I have been reflecting on the importance of protocol lately. Protocol and ritual combine both form and functionality. Of course, through protocol, respect for the dominant can be expressed by the submissive, and in that context protocol provides a meaningful and powerful mechanism for allowing the Dominant/submissive dynamic to be expressed and reinforced in a tangible manner by the submissive's actions. As well, in addition to allowing a submissive to show respect, protocols provide an opportunity whereby the submissive may engage in service to his/her Dom/Domme.
However, protocol is much more. There are certain things we do as a matter of practicality in our day to day lives. For example, think of drinking a cup of tea. A mundane, and pedestrian every day activity if there ever was one. However, by “dressing up” this simple act of serving tea, it can become a profound act , bordering on a ceremony, whereby the parties can express their respective roles in a Dominant/submissive dynamic.
The acts which constitute the protocol become an even more profound expression of dominance and submission if the parties create the ritual themselves, rather than adopting a ritual they have seen others perform, or read about. In that respect it becomes almost a dance of submission which the parties have choreographed themselves, thereby taking on the additional significance of having been created as a unique and individualized expression of the couple's Dominant/submissive relationship.
To the extent protocols can be practiced in a vanilla context the protocol takes on the additional allure associated with acts of submission performed publicly in a vanilla environment (which I particularly love). In that respect a protocol, if comprised of subtle acts, or if practiced clandestinely can in fact allow the D/s dynamic to be practiced and reinforced regardless of who else is present.
It is important to remember a ritual can be any act, as long as its practitioners have given such act a “secondary meaning”. One way to think about acts of ritual is in terms of trademarks. By way of example, an image of an apple with a bite out of it, was merely an image of an apple with a bite out of it until Apple associated that image with tablets and phones. Similarly, an act of protocol such as sitting in a certain prescribed manner is merely an act of sitting, but when attributed with a special meaning, such act of sitting becomes so much more. It manifests itself an act of submission, respect and reverence.
Finally, protocol allows a Dominant to “lengthen his or her leash” over time and distance. By practicing protocols and rituals a submissive is reminded of his or her place in the absence of his/her dominant or domme. This is an effective means of maintaining control, even if either party for example travels extensively on business or is generally unavailable for extended time periods due to work or other commitments, or is isolated by a once in a century pandemic.
