Mentalism & Spiritism in Magic & Conjuring: page 38

Back Perception
This is a version of the drawing duplication classic plot. If you know me from lecture or in show you know that I hold this theme in high regard and consider it to be a strong plot. It is visual and straightforward, conceptually simple to understand; and when performed with aplomb, absolutely mystifying. What I think I have to offer is not the last word on the subject, but my humble take on the subject, using a specific tool. I have performed this effect over the years for literally hundreds of performances. The method I wish to share with you is one of my favorites for a multitude...

These are Patrik's lecture notes for the International Magic Convention held in London, England, 2013. It includes a Foreword by David Acer. Note that there is some overlap in contents with Toronto Kufference 2011.

Lazy Malini
Ever since the very first time I saw David Copperfield perform a "newspaper card stab" in the movie Terror Train, I've considered the card stab revelation to be one of the more seductive presentation in magic as far as card tricks go. (Not quite as seductive as Jamie Lee Curtis in her prime, but close enough to make me watch that movie.) Many great versions have been shared and published...

No doubt you've seen this formula applied to magic tricks on television specials or internet websites where you've been encouraged to put your finger on any card showing on the screen. Then as you follow the magician's series of instructions - moving your finger from card to adjacent card (with a sense of free choice), the magician begins to inexplicably remove cards on which your finger isn't resting until only one clearly predetermined card remains.

Although the formula has been used for decades as the basis for creating variously themed magic tricks (from comedy to the bizarre), the sharing...

This is the legendary magazine by Ted Lesley. It is filled with contributions by people such as Larry White, Phil Goldstein (aka Max Maven), Ken de Courcy, Banacheck, Paul Alberstat, Toni Forster, Larry Becker and others. Of course, also Ted's own creations are featured.

ISSUE 1 (July 1997)

• The Editor Writes
• The Bermuda Bottle (Larry White)
• Personal Possessions (Ken de Courcy)
• Just Chintz (Phil Goldstein)
• Psychokinetic Banknight (Ted Lesley)
• Aura-Prediction (Prof. Dr. Toni Forster)

• Editorial
• Add-A-Riggs (John Riggs)
• Geller For Dinner (Ken de Courcy)
• Double-Decker (Mike Porstmann)
• Terry Goes Mental...

Very First - Impression
This routine is meant to be as an opener. After some research, it appears that the clever Michael Weber has flirted with a very similar idea. He used the idea as a closer, while I offer here the idea as an opener. Note that the underlying principle behind this method has, inevitably, been alluded to in one form or another by Marlo and/or Vernon, or is buried within Tarbell.

Malini for Dummies
Ever since the very first time I saw David Copperfield perform a "newspaper card stab" in a movie, I've considered the card stab to be one of the more seductive presentation in magic as far as card tricks...

Timeline is a 3 minute short, scripted and theatrical close-up act using a borrowed deck of playing cards.

With only 2 basic sleights and your script you're able to make people feel that they're watching an expert at work. You tell a short essay on time and magic happens almost by itself while the essay is being narrated.

Each action and revelation is perfectly supported by the script. Here are the opening lines - "If there is one thing no-one can escape from – it is time. In fact even if you go out into the space or deep under water, you’re still dominated by time because your oxygen...

Originally published as Pleasure Moments with the Magic Man. A nearly impossible to find book of occult-themed magic and mentalism is now back and better than ever.

Updated text and graphics have been added to this vintage text, containing a nice bridge to the past and present. No difficult sleights are required. Instructions are included for constructing the necessary apparatus to present these fine demonstrations to your own audiences.

CONTENTS:

• Preface
• Foreword
• "Spirit Guide" Card Location in the Dark
• "Muscle Reading" Card Trick
• No-Sleight Card Location
• How to Use the "Peg Card"...

A prediction to sealed sugar packet and prediction to fortune cookie.

