Air Alegro - Told You So

Told You So By Aire Allegro “I've said it before and I'll say it again – mentalism is a subjective art form and we each do things our own way. Aire has taken a challenge I set her and ran with it and the result is stunning! I'm proud to say this totally exceeded my expectations and I want to go on record and say I was wrong. My mouth is firmly closed!”

Peter Turner “Simple, elegant and direct. I love it! I will be using this for the star sign portion of Peter's IS3”

Fraser Parker Learn the secret that made Peter Turner have to eat his own words... 'Told you so' is Aire Allegro's beautiful definitive solution to the star sign divination plot, utilizing a new method that is just as direct, quick and easy to perform as an anagram but without any letters having to be called out. The performer talks about the difficulty of trying to think of any piece of information when on the spot. To lighten the load the performer hands the spectator their phone and directs them to think of one or more of the characteristics and traits (which are written on the wallpaper of the phone) that best describes themself. They do this whilst keeping the phone towards themselves and then instantly turn

the phone around to show the rest of the group these characteristics and traits. It is plain for the entire audience to see there is no mention of star signs – remember, you never touch the phone! The performer moves into giving the participant a brief reading (the performer even makes a point of ensuring that they do not confirm or deny anything) and then 100% of the time can reveal the star sign of the participant. Note: You don't have to use a phone to be able to perform this routine. Nothing is ever written down, the participant never adds anything up, there is no pumping for letters, no 'Horrors' principle, no cross referencing of elements, seasons or any other nonsense. We feel this is too good not to be shared with the magic community and for this reason decided to push Aire Allegro to finally break her five years of silence and release one of the best of her many underground pieces. This also works in absolutely any language.

Introduction Before we get into the content of this e-book ask yourself 3 questions: 1. Do you honestly like progressive anagrams that use letters to find a star sign? 2. Are you just using those methods because they are the only methods available to you? 3. Do you want to be able to guess someone's star sign in a personal, direct and timely fashion?

I don't like throwing out letters as it doesn't make sense to me. I don't feel it's personal and I don't feel it's enigmatic enough as it's too analytical and who wants a psychologist to give them a reading about their horoscope? I know I don't. I did use these methods as they were the only ones available to me, at the time. I wanted a quick, personal star sign divination. This is my solution. This idea was inspired by Peter Turner but not in the fashion most ideas are inspired. It was born out of a debate between myself and Peter. I have opposing viewpoints and approaches to the way that he operates. Let it be known that I am a fan of the way that Peter thinks. He's certainly creative and is up there (for me) with the best in our field. Instead of overpowering my thoughts and trying to suppress them he encouraged/challenged me to create a divination that represented my viewpoints and here it is – 'Told you so'. The title is a subtle play on words. 1. Because you are literally telling the participant information there is no way you could know. 2. Peter challenged me and here is my answer to his challenge. 'Told you so' is simple, quick and really, really hits hard. The thing that makes this star sign divination special is that you never ask the participant to think of their star sign (or letters, images, or symbols involving their star sign). In fact, you never mention it. You give them an accurate reading (only 5-10 seconds) and out of the blue tell them their star sign! It's personal, you can't fail and there is no complex process that seems odd and has the participant doing several double backflips and landing on a huge X after gracefully swan diving through a hoop. I hope you love this effect, Aire Allegro PS - I don't know if I mentioned this to you Peter but 'I told you so'.

Effect The performer talks about the difficulty of trying to think of any piece of information when on the spot. To lighten the load the participant is shown a list of characteristics and traits on the wallpaper of the performer's smart phone and are asked to think of the words that best define them. (This can also be shown to the rest of the group, in the fairest manner possible). The performer moves into giving the participant a brief reading (the performer even makes a point of ensuring that the participant does not confirm or deny anything) and then 100% of the time can reveal the star sign of the spectator. Nothing is ever written down, the participant never adds anything up, there is no pumping for letters, no memory work for the participant, no cross-referencing of elements, seasons or any other nonsense.

Method The method for this was completely inspired by Luke Jermay’s 'Reverse Gestalt Moment’ or ‘RGM’ from his book (now considered a modern classic) '7 Deceptions'. The method for this routine is very simple but don’t let that put you off. Start by taking the two images below (provided also as .jpeg images with this download) and save them onto your mobile phone. Begin by saving picture A to your phone first (this is the image that the participant you are performing the effect for will see) and picture B second (this is the photo that the rest of the group will see). Open picture B on your phone (so it is full screen) and screenshot / screen grab this picture 4 times. This will mean that you have picture B saved 5 times in total (the one downloaded and the four screenshots or screen grabs).

