What Goes Around Comes Around

One of the things I love about my BDSM practice is how it’s always evolving and changing. Scenes or activities that may have been mainstays at one point may fade out and be replaced by another “favorite thing” which then cycles out for the next activity, which may be new or may be a revisit of a previous focus.

Right now, I’m rediscovering my love for flogging, which was one of the first implement-driven corporal scenes I learned. I was taught by Domina M, an admirable flogger. I was mesmerized by the way the tails swirled in her hands as she Florentine flogged (that’s double flogging with a whip in each hand. There’s a crappy demo here.) As I learned other corporal techniques, however, flogging just became one of those things I did as a warm up for other implements. “It’s like shiatsu,” I’d shrug when describing it to someone.

While at Shibaricon this past May, however, I took a side trip to the International Mr. Leather conference going on in downtown Chicago. Heartwood was vending there and I picked up a gorgeous, thuddy double elk flogger that just felt like home as soon as it was in my hand. Compared to my other floggers … well, it just doesn’t compare. I love throwing it. It feels amazing.

So that was the tinder for my renewed interest. Several weeks later I had a conversation with MVX (who bought several Heartwood floggers on that trip herself) about flogging and she started describing the pleasure she gets out of a flogging scene:

I like it a lot. I like the physicality of it, the rhythm of it. I like how it affects breathing. I like how it can be done for a long time. I like how it can dial up or down in intensity. It’s very accessible. I like how it has a kind of trancey quality to it. In my experience, upper back flogging makes people cry more than anything else.

I started thinking about ritualistic flogging like Victoria was describing and it was really appealing. But because I’d been using flogging so much as just an appetizer for the main course (usually singletail), I just couldn’t see how the bottom wouldn’t be bored getting flogged, “Yeah, yeah. I’m warmed up. C’mon! Bring the heat!”

Then a friend of mine was talking with me about corporal and commented that since he’s a switch but mostly bottoms in his personal relationship, he doesn’t get a chance to corporal Top much. “I really love to throw but now think I’m getting rusty cause I never get to do it,” he said.

Thinking about my new flogger and how I like to bottom to all my corporal toys just so I know how each instrument feels when I’m dishing it out … and still wondering about what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a long flogging, I suggested he practice on me for a bit.

He skillfully took me through my entire flogger collection (clearly, flogging’s like riding a bicycle…) and not only was I not bored, I just didn’t want it to end. It IS like shiatsu … and, you know, shiatsu feels GOOD! Though I have to admit some of my floggers felt better than others. I really want to get more Heartwood floggers (I hope they’re vending at Floating World next weekend!) because the quality is just exceptional.

And that, my dears, is why you shouldn’t be surprised if I pull out the floggers on your next visit.