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Gorean mentors, training? - 7/19/2011 3:08:11 PM

VanyaOrthae

Posts: 5
Joined: 1/24/2005
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Hello everyone! With all due respect, I tried a search, and have been perusing this forum here quite a bit. So if there's already been a topic explicitly talking about this subject, I would be more than grateful if it could be pointed out so I don't continue to harass anyone :).

I have ordered the first book in the Gor series because I'd to get perspective and information straight from the source, but I have been looking through this forum and other online sources (other online sources which seem to be full of misinformation)- so excuse the newbishness of my questions, but I was just curious, those of you who've claimed to be "trained" or "mentored" into the Gorean lifestyle, how so did you come about this opportunity? Was it through "munches" you attended with the mixed company of BDSMers? Was it a personal friend you already knew? Did you find these people online, met up real time, or was this "training/mentorship" conducted purely through online interactions?

As I begin to explore the books, lifestyle, and communities, I may find this kind of mentorship valuable, so I thought I would take a shot and ask those who know better than I :).

Kindest Regards,
vanyaorthae

Edited for grammatical/spelling errors

< Message edited by VanyaOrthae -- 7/19/2011 3:10:21 PM >

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RE: Gorean mentors, training? - 7/19/2011 6:43:41 PM

Nemesys

Posts: 148
Joined: 9/3/2005
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: VanyaOrthae

...those of you who've claimed to be "trained" or "mentored" into the Gorean lifestyle, how so did you come about this opportunity? Was it through "munches" you attended with the mixed company of BDSMers? Was it a personal friend you already knew? Did you find these people online, met up real time, or was this "training/mentorship" conducted purely through online interactions?

Often, none of the above.

For myself, I was about 10 years old, was wandering around the mall, and was looking through the Heinlien paperbacks when I came across a book by an author I had never heard of, but which had amazing cover. "Hunters of Gor" it was called, and after glancing through it I came to a profound revelation - that I was not alone in this world, because the existance of an entire book - an entire series! - devoted to the sexuality and philosophy that I had never seen anywhere else except in my own mind meant that there was an "undiscovered country" waiting to be explored. I bought that book, a first edition (which I still have), and eventually every other one that I could find. I was not "mentored", except through the adventures of Tarl himself (one of his major roles, of course).

I have heard many other similar stories from people who lived through that period of time, so you will likely find many "old timers" who heard of Tarl long before they heard of the internet. Today, things are different, but not worse. It doesn't matter where you first hear of it, but neither the books, mentors, or any amount of training will ever make one Gorean - but occasionally, they will provide enough unlearning to help one shed their built-up multiple layers of "civilized" bullshit of our modern society and expose the Gorean within. If there is one. - N

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"The knife is no less a knife because it makes no sound." -Tarl Cabot

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RE: Gorean mentors, training? - 7/20/2011 12:24:44 AM

Malkinius

Posts: 1584
Joined: 1/9/2004
Status: offline

Greetings VanyaOrthae....

quote:

ORIGINAL: VanyaOrthae

Hello everyone! With all due respect, I tried a search, and have been perusing this forum here quite a bit. So if there's already been a topic explicitly talking about this subject, I would be more than grateful if it could be pointed out so I don't continue to harass anyone :).

I have ordered the first book in the Gor series because I'd to get perspective and information straight from the source, but I have been looking through this forum and other online sources (other online sources which seem to be full of misinformation)- so excuse the newbishness of my questions, but I was just curious, those of you who've claimed to be "trained" or "mentored" into the Gorean lifestyle, how so did you come about this opportunity? Was it through "munches" you attended with the mixed company of BDSMers? Was it a personal friend you already knew? Did you find these people online, met up real time, or was this "training/mentorship" conducted purely through online interactions?

As I begin to explore the books, lifestyle, and communities, I may find this kind of mentorship valuable, so I thought I would take a shot and ask those who know better than I :).

Kindest Regards,
vanyaorthae

Nemesys is quite correct. Most of the people who have been doing this a long time...as in over 8-10 years, read the books long before we found others on the internet and yes, in some cases, before there was an internet. As I recall, Raiders was the newest book when I first found the series. There used to be places online where Goreans talked about becoming Gorean and what that took as well as helping people get over some of the rough spots and avoid some of the mistakes that others had made. There are still a few such places both on IRC and in forums. There were some, but not many offline meetings of Goreans as well. Some were local meetings and some were online groups who had some offline meetings. I have been to or run both types. There are still some of those going on if you are willing to travel to meet others. (According to your profile, the closest Gorean group with regular monthly public meetings is in Chicago. The next closest that I know of is in Pittsburgh.)

Depending on what you want to learn, the FAQ post is pretty good. What you will keep being told is RTFB! Read The F'n Books! <grins> Any good mentor or trainer will tell you that...and so will a lot of others. Mentoring and training is a very touchy subject amongst Goreans and people on the BDSM side. The one group that has an established history of mentoring and training, the Leather Families, just do it and don't say much about it. It is the ones who don't do much who find it such a problem.

Most of us will answer direct questions here. If you have been reading the forum for a while, you can also directly ask people questions if you don't want them asked publicly. We will usually be happy to answer. Ask several people and compare answers. <grins> We usually don't mind that either.

So...if you want to learn, read the books, ask questions, read the Gorean forums here and the ones pointed out as good places elsewhere and ask questions of the people who both seem to know what they are talking about and that other people agree with. Also, if you and your husband are willing to do so, come join us either at the monthly ChicagoGor meetings (I am the one mostly in charge of those) or the public gatherings I hold twice a year. The next one is early November in the Chicago area.

Be well....

Malkinius

_____________________________

A questioner by inclination...An Auctioneer for the fun of it
http://www.HouseMalkinius.com The goal is beauty.

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RE: Gorean mentors, training? - 7/20/2011 6:25:51 AM

joanneeve

Posts: 55
Joined: 7/26/2010
Status: offline

Greetings,

Until your book/s arrive you might want to have a look at the Gorean FAQ thread: http://www.collarchat.com/m_2997128/tm.htm

It is a good place to have a look at until you can get your hands on the books.

joanne

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RE: Gorean mentors, training? - 7/21/2011 4:18:44 AM

VanyaOrthae

Posts: 5
Joined: 1/24/2005
Status: offline

Thank you everyone! Joaneeve, I have been going through the FAQS already, but thank you for the link :). I wanted to thank Nemesys and Malkinius for sharing your personal experience for how you were introduced to the series and what made you take an interest in the lifestyle.

I was just looking to get people's personal experiences if they had in fact been mentored under someone in a formal manner, as that is something that isn't really found by reading the books, I think? Though I’m wary of making any kind of assumptions, please correct me if I’m wrong. Gor really peaked my interest when I started reading about what philosophers had influenced Norman's works - philosophical concepts and the philosophers themselves which I have been reading and dabbling in for a long time now. Much like Frank Herbert's Dune, which I absolutely fell in love with, my interest, lays in the way the author presents the philosophy and makes an example of how it works within the world they create. Once again, much thanks for your input. I appreciate your receptivity and warmth :).

Edit: Grammar mistake, oops!

< Message edited by VanyaOrthae -- 7/21/2011 4:20:34 AM >

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