First I will breakdown the subtleties, set up and then get to the gold. Please be aware that you don't need a mobile phone to perform this effect, a mechanical method that utilises something that is accessible to everyone will also be detailed in the ‘additional thoughts’. Now that you have your photographs sequenced in the outlined order, you are going to create a slide show. Here is a link on how to do this on iPhone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMGB4QfyqiU Here is a link on how to do this on Android: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLRudzC4bcY For any other phone, utilise the wonder that is Google – the metaphysical crystal ball that has almost all the answers. However, if it is not possible to create a slideshow on your phone I will detail a method you can use that is simple and requires nothing more than the use of the one appendage that separates you from beasts and wild creatures – your thumb! But more on that later (in the ‘additional thoughts’ section). Create the slideshow so that it plays picture A and then a repeat of picture B (I will explain the reasoning behind this later). Imagine this, if you will – you hand the participant (whose star sign you wish to guess) the phone and ask them to look at the list of characteristics and think of the word, 2 words or more that best represents them and then place the phone to their chest. When they place the phone to their chest the picture changes (whilst facing their chest) so that they do not see it change. At this point (as an afterthought) you ask them to show the rest of the group the picture and of course the group are now seeing picture B.

You have essentially switched the picture in a hands-off way. In no world will the participant / audience ever assume the pictures were switched and they will have to assume they have seen the same picture. You may be wondering what we can achieve with this. Well, let's take a peek at the linguistic ploys that are used in this routine to completely turn this into something that in my humble opinion is gold. Reducing the star signs from 12 to 2 or 1 – effortlessly: Here is picture A again.

Look at it closely and you will notice that 6 star signs have a one word character trait underneath them. 5 star signs have a two word characteristic underneath them and one has a 3 three word characteristic. Lets look at this in more detail. These are the one word characteristics: Gemini – Fair Virgo – Wise Sagittarius – Warm Aries – Driven Leo – Proud Capricorn – Mysterious These are the two word characteristics. Taurus – Head-strong Libra – Well-balanced Scorpio – Venture-some Pisces – Easy-going Aquarius – Overly-kind Notice how the two word characteristics are separated by a hyphen. This makes it instantly easy for the spectator to distinguish that there are two words and not just one. Here is the only three word characteristic: Cancer – Down-to-earth You are going to employ three simple stages. Note: In this context the ploy might seem obvious but just watch how it becomes so scarily deceptive in a moment. First phase – Question 1: Wonder worker: “Are you thinking of 1 word, is it technically 2 words you went for or are you thinking of even more than that?” There are 3 ways that the participant could answer this question.

First, they could respond that it is one word. In doing that you are instantly down to 6 star signs. The participant has only ever paid attention to their own characteristic and dismissed the rest, as to them they are irrelevant, and answering your question has seemingly told you nothing. Secondly, the participant might respond that they are thinking of two words. This would instantly bring them down to 5 star signs and again the same logic as above applies. If they say more than two then you instantly know the participant’s star sign. You might look at this and think "Well, isn’t it obvious since there is only one three word long characteristic but remember the participant hasn’t been given time to look at all of them and remember each and every one and they can see many different words and characteristics on there. They will never know that there is only one with 3 words, as they literally look at their sign and the words and then they immediately put the phone to their chest. Reducing the number of possibilities from here: If the participant responds that it is one word, you will use a simple process to reduce the number of possibilities to three using Michael Murray’s CUP's technique. Look at the one word character traits again. Short characteristics: Gemini – Fair Virgo – Wise Sagittarius – Warm Longer Characteristics: Aries – Driven Leo – Proud Capricorn – Mysterious

Using this one sentence: “Imagine this word printed across your forehead in bold black letters. Now imagine the exact number of letters in this word.” If the participant says 'yes' very quickly you have instantly reduced the number of star signs to just 3. Follow by saying: “In fact, do you mind if I just tell the group what I feel about you?” Of course the participant will say 'yes' and I will explain in a moment how to hone in on the sign from this point. If they start to take longer than a second or so simply say: “In fact, do you mind if I just tell the group what I feel about you?” This is the same line used as above – either way you are going to end up at this point. In a moment I will share with you how to hone in on the exact sign. Let's take a look at the 2 word characteristics: Taurus – Head-strong Libra – Well-Balanced Pisces – Easy-going Scorpio – Venture-some Aquarius – Overly-kind Take a look at the first word in the two word characteristics. In the top group the first words are short. In the second group the first words are long. Again using the aforementioned Cups principle you can instantly separate the group of signs. Wonder worker: “OK, you chose 2 words that represent you. That's fine. Focus on the first of the 2 words. Imagine this word nice and large and think of the exact number of letters in this word.” If the participant nods very quickly you are now down to 3 star signs (the top 3 in the above list) in the next phase of the ploy I will share how to hone in on the exact sign.

