<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Twist of Wyrd]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Twist of Wyrd]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Wrong way]]></title><description><![CDATA[  A man was traveling down an old dusty path and meets another man along the way.  The men travel together for a while until they reach a fork in the road and one man wants to go left, the other right.  "That is the wrong way." one say to the other, but they go their separate ways anyway.
  A little further down the man who gave the warning meets another traveler and walks with him a while. When the road comes to an intersection the new traveler wants to go straight ahead and is warned "That is the wrong way."  The man goes on anyway, and the other man travels alone the rest of the way to town.
  On the way back from town he meets the 2nd traveler again at the intersection.  "Why did you not tell me this road lead to a cliff?" he asks.  "I told you it was the wrong way." was the reply.
  They travel down the road a bit until they come to the fork in the road, peering down the side branch they see the first traveler in quicksand barely hanging on to a log.  When they rescue him he asks "Why did you not tell me there was quicksand?"  The man's reply was "I told you it was the wrong way."
  The moral of the story, if someone tells you that you are going the wrong way, maybe you should pause and ask why.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:39:56 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/wrong-way/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/wrong-way/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Non-judgmental?]]></title><description><![CDATA[  We hear this term a lot in the lifestyle and even in society in general, but what does it mean?  Well, the prefix merely means not, so we get   not   "Of or relating to judgment.; Inclined to pass judgment, critical."
    "Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used"   - Dr. Carl Sagan
  So, we don't want to use our judgment...  Huh?  Sorry, but I do, without our judgment we are not the brightest bunch...  We judge everyday, every minute.  To claim otherwise is the height of ignorance.
    "We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path."   - Paulo Coelho
  I am open minded, very open minded by some people's definitions, however I remain, and will always remain, judgmental.  We all should remain judgmental, it is what allows us to decide right from wrong, and while I may not be able to say what path is right for you, I may very well be able to know which ones are wrong.
  We have in this lifestyle decided that everything is right, nothing is wrong, and in that, we are greatly wrong.  There is no one "twue" path, but there are many.  And there are wrong paths, and those who have been around and persisted in this lifestyle more than a few years know it.
  The internet has been a good thing and a bad thing to this lifestyle, it has provided an open door to many who would not have known about the lifestyle before.  However it has also provided an open door to those who would use and abuse the lifestyle and those in it.  I live by the mantra "If you see it and do not correct it, you own it."  In that, I daily try to correct that which I see as wrong, to me to do otherwise means I am doing the wrong.
    "Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."   - Bob Packwood]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:52:22 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/nonjudgmental/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/nonjudgmental/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[House of Wyrd]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Well, the house is slowly moving towards being ready for the first event this weekend, the website   House of Wyrd   is up, sort of, at least it is when the webhost is working right...
  It's been a battle, and a struggle and one I would not have been able to make without the help of friends and my girls.
    "The games have just begun"   - Jigsaw]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:53:12 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/house-of-wyrd/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/house-of-wyrd/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thinking for yourself]]></title><description><![CDATA[    "Before you can break out of prison, you must first realize you're locked up."   - Unknown
  We live in a society of sheep, but this is nothing new, we have always lived in a society of sheep.  We use terms like "most people" and "normal people" to make those who are different or who walk their own path feel apart from society.  Leaders lead, they do not follow, but we have fallen into not knowing what a true leader is.
    "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it - even if I have said it - unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."   - Buddha
  The media tells us something, or some person who has promoted themselves to being a community leader tells us something and we do not bother to think for ourselves.  We do not question their statements, we simply accept what they tell us at face value because it is what we want to hear or it is what we are used to hearing.  A lie is a lie no matter how many times it is repeated.  A stupid idea will always be a stupid idea, no matter how many follow it.
    "The minority, the ruling class at present, has the schools and press, usually the Church as well, under its thumb.  This enables it to organize and sway the emotions of the masses, and make its tool of them."   - Albert Einstein
  How often do you go along with the crowd?  How often do you take a stand that makes you unpopular?  These questions should tell you if you are a sheep or a leader.  Many will say the walk their own path, but if you observe them, their deeds say otherwise.  You cannot do your own thing and take a stand for what is right without making a few enemies.
    "We begin life with the world presenting itself to us as it is.  Someone - our parents, teachers, analysts - hypnotizes us to "see" the world and construe it in the "right" way.  These others label the world, attach names and give voices to the beings and events in it, so that thereafter, we cannot read the world in any other language or hear it saying other things to us.  The task is to break the hypnotic spell, so that we become undeaf, unblind and multilingual, thereby letting the world speak to us in new voices and write all its possible meanings in the new book of our existence.  Be careful in your choice of hypnotists."   - Sidney Jourard
  If you want to be truly free, you will have to do a great deal of self evaluation and introspection.  We are the sum of our upbringing, and more often than not that is a flaw.  The people who we are around when we are young skew out views in later life, they tell us lies and to us they become truths.
    "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."   - Bertrand Russell
  We need to each question what we have been told and make our own path, the world needs more leaders and less sheep.  It's ok to follow someone if you do it in an informed manner, however most people don't bother getting informed, they just go with the flow.
    "If you don't control your mind, someone else will."   - John Allston
  Just remember sheep get sheered, slaughtered and eaten.  Not quite what I want for my life.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 14:02:19 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/thinking-for-yourself/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/thinking-for-yourself/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Musings of the future]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Well, doing the big move this weekend, and next if it is not completed this weekend.
  The new place is big, really big, centrally located, decent amount of parking, big yard.
  So, it's gonna be time to open a play space, the midlands needs one.
  I am aiming for the first event to be 6-7-08, yeah that is in interesting date, it will follow a Bondage demo put on by T3WD.
