Drawing by Auguste Rodin, 1902,
Image courtesy ClipArt.com

In Search of the True Kajira

arani has been wandering around various Gorean forums for almost five years now. From time to time, she has seen or heard one slave or another described as a "true kajira." This is usually meant to be a supreme compliment; the woman so described is being held up to be the most perfect slave imaginable – one that every slave should strive to emulate.

However, arani has also observed that different people seem to have differing sets of criteria for what makes a slave a "true kajira." she will list some of these here, and state some of her reasons why she may or may not agree. (Please note that the opinions expressed here are those of arani and her Master, and she fully understands that not everyone will agree.)

1. A true kajira serves beautifully on line.

This is the woman who can type in wonderfully detailed and erotic serves with great ease. Each serve is different from every other serve she does, individual and personal to the Free Person she is serving. she knows, without thinking, what vessel each beverage is served in. she knows how to make kal-da from scratch, and does the Bazi tea serve with elegance and grace. she knows the layout of each tavern perfectly, and knows which taverns require her to kar-ta before entering. she never sits idly and chats with her fellow slaves, but spends her time between serves doing chores around the tavern or working to further her skills and knowledge. she has a wide repertoire of dances she can perform when ordered to do so.

Now, for those slaves who serve on line, this may be a very apt description. But it leaves something out. True slavery comes from within, as Mr. Norman says. Slavery is not something you DO, it's something you ARE. And, to quote yet another aphorism, beauty is only skin deep.

In other words, it is necessary to look beyond a woman's actions, and gaze down deeply into her heart. Does she truly feel the burning in her belly to be pleasing, not just to men but to all free persons? When the computer is turned off, is she just as much a slave as when she is at the keyboard? Even if she is not fortunate enough to be able to serve Goreans off-line, is her whole life one of service to humanity? Or does she show her slavery only when she is around Goreans, either on or off line?

2. A true kajira only serves off-line.

In one way, this is the other end of the spectrum from #1. This is the woman who wouldn't be caught dead in a "role-playing" chat room. If she does go into a chat room, it is one created for discussion only. Many times (but not always) she thinks that those slaves who do serve on-line are just "playing games," and are not really serious about their slavery.

However, there are many slaves who simply don't have the opportunity to serve Goreans off-line, or who are unable to do so for other reasons. A woman might live in a remote rural area, and there might not be any other Goreans living within a reasonable distance. One possible solution to this would be to move to an area where there are other Goreans, but this might not be possible or feasible for economic or other reasons. If the woman is to find other Goreans to interact with, and to serve, she must do so on line.

Or, a woman might be very protective of her privacy and her anonymity for various reasons. Perhaps she is a teacher or a lawyer (or work in some other profession), who would risk serious reprisals (and quite probably the loss of a career) if it was discovered that she is a slave. Perhaps she doesn't know enough about those Goreans who do live in her area to be confident that they would respect her privacy, and not "out" her. For this woman, serving on-line is a reasonable solution.

Perhaps a woman is living with her Master, but He orders her to spend part of her time serving on line for one reason or another. He might consider it a part of her training, to encourage her to freely express her sexual nature and to be able to interact with other Goreans in this fashion. Or, perhaps He just enjoys watching her type out sexy serves.

The point of all this is that a woman who serves on line may be every bit as much a slave as the woman who does not. her service may be just as devoted; she simply performs that service in a different place.

3. A true slave lives with her Master. Or, if she is not collared, she only serves at off-line Gorean gatherings.

Some slaves are extremely fortunate, in that they are allowed to live with their Masters. These slaves are allowed to cook dinner for their Masters, clean Their houses, wash Their clothes, and do all of the other little things that constitute daily service.

But some slaves are not so lucky. When arani first met her Master, though a message board, we lived 300 miles apart. Yes, from the very first we planned to live together at some point. But job commitments on both sides made that impossible at first. And so, we communicated via e-mail and the telephone and an instant messaging program, and visited each other when we could arrange it. arani had a very detailed routine that she was to follow throughout the day, and then report back to her Master about. she had very strict rules for her behavior that she had to follow, or risk punishment. Yes, arani wanted very much to kneel at His feet, but He did not wish it. Now, thankfully, we are together. But was arani's slavery any different when we were not? Or did she just serve in a different place?

arani knows of a Master and slave who are much farther apart geographically than she and her own Master once were. This Master lives in the United States, and His slave is in Australia. There are a number of reasons why they cannot be together – possibly can never be together. But this slave is absolutely devoted to her Master, and would do anything possible for Him. Does this make her less a slave than she would be if she lived with Him? arani does not think so.

