Mentalism & Spiritism in Magic & Conjuring: page 72

There is no argument about the dilemma faced by many newcomers to mentalism. Are mental effects best presented as natural phenomena of the mind, or as examples of rare paranormal or supernatural abilities?

Most of today's mentalists use the "mental skill" as opposed to the "psychic gift" approach, but only rarely are they particularly consistent about it. Even Joseph Dunninger, the pre-eminent mentalist of the twentieth century, sometimes made conflicting claims. While he stated that his thought reading skills were "scientific" and not those of a fortune-teller or psychic, his promotional materials often...

Scotland goes mental! (If you want the English version of this theme see Mind Blasters.)

Roy Walton
Guardian Ghost: A dead Pharaoh summons a frightening object to deter tomb raiders from robbing his tomb. In this case it is a ghost; the ghost of the Pharaoh himself!

George McBride
Streamlined Who Knows the Card: A card mentally chosen by one spectator is found by another spectator. Clever stuff!
Mirakill: Predict the colors of cards that have been freely mixed by a spectator.

Jim Cuthbert
Have a Drink on Me: A multiple prediction of hotels and drinks freely chosen by members of your audience.
Book Test: Jim's rendition...

One of the inherent difficulties in presenting effective mentalism is that it generally lacks the element of surprise. The performer states that he will read a thought and proceeds to do so. He says he will predict tomorrow’s headlines and he does. Many would-be mentalists infallibly demonstrate so many different alleged mental powers that the element of believability is lacking as well.

By applying the "Side Effects" principle, the element of surprise is returned to the art and variety is introduced into a performance without sacrificing believability. Bob's good friend Ross Johnson, one...

Thompson and Rutledge are two extraordinary creative mentalists who have created entertaining and incredibly deceptive mental routines. Thompson writes in the preface: "I've enjoyed the joint effort. It tended to point up a number of basic truths that I hadn't thought about for a long time...such as how different two people can be, and how much better an effect can be made if two minds work on it."

CONTENTS

• MY FRIEND, TONTO
• WITHOUT BENEFIT OF MAGICIAN
• MENTAL SCALES
• ONE WAY TO ONE WAY
• FIVE THINK
• LAS VEGAS EYES
• FUTURE TERRIFIC!
• - Basic Glide Force
• - Squaring With The Left Hand ...

The Corvus Manifesto - a thought provoking essay by Bob.

The Photon Phenomenon - A low cost way to achieve an impressive visual effect. This is typical Cassidy brilliance. Imagine. You are on stage and have just asked the audience to concentrate on their thoughts. The houselights dim and, suddenly, your face is illuminated in an eerie glow. No doubt it is effective showmanship, but you would normally assume that a special lighting effect like this requires, well, special lighting. It doesn’t.

Dark Impressions - Those of you who are familiar with Bob's previous writings are well acquainted...

The companion volume to Staging It, this exclusive ebook for mentalists is devoted to audience handling. Bob has probably worked for the most difficult audiences in the world and this ebook reveals the techniques he has used that have enabled him to be successful in virtually any conceivable venue.

This, Bob believes, is among the ebooks he has written that he considers most important for those looking to succeed in the world of professional psychic entertainment.

1st edition 2004; 25 pages

Joseph Dunninger has often been credited with saying. "Every time you add a prop to your act your price goes down." His reasoning should be obvious - every additional prop takes the illusion one step away from what "real mind reading" would look like. And, as Bob has noted many times in his previous ebooks, every additional type of mentalism you demonstrate (apparent telepathy, precognition, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, etc.) also detracts from the overall illusion.

Recently a "mentalist" challenged Bob on this point: "How entertaining is it to demonstrate the same ability over and over again? It is much...

Twenty years have passed since Bob wrote The Art of Mentalism. He was thirty-four years old at the time. While he is pleased that the book has been well received over the years, much of what he wrote no longer accurately reflects his approach to the art.

In The Art of Mentalism 2 (1995), he focused primarily on the presentation of a complete mental act. In the present volume, Bob gives you effects and essays that focus on the theoretical basis of successful mentalism.

1st edition 2003; 25 pages

The Power Of A Story Repeated!

In this manuscript Luke Jermay details two routines that are designed to be performed in casual settings. Jermay recommends they be used in interview situations in which the performer is being interviewed for a newspaper, radio station, school newsletter or any other printed media.

The routines are designed to become myths and legends after the performance. As the story is repeated to others the effect will grown and grow.

Jermay details his personal feelings on how to use these effects to their maximum potential as well as providing all the details...

Cellular Forecast has been called the next step in predictions by none other than Paolo Cavalli. It's a low-tech, direct way of using your cell phone as a powerful mentalist tool - imagine sitting with someone in a cafe and asking them to name something they see. You direct them to your cell phone which has been in full view all along. They go to the video folder and see that there is only one video - they play it and see a video of you predicting correctly what they would say.

That's the ultimate version and it's not a pipe dream - the basic idea can be adapted to cards, coins, book tests...

A unique effect. The performer produces - or borrows - a crossword puzzle magazine of the type commonly found in any supermarket. A spectator opens it anywhere and concentrates on any clue. The mentalist not only reveals the clue, but its definition as well. Unlike any other crossword effect you may have seen - and completely unbelievable!

