Mentalism & Spiritism in Magic & Mentalism: page 79

This is an original type of secret verbal two-way coding, which, to my knowledge so far, is unprecedented, and inexplicable even to experts. I think it enables incredible mentalism effects, such as the one reported in this text (and others to follow shortly)...

Imagine that the medium's helper, after having her blindfolded and her back turned, hands a spectator a very ordinary deck of poker cards (it might even have been borrowed from a person in the audience), which he can safely check and shuffle at will. The same spectator will then be asked to draw three cards of his choice, taking...

Effect: In this demonstration of mind reading, a spectator simply thinks of one shape from a selection of seven distinct shapes. The spectator keeps their chosen shape private. Through the process where the spectator secretly spells out their chosen shape, the magician reveals the shape they had only moments ago held in their mind.

Here's what makes this effect so special: by using geometric shapes instead of regular playing cards, and adapting a clever principle from the gambling world into mind reading, we've created something truly different. It's not only astonishing to your audience,...

Here's a knockout triple prediction that may well be the highlight of your act.

You number three large, 8.5" x 11" cards as Numbers 1, 2 and 3. On each you write a prediction, one for each of three people in the audience who agree to assist in the experiment. Another person acts as a witness, keeping a record of the spectator's thoughts. (Note to mental magic buffs: This is not your grandfather's old "four-for-one method.")

Incredibly direct and easy to do. Makes a terrific climax to your mental routine. If we could be so bold, this allows you to perform a similar routine as that using...

"This is staggering in its brilliance" - Marc Salem

"What a great idea ! Bravo !" - Luca Volpe

CalendarX is a novel and fascinating concept. You just have to print out this 2025 calendar in whatever size you want and you can perform several effects throughout the year using this innovative calendar.

You can do coincidence effects, pin reveals, ACAAN effects, book tests, prediction effects, birthday divinations, add a number effects, diary effects, tossed out type routines, envelope routines etc. This will be a very handy tool for you to carry with you all through the year and perform different...

A well-known principle in the 'relevant circles' but used in a mentalism routine for the first time. This is a nice and quick effect to always have with you. This can easily fit into any close-up or parlor set. You can also adapt this to stage if you want.

Personally, I carry this on my phone and am ready to perform this anytime, anywhere to anyone at a moment's notice. Of course, you can choose to do the same or you can print or write on both sides of a card (the size of the card is your choice - it can be poker size, index card, postcard, A5 or A4 size, etc) and carry the card with you. ...

A numerology experiment involving two predictions with only two packets of cards.

The magician introduces a set of playing cards for a numerology experiment. They all have a different value/number. Some have a red back and some have a blue back. The spectator deals the cards in two piles and puts any pile onto the other one. He does that as much as he wants. For the first phase, the magician needs to evaluate the level of synchronicity between him and the spectator. He removes a set of double blank cards from an envelope (on the table from the start). On one side of each card, he wrote the...

The previous versions of this routine, Future Test 2019 to Future Test 2024 were very well received. This routine can also be performed in almost all performing situations - one-on-one, close-up, parlor, street, virtual show, or even on a video call.

Future Test is a 'packs small plays big' kind of effect. Actually, it packs very small in your wallet and plays very big to a full room or in a virtual show or even over a video call. This effect is done on the back of your business card which you can later leave with the participant as a souvenir or send over to the participant's phone as a virtual image...

Here's another psychic miracle from the professional mentalist who brought you Forecast and other top-flight miracles. Perfected Sealed Message Reading is an entirely new method and routine for reading sealed cards and envelopes.

As you know, the Q&A act is the highlight of the psychic entertainer's act. It involves audience participation, mystery and suspense. Plus, the spectators get a huge thrill out of hearing the mentalist's answers to actual thoughts on the mind of fellow audience members.

This presentation will baffle the best in the business, as each card and envelope is returned, as...

Three novel tricks with a regular E.S.P. deck.

ESPREDICT TWICE
Two cards are selected in a packet (the five E.S.P. symbols); one by using a freely chosen number and one through elimination. The two symbols have been successfully predicted.

ESPECIAL DOUBLE DIVINATION
After they cut the deck, two spectators are given a packet of cards each from which they memorize any card. They lose their card into the deck and concentrate on their symbol. Each thought-of symbol can be removed from the deck and placed in front of the appropriate spectator.

FIVE ESPERFECT CHOICES
The spectator is given...

Excerpt from the Foreword:

Another brilliant mental effect from the mind of Ed Stoddard. This time, Stoddard presents a book test, using any book, that you can perform anywhere. A spectator chooses a word and you name it instantly.

Utilizes an ingenious, natural method that can't be beat. Plus a healthy dose of Stoddard's brand of subtlety and refinements that make it so easy to use. Imagine the shock and awe when you present this at the home of a friend or family member, using their own book.

(To be upfront about it, while the original dealer ad stated that you can use a borrowed book, and do it impromptu, you...

Do not be fooled by the low intro price. This is an absolute killer. Hands Off Book Test or in other words, HOBOT is very much like a ROBOT, fully automatic, very efficient, highly effective, self-working, and self-sufficient. Once you hand over the book to the participant, you do not touch it again during the entire routine. You do not just reveal a single word (although you can do that too) but you reveal about 10 to 15 words - one from each line from top to bottom of the page in the correct order as the participant is silently reading the page to himself. It appears as if you are plucking...

Here's a mental miracle that psychic entertainers will put to good use right away. A bonus is that at the finish, the spectator is left with your calling card as a souvenir.

