Life-Staking Knife

Swearing devotion with your life at knifepoint

What You Need

• Kitchen knife
• A suitable platform

Method

Note: This training task does not promote suicide or self-harm. Please avoid doing this when mentally unstable.

In this training task, you will demonstrate your submission by pledging your life using a blade.

Ideally, this would be done with a dagger, but since you likely don't have one, use a kitchen knife instead.
Use the largest blade you have in your home.
If you have a whetstone or sharpener, it's even better to sharpen it beforehand.

Don't place the knife directly on the floor; put it on an elevated surface.
Any suitable platform like a tissue box will suffice.
Position the blade pointing toward where you will sit, with the handle to your right from your perspective.

Once you've prepared the knife, strip completely naked.
While nudity in other training tasks is often for shame or humiliation, here it has a different meaning.
You're naked to show that you hide nothing from the master to whom you pledge submission.

Kneel formally in front of the knife with a straight back.
Grasp the knife handle with your right hand and gently support your right hand from below with your left hand.
Slowly lift the knife and carefully place it against your neck, at your carotid artery.

Use the part of the blade near the handle, not the tip, against your neck.
This is to allow for a slicing motion if necessary.
Ensure the blade actually touches your skin.
If the knife is well-sharpened, be extremely careful not to push or pull it as even slight movement could cut you.
If you're nervous, you may use a mirror.

With the knife against your neck, imagine your master standing before you and clearly state:
"I pledge my life to your service."

When you feel you've heard your imaginary master's response, slowly remove the blade from your neck.
Be careful to move the blade perpendicular to your neck to avoid any cutting motion.
Return the knife to its original position, and you're done.

Points to Note

I often say I like "absolute submission," and I believe the ultimate submission is offering your life.
I don't want you to die, but I want you to be willing to die if I wished it.

Anyone can pledge submission in words alone, but there is weight in actually placing a blade against your neck.
The cold touch and fear of the blade against your neck will lend sincerity to your words of submission.

When you speak your words of devotion, how will your master respond?
Through this training task, try to connect with the essence of devotion and submission sleeping within you.