1st edition 2003; 17 pages.

A spectator loads a dart into a regulation pellet/dart pistol and fires it at a target ten feet away. The performer is blindfolded and stands in front of the target. He rolls up his right sleeve and puts his open right hand (palm toward the spectator) directly in front of his face.

On the count of three, the spectator fires the pistol at the performer's open (and clearly empty) hand. The performer's hand clenches shut and is slowly opened to reveal the dart. At no time does his hand move from its position in front of his body, nor is it approached by the other hand.

(If desired, the mentalist...

Use any pocket diary. Completely self-working. No reset.

Effect: To begin, you hand a spectator your diary for examination - you point out that each day in the diary has the name of a playing card entered against it. This he can verify as he studies the diary, before putting it in his pocket. (Note: it doesn't need to be playing cards - you can fill the diary with anything you desire - people's names, phone numbers, words, symbols, etc.)

Next you bring out six blank business cards. You write something on one of the cards, without showing it to the audience. This card is left on the table...

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...

What do you do when asked to perform something new and amazing?

Do you have enough mentalism on hand to pack small and still have a 45 minute show? The latest book by Dr. Zodiac entitled 365, will train you to be ready for a full show anywhere and at anytime.

Effects taught:

Spin and cause to fall just about any pen. Similar to the PK Pen but a revolutionary new concept.

PK Taste X-Periment. Cause the thought of candy flavor to transfer from one persons mind into another's.

888-BER-GLAS. Still another take on the Dr. Zodiac any card at any number effect. Ideal for stand up or...

A number of cool metal bending, breaking and joining effects.

Bent
A nail, first given out for examination, is held in the left hand and stroked with the right index finger. The nail is seen to visibly bend backward and is once again given out for examination. The performer’s hands are otherwise empty.

Fractured
A nail is shown and may be examined, dropped to the table, and covered with the right hand. Directing a burst of mental energy at the nail, the performer moves his hand away to show the nail is now broken into pieces. Everything may be examined and the performer’s hands are...

"The Dream" is a routine that is best performed before smaller audiences or in an impromptu setting. The key principles, though, have great utilitarian value and should find use in many of your presentations.

The basic idea evolved from an old card routine by Stewart Judah. [Don't go away yet, the finished routine can hardly be considered a "card trick".] It was the type of effect that has fallen out of fashion lately due to the amount of dealing and counting involved. It struck Bob, though, that the dealing was acceptable if the effect was presented as a type of card game. But while the card game presentation was natural and deceptive, it was hardly earth shaking and...

Al Mann was one of the most creative minds in mentalism. Author of over hundred pamphlets with such intriguing titles as 'The Tesseract', 'Page of Swords', 'The Kolophon', 'Acidus Plus' Martin Breese managed to persuade him to make an audio recording in order that mentalists may get to know him better. You will hear Al Mann describe how he first became involved with magic. He details some of his experiences and early influences and describes an effect which is seldom seen today - reading a message in the dark.

Bert Reese is discussed and his methods described. Al knew Dunninger and often...

Imagine, you show your hands empty front and back. You give a key on a key ring to the audience for examination. You take the key ring back and gently stroke the key. Suddenly the key begins to move on its ring. It jerks and bobs as if manipulated by invisible fingers. It rises in an eerie fashion until it’s extending horizontally from the ring. Then with a mere snap of your fingers the animation ceases. You give the key out for examination once more and show your hands to be unequivocally empty.

This ebook comes with clear and descriptive photos. Points To Remember:

• Starts clean and...

Rules are meant to be followed - most of the time. The Heresies are those effects that break every rule of mentalism and become even more powerful for it. Perhaps it's just the contrast - but as you will discover in this exclusive ebook - it's much, much more.

1st edition 2003; 25 pages.

This is a 1944 radio interview with Dunninger. This recording seems to be not entirely complete but it nevertheless is a fascinating historical marker.

A recording, wonderfully introduced by Goodliffe, of Dunninger giving his only lecture ever to a group of magicians in the United States. The recording was taken on June 16th 1965 as a part of the 37th IBM convention in Des Moines Iowa. This is an opportunity to hear what one of the world's most successful magicians has to say about his art to fellow magicians.

This is a digitally re-mastered (MP3) version of the original MagiCassette™ by Martin Breese - now owned by Lybrary.com.

He looks beyond the appearances and facades that disguise reality and finds the truth. He is The Schattenjaeger - the hunter of shadows - and he invites you to join him.

Partial Contents include:

• Vision Quest - A spectator thinks of the name of a dead celebrity and gazes into a glass of water flanked by two candles. Suddenly, a ghostly image of the celebrity appears below the surface of the liquid and peers upward at the volunteer.
• The Jam Readings - A Jazz Q and A routine based on a unique and virtually self-working mass billet switch. The Schattenjaeger observes, "If they could see...

This has always been one of Bob's most popular effects among the mentalists who have seen him perform it. This ebook comes complete with ready-to-print templates that will enable you to assemble the "Remote Viewing Testing Book" from ordinary 3x5 blank index cards.

The testing book contains lists and geographical coordinates of hundreds of locations throughout the world. Without writing anything down a committee of spectators selects any of locations to test the mentalist's remote viewing abilities. The performer is able to describe, in exact detail, the selected location. There are no...