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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Fraser Parker’s

True Mysteries It’s not just what’s in the hands, but more in the mind that counts.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Foreword Some Students make you so proud you can scarcely contain your pride. Every teacher and creator hopes that who and what they inspire will eventually meet or exceed their own expectations. Most teachers sadly never get to experience such glee. When a Student does climb higher up the hill than the tools given to them usually allow, a teacher shakes their head in awe. Usually a little fear too. It takes those who are not fearless, but simply willing to try to do more, that appear fearless to those left behind on too common ground. Fraser Parker is such a Student of mine. He listens. He ponders. He accepts. Then he goes beyond. Fraser has learned the important lesson of knowing that principles are the real secret to nearly anything; that once you have learned many principles you can apply these in countless ways. Fraser does just this, as the following work surely shows. I was speaking to a well known and highly respected Las Vegas performer about how these days mentalists and magicians dislike terms such as “bold” and “adjusting.” This performer and consultant went on for hours about how we were trained, and how what all of us knew back then seems to be “too difficult” to would-be performers today. Yet those on television and those making true strides in art and performing today do so because they are willing to try things others would not. That’s what makes them seem to do the impossible and why many cannot properly copy these people or expose their true secrets. I remember when people were called out as “liars” because they wrote about an “obviously impossible and unreliable thing” called the “faro shuffle.” I recall too reviewers of my work saying that Wonder Words was “Horrible. Absolutely unreliable. I don’t even have to listen to the audio programs by Kenton to know that much!” These are the people who now say, “It’s just dual reality” and “Everyone knows the power of words.” I won’t even begin to talk about writing Luke Jermay’s first book and what people thought of that! I mention these things because people with closed minds will not grasp Fraser Parker or his work right away. It will seem as impossible as Wonder Words and a faro shuffle once seemed to the uninformed. Stay open and keep reading. You’ll soon find the workable wonders within. For those willing to continue the advancement of mentalism and magic, to keep pushing beyond the obvious, who challenge themselves and the world with the real power of magic and mentalism, this is for you. It is an honor to call Fraser Parker a Student of mine. Kenton Knepper November 2011

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Introduction By Fraser Parker Here it is. The book I could not find when I first started out in magic. I suppose that is why I had to eventually write it for myself. I was looking for the real magic in magic, or at least magic which is as close to real as is possible. I knew it had to exist in one form or another. It was around this time that I came across the work of my now mentor, Kenton Knepper. “Finally!” I thought to myself, “Here is the real stuff!” Those of you familiar with Kenton’s work will know to what I refer. There is something more that comes through Kenton’s work which is reflected in his very magical performances. I was instantly taken in by his clever use of linguistics and principles such as, “Dual Reality” “Definition is Equal to Creation” and “Labeling” to create a magical effect. Often, it is the words themselves which create the whole of the deception. This seemed only natural to me. Using words to change how others perceive reality to create magical effects was some of the real work I was after. This approach is close to doing magic and mentalism for real, in my opinion. I studied all of Kenton’s various works and started creating my magic along similar lines. I sent some of this work to Kenton. It turns out he was working on material that was very similar. He sent the following to me as a reply. “I think you will see how well your thinking blends with mine. It is almost a little frightening, in fact...You really are going to make a name for yourself quickly at this rate.” The work I sent was later published in the manuscript entitled “Ultimately Under” by Kenton and his S.E.C.R.E.T. School. Even back then, before becoming an official member of the School and a Student of Kenton, I was on the same wavelength to a certain degree. It will therefore not surprise you to find many similarities between my work and that of Kenton and his famous Students. I feel this is to be expected from one of his personal Students. There are subtle differences here too, as well as much original thinking naturally. The first half of this book details my take on creating the illusion of hypnotic feats, without the use of actual trance states or real hypnosis needing to be used. This follows what was published in earlier manuscripts by the School. You do not need to have read those manuscripts to perform what is written in this book. I suggest you get a copy of the works by Kenton and the School on trance effects however, so that you have all the options to performing this type of magic in a way that best suits you and your performing style. I do tend to push the limits, personally. The truth is you can too, if you imagine for even a little while that you can. You’ll see that soon enough.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

The second half of the book, describes my very bold approach to creating moments of magic. These methods deal with the use of words in magic to create an impossible effect in the mind of your audience. This is usually the whole secret to an effect. You use words to change how others perceive reality, to create a moment of magic. It may not be popular, but I use the term “magic” to address both magic and mentalism effects. This has to do with longstanding history and if you are a Student of Kenton’s, if only by reading, then you may well understand why this is so. If not, don’t worry about it. Perceive effects and terms as you wish. My methods are usually very simple. I believe this is how it should be. My methods do not rely on any of the usual trickery or sleight of hand to make them work. For this reason, I feel my methods are closer to real magic. This approach also seems to generate techniques which are natural to the magic being attempted and not so removed from the effect. The method seems to fit the effect rather than struggle with it. The effects in both sections are very bold in their application, so you ought to have an out to fall back on, when they do not work. If you feel that this is too much to ask, then refer to magic history. Many of the greats in magic took big risks in performance and by doing so, were able to secure their place in history and create enduring legends. They knew that some of the time they would be seen to fail but that this would largely be forgotten by their audiences. Their audiences remembered the times they were seen to create miracles, instead. This material is the stuff of such legends. I started to build my reputation first on this work. The needed “outs” will be discussed alongside the tricks for which each is used. There really is nothing to worry about. I won’t leave you hanging with no ending to any situation. There are ways around everything. If you will find the courage to try some of this work out for yourself, then you will see just how easily these principles can be applied to create very powerful magic. I will start slowly and then build from a foundation, each lesson following on from the next. I will examine each principle as we go and show how it can be applied to specific effects. In this way, you will see how you can apply these principles to your own work as you like. This book should be read thoroughly. No part of it should be skipped over. There are important lessons strewn throughout its pages. Only those looking closely enough will find all that is written here. That’s why I have kept it short, so you can focus on every aspect and detail. I have also included a third bonus section, for those who want to really stretch their minds and performances. This then is for YOU. Those willing to push the boundaries of what is considered possible in magical performance, who wish to perform magic that looks REAL, with very little effort. Fraser Parker

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Part 1

I wanted to be able to perform feats of hypnosis with ease, without having to do long inductions or putting others into a trance. I dreamed of being able to go up to someone and with just a touch and a few words, instantly cause them to fall under my spell and do my bidding. Hypnosis did not seem to be the right method at all for what I wanted to be able to do. This caused me to ponder how I would achieve such results without using actual hypnosis or any form of trance. I started off thinking in terms of creating the illusion of trance or hypnotic influence only. I did not care whether the participant believed they were under my influence or not, to begin. I was only concerned with making it look as if such a thing might be happening. That thinking lead me to a startling discovery, which I will describe in detail later. I found I could perform what looked exactly like hypnosis, without the need for actual hypnosis or any trance states of any kind. This was akin to “instant induction” but without any induction needing to be used. The best part of all is that the person helping is just as fooled as everyone else watching. They believe that what you do is real too. The following stunts use words and the overall suggestion inherent in your performance, to make them work. The first principle involved in this is as follows: To influence someone to do as you wish in performance, simply tell them what to do. If you are a likable performer and the person helping is good at responding to your requests, then this is the easiest and most direct way of getting the participant to comply. By being kind, you ensure your helper plays along. They will want to help you, if you are seen to be on their side and not against them. There is a true power in kindness. The participant will feel compelled to follow along and do as you suggest, if your directions are given in such a manner. This type of influence happens all the time in magic anyway, so we may as well use it purposely. For example, consider what happens when the participant is asked to take a card from a deck of cards. If you ask the participant in the correct manner and have established good rapport with them, then you will have no problem getting the person to follow along. This may be thought of as too mundane of an example, far from a strange form of influence the performer has over the participant. However, the differences are only a matter of context and proper labeling. In the correct context, following of instructions can look like real hypnotic control is taking place. You state what it is you want the participant to do and they are seen to do just that, without any resistance at all. That is only part of the secret, of course. There are other factors at work in each of the following presentations. These will be explained in full as we go along. I ensure the participant does as I wish, in each demonstration, by incorporating this first principle. There are other ways of making sure something happens or does not happen, depending on the intended effect. This first principle is the main principle always at work, however. I will show you how this can be applied to creating an effect of apparent hypnotic influence next, to begin our journey together. 5

