Mentalism & Spiritism in Magic & Conjuring: page 17

To significantly improve on an effect by Max Maven is a hard thing to do for anybody. But David has achieved this feat here with his Coincidence and Fate. One could even say that he has "out-maxed Maven!" - Chris Wasshuber

A shuffled ESP deck is placed on the table. A spectator rolls a pair of dice until satisfied. Using the total on the dice, the spectator deals down into the deck, and places the card at that number off to the side unseen. The deck is reassembled, and a second spectator repeats the process. When the two randomly selected cards are turned over, they match. The performer explains...

EFFECT: A deck of 52 cards is freely shown. Each card bears a single word. All 52 words are different. The mentalist mixes the cards and hands the deck to a spectator. The mentalist now turns his back to the spectator and puts his hands behind his back. The spectator now makes a random and free choice of one of the words. However, the word is placed sight unseen into the spectator’s pocket. So, even he has no idea which word he has chosen. The deck is returned to the mentalist’s hands. With his back still to the spectator, he instantly calls out a word. The spectator removes the card from...

David Devlin, the guy who brought you Coincidence & Fate, gives you a three-phase routine with an E.S.P. deck. And best of all, the entire routine is self-working!

Phase 1: The deck is shown to consist of five different symbols repeated five times. The cards are then mixed and the squared deck is placed face-down in front of a spectator. The mentalist turns his back to the spectator, and tells her to cut the deck wherever she wishes, and to complete the cut. Once that is done she is to take the top card of the deck (the card she freely cut to, no force!), look at it and then hold it behind her back so that...

(not to be confused with David’s E.S.P. Routine)

In effect, the performer lays out five cards, each of which has an ESP symbol on in. All of the cards are different and unprepared. Attention is now drawn to a small coin envelope, which, as the performer explains, contains a duplicate of one of the cards on the table. This is the prediction, and is kept in full view throughout the entire proceedings. A spectator now uses his mind to determine which four of the five cards are eliminated. The spectator makes real and honest decisions throughout the elimination process. The envelope is now opened, and it is found...

Back in 2001 Brad Burt produced David Eldridge's booklet, Mind Control. In the booklet are David's thoughts on Equivoque, or The Magician's Choice Force. Brad said, "(the effects David has created using Equivoque) are subtle and maximally deceptive, and deliver a kind of pure effect that can be the highlight of a professional show."

David Devlin has now reproduced this booklet in e-book format. In it are detailed explanations of how Equivoque works and techniques that make it deceptive. There are routines to get you started, including a routine in which a spectator blindly sets a wristwatch...

Here is the act exactly as the audience sees it:

The performer asks for the loan of three paperback novels, a piece of paper, and a pen or pencil. The performer says, "I have a feeling about one of you, and I think I have a pretty good idea about something that is going to be significant to you a little later on." The performer then writes something on the paper, folds it up, and hands it to one of the audience members.

Three audience members are now selected to participate in the tests. Participant #1 selects a book, opens it up to a random page and remembers a word. The other participants,...

Equivo-Lock is David's version of Seven Keys to Baldpate by Annemann. An ungimmicked padlock and seven keys are given to a spectator. The spectator tries all seven keys and finds out that none of the keys will open the lock. The performer now produces an eighth key, which does open the lock. The spectator now relocks the padlock, and the keys are placed into a wine glass. The keys are then mixed. The spectator now uses her powers of intuition to eliminate all but one of the eight keys. The selected key is tried in the lock and the lock opens!

The lock is not gimmicked and maybe completely examined....

Abigail was an evil witch, the high priestess of an evil coven. On the 7th day of July, 1777 the people of her small community convicted her of witchcraft, and had her put to death. Abigail was nailed to her coffin with 7 silver spikes. One through each arm, hand, and knee. The last of the 7 was drawn through her mouth so that she could never rise and cause evil again! The coven's mark was then placed on a rune, and also onto a small piece of wood. These were mixed with other runes and pieces of wood with counterfeit symbols. The superstition was that Abigail could only rise again if one who...

EFFECT: The performer jots down a prediction on a small piece of paper, folds it into quarters, and drops it into a coffee cup. A spectator is now asked to name a time. She says, "7:35". She now reaches into the coffee cup, and removes the slip of paper, opens it up, and reads the time. Of course, it is 7:35.

• No one-ahead
• The spectator does not write anything down
• No nail-writers
• No math or spelling type force
• 99% impromptu

EFFECT: The performer hands an envelope to a spectator to hold. The performer then removes a deck of cards from its case. The cards are not playing cards, however. In this deck, each card bears the name of a state in the United States. The performer thumbs through the deck allowing the spectators to see that all of the cards are different (when I do this, I even tell them that in order to have a full, 52-card deck, I have added Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico). The deck is then divided into 4 approximately equal piles. A spectator now selects one of those piles to use in the experiment, and...

A short and whimsical booklet that explores the uses of smoke machines in mentalism. Even if you never chose to use smoke in your performances, the examples will inspire you to think about ways in which your mentalism might look to your audience.

You will read about ways in which smoke can be used as a visual metaphor, for gags, or to illustrate your "fauxcess" (a term that Derren Brown and Andy Nyman coined to denote the implied method that you want your audience to think you are using).

Fun fact: Derren Brown read the ad text for this book (back when it was a small Xeroxed and hand-cut...

This is a totally impromptu book test. It requires no gimmicks and can be done with virtually any book (hard cover or soft cover). There is also no setup. You do not need to have access to the book beforehand. And still you can reveal Any Word on Any Page.

Picture somebody choosing any book, from their own bookshelf. Then they open their book to any page they please and freely select any word. There are no forces and the choice of page and word is entirely free. That's what A.W.A.P. stands for. Any word any page.

