Thursday, October 22, 2009

Animal play is for the birds....

(photo: Central Asian horseman - provenance unknown)


I had an email last week from a male Dominant who wrote that his sub was interested in animal play ... or more specifically bird play. She wanted him to train her as an eagle. He was unable to find anything about this on the internet, so dropped me a line.

I'd never heard of this either. It's an interesting idea. I would certainly find a bird of prey helpful during my sub hunts *grin*. Anyway, I thought I might include my reply here, in case any readers encounter this. I'd also be grateful for any ideas you have, and promise to pass them on to him :)

****

"The only form of animal role play featuring birds that I've heard of is parrot play, but I have no further info or training details. You are going to have to start from scratch here, but there's a lot of fun to be had in that.

"First, if you've not had a serious animal play D/s relationship before I suggest you read up on the classic forms such as pony play (and here ) and puppy play (also kitten play as this is popular amongst female subs) for practical tips on how to run animal play relationships, their basic dynamics etc. You might like to try joining the Human Fauna forum. I wasn't able to access their forum this morning so they might be offline for a bit, but their forum covers all types of animals and it might be a great place to ask for advice.

"Some thoughts:

"Why an eagle?

"The majority of reasons for animal role play are linked to power exchange and physically manifesting animals that are familiar to the player, such as puppies or pony play. In your sub's case though the choice of an eagle suggests a spiritual link, and you'll need to identify the connection to make the role play work. Ask why she has chosen an eagle. Does she identify with a particular species of eagle? Does she relate to it as an animal totem? In case she does I've added some info below about eagles as animal totems in Native American culture. Does she feel the connection goes deeper than that? Does she see eagles as a part of her own psyche?

"If there is some kind of spiritual connection you might like to do further research into tribal cultures where non-sexual animal roleplay was common. Native American culture is the one that most comes to mind, as animal role play was an important part of their rituals. In this case the animal was usually either one that was revered spiritually, or one that was hunted. Eagles would fit the first category. Try and track down photos or info about animal dances - one example that comes to mind is the last Animal Dance ("Massaum") performed by the Northern Cheyenne of Montana, photographed by Julia Tuell in 1911. This often gets translated as a buffalo dance but there were many other animal stories danced into it.

"How to translate all this to role play:

"First, have a read of the Native American culture info about eagle totems below. Apart from the spiritual side, this info provides lots of interesting facts for you to work on, when creating and training your own personal eagle. Note the line "The eagle is incredibly patient. Often seen perched in a tree maintaining the same position for hours at a time, eagle teaches those with this totem how to master the art of patience in every area of their life". I'm sure that gives you some ideas for eagle training, lol.

"Read up on eagle habits and think about ways you can make this work. How do eagles take to being confined? What steps are taken to preserve their comfort in captivity? What is their diet? How do they hunt?

"Here's something else you might like to consider: eagles are one of the birds of prey used in the fine art of falconry, so this is another form of training you might like to adapt to your role play if your sub finds it of interest. Eagles are rarely used due to the difficulty of training and managing an eagle, Wiki notes. Ah ha. So there's a goal for you: training your eagle to hunt with you. Read up on how to train your first bird. This involves interesting practices such as keeping the eyes covered at certain times, keeping the bird in isolation, fitting the training bird with bells and a leash, feeding reward treats from the hand, etc etc. You get the idea, I'm sure.

"Please drop me a line if I can help further. Have fun :)

"With best regards, Ms160

AMERICAN INDIAN INFO ABOUT EAGLES AS A PERSONAL ANIMAL TOTEM

The eagle is a sacred messenger, carrying our prayers to the Creator and returning with gifts and visions for the people. Eagle feathers aid medicine people in calling on this connection when they need to contact spirit for healing.

Eagles are majestic birds with a powerful presence. Although they can be social birds they do require isolation from human encroachment to breed in the wild. If a human strays to close or touches their nest, they are likely to abandon it. Both male and female incubate the eggs and share in the duties of raising its young.

The eagle is incredibly patient. Often seen perched in a tree maintaining the same position for hours at a time, eagle teaches those with this totem how to master the art of patience in every area of their life. Within the energy of patience "all things are possible."

Eagles are good at feeding themselves from the land and still soar to great heights in the sky. They teach us how to move through life without becoming attached to anything. They show us how to accept what comes our way and see everything as a gift from great spirit. They have excellent hearing and can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to whom eagle comes, the ability to hear spiritually and psychically will awaken

Eagles have sharp beaks and strong jaws. They remind us to pay attention to our speech and how it affects others. Our words as well as the tone of our voice should be examined. Eagle asks us to maintain a prayerful connection with Spirit, to keep our minds focused on what is important in life. Maintaining this attitude removes judgment from our consciousness. Without judgment we speak with encouragement and kindness towards others. Lessons associated with judgment are part of this medicine.

Eagles have excellent vision. Perched high in a tree they appear to analyze and observe everything. If Eagle has blessed you with its presence in some way, you are being given potent gifts of clarity and vision to use for the good of all people helping to bring forth the light out of the darkness. Eagle also serves as a reminder to those with this totem to communicate with Great Spirit daily so the gifts Eagle offers you can be utilized fully.

(photo: Central Asian horseman - provenance unknown)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Melbourne's OzKinkFest



Time to head to Melbourne, for OzKinkFest, if you are an Australian kinkster!

There are an enormous number of events planned over the next ten days, including Hellfire Resurrection IV (at which are performing: Lukas Zpira and Satomi, and The Hanged Man Team, amongst many others), Klub Kunst, Provocation and Fetish Expo, which is at Fitzroy Town Hall:
"The EXPO is a great place to come and find out about alternative lifestyles, to meet and socialise with those with similar interests. We welcome all lifestyles including straight, bi, gay, lesbian, poly, TVs, TSs, Masters, Mistresses, slaves, ponies, maids, pets, ABs and even those that are just mildly kinky or just plain curious.

Our event is open to anyone with an open mind and tolerance of others peoples' lifestyles. Come along to find out about the latest fashions, clubs and events in and around Australia."

You can read about the free to attend KinkFest's workshops and skillshares here. The website states:

"The Melbourne Leather Alliance and OzKinkFest have gathered some of the most experienced and knowledgeable folks from our community who will generously share their experience with us - and two great International presenters who are offering workshops whilst they are here.

"KinkFest 09 sees an unusual and interesting array of skillshares being presented as part of our program. OzKinkFest is proud to be offering this set of skillshares FREE of charge to the community. This is due to the generosity of our presenters, and the venues who are supporting the festival - Blue Velvet Bar, Eagle Leather and Palookaville.

"All of these skillshares and workshops are being presented under the banner of Safe, Sane and Consensual - SSC. We encourage everyone to get educated in their specific areas of kink in order to enjoy them to their fullest - safely.

"The {also} Foundation are supporting our desire to encourage sexual safety and have made a significant commitment towards enhancing sexual health in the community. Their "Take Care Out There" initiative will be a visible and welcomed sponsor of all sexual skillshares. Safe Sex packs and resources will be available to all participants in the skillshares, and are generously provided by also."

Steel and totty from Adelaide are presenting a workshop on Electrical Play on Tuesday 20 Oct.
"Target audience is for people curious about electrical play and interested in learning and experimenting with various devices. Topics covered will include :
* Electrical Safety - how not to fry your partner!
* Types of Electrical Play - 240volt is NOT ok!
* Different devices available
* TENS units - techniques, insertables,do's and don't.
* Violet Wands - myths busted, techniques, attachments.
* Practical sessions.
With numbers limited to 20 participants, there will be plenty of equipment on hand for all to participate and experiment to their heart's content...if you have your own equipment and wish to bring it along and expand your knowledge base, please feel free!"
At the same time Cyppie is holding an Impact Play 101, which also sounds great fun:
"This skillshare is targeted at new Tops/Dominants/Switches who wish to learn more about "How To" administer impact play safely. Skills that will be covered include: Flogging, Caning & Spanking The "how" and "where" of these fun activities and how "Not" to break our toys :)

"This skillshare will be facilitated by our very own Cyppie who has much experience, and a lot of information to share. Some practical activities will be included, so please bring along any impact toys that you would like to learn how to use safely and effectively"
There is a Catheterisation and Urethral Sounds workshop on Thursday 22, don't know who's presenting but I'm definitely attending:
"This is a workshop designed to teach the safe way to perform female catheterisation and how to play safely with urethral sounds on men. We will discuss safety aspects of catheterisation, the different types of catheters that can be used and for what purposes. Why insert a catheter? Now it is in - what can I do with it? There will be a demonstration on female catheterisation. Supplies will be available for purchase"
I'm presenting a strap on sex workshop on Monday night 19 Oct,
"Whether for gender play, prosthetic purposes or expressing kinky desires, a strap-on adds serious fun to sexual and D/s relationships. In this two hour "hands on" workshop for strap-on beginners Mistress160 answers all your questions, including:
• What exactly is a strap-on?
• How do I select one?
• What types of harness / dildos are there?
• What about strap-ons for larger women?
• What about strap-ons for men?
• Novelty styles of strap-on
• Eco friendly styles of strap-on
• And most importantly, how do I actually use the damn thing?
All genders/orientations welcome. Comments from Mistress 160's previous Strap-On play skillshares were "awesome and comprehensive" and "often hysterically funny... I learned as I laughed"
and on Cyber Kink on Wednesday 21 Oct:
Finding your way around kinky cyber space can be a bit hit or miss. It's rare to find someone willing to show you around and actually teach you how to play. But today you are in luck! In this two hour workshop Mistress160 will help you explore the realms of cyber kink and equip you with the skills and confidence to become an active player in forums and chatrooms. We'll discuss:
* where to find online kinky / fetish communities
* practical tips for creating online profiles
* practical hints for finding a partner online (and avoiding online predators)
* coping with online play partner disappearances
* chatroom etiquette
* how to organize a short D/s cam play scene
* cyber aftercare
* places where you can go online for further information
Bummer about presenting Cyber Kink then because otherwise I'd be at another event at Eagle Leather- "a special evening for Women with/without their partners (female or male) co-ordinated and lead by Mistress Mallice and friends"!

I am also the speaker at a Femdom only afternoon tea event on Sunday 25 Oct:
"Adrenachrome and The Sisterhood are proud to present our guest speaker Mistress 160, who will present a talk on how to run a FemDomme high teas and D/s dinner parties, followed by our very own afternoon tea for the ladies. What a lovely way to end Kinkfest 09! Please note this is a Sisterhood event for dominant and switch women only."
There are also workshops - although not free - by Lukas Zpira and Satomi. Satomi will be conducting three levels of Shibari Workshops and Lukas Spira will be presenting his Scarification and Branding Workshop. You can sign up here. I've attended Lukas' workshop and it was extremely interesting and informative. Satomi of course needs no introduction, everyone into rope agrees she's an amazing teacher ... and her self suspension performances are a joy to watch.

Look forward to seeing you there :)