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Stuck for the Moment This effect uses the first principle, in combination with another principle of ensuring the participant acts as you want: the principle of confusion. Effect You ask the participant for the deck to be returned, after they have shuffled it. The participant is seen to become stuck temporarily and unable to let go of the deck! How? Read on. Have the participant shuffle the deck during a trick and then state the following “Okay, give me the deck back AND hold on to it a little longer as if by listening to my words you become stuck temporarily and unable to let go of the deck.” These words cause the participant to freeze and not be able to let go of the deck. You can even pull on the deck and they still will not let go. It really does look as if you are able to instantly influence the person to become stuck and they cannot give you the deck. The way this works is in the words. You apply the first principle by giving directions to the participant. This is done in a very specific way. The command given states both sides of the polarity of an action. They cannot perform both actions at the same time and therefore become frozen. Your statement either confuses them to the point where they are stuck in action, unsure how to respond, or they follow the last command to hold on to the deck a little longer. Now all there is left to do is label what has happened as something magical. This is where the second part of the phrase comes in. “...as if by listening to my words you become stuck temporarily and unable to let go of the deck.” This explains what has taken place as being caused by your words, which is the truth. The ending words complete the statement and makes the whole line sound like a hypnotic suggestion. Now the only explanation for what has happened is that of influence, which it is, but in another manner. I usually leave the participant like this for a few seconds before seeming to break the suggestion with the following words. “Of course, you can let go of the deck. Let go.” I snap my fingers here, to further suggest a hypnotic presentation and to help the participant out of any trance state, real or imagined, that they may be in. Kenton says, “Real or imagined is often the same” and in my experience I must agree.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

It is important when performing seeming feats of hypnotic control or influence that you always bring the participant out of any trance state they might imagine that they are in. People can become convinced through illusion that what you are doing is real. While Kenton teaches the importance of this, I had to learn this lesson for myself, which is why I mention it here. Always bring the participant out of any supposed trance state and make sure they know that the effects of your suggestion are over, after the trick is finished. I do not mean to say that the participant will become truly stuck in the effects of your suggestion or that they will not be able to go back to acting normally again on their own. But I have had a participant believe that this was so. I want you to be prepared in case this happens to you. If it does, it is important that you do not become flustered. This would send out the wrong suggestion that you are not in control and therefore, cannot get the participant to act normally again. You should always remain calm and simply repeat the idea that they could always act as they wish. “Of course, you can let go of the deck. You always could do so.” Another line I use as a precaution at the end of apparent hypnotic influence is “Everything is back to normal now.” This should be enough to get the person to acting normally on their own again. As Kenton points out, this type of phrase also suggests that things were not normal before, which implies a trance state has taken place to the rest of the audience too. Most of the time, a participant will not have a problem acting normally again. As you have already conditioned the person to follow along, it is a simple matter to get them to return to their normal behaviour. This is a suggestion in itself and helps to create the effect in the minds of everyone else. If they must return to their normal behaviour after a snap of the fingers, then this suggests that how they were acting before was not their normal behaviour. This brings me to the next principle and the real secret to this type of work. I will say this a few different ways to be sure you can understand it fully, as it is such a subtle principle. The principle can be encapsulated in the following statement: By acting as if it is so, it will be seen to be so. It takes a few more words to describe what is truly taking place with this principle. This is the real work behind my approach and the breakthrough to performing such feats. I nearly missed the power of this principle myself, it is such a subtle notion. Only after performing these effects for some time did I realise that this principle was secretly at work.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

The performer, acting as if what they are performing is actual hypnotic influence, causes what they are doing to be seen as actual hypnotic influence. The words a performer uses and their every action suggest the effect. The words, attitudes and actions combine to create a greater deception. Everyone is fooled by the appearance of what seems to be taking place. How the normal compliance of the participant is perceived is shifted through illusion from the mundane to something mysterious in this manner. By performing the effect, the performer creates the effect itself. It looks as though the performer is performing feats of hypnotic influence, so this is what everyone imagines is happening. The words the performer uses sound like suggestions and their gestures appear to suggest hypnosis. Therefore what is happening must be a form of hypnosis. This convinces everyone that what is taking place is legitimate hypnotic suggestion, in one form or another. Even the person taking part is fooled by this method. No wonder so few could work out the true secret behind these illusions. I will now teach you how I have applied these principles to another effect. This effect has become a favourite of a few pros already.

Struck Dumb I am pleased to say that this has fooled magicians and mentalists. One magician after seeing me perform this effect insisted that I must have been secretly cueing my helper with words written on a card. This performer missed the fact that the directions for how the participant was to act were given orally, right in front of everyone. This is one of the reasons these secrets are so difficult to discern. The secret work is hidden in plain sight. The very words which make the effect happen are seen to be a part of the effect of hypnotic control by words. What happens if the intended effect does not work? I have had times where effects of trance did not work but people say, “How would that work anyway?” Such people miss the fact that the method was there blatantly in front of them. They assume I must have been trying to do hypnosis for real, as this is how it looked. My words sounded like true hypnotic suggestions. People imagine they “just couldn’t go under” right then. At worst, you still look like you are doing the real thing, or attempting to do so. With that understanding, here is the work which caused such a stir with these principles. I use examples with playing cards throughout this book. This is personally how I use each of these principles. I do not have a problem using playing cards in presentations of mentalism. Those of you who do not wish to use cards will be able to apply these principles with other objects and in other ways. It is the principles at work which are important remember, in each of these explanations.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Touch the participant on their forehead and say the following words. “You cannot speak for the moment. I will try a card trick. Take any card. Look at it but do not let anyone else see it yet.” You are going to perform the standard card trick of having the participant take a card and then you name it. This apparently is the reason for directing the participant not to speak, so that they cannot give away the identity of their card. This will indirectly cause them to not be able to speak, in a moment. “This may seem strange and be slightly confusing because you cannot speak BUT try now and tell everyone your card. You can still move your lips BUT you cannot speak.” These words cause the participant to become temporarily unable to speak. They will try to speak but find that they cannot do so, because they are following your first suggestion for them not to speak. I leave them to struggle like this for a few moments and then say “I know it is a little weird. Show them your card instead, as you cannot speak.” This acts as a convincer that the person is unable to speak. If they truly could speak then why would they have to resort to showing the card to the audience? Next I touch the participant on their forehead again and say the following words, as a way of ending the suggestion. “Of course, you can speak. Everything is back to normal now. The card you were thinking of is the Seven of Hearts, is that correct?” Say whatever card you secretly know they are holding. I use a stack to know what card they have taken but any standard method may be used. This brings the effect to a close and provides a magical ending. If the participant is not wholly impressed with the not speaking part of the effect then their reaction to the card trick will be congruent with the overall effect. Most of the time however, the participant is just as fooled by the not speaking effect as the audience. This is due to the second principle being at work. The participant is convinced through the illusion that what has apparently happened is what has actually taken place. The participant honestly believes you were able to stop them from speaking temporarily! Kenton says, “What appears to be real to the mind and experience is taken as reality. It is how we define and shape reality. In other words, people think if something is real in their mind and experience then it must be real. It seems very logical, and obvious, that this is what reality is. Clearly what is obvious reality is only such because a person believes in the illusion of that reality. Their belief in the illusion of that reality makes it a reality. Isn’t that what magic and mentalism has always meant to suggest to its students?” 9

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

As you can see, there are profound implications about all this if you care to consider it. Kenton of course usually does consider such things and in-depth. That’s what makes Kenton and his teachings so remarkable. It’s also why his Students are geared towards unusual and breakthrough types of methodology, which we will continue to apply next.

Strength of Imagination The next effect uses all the principles discussed, as well as an additional principle to getting the participant to play along and act in the way you desire: the power of imagination. The power of imagination has been applied by the School previously, in works by Kenton and Enrique Enriquez. Kenton mentions the importance of having your participant imagine certain things to be true, to create believability in the magic. Enrique uses imagination as the premise for a whole act. His work on this can be found in his book “Act of Imagination.” I am always surprised to find where an idea I thought was original to myself was hinted at in previous works by Kenton; his idea acting as a seed to what would later become fully formed notions within myself. By getting the participant to use their imagination and imagine that something is so, you cause the participant to act as if what they imagine is so. This in turn causes what the person imagines to become a reality, as they act as if it is true. I will apply this principle to the following effect in which I cause someone to temporarily be unable to lift a normal deck of cards off a table. I begin by introducing the premise of the effect with the following words “This next effect has to do with imagination. If the magic is to work, you will have to use your imagination. It is a little like Peter Pan, where they had nothing to eat until they imagined food in front of them and then it became a reality. You really will need to use your imagination for this to work, okay?” These statements ensure that the participant knows they are going to be using their imagination in the effect to come. At this point I hand the participant the deck of cards, still in their box. This will later act as a convincer to the participant, as well as everyone watching, that the deck is normal. I then take the deck back and place it flat on the table saying “Only when I say that you can lift the deck, can you actually do so.”