Imagine having a prediction appear inside a sealed and freely selected sugar packet. It is like a confabulation on steroids. You will learn a method to "Inject" a prediction, playing card, or bill into a sealed sugar packet. Everyone knows they are hermetically sealed for health and safety reasons, so how is this possible? Bonus effect: The fortune cookie chair test has been a pet project of mine. Now I have refined it to be easier and quicker to setup. You have 3 spectators think of random things and their answers appear...

An amazing mental effect where the magician correctly predicts cards and colors despite odds of over 16,000 to 1 against it. A real stunner you can close a show with. A prediction so impossible that the odds are over 16,000 to 1 against it being correctly predicted.

EFFECT: You give a small sealed envelope to a spectator, saying he can open it at the appropriate time. You then take a deck of cards and shuffle them face up so the spectator can see the cards are really being mixed. You then have a spectator cut the cards twice. Now you show a rectangular piece of cardboard, which stands facing...

This includes physical gimmicks which will be shipped to you. The pdf can be instantly downloaded from your digital shelf.

IGG - According to Wikipedia "This is the most common type of antibody found in humans. It protects the body from infection."

IGG - Here this means "Instant Gig Getter". It insulates your performance from potential spectator disinterest. It also 'infects' your participant with absolute amazement.

IGG is an instant killer. You could ideally do this for someone from whom you may be soliciting a gig - an agent or a VIP client etc.

Right in the beginning, you push...

Here is a 21st Century version of John Scarne's Think-A-Card, published by U.F. Grant back in 1938. Whereas Scarne's version relied on the convenience of writing predictions on cigarette papers, Baxter completely dispenses with this quaint idea with a new, slick presentation.

Daley was really fired up about this highly effective mental test from the ingenious Scarne: "You are about to become the possessor of a rare and beautiful gem in mental magic" he enthused. "Simple in its modus operandi and yet so tremendously effective...an almost perfect demonstration of mind reading."

Scarne, a universally recognized...

A routine and script that (with an assist from Mel Mellers), transforms a rather dry piece of mentalism into a fun and entertaining piece of magic.

The plot of the Add-A-Number effect doesn't lend itself to the magical performer, as the audience knows that they're watching tricks, not psychic phenomenon, which means that the presentation of "seeing the future" isn't as effective as it could be.

Plus, the method is closely tied to the revelation. How could you predict a number unless you somehow knew what everyone would write or you switched the numbers?

This script - with a huge...

Great mentalism routines most don't know about.

• Foreword
• Chapter One: A Couple Of Starters
  • Is There A Mind-Reader In The House?
  • Technique Of The Swami
  • Swami Four-Thought
• Chapter Two: Something More Than Coincidence?
  • A Word From Atlantis
  • The Ultimate Seventh Key To Baldpate
  • Will Dexter's Routine For - Seven Keys To Baldpate
• Chapter Three: E.S.P. Of One Kind Or Another
  • Those E.S.P. Cards - Were They Designed By A Conjurer?
  • The Psychogram Test
  • The Third Eye
• Chapter Four: They Need To Laugh Sometimes, Don't They?
  • Will Dexter's Spirit Message Slates
  • Electro-Static...

A confidential report, intended only for those who are serious about the mental profession. Learn the correct techniques of presentation, teaching what to do and what not to do for successful mentalism. A must-have book for every mentalist and magician. These lessons will make you a better performer, enhance your reputation as an unusual entertainer and enable you to collect higher fees.

PARTIAL CONTENTS:

THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF MENTALISM - Mentalism as a profitable business - The Mentalist's Sole Aim - The Effort to Deceive - The Challenge to the Spectator - Mentalism vs. Magic - Perfection...

Here is a baker's dozen mentalism demonstrations and card effects that you'll be pleased to perform. The effects in this rare classic, by the author of Be Deceived, are a mix of close-up and club/stage routines that will find favor with most every magician or psychic entertainer.

One effect in particular, Key-ology, includes three different methods for the Seven Keys to Baldpate premise originated by Ted Annemann. What makes these methods worthy of note is that they all work with an ungimmicked lock. If you've wanted to add this effect to your act, but find the high prices that dealers charge for the special lock...

