Above: Governess Elizabeth of London Dominatrix School
Back when I was writing 'The History & Arts of the Dominatrix', I wanted to follow the history with a discussion of what it was that Dominatrices "do" with their clients.
Up until that point, the main manner in which to describe their activities was an alphabetical A-Z of each activity. This seemed not the best approach to me, so I instead attempted an ambitious project - or theorizing their activities as 'Seven Realm Arts'©. (To which I can now add a © "copyright")
I was in Hanoi, Vietnam when I was writing the book. I had journeyed there for three months with the express intention of finishing putting all the research and images on the Dominatrix's history together into a narrative. And I shall never forget the anxiety and concentration I felt on the week I began to write the chapter on the Dominatrices art, for I knew the Dominatrices themselves all over the world would read it and have their own interpretation. And, by way of context, many Dominatrices have degrees in psychology, or even PhDs in psychology. (It's become something of a cliché that Dominatrices end up becoming expert psychologists, Dr such-and-such under their real name, but having gained much of their experience and knowledge through domination.)
So... no pressure right? I'm writing about what a Dominatrix does for the academic and historical record in my book, which is going to be in essence - peer-reviewed by Dominatrices.
What I came up with was 'The Seven Realm Arts' which is Chapter V of my book:
Realm Art I - The Art of the Sublime & Powerful Woman
Realm Art II - The Art of lowering the man to submission
Realm Art III - The Art of bondage, entrapment and enclosure
Realm Art IV - The Art of discipline, training and punishment
Realm Art V - The Art of the bodily and the 'out-of-body'
Realm Art VI - The Art of cross-dressing and subversion
Realm Art VII - The Art of fetish and fantasy
This was my best attempt at a framework to theorize and describe what a Dominatrix 'does' in her dungeon or playspace.
I was rightfully very nervous when the book came out, as to how the Dominatrices themselves would receive this. Women who I had never met, who were highly intelligent, highly trained, many with very advanced educational and academic backgrounds.
Well they liked it. In fact they liked it so much that it's become the major curriculum book at most dungeons and Mistress training establishments around the world. And the interest of Dominatrix training centres is centred not merely on the history but specifically on that Chapter V - 'The Seven Realm Arts'© within 'The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'.
Governess Elizabeth (who I've never met or been acquainted with) has just recently written a blog entry on her website about my book, recommending it for her London Dominatrix School. And she describes my book as a "much beloved possession". Awww - bless. :)
Miss Couple who is Head Mistress of the world's oldest BDSM training chateau, La Domaine Esemar, located just out of New York, also utilizes the book for her Mistress training course. The structure of the Mistress training course has been developed from 'The Seven Realm Arts' structural understanding of BDSM (which Miss Couple has developed to her own needs for training).
I've also recently been contacted by Simone Justice in the USA, who trains Mistresses through her Dommecraft Mistress training school.
Above: Simone Justice of Dommecraft
While Chicago Mistress Simone (not the same Mistress as Simone Justice - they both just happen to share the first name Simone) also offers BDSM education and undertook the significant review 'The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'. (It was published on the major BDSM site in the USA, Leatherati.)
I can see I need to put together a future blog post on where people can do Mistress training around the world....