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

These words sound like suggestion to everyone else but will be understood by the participant as directions not to pick up the deck until they are told. The words will seem to be suggestions to the participant too, after the fact. Presently the words are simply directions made as a precaution to ensure they do not pick up the deck too early. “Now the deck is too heavy to lift!” This, along with the fact that the participant has been told to use their imagination, may be enough to get them not to be able to lift the deck in a moment. I always remind the person to use their imagination in the next line, however. The following line causes them to not be able to lift the deck. “Imagine this to be so AND try to lift the deck. The more you try the harder it becomes as if the deck is completely stuck to the table!” The participant will act as if what they are imagining is true and will make it a reality, in the process. The last line of this little phrase sounds like hypnotic suggestion, but it is in reality further clear direction for how you want the participant to act. I also mimic the action of not being able to lift the deck, myself. I do this before they have a go at it. This is called “Mimicking and Visual Education” in the School. It is a visual suggestion for how the participant is to act. Doing this makes it much more likely that they will follow along and do as you wish. To the rest of the audience your mimicking the idea looks as if you are nearly taunting the participant. The participant will find that they cannot lift the deck at this point. This can seem very strange to the participant. I have had all sorts of reactions to this situation. Many really believe that the deck has become heavier. It truly has become heavier in their minds. This being played out in reality is proof to everyone that it is so. Their actions create a feedback loop where what they imagine becomes a reality. I also hold my hand a foot or so away from the deck before asking the participant to try to lift the deck. This is done as a reminder to the participant, not to lift the deck. It is much more than a gesture done for mere theatrical reasons. The gesture holds a real power of influence by visual education, and causes the participant to act on the indirect idea in the physical. After the effect I snap my fingers and say the following words, returning everything to normal in the process. “Of course, you can lift the deck. Everything is back to normal now. Lift the deck. You were always able to lift the deck but what is interesting is how by imagining something to be so, it can become a reality. If only for a moment.” 11

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

The last couple of lines wrap up the effect nicely and label what has happened as something magical and important, which it is. The participant may describe what happened from the point of view of the effect but also describe what actually took place. The effect and method are alike in kind but different in degree. There’s some real old Hermetic magic at work for you! Perhaps this is REAL magic.

Kenton’s Outs on Purpose Some of the time you will only be able to make the deck seem heavier to the participant and not entirely stuck to the table. This is okay, as you have still achieved an effect. If that happens you could just go through the wording again and try a second time, to get the deck to stay stuck on the table. If it does not work at all, Kenton has suggested the following. Use a gaffed “Invisible Deck” in place of the normal deck. Now, if the first part of the trick goes wrong, you can move into the standard presentation for the “Invisible Deck” having the participant imagine a freely thought of card as being turned over in the deck. This allows you to end successfully, without compromising the original premise of the effect. Done properly, no one will be any wiser that you have failed at all. This is known as “Outs on Purpose” in the School. It allows you the freedom to attempt effects that would otherwise be impossible, all the while never really risking anything. Because you plan on using the out anyway, you will not be seen to fail when you eventually use your backup trick. Read that again carefully to grasp the important nuance. Of course this has to be scripted in such a way to not appear to be a complete change of direction. Here is how I handle this effect. I simply remark “Okay. Sometimes this takes longer than others. Try it this way instead. Think of any card in the deck. Imagine it is now the only card turned face down, in the face up deck.” Then reveal the card as you would normally using the gimmicked deck. To the participant and the audience this is what the effect was always supposed to be. At least the premise is still intact. How you applied the power of imagination changed, because the participant could imagine better in one way than another. This appears so seamless that no one is the wiser, not even other performers. Now you can afford to risk trying this effect, because you will always end successfully no matter what someone does or does not do. Let’s consider how to apply these principles to yet another effect.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Colour Blind The performer speaks a little about what they expect to happen, if the magic were to work. The performer describes how the participant will become colour blind temporarily, once the performer snaps their fingers. This is then seen to take place. The participant names an incorrect colour, when asked what colour a deck of cards is, from their perspective. The following effect uses all the previous principles, including the use of imagination, in a slightly different way. This trick does not always completely fool the participant. I have created a linguistic out should that happen and the participant says something. This out puts the participant into a bind, where whatever they say only confirms the illusion from the perspective of the audience. They will not be able to unravel the illusion by anything the participant says, after the fact. We’ll get to those details in a moment. This is not to say that the participant will not be fooled some of the time. I have had people swear they could actually see a different colour than everyone else. They were convinced that they were made temporarily colour blind. This is due to the participant imagining that such is true. Most of the time however, you will be able to get the participant to believe you were able to make them say the wrong colour, only. The difference between this and the previous presentations using these principles is how the directions for the participant are handled. The directions are given to the participant under the cover of describing the magic that is about to take place. To everyone watching it will seem as if the performer is merely describing the scene they wish to create. This is when the participant is told what to do. The participant may even imagine later on, as does the audience, that this is when the hypnotic suggestion was given. In this way you give direct commands to the participant which are later labeled as indirect suggestion. The participant is now ready to follow along and unknowingly help you create the illusion of hypnotic control and colour blindness. That’s the overview, here are the details. I begin by slowly rotating a deck of cards still in their box between my hands and describing the back design on the box. “The back design on the box shows what the back design is like on the back of all the cards in the deck. You can see that this back design is of a circle and that the cards are red.” Speak about whatever the box design is for the deck you are using naturally. This confirms to the audience that the participant is not already under your influence and establishes that the participant can see the correct colour of the deck. Then say the following words.

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“If the magic is to be seen to work, this is what will happen. I want you in a moment to say a different colour to the one that is obvious to everyone else AND to actually imagine this different colour, so that it will be as if you are made colour blind temporarily, okay?” I now turn the box away from the participant a little, so that the back design is hidden for a brief moment. Look into the eyes of the participant and snap your fingers saying “Thinking about it now...what colour can you see the deck is, now?” They will respond by naming a completely different colour at this point, as they are following your suggestion for them to do so. This is where I turn the box back around, so that they can see the true colour of the deck. They will have a very strange look on their face. To everyone else watching this looks unbelievable. The participant seems to be stating the wrong colour, without even realising they are doing so. It is as if they are oblivious to the apparent change in their perception. I then take the deck out of the box and say the following words, as I spread the cards face down. “AND this means that the rest of the cards are also (say whatever colour they say the deck is now), yes?” They will agree. This being true makes sense from their point of view. They usually go right along with what you say at this point. I then tilt the backs of the cards away from the participant, for a moment. This helps with the following process of breaking the suggestion. Snap your fingers and say the following words to the participant, as you tilt the deck back to the position it was in before. “Of course, the deck really is (say whatever colour the deck truly is). You can see that now, can’t you? Excellent. They were always red.” This is where the bind comes in. I continue saying “What is really interesting is when the person helping swears that they could always see the true colour BUT still say that they can see a different colour.” Now even if the participant thinks that you were not able to get them to see a different colour, they will not be able to argue that you managed to get them to say that they could see a different colour. This will make it seem as if real hypnotic influence has taken place, due to your labeling of what has happened.

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The phrasing here describes a common experience in stage hypnosis. Often those taking part in hypnotic stage shows speak of being aware of everything that was going on, but still feeling compelled to follow the suggestions given to them by the hypnotist. This is what makes our current explanation seem so plausible. If this does not work at all and the participant names the correct colour, it is just a matter of adjusting a little bit and moving on to something else. “Okay. I was trying to make you temporarily colour blind and I will admit that did not work. This does not matter however, as you are our proof that the deck is normal.” Kenton says this is a wonderfully indirect way to get a person to say you have a normal deck, especially if it is a marked or otherwise tricked deck. You are now free to move along to any trick that does not use these bold methods to make it work, having convinced everyone that the deck you are using is ordinary, in the process. This is the basic out for all of these presentations. Simply acknowledge that it did not work and then move on. Here is the sneaky part about this seemingly direct out: Doing this still suggests that you can do what you claim to be able to do. It did not work on this particular occasion, that’s all! You may also notice that I try to use the word “temporarily” as much as possible when describing the effects of suggestion to the participant. This is another safety measure to ensure that the participant does not become stuck or think that the effects of your suggestion are permanent. Always make the effects “temporary” in some manner as you deliver the supposed suggestion. Act as if the suggestions you give are real ones. Because according to Kenton, they are. Kenton is careful with what he suggests to those who experience his magic and mentalism. I suggest you do the same. This ends the first portion of this book concerning my methods as applied to seeming trance effects. Kenton is known of course for “Kentonism” which is a combination of both trance illusion effects which look like altered states and when people insist they are not in any such state at all, while acting as if they are in such a state. I combine these elements with my principles and apply them to magic and mentalism in the second section that follows.

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Part 2

I shall now move on to my other work. This part details my use of words and bold methods to create moments of magic which seem impossible. I prefer this approach over complicated sleight of hand and always try to find the simplest solution to an idea when creating magic. This has become somewhat of a trademark in my approaches. I feel these methods are closer to real magic, as they use little more than the words and suggestion to make them work.

