there and Fire Play, which was before it, was still going on and went way long. And sensory class got set up late and started late.

I have to say although we left 2nd seminar this one probably annoyed me even more. And we wish we would have gone to Laura's second class.

I didn't think they seemed very prepared, but again that might have just been because they started late. But they did not explain things well. They kind of jumped around. The guy was explaining some of the equipment they had and I don't feel he knew the full affects of some of it. I mean he was mostly knowledgeable how to run them but the effects of them I would have liked to know. He had a photosonic box and Erostek box plus a lot more other toys.

And now as I type how this guy did not seem to know his stuff and how he was not focused - makes me think of someone in my old community in Ohio that annoyed me too.

But back to the seminar….

They started with sensory enhancement and we came for deprivation so we were a little confused. They did then do other forms of depravation - a girl was wrapped up in I think duct tape over saran and a breathing tube. She was then put in a box with packing wrap and peanuts. I can't recall how long she had been that way, but I am thinking close to an hour. And that was the coolest part of the seminar - seeing her. And all they did was bring her in already wrapped in box and everything and brought her out and undid her. So we did not even see what they did to her to get her that way. We did not get to hear from the people having all the things done to them….to know what it felt like to them.

It was just very unorganized to me. And we should have gone to Laura's class.

Well that was Thunder…

As I said this year was more for being with friends and attending classes and last year was about S&M and sex for us! But I enjoyed both times and can't wait until next year.