Covering Ceremonies
And the word "Master"
There are many different views on what a Covering Ceremony is, this is just my own interpretation of what I know.
A Master's Cover is a leather Cap - which is called a Cover (never a cap) , it is worn on special occasions like High Protocol events - for example, Collaring Ceremonies, High Protocol Dinners, Leather gatherings, Covering Ceremonies.
Covering Ceremonies can be organised by someone in the Community, where many people are invited and can be involved, or it can be a more personal and private ceremony with just the Master's close friends and Leather Family present.
So basically, there are two types of Cover, a Community awarded one, and a Family awarded one. I am going to explain the Community awarded Cover.
The Cover is presented to a Master in a special ceremony, usually conducted by someone important in the Master's life, and usually someone of good standing within the Community, often another Covered Master.
The Cover is presented as recognition of the Master's contribution and commitment to the Community in which He or She is a part of. It is usually done in front of invited guests, and usually the recepient is not aware of it until the very last minute.
The Ceremony starts with a speech about what the Master has done for the Community, it is usually quite detailed, almost like a resume of sorts I guess. Then other guests are asked to speak about the Master, what He or She may have done for them personally, the kind of person He or She is, or simply validating what has already been said, these are testimonials.
After that, the floor is opened for anyone else who may wish to share stories or comments about the Master.
Then the Cover is presented, sometimes the Master will kneel, sometimes He or She will sit on a chair.
It is important to remember that there is no real blueprint for a Covering Ceremony and not all are conducted in the same way. When my Master received His(a very long time ago), it was a very emotional moment for everyone. Listening to so many people stand up and speak about the kind of man He was, and what He had done for the community reduced many people to tears that night.
This explanation now brings me to what the word “Master” actually means, and who should use this title:
The word Master is used in different ways.
It can be used within a relationship - your dominant is your Master, so you call Him Master. No one else apart from His other submissive has the right to call Him "Master", because He is not their Master.
It can also be used as a title for someone who has "mastered his or her craft" - It is important to remember that the term Master is actually non-gender specific which means there are female Masters as well as male Masters, though it is more widely known to describe a male dominant - this is slowly changing.
A person who uses the title Master within the community, should therefore be someone who has a fair bit of experience, and who is well respected by people. It should be someone who has taken the time to learn, to research and to put into practice what has been learnt. Someone who is knowledgeable and respectful, but yet does not claim to know it all.
It should not be someone who has walked into this lifestyle 6 months ago, checked up how to do things on the internet and simply decided that calling him or herself master sounds like a good idea in order to get more play!
My Master was known as Master Tramp within our community and there were many people who referred to Him using that title. He had been around for a long time, He had a huge amount of experience, and was well liked and well respected by most.
The word Master can also be used as a professional working title - AS a Professional Dominant for instance.
This is just my experience nothing more. I'm sure many will find this outdated but this is a piece of my life …...so if outdated, then so am I.
One final note. For me as a slave, a Master should demonstrate skills of mastery within himself or herself.
How can you "Master" another in life if you have not infact Mastered yourself.
Keep love and respect in the lifestyle
Humbly
slave Draconica