Trust

I know that it has been sometime since I promised to post something about the Radical Ecstasy weekend with Dossie Easton. I have been busy and there was a lot to digest before being able to put words on it.

There were a number of different exercises involving personal interaction throughout the two days. This is just one from the second day. We were introduced to Shibari with the suggestion that we secure a partner, playing a sub role, in a simple chest harness. This is a rope configuration which allows the subject's upper torso to be securely held. When this step was complete, the sub's eyes were covered with a blindfold. They were then manipulated using the Shibari rope. What I mean by "manipulated" is that they could be thrown off balance in unexpected directions, but securely held. Anyone who has played the group "trust" game of falling backwards into the hands of the group will recognise the dynamic, but for us BDSM types, it is delightfully edgy. We then led our charges around the room. Ensuring that they did not collide with anyone, or trip on anything, really reinforced the essential nurturing role of a good top.



As part of the exercise, we reversed roles and repeated the process. (The Radical Ecstasy weekend took us all out of our comfort zones, be they gender, orientation or role). One of the things I noticed about being a blindfolded sub was the intense awareness of the sounds of what was going on around me.

I intend to bring a length of Shibari rope and a blindfold with me to Nimhneach. I imagine that any sub would find the experience of being led to an A-frame whilst blidfolded, depending only on hearing to get a picture of what was going on, to be a sensual one. We will see how this works and I'll post feedback - if any!