Change of Beliefs This is a truly frightening and powerful effect. Perhaps it is legitimately too powerful for some performers or situations. I know that even if you do not feel that this presentation is for you, at the very least you will be fascinated thinking about the concept. The mere concept is transforming. The performer asks a participant about their beliefs towards God, to which they reply (for example) with the following “I am an atheist and don’t believe in God.” The performer talks a little about control through suggestion and then touches the participant on the forehead. The performer asks the participant what they truly believe now, to which they reply with the opposite of what they said originally. The participant has apparently changed their beliefs due to the influence of the performer. The participant genuinely believes this second belief and will often swear that they have always had this belief. They will usually keep to this newly formed belief for quite some time, even after the performer has gone. The truth is no belief is actually reversed in the participant. It is only the illusion of this reversal which takes place. I call this the reversal technique. It uses Wonder Words as well as Kenton’s “Dual Reality” principle, to make it work. This is placed in the book here as it follows what has come before, in terms of method. I have updated the effect and changed it slightly from how it appeared when first published. The effect may now be performed on the fly, without the need for any secret setup of the participant, as was the case with the original. The whole of the secret work is now done out in the open and is hidden in plain sight. This allows for an impromptu miracle.

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The principle used makes what is considered impossible to be seen as possible. There is a subtle difference here however, not at all like what is found within the standard fare of magical effects; The effect is real, in terms of outcome. In fact, what is thought of as magic by the audience is true. I will break it down for you so you can grasp this readily. The result of the magic having worked is already the true situation. Therefore, nothing is changed in mundane reality. It is the illusion of change only that is created in the minds of the audience. This is achieved by the performer causing what is already true to be perceived as an impossible outcome of the magic having worked. Through illusion the performer causes what is true, and what is considered impossible, to be seen as the reverse of each other and in so doing, creates the effect. Stay with me. It will all make perfectly good sense soon. In the effect we make what is the true belief of the participant seem to be a newly formed belief by having the participant state a different belief from their own first. In this way, the performer convinces everyone watching that what the participant says first is their true belief. It is not. What is first stated is the opposite of their true belief. It is then simply a matter of having the person state their actual belief after you have seemingly made an attempt to convert their beliefs, to have them act and talk in a very convincing way that supports the illusion of a change of beliefs. This new belief will seem very real indeed, as it was their actual belief all along. It is all a matter of perception. The first false belief and the second true belief are perceived in reverse. Therefore, an impossible effect is created in the minds of the audience. The participant seemingly changes their beliefs and really believes the opposite of what they say first. I start by quietly asking someone from the audience what their true beliefs are towards God, away from the group. This is to make sure I know ahead of time what their actual beliefs are, so that I am able to know if the effect is going to work or not, during the performance. I also do this to make sure I have someone helping in the effect who believes in God. I feel that an apparent conversion of beliefs from atheism to a belief in God is better theatrically. This quick asking before the effect is begun is the easiest way of making sure of a proper presentation. I usually do this quietly as I position the participant, in front of the group. I am then ready to start the effect. I say the following words as a means of introduction. These words are directions for how I want the participant to act and ensure the participant responds in the way I need, to create the effect. The words will be heard as suggestions to everyone else.

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“In a moment, NOT yet, you are going to say the opposite of what it is you truly believe. This is NOT hypnosis BUT is instead, a subtle form of suggestion. I want you to simply state the opposite of whatever your true beliefs are, when I ask you in a moment. Okay?” This wording will make it seem that you do not mean to perform the effect right away. However, the participant will understand that they are to respond with the opposite of their beliefs as soon as they are asked about their beliefs. To make sure the participant knows to follow along right away I say “I will try this...” Saying such a thing sounds to the audience as if I am going to start the effect. The words also cue the participant to get ready to do as I have previously directed. I now ask them the following. “Do you believe in God?” They will respond with something along the lines of “NO! Definitely NOT!” This should be the opposite of what they truly believe. The audience at large will perceive this response from the participant as their true belief. This is due to the words that follow, which serve to create the impression in the minds of everyone watching that this first question was asked to ascertain the true beliefs of the participant before the effect is begun. “I always ask what the person helping truly believes before doing this, to be sure of their beliefs before we start. You see, I can make others say the opposite of what they believe with ease using suggestion. I simply ask them to do so and they are seen to follow along BUT what is really interesting is when you can get the person helping to really believe the opposite of what they say at the start.” The first line stated will be accepted by the participant as they have already been asked what it is they believe, before the performance. The second part of this script seems to describe what it is the performer is about to attempt. To the participant however, what the performer says seems to be exposing what they have done already! The participant will assume that what the performer means to show is that they are able to cause the participant to say the opposite of what they truly believe. This will be the effect from the point of view of the participant. However to the audience the effect has not yet been accomplished. The last line sets the premise and gets the audience ready for the effect about to take place.

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You now slowly touch the participant on their forehead and state “NOW...really...what are your real beliefs...you can say them now!” The participant will now respond with the opposite of what they first said was their real belief, and will actually believe this second belief. This is because it is their true belief, which they have had all along. “I believe in God. I always have.” The performer has seemingly changed the beliefs of the participant from an atheist to a belief in God, with a touch. “Now, you believe this truly, rather than what you said previously, isn’t that right? This is your actual belief now isn’t it?” “Yes. You just had me say the opposite first.” “Excellent. Thank you for doing this. Your beliefs are now your own as they have always been, free to change whenever you want them to do so.” The last few lines are spoken to ensure that the participant understands that they are left with their original beliefs. This is done as a precaution. I do not want to leave any suggestion in the mind of the person helping that their beliefs might change against their will later on, due to my performance. There is a chance that they might think that this is possible. I always use this type of closing line. It is a secure way of wrapping up the effect and making sure there are no possible side effects to what may or may not be suggested by my words and the overall performance. The worst case possible then would be if the participant thinks that you were not successful in getting them to change their beliefs to what to say first. To the audience however, the trick did work. This will not matter, as whatever the participant says after the fact will confirm the effect from the perspective of the audience. The only thing that can go wrong with this presentation is if the participant follows along so well that they respond with the opposite of their true beliefs the second time too. If this happens or if you think that they may have actually changed their beliefs or imagine this to be so, simply snap your fingers saying something such as “Really, you can say your actual beliefs now. Everything is back to normal now.” This will still look strange to the audience at large. In any case, make sure the participant is left with the same beliefs they had at the start of the presentation, before any of your words took effect. 19

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Most of the time the participant will take what you do as a demonstration of how you are able to influence someone with words to follow along and say they believe something entirely different from what they truly believe. From here you may perform any other trick, leaving the audience wondering if the participant will ever go back to their old beliefs again, on their own. Kenton once performed a version of this when famed illusionist, creator and gospel performer Andre Kole was in the audience. Andre was not sure what to make of an effect in which one converted an atheist into a believer with a touch or magical use of will. He knew of course that it had to be an effect, but just the thought of such a thing made the famous Mr. Kole a bit nervous. Andre wanted nothing to do with people being forced to believe something, even if it were his own beliefs, it turns out. You never know how you might impact people in the audience with this illusion. Kenton often explains such things to the audience using his closing lines from Kentonism. That makes everyone entirely unable to explain anything like this away. See Kentonism for more on all of that. That’s too much to get into here, but you should look that up and have Kentonism too.

Telepathy Through Touch The following effect first appeared on a forum for magicians. Here it is reprinted in its original form. These are my up to date thoughts on an older effect of mine. Throughout the years it has slowly developed into the following version. I share it here for completeness. This is also another sample of my work, for those of you who do not already have my manuscripts. You may have heard of a way of performing this effect on stage. Mine is NOT that method. However, with a little adjustment this is possible. I am confident that this method will remain hidden in plain sight. For some, it may be considered too risky or unworkable. However, for those who dare to be bold in performance, who enjoy doing the impossible with little effort, this is for you. There are a few principles outlined in this too for those looking, which can be applied to other effects. In fact, my thinking on one of these principles has previously been applied to my solution to the now legendary effect known as the Berglas Effect. Here is a large hint towards how I accomplish such a feat. The effect is as follows.

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I get someone from across the room and bring them to a group for whom I am currently performing. I then take this person aside and teach them how to perform a simple act of Mind Reading. This happens in front of the rest of the group, but without anyone else hearing what I say to this person. One of the group is then asked to think of a simple object and the participant is seen to describe the object perfectly, finally naming it. Method I have always wanted to perform Mind Reading without the need for any props or anything having to be written down. Before I go to get the extra person from across the room, I ask one of the group to think of a simple object and have them tell me what they are thinking. This is the easiest and most direct way of obtaining information. If I then revealed their thought that would be a little too obvious and not very impressive. However, by using someone else for the revelation, another layer of deception is added to the effect. You may want to use a peek which is more suited to pre-show to obtain the information instead of having someone simply tell you. I prefer the bolder approach of direct asking, however. Before I go to get the other participant I say “I would like you now to think of a simple object AND then tell me what it is out loud so that you cannot change your mind later.” Say this or something similar. The important point is to offer a justification for asking, however illogical it may seem. “Make sure you remember it. I am going to ask you to name it again in a moment.” I am sure to let this person know that I will be asking them for their thought again in a moment. This is to make sure they do not forget or hesitate before naming it when asked later on in the routine. “For the next effect I need two people. YOU and your thought AND someone else from across the room who could NOT possibly know what it is you are thinking.” This is when I go and get someone else. I then use the following subtlety, once everyone is gathered.