If the participant takes more than a second or two employ this line: “In fact, do you mind if I just tell the group what I feel about you?” You now know the first word is the longer of the two words and are, therefore, instantly down to 2 star signs. If you are worried about the CUP's technique (this is the easiest way to use the principle since one word is long and the other is short so there should be no need for a worry) you can simply ask: “Is the first word you are thinking of longer than the second? Or the second word longer than the first?” I personally think that this is overkill but I am not you and we are all different. To prove it take a pair of scissors and stab yourself in the leg. Do you bleed? I don’t. Note: I am kidding, do NOT stab yourself with scissors. Note 2: I really don’t bleed. I hold no responsibility for scissor related accidents, but will totally take claim for it if your participant's head explodes. Now you are down to 2 or 3 star signs. We will cover how to get down from 2 to 1 later. For now lets look at the final phase in the ploy to reduce the star signs further. This is where you are going to begin the reading and 'throw out' one of the character traits inside the reading. Here is an example: Let's imagine the participant selected a one word trait and we have used the CUP's technique and the word is short. We now know the word must be Fair, Warm or Wise (Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo). I start the reading as follows: Wonder worker: “I feel with you that you are the sort of person that is the go to person whenever there is a debate amongst friends as your outlook on life is very Fair.”

We are watching for a reaction at this point. If the participant reacts, you know that they chose Fair and they are therefore a Gemini. I personally test for this a little more by simply following with: Wonder worker: “You didn’t pick that as one of the words did you?” If they say 'yes' then you say: “I thought so.” Continue the reading for 5 more seconds (I will suggest readings in the 'additional thoughts section') and finish by revealing the star sign – as you know it is Gemini. If the person says that they did not go for the word Fair, you have instantly reduced it from the three possibilities and you are now down to two. Simply follow with this genius bit of wording: “But it is fair to say that whilst you didn’t choose that, it completely represents you as a person.” Who wants to admit to not being a fair person? This is going to hit. Follow by saying: “From this point on I am not going to ask for confirmation, so please don’t say anything out loud, nod or give anything away over the next 5 to 10 seconds.” I am not going to list every single possibility here as it would be long and boring and get tedious very quickly. All you need to remember is the formula expressed in the third phase of the ploy: Choose one of the character traits in the reading and simply ask if they picked it. If they did you are instantly down to the exact star sign or in the worst case 1 in 2.

It is now time to see where the real gold is in this routine. Read this and imagine it from the audience’s perspective. They never see star signs mentioned and the participant and the group assume that they have seen the same picture as each other due to the fact that you never touch the phone. Even if you need to touch the phone (for the version we will discuss later), the pictures look identical and everyone will still always assume they saw the same picture. This is not like most dual realities where the participant gets less than the rest of the group - they assume they are getting the same as the rest of the group and in some ways they are getting a lot more as you are not only giving them a reading about themselves, but you also finish by revealing their star sign. The rest of the group assume the participant has thought of a few characteristics and traits that represent them and you have given them a reading and out of the blue told them their star sign.

Full performance scripts / patter Wonder worker: “Has anyone in this group ever been in a situation like a job interview where they felt so under pressure that they were lost for words?” Let the members of the group respond. Wonder worker: “It's happened to all of us at some point in our lives, especially when we are asked to talk about ourselves. Isn’t it strange that we find it so easy to express ourselves when it is about someone else or something else but often struggle when it comes to defining ourselves. Of course there is a wide range of characteristics that fit all of us. Myself – I am outspoken, reserved in terms of opinion and (even though I may not seem it now) I am very private and introvert. That is a set of words that would best describe me. Obviously I don’t expect you to be able to describe yourself in this much detail so I have compiled a list of characteristics or words that you can look at.”

