Pleasure and pain (repost)

t is a matter of common experience that there is no real hard and fast dividing line between pleasure and pain. While we think of pleasure and pain as opposites, often they seem to complement each other, or are interchangeable. Pleasures can be excruciating, pain can be delicious. But pleasure/pain responses in individuals differ markedly. There are some people who need pain to feel pleasure. There are others for whom any sort of pain kills all sensations of pleasure. People are wired differently. There is no across the board “norm”.

Accordingly, there are types of sexual play that cater to different types of people and different responses. For example, sado-masochistic play (SM) caters to people who enjoy or need pain for erotic fulfillment. Pain is their pleasure. It excites them. It is what they enjoy. Many submissives need the experience of pain in order to “zone” into a fully submissive state. The psychology of these responses is well understood.

But there are others – the majority, as it happens – who experience pleasure and pain as a polarity and so for whom pain kills (rather than deepens or enhances) pleasure. When they experience pain, it kills their libido. Pain is a turn off. So they find it hard to conceive of erotic pain. Nor do they experience intense pleasure as a type of pain. They are wired on/off. It is either pleasure or pain, but never both. Obviously, such people are not suited to sado-masochistic play. They will not use pain to further their pleasures. Their pursuit of erotic fulfillment will be hedonistic rather than sado-masochistic.

Code d’ Odalisque is a code of consensual slave play for women of the second type. Odalisques are protected from sado-masochism. The mode of play is hedonistic. It suits women who love sexual submission but who do not enjoy pain.

The advantage of using pain in sex play is that it is a fast track into deeper levels of submission. People (organisms) will readily submit to pain. Since pain is not used as a tool in Code d’ Odalisque other methods – psychological manipulations – are used to reach deeper layers of submission.

Any sort of developed hedonism must extend from simple pleasures of the flesh to pleasures of the imagination and the mind. Code d’ Odalisque seeks intensities of sexual pleasure – attained without the use of pain – as well as refined aesthetic pleasures such as the visual enjoyment of the naked female form.

Taking on a slave's debts?

In modern consumer society everyone is in debt. Everyone lives on credit. Even before we have reached full adulthood most of us have already acquired some level of debt. It is a pervasive fact of life. How then is a woman to give herself to the odalisque's life, where she is kept for sex in a state of occlusion, doesn't work and has no means of her own? An odalisque is "preserved from toil". She is not a work slave. By definition, an odalisque is outside of the workforce; she is preserved as an object of beauty and desire. She lives naked and wears no protective clothing or footwear. She does nothing that would blemish her skin or disfigure the beauty of her hands. Ideally, therefore, she does not have a job. She is not expected to pay her way. She is kept. So what becomes of her debts? Who pays her credit cards?

This question arose early in the history of Code d' Odalisque. A slavekeeper had found a woman who was willing to serve as his odalisque, but she had debts that required her to continue working a 35 hour a week job. This prevented her from serving and also from relocating to where the Slavekeeper lived. The question then was: could he pay out her debts for her if she agreed to live with him as his slave? Or could he take on her debts and meet the payments for her so that she could live in occlusion for him? The question provoked some controversy. According to some, this proposal amounted to a financial inducement to the woman and so constituted a type of payment for service. Thus it was akin to prostitution. They argued that this would be against the letter and spirit of Code d' Odalisque.

This point of view was finally rejected, although the grey area is acknowledged. It was decided that Slavekeepers can pay out or take on the debts of a prospective slave if this enables her to live in occlusion. This does not amount to sex for hire. Certainly, it is legally permissible and does not encroach on legal definitions of prostitution. The payment of debts cannot be directly connected to sexual acts (which would be prostitution) but otherwise it is no different to a man taking on the debts of his wife-to-be. The grey area is that, yes, it is open to abuse. There is a danger, for example, that young women might turn to odalisque service as a way of getting free of their debts. If a young woman is in debt, she can find a Slavekeeper and promise to serve as his slave so long as he pays off her debts. An odalisque makes no money from her service, but she can use service as a way of paying former debts.