EFFECT: The performer writes a prediction on a piece of paper and hands it to a spectator for safekeeping. Next, names are said aloud by members of the audience and are penciled in on several of the performer's (or a corporate sponsor's) business cards. These are then turned face down on the table, so that none of the names are visible. Any spectator is allowed to mix and select a card (a free choice) and may even change...

Here numerology is only a presentational angle and a very interesting one at that, as you will find out within these pages. You absolutely do not need to know anything about numerology at all to perform these effects.

All the routines explained in this manuscript are easy and self-working but very stunning from the participant's perspective. And you will just be using one or two business cards to perform these effects. So that is as minimal as minimal can get.

A participant secretly assigns any number of his choice to each letter of his first name. And hence the name Subliminal Numerology. ...

A three-phase in-hand routine that lets your audience experience what it feels like to be a mentalist with a jaw-dropping kicker they never see coming.

PHASE I - GUT FEELING
You show five cards, each bearing a different ESP symbol. After mixing them face down, you ask the participant to point to one of the symbols. Astonishingly, they choose exactly the symbol you named. (You hand all five cards to the participant.)

PHASE II - MIND READER
You secretly draw one of the ESP symbols on a card and the participant reads your mind and accurately guesses which one you drew. (The card with...

These are a set of mind-reading routines based on the theme of city names, countries, and currencies of the world. These are fully self-working and almost impromptu which you can do anywhere, anytime to anyone. You just use a couple of business cards.

You can even perform these effects as completely propless if you want. Or you can even carry these routines as images on your phone. There are 3 different routines explained here.

You hold up one of your hands after designating each of your 5 fingers with the 5 vowels of the English alphabet. After each of the three steps in each of the...

This may well be the last word in Book Tests! Here is a totally gimmick-free test that looks like mind reading at work. Imagine this...

Two spectators read just a few words from one of three books. The page has been arrived at by chance, with the performer concentrating on just one stand-out word. Following a few moments, the performer announces what that very word is!

As mentioned, a total absence of extras - no cheat sheets, stooges, playing cards, slates, electronic devices, or specially printed books. None of the usual stuff. For the working performer, this is an exceptional, completely...

Yes. You read that right. This is a no-math magic square presentation. Also, there is no memory involved. So the performer need not do any math during performance and also there is nothing for him to remember by way of formulas or rules etc. The prime objective of this system is to truly entertain your audience members. And you don't even use the phrase Magic Square during your performance.

Basically, in most magic square routines, the premise is that the performer has a 'super brain' or is a 'math whiz' and can create a magic square for any given sum in a short time and then goes on to...

Introducing WhisperCode - my latest creation and a true breakthrough in two-person communication. This isn't just a method; it's an organic system designed for complete freedom and effortless connection. In less than a minute, you can teach your assistant the entire code with nothing more than a simple whisper. No memorization. No lists. No stock lines. Just pure, unforced conversation that feels natural in every way.

WhisperCode gives you the ability to encode anything - words, objects, names, numbers - with total ease. It's perfect for close-up work, where subtlety is key, but also adaptable...

There seems to be some controversy about what exactly to include in a modern-day recreation of a Ghost or Spook Show like the ones that scared the bejesus out of theatergoers back in the 1940s and '50s. What prevents many magicians today from staging their own "spooker" is the mistaken idea that a midnight ghost show must be a two-hour magic extravaganza requiring an 18-wheel tractor-trailer filled with expensive illusions and spook-themed props. Luckily for you, that's not the case.

Larsen sets the record straight, showing how little in the way of magic an act actually needs in order to...

A colorful butterfly leads a participant to her thought of lucky playing card in an impossible manner. And you can end up leaving an unforgettable souvenir with her. You can play this routine as influence, intuition, mind reading, impossible coincidence, prediction etc.

The Lucky Butterfly is a killer piece with a series of 3 moments of amazement. This works best with female participants whom you may be meeting for the first time. It works equally well with male participants too - just that the butterfly theme goes down a little better with female participants.

You will be using a single...

The magician displays a special deck made of double-blank cards. He has written a different word on each side of every card – only words that he can draw. After he turns away, the spectator removes a portion of the deck and eliminates all but one card. He remembers the word he is seeing and inserts the card in the middle of the deck. The magician faces the spectator again. He grabs a business card and a pencil while asking the spectator to concentrate on his word. When the magician is done drawing, the spectator reveals his thought-of-word, let's say it is "rabbit". The magician shows his...

In this long-awaited sequel to Secrets of a Psychic Reader, celebrity reader Charles Garner explains how to give readings that are satisfying and helpful to your clients. In Readings from the Client's Point of View, Charles covers:

• Who are your clients?
• Why do people visit psychic readers?
• What problems do your clients have?
• The two stages of a psychic reading
• Counseling
• The ethics of giving psychic readings
• Repeat business
• How to promote your psychic business
• The advantages of using a system
• The basics of crystal reading

Charles also provides a brief history of psychic reading and discusses the people...

A prop(less) act

"Matt is an ingenious thinker and his presentations are always very well thought out and powerful, in my experience. He is a name to pay attention to these days!" - Kenton Knepper

"Matt's additional thoughts on a variety of effects are both insightful and creative. He's also a top favorite magician/mentalist of mine. Certainly recommended reading." - Joe Miller

Perplexed is a book from the creative mind of Matt Overd. In his first release to the mentalism community, he outlines how he believes prop-less methodologies should and shouldn't be utilised and shares his complete close-up...