Celebrating Gor - The month of August

Fifth Month
~Third Hand (July 29 -August 2)
~Fourth Hand (August 3-7)
~Fifth Hand (August 8-12) Kajuralia in Ar
Fifth Passage Hand (August 13-17) Love Feast in Ar
Sixth Month
~First Hand (August 18-22)
~Second Hand (August 23-27)
~Third Hand (August 28-Sept. 1)

The month of August straddles two seperate Gorean months again.  Todate, John Norman has not seen fit to name them.  

There are two specific celebration we can hold during this month.  The Love Feasts of Ar, which may or may not have variations within other cities, we know that when Kajuralia is mentioned, most citie hold such a event, only dates, or times of year might change.  Here however it DOES take place in Ar.

The Kajuralia celebration 

This is more of a extreme version of a Sadie Hawkins dance, where slaves have no limits, where they run wild.  During this time you will find slaves doing just about anything that pleases them.  Including, but not limited to 'turn about is fair play' where occassionally men are captured and put to their use. Keep in mind, the day after Kajuralia ends, these same slaves, slide back into their comfort level.  You know, I have often thought, what if Kajuralia is practiced more often in Second Life Gor, what if  we allowed all the slaves to have a day where they can run wild.  Might we have less to worry about when it comes to them sliding into 'princess tiara mode'.
By all accounts, its takes place for approximately ONE HAND, which is our equivalent of a week.

Love Feasts of Ar 

This festival takes place according to established 'canon' right after 'slaves gone wild' or as it more widely known, kajuralia (See above)

On the other hand, the single greatest period for the sale of slaves is the five days of the Fifth Passage Hand, coming late in summer, called jointly the Love Feast.

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 193

Many houses would doubtless have put them up for sale in En'Kara but Cernus, as I had heard, was saving them for the Love Feast, which occupies the five days of the fifth passage hand, falling late in the summer. There was a variety of reasons why he was postponing their sale. The most obvious was that good prices are commanded on the Love Feast. 

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 205

in the late summer, during the Fifth Passage Hand, on the Love Feast.

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 211

on the last day of the fifth month, which is the day preceding the Love Feast.

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 229

The Love Feast, incidentally, as I may have mentioned, occupies the full five days of the Fifth Passage Hand, occurring late in summer. It is also a time of great feasting, of races and games. Cernus, sensing the temper and curiosity of the crowds, had determined to make them wait for his surprise delights, over a hundred Of them, whose supposed qualities of beauty and skill, enhanced by the mysterious aura of barbaric origin, had been for months the object of ever more eager rumors and excited speculations. Many were the furious Gorean slave girls who found themselves, early in the Love Feast, forced to ascend the block, while buyers were still waiting, before the larger quantities of gold would be spent, to be sold for prices less than they might otherwise have won for themselves under the conditions of a more normal market. The evening of the fourth day of the Love Feast is usually taken as its climax from the point of view of slave sales. The fifth day, special races and games are celebrated, regarded by many Goreans as the fitting consummation of the holidays. These games are among the most heavily attended and important of the year.

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 281

The Ubar's Race is the final and climactic race of the Love Feast.

Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 335

Slavers remain active all year on Gor, but the peak seasons for slaving are the spring and early summer. This has to do with such matters as the weather, and the major markets associated with certain feasts and holidays, for example, the Love Feast in Ar, which occurs in the late summer, occupying the full five days of the Fifth Passage Hand.

Players of Gor     Book 20     Page 13

For all intensive purposes, its a time of great celebration.  Perhaps on a level one might consider similar to the sardar fair.  Just held in Ar.  While at the same time being a major source for sales among slaving houses, it is a time of many games, probably not unlike celebratons like 'The Thing' in Torvaldsland.

The rest of the month of our month of August seems to be celebration free, at least so far, until John Norman deems the need to include something else.  This does NOT mean we can not find something to celebrate, a variation on a theme of these perhaps, or on others held throughout the year.

Celebrating Gor,

Godric Kharg

Know when to change your Gorean Roleplay!

There is a question every owner, and every slave must face over time, and that is simple.  When to fight to keep what was, and when to agree that its time to move on.  There are multiple components to this not the least of is each others feelings behind the screen, and in character. 

Keep in mind, that while we do attempt to remain in a by the book gorean environment, and keep the mindset a gorean might have, in their culture, a MASTER does not HAVE to decide to do anything, in fact they can decide NOT to decide.  The only downside of this is the other party involved.  Is damage being done?  Are you loosing a friend, outside of the character play?  

Yes, true, its supposed to be role play, however how can you get role play unless you feel some very direct and very potent emotions.  Of course they need to be controlled, guided, and monitored, how else can a slave find that inner drive to serve or wish to die instead of displeasing?  How many slave have you seen that simply decide one day not to log in.  They either go create another account, and start life anew under another name, or they leave, and never come back.  Both actually hurt Gor in Second life, both do a tremendous mount of damage in fact.

We need to be careful and yet still, keep within character, find a solution, find a path regardless of how badly it might hurt. 

I know from personal experience in the past when you loose that connection with a slave, its painful.  I can only imagine how painful it must be for someone who claims they are a natural slave.

Those of us that have actually read the books, and actually have interest in immersion into the gorean lifestyle even if just in a role-play environment, understand this clearly.  However it can be difficult at the same time, as there are strong emotions sometimes that come into play.

When do decide to move on, when do you decide it is not worth fighting?  Well, each situation is different.  Is the slave abandoned?  Does she have real life contact with her owner.  How deeply is she submitted to him.

How long has your slave been gone, will she return?

Have you had to take an extended 'vacation' from Gor, and are now returning, hoping to pick up where you left off, with your kajira?  Its not so easy, the slave has most probably remained behind, and may have gotten attached to someone else.  Do you force it/?  A true slave would return, however unless her new owner has taken steps to ensure he is the owner..   this means taking legal steps in role-play.  How often do we see this? Rarely if ever.

My point here is not that a slave isn't a slave if she doesn't return to her absentee owner, its that we jump to, and expect things to be automatic.  Why do more of us not role play it?  A slave never exists without a collar, or ownership in some way.  Sure she might be wandering, but she belongs to someone.  Sure she might not have a collar on but he belongs to someone.  Sure, she is always, always, always owned.  This a fact of Gor, 

There should be more role-play on these smaller things.  Done with a lave   Do not jut release her, free her you give her papers of manumission, free her and you are telling her she is worth nothing, not even an attempt to find a owner, not even a town slaver?  Every person deserves that respect, even the slaves.

Slaves should respect themselves more, but turning this into role-play.  I knew a girl who was stuck in a tower for 6 months, she role played it well, even with some of the surrounding drama.