The Origin of The Shadow Series
It was exactly this time 20 years ago1March 2005, I stepped foot into a grey-and-black-trimmed Victorian house in the Bay Area—a place called The Gates. I had just been hired at the Gates, the local Bay Area commercial dungeon. But just a few weeks before, I didn’t even know what a Dominatrix was. All I had coming in was a mind full of pervy thoughts. And my only experience was having read The Story of O2and LOVED it.
I assumed there would be some form of training, like a literal learning the ropes. But there was none. Instead, we were told by the headmistress3who was always stoned to just shadow as many sessions as we needed until we felt ready to take on our own.
Shadowing meant stepping into a live session, watching and learning through observing the raw and immersive experience, much like an apprentice observing a master/mistress at work. And so, I shadowed three sessions from three different Mistresses.
Each scene had its own strange magic, its own distinct rhythm. My eyes widened as I took it all in, committing every detail to memory:
Mistress Davina, expertly trussing up her sub’s cock and balls with a shoestring, binding the shoestring to his wrists behind his head = predicament bondage
Miss Rose, sweetly coaxing her “baby” to lower his diaper and bend over her knee for a spanking
Lady Gitana, giggling with delight as she dolled up her sub in pink lace lingerie and made them dance for her.
Each Mistress played differently—some wielded cold cruelty, others exuded warmth and playfulness. Yet all shared the same hypnotic ability to captivate, control, and bring their submissives into complete surrender. Their confidence and imagination seem effortless, as if they had always been this way.
And so I wondered: Do I have this in me?
After just three sessions, I was eager to find out.
So I decided to take my first session..
I stepped into my first scene with nerves buzzing through my body. What do I say? What do I do? Will my sub see right through me?
But as I found the sub on his knees looking up at me, something shifted. The moment I felt my sub’s energy—his deep desire to surrender—my mind quieted. I didn’t need to think. I just felt my way into every moment. The words, the commands, the control—they flowed naturally.
By the end, I turned to my sub and confessed, This was actually my first session.
He looked stunned. Then, to my relief, he said: “You could’ve fooled me.”
~
Looking back, I often reflect: How did I step into my power so naturally? How did I embody the role of Dominatrix so quickly?
It was because of shadowing. Those three sessions were more than just observations—they were transmissions. Each scene imprinted something into me, showing me the limitless ways to play and helping me unlock my own unique style.
To celebrate both my 20-year Dommeversary and having trained over a thousand Mistresses to become the Dominatrix of their vision, I am launching a new MistressClass training course that pays tribute to this rare and powerful lineage of Femdom learning. This will be a raw and edgy immersive experience.
If you ask any Dominatrix how she learned, she will likely tell you:
“I knew a Domme who showed me the way.”
That’s the essence of The Shadow Series. I love showing the infinite ways to play. And I’m so excited to open the doors and have you virtually step into my dungeon. To shadow me, my subs, and incredible colleagues and have you witness, absorb, and receive the transmission of each scene that will hopefully lead you to your own intuitive path to play.
So…