Efee6721-345b-4426-87e7-a4c9bab1f3ba

THE

VOODINI STEPS TO MENTALISM by PAUL VOODINI

Chapter Headings 1. Swami Gimmick 2. Pendulums 3. Mnemonics 4. Predictions 5. Blindfolds 6. Billets 7. Book Tests 8. Telepathy & Psychic Party Games

9. Mediumistic Stunts 10. Playing Cards 11. Cold Reading 12. Promotion & Publicity 13. Patter & Presentation

SWAMI GIMMICK BY

VOODINI

STEP ONE in the Voodini Steps

TEACHING GRANDMA TO SUCK EGGS... A Swami Gimmick is generally regarded as a device which allows the performer to secretly write onto a pad/piece of paper or cardboard without the audience or spectators noticing. This technique is generally, although not always, used to demonstrate 'pre-cognition', that is that the performer knew that something was going to happen before it actually happened. Perhaps the simplest routine that would utilise a swami would be along these lines: the performer informs his audience that he is going to think of a number and write it down on a pad, he then asks his volunteer to name a random number, the volunteer names a number and the pad is turned around to show that the performer's prediction was correct, he had written down the number the volunteer named. Or at least this is how the routine looks to the audience (and volunteer). What has actually happened is this: the performer pretends to write something down, the volunteer names a number, and the performer then secretly writes the number stated by the volunteer onto the paper using his Swami. He then turns the paper around and it looks as though the performer had somehow predicted a future event. DIFERENT TYPES OF WRITERS There are several different styles of Swami, but all the styles share one similarity – they fit, in one manner or another, onto the thumb (generally) or occasionally onto a finger. There are 3 main styles of Swami used these days, although of course there will always be exceptions to such a statement. Some performers make their own Swamis and

swear by them, while a few others will use more obscure creations. However, in general terms, the 3 main Swamis are as follows: A. The Nail Writer. The nail writer, as the name suggests, fixes to the edge of the nail, usually of the thumb, with pencil lead generally utilised to do the actual writing.

I have tried to get along with the nail writer in the past, but whether it be the shape or length of my nail or some other thumb-based anomaly, I have always struggled to keep the damned thing on! I remember at one close-up booking (a wedding reception) the nail writer, which I had affixed to my thumb nail with brute force in an attempt to make it work for me, suddenly flung itself across the room as though it had been shot from a catapult. That was the last time I used a nail writer and I never went back to them again. B. The Boon. The boon is a small circular shape of flesh coloured plastic to which a piece of pencil lead is affixed. The boon is usually attached to the ball of the thumb, although it can be attached to a finger if preferred. These days the boon is usually affixed by a sticky putty such as 'Blue Tac'. I used the boon type of Swami very successfully for many years and would highly recommend

them.

C. The Thumb Tip Writer. As stated above, I used the boon type of writer for a long time and had no issues with it whatsoever. Then one day I placed an order for a new boon from an on-line retailer. When my item arrived, I found to my annoyance that they had sent me a thumb tip style writer rather than a boon. I was forced to use the thumb tip writer at a gig I had – I forget the exact reason why, but I think I must have lost my boon writer and was left with no choice but to use the thumb tip. Despite my misgivings, I immediately fell in love with the thumb tip writer. It is easy to get on and off, it is very reliable, and the fact that the thumb tip fits over a large percentage of the thumb gives it a great degree of stability. I have never looked back, and will always use a thumb tip writer. The mechanics are quite simple – the thumb tip itself is a plastic, flesh coloured artificial thumb which fits over the thumb. It has a piece of pencil lead affixed to the ball of the thumb.

TAKING THE SWAMI GIMMICK ON AND OFF The three different types of swami mentioned above require different methods to actually put them on and take them off during performance. From personal experience, and having talked to others who use the gimmick with much success, it seems that once the nail writer is in place, it is a good idea to keep it there throughout the performance. It is perhaps not the easiest of items to attach to the nail and then remove, particularly at a close-up booking where there may be a number of tables to be worked at. Whereas the thumb tip gimmick can easily and secretly be removed and placed into a pocket, and then easily reattached at the next table, the nail writer is perhaps best left in place throughout the entire gig. Of course it could be that I am speaking after having, due to

an oddly shaped thumb nail, nothing but problems with the nail writer! Other performers may be able to use the nail writer with ease and grace, and the fault may be entirely my own! With regard to the thumb tip writer, I find that the easiest place to locate it is in the trouser or jacket pocket. Then under the pretence of pulling out or putting away a pencil, it is an easy matter to put on/take off the thumb tip. When I used the boon type regularly, I would attach it to the back of the belt I was wearing around my trousers. In effect, it was fixed to the belt (and hidden from sight usually by my jacket) by the very 'Blue Tac' that also fixed it to my thumb. I found it a simple matter to put my hand behind my back and in one easy motion, take the boon from the belt and push it onto the ball of my thumb. If I kept the boon in a pocket, whether that be a trouser or jacket pocket, I found that the 'Blue Tac' attracted dust and lint from the inside of the pocket and this affected its stickiness. The biggest 'trick' surrounding any type of Swami is the ability of the performer to wear one and then forget about it. There is a danger, particularly when the performer is not used to using a Swami, of the hand being held at an unusual angle or in an unnatural manner, and also of the performer glancing at his thumb every few seconds just to check that it's still there and hasn't fallen off! The performer needs to practice wearing it, get used to taking it on and off, and also lose the fear that spectators will spot it. If the hand is held naturally, no attention is drawn

