My fleshly urge postponed for now, I set myself to study. Glancing over the reading list I'd been given, I saw that it was divided into five sections, First, there was a section with introductory readings for complete beginners like myself, who had not yet started classes. Then there were sections on each of the four areas that Mistress had described:
• on Pleasure Work, covering the Guild and its recognized modalities of pleasure, with the career opportunities and requirements for each;
• on Group Facilitation, covering basic skills for organizing workshops, celebrations, and other group events;
• on Body Knowledge, with a practicum of exercises on hygiene, physical fitness, massage and sexuality;
• on 'Hedonics,' a theoretical course on the history, philosophy and neuroscience of pleasure.
Most of the assigned readings were in four textbooks for these areas, and also on-line, in electronic format, to facilitate note taking and personal commenting. I switched on my new laptop and began to read, following the introductory reading list.
The first assigned text gave an overview of the many types of pleasure work -- sexual and otherwise, going on to discuss the professionalization of pleasure as an industry and field of study which came into its own as religious and puritanical prejudices faded.
A second assigned reading (on Philosophical Background) took up the widely misunderstood teachings of a Greek philosopher named Epicurus, and the objections of several opposing schools -- notably:
• the Stoics and Confucians, with arguments that Epicureans focus too much on themselves and their close friends, while turning away from duty and public life; and
• the religious thinkers of all stripes, with complaints that Epicureans are heedless and indifferent to righteousness and the commandments of their respective ideas of God.
As the chapter pointed out, Epicureans had always considered the satisfactions of meaningful work, service to others and public service as legitimate forms pleasure. They had never advocated indulgence in any pleasure beyond the bounds of moderation and common sense. They rejected ambition and the pursuit of fame as sources of anxiety, but not the pleasures of selfless work in a worthy cause. They asked for and insisted on a distinction between selfishness and wise self-acceptance and self-concern. As against Calvinists and Puritans who are suspicious of pleasure as such, they promoted wisely enjoyed pleasures which could advance authentic self-knowledge and happiness. Modern epicureans also accept and teach the apparent paradox that direct pursuit of pleasure and happiness can be self-defeating because true happiness and 'flow' involve a certain forgetfulness of self. It gets around this paradox through concepts of 'love' (in its many forms). With the Sufi poet Rumi, modern epicureans see pleasure as conducive to love and knowledge, which are in turn conducive to happiness.
I read on and on. At one point, realizing that I was getting hungry, I looked at the digital clock in the corner of my screen and saw that it was almost time for dinner. Shutting down, I scurried to the dining room, arriving just in time. As I sat down, I saw Mitch glance at me and scowl, stroking his cheek with the back of his hand. Looking around, I saw that everyone else at table was impeccably groomed, while my own hair was dishevelled and I hadn't shaved. I met Mitch's gaze and mouthed 'sorry'; and he nodded at me. Lesson learned. Even going naked, we dress for dinner.
Joe had prepared dinner, and now was eating with us at table. Lisa was serving and would eat later.
You don't need a blow-by-blow account of our table talk, that night. The other apprentices talked about their days' activities. Mistress announced that I was now a registered probationer, which got me a round of congratulations and best wishes. At then end of our meal, she made a second announcement about me: that I would now receive my first punishment for an offense of indiscretion -- that I had told her something private about my own mother that she had no need to know. She meant to use this occasion to teach me, and remind everyone, of the importance of confidentiality with all information that we received from or about clients. She told the story of a German call girl named Rosemarie Nitribitt who was murdered in Frankfurt at the age of 36, and had a movie made about her death. Her clients included West German industrialists and business executives, and the police suspected that she was doing a side business selling their business secrets, though this was never proven.