You amaze them by revealing the word one letter at a time! This is a very...

Ten wonderful mental magic effects by David Britland. Here is David in his own words:

Five ESP cards are laid out on the table. Point to one and push it aside. Point to another and push it aside. Discard two more until just one is left. Do you think I could have predicted that card in advance?

A duplicate set of ESP cards has been on view throughout. They are all face down except one. It's your card. Not only that, but it has a completely different colored back from the rest!

Consumer Control is simple, easy and direct. No counts, moves or sleight of hand. A baffling demonstration of psychological persuasion.

[Note: This ebook does not come with the specially prepared cards. One set of ESP cards is regular. The other set is prepared with rough and smooth but in a very special way. If you have a roughing spray or stick you will be able to make your own cards. You will need ESP cards with two different backs. You will also need two double backers that match the two different backs and two envelopes.]

1st edition 2001, 1st digital edition 2013, 9 pages....

Inspired by an effect by Max Maven. If you like these type of effects also make sure to check out Assertive Positive Negative by Scott F. Guinn.

Effect: You place a folded business card - a prediction - on the table in full view. Your spectator is asked to imagine three coins. They are then asked to select one of the coins, toss it in the air and catch it, calling heads or tails. Let's imagine they call tails! You open your prediction - inside you have accurately predicted both the denomination of the coin they imagined and whether it would land heads or tails!

Inspired by Max Maven's effect 'Positive/Negative', this is the ultimate 'packs...

PRETEXT is a multi-layered deception that will allow you to easily make the most incredible predictions. In the effect included in this 18 minute instant video download you produce a folded billet from inside your wallet that accurately predicts a persons name and a card that they freely named. You'll soon realise the depth of the PRETEXT system as it allows you to accurately predict practically anything during the course of a simple card trick in a way that appears so fair you won't believe it. This is the type of prediction that simply cannot be backtracked - your audiences will be left stunned...

Three Spectator as Mind Reader effects

"What a terrific ebook! Ingenious solutions to an under-explored plot. Very clever stuff." - John Bannon

"Read Me is the sweetest little ebook I've read this year. Three clever, fooling 'Spectator As Mindreader' effects! If you don't want to perform AT LEAST one of these tricks, then you don't love card magic as much as you think you do." - Mark Elsdon

"Absolutely brilliant thinking! Prepare to drop some jaws!" - Roddy McGhie

"Three absolute show stoppers with a borrowed, shuffled deck. This isn't just material you will want - it's material that you can't afford...

Whereas the previous releases in this series have addressed individual personality traits (#1), managing relational drama (#2), maintaining positive feelings of self worth (#3), and minimizing worry (#4); this module addresses the dynamics of stress and frustration in the life of a sitter. As with the previous ebooks and videos, the reader first draws a picture of what s/he is sensing from the sitter. After seeing the picture, the sitter can then help interpret the drawing - speaking to the specifics of the stressful situation sensed by the reader.

As with the previous releases, the content...

This offering includes a PowerPoint slideshow, an eighteen-minute video tutorial, and a reproducible handwriting analysis tic sheet. As a result of learning the methods taught, you'll be equipped to guide an entire audience through an analysis of their own handwritings. You can use what you learn from this package as a stand alone presentation, in conjunction with a Q & A routine, and/or use the reproducible tic sheet to offer personal consultations (possibly following your presentation).

My experience has shown that for many of my audiences the subject of handwriting analysis carries greater...

As you might be able to tell from my other writings, I thoroughly enjoy collecting and creating generic methods that are customizable to a wide variety of themes and audiences. Let's Fake A Deal has proven itself on many occasions to fit that description.

Although technically it's a minimal prep and 100% no-sleight method for the classic Bank Night premise, I've customized it through the prizes I give away (and don't give away) and by what I write on the outside of the large #10 business envelopes. I've had single words written on the envelopes, and I've had a phrase written on the envelopes...

With thanks to Leo Behnke for the initial concept from his book Corporate Presentations and his permission to share it here, this has proven itself an energy producing closer for many of my corporate shows over the past twenty-five years.

The magician proposes a fun game of Bingo to close his program, and Bingo cards are distributed to everyone in the audience. As the magician hosts the game - drawing and calling the numbers, audience members begin to cross out squares on their Bingo sheets with each person crossing out different squares from those around them. Due to the fact that there are sixteen completely different...

Imagine challenging an entire room of people to simultaneous games of Tic Tac Toe (aka. Noughts and Crosses). Everyone plays against you at the same time, and you boldly state that you will not lose one game in the room. You could even be blindfolded. True to your word you don't lose one of the games.

Although you won't always win (some will be a draw), you won't ever lose when you apply this fool-proof system known to very few.

This is not a gag but rather a proven system for pulling off a demonstration of just what's possible when you commit yourself to consistently work a proven plan. ...

Would you use the proven and classic technique of equivoque (aka. magician's choice) more often if you could simply read your pre-printed script as an integral part of your performance, show the script to your participants, and ultimately give them a copy so they could even try it again later?

With an official looking and intriguingly customizable 1940's Compatibility Quiz from the popular Life Magazine, all of the above works just as stated. By carrying the script on your smartphone, you'll be ready to perform this classic piece of mentalism with any six objects anytime and anywhere.

Finally...

Maybe a friend of yours needs a bit of encouragement in their life. Maybe you'd like to give them that encouragement in a mystical/magical way. Consider this handling of the Tarot cards. Using eleven cards from the Major Arcana and the first name of someone who has been particularly encouraging to your friend during his/her formative years, s/he'll be amazed as s/he inexplicably one-by-one eliminates all but the Sun card - arguably the most positive card in the Tarot deck.

1st edition 2019, 2 pages.