Saint Andrew's Cross (BDSM)
Encyclopedia
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
dungeon
Dungeon (BDSM)
In BDSM sexual play, a dungeon is any space set aside for "scene" activities.Private dungeons are often fabricated in residential basements or spare rooms...
s. It typically provides restraining points for ankles, wrists, and waist. When secured to a saltire, the subject is restrained in a standing spreadeagle position
Spreadeagle (position)
The spread eagle is the position in which a person has his or her arms outstretched and legs apart, figuratively resembling an eagle with wings spread. It is a style that appears commonly in nature and geometry. In human style it is represented by the letter "X".A spreadeagle is a common position...
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The St. Andrew's Cross and the spanking bench are the most common pieces of BDSM furniture. Saltires are versatile and easy to manufacture. They are usually firmly attached to a wall, and some are attached to a central hinge, allowing the subject to be spun and inverted.
The submissive may be attached to the cross with either the back or front facing the cross. Being restrained facing the cross is the position often used for whipping
Erotic spanking
Erotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties...
. Back to the cross is usually more of a sexual bondage position
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
or used for sexual teasing
Erotic sexual denial
Erotic sexual denial, also known as orgasm denial, is a sexual practice in which a heightened state of sexual arousal is maintained for an extended length of time without orgasm, and is commonly practiced in association with BDSM and sexual bondage. Erotic sexual denial can be another name for or...
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The Cross may be purchased from BDSM companies, but many users make their own. Freestanding saltires have a frame which supports the cross. Some homemade freestanding crosses have a tendency to be unstable; a writhing subject can sometimes turn them over, so great caution needs to be exercised in their use. Some freestanding crosses include footrests that greatly improve safety and stability.
The name comes from the Crux decussata (diagonal cross) that Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
is said to have been martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed on.
Literature
- Jay WisemanJay WisemanJay Wiseman is an American BDSM writer and speaker.In 1991, Wiseman started the Greenery Press publishing house with his partner Janet Hardy, author "Lady Green" of The Sexually Dominant Woman...
: SM 101: A Realistic Introduction. Greenery Press (CA) 1998, ISBN 0-9639763-8-9 - Philip MillerPhilip MillerPhilip Miller FRS was a Scottish botanist.Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 until he was pressured to retire shortly before his death...
, Molly Devon: Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns: The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism, Mystic Rose Books, 1995. ISBN 0-9645960-0-8. - Dossie Easton, Janet W. Hardy: The New Topping Book. Greenery Press (CA) 2002, ISBN 1-890159-36-0