XPERT, which stands for X Personality Test, is a self-working and fun personality test that can be performed with a lot of flexibility and delivers a solid impact. It is engaging for the participant and easy for the performer to do.

WHAT YOU GET : A set of 11 cards that are specially designed to look classy and minimalistic. Beautifully produced on glossy stock, they are about the size of standard business cards. You can easily carry these in your pocket or wallet.

The participant is given several cards which have different personality traits printed on both sides of all the cards. The...

Positively the most memorable way to ensure that spectators keep your business card. Any spectator calls out a number, say between 40 and 100. The performer instantly draws a Magic Square on the back of his business card (or has a rubber-stamped grid of 16 squares already on it). With no false moves, the mental magician fills in all 16 squares of the grid and hands the card to the spectator, with a request to keep it for luck. He then mentions an interesting fact about the lucky piece the spectator now holds. If any row of four numbers, either across, down or diagonal, are added together, they...

EFFECT: The performer delivers a short lecture on mental telepathy and introduces the lady medium, whom, he explains, can with mental telepathy, answer any short question of a serious nature.

Small pads and pencils are passed out to interested spectators, requesting that they write their important questions, sign their name and fold the paper two times to make a small billet, with the question concealed inside. While the questions are being written, the medium is blindfolded and seated behind a small undraped table on the stage or raised platform. The folded billets are now collected in an...

We're going to let the words of the immortal Robert A. Nelson describe this amazing psychic demonstration.

A volunteer assistant (not a confederate) hands out to any spectator of his choice, white cards and envelopes and the performer requests these persons to "write something." The spectators comply and seal their cards in the envelopes provided, after which they are gathered by the volunteer who passed them out. All this is perfectly fair, for the performer doesn't leave the stage at any time. The volunteer assistant takes care of everything.

After securing all the envelopes, the volunteer mixes them...

Audio Peek is an unconventional peeking technique using the auditory sense and not the usual sight/vision sense. This simple and easy technique/method/habit can be comfortably incorporated into one of our most common everyday activities.

The Audiopeek technique consists of 3 steps, which are as follows.

1. Creating conditions for performing an Audio Peek.
2. Actually doing an Audio Peek when the conditions support.
3. Using the information thus gained in an appropriate and impactful manner.

This includes physical products, a set of 3 special business card-sized gimmicks and a cute little wallet/case to hold them all together, which will be shipped to you. The PDF can be downloaded instantly from your digital shelf.

Main Effect - A participant merely thinks of anyone from among 4 or 6 famous personalities. This is a completely free choice and there is absolutely no force. Then the performer divines the participant's thoughts and writes it down on a business card and hands it over to the participant to hold. When the participant reveals her chosen person, it matches with what...

Del-Ardo was a professional medium of the old school. He developed many ways to read messages in a sealed envelope, but this was his favorite method and was the one he used most. This is also the same method that was used by psychic, Jason Michaels, during his career, with a few of his improvements. Devin Knight is still using this improved method to this day.

This method is also being used by phony mediums today who are working the spiritualist churches and camps because it is almost 100% foolproof and there is almost no chance of getting caught cheating. The method is that good.

A plain...

This routine, from the act of mentalist T. A. Whitney, will cause astonished onlookers to credit you with having genuine psychic powers.

A spectator writes a question or thought on a piece of unprepared paper. The paper is rubbed against a deck of playing cards. The spectator herself may burn the message to ashes. Next, the spectator shuffles and cuts the cards and selects any five. These face-down cards are laid onto the table. The performer need not touch the cards once they are tabled. The performer then proceeds to read the spectator's fortune, based on the meaning of the cards that she...

From the Foreword by Peter Warlock:

Illustrated by Jack Lamonte.

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part One Transparent Blindfolds
  • Unprepared Silk Foulard
  • The Divided Bag, (1)
  • The Divided Bag, (2)
  • The Felt Mask
  • The Leather Mask
  • The Perforated Coin
  • Painted Goggles
  • Magnetised Goggles
  • Polarised Goggles
  • Clear Spot Goggles ...