Flowers Crystal Dawn - Carnal alchemy: sado-magical techniques for pleasure, pain, and self-transformation

This book is dedicated to the memory of
Mistress J. R.

Disclaimer and Warnings

Techniques discussed in this book are intended as theoretical guidelines, not necessarily instructions for actual activity. Do not undertake any of the physical techniques in this book without thorough personal training. Take the same precautions you might before starting a course of rigorous physical fitness that would involve a doctors approval. Furthermore, the ideas outlined in this book are intended strictly for adult individuals of the age of majority and must be explored in a safe, sane, and consensual environment.

The authors, editors, and publisher of this book accept no responsibility or liability for accident, injury, or mishap that might befall any individual as a result of performing activities depicted herein.

Participation in S-M sexuality inherently involves certain risksthe responsibility for these risks lies entirely with the participant(s). The contents of this book are not intended as a substitute for personal training and consultation: in matters of safety and in the safe and reliable use of equipment we advise in-person guidance.

Notice: Readers should determine the legalities of the possession of certain types of S-M equipment in accordance with the laws of the state in which they reside.

Notice: This book contains nothing that is intended to appeal to prurient interest. It is a book of spiritual philosophy and psychological and sexological education and development.

A Note on Terms Used in This Book

In this initial study of our topic, terms such as Carnal Alchemy, Sado-Magic, and Sado-Shamanism are used in a fairly indiscriminate fashion to indicate the use of the methods of dominant and submissive sexuality for purposes of self-transformation, sorcery, or other forms of magic. Individual terms are more narrowly defined in the glossary.

PREFACE

TO THE THIRD EDITION

Since the original publication of this book in the early 1990s the world has become much more accepting of S/M sexuality. To a great extent that is what this book was written to facilitate in the early 1990s. Most recently the world has been deluged with the success of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon, which has brought the sexuality of dominance and submission to the forefront of popular culture. But with this good has also come some badwhich is what we must come to expect in the world. Five years after the first publication of Carnal Alchemy and over fifteen years after the reconstitution of the Order of the Triskelion, the spiritual state of affairs in the world of S/M needs to be reevaluated.

In the 1980s and early 1990s the Order of the Triskelion worked underground and magically to bring S/M sexuality and spirituality more out into the openand into the mainstream of life. The reason for this is that for many years people were living their lives out in unhappiness. Some could not bring themselves to accept their own desires for S/M experience, while even more were unable to communicate their needs to a sympathetic sexual partner. If this form of sexual expression could be brought out more into the light of day, perhaps it would be easier for everyone to come to terms with his or her own sexual desires and to find a life partner who shared those desires. This was the inner work of the Order of the Triskelion.

Perhaps it was simply an idea whose time had come. A new generation, Generation X, came of age in an era of AIDS. A generation born of the baby boomers who seemed to have used up all the fun and left behind a plague-ridden sexual landscape. A world de Sade could love. In this socio-sexual climate S/M sexuality and modern primitivism, with its tattooed skin and pierced flesh, found more ready acceptance. Doubtless S/M sexuality worked its beneficial magic in the early 1990s. This magic allowed for continued and even deepened sexual adventure and variation in a relatively safe environment.

But with increased interest and participation in S/M sex by the masses something of the old-world flavor of S/M before the 1990s was increasingly lost. In the old days those who dared to explore this forbidden form of sexual expression delved into an inner world of taboos and a social environment fraught with the dangers of rejection and misunderstanding. In the 1990s S/M became the kink du jour.

With the loss of the tension of the taboo, of the forbidden aspect of S/M, the whole phenomenon lost some of its very Sadean character. But this faddish acceptance is doomed to pass, as do all fashion trends. What will be left is a healthier world in which those who have the visceral need for it will find fellow travelers, and those who do not have this need will not feel uncool for not participating.

The Order of the Triskelion worked hardest when the S/M scene was virtually unknown. As the cultural phenomenon just described grew, the Order slipped progressively into the shadows. Perhaps it awaits a future reconstitution under another charter. This book continues to be offered to the public that it may provide a set of workable ideas for the expression of operative and spiritual S/M, steeped in the old-world aesthetic, for those who want the best of both worlds.

STEPHEN E. FLOWERS

PREFACE

TO THE FIRST EDITION

This little volume has been written to fill a large gap in the recent literature on sexual magic. Although there has been a long-standing relationship between the infliction of pain, or the suffering of pain and sexual desire and fulfilment, virtually nothing about this aspect of sexuality in the magical field has appeared. This does not mean that such a connection has been non-existent. The historical chapter of this book briefly demonstrates its enduring power in Western culture.

In most recent times the Sadean field of magical study has been the specialty of the Order of the Triskelion, which despite whatever mysterious origins might be ascribed to it, has been exploring the practice of this form of magic for the past several years. (A prospectus of the O T is printed as an appendix to this book.) Several other groups and individuals have also explored various avenues of the powers hidden in the practice we are writing about here. Some of their names and addresses are found in the Resources directory of this volume.

Because of the highly individualistic nature of the symbols and psychological responses involved in working Sado-Magic, most true development can only take place between individuals involved in an intimate relationship. Groups of any kind can provide theoretical frameworks, create supportive atmospheres, or act as social environments for certain experiments, but they are not essential to development in Sado-Magic or the Carnal Alchemy. However, a primary relationship seems to be essential. Carnal Alchemy cannot be completely utilized in a solitary environment or in one where casual encounters are the rule.