4

SUBMISSIVE S-M

 

 

In S-M circles it has become almost cliché to say that “the submissive has all the power.” In fact, as we continue to discover the secrets of Carnal Alchemy, we find out that we need to modify this statement somewhat. Submissives do not really “have” the power: they are the power. In the most polarized sense, the submissive incarnates or crystallizes the power, and the dominant develops and wields the power to magical ends. As we shall see, however, submissives, too, can cause changes to occur according to their own wills, but they do so as the power, not with the power.

In today’s society the complex world of social dynamics, especially as it relates to the relationship between the sexes, is in clear evidence. The potential magical power inherent in this complex social network hinges on the idea of an exchange of power and the increase of mutual power between individuals. A certain question of dominance and submission exists in the relationship between the sexes, or between any two individual humans at any moment in that relationship. One will dominate the other; one will be the master, the other the slave. It must be pointed out that there is a real kind of power to be gained in being the slave as well—it all depends on the nature of the master and what the slave gets in exchange for her (or his) slavery.

A kind of magic comes into play here through a definite psychological mechanism. Some elements of mankind need a certain amount of misery, pain, and slavery. This inherent need will inevitably be played out in life one way or another. Because most people are unconscious of this need in themselves it simply gets played out in unhappy circumstances of life. This becomes what might be called “self-destructive masochism.” Actual misfortune and misery are the only result. But if one is a “self-affirming masochist,” who is conscious of this element in the personality, and who lives it out in a creative and self-aware manner, then the actual misery can be “exorcised” in a pleasurable and fun way.

In Carnal Alchemy the dominant takes the role of the alchemist, while the submissive is the very substance being transformed: to begin with perhaps “lead,” but at the end of the process the purest “gold.” Magically speaking the working of submissive Carnal Alchemy is most effective when you are trying to change things about yourself—in other words the subjective universe.

In the first chapter we pointed out that greater magic can work either on the outer world, or on the inner world of the magician. Due to the “mechanics” of the role of the submissive in Carnal Alchemy, this role is found to be most directly effective in work on the inner world of the submissives themselves—although we shall see how this can be turned back onto the objective outer world as well.

In general it seems best if Sado-Magicians can begin their involvement as submissives. The reasons for this are manifold. You cannot teach that which you yourself have not learned. On a very personal level it would be hard for dominants to command any respect from their submissives if it is known that they had never suffered the torments and humiliations they were now inflicting on their submissives. It seems fundamentally wrong, or unfair.

Beyond this respect issue is the fundamental principle of knowledge. If dominants don’t know how a particular technique feels, how can they be expected to use it effectively? They will not have the necessary level of empathy to wield the whip or cane with the right amount of force and placement. They may err by being too severe, but it is more likely that they will make the mistake of being too merciful. For transformation to take place pain thresholds must be pushed and expanded. If someone does not know what crossing these thresholds feels like “from the inside” under the guidance of a knowledgeable dominant, it is unlikely that he or she will truly understand the process and thus will not be able to do the things necessary to facilitate the kind of transformative experiences we are talking about.

An additional reason it is best to start out as a submissive is one of pure enjoyment. How much pleasure can dominants derive from the Sadean experience if they don’t even know what it feels like to be bound, spanked, or humiliated in an erotic context? They will only have recourse to their imaginations—uninformed by real fleshly experience. In such an instance the wannabe dominant might just as well watch some S-M videos and not even deal with real people. But if you have carnal knowledge of the feel-ings—tactile and emotional—that the submissive is experiencing, your experience will be multiplied and deepened.

For Carnal Alchemy to work there must be a high degree of precise understanding on the part of the dominant and a high level of passion and desire on the part of the submissive. In order to be a good dominant you have to be thinking and using your mental as well as sensual faculties much of the time. To be a good submissive, however, you have to maintain a certain balanced state of mind, heart, and body, which allows you to submit to pain and restriction, to the humiliation and discipline. Submissives are only responsible for themselves and their own internal reactions to what is happening to them. By contrast, dominants are usually responsible for everything from the configuration of the session to the correct sequencing and execution of each technique. It is also of the utmost importance to watch every reaction of submissives and to read them carefully to know how to proceed.