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Pre Stooge (Stooge) Talking to the participant I have brought over to the others and in front of everyone I say “You are not in on this in any way or simply playing along, are you? AND I have not told you what this person is going to think ahead of time, have I? GOOD. There would NOT be much point in me doing this anyway, as you shall see.” In this way I establish that the participant is NOT “in on it” AND has not simply been told what the other person is going to think, in the minds of everyone watching. I DO tell the participant what the other person is going to think of and in the process make them “in on it” BUT as I have not told them yet, what I say now will seem to be TRUE for the whole effect. This is the reverse of what would normally happen in a stooge situation. Usually someone would be in on it and THEN asked to play along, not the other way around. The old way can create an unconvincing response from the participant when asked whether they are playing along. However this new arrangement means I can directly ask the participant if they are in on it all and they will have no reason not to respond in the way I want. The last line in the scripting makes the idea of the performer telling them what the other person is going to think seem to be a completely pointless act anyway, given the presentation. Thus, the actual solution to the trick seems ridiculous in the minds of the audience and will therefore less likely be considered as the method. “I want you to perform the Mind Reading instead of me. It is nothing to worry about. I will tell you how to do this BUT I do not want everyone else knowing how I do it obviously, so I will tell you in secret.” I take the person aside and begin to tell them the “secret” without anyone else hearing. “Of course, as a Mind Reader I know what it is they are going to think. Really. I know. They are going to think of...” I say what it is the other participant is going to think and then continue with my instructions. “For you to do this ALL you have to do is imagine you are reading their mind AND then keep it a secret how you knew what they would be thinking about. If you can DO this, then you will look like a genius to everyone.”

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This last line is one from my mentor Kenton Knepper and ensures the participant stays on my side and does not go against me. They will not likely want to take away from how amazing they appear and so will in most cases keep the bold ruse to themselves. Kenton made an additional slight change to my line so that it ends with “...you will look like a genius to everyone.” By ending on the word “everyone” this implies you as a performer think the person is a genius for helping you too. Now the participant really wants to help and look like they’re incredibly bright. By having the participant use their imagination I ensure they do not freeze up or find playing their part too much trouble. Some may find the notion of acting or playing along too demanding whereas most everyone can imagine how something would look and by doing so, they act it out naturally. This also allows for the following convincer to take place at the moment of Mind Reading. Convincer – Mind Reading “Before telling everyone what it is the person is thinking, I want you to place your hands on their foreheads or temples like this AND imagine their object in front of you. Then I want you to slowly describe the object AND what the object reminds YOU of BEFORE revealing the actual thought of object.” I place my hands on the temples of the participant as I speak these words and gesture with my hands. This convinces everyone watching that I am legitimately teaching the participant how to read minds, even if they cannot hear exactly what it is I am saying to them. This provides a process for when the participant does the Mind Reading so it will make what happens look very real. Theatrical Out – Nature of illusion The next part of scripting is an interesting notion. It sets up an out for whenever the participants talk, after the fact. “Before doing this I want to warn you of something. If any of you talk about this afterwards, there is a chance that the illusion will unravel. Even thinking about how this works is risking losing the magic. This is the reason I perform it this way.” Making this sort of statement is a theatrical way of being honest about what will happen if the participants were ever to talk, after the effect is over. The last line will also make it seem as if everything that might happen was planned all along.

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The chances of the trick being worked out will be less likely after speaking about magic in such a way. People value the experience of magic more after this short disclaimer and will therefore be less concerned about how the trick works. I like the idea that I am doing exactly what I claim to be doing in performance. I am creating the illusion of magic by manipulating others’ perception of reality. If they do talk and the trick becomes apparent, they will not feel that they have exposed me, so much as gained an insight into how they can be fooled by appearances. Is this not one of the roles of a REAL magician? To remind others to look beyond the mere surface appearance of things and in so doing, find TRUTH? This of course, is the worst case only and most of the time the illusion will remain intact. I might be better off not mentioning any possible problem as it is so rare and I mean not to frighten you away from the simplicity and directness of this effect. I do want to be sure that I teach you everything I do however, so you too have it all handled perfectly well. The fact that you get someone from across the room, this person is asked to keep how they “Know” secret, the participant likes to be the important person in the situation, and you give this sort of talk before performing the effect, the method usually remains entirely hidden. Direct the participant to do as instructed and perform the Mind Reading for you. In this situation, the Dual Reality principle ensures everyone will be amazed. The participant performing the Mind Reading will believe you really can know ahead of time what someone else will think of and the participant having their mind read, as well as everyone else watching, will believe the other person really read their mind. It is the perfect illusion. Naturally, the participant who performed the Mind Reading will not want to take anything away from themselves by giving away the secret. So, it will be quite safe! To make sure, I use another line that Kenton came up with and say to the Mind Reading participant “Excellent! Don’t tell them how you do it. You did that perfectly!” This reminds the participant not to reveal anything after the effect is over and gives them all the credit for what has taken place. This will usually be enough for them to keep the secret. So, there it is. The way I go about performing such an impossible feat. I hope you will find this of use.

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Sadly, some of this has been put in the works of others without my permission. I now understand why my mentor no longer tips things in chat groups. Those who have attempted to teach my original work could only teach some of the surface methods. As a direct Student of Kenton’s I know the importance of teaching all the real psychology and nuance that casual copiers of our works miss. I am sure you will be pleased now to know the full technique and correct method as given here. Know that you know the FULL work, I am sure you will be successful with it.

The Berglas Effect The next effect is a thing of beauty, in terms of its bold method. You are literally “getting away with it” in performance, in front of your audience. This makes it one of my favourite effects to perform. I once set myself the challenge of finding an ultimate solution to this effect. None of the previously published methods seemed to come close to the perfect solution I figured must exist for this particular effect. Most methods usually needed a trick deck to make them work or other compromises, such as multiple decks and outcomes, short cards and extra props. I knew that this was not the Ultimate. The method I was looking for needed to be simple. I wanted to be able to use a normal deck, which could be borrowed, and have two spectators make completely free choices. I also knew that my method had to adhere to all the stipulations set by the original. I started off using card stacks and having to calculate where to cut the deck, to place the freely thought of card in the position of the freely named number in the deck. This was done in front of the participants just before the reveal, which was a problem. I eventually hit upon the following solution. This method simplifies the working to such a degree it appears the performer has done nothing. What is more, all the conditions for performing this effect are adhered to; the deck is on display from the start, NO stooges are used and no one is in on it in any way. The playing card and number are completely free choices made by each participant. The performer does NOT touch the deck after both the playing card and number have been named and for the first time. Still the playing card named is found to be at the position in the deck of the freely named number. The deck is dealt one card at a time face up onto the table and the card at the freely named number is seen to be the freely thought of card. How this works is due to the words the performer uses as well as how the effect is structured. We create a moment of magic out of nothing much taking place. The participants, as well as the audience, are fooled by their perception of what has apparently occurred. This uses the Dual Reality principle. Your words create the effect in the minds of those watching. The needed “move” and all the work is done before the effect has apparently begun. That is not to say that this is set up before the show, as in standard pre-show situation, as this is not the case.

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This uses pre-show in a slightly different way. The needed situation is made during the performance just before the effect is begun, as opposed to being performed long in advance. This makes the performance of the effect and the method perfect for walk-around and performing situations where there are a few different groups gathered in a room. Before finishing a performance for one group and moving on to the next, I ask someone in the group to “Think of any playing card out of the whole deck and name it out loud.” For example, they name the Seven of Hearts. I turn the deck faces towards me and spread through to the card they name and cut it to the top of the deck. Next, I perform a false overhand shuffle keeping their card on top of the deck. It looks as if I am simply checking that their card is in the deck. I place the deck away in the box as I say “I need you to name your card in a moment for the next group when I perform over there. Make sure you remember it. I will be back for you in a moment.” I am now set for the second phase of the method. I move to the next group and introduce myself. I hand the deck of cards, still in their box, to one of those present in the group and say “Think of a number in between one and fifty-two and say it out loud.” Once they have named a number, I take the deck back from them as an apparent after thought and say “I almost forgot. I should show you that these cards are all different before we begin.” I take the cards out of their box and spread the cards faces towards the spectators, as if meaning to show the deck is normal. This looks like I forgot to show the cards before beginning the effect. This seems to only add to the fairness of the effect but in actuality it allows me to perform the needed “move” and position the previously thought of card at the position in the deck at the freely named number. For example, say they name the number twelve. Spread through the deck and secretly count the cards as you do so. Mark the position in the deck of the twelfth card by placing your right index finger on it and remember it. It is important you do not stop spreading through the deck when doing this or make it obvious that the cards are being counted. Once all the cards have been displayed openly and before closing the deck, place your left thumb on the twelfth card and casually cut all the cards below your thumb to the face of the deck. This will go by completely unnoticed. It happens before the trick has apparently begun, so the spectators will not be looking for anything at all. The move takes place casually as you show the cards and then put them away.

