A Submissive’s Mindset

This morning after our scene Little Kaninchen continued to query me as to if I was being satisfied during our play.  Kaninchen’ s concern regarding my sexual photo (1)satisfaction was quite noble and benevolent.  However, while Kaninchen is concerned about me and my pleasure she is no longer in the proper mindset.

My mindset as a Dominant during our scenes is one of laser focus on my submissive and her reactions to my every input.  As Kaninchen’s husDom I consider her body to be my tool, a tool that I use for my own pleasure.

In order for me to be successful as the conductor of the scene I need to have my submissive’s mind completely clear of distractions.  It is not her place to satisfy me unless I have honored her with the task.  Kaninchen’s mind should be focused on the experience that I am providing for her.  This acute focus is the only way that I can take her to the edge and beyond.

Though her intentions may be well placed, her concern of my satisfaction actually distracts from the scene.

Submissive vs. Slave

The term slave makes a lot of newer husDoms quite uneasy, myself included. As my journey progressed I 20130703-203426.jpgbegan to realize that the term slave in the BDSM community can be, and often is, defined differently by many people. It may be beneficial to the contemporary husDom if the differences were identified and discussed from the perspective of husDom.

Everyone has their own perception of the meaning of the word slave, most of which, rightfully so, are not good. When we hear the word slave most people envision a person or individual that is owned by another person and who is being forced to serve that person against their will. In general most people would agree that this type of slavery is abominable.

There are some notable differences between this type of slavery and slavery in the BDSM community. Probably the most significant difference is that the slave in the BDSM community is not a slave against their will, they have submitted to their Master willfully. With this submission they have given themselves to be owned and cared for by another. And in today’s society, since slavery is not legal in almost every corner of the world the slave is not legally owned by their Master and has the power to leave at any time. This BDSM slavery is often referred to as consensual slavery.

A slave in a consensual slavery relationship has given up all of their rights and privileges to their Master. The slave is now the property of another, metaphorically speaking. The slave does not set their own limits, hard or soft; those limits are set by their Master. In other words, the slave is not afforded the right to have any definitive input as to her comfort level or limits.image

A slave in a consensual slavery relationship is not provided the luxury of a safe word. The slave is completely at the mercy of her Master’s judgment relying solely on his intuition and instinct.

In fact, the Master does not require the consent of the slave for anything. They have complete power and control over all aspects of the slave’s life. A slave should be extra vigilant before surrendering to a Master.

If a slave and their Master were attending a party and the Master ordered his slave to crawl over to another Master on her hands and knees and orally pleasure him, the slave would without hesitation. She has surrendered all of her rights to her Master and is now considered his property to do with as he pleases.

A submissive, on the other hand, does retain some key responsibilities in a D/s relationship. The submissive, unlike the slave, has the right to set and alter her limits. This allows the submissive the ability to help set the basic boundaries of the D/s relationship. The submissive will also be given a safe word to use in the event that she would require everything to slow down or stop altogether.

The rules that I have structured for my LK and myself allow her to have a voice and be heard anytime she desires. The rules that we agreed to ensure that she communicates with respect. And if I am who or what I say that I am, I will be communicating with respect as well.

Mr. Fox

Total Power Exchange (TPE)

imageRecently someone had written me an email and referenced a TPE or Total Power Exchange relationship. HusDom is not written through the eyes of a Master but rather through the eyes of a Dominant husband that is sharing his journey into the D/s-M lifestyle to help others navigate their own journeys more easily. There are several terms within the BDSM community that I feel, have specific meanings and are all too often incorrectly interchanged, TPE is one of those terms.

The Total Power Exchange (TPE) is when one of the partners gives up total power and control to the other person. Total Power Exchange is also sometimes referred to as an Absolute Power Exchange or Consensual Slavery.

A Total Power Exchange means that you have given up complete control to another person. Along with this control you have also surrendered all of your rights as a person. You are truly considered the other persons property. You are not just the Dominant’s submissive any longer, you are now the Dominant’s slave, consensual slavery. This type of commitment requires absolute and unconditional surrender.

In a TPE relationship the slave’s limits are not set by her, they are set by her master. Think about that for a minute. A slave has no limits. Her limits are whatever her Master desires. A slave’s master has total control over her. A slave doesn’t have the luxury to set her own hard and soft limits, a slave’s limits are set by her master. Again, a slave’s limits are whatever her Master desires. A safe word is not afforded to a slave.

imageIn a true TPE relationship a slave has given up or “exchanged” her rights, all of her rights, for the protection and care of her Master. The Master no longer requires the slaves consent for anything.