It admittedly gets hazy but in the end it is more important that there is a way for an odalisque to serve in occlusion. Since everyone carries debts these days, the only prospect for a woman seeking to live in occlusion as a cockslave is to be debt free, or else she must continue working for a wage to meet her repayments. It is reasonable that a Slavekeeper can clear a path through this thicket of debt and release the woman from that financial burden so that she is at liberty to serve. Note, though, that it is not a binding agreement. If, for example, a man paid off a slave's debts but she then left his service, he could not claim he has been robbed. There was no agreement of a debt-for-sex nature. If a Slavekeeper wants to pay off a woman's debt in the hope she will be his odalisque, the risk is entirely his, and he must understand that the paying of the debt in no way places the woman under an obligation, legal or otherwise. Consent must be free of financial coercion. Regardless of what money a Keeper spends on a cockslave, under the terms of Code d' Odalisque, she must always be free to withdraw consent. The Keeper/slave bond is not a financial one for the simple reason that an odalisque is not a whore.

On this question then, as reflected in the protocols of the new edition of the Code, a Keeper may pay off or pay out the debts of a slave in order to enable her to serve and live in occlusion. This is not a binding financial arrangement. The Keeper does it merely to free the slave from the need to work.

Inquiry from an 18yo

A young lady writes to us:

I am 18 years old. The Code sounds fantastic. This is for me! How do I get involved? Can you help me find a Master?

To which we reply:

Dear Mademoiselle,

Thank you for your inquiry and for your enthusiasm for Code d' Odalisque. The Code offers a new alternative for sexually submissive females. It is very pleasing that you find the Code inspiring. For some women this can be a very fulfilling lifestyle.

Usually, however, women who become involved in Code d' Odalisque are 21 years or older. Of course, the legal age for consent is 18 years, but our experience is that women under 21 are rarely in a position to make a fully informed and carefully considered decision about this. Sexual service as a consensual slave is demanding and few women have true aptitude for it. You may be one such woman, but it is not a lifestyle into which you should rush. There are many options in life for young women. Code d' Ode is really only for those who have given it lots of thought and who know exactly what is involved.

Our advice in the first instance, therefore, is that you should give the matter more thought. If, after that, you are still enthusiastic and still want to serve a Master, then we would be happy to help you find the right man. Please take the time to do some more reading about Code d' Ode. We have attached a copy of our booklet, A Ladies Guide to Code d' Odalisque, to assist you in this. Perhaps give it a couple of months and get back to us after that.

Please do not be affronted by this approach, Mademoiselle. Our first concern is safety and the welfare of the slave. It would be remiss of us to not advise you to take more time making such an important decision. It would be wonderful if, in the end, you decide that you are indeed an odalisque at heart and that you are ready to serve. If that were the case then your enthusiasm will not wane over time. If, in a few months, you are still keen, then that would be a sure sign it is for you.

In the meantime, we are happy to answer any questions about the odalisque's life that you may have. We are here to assist.

Sincerely

The Peacock Feather

The forthcoming seventh edition of Code d’ Odalisque corrects many omissions. One of them is that it includes among the emblems of an odalisque, the peacock’s feather. In European depictions of odalisques they are often shown holding peacock feathers. From the beginnings of Code d’ Odalisque, this was also a feature of play. An odalisque owns a peacock feather. It is a traditional symbol of her status and her craft. Accidentally this was left out of earlier versions of the Code, then in subsequent revisions it was not regarded as important. This oversight has now been corrected. 

What, though, does the feather symbolize? What does it mean? Why are peacock feathers associated with odalisque eroticism? The peacock can have many meanings. In Christian symbolism, for example, the peacock usually signifies pride and arrogance and hence the Fall. That symbolism does not apply to odalisques. Or else, in many traditions, it symbolizes vanity and narcissism. There may be a hint of that in this case, but it is not the relevant symbolism either. Rather, in this case the peacock’s feather represents the idea of EXCESS. Surely, there is nothing more excessive in nature than the peacock’s tail! It is completely excessive. In eastern traditions, the peacock feather signifies excess and so by extension debauchery and indulgence. This is why odalisques are shown holding them. They can be used as ticklers, but mainly their purpose is symbolic: when a naked woman is shown holding a peacock’s feather it signifies her willingness to engage in sexual excess.

Traditionally, an odalisque’s feather is referred to ironically as her “weapon”. It is in contrast to the sword wielded by the Slavekeeper. The Master and the slave = the sword and the feather. The sword and the feather is a symbolic theme in Code d’ Odalisque. The new edition of the Code finally acknowledges it.

