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I want to thank BitaTruble for letting me know that her Master wrote this.  I want to thank Master Michael aka Propane7@aol.com for allowing me to post this here to share with you all.  

Figging
 The Art of Ginger Root Play 

When I first wrote an article on figging some years ago, I received, not   surprisingly, a heap of e-mail from lifestylers who had never heard of   this.  They were most appreciative to have received the information   though, and many were anxious to try the technique.  I thought that with   a new crop (no pun intended) of Doms and subbies entering our community, I would rewrite the article.  If you're already familiar with figging, you may skip to the next informative article on the list.   If figging sounds like an old Scottish sport, you'd better stick around and read on. 

Figging, anal play (or torture) using ginger root, seems to be an art that is increasingly ignored.  Maybe it's because there isn't enough information passed on about it or perhaps with the advent of fancy salves, chemicals and potions that can mimic ginger, lifestylers don't want to take the time needed to prepare for this activity.  Either reason precludes a pleasurable and memorable experience.   While there is still controversy as to the origins and reasons to figging, it is fairly well agreed upon that it dates back to the Victorian era.  Mentions of figging can be found in some Victorian literature.  Back in those days, the Victorians were a fairly bawdy, perverted, kinky bunch behind closed doors (ya gotta love them). Caning, a very popular form of punishment, especially for the female miscreant, was elevated to an art form itself.  There is evidence that figging actually had its beginnings when ginger was used in a caning victim's anus to prevent her from clenching her buttocks during punishment.  While I'll expand on this later, clenching one's butt while it hosts ginger causes an intense burning sensation.  Now why the Victorians didn't want to see the victim clench her rear is beyond me. Somehow, the practice was picked up as a technique unto itself in the lifestyle.  I have practiced figging for many years and have turned many subs onto it.  While it is a fairly easy technique to master, some care is necessary and proper preparation is required. 

So, let's delve into the world of ginger (or Gilligan and Mary Ann).  Ginger, in its natural state, is sold as a "hand".  For you non-gourmets, it's called a hand because it somewhat resembles one.  The   protuberances from the hand are called, yes Martha, fingers.  Unfortunately, many supermarkets now precut the hand into fingers and package them as a convenience.   What's the matter with them!  Don't they realize they are making it difficult for us Doms to torture our subbies butts??!!  I mean really sorry again.  Stay away from the precut stuff unless you've had enough experience to safely play with small fingers. Celeste, no wise cracks here!!  Find a place that sells a hand.  If the supermarket doesn't have any, visit any oriental grocery store.   

Buy the largest hand you can find and scurry it home.   Keep the entire hand in a cool dry place until you are ready to use it.   The sooner you use it, however, the better the effect unless you age it properly which I'll get to later.  When playtime rolls around, I usually like to have my sub bound, face down on the bed over a pillow.  No blindfold here.  I make it a point of allowing her to watch and hear me prepare the ginger.  The anticipation is spectacular especially if she's never experienced it before.  The gyrations generated from the anticipation alone are well worth the experience.  Now you are ready to cut a finger of ginger from the hand.  Unless the fingers are very long, do not cut the finger off at the joint of the hand.   Remove the finger by cutting down into the palm of the hand so that you get a long, uniform width finger.  I like to use a finger no smaller than 4 inches.  Longer is better.  Take a paring knife or vegetable peeler and remove the brown skin.  Make sure all the skin is off as well as insuring that all the bumps and knots are cut off and smoothed as well.  Try not to remove too much meat underneath, as you want to retain as full a finger as possible.   Take your time and don't rush this step. 

As you work, rinse it under cold water periodically to help wash away pieces of skin.  Ginger is fibrous and sometimes takes a little time to prepare properly.  If you're into oriental cooking, you'll love the delicate ginger aroma that is released as you do this step.  The smell is a great stimulus for the sub as well.  It heralds things to cum (yes, pun intended).  After you have the skinned root all smooth and nice, you now have to perform the tricky bit.  With the paring knife, about two-thirds of the way down the root, carefully carve a concavity around the finger.  This will act as a retention device.  Similar to a butt plug where the sphincter locks around the tapered portion of the plug, the concavity will do the same thing.  Make the ring no more than a half-inch wide.  Remember; do not taper the finger all the way down to the end.   You want full circumference of the finger two-thirds of the way down, a half-inch retention ring and then full circumference continuing down to the end of the finger.   Do not carve out too much however, as this will weaken the finger and increase the possibility of breaking it while in the sub.  You don't need a very deep ring for retention. 