Kaninchen and I do not have a Total Power Exchange relationship. Little Kaninchen is not my slave but rather my submissive. As a husDom I do not own her and her submission, I am continually working toward and earning her submission every day.

Our power exchange would best be described by the Power Exchange Circle that Kaninchen and I have created in order to articulate our exchange. Kaninchen has chosen me to be the leader and has surrendered her submission to me and in turn I offer her my dominance. By doing this we continue to feed one another’s mind body and soul.

Though I am her Dominant and she is my submissive she can withdraw her submission at anytime, which in turn would emasculate my dominance. I do not own her as you would a slave. This circle is what keeps us both actively engaged and encourages us both to continue growing in our D/s relationship.

husDom

 

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Dominant vs. Domineering

Like most everything else in life, the basis for a good D/s-M relationship is a solid foundation.  If the foundation is inadequate the structure will eventually crumble.

The confident Dominant will be the pillar of strength in the D/s relationship.  A domineering man may be putting you at risk, both emotionally and physically.  The very nature of a D/s relationship enables domineering people to masquerade as Dominants.  Eventually their submissive will realize that they are not being fed by this person and will want out of the relationship all together.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  John Dalberg-Acton  1887image

Due to the severe consequences of the misuse of power, both Dominants and submissives should yield caution to this topic.  A Dominant is empowered by his submissive.  This power that he reins can be like a drug to a domineering person and all the while, a great feeling of responsibility to a true Dominant.

A Dominant can be described in many ways, let us look at some important attributes that you could expect to find in a Dominant.  We will also explore some of the subtle but significant differences between a Dominant person and a domineering person.

A Dominant is a leader first and foremost.

A Dominant person is one who mentors others and leads through education and guidance.  Great leaders create an environment that will encourage others to grow and excel.  They are always building others up, not tearing them down.  A leader is confident and always in control of himself.  It is important that a leader maintains consistency in everything he does.  A leader should always have a plan or a purpose for his actions.  A great leader is someone that others want to follow, not someone that others have to follow.

A domineering person often exercises arbitrary and overbearing control over others.

This type of person likes to control people or situations for the sole purpose of being in control and will not tolerate any questioning of his authority.  A domineering person gets a rush from controlling other people.  They destroy the spirit of others.  This person may want you to do things that you are not comfortable doing and pressure you by saying that they know best and that they are only pushing your limits.  They may not respect their own rules, limits or contracts, again stating that they know best.  Some domineering people may also disregard a previously agreed to safe word or exclaim that no such mechanism is required.  There can never be enough said regarding a person that fails to respect a safe word or questions whether a safe word is necessary.

A Dominant person is always accountable.

A Dominant person gathers all available information and makes sound decisions.  Sometimes his decisions are in error or need to be adjusted.  The Dominant is responsible for his actions and will own his mistakes.

A domineering person never admits his mistakes.

This type of person seldom apologizes and does not take any personal responsibility for their actions.  If they do apologize it is usually condescending and insincere in nature.  They will blame their mistakes on others and usually start an argument with the other person to avoid conversation.  They often blame the submissive by telling them that they are not good enough or not a true submissive.image

A Dominant person puts his submissive’s needs ahead of his own.

A Dominant knows that he must first nourish or feed his submissive’s mind, body and soul before feeding himself.  A happy healthy submissive is nourishment enough for a Dominant.  He is not fed by physical pleasure for himself but rather by the pleasure that he brings his submissive.  After all of his submissive’s needs have been met, and only after, the Dominant can consider his own needs.

A domineering person is a selfish person.

This type of person tends to always be asking, “What is in it for me?”  They tend to be self-serving and are not concerned about what is in the best interest of their submissive but rather what satisfaction they can receive from their own actions.  This type of person will put his feelings and needs above that of his submissive’s.  This will leave the emotional and physical needs of the submissive unmet.

A Dominant person communicates effectively.

A good communicator is clear and concise and realizes that communication is a skill of more than just spoken words.  Communication consists of many different facets including words, tone, inference, body language and physical situation.  A Dominant would never speak down to his submissive, he cherishes her.  It is important that the Dominant can create an environment in which his submissive can feel heard and understood.  This is an often overlooked but highly important key to effective communication.  When asked about effective communication most people only think of how they can effectively communicate their point of view, when in fact, to truly communicate you need to actively listen.  Remember, there is no communication happening when one person is yelling.

A domineering person fails to properly communicate.

