It is time for part two of my guide for slaves. In this month's column, I will focus on some of the more complex issues facing slaves on both Gorean IRC and within a real-life relationship. Many of these issues are columns within themselves...I do not hope to provide perfect solutions to the issues a girl will spend much of her life coming to terms with, nor do I expect to cover all aspects of the larger subjects. Issues not covered to the degree that the reader would wish may be discussed with me, or on the Gorcork, or with the girl's Master. It is likely more could be learned by approaching all three.

Major Changes

So we are looking at some of the typical problems a slave, perhaps one new to Gor, faces. I assume that the reader has read part one of this column, which was published in the October version of the Gorean Voice. (Archives are available.) A slave, then, will have learnt enough, it is hoped, to be found pleasing to a degree. One thing which surprises even the most experienced of wenches time and time again is that merely because you are pleasing to one man, does not mean you are pleasing to all. Do you think Gorean men are so alike? Likewise, a large change in your circumstances may require you to re-learn much of how to please a man. Such changes would include being collared, being released, being sold to another man, becoming a tavern wench after being previously owned, and becoming owned after being a tavern wench. Often in such circumstances a girl will be surprised to find that something which never failed to please a specific man before, not only fails to do so in the new circumstances, but too, irritates or annoys or worse. Naturally this is not helped by the inconsistencies found throughout the Books, Gorean IRC, and, of course, the methods of each man. C'est la vie (such is life).

Focus

The first fundamental step in a slave's life, after the acceptance that she is a slave, is her initial collaring. After such an event, she begins to learn truly what it is to be owned.

Being owned is what a slave lives for. It can be the most perfect thing, or a tormented relationship from which there is no escape. The focus of a slave's life from that point on is not her collar, herself, learning to please men or her needs and desires. Her focus is then aimed, entirely, all-consumingly, exclusively, and exactly at her Master. A slave's Master is everything. In fact, those of you with Masters are better off spending the time you are reading this talking to your Master instead. For those of you who are uncollared, or for those of you who have exhausted your Masters and now wish to learn a little why he sleeps, I shall continue. But never, ever, forget where your focus lies.

Restrictions

It may so be that your Master desires you to become more pleasing while in his collar. This is not an unlikely approach adopted by Gorean men. He may consequentially expect you to strive harder each day to be better than the day before. He may also wish for you to please all men better and not just himself, and consequentially may not restrict you, or restrict you only partly.

A slave is restricted not to keep her safe or to give her a way out of serving specific men, but because her owner wishes to limit her use to certain men. Typically, say, his friends. On Gorean IRC, he may wish to limit your restriction to Goreans. This is not every man who walks into a paga tavern with a capitalized nick. This you should know well.

You may ask why your Master wishes others to use you. The answer is simple: you are a slave. You exist not only to serve your Master, but men too. Such is the Gorean philosophy on this matter. It is thought, very reasonably I believe, that a slave used by other men may well learn and grow, thereby becoming of more worth to her Master. However, this is not Gor but Gorean IRC, and as such we men also have to allow for the cruel, the petty, the sadistic, the abused and the abusers who will wish to take advantage of any vulnerability. Hence, some men will wish to restrict their slaves from men they do not know.

It should be remembered that any and all restrictions placed on you are nothing more than mere requests by your Master of other men to abide by his wishes. It is the right of a Gorean male to choose, should he so wish, not to abide by these restrictions. Hence if you are restricted, and yet you then proceed to serve like a wet, unrestricted slut, do not be surprised when the man you serve wishes to use you as such.

Ownership & Trust

A Master owns his slave. There are no safe-words, there are no escapes. A slave in the collar of a Gorean man should not hope to be anything but his most perfect slave. This relationship is dependent entirely on one thing: Trust. If you do not trust your Master, then you have a problem. The various solutions available to you depend on who you are. You can cower away from him until he calls you yet again, like the slaves in the books would most likely do, because they have nowhere to run. Because this is not Gor, you can run, changing your nick, moving away, taking off his collar, putting it behind you, like those girls who pick-and-choose like to do - not the actions of a slave, irrespective of the circumstances. However, sometimes it is the only option. If that is the case, you will have no choice but to take it, and with it the punishments, the reputation, and perhaps the banishment that comes with it. If such things happen, the mistake made was either that of the slave, accepting the collar of such a man, or of the master, in collaring such a fickle subbie. The final option if you do not trust your Master is to speak to someone about it. If you have been paying attention and understanding, you will realize that, in my opinion, the man to so turn to is your Master. True, it may help to discuss the matter with other men you know, or any friend. But ultimately your Master is the man you must turn to - the sooner the better.