After you have carefully completed this step, rinse the finger off and dip it in cold water.  Make sure the tip of the finger is sufficiently rounded.  You can always touch this area up with a knife or peeler.  Now it's ready to insert.  Unlike your own finger, you do not use lube with a ginger finger.  Lubricant acts as a sealant and prevents the ginger moisture from doing its thing.  Instead, use the cold water to keep the finger wet.   

Slowly insert the finger into the sub's anus.  DON'T RUSH HERE.  TAKE YOUR TIME.  Wet ginger is slick enough to slide in with care.   When the anus finally opens and accepts the ginger, slide it in up the ring and let the sub close around it.  The beauty of ginger is that it takes a little while for the effect to take place.  Once it begins, it builds steadily.  While you are waiting for the fun to begin, go wash off your hands.  You don't want to touch your eyes or your sub's eyes by accident with ginger on your hands.  Now sit down in a comfy chair and enjoy the show.  Most submissives will become rather vocal as the ginger works its magic.  Depending on the fortitude of the sub, the potency of the ginger and how much of a mindfuck you prologued with, the reactions will vary.  A few subs have reported that the ginger doesn't do any more than, let's say, Ben Gay, however, they are far and few between.  Most subs report that the effects were far greater than they imagined.  Different strokes for different folks.  To increase the effect, pinch your sub's buttocks together and hold them for a minute or two.  This causes a big boost in burning sensation and if done every so often, keeps your sub awake.  The effects of the ginger will last approximately twenty minutes or so, after which, the effects diminish rapidly.  The nice thing about ginger is no matter how intense the effect on the sub, you won't hurt her/him and it is short-lived. 

Once the sensation ceases, remove the ginger and go about your other session business.  Ginger also has a property that puts it far ahead of any ginger wannabe substance.  The juice of the root has the ability to cause incredible horniness.  I have had subs begin to sob, begging to   have something inserted into their pussies and to have orgasm.  The   reaction is tenfold if the ginger juice comes in contact with the clit. Cut a small slice of ginger, making sure it has one flat side.  Place this side directly onto the clit and hold it there.   Depending on   anatomy, some women will be able to retain the slice on their clit without assistance.  Apply ginger to the clit while the ginger butt plug is in place and watch the fun.  I have experienced some of the most stunning results with subbies using this technique.  I don't have a perfect scientific explanation as to why ginger causes such an aphrodisiac effect but suffice to say it works. 

Being an equal opportunity lifestyler, I don't want to forget the male sub and his Domme.  Ginger is dynamite for CBT.   Cut a julienne slice of peeled ginger.  It should be approximately 1/8-1/4 inch wide by at least 1 inch long.  Make sure it is smooth and that the edges are rounded. Use the paring knife "gingerly" for this task.  Make sure your sub is tied down face up.  Dip the ginger in water and slowly insert it into the urethra of the cock.  Make sure you leave enough sticking out to be able to remove it easily.   The effect of ginger in a cock is almost immediate and the sub will react quite vigorously.  The burning is incredibly intense.  If it become too much for your sub, remove the ginger and give him a minute's rest.  When the ginger is removed, the burning sensation drops dramatically. Eventually, the sensation will wear off but not until the sub is spent. 

Now for a little technique that will "turbocharge" your ginger. 