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This places the freely thought of card at the position in the deck of the freely named number. Place the cards back in their box and hand the pack back to the participant. You are now completely set and ready to perform the effect under seemingly impossible conditions. I usually ask the participant for their number again as I hand them the box. This implies that I could not have done anything tricky with the deck when showing the cards to be normal, as I could not remember their number anyway. Kenton’s teacher John Mendoza has often used a similar ploy of asking for a number again, as if asking for the first time, and it is a simple, powerful ruse. Now all that is left to do is fetch the already prepared spectator from the other group and perform the seemingly impossible effect. “I need two people for this effect. I shall get someone from across the room, who could not possibly know what number you are thinking about. Make sure no one tampers with the deck while I am gone.” Once everyone is gathered I introduce the effect proper. “I am going to attempt something which is considered almost impossible by most magicians. The effect is as follows. One person names a playing card and another person names a number between one and fifty-two. Someone other than the performer then counts down to that position in the deck and the freely named playing card is found to be at the position in the deck of the freely named number. I know it sounds impossible. The other reason this has become such a legendary effect is due to the following conditions. First, the deck is on display from the start. Second, the playing card and number named are completely free choices made by each participant. Third, there are NO secret helpers. Fourth, no one is playing along AND fifth, the performer does NOT touch the deck after both the playing card and number have been named.” This sets the premise of the trick and creates the idea of the trick being impossible in the minds of everyone watching. They will not be able to argue that all the conditions are met by the performer in this presentation and will therefore think that what you describe as the effect is actually what has taken place. This is because they each have a limited perception of what has happened, due to the Dual Reality principle. Also the “Definition is Equal to Creation” rule made popular by Kenton is applied here in more of a trick way. It is the description of the effect which creates the effect in the minds of those watching. I then say the following, to the participant who is thinking of a playing card. “Having said all of that. You are thinking of a playing card already, aren’t you? Yes. Name out loud now for the first time, the playing card you are merely thinking about...This is a free choice, yes?”

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The person should now say the playing card they thought of previously. The way this is worded makes it seem as if this participant was thinking of a card and I picked up on that. These words also make it sound as if this is the first time the person is mentioning the card. If the person says a different card than the one they said previously, I simply remind them of their first choice saying “No. There was a different card you thought of first, wasn’t there? Yes. Name that card instead. It is important not to change your mind and to go with your first impression.” If I need to say this it appears very much like real Mind Reading, especially when the person names a different card! It seems as if I KNEW they thought of one card and then changed their mind to another. Labeling your Knowing in this way allows you to get out of any problem situation you may have when using pre-show of any kind. There’s a big tip for you. I next address the other participant, who is holding the deck, saying “Don’t change your mind BUT name a number between one and fifty-two. The one you are thinking of now.” They will name whatever number they were thinking of before. In this case, they will name the number twelve. All there is left to do is have the participant: “Take the deck out of the box, being careful not to change the order of the cards. Deal the cards one at a time face up, counting the cards out loud as you do.” I stop the dealing just before they deal the target card and reiterate what has happened, to build suspense. This effect gives you a built-in applause cue. Many times you will perform this before a large group. This effect allows you to get a healthy round of applause in a close-up setting. “Stop! Name your card again. If the next card is the (Seven of Hearts) then this will be amazing. Turn over the next card.” They turn over the card and it is of course the Seven of Hearts. This does seem impossible indeed due to the way the effect is structured. It is the easiest version of this classic effect you will probably ever perform. There is only one deck in use and this can be performed at a moment’s notice with a borrowed deck. No gaffs are needed and each participant is allowed a completely free choice of playing card and number. For these reasons, I feel that this is the best solution to this trick, for walk-around and party performances.

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I usually use the line, “Think of an easy number” when asking the participant for a number at the start. This ensures they don’t go for a number which is too big, making the count easier. If they do go for a high number then I usually say “I am going to take my time and show you each of the cards one at a time. The next effect is so impossible, it is important you know that the deck is completely normal before we begin.” This gives me as much time as I need to get the proper count.

Reverse Mind Read The next item allows you to apparently read the mind of your spectator, without ever having to do so. This process creates the illusion of Mind Reading in the minds of the audience. The full effect is one of influence as well as Mind Reading. The performer fans a deck of cards faces towards the participant. Looking into their eyes they read the mind of the participant, describing exactly what card the participant has in mind. The participant turns over a card they chose previously and this is seen to be the same card they are thinking about. Proof that the participant can be influenced both mentally and physically. The method is pure genius. Other magicians have come up with similar arrangements for the Mind Reading process in the past. Jerome Finley and Kennedy both have similar ways of handling the reveal of information, to make it look as if Mind Reading is taking place when it is not. I came up with my presentation and the underlying concept without knowing of these two excellent thinkers’ work in this area. It is with their blessing that this effect has been published. The main deception behind the Mind Reading is an extension of an idea by Thom Bleasdale. It is a way of forcing the participant to think of something specific and at the same time making it look as if you have read their mind. This is a very clever linguistic bit. It was first published in Kenton’s work “The Secret” now out of print. By mentioning the item you wish your participant to think about, you cause them to think of that item. The way this is worded however makes it seem to everyone else watching that Mind Reading has taken place. I cover the use of this principle under the premise of influence. From the start of the effect I tell the participant that they are to try to resist my influence. The effect then seems to be about my ability to influence people to think of specific information. By mentioning certain information during the moment of apparent Mind Reading the participant will be compelled to think of this information. They will not easily be able to block it from their minds. However they try to resist allowing an image of what I mention to come to mind, it still will. The person will agree that they have whatever I describe in their mind, and at the same time confirm the Mind Reading for everyone else.

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This will become clear as we go along. For now, it is important for you to remember that the effect from the point of view of the participant is one of influence. To everyone else watching it appears that you are performing Mind Reading under the guise of influencing the participant to think of a specific card. I begin saying “Look into my eyes. You can try BUT you will NOT be able to resist or deny my influence.” I spread the deck between my hands a few times, as if trying to implant a specific card into the mind of the participant. This is merely for theatrical reasons but this will later be seen to be the moment I caused the participant to think of a certain card. I do not actually want the participant to think of a card at this point, so I normally add the line “Don’t think of a card whatever you do!” This seems to be a gentle taunt to your participant and is understood as the opposite of what I mean it to imply, to the audience. I turn the deck face down and have the participant take a card from the deck. “Take any card from the deck BUT don’t look at it yet. Be sure NOT to be influenced in any way!” I use a stack to know what card the participant has taken. Doing so allows for a free choice and much byplay as you apparently influence the person. You may want to force the card instead and use actual physical influence to have them take the card you desire. I prefer giving them a free choice and then labeling their choice as influence, later on. A marked deck would also serve. A physical force is a bit tricky when insisting people not be “influenced.” Once a card is chosen it is not looked at but merely set face down in full view of everyone. You can see how a marked deck would be worthy here. There is plenty of time to look at the marking in this presentation. In any event, I know the card the person freely chose, but they do not know what their card is yet. I now force the person to think of the card they have selected, using the following ploy. This will look as if I am reading the mind of the participant, to those watching. The participant will perceive what takes place as influence. I look into their eyes and say to the participant “You are thinking of the colour (Red), now that I mention it you are, yes?” The line “...now that I mention it you are, yes?” is the deceptive piece of scripting by Thom Bleasdale and Kenton, which makes this effect possible. By saying this I imply that the participant is already thinking of the information and I am simply naming their thoughts out loud. This gets even more deceptive as I move on, slowly describing the playing card I know they are holding in their hands or that is on the table face down.