  I have been thinking about it a lot, my style is strictly enforced rules, and leave the drama and cliques at the door. Attendance limited so there is more social aspect to go with the play.
  Guess I gotta teach my girls to be DMs...]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 12:39:59 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/musings-of-the-future/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/musings-of-the-future/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The illusion of reputation]]></title><description><![CDATA[    "Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was."   - Margaret Mitchell
  Within the lifestyle, so many build this house of cards reputation, and then defend it like zealots.  They put more emphasis on perceptions of actions rather than actual deeds.  Actually this is a problem with society as a whole, not just the lifestyle.
    "Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving."   - William Shakespeare
  We attribute reputations to many for what they take credit for, not what we have seen them do, for the words they used, not the actual deeds.  And in this, much of what is wrong is our fault.  If we did not falsely give reputations to people or allow them to claim a false reputation, then things would be much simpler for those who come and see who has a "good" reputation and who has a "bad" reputation.
    "Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us."   - Thomas Paine
  Personally I don't bother with reputation, some like me, some don't, I am prone to pulling the rug out from people using false means to make themselves look better and I despise cliques.  So I am a target to many and trouble to many others.  Do I go to far, yeah in a way I do, but then if everyone was doing what they should, I would not have to.
    "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."   - John Wooden
  We each have to look to who we really are, and who the people we spend time with really are, are we buying the illusion?  Deeds not words make us who we are.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:35:18 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/the-illusion-of-reputation/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/the-illusion-of-reputation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[D/s and emotional abuse]]></title><description><![CDATA[  There are four types of abuse:  neglect, sexual, physical and emotional.  While many of us know all about sexual or physical abuse and have a good understanding of neglect, most of us have no clue of the emotional abuse that exists in the lifestyle, and we see it everyday.  It exists in large quantities, in many of the relationships people look to as "models" of how to behave.
  The following are some of the signs of emotional abuse:  
* They constantly call, text-message, e-mail, IM, etc. to check up on you.  
* They are extremely jealous when you talk to or spend time with other people.  
* They call you names or put you down, either when you're alone or with other people.  
* They go behind your back to talk about things with other people, sabotaging relationships.
* They make statements like, "I can't live without you. If you leave me, I'll kill myself."  
* You feel depressed, anxious, and unhappy in your relationship with them.  
* You're scared to upset or make your partner angry.  
* You've seen your partner hurt or talk down to other people.  
* You're down on yourself, or even hate yourself, especially when you're together.  
* You don't spend as much time with your friends, and you feel isolated.  
  I know you have seen or experienced some of these, maybe many of them.  And before you go saying this is just for submissives, I have been in an emotional abusive relationship before, and the "submissive" was the one doing the abusing.  Many passive aggressive people are emotionally abusive and don't even realize they are doing it, so look to your own behavior, do you do any of that?  Do you know someone who is with an emotional abuser, send them a link to this article to read, maybe they will get the hint.
  Most forms of abuse are about control, which means we in the lifestyle have to be especially wary that we, as dominants or submissives, are not abusive.  Most will agree there are a large number of people in this lifestyle for the wrong reasons, many need to take a long honest look at themselves.
  We cannot make people change, some will always be abusers, some will always be victims, but we can point it out and let them see it, and then they can make the choice to change themselves or to live with their choice.
  Know the warning signs, the red flags, no one can keep you safe but you.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:55:45 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/ds-and-emotional-abuse/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/ds-and-emotional-abuse/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The quiet after]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Tax season has come and gone another year, and while I do continue to work, my hours are greatly reduced.  However I was sicks right after tax season, had the flu for a couple of days, this interfered with a variety of plans, and got me behind on work a bit.
  I have more blog posts planned and will be working on them as time allows, which should be more and more coming up.
  The search for a larger place is hopefully to be over soon, looking at a 2,000 sf house in Blythewood, which would allow the lower level to be set up as a dungeon/play space, and could handle regular play parties.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:43:13 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/the-quiet-after/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/the-quiet-after/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Just a few more days]]></title><description><![CDATA[  Well, tax season is drawing to a close, and not a moment too soon, not sure my brain or body can handle much more.
  Hopefully you have your taxes done, if not, best go get them done, or at least file an extension.
  Stay tuned, much more will be planned once my body and brain recover some.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:37:09 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/just-a-few-more-days/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/babbling/just-a-few-more-days/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[BDSM Safety - Impact Play]]></title><description><![CDATA[  A great deal of BDSM involves impact play in some form, be that spanking, flogging, whipping, caning, or even slapping and punching.  Done properly this can be very erotic, and lead to a great time for the top and bottom.  Done incorrectly, it can lead to a really bad time, injury or worse.
  · Do NOT attempt any form of heavy impact play without knowing what you are doing.  
· Do NOT strike with a closed fist.  
· Make sure your toys are in good repair.  
· NEVER do true impact play on the face, head, neck, finger, toes or over skin that is healing.  
· Do not accidentally “wrap” when flogging or whipping.  
· Remember there may be an emotional component at play, the idea of being “beaten” can cause triggers in the bottom.  
· Practice until you are good, then practice some more, before you attempt impact play on a live subject.  
  Areas suitable for “very light” impact play:  face (light slaps only), palms, back of hands, joints, lower front, back and side (vital organs are here), the spine, and tops and bottoms of feet.  These areas should only get a light brushing, no real impact.
  Areas suitable for “light” impact play:  lower legs, arms, inner arms, breast, genitals, upper shoulders, top of buttocks (near spine), and the muscular ridge near the spine.
  Areas suitable for “heavy” impact play:  Buttocks, upper back on either side of the spine, thighs, and lower shoulders.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:26:26 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/bdsm-safety-impact-play/</link><guid>http://www.twistofwyrd.com/bdsm/bdsm-safety-impact-play/</guid></item></channel></rss>