The Forum is an un-moderated discussion mailing list to which anyone can subscribe. The discussion may include subjects which some people may not like, so please be prepared to un-subscribe if you don't like what you read.

Forum presents a comprehensive discussion of safe play, and erotic adult education and aims to help people gain basic and advanced knowledge and skills in a growing range of sexual health and safety issues, with strong emphasis on the BDSM and fetish scene.

Living in a Dom/sub relationship is one of the most challenging, rewarding, exciting, (and sometimes dangerous) ways to live. Those who live in Mistress/Master/slave relationships (or would like to) are often confronted with problems that only those who are part of the BDSM community can truly understand. Forum will address the many and varied problems commonly faced by those living in D/s relationships.

For mailing lists to work well, it's important that everybody understands the protocols and etiquette of membership.

General Rules:

1. Absolutely NO derogatory personal comments.
2. Please be restrained with the frequency of your posts. Some people mistake volume for quality. It is our belief that if you take a little more time getting it right the first time, your post will be more useful and interesting. Sensitivity is a pre-requisite for sound BDSM play. Flooding mailing lists with YOUR opinion is not regarded as sensitive and damages your credibility. Simple apologies or retractions are a welcome exception
3. If you reply to a thread, but in doing so your comments move into a different subject area, you will be expected to change the subject accordingly. Hopefully, the archives of this list will become over time a useful resource. It is important that the subject is relevant in case a search is desirable. Subject lines that reflect content also ensure that subscribers don't miss out on information that may be of interest to them.
4. Threads are discussed, but not beaten into submission with endless regurgitation.
5. New subscribers encouraged and treated with respect. Everybody starts somewhere. Individuals new to the scene are often intimidated by the apparent erudition of established players. Newbies are actively encouraged to contribute, and if a post announces that it comes from a newbie it will be treated with utmost respect. In the unlikely case that a "newbie" post is inappropriate, a respectful reply will be sent by the list owner in private explaining why
6. Good manners are valued above anything.

Who can post:

1. Anyone who is subscribed can post. Non subscribers may NOT post.
2. If a post concerns technical or health/safety issues, you must declare your level of competence, experience or training.

Technical issues:

1. All posts must be plain text. Check your mail programs configuration. HTML creates problems for some subscribers. Plain text is readable by anybody. This rule is intended to make it easy for every subscriber to read every post.
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 The Arch Of Janus

The background picture to this page is the Arch of Janus. It has no special significance except we like the look of it. Drawing by Giovanni Battista Piranesi from the mid 18th century. Apparently dating back to the time of Constantine, this four-faced construction lies in the midole of a busy road junction at the edge of the Forum Boarium, near to the ancient quays and was a favourite place for merchants to close shady business deals.

Trivia:

Janus

In BDSM: for many years there has been a Janus magazine published in England, containing mainly fantasy stories with a heavy emphasis on older men spanking or chastising younger women. There is also a Society of Janus in San Francisco, which is concerned with S-M.

Janus is the name of the sixth satellite of Saturn.

In Roman religion, the animistic spirit of doorways (januae) and archways (jani). The worship of Janus traditionally dated back to Romulus and a period even before the actual founding of the city of Rome. There were many jani (i.e., ceremonial gateways) in Rome; these were usually freestanding structures that were used for symbolically auspicious entrances or exits. Particular superstition was attached to the departure of a Roman army, for which there were lucky and unlucky ways to march through a janus. The most famous janus in Rome was the Janus Geminus, which was actually a shrine of Janus at the north side of the Forum. It was a simple rectangular bronze structure with double doors at each end. Traditionally, the doors of this shrine were left open in time of war and were kept closed when Rome was at peace. According to the Roman historian Livy, the gates were closed only twice in all the long period between Numa Pompilius (7th century BC) and Augustus (1st century BC).

Some scholars regard Janus as the god of all beginnings and believe that his association with doorways is derivative. He was invoked as the first of any gods in regular liturgies. The beginning of the day, month, and year, both calendrical and agricultural, were sacred to him. The month of January is named for him, and his festival took place on January 9, the Agonium. There were several important temples erected to Janus, and it is assumed that there was also an early cult on the Janiculum, which the ancients took to mean "the city of Janus."

Janus was represented by a double-faced head, and he was represented in art either with or without a beard. Occasionally he was depicted as four-faced--as the spirit of the four-way arch.

Forum

The Forum was the religious, civic, and commercial centre of pastoral, royal, and republican Rome. After Julius Caesar, though it became more imposing, it was only one (albeit the most distinguished) of several complexes serving the same functions. Essentially, it was a small, closed valley ringed by the Seven Hills.There were two meeting places, formal open spaces in the northwest corner, the political Comitium and the social Forum--the name later applied to the entire valley--with shops down both sides. At the other end of the valley was the precinct of the high priest next to the Vestals, the keepers of the sacred flame. Between these two were the temples of the gods. Various emperors opened up the ends of the valley, and there was more building; but the poles of activity did not alter.