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The participant understands what I say to mean that they are thinking of what I am describing because they could not help but think about whatever it is I mention. It’s akin to saying, “A pink elephant...Now that I mention it, you have that in your mind, don’t you?” We just do that a little more slyly. “You are thinking of the colour (Red), now that I mention it you are, yes?” I mention a thought and they think of that as a result of my mentioning it. To everyone watching it appears that the participant thinks of something and then I describe whatever it is they are thinking. The process is perceived in reverse by the audience and this is what creates the illusion of Mind Reading taking place. I always end the statement with a “yes?” and nod my head affirmatively. This helps get the participant to agree with what I say. Kenton says the phrase should be stated more as a statement, but it should sound like a bit of a question. I go on to describe the playing card they are apparently thinking of in great detail. “There is also a white background with a line drawing on top of it, with different parts coloured in...some parts are solid black, some red and some yellow. You can see this in your mind now, can’t you? Good. There is also the shape of a Heart in each corner. This is next to the letter Q.” They will agree here, as they now understand that they are to imagine whatever is being described. The following line is the clincher and cements the notion of Mind Reading in the mind of everyone else. “So the card you are thinking of is the (Queen of Hearts), yes?” They will confirm this to be true and in the process confirm the illusion of Mind Reading for the audience. The participant may not be very convinced of my ability to influence them at this point. This is where their taking a card out of the deck previously comes in. The participant now turns over the card. This provides the participant with a trick ending and ensures they react strongly to the effect. “You may doubt that you were really under my influence, which is why I had you take a card out of the deck from the start. Turn the card you took from the deck over, as proof of my influence.” This seals the illusion for everyone concerned. Kenton says that this is the proper use of Dual and Multiple Reality as he originally intended. All parties may have different views of reality, but each view seems to be exactly as the performer states. When the participant turns over the card and sees it is what I perceived, and they imagined, they will be impressed and react strongly. Their engagement in the presentation turns the effect into far more than a simple card force revelation to them too. They never see the ending coming, because of the strange process and situation they find themselves in, right up to the final moment of revelation. 31

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Bonus Section Personal Challenges

I often challenge myself to come up with what Kenton terms “Ultimates” although he believes nothing is ever truly ultimate, everything evolves eventually. Still we both like shooting for the ultimate effects or methods of new and classical ideas. Here are some of my ultimate challenges and a few solutions. This material is more challenging for some people to grasp or dare to perform perhaps, but I hope these will challenge you to come up with your own self-challenges. I know some of you will also dare to perform these as well. I’m still working on these and pushing myself.

Free Range Think of a Card I set myself the task of coming up with a way to know what card a participant was merely thinking about, without asking any questions or having to use pumping to arrive at the correct card. This had to be a completely verbal approach, the method existing in the words used and happening completely in the minds of those watching. K.E.N.T. already answers these requirements to a certain degree, but it cannot be done with no questions alluded to at all. I started thinking in terms of giving the participant a free choice to change their mind, apparently making the selection process fairer, while in reality limiting their choice. This lead to being able to know what certain parts of a chosen card were, once other aspects of it were known. I even fooled myself with my own method this way. Still it was not a complete solution. There was not enough information to boldly state the card and be very close, if not exactly right. The following method evolved from this original thinking and is as close to meeting this challenge as I have managed to date. Have the participant think of a card by saying “Think of any playing card in the deck. Most people think of either an Ace or a picture card. Please do NOT think of one of these cards, as these are too obvious.” You have the chance of appearing to hit here if they are thinking of either an Ace or picture card. Pause for a brief moment after asking them to think of a card to allow for a hit. If they are not thinking of one of these cards it does not matter. By mentioning these cards and stating that they are obvious choices, you eliminate them from being chosen now. “You have a card in mind now, haven’t you? Yes. You know what, just so that you are NOT influenced by anything I say and to be sure you have a free choice, think of a totally different card than the one you have in mind now. If it is red, change it to black and vice-versa. If it is a high card change it to a low card. Low, make it a high value. Okay? Now even you have a card you did not know you were going to think about!” 32

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

All you have to know is what card they thought of originally to be able to guess the card they are thinking about now with great accuracy. I usually pretend to read their mind at this point, before asking for their first choice. This adds some time misdirection into the preceding and makes the method less obvious. As an apparent afterthought I say “By the way, what was the card you were thinking of originally? (The Three of Spades). Interesting. No one ever goes for that card. This is going to be a little harder than I thought.” This information clues you into what card they are likely thinking now. Here’s how: If they were first thinking of a low black card then chances are they are thinking of a red card with a high value now. This works the other way around also, thanks to our previous clever scripting. If they thought of a high black card first then now it is likely a low red card. If they thought of a low red card to begin, then they are now probably thinking of a high black card, and so on. Because the true method exists in words, they will likely forget your specific directions and only remember that you gave them a seemingly free choice. Knowing what they were thinking beforehand will not seem to make any difference in your being able to name the card they finally settled on. I always name a Nine for a high card and Three for a low card. The most common suits your participant will be thinking of are Hearts for a red card and Spades for a black card. These are the most easy to visualize for your participant and the most psychologically appealing. Most of the time you will be very close and only slightly off with either the value or the suit. You will be able to always get the colour correct, however. A bit of a miss is to be expected when you are doing real Mind Reading. When you do this for real you would sometimes only be close and on rare occasions you would get the thought completely wrong. Of course, you can use an out if you want to do so. One out I always plan on using is “Kolossal Killer.” Using a Nine and a Three as guesses for this presentation allows you to adjust using Killer when you need to do so, seamlessly. Those who own the original Kolossal Killer manuscript by Kenton will know what I mean. Kenton suggests only using this as an out when you are very far away from the correct card and saving “Killer” for other times. Kolossal Killer allows you to easily experiment with this idea without any fear of failure however, so keep that in mind! This is very close to real Mind Reading, so I do hope you try it more than once until you get the feel for it.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Open Chair Prediction and The Kardor Ploy Taken in part from a manuscript shared on line with magicians. I know you may think me slightly crazy for sharing so much of my work. Even so, here is my solution to the chair prediction. My first thoughts on how to achieve such an effect was to tell participants where to sit before the show. I then started to play with a multiple out idea but NOT in the usual sense. I wanted as clean a version of this plot as possible and as close to the real thing as a method. This involved letting the participants sit wherever they wanted. If they sat in the correct position I would end there. If not I would go through various phases of the routine, apparently adding to the fairness and impossibility of the overall presentation. I would give each participant a choice whether they wanted to switch seats with any other participant. This gave me another chance of getting the prediction correct. I also added a “do over” into proceedings if the first or second participant sat in the wrong seat at the start. I simply took the envelopes back and mixed them, handing the envelopes back and having each participant chose a seat again saying, “I need to start over for this to work.” Each phase increased my odds of getting the prediction correct whilst at the same time created the routine. Of course, there was a smaller chance I would be completely wrong. This seemed to be as close to doing it for real as possible. Each participant had a genuine free choice in each phase of the routine and the prediction could be based on my actual intuition. There was a problem with different outcomes being apparent over multiple performances. I tried to cover this with the scripting. Eventually, I went back to my original thinking and came up with the following. Three chairs are on stage, facing the audience. Three spectators are chosen out of the audience at random and brought on stage. Three identical envelopes are mixed by one of the participants on stage and then handed back to the performer. The performer then states a prediction out loud openly and hands an envelope to each participant, directing them to sit on any chair of their choice. The performer then asks each participant to stand behind their chair, open their envelopes and take out what is inside. They each take out a different colour card. The performer then moves down the line, snapping up each chair and revealing a matching colour on the underside of each of the chairs as proof that the performer was able to predict which envelope each person would chose and where each person would sit.

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It is in the fairness of the shuffle that the fooling of each participant relies. For this reason I make sure everyone remembers the envelopes are freely mixed and that this happens out of the performer’s hands. “Make sure these are well mixed. So that no one, not even me, could know the order, I will turn around as you mix these. Do you want to shuffle them some more? No? You are finished. They really are well mixed now? Excellent.” The first part of the method is a very bold force used by Al Koran with playing cards. My handling is to fan the envelopes, take one out and hand it to one of the participants until each participant has an envelope as I say “Take one of the envelopes. It doesn't matter which one as they have all been mixed.” This is NOT really a force so much as a way of knowing which participant has which envelope. This is achieved by subtly marking the envelopes before the show and in the act of handing the envelopes out, remembering where each envelopes goes for the next part of the deception. You will now simply tell each participant where to sit, under the premise of openly stating your prediction. It is done right in front of the audience, so there is no need for any pre-show. “My open prediction is as follows. In a moment, BUT not yet, you are to sit in the first chair...you will sit in the middle and you will sit on the chair left over.” It is now that I hand each participant the correct envelope, corresponding to where I have directed each participant to sit. “Take an envelope. It doesn’t matter which one AND sit in your chair.” It will look as if you have openly stated your prediction and they have simply followed along and done your bidding, thus fulfilling your prediction. You are now able to reveal your prediction. The order of the envelopes match the colour under each chair. “You each took an envelope at random AND sat in one of the chairs. Presumably you could have sat in any chair of your choice BUT instead you sat where I predicted each of you would sit. You may doubt that this is the case, which is why I had each of you take an envelope.” All that remains is to have each participant open their envelopes and display the colour inside, showing the colours on the chairs match, as proof that all was predicted ahead of time.