The wonder worker pulls their phone out and opens a picture, handing the phone to the participant. [Of course the reality is that the slideshow was opened and starts at picture A. This is briefly flashed to the rest of the group, so it is not possible for them to read but is active on the screen long enough to look like you are not hiding it.] Wonder worker: “I don’t want you to say anything out loud. I want you to take the phone, look at the list and choose the characteristic that best represents you – obviously make your choice based on factors from your life.” Look at the language very carefully. The first line shuts the participant up. It stops them singing like a bird on a telephone wire as the sun starts to peep over the edge of the Earth. The last thing that we need is the participant asking “Do I make my choice based on my star sign?” However, by employing the line about choosing based on factors from their life it should be obvious to the participant that selecting based on their zodiac sign is what you want them to do. If you are lost at this point whilst reading this, refer to picture A. When you look at the image, it categorically states that you should choose based on YOUR star sign in black underlined letters at the top of the image. (It is pretty much impossible to miss.) Wonder worker: “Quickly do this, then place the phone to your chest.” This is where the routine will differ for everyone that is performing it. You see, YOU set the speed you are comfortable with for the slideshow to change between pictures. You need to test this moment of the performance on yourself, or if you have someone else then practise this with them. You will soon learn how long to leave it so that it will change to photo B at the right moment. I set it to change fairly quickly as I don’t want to have to fill too much dead time. Here is how I generally fill that dead time.

Wonder worker: “All I am going to ask is are you thinking of 1 word, is it technically 2 words or have you got more than 2 in your head?” [We discussed this earlier. Let's assume the participant is thinking of Capricorn. We know that it is the word Mysterious. Notice the word 'technically' in here – it really makes a massive difference in the way that the participant answers the question.] Participant: “One word.” Wonder worker: “I am sure there are a number of other traits that would fit you also. We will talk about those in a moment – for now, just imagine that one word printed large across your forehead, and imagine the exact number of letters in that word.” (We know that the participant will be thinking for more than a few seconds.) Quickly follow with: “In fact, do you mind if I just tell the group what I feel about you?” Participant: “I don’t mind.” Wonder worker: “Quickly turn the phone to the group so they can see the character traits for themselves and look at what they would choose for themselves.” This is epic! When the group look at the picture now, they only see characteristics as the phone has moved onto the characteristics picture in the slideshow and in no way will they ever assume the picture has changed. If the participant says they have chosen 2 words then the rest of the group (after also looking at the image) will have to assume that the participant has selected 2 character traits from the list of character traits – not that it is a 2 word character trait. If the participant says they have selected more than 2 traits then to the group it will appear they could have chosen any of the different and separate words on image B. That is the beauty in this routine.

The group and the participant assume that they have seen the same picture and will, therefore, never feel the need to talk about the traits tied to the star sign (as it is a given). The wrap up line will also ensure this. Remember the participant is thinking of 1 word and has taken a few seconds and we are therefore down to 3 star signs. Wonder worker: “I feel with you that you are a very, driven person... [look for reaction] That's not one of the words that you went for, is it?” Participant: “No.” Wonder worker:“But it is fair to say that, you are very driven whenever you focus your mind on anything, yes?” Participant: “Yeah.” Wonder worker: “I said there will be a range of character traits you did not think of that will represent you so from this point please don’t say anything or nod or give anything away and I will give you a brief reading.” [This is where you silence the participant. You are now down to 2 star signs and you will use a process to reduce it to 1.] There are a range of options open to you at this point. These will follow shortly. Move into giving a reading (suggested readings are outlined in the 'additional thoughts' section). Wonder worker: “After all of that – based on what I feel I have picked up on from your characteristics – are you a Capricorn?” The participant and group will lose their shit and behave like apes on top of a car in Knowsley safari park.

Mnemonics There is very little memory work required in this routine thanks to the mnemonics I have created for you to remember the character traits tied to each of the star signs. Well-balanced LIBRA (the weighing scales). This should be easy to remember. Head-strong TAURUS (the Bull) – again this is very easy to remember. Easy-going PISCES (the Fish) – a fish relaxes following the current and it's the most easy-going star sign. This makes it easy to remember. Wise VIRGO (the virgin) – hasn’t had sex, was wise enough to bat away all advances until the time was right. Overly-kind AQUARIUS (the water bearer) – giving a bucket of water to others before themselves. Proud LEO (Lion) – the proud lion, strong and majestic. This is an easy one to remember. Venture-some SCORPIO (Scorpion) – the little critter that finds itself in all sorts of cracks and crevices. Down-To-Earth CANCER (Crab) – all the legs scurrying across the Earth. Fair GEMINI (twins) – two twins with fair hair. Mysterious CAPRICORN (Mermaid/Goat) – focus on the mermaid; she’s a mysterious entity. Warm SAGITTARIUS (Archer) – this is a Fire sign. As soon as I hear this sign I think of flames.

