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Taken In Hand accolades“This website is just what I have been looking for for ages--but did not even know it! Have become weary of [other] sites, etc. They never really properly address the psychological components, all the subtleties [...] [A]nyway, thanks so much for existing, I have been telling my friends...hope your website sticks around forever!” “Taken In Hand is male led but male intimately led. ... I do like the Taken In Hand focus on family and the focus that marriage is between one man and one woman. That is actually very important to me.” “[I]n Taken In Hand, I am enhancing and extending my power as a woman, and enriching my life and personality. I give up NOTHING, and gain the world.... [M]y perception of Taken In Hand is that there are few other venues that can compare for teaching men the responsible, healthy uses of power. It gives men skills and confidence they can use not just in their sexual relationships, but also with their children, in their professions, and out in the community. Taken In Hand requires a far higher level of courage, sacrifice, responsibility, and personal integrity than many [men] will even think to aspire to.” “Taken In Hand is about having the man in charge because you like it like that, it's not about blind obedience or never having your own way about anything.” “I have referred hundreds of people to [the Taken In Hand] site and have the link on my Yahoo profile.” “First of all, all you guys should check out this website, www.takeninhand.com, very interesting stuff here, check out the Commanding Presence [and] Alpha Males articles, [...] very valuable insights. 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Defy those hairy-armpitted feminists and enjoy yourself. :)” “great site.” “There are lots of websites for people in the BDSM, D/s, DD (domestic discipline) and spanking communities. There are websites for people who belong to religions that advocate male-head-of-household marriage. There are even websites for Christians who are interested in BDSM. But there are very few websites for people who are interested in male-led intimate relationships but who are not interested in all that the above communities associate with this kind of relationship (jargon, clothes, etc.) “[Taken In Hand] is really the most beautiful website...” “[Taken In Hand is an] erudite and intelligent site” “[S]ince the day I [discovered Taken In Hand] I have rediscovered my feminity.” “[Taken In Hand is] a necessary read... Very complex, lots of power shifts, combining respect with [control], and pleasure. [...] The whole shebang. I'm glad I found it.” “Taken In Hand... is the name of a website that I discovered less than two years ago and which made a big difference to my life. It made me understand what it was I wanted and helped me to come to terms with my own feelings and gave me the impetus to talk seriously to my husband about our relationship for the first time ever really. The site is about male-led relationships which do not necessarily have to involve spanking. The owner of the site is more interested in other aspects of male control. There are a lot of interesting articles on the site.” “[Taken In Hand is a]n excellent site with many thought-provoking articles and responses.” “[Taken In Hand is] one of the most exciting sites on the internet!” “[T]he whole damn site really is one of the most well articulated (pro/con) loaded blogs I've seen. It provides a cross section of how people are feeling out there even amongst those who are ‘seemingly’ natural allies.” “As I view it, I'm a control freak. I love to be in control. However, I fantasize about that control being stripped from me and handed over to someone else....namely, my husband. I'm just glad I found a site that makes me realize I'm not a freak for wanting [a Taken In Hand relationship]” “I was delighted to receive word of Taken In Hand. ... a very thoughtful and well-written group blog. ... I'm looking forward to reading through this blog the way I look forward to reading a new novel by a favorite author. It looks that good.” “Wow. This site is so amazing.” ““[Taken In Hand is] a wonderful website [...] [I]t's about the interpersonal dynamics of loving relationships where the man is the boss. [I]t's assumed that both partners are in it because that's what they want and have chosen. Also, unlike many other ‘traditional marriage’ sites, it's not coming from any sort of biblical perspective. ... Some of the best writing I've seen on these topics, from a variety of authors.” “[Taken In Hand is] a brill resource.... for info articles... and real life experiences” “A very cool site” “Thank you for providing such a positive, validating place for like-minded people to talk about this in a way that affirms the dignity of both men and women” “a great site” “an exremely high quality site... I highly recommend [Taken In Hand].” “fantastic site” “Intéressant à lire” “Un site remarquable” “[Y]our site rocks!” “Visit Taken in Hand for a lot of good thoughts. I think you'll find them useful [...]” “a wonderful site” “the best there is” “The answer to every single discussion is there. Best piece of text I read ever...And it rings SO true.” “What a wonderful website. ... [S]o much of this I can relate to my life. ... It has been a while since I have read a website that was ‘different’ than most.” “GREAT site” “Website of the Month” Other |