to the thumb. The gimmick is generally all-but invisible anyway, being flesh coloured and designed to evade detection, so the performer needs to lose the fear of it being seen. Only by behaving in an odd fashion will the performer himself give the game away. The spectators have no idea what is going on anyway, so they aren't looking for the Swami! They don't know it's there, they don't suspect that it's there, and they have no idea that the performer is going to 'secretly' write anything. The next 'trick' to be mastered is the actual writing. With only a little practice it is an easy matter to quickly master the writing of numbers and individual letters. With some further practice, the writing of words becomes possible. This will be discussed further in this chapter when we reach the actual routines. WHAT TO WRITE ON Because of the nature of the Swami, the performer is only ever going to be able to write on a reasonably small scale – therefore big pads are generally out of the question! The best writing material I have found are small pads, perhaps 2 inches square, and cardboard backed. These are the 'pocket notepad' style of pad and are ideal because they have a good deal of rigidity (thanks to the cardboard) while also being small enough to carry in a jacket pocket, making them ideal for close-up work. Others ideas are business cards (the advantage of this is that you can leave the business card behind afterwards as a

'memento' that includes your phone number, website etc!), or small pieces of white card cut to size. Personally I like the pocket notepad as people are used to seeing them in offices or around the home, they are cheap functional items, and they smack of normality. Nothing about them says 'trick'. If working from a stage with an audience that simply will not be able to see what has been written, the problem can be solved by using either a volunteer on stage who will call out what has been written, or even using a committee of volunteers who will act as the eyes of the audience. Most Swamis use pencil lead to actually write with. There are some gimmicks on the market that use ink. Personally I will always stick with the pencil style, although there are those out there that swear by the ink variety. My main concern is that the ink type may run out of ink midperformance, which is not a concern when using a pencil type. But each to their own, and one of the best pieces of advice I can give to anyone starting out using Swamis is to experiment with all the different types and figure out which one works best for you. We are all different, the shapes of our fingers and hands are all different, so what works best for me may very well not work so well for you. Try out as many different styles of gimmick as you can, and in your own time settle upon what works for you. Another useful tip is to carry 2 Swamis with you at any function you are working at. That way if one should break, be misplaced, or the lead should fall out, you have a back-

up. Also, never underestimate how much paper you will get through at a gig! You'll be surprised how quickly it is possible to work one's way through an entire pad, so my suggestion is always to over-estimate the number of pads you take with you. The pocket notepads are incredibly cheap anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. I talk from experience – at one gig I ended up borrowing hotel headed notepaper from behind the bar because I'd run out of pads! Thankfully the bar staff were very accommodating and only thought me slightly mad! USING THE GIMMICK Because of the nature of most Swami based routines (performer pretends to write something onto paper but doesn't, then later writes something on to paper secretly), there is a very slight angle problem. That is to say, anyone stood behind the performer may notice that the when the performer said he was writing something, he actually wasn't. This very minor problem is easily side-stepped by holding the pad (if a pad you are using) close to the chest while pretending to write on it with a pencil. The reasoning that can be used for this overt secrecy is that the performer does not want anyone in the room to see what he is doing “I don't want anyone to see what I've written and try to help you or give the game away!” In most Swami routines this level of secrecy makes complete sense and is the perfect alibi for the performer.

After the initial pretend writing (let us say of a number as in the simple routine outlined earlier), I always make a big play of putting the pencil down on a table in full view of the spectators so they are fully aware that I (apparently) have no means of writing. I have written something on my pad and I have put my pencil down. I will reiterate the fact that I have put the pencil down by saying something along the lines of, “And let me just put this pencil down here as I won't be needing it again.” Note that I don't slip the pencil into a pocket. I put it onto the table where everyone can see it and be aware that it is now out of my reach. If no table is available, I will hand it to one of the spectators to 'look after'. TRICKS WITH A SWAMI GIMMICK Now for the fun part! The Simple Star-Sign Prediction. One of the 'holy grails' of mentalism is how to predict someone's star-sign quickly and easily. Until a truly devious method emerges, here's a way to obtain it by good old fashioned cheating! The performer stands before the spectator with a pad and pencil in his hands. He asks the spectator to think of her star-sign. As she thinks of the star-sign, the performer concentrates, and then (pretends) to write something down on the pad with his pencil. He places the pencil to one side and asks the spectator to name her star-sign. Let us assume she says Gemini. “Gemini?” says the performer. “How

very interesting. Would you say that you are a typical Gemini?” The spectator answers the question – sometimes the spectator may merely shrug, other times the