I teach my slaves early on that I am the first, last, and intermediate person to whom they would turn when they have problems. It does not matter whether the problem concerns me or not. It perhaps helps that I offer them the knowledge that, under certain circumstances, they are able to speak freely and without danger. But different men Master in different ways, and the man you love may not do so in that way. Do not, as a slave, always attempt to avoid punishments - in certain conditions, a punishment is unavoidable, and accepting one earlier may not only solve the problem earlier, but avoid a harsher penalty later. So turning to your Master early on may well result in a beating, or any other punishment, depending of course on the man and the circumstances. However, the fact that your Master now knows the problem allows him to deal with it.

Leadership.

Your Master is the man who solves your problems. Look to him for guidance, advice, security, stability, reassurance, correction, education and solutions. From you, he may well take guidance, advice, and reassurance. This may lead to his education and beneficial correction, and mutual security and stability. It may also help him find the best solutions. Any relationship is a two-way meeting of minds, and the M/s relationship is no exception. Indeed, it is the best example.

Of course, in many instances he will not require any such thing from you, knowing the answers and having his own independence.

Whether he looks to you for your opinion or not makes him no more or less your Master. A slave "serves" in many different ways. Providing your opinion, when asked, is but one.

Serving

Remember how I said I wasn't going to give advice on how to do paga serves? Well I'm still not.

On Gorean IRC, and in the books too, the term "serving" means so much more than fetching beverages. A slave serves a Master in all manner of ways - sexually, obviously; also fetching and carrying; providing her hair or body for all manner of purposes such as allowing him to wipe his hands clean; giving her opinion when asked; acting as a foot rest or table; performing menial tasks; or even sitting quietly until bidden.

When you sit quietly in a channel having offered to "serve" but having had no takers, how do you know you are not acting exactly as the men present wish you to act? To request to leave merely because you are bored and unable to carry virtual paga is irritating, to say the least.

In Channel

Some say "Request to serve", some say "wait to be called". Some say "Beg to enter" others say "enter and kneel". "Gorean" Channels are not unlike men, girls ;) Each is different. Some are worthwhile, others are not. Some know what they are doing, others do not. Some are harsh. Some fail to understand. Some are just for sex. Shop around. There is definitely a channel for you. If you are new to Gor, some channels would be delighted to instruct you in how to serve paga and quickly reward you with a collar. If you are particularly beautiful and should be duly cherished, some channels will quickly learn this and treat you accordingly, cherishing you and even asking you to look after the other girls as "first girl". Hint: if you ask nicely, you'll get ops. If you are another type of slave, a few channels will ensure you do not forget you are a slave, and treat you like shit occasionally too. Granted, they may have some very strong Gorean men inside their walls....but then, all channels do, right?

Some channels are young...much to learn. Of these, some have much potential, others do not. What makes a successful channel is a strong personality or two to lead it. If these personalities are Gorean, the channel will be. Learn who owns the channel (Chanserv will tell you) and talk to the owner.

Apply your commonsense and judgment. Yes, you heard correctly. Only you are able to judge for yourself where you should be, who you should submit to. If the channel seems like a load of shit, try another one. God knows there are enough. Give each time enough, know enough about it, and move on if it's not the one. The following excuses are not excuses:

• He said I had to because I was a slave
• If I didn't, I'm not a true slave
• But he said that's what they do in the books
• I don't understand
• I'm a white silk
• I'm untrained
• I'm new

Sorry, folks. If you've used any of those, think up some new ones. Those are excuses not to the man you wish to irritate with excuses, but to yourself. It is only yourself you will fool with such excuses. If you find yourself in a situation where such an excuse forms on your lips, you've already fucked up. You're new? Big deal. There are enough webpages about. Make the effort.