Our journey through BDSM to Taken in HandJ is a naturally dominant man, but we are both highly-educated professionals and our marriage was born out of a long-term professional friendship. So it began rather egalitarian. Over time, J has taken more and more of a leadership position in our relationship. It has been a beautiful experience. Early in our relationship, my husband and I started playing sex games. Usually, I came up with a scenario and we played it on from there. Often there was some BDSM mixed in, to heighten the intensity. I have been reflecting lately on all I learned about myself from our intimate relationship and assorted sexual adventures, and how it progressed to the relationship we have today. Before anyone shoots at me, I am NOT saying I have a problem with BDSM or kinky sex, I just want to share things I learned personally about myself. The first time J gave me a sound spanking was under the pretense of Daddy giving his naughty little girl a spanking. I remember trembling as he sat on the bed and told me to remove my pants. It was powerfully erotic. Yeah, it was kinky sex, but there was a fulfillment in surrendering control to a loving authority figure as well. Then there was the day Alex and Jasmine were born. Alex was a wealthy and powerful landowner whose men had just purchased for him a new concubine. On that first day, Alex had come to take possession of an incredible prize. A beautiful spirited woman, a princess of her own people. She was HIS now, and he intended to teach her respect and submission. He wanted her for his own and would bring her into submission by force if necessary. He said to her, “I can be a kind and loving man, but I can be cruel to those who disobey me.” She fought him. On the second day of the game, she was taught that she would be punished for disobedience or refusal to submit. On the third day, she was not punished, but told only to go to his bed, where he made love to her, as his own. On a later date we brought back the Alex and Jasmine characters. This time Alex viewed Jasmine not as a valuable prize to be tamed for his will, but as a worthless sex slave to be used and degraded. The first Alex and Jasmine scene was gratifying to me. The second, even though it provided a release, and was erotic, left me feeling hollow inside. It was a subtle distinction, but important from what I came to realize about myself from it. The Alex and Jasmine game was truly just a way to try to experience feelings I wanted to feel in real life, with my real husband, by playing them out in a very exaggerated way. It wasn't that I was into pain (I generally avoid it) or pretend domination, I wanted to feel I was under the dominant authority of my husband, and I used these games to feel that. I don't want to be property like Jasmine, but I want to feel that I am J's most prized possession. His treasure. His wife, only his, that he jealously guards with his love and protection. I don't want to be a slave, that jumps at her master's every command while he lies on the divan. But I do want to be able to do what is expected of me. To serve my family as an expression of my great love. To live in an ordered household that has a clear leader: my husband. A leader who also serves his family, but who is unquestionably the leader. I don't want to be beneath J, as an inferior, as a slave chained at his feet, but INSIDE him, where I feel surrounded by him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He envelops me. I am part of him, as his own body. I am safe inside him. I don't want to forbidden to have any say or opinion about my own life, or to be punished for every mistake I make, but I want to be lovingly led. And I want him to have high expectations of me and to hold me accountable. Because he loves and treasures me. I don't want to be forced into an artificial submission with whips and chains. I want to enjoy a real submission to J's very real masculine power and presence. This is manifest in the way we live every day, the way he leads me and helps me grow. It is in how we talk together and work together and worship together. It is in the way we make love. Sometimes it might mean he disciplines me, out of love because sometimes I need to physically, tangibly, feel his correction and dominance. Because there is something going on in me that I need to have brought into submission. I am not proposing an end to imaginative sex – indeed, we may propose many more interesting games in years to come. It is fun for us. But I have come to recognize that Alex and Jasmine (at least in its original form) gave me something emotionally that I needed in order to feel complete as a woman. It was a way to feel certain things by playing an exaggerated game. I want to be J's most treasured possession, guarded with his life, nurtured and cared for, guided and led. I feel calm and complete when I feel submission in my heart. It is just how I am made. Knowing he has me right there in his hand makes me feel stronger and more secure as a woman. Have you seen the following articles? When rape is a gift Acts of love Help! The one I love nowadays rarely wants sex! Can you be Taken In Hand if you're not submissive? Could you be a slave, owned, property? Taken in hand by tenderness The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman: book review Different strokes for different folks Never do without sex again Give me intensity or give me death! 2005 Aug 20 - 20:11 | add new comment | latest article | previous article | next article | permanent link
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