This type of person seldom solicits input or listens to suggestions from others, especially from their submissive.  They also fail to explain themselves or their point of view.  They will often become angry or agitated when asked about their decisions.  A domineering person is always threatening to get his way sometimes even threatening to withdraw all together and usually telling his submissive that it is their fault.

imageA great Dominant is not only a magnificent leader but also a true gentleman.  He would display impeccable manners, manners from another era.  Not just please and thank you but more refined manners such as opening doors, rising from the table to greet someone or rising from the table when a lady excuses herself and later returns, or simply pulling a chair out for a lady.  A gentleman would also possess concern and empathy toward others.

A Dominant takes pride in himself, from his appearance to his actions.  A well dressed and well groomed man conveys confidence and maturity.

Mr Fox

D/s-M Contract

What is a D/s contract?

A contract is simply an agreement used to outline the responsibilities and expectations of both the Dominant and the submissive. The use of contracts in the world of D/s are oftentimes controversial. Like many other facets in the BDSM community, terms, definitions and the uses of them, make it all too easy to become confused. D/s contracts can be a basic single paragraph or a much more intricate several page document, either way they should remain clear and concise.image

D/s contracts are often used for each partner to pledge or vow their commitment to the lifestyle and to one another, similar to a marriage contract.

Negotiating a D/s-M (married) contract is an awful choice of words. Negotiating the contract isn’t really like a typical negotiation at all; It isn’t give and take, concessions and gains. Those types of negotiations are seldom ever open and honest. You wouldn’t begin a typical negotiation by asking for exactly what you wanted, you would ask for more allowing yourself room to negotiate. Negotiating a D/s-M (married) contract is really learning about one another and setting limits and expectations. During “negotiations” you may ask your partner several follow up questions in order to better understand what the other person is comfortable or not comfortable doing.

I most likely can not change the mindset of the BDSM community but I would rather refer to this “negotiation” procedure as a time of discovery and amendment. Discovery as in the legal term, pre-trial or pre-D/s, to obtain evidence or information from the other party through questioning or documents. As both parties begin to develop a better understanding of each other the contract may need to be amended to accommodate both the Dominant’s and the submissive’s wants, needs and desires.

Do you and Little Kaninchen have a D/s contract?

Currently Little Kaninchen and myself do not have a formal D/s-M (married) contract or document. We do, however, have written rules. When we began our journey I glanced at a few contracts and didn’t believe that they were applicable to a long-term married couple. The contracts that I reviewed, were in my opinion, more intended as slave agreements. They were hard and cold, not representing the loving respect that I have for my LK. They were also written for what appeared to be two strangers that didn’t even know each other’s names. Many contracts that I came across may belong in a book or a movie but had little value in a real-life 24/7, married with children D/s-M relationship. Little Kaninchen and myself have been married for many years and are quite acquainted with one another.

What we did do with the contract I would recommend as a must for all beginners. Online we found a formal, rather long and detailed contract. We spent an evening in bed reading the contract to one another. Laughing at the ridiculousness of some of the formalities and limits and learning from the sections that we could relate to. As we were laughing and joking we learned a lot about one another and our sexualities. It gave me remarkable insight to my submissive’s new perception of her sexuality. It also clarified her soft and hard limits which at the time was probably only half a dozen items on this extremely thorough list of activities. As LK was jumping into D/s with both feet and begging for more, more, more, it was up to me to find our limits without crashing right through them. This time spent reviewing and discussing almost everything imaginable regarding sex left me with a greater understanding of what she was desiring. Without our discussion I would have completely underestimated the gravity of what Little Kaninchen truly desired.image

Recently we had our D/s anniversary and reviewed our limits. It is important to say “our” limits. I, believe it or not, have two more limits than LK. Little Kaninchen has just a few hard limits remaining, our growth is amazing. They are the really disgusting, completely gross, probably not legal in most countries, kind of limits that will never change.(I did mention that the contract that we reviewed was thorough). LK also said to me that she completely trusts me, knowing that I would never do anything to harm her, and said that she would do anything that I asked, and she meant it. Hearing my submissive say those words to me and knowing that she sincerely means them touches my soul.

Should we begin our journey with a contract?

Previously, I could not obtain a suitable D/s contract for LK and myself and I decided to forego this detail. After writing this post I have decided that I owe it to my LK and myself to create one. A contract will add another layer of formal protocol to our D/s-M (married) lifestyle that I know my LK truly desires.

I am open to any and all suggestions regarding contracts. Please forward information to MrFox@husdom.com

If others are interested I will post a sample D/s contract when I am finished.

husDom