If all this has seemed too theoretical, let’s take an everyday example of how Carnal Alchemy can work for an individual. We are reminded of the situation of a young man named Jeremy. Nothing in Jeremy’s life seemed to go right. He had difficulty in the workplace, in maintaining relationships; and minor things always seemed to be going wrong. Jeremy was obviously an unwitting victim of unconscious masochism. An astute observer of modern life has observed that everybody needs some “suffering” in their lives—it seems to be a part of the human condition. Some need more than others. If you are unconscious of this need, Nature will simply deal out your lot of suffering in the most opportunistic ways—as She did with Jeremy. But one day Jeremy decided to fulfill a long-standing fantasy of his and answered a notice by an O T Dominatrix in a local alternative newspaper. She began a curriculum of severe training for him. After a number of these Sadean experiences, Jeremy noticed that his life seemed to be improving. Things that used to go “wrong” now went “right”—that is, more according to his conscious will. The reason for this is that now what used to be unconscious was made conscious. Instead of allowing Nature to be his Mistress, he chose his own Mistress. Instead of his “suffering” being dealt out blindly, it was received willingly—and even pleasurably.

In terms of Carnal Alchemy, the submissive corresponds to the very substance that is being transformed by the alchemical process. Submissive Sado-Magicians may start out in this process as something akin to “lead,” but when the process is complete, they have become pure gold. This substance is a complex mixture of the physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual elements present in the submissive’s personal makeup—it is the total Being of that person. Ideally the process ends with these elements integrated and empowered.

The “Work” of the submissive is focused in the sexual and emotional centers. It is here that the attention of the submissive should be allowed to rest. If the submissive is somehow made to worry about the “details” of the rite, this focus can be lost to the detriment of the whole process.

As mentioned above the main area of focus of submissive Work in Carnal Alchemy is upon the subjective universe, that is, upon inner self-transformation. In this process the inner Being of every Substance of the submissive is broken down and recombined in higher forms of existence. Examples of aims of this kind of Work range from the psychomotor realm, where unwanted physical habits can be eliminated, to the emotive realm, where self-esteem can be enhanced and developed, to the cognitive realm, where all sorts of mental and reflective faculties can be crystallized. Submissives can be “trained” to stop biting their nails, to feel like a God or Goddess, to hone intellectual skills—and most importantly to develop spiritual awareness. This is not done as outsiders might expect through a system of rewards and punishments the way you might train an animal. Such an approach is contrary to the very essence of Carnal Alchemy. Rather it is a matter of changing the core Being in chemical and symbolic ways, according to magical archetypes. Any new behaviors then result not from outer changes but from essential inner transformations.

Magically submissive Sado-Shamans project onto the physical, emotional, and sexual images of the dominants the ideal qualities or characteristics by which they wish to be transformed. As a quasi-divine figure, the dominant will only be able to create something that is in his or her own “image.” The same thing can also be said of all true artists—who can only do (or create) that which is within them. Thus the dominant actually becomes the Transformator or Transformatrix of the submissive. The Transformator/trix is someone consciously chosen by the submissive, and thus the transformational process ideally becomes a manifestation of the true will of the submissive as well as the dominant.

Beyond the persona of the dominant, the very sequence of events in the session—the symbols used or evoked—are experienced and thus absorbed into the being of the submissive in the quest of the heart and sexuality to be transformed.

As a practical matter it has been noted that there is usually a difference between submissive men and women in how they relate, or want to relate, to their dominants. Men, it seems, are usually more comfortable being submissive to just about any woman, just because she is female. This is perhaps because men symbolically project onto their dominant the image of “the Goddess” more easily than women do with men. For women it seems more important not to submit to just any man as a symbol of “masculinity” or “the God,” but to a particular man as a true manifestation of what it is they desire to submit to. Ideally, the dominant should be a true incarnation of the Master or Mistress—the God or Goddess.

Ultimately, at advanced stages of development the submissive can also make magical changes in the objective universe or outer world. This is done by means of the hidden bond that exists between the inner and outer worlds. If the changes made in the inner world are profound enough, and the magician wills it, these changes can be made to be reflected in the outer world as well. It is actually somewhat easier to make changes in the objective universe through submissive Carnal Alchemy than it is to make subjective changes through dominant activity, although both of these reversals of operative polarity are commonly practiced and can be effective.

In conclusion, we would like to point out that sometimes the submissive can engineer an entire session or ritual to great effect. This is especially to be advised if the submissive is substantially more advanced in Sado-Magic than the person assuming the dominant role, and if the nature of the ritual is experimental or pragmatic in nature. In such instances the submissive can prescribe the techniques and the sequence of techniques with the stipulation that the person assuming the dominant role will carry them out to the letter with no possibility of alteration. In such a scenario both the dominant and the submissive can more easily relax into their roles and let the process take its inevitable course . . .