Read Master/slave Relations: Handbook of Theory and Practice for Free Online Page B

experiences so that you
can grow your imagination; the richer your imagination, the richer
your life.
    The danger lies in imprisoning ourselves within our definitions of experience.
    David Boorstein, Librarian of Congress
    I used the training contract time with my slave to consider one
single question: does this person have the raw potential to
become my model slave? My rather coarse expression for this
- coined by my close friend Ruby Yaryan many years ago - is:
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, unless you start
with a silk sow.
    For me, the issues were these:
    • Is the slave smart enough?
    • Is the slave willing? (Hello, Master Steve Sampson)
    • Will the slave obey?
    • Is the kind of service the slave offers the kind of service that I want?

    • Will the slave accept a polyamorous/swinging lifestyle
on top of the M/s dynamic?
    Once I had my answer, I made my own commitments:
    • My slave moved in with me as soon as that was feasible;
    • I supported a decision that my slave not work in order
that she spend workdays gaining skills I wanted from
my slave. (If you've read my Protocols book, you realize that my slave's role in my life is that of my Personal
Assistant. Her duties include serving as my Major
Domo, valet, butler, chef, chauffeur, secretary, nurse,
and research assistant, as well as my courtesan.)
    So, one of the threshold questions is this: Is your interest in an
M/s structure a permanent lifestyle issue, or are you exploring
M/s structures as a form of scene-specific BDSM play? What's
your level of commitment?
    Let me address this topic to two distinct audiences: those readers who are currently in an M/s relationship, and those who are
reading this book and considering whether or not to enter into an
M/s relationship.
    If you are currently in an M/s relationship, the investment question probably centers on your mutual growth or on skills that your
slave could attain that would benefit your relationship or please
you as Master. This endless list could include topics such as:
    • Learn something about investing. (real estate, stock
market, etc.)
    • Run a small business.
    • Entertain more formally.
    • Play sports of some kind.
    • Learn massage therapy.

    • Participate in international travel.
    • Learn to dance.
    • Attend self-improvement courses or focused businessskills courses (speaking, running a meeting, time management, personnel management).
    • Improve cooking skills.
    • Get certified in advanced first aid and CPR.
    • Become a master at giving sexual pleasure - strengthen your pelvic floor muscles (either gender, actually),
fellatio skills, etc.
    • Prepare a "slave's Book" that records all Master's particular preferences - create checklists for all repeatable processes (packing before a trip, preparing for a
dinner party, etc.).
    Now, let me approach an answer for this section of the book
for those of you who are exploring the idea of starting an M/s
relationship. I'll assume that you've obtained this book because
you think that a structured relationship makes sense for you. If
you're at the front-end of a relationship, you have some time to
consider some big picture issues. My strong recommendation is
to write out - as clearly as possible - what you absolutely must
have in a slave (or a Master). Write out those skills you want
this person to possess - then look for a person with most or all
of those skills already in hand. This is a far more rapid and less
costly process than taking a person and retraining them in your
image. Importantly, because of the authority exchange aspect
of an M/s relationship, the slave is not in a very good position to
retrain Master.
    So, let's consider that you are exploring an M/s relationship.
You're toying with the idea. But, you've run into a problem.
You've been looking for a slave (or a Master) for some time
- perhaps years - and for some reason, you've not been able to make it