If you find yourself serving Mr. Lou Zer, then you can try to do something about it. It would depend on which channel you were in as to how they would handle it, and I do not know how others do it. Personally, if a slave messages me without warning, begging forgiveness for doing so, but explains that she is at the feet of a man who's intentions seem not unlike those of a horny dog in a shoe shop, then I am, more often than not, prepared to listen and advise. Few Gorean men would tolerate abuse of their property by one who did not share their ways. You should feel free, if in doubt, to approach the channel op and beg for advice.

On chains and things

Gor is not BDSM. BDSM is not Gor. Aspects of Gor encompass aspects of BDSM. The reverse is also true, but less so. Norman makes plenty of reference to bondage, but virtually no references to pain sluts, water sports, genital torture, nipple clamps, etc etc etc. That does not mean such things do not exist on Gor. Whereas bondage is a clear part of the Gorean lifestyle, I have known also several pain sluts who were true kajirae. But  "...perhaps it should be added that the Gorean master, though often strict, is seldom cruel. The girl knows if she pleases him, her lot will be an easier (sic) one. She will almost never encounter sadism or wanton cruelty, for the psychological environment that tends to breed these diseases is largely absent from Gor." [Outlaws of Gor, book 2.]

There is often the argument that "just because it's not in the books doesn't mean it's not on Gor". As anyone who drinks white ka-la-na would be able to verify. Thus some may choose to argue that Gor does include S&M. Likewise, some people who follow this line of thought might wish cigars from humidors or French fries with their bosk steak. However, you are a slave and as such are not in a position to make such decisions yourself. Become familiar with the rules of the channel you are in. Ensure you serve according to those rules and guidelines, and not according to the rules and guidelines of the channel you just came from. Else you may quickly find yourself banned from the latter and limited to the former.

One of the largest source of problems for a slave on Gor occurs as a result of the polygamy of men. On Gor, as in many societies on Earth, there are many reasons for men to own more than one woman. One of these being, obviously, that they can. This leads to men owning chains of slaves.

On Gor, slaves have enough to worry about without jealousy. However, in some chains competition is encouraged, and too a certain amount of jealousy is expected, allowed, even advocated. The phrase "tupita would please you better than doreen, Master", and variants thereof, would often be heard on Gor, but rarely so on Gorean IRC. This illustrates once again the differences of Gor in modern day western society. We - men and slaves alike - are conditioned by our society to be monogamous. When we are not, therefore, the aspects of jealousy and resentment grow so complex, so out of hand, that they lead to much discomfort. This in turn breeds such evils as distrust, hatred and other such extremes, for which there is no sensible basis.

Slaves are only human. It is natural, given our conditioning, to be jealous within a chain. If you can not get on with your chain sisters, then do not aggravate the issue by whining or gloating. Do not squabble, either...your focus should be on your Master. If you have the time to squabble with your chain sisters, you are not giving your Master sufficient focus. Expect to be punished. If there is a serious problem, though, as I've said again and again...go and talk to your Master.

If you have a problem with your Master using other slaves in your absence (or even presence), you need to stop and have a damn good think. Ask yourself what the purpose of your slavery is, and what your position as a slave to your Master entails. Pause a moment, and do so now.

If you did not come up with the answer "my purpose is to please my Master", why did you not?

Now explain to me why you have a problem with him using other wenches. Why do you wish to intrude and prevent something that obviously pleases him? Ahh. Of course. You should be enough for him. Girl...you don't understand male lust. And let me tell you...there is a very, very large difference between feeling lust for a wench, wanting a fuck, thinking she has a nice pair of titties or what have you, and caring for or loving a slave in your collar.

Further, a chain provides one more thing to a Gorean man: variety. One thing about us Gorean men: we like to fuck. You won't find us denying that right of our manhood. And yes, some of us, some more than others, some more often than others, wish to have a little variety. This is what lust is.

