THUNDER

It is the nature of leather communities to enjoy gatherings
known as events (or runs) - at least for the last 20 years
or so. They tend to be organized in a very standard fashion:
meeting rooms are reserved at some hotel with a space for
vendors to sell their fetish wares. Various speakers are
featured, whether local or national, and there are usually
some other activities in the evenings. That has been
my limited experience, at least.

The first event that i was invited to attend was "Living In
Leather" - a national event that was held in a different
city each year. The first event i actually attended was
"Texas Leather Pride" (TLP) back in '97 and in '98,
in Austin. i later attended South Plains in Dallas
a couple of times.

This year i made the pilgrimage to "Thunder In the Mountains"
in Denver, Colorado - one of the great events in America.
This was the 10th Thunder gathering and over 1000 people
attended. There were also many excellent speakers including
Laura Antoniou, Gloria Brame, Mark Frazier, Skip Chasey,
Midori, Larry Townsend and Cléo Dubois to name about half.
And on Friday and Saturday evenings there were 4 dungeons!
There were also parties after Thunder on Sunday evening.

Below are some of my journal notes from the presentations
i attended:

LAURA ANTONIOU talked about service. She defined
Service as Intent + Execution. It is an Attitude, a Verb,
and a Vocation. Labor is not demeaning though it
it can be demanding.

The attitude of good service means that you actually
CARE about what you're doing and it may be helpful
to remember that your service can relieve Someone's
time and energy.

You must take care of yourself so that you can take
care of others - you must have energy, sanity, and
health. Good tops may help you with this, but you
must be responsible for yourself.

Good tops provide: inspiration, direction, a reason
(even if it is only "to please them") and rewards -
whether verbal or physical. They can also provide
correction and redemption.

What service can do for those who serve: provides a
purpose, a sense of value, and it can feel good being
helpful. A good servant can be a role model for
others and can nurture a relationship.

Service is putting Someone else first - though you are
also important. Service is work and it is devotion.

GLORIA BRAME talked about ways the community has
understood itself via role models and myths. She also
talked about our current generation (ages 25 to 75),
and how our lifestyle now will set the tone for those
to come.

Vanilla is a consenual lifestyle with a prescribed way
of living and having sex, i.e. for reproduction. The
SM culture is more than ourselves. It is not just
an add-on. SM can be a role model for higher
level of commitment.

Be wary about trying to live up to a standard.
Religious standards, political standards, group
standards, etc. You don't have to define yourself
by other people's experiences. This is about being
who you are and being true to yourself.

SM is a personal experience and can be non-conformist.
It can be a life of sexual anarchy based on self-interest,
partner-interest, and mutual sex gratification.

Master SKIP CHASEY has the following understanding
of leather relationships:
1. Top & bottom - a physical relationship
2. Dominant & submissive - a mental relationship
3. Master & slave - a spiritual relationship

The focus of his discussion was on the latter. He
talked about the essential elements of a Master/slave
relationship: Trust, Obedience, and Surrender - and
how each one builds into the other.

i think he talked about how the Master directs the
slave's actions and therefore deserves the credit (or
criticism) for the results. The slave can take pride
in trying to do their best, but the result of the
slave's effort belongs to the Master.

In another presentation, he discussed the power
of fetishes; knowing what arouses a slave, a Master
can expand the slave's limits and reinforce their
devotion to obedience. These fetishes can also
enhance the Master's dominance and personal
pleasure.

* * * * *

i was fortunate to be the guest of a local dominant who
graciously introduced me to a number of her friends
at Thunder in the Mountains. The entire experience
was very enriching, energizing, and enjoyable.