Spiritual Experiences in Kink: Reconfiguring the Order of Everyday Life

This builds on our previous article “Spiritual Love(and Kink, and Other Mind Exploring Stuff”. What makes that moment spiritual? And, how do we explain such an experience? i think many of us have discovered some kind of unique moment of spirituality during BDSM activities. We’re probably all familiar with subspace and Domspace, but is there something…

Spiritual Love (and Kink, and Other Mind Expanding Stuff)

It’s like two hearts, two minds, two bodies, two souls Making one whole, now it’s gotta be told That what we have is more than just physical Don’t be so cynical, we gotta spiritual love Feels so natural. More than physical. Spiritual love. Urban Species – Spiritual Love The Leather Lifestyle Group in Fetlife has…

From Stray to Collars, A Personal Journey

my first collar was granted to me by my Master, in small petshop in rural Malaysia. My family doesn’t celebrate Christmas with presents, and my first collar came to me on Christmas Day, which made it even more meaningful. Master, who was my Mentor at the time, gave me two taps on my right shoulder…

The Mysterious Old Guard

I self-identify as a kinkster and, like many others, I have spent a long time reflecting on and questioning my own characteristics and personality, and the desire and longing for a life that (for me) is geographically nearly impossible to achieve. I live in Malaysia, where you don’t see anyone wearing collars or use any…

Where Did Old School BDSM Go?

I watched a video this morning of how a book was produced. The lead type being set, then pressed. The trimming and folding and binding, and how the leather cover was attached. The comment by the person who posted the video was “Your Kindle can’t do this”. And, of course, it can’t. But that doesn’t…

Is it OK for Me to Call Myself “Master”?

So, you’ve got this title, “Master”. What are the origins? How did it come to be part of the BDSM language? “Master” might refer to: someone with a high level of skill in something (a Master Swordsman or Master Electrician, for example). To be recognised as this type of Master by your community you may…

Memories and Time

“Memory is a funny thing. When I was in the scene I hardly paid it any attention. I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression, certainly never imagined that 18 years later I would recall it in such detail.” “It takes time, though, for Naoko’s face to appear….

Safely Separating Our Online Kink Spaces from Our Vanilla Spaces

WHY DO WE NEED SAFETY PROTOCOLS ONLINE? Our lives have become highly integrated with the online space of the internet and social media. For most people, a significant percentage of interpersonal social activities now happen online. Perhaps in the real world we could visit and leave a dungeon or play party without leaving too much…

The 5 Minute Guide to the History and Development of BDSM

The emergence of BDSM subculture, in the form that we’re familiar with today, can be traced back to 1940s’ gay leather communities, which appeared in the United States after World War II. From the 1940s to 1970s, leather bars and bikers’ clubs began to appear in multiple cities in the US, most obviously in Los…