Norman writes much on this subject. Beasts of Gor has one of the best sections on it that I've ever found:

The second reason for the bliss of many slave girls, that sequent upon the appropriateness off bondage for the beautiful woman itself, her female joy in being made to be true to herself, slave, was that, given the flesh transactions in a given city, sooner or later, master tended to find girls who were, from their point of view, superb slaves, and girls tended to find men who were, from their point of view, marvels as masters. It is a beautiful moment when the woman realizes that the man who owns her is her love master, and the man realizes that the girl he brought, looking up at him, tears in her eyes, is his love slave.

And then the only danger is that he will weaken. One must be strong with a love slave. If one truly loves her, he will be that strong. The slavery in which a love slave is kept is an unusually deep slavery. She must serve him with a perfection which would stun and startle other girls; if she should fail in any way, even in so small a way that the lapse would be over looked in the case of another wench, or bring perhaps a mild word of reprimand, she is likely to be tied at the slave ring and whipped; there is a good reason for this; she is, you see, a love slave; no woman can be more in a man's power; and with no woman must he be stronger.

Too, of course, if a relationship should weaken, or not prove enduringly satisfactory, the girl is simply put in cuffs and taken to a market.

The relationship which does not prove satisfactory is soon terminated. This termination is completely in the power of the master.

Even though this is often discussed, and even though many of you reading this will have heard it before, it is still so seemingly easily forgotten. A man must be strong with a love slave. The danger is that he will weaken. But does a love slave then test the man she loves at every opportunity? Does she attempt to manipulate him with the wiles of her sex, knowing that he loves her and attempting to use that against him? She is a slave, and he the Master. Does that not say enough?

Perhaps she feels, as some seem to, that a man who loves a slave weakens himself in the process. That such a man can no longer fully master the wench, because he loves her. But you forget...you deal with Gorean men. Such men will not put you on a pedestal and cherish you. Have no fear of that. That a man may be fool enough to find you worthy of his love is his choice - if you dare assume he will then be softer on you because of that, expect to be quickly discarded. The relationship which does not prove satisfactory is soon terminated. This termination is completely in the power of the master.

A woman who is slave to a master is so very in his power. A woman who loves a man is similarly in his power. A slave who loves her Master is in the deepest bondage there can be. It is a truly wonderful thing. If you have it, don't throw it away. If you do not have it, don't hang back, trying to keep your self un-hurt, for you will live safely to a ripe old age, happily married in a relationship with your three children, and you will look back and see that your life was boring. Now is the time to do something about those "what if?" opportunities that you have, not in one year or ten, when the opportunity is no longer there.

Do you worry about your Master? Do you think he can not handle certain pressures, or will weaken if he loves you? Do you think he overworks or takes too much upon his narrow shoulders? Pity is not a Gorean emotion. Does your Master want the pity of a slave?

Above, I said he may take from you support, security, and guidance. He may do so. Ultimately, who's decision are such things? Who is it that makes the decisions for the both of you? If you choose to hind truths from him because you believe he can not handle them, you are forgetting your place. Do not underestimate the man that masters you.

It is only a fool who does not fear something which has such power over them as the power a Master has over his slave within the M/s relationship.

This column is directed at the slaves, and therefore I do not expect there is little point writing much here. So I will let a fellow countryman write all that needs to be written, and I will allow you to read into it as much or as little as you can.

If, by Rudyard Kipling.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up again with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

That is all to that poem, women. Do not expect more. If you expect more you have failed to understand. Do not be surprised if you have failed to understand, women: this poem is for men.

This section is entitled "the master" within the M/s relationship. However, this is Gor. This means that each and every Gorean man is a Master. It means more, too. It means, for example, that such men do not come to Gorean IRC for you, wenches, however delicious and delectable you may be. Gorean men are such creatures that they wish primarily for the companionship, friendship, brotherhood and fellowship of other such men. Slaves are just trappings on the wall. Trappings which, undoubtedly, provide men with a great deal of pleasure. But still just trappings. Trappings which, perhaps, may even be the subject of much time, attention, and even love. But still just trappings in a man's world.

Know your place, slave.

Jarl.