by Master Skip Chasey

• A Master is spiritually awake.

• A Master is actively engaged in regular spiritual practice to strengthen and deepen his awakening.

• To the best of his ability, a Master loves unconditionally.

• A Master strives to be uncompromising in his integrity.

• A Master is honest, trustworthy and consistent in his words and actions.

• A Master is willing to be emotionally open and vulnerable, and does not hide his feelings but instead expresses them in a healthy manner.

• A Master is self-sufficient.

• A Master knows that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

• To avoid causing suffering in himself and others, a Master remains in control of his ego, even when he indulges it.

• A Master does not accept the service of a slave casually, and does not take the responsibility of mastering a slave lightly.

• A Master knows what he has mastered, what he has of lasting value to offer a slave.

• A Master understands and accepts that he is engaging in a relationship of equals with his slave.

• A Master accepts from his slave only that which is freely given.

• A Master accepts the gifts of his slave’s body and trust with gratitude, and takes neither for granted.

• If SM is to be a part of the Master/slave relationship, a Master has or acquires the requisite technical knowledge and skill.

• A Master is fully conscious of his fetishes, and of the power they have over him, and acts on them only when doing so does not cause harm or suffering

• A Master understands the importance and value of discipline and protocol, and develops discipline for himself and a protocol for his slave that is both nurturing and nourishing.

• A Master possesses and uses healthy and functional communication skills, and insists that his slave do so as well.

• A Master is willing to stand in the middle of his slave’s projections about the Master without moving, neither supporting nor fostering the illusion, nor destroying it.

• A Master is willing to bear, without complaint or self-pity, the awareness that doing his best may at times not be good enough.

• A Master is willing to admit his mistakes, acknowledge his shortcomings, and make amends whenever possible.

• Despite appearances, in exercising his authority a Master’s primary intention is not to get his needs met, but to meet the needs of others as revealed by the Universe; it is a manner in which a Master fulfills his Divine purpose.

• A Master fully understands and embraces the paradox of the Master/slave relationship.

From “Priest in Black Leather: Mastery as a Spiritual Calling”

Copyright © 2003 by Skip Chasey. All Rights Reserved.