LuckySe7en

In anticipation of Dark Odyssey, I have been musing on the following idea for a facilitated scene.

The Wizard?s Chair

The Wizard?s Chair is a ritual scene for psychological dominants, exhibitionist subs, and an attentive audience.  The process is run by the Wizard, who sits on a stage. Across from him or her is an empty chair, the Wizard?s Chair. The scene begins with the Wizard asking the audience, ?Who wishes to place him or herself in the Wizard?s Chair??  The Wizard selects a volunteer, who takes to the stage and sits.

The first part of the ritual is an interview. The Wizard asks the Subject?s name, intention for placing him or herself in the Wizard?s Chair, and any particular hard limits or concerns they may have. (If the interview progresses into a scene, consent will be explicitly obtained at each stage).

The purpose of the interview is to reveal the Subject, both to the audience and to the Subject herself.  By sitting in the Chair, the Subject commits himself to answer each question fully and honestly. (As a variant, the Subject may say ?pass? in response to a certain number of questions during the interview, after which point the process will be terminated and a new Subject selected.) A skilled Wizard will bring out those parts of the self which are normally hidden or resisted by the Subject. The mood of the interview can be playful, exacting, tender, sensual, or all of the above.

For example, for someone new to BDSM, it may be a turn-on to be made to share in front of an audience their particular fantasies or turn-on?s. For someone more accustomed to being public with their sexuality, it may be more interesting to explore their inner life. What do they want to be acknowledged for? What part of themselves do they like least? What quality or ability do they wish they had more of, and why? 

At some point the Wizard may offer the Subject an experience relevant to their conversation. For example, the Subject is a young woman. She reveals in the Interview that she wants to feel stronger and more powerful. The Wizard asks if she would like to choose someone strong and intimidating from the audience to overpower. If she accepts, the Wizard asks for Volunteers, and she chooses from them. An improvised ritual is created in which she can have a visceral experience of her power, for example by stopping the Volunteer with a commanding ?No!? In this phase the Wizard acts as facilitator and coach, assisting her in discovering and experiencing her power. The Wizard is unsparing in requiring that she find her power, yet firm and encouraging in coaching her. She works until she has a clear breakthrough or gives up. 

Another Subject is a man in his fifties. He is professionally successful but feels cut off from people around him. The Wizard may give him the chance to be cradled by Volunteers from the audience, who look into his eyes and stroke his forehead. Or the Wizard could order him bound until the Subject lists all the ways in which he sabotages what he says he wants and creates his own isolation. He may wish to be spanked or flogged to fully internalize his responsibility for his situation.

Another Subject is an older woman. She has no particular intention for the session, she is only ?curious.? In the interview it is revealed that she has given her energy and attention to others for most of her lifetime. The Wizard offers her a chance to experience being thanked and appreciated, and she brightens. She chooses volunteers from the audience to act as specific people from her life, who ritually thank her. At the same time perhaps she asks other Volunteers to massage or pleasure her. The audience may sing to her in unison, a simple repeated chorus that sinks into her body and fills her with appreciation.

Or maybe the Subject just has a fantasy that she wishes to fulfill ? fucking that hot girl who she could never get in High School. With varying degrees of literalness, the Wizard and audience Volunteers help the Subject experience seducing her, winning her heart, and getting her clothes off. (The Lust Object can be coached to say why she was always too shy to hook up with the Subject, what she secretly admired about her, etc.)

The experiences which the Wizard offers the Subject may be more sensual/sexual in nature, or they could involve enactments of moments from the Subject?s real or imagined life.  In each case, the Wizard and Subject identify potential roles, audience members Volunteer for the roles, and the Subject chooses from the Volunteers. The Wizard acts as facilitator and coach. Boundaries are checked at each stage, and every person exercises full and conscious choice throughout.

At the conclusion of the process, the Subject shares what they have gotten out of it, any new actions or behaviors they wish to commit to, new beliefs to embrace, etc. Volunteers and audience members may also share how the experience was for them.

Variants: the scene could be done by friends sitting around without a stage or chairs, as long as the roles are established and respected, and audience members pay attention and follow the leadership of the person playing the Wizard.

The Wizard may be attended by one or more Acolytes, either in personal service to him or her, or with a specific skill set which may be useful if a scene develops, e.g. rope bondage, flogging.

The dialogue between the Wizard and the Subject is key. If the space is large and the equipement is available, they should both be fitted with cordless mic?s.

The Subjects could be a couple, not necessarily submissive but willing to entrust themselves to the facilitation of the Wizard for the duration of the ritual. The process might focus on what they most appreciate from each other, or most fear revealing to each other.