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Even if the participants doubt they really had a free choice of which chair to sit in, they will not know how you were able to successfully predict where each envelope would end up. It will look to the audience as if the fate was inescapable for your participants, or perhaps you had an influence over them. They may feel that the participants were indeed influenced. To combat any negative perception of this, Kenton suggests addressing the issue directly saying “You could not help it, you were influenced. It’s fate. Have a seat.” Then go right into a solid Mind Reading or influence effect with the three people once they are seated. When the second effect is a clear, solid and highly successful one, then the audience must assume the original effect was too. Admittedly this is very twisted psychology. Kenton also suggests using painted or plastic (but very sturdy) colored chairs. This makes the color matching of the chairs to the colors in the envelopes clear, undeniable, and not theatrically messy. Colored chairs also make it obvious that no outs or equivocation could possibly have been used with the chairs. Colored chairs also help direct each person where to sit without question, if any doubt about which chair is “first” is an issue. Kenton says he’d prefer to gesture to each position and state the position, not the color, until the revelation, however. The Kardor Ploy I LOVE such bold and simple methods as used in this chair prediction. It is the apparent effect and the fact that everything matches at the end which makes this work, even though not much really happens at all. It looks as if you have been successful with your prediction so the effect must have happened, whether the audience first thinks there is an effect to it all or not. Kenton calls this sort of thing the “Kardor Ploy” in honor of his late friend Robin DeWitt and his famous Kardor character. The Kardor Ploy is when having a finale suggests that something actually happened. It would seem crazy for a performer to expect applause for something unless something happened. If there is a correlation or prediction, and the performer has ended as if this is a finale, then something must have happened. Audience members might think they missed a part of the presentation, but clearly there is an associated finale and a prediction that is correct, so the effect must have happened. It’s easier to applaud than to have to figure out what else could have possibly taken place. Who in their right mind would do nothing really at all, and predict it? WE WOULD. That’s why it works.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Way Open Prediction The following is my solution to the “Unsolved Card Problem” set by Paul Curry, also known as “The Open Prediction” and at this point it is still a work in progress. However the solutions we have been performing are at the very least fascinating and novel, so worth your consideration. I set myself the challenge of coming up with an ultimate solution to this effect. These are my unfinished thoughts on this, so far. I have had this work well. However it is not surefire. Performing this is best suited to casual performances, where it does not matter if you are seen to miss from time to time. The effect is as follows. The participant is given a deck of cards. The performer names a prediction of a playing card, out loud. The participant deals cards one at a time face up, stopping when they feel that something is strange. They are then to deal the next card in the deck face down onto the table, next to the pile of face up cards. The rest of the deck is then dealt through face up with everyone watching to see if the predicted card appears in the face up pile. The predicted card cannot be found in the face up pile, so it must be the card placed face down by the participant. They turn over the single face down card themselves and it is seen to be the card predicted ahead of time by the performer. My first thoughts on this were to have the deck change colour, as a way to cue or prompt the participant where to stop dealing, and then have them deal the next card face down. This was meant to be a subconscious act, done by the participant and hopefully pass unnoticed. This worked well a few of the times I tried it. Most of the time however it was too conscious of a cue and was easily noticed by the participant. I mentioned this to Kenton and he suggested a change of back design instead of the bold colour change, as the cue for the participant. I have used this method successfully. Some seem to miss this subtle cue more than the colour change of the deck, however. For this reason I prefer the change of colour as the method. I have yet to incorporate the change of colour of the deck into the explanation for what has happened when the participant perceives the change consciously. Maybe a pseudo trance presentation would cover this. However, the times that this goes by unnoticed consciously by the participant creates an impossible moment of magic. They have no idea how they knew when to stop and this makes the effect seem like a miracle, in their minds. If you are overly concerned about the change of colour being noticed by either the audience or your participant, then you could simply use the change of back design method instead. This way, when the trick goes wrong and the participant misses the secret prompting, the method will still stay hidden.

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True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

I structured the effect to allow for a very clean manner of performing this elusive plot. This method allows for the effect to be performed with one deck which appears to be normal. The participant stops wherever they wish, with no counting or other strange maneuvers needing to be used. I use a deck of cards stacked in an unusual way, to make this work. The cards I use are the Tally Ho Circle back design and the Tally Ho Fan back design. One of each of these decks allows you to make up two of my special decks. The following instructions are for a change of back design of the same colour being used as the cue for the participant to stop dealing. For the presentation using a change of deck colour, simply use two decks of the same design with different colour backs instead. Take out all the Hearts and Spades from the deck of one of the back designs, such as the Tally Ho Circle deck, and replace them with all the Hearts and Spades with a different back design, in this case the Tally Ho Fan back deck. Put the cards you removed on top of the remaining cards in the other deck. Each deck should now be made up of two halves of cards with contrasting back designs. I usually shuffle the two halves separately before stacking the deck, to ensure the cards appear mixed. Take the Seven of Hearts from one of the decks and place it on top of the deck. This will be your open prediction. Make sure an easy to remember card is on the face of the first half of the deck. The rest of the cards of a different back design follow this card. Put the deck away in a box, with a back design matching the first half of the deck. You are ready to go. Make the same set with the other deck and put the second deck away as a spare. To perform, bring out the deck still in the box and introduce the effect, with the following words. “I am going to attempt something which is considered impossible. I have a deck of cards. They are all different.” Take the cards out of their box and toss the box onto the table, so that the back design on the box can be seen. This should stay in view throughout the performance. This will act as a convincer later on but for now it is to be seen simply as a card box, which is no longer needed for the effect. Spread through the deck, faces towards the spectators, to show the deck is normal. As you do this, cut the deck at the point of your remembered card, so that all the cards to the left, including the memorable card, go to the face of the deck. Turn the deck face down and hold it in dealing position. The back design of the deck will have changed but this will go by unnoticed by the spectators. You have also positioned your force card, the Seven of Hearts, in the middle of the deck, directly below the last card of the contrasting back design. This setup is what allows for the trick to work.

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“My open prediction is the Seven of Hearts. In a moment, you are going to deal the cards one at a time face up, into a pile on the table.” You start to explain to the participant what is going to happen. “As you deal the cards, all of a sudden the deck will appear to be slightly different.” I wave my hand over the deck as I say this, to draw attention to the fact that the change will come from there. This change will register subconsciously with the participant as they deal the cards, as their conscious focus will be on the cards being dealt face up. They will only be able to notice the change because of it happening in their peripheral vision, outside of their direct awareness. “As soon as you notice something is strange with the deck STOP dealing AND deal the next card face down, next to the pile of face up cards. Okay, so start dealing the cards face up and wait until you notice something strange. Look out for the Seven of Hearts appearing in the face up cards too.” This last line will draw attention away from the deck and remind everyone watching of the name of the predicted card. Hand the cards to the participant and let them begin dealing the cards. They should come to the middle of the deck and stop dealing when the back design of the deck changing becomes apparent. As soon as they show any signs of pausing or notice that something is off, direct them to deal the next card face down, to the side of the face up card pile. This will be the prediction, the Seven of Hearts. Don’t reveal that yet. The person dealing will usually double take here and look at the card box, as confirmation of the back design of the deck. This is where leaving the box in plain view comes into play. The box indirectly suggests that the deck has not changed colour or back design, as the design on the box matches the cards now in their hand. The prediction card matches the rest of the deck they are holding too, so a quick spread of the remainder of the deck by the participant will not reveal anything. The cards already dealt with the different back design are face up and therefore hidden. The routine naturally hides any inconsistencies. Quickly move on, directing the participant with the following words. “Deal the rest of the deck face up onto the face up pile, making sure that the Seven of Hearts does not appear.” When they finish dealing, pick up the deck and spread through the cards, faces towards the spectators, as if looking for the Seven of Hearts as you say “I did not see the Seven of Hearts dealt face up, did you?” 39

True Mysteries - Fraser Parker

Next cut the deck at the memorable card, squaring the cards in the process and place the deck away in the box. This again indirectly reinforces the notion that the deck has not changed colour or back design, as the back of the deck will now match the face down prediction and card box. The deck is put away. All that is left to do is to reveal that the card they dealt face down is the card you openly predicted from the start, the Seven of Hearts. To reset, simply place the Seven of Hearts back into the box on top of the deck and you are ready again to perform this miracle. Obviously if you wish to do the color change handling you need to be sure to position the cards and the person dealing so that the backs are not seen by the rest of the audience as the person deals. Once the cards change color the same checks by the participant apply. The card case and remaining cards match the card they paused on. The only thing required is a reason for this person to have hallucinated a different color. Kenton suggests saying something such as “Oops! You are snapping out of your trance, I can tell. Deal the next card you stopped on as I said before, face down next to the face up cards...” Now do the handling as previously discussed with the same color back version. Remember the importance of acting as if they are really coming out of their trance. How you act and imagine things is how the reality will be perceived. Act nervous and the participant will respond in kind. Act as if you expect this participant to snap out of their trance at the proper moment, and later they will begin to doubt themselves. Keep in mind all the principles taught in this work. They always apply. Get used to having these as your secret weapons. They will allow you to do what others simply cannot. It is why my mentor Kenton and myself appear to do things others feel is impossible to do. When you have the principles you can do what we do. I hope you will now begin using the lessons I have intended to teach in this book. Cheers to you for choosing to take mentalism and magic to ever expanding heights.

Fraser Parker © 2011 Fraser Parker, Kenton Knepper

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