If you struggle to remember anything you can simply have a crib sheet or take the phone back from the group and refer to the photo whilst performing. It is natural to have the phone out during the performance. I prefer to put it away so it is forgotten about. After performing this a few times the words become ingrained in your head. When I was creating the words it took me no more than 2 runs through to remember them thanks to the simple mnemonics. Reducing the star signs from 2 – 1:

REPEAT IT PLOY One way I do this is to use the 'repeat it in your mind' ploy from Derren Brown's effect 'Smoke'. Let's say you are down to the 2 signs Aquarius and Scorpio. Simply say: “Keep repeating your sign in your mind… like Aquarius, Aquarius, Aquarius…” IF they react, you've got a hit. If they don’t just play it as if you were giving an example: “…or whatever your sign is, OK?” And you now know it must be Sagittarius. Done!

WRITTEN TWO WAY OUT Peter Turner has some very clever work on 2 way outs, and a very simple version of these ideas is to write 1 of the signs on a piece of paper and ask the spectator if they are the other possibility. If they are the sign you say, it’s a hit. You can now just place the card (sight unseen) away in your pocket as if it is no longer needed. However, if they say 'no' then they must be the other possibility written on the card – in this scenario, just say: “Good, I’m glad I committed to this sign instead” and turn over the card revealing the correct sign you wrote down ahead of time. José Prager has a nice subtlety for this. Write one of the signs on a piece of paper and say: “My writing is barely legible.” Throw out the other sign as above and proceed as described. Handling it this way means that the participant won’t feel the urge to see what was written on the card if you don't need to use the out – the logic is that they wouldn't be able to read it anyway. If they do ask to see it then just say “You can't read it anyway!” as you put it away in your pocket.

TWO WAY VERBAL REDUCTIVE OUT BY PETER TURNER This reductive out is always used at the end of the process, after we have given a reading to the spectator and whenever we are down to two possible Star Signs. Note: I feel that giving readings, and how each of us approaches readings, is something very personal to the performer and I am therefore not going to give you any example scripts as I feel ultimately this should be left to each individual performer to work out what works best for themselves. The reason for giving a reading is to bolster the effect. It is personal in nature and is often the thing most remembered by the spectator. The naming of the star sign is just the cherry on the pie! It also acts as time misdirection which helps the method and reveal become disconnected in the minds of the spectator and for those watching. The scripting is as follows. Performer: “When I sat down I instantly got the feeling you were a XXX." (SAY OUT LOUD THE OTHER SIGN.) This is where you will pause for a second. If you get a reaction then great, but if not then continue with: “I then felt the better of this, chased my own instincts and committed to my thoughts. I feel you are a YYY." (NAME THE SIGN.) That's it! What is nice about this out is its naturalness. This feels very conversational and not at all like anything tricky is going on, linguistically.

Additional thoughts This is the section where everything wraps itself up nicely! I am going to give you a couple of Barnum-esque readings that you can use that will fit everyone. These are to be applied after you have thrown out the 1 characteristic that is from within the group of character traits. Read this to yourself and see if it fits you. “You are the sort of person that because of things that have happened in the past learned to keep certain people at arms reach. You have a very good way of getting vibes from people to know whether to let them into your close group or not and you have also recently been playing with the idea of a big change or a new venture.” Here is another Barnum statement: “You are approaching a crossroad in your life where you know things need to change as you are a very strong minded individual. Even though things will knock you back from time to time you have the power to overcome anything that you set your mind to.” Another: “You are the sort of person that bottles things up and I feel that when you explode you really explode. You have a really interesting way of organising your thoughts, in such a way that I can see your future is going to be bright. I also feel that recently you have been torn between a decision involving your head and your heart – something that you are very passionate about. Choose your head or your heart and then follow those feelings solely.” Another: “You are a laid back person, relaxed and good-natured. I feel though that because you are relaxed you can sometimes procrastinate and

put things off until the last minute. If you were approaching an exam or paperwork it would certainly be taken care of last minute. But even though it is done last minute you are meticulous and you ensure that any work you undertake is done to the best of your ability.” Another: “I think with you, that you are a good team leader – someone who is naturally born to lead but you have learned over the last few years to let others think that they are leading whilst you actually hold the reigns. You are a very adventurous soul and you have felt recently like you are not living up to your full potential.” I could keep writing these all day but you get the picture – say things that are vague, complimentary and would apply to everyone. Above all remember to put your participant into a double bind where they cannot deny the facts that you are speaking. You the reader completely understand what I am saying – you are intelligent and it doesn’t take you long to understand instructions… SEE WHAT I DID THERE? Just to finish, if you are worried about using the slideshow on your phone then simply show the spectator image A (holding the phone yourself) and when they have their characteristic in mind turn the phone towards yourself. Swipe with your thumb, whilst at the same time turning your body towards someone opposite the spectator in the group (the larger action covering the smaller action), and then immediately show image B to this person and others in the group. That's it! I hope you enjoy performing this as much as I have so far. Aire Allegro.