The Turkish Bath

The bath is a natural arena for odalisque eroticism. The preferred style is what is popularly called the "Turkish bath" but which has its roots in ancient Greek and Roman practices. This is distinct from Far Eastern - especially Japanese - styles, although these can be easily adapted to our purposes. Code d' Ode appeals to a historical culture in which water was scarce and hence a symbol of wealth. Sumptuous bathing is part of 'Code culture'. Slavekeeping is a luxury. So is decadent bathing.

Few can afford their own Turkish bathhouse, but many people can afford at least a home sauna and spa and perhaps other water equipment. Often, excellent facilities can be hired for private functions, although the adult-party friendly establishments can be cheesy and kitsch.

The proper sequence of bathing in what is called the "Turkish bath" goes as follows:

1. Warm Room
2. Hot Room
3. Bathing and massage
4. Cooling Room

So, where a Master is being given a Turkish bath the typical sequence is:

1. First he relaxes in a Warm Room.
2. Then he relocates to a Hot Room
3. Then he enjoys bathing and is massaged
4. Finally he relaxes in a cool room.

There are many ways that this experience can be replicated at home. If nothing else, all you need is a sizeable bathroom with a good temperature control system. The room is pre-warmed. The Master enters and relaxes. Then the odalisque turns the temperature up. At the end she turns the temperature down and perhaps turns on a fan to quickly cool the room.

Whether this is a prelude to erotic play or a platform for erotic play is up to individual tastes. The four steps of the typical "Turkish bath" is a framework for creative play. Given the room, for example, it would be possible to structure orgia in this fourfold pattern. Water rituals.

In any case, an odalisque should learn to be expert in the arts of the bath and should know the Turkish style of bathing especially.

The Problem of Work

A central problem in the life of many people - if not most people - is the question of work. How do I make a living? What do I do for an income? The global financial crisis and the technological revolution have made this a more difficult problem than it used to be. Once there were manufacturing jobs. For others there were office jobs. Most of these jobs have disappeared or have been automated. Increasingly, people have to find casual work or low paid menial jobs. Even well educated people find it hard to find a long-term satisfying occupation.

The problem for women is especially acute. There are less decent jobs and fewer well-established pathways in the workforce. When all the good jobs are gone, a higher proportion of women have to fall back on lousy employment: waiting tables, serving drinks, cleaning, spoon-feeding dementia patients, and so on. It is estimated that over the next thirty years nearly a half of all current jobs will be replaced by automation. Jobs traditionally done by women will be particularly hit.

According to studies, one of the consequences of declining job and pay rates is that more women are turning to prostitution. Scandalously, it is now not at all uncommon for young female college students to be funding their degrees by working as sex-workers at night or on the weekends. When there is no decent work left, women go on the game. It has always been the way. Inevitably, too, however, crime and drugs follow. As more women go into prostitution just in order to live, crime syndicates, pimps, drug-dealers, bikie gangs and other low-life move in to get their share of the profits. While it might at first seem an easy way to make a quick dollar, women soon find that prostitution is full of pitfalls and serious dangers, not least the ever-present and inherent dangers from law enforcement, disease, deranged clients, and so. It is not a romantic life. It is really only suited to tough-hearted women with strong internal defences. Timid women, submissive women, women who are not good at being combative and independent, are soon crushed and abused and exploited.

The odalisque’s life offers itself as a possible alternative. There are some women for whom it might be an attractive proposition. Certainly, it might be a better option for those women who would otherwise turn to prostitution. An odalisque is not a whore, but her role is sexual and her job is to provide sexual pleasure to men. Specifically, to her Master. An odalisque is a bonded slave. This means that she serves the man to whom she is bonded, but in return she is kept, housed, fed and nurtured - her Master has an obligation to protect and look after her and to meet all her needs. Obviously, it is a lifestyle that only suits women with the right aptitude. Submissive women. Highly sexual women who find fulfilment in sexual service. 

Note that an odalisque is a bonded slave. This is in contrast to a hired worker. A whore is a hired worker. So too is a plumber or a secretary or a burger-flipper. Hired workers are paid by the hour. Bonded service is entirely different. A bonded servant is not part of the hired workforce at all. It is an arrangement based on mutual obligation, obedience and fealty. Of course bonded service has no official place in the modern economy, but there are shades of it in the traditional housewife or the trophy wife. As far as the IRS is concerned, an odalisque is just a kept woman. She has no income of her own. Odalisque slavery under Code d’ Odalisque is a system for reviving bonded sexual service on a consensual basis. For some women it might be a solution to the problem of work - at least for a phase of their life. It takes them out of the job market. It offers them a life of leisure. It might be better than cleaning motel rooms for $8 an hour. And it might certainly be a better choice than whoredom. 