Using your ginger soon after you buy it will assure potency.  Storing ginger, unprotected, for long periods of time will rob it of its "zip."  However, if you have any ginger fingers left after playtime, place it in a sealed, plastic bag and place it in the veggie bin in the refrigerator.  Now, like the aging of fine wine, forget about it for a while.  After a few days, check the ginger.  If things are going well, the inside of the bag should have moisture on it.  If a little mold has formed on the ginger, it’s time for play.  If not, put it back in the bin for another day or two and check it daily until mold forms.  The mold is harmless and does not penetrate the tough, fibrous skin of the root.  Peel and prepare the ginger as before and play as usual.  But look out!  The juice of the ginger has increased dramatically in potency.  If you think you had a good time   when the   ginger was new, wait till you play now!  Any unused ginger should be   discarded at this point.  Two words of caution.   First, if your sub is allergic to ginger (I haven't run into one yet), don't play with it.  You can ignite an allergic skin reaction.  Not good.   Second, if by some chance the ginger breaks off in your sub's butt and you can't retrieve it, don't bother with emergency rooms.  They will only cause you a hassle.  Instead, just   throw your sub into the wok with some chicken and enjoy. 

Play safe.

FIGGING II


TURBO GINGER 

Subsequent to writing the updated article on figging and having it posted to several websites, many people new to this form of play gave it a try and made it a point to let me know how it went. Without fail, these lifestylers reported their first figging episode in terms of a “WOW” experience. Both Dom and sub were equally enthusiastic with the results and it made me feel good to know that I was able to bring a little joy and excitement into their lives with nothing more than a popular oriental cooking ingredient. I’m not saying that there weren’t any less-than-thrilled reactions to ginger play, I just haven’t had any reports of such. 

Well, for those that enjoyed figging enough to make it part of their regular repertoire of activities, I bring you a “souped” up version to add a little more excitement. The trick here is simple and has to do with aging or “ripening” the ginger. Buy a nice size hand of the root, one that will provide material for 2-3 play sessions. So as not to delay your fun for too long, go ahead and enjoy a figging session as soon as possible after bringing the root home. The unused portion of the hand will now be prepared for aging. While you can do this by keeping the rest of the hand intact, it is far more effective if you take the time to cut it into actual usable pieces at this time. DO NOT peel these pieces now. Instead, place them into a small, sealed plastic bag. A zip-lock sandwich bag is ideal. Now place the sealed bag into the refrigerator. The bottom shelf or veggie bin is wonderful for storage. Now comes the hard part … forget about it. After one week has passed, check the bag. There are three signs that good things are happening. There will usually be moisture lining the bag. There may be some mold on the tough, brown root covering. Finally, any areas of the fingers that do not have the root covering because of previous cutting, may have turned somewhat brown. Ginger root that demonstrates all three signs is gold. You can use it immediately and get spectacular results. Root showing signs of mold and browning alone is also ready for play. If just moisture is present in the bag, chances are the root is more powerful then when first used, however, it probably can use further aging. No matter what stage the ginger s in, further aging serves to increase its potency. So don’t be afraid to tuck it back into the fridge. 

Preparing the aged ginger for play is the same as for new ginger described in the first figging article. Do not let any visible mold bother you. It is harmless and grows only on the root covering. When you peel the finger, the mold will be discarded. Also, thinly slice or scrap away any exposed, brown areas, although this browning is harmless to your subbie if left on the root. Shape the finger as usual and enjoy. As mentioned previously, aging the ginger increases the potency considerably. Doms who have used new ginger on their submissives will usually notice a marked decrease in reaction time and an increase in reaction intensity. I have used both new and aged ginger on my submissive many times and, without fail, the ripe ginger always produces louder moans and groans and far more animated squirms, wiggles and ass bucking. Interestingly enough, not only does the burning sensation increase, but the aphrodisiac qualities of aged ginger doesn’t go unnoticed either. Without fail, ripe ginger used in my submissive’s pussy or on her clit results in her begging for sexual release almost immediately. Needless to say, I often take my time to consider her desperate request. I love being a Dom! Any unused ginger fingers can be stored back in the plastic bag in the refrigerator. Just remember that its potency is growing. Ginger that becomes mushy and overly wet has been stored too long and should not be used. 

Now that you know how to create turbo ginger, go out and buy a nice big hand of the stuff for you and your subbie to enjoy. Remember, a good-size hand of ginger, if put through the aging process, is the gift that can keep on giving. 

SSC 

Master Michael 
3/2001