4. A true slave has no limits.

Yes, it is said that a slave is to have no limits, other than those her Master sets for her. she must be ready to do anything, at any time, at any place, for whoever might order her to do so.

But, arani has serious doubts about the slave who states that she absolutely, completely, definitely, has no limits whatsoever. We all have some limits; we may just not be aware of them. These limits may not be conscious on our parts, but they are there nonetheless. These are things that are so deeply ingrained into our psyches by society, or genetics, or our up-bringing, or what-have-you, that they simply cannot be overcome, as much as we might want to.

There are a few absolute limits that will exist for most people. These include children, animals, dead people, and our own lives. What would happen if a Master were to order a woman to have sexual relations with a child? Or perform oral sex on a horse? Or a corpse? Or jump off the roof of a 20-story building? Now, unless that woman is a pedophile, or unless bestiality or necrophilia turns her on, or unless she has no sense of self-preservation, then there is a strong probability that she would have problems obeying at least some of these commands.

What's that? You say that a true Master wouldn't order a slave to do these things? How can we know that? arani once knew of a Master who regularly ordered His slave to service dogs. she knew of another Master who ordered His slave to jump into a lake, knowing she couldn't swim. And, what's a "true Master," anyway? That's a definition that's every bit as elusive as the "true slave." When a woman embraces her slavery, she had better do a lot of thinking about what she will do if just such an incident happens to her.

Now, if it's a matter of "I don't wanna," or "Ewww, I've never done that before," then that doesn't cut it. Slavery isn't always fun. Sometimes we're ordered to do things that are darned hard, or icky, or awfully scary. But, because we're slaves, we throw aside our inhibitions and our fears and do as we're told. And, afterward, we will feel that special glow inside that comes from knowing that we have been obedient, whether the Master praises us or not.

But there's nothing at all wrong in recognizing our limitations. That doesn't mean we can refuse to obey a command that we are given. No, what we do in these cases is to just not place ourselves in a situation where we might be ordered to do that thing that we cannot do. For example, arani has a disability which prevents her from kneeling for more than a couple of minutes at a time. When she sought a collar, she made sure that her Master knew this about her, and that He would not require her to kneel for long stretches of time. This was not a matter of telling Him that she would not do so. It was more a matter of explaining to Him what her physical limitations were, and then trusting in Him to make that a limit for her.

By the same token, if a slave is fearful of acquiring an STD, then she had better not place herself in a situation where she might be required to serve sexually. If she was brought up to believe that homosexuality is against the laws of God and, as such, very wrong, then she had best make sure that a prospective Master is not going to order her to have sexual relations with another woman. If she is unowed and going to be attending a gathering of Goreans, then she had best place herself under the protection of the host, who can thereby ensure her safety.

Every person has his or her own definition of what a "true slave" is. Let's look at the source material, and see what Mr. Norman has to say on the subject:

So, from this we see that there are three requirements for a slave. she must be absolutely docile – according to the American Heritage Dictionary, this means that she must be "ready and willing to be taught; teachable." she must be totally obedient, meaning that she cannot disobey ever, at any time. And, she must be fully pleasing. (arani has previously written on the differences between being obedient and being pleasing, elsewhere in this site.) Now, what will be pleasing to one Master may not be pleasing to Another, and a slave has to be prepared for this.

What matters most in defining a woman's slavery is what lies in her heart. This is someone whose entire existence revolves around serving, and being pleasing. Her day will revolve around making the service that she provides better – reading, taking classes, improving her appearance, finding out what those she serves desire of her. When she is not serving, she strives to comport herself in a manner that is pleasing to those of the Free she is around – being pleasing not only in her appearance, but in her manner of speaking, her demeanor, her every movement. she doesn't wait to be told what to do, and yet she doesn't make herself obnoxious by continually offering to serve. she sees something that needs to be done and she does it, without having to be micro-managed. she does these things, not necessarily because it is fun, but because she needs to do so. In fact, if she is not allowed to do so, she will eventually die – not necessarily a physical death, but an emotional one. her slavery is not something that is turned on and off like a light switch, but is an ingrained part of her that is evident 24 hours a day.

Often, a true slave will be found where you least expect it. she may or may not be the most active slave in the chat room, or the one who posts the most on a discussion forum. In fact, she may never post at all, but instead reads the words of others eagerly and learns from them as she can. she may be the slave who waits quietly on the serving furs, jumping up to quietly offer service when you have almost forgotten she is there, and then strives diligently to do the best she can – one sentence at a time, haltingly. she may be that new girl at a gathering who sits in the background, jumping with fright when called upon, but then doing her best to conquer those fears and do Your bidding, looking to You shyly for encouragement.

But, never doubt that she is there, her very existence centered around pleasing You.

© arani_CsA, 7/5/2003

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