The Edward Bagley Case

The present case of Edward Bagley cannot go without comment. See the article below. The abuse of young "sex slaves" by sadistic men is exactly what first gave impetus to Code d' Odalisque. The codifications of odalisque slave play offered in Code d' Ode are all calculated to prevent such cases. Moreover, such cases underline the fact that there is a problem of criminal abuse on the fringes of the BDSM sub-culture. Code d' Odalisque was first put together by people who were looking for consensual, safe and sane "sex slave" play within an organised framework without sado-masochism, torture and violence.

Please read the article below. It is an appalling case. It illustrates exactly what Code d' Odalisque is not.

* * *

Three men from the state of Missouri have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the sexual torture of a woman who was held as a sex slave for six years.

For three years, the victim only could watch as prosecutors, defence lawyers and federal judges battled in court to resolve a grotesque sex torture and bondage case.

But on Wednesday, at last, was her day.

Three times the young woman, short and pretty, stood from a courtroom bench, walked to a lectern and described how the men who were to be sentenced that morning had hurt her - some through near suffocation, mutilation and even skewers through her breasts. All enjoyed applying electrical shocks, she said.

But each man, according to her descriptions, had dealt her a measure of cruelty that has changed forever how she views those around her.

"I don't know how to trust men," she said before revealing that she now has a baby daughter. "I have to protect her from men like Ed."

Edward Bagley, whom both she and prosecutors have described as her chief tormenter, remained in his seat just a few feet away, looking forlorn while dressed in orange jail scrubs and a pair of blue Crocs clogs.

US District Judge Dean Whipple had just sentenced the Lebanon, Montana, man to 20 years in federal prison.

In quick succession, Bradley Cook of Kirkwood also received a 20-year sentence, and Dennis Henry, a former postmaster from Wheatland, was sentenced to 10 years.

Three other defendants, James Noel of Springfield and Michael Stokes and Bagley's wife, Marilyn Bagley, both of Lebanon, await sentencing on Thursday.

When prosecutors filed the case in September 2010, they described the young woman as "mentally deficient" and said the indictment's allegations were "among the most horrific ever prosecuted in this district".

The allegations of torture were so wrenching that prosecutors chose not to mention them in official statements and a press release.

For five years, according to the indictment, the woman endured sexual torture with techniques described as "flogging, whipping, shocking, choking, piercing, sewing" and "stapling".

Her tormenters nailed intimate body parts to slabs of wood, sewed private orifices shut and forced high levels of electric current through the most sensitive parts of her body.

Defence lawyers responded almost immediately that they hoped to prove that the young woman had consented to the sadomasochistic sex, which would have made it all completely legal.

But as the lawyers reviewed the images and videos of the woman's condition, and weighed the prospects of presenting them to a jury, defendants began to plead guilty.

The victim, now in her mid-20s, said on Wednesday that her suffering was real.

"It started bad and got worse and worse," she said. "Ed told me I wasn't good for anything except to be used by him."

Bagley, 46, pleaded guilty in January to having a sexual relationship with the victim before her 17th birthday and then grooming her with bondage and sadomasochistic videos for life as his sex slave after she moved into his trailer home.

The woman elaborated in her statement, describing a hard life in and out of foster care before meeting Bagley when she was 15 or 16. He promised to protect her, she said. He had his wife model sexy clothes for her, and he showed her pornography and talked about how he was going to make her look beautiful.

"I was so excited about my new life," she testified before recounting the electric shock torture that "shoots your arms and legs out, and you want to die".

She added: "Ed killed me and brought me back to life."

Cook, 34, admitted at his December 2011 plea hearing that he often watched Bagley abuse the young woman during live online sessions.

Several times, Cook travelled to Lebanon to abuse and torture the woman, leaving Bagley with gifts of hard drives containing images and videos of bondage, domination, sadism and masochism. Cook said at his plea hearing that he believed that the woman had not consented to the acts and that it was the "most extreme he had ever seen".

Henry, 53, confessed in March 2011 to meeting the young victim in 2004 when Bagley invited him to Lebanon because he "had something to show him". There, Bagley presented the girl, who wore chains on her legs and restraints on her wrists.

Henry acknowledged having sex with the victim and whipping her in what he described as Bagley's "play room".