It's all connected, all this stuff I hate...hate, and am utterly unwilling to suspend my disbelief in....

I quote, from "The Power of Surrender," by Andrew H., an essay in NewsLink, Fall 2000:

"When we give ourselves over to something or someone, and we do it with 100% of our attention and intention, the result of that surrender is a complete liberation.  You don't just think about what you're feeling, you are right there in it.  Your body, heart and soul, not just your mind, are all right there, in the moment, having the experience, feeling it.  So many people spend much of their time on this planet in their heads, not really present at where they are.  Try to be aware of the moment and be present in it.  When we live our lives in this way, deliberately choosing what it is we are doing, and owning it, then we get full satisfaction out of it.

"An old guru of mine used to say, 'Life is a game in which we choose to make one thing more important than another.'  So it is with the choices as to how we play.  And when we give ourselves over to play, and do so completely, we reap the full benefit of it.  Anything worth doing is worth doing well.  Whether it is giving a blow-job or a flogging, mummifying or piercing someone, or torturing one another's balls, the object is to immerse ourselves fully, to surrender to it.

"'Be careful what you wish for.'

"We spend an enormous amount of energy and time fantasizing: 'What would it be like if I...?'  One of the great things about safe-sane s/m play is the opportunity to safely turn fantasy into reality.  Take that stuff that is swirling around in your head, or those demons who continue to haunt you, and find a way to give them power, to bring them to life.  Doing this in a safe controlled environment, with a partner you can trust, is what making an s/m connection is all about.

"Write down that fantasy.  Talk to your partners and tell them 'the whole truth.'  That includes the part that says, 'This is really hard for me to tell you because I've never told anyone this about me before, but...'  Telling the truth has enormous power to it.  by revealing a truth, you are giving it substance.  Giving it substance and power may also take the fear out of something that has been running your life for a long time.  That's the liberation of it.

"'I'll take you there.'

"It's important to share that kind of information with a partner so they will be able to grasp the degree of trust you are placing in them.  To do this, you must feel safe.  As someone's connecting partner, be it lover, buddy, Top, bottom, Master, slave, Dominant, submissive, or whatever rôle you choose, you complete the connection by being totally there for them.  Make them feel safe and supported by your presence, and free to reveal themselves to you.  You have a responsibility to really be there, to really hear what they are saying or asking for, and to respond as best you can.

"How can you make this a reality?  How can you effect his willing suspension of disbelief so that he will fully experience this, and do so in a way that is safe and sane?  Try scripting the scene, so that: (1) You boil it down to its basic elements; and (2) you can bring it through the process of opening, development, crescendo and afterglow.  In the course of deliberately constructing the scene, you will discover ways to heighten and enhance the drama.

"Seek out information on building your skills, including not only physical techniques, but also non-verbal communication skills.  Some people say you either have it or you don't, but the process of getting to know your partner is one in which each learns to read the thoughts, feelings, and sensations of the other.  That is how the most potent persuasive scenes succeed.

"'Negotiation.'

..."setting boundaries is absolutely essential to the effectiveness of the scene.  I am not suggesting that a Top should reveal everything he is might be planning to do to his bottom.  Only that each partner should get a distinct sense from each other of what they want out of the play, and that they lay down a few ground-rules about undesirable activity, as well as establish their channels of communication.

"If a top feels he lacks the skill to bring off a particular scene...by being up-front with his bottom...It could even be a cue for an experienced bottom to help an inexperienced Top.

"'Take the plunge.'

..."Express your fears.  Then let go of them, and go on, and do whatever it is you have been holding yourself back from...Live.  Be.  Here.  Now.  Enjoy, and have it all."

Got that?  Now hear this, from Dan Savage:

"All sex is power play.  We like to deny it.  We like to pretend that sex is birds and bunnies and bubbling brooks, that sex can't be evil, nasty power dynamics, but that's what makes it hot for people, whether they cop to it or not.  Even the most vanilla sexual scenario has a subtle interplay of power back and forth.  In the leather S&M scene, they take those seeds and plant it till it's laughable.   You catch people having S&M sex and it's...like cops and robbers or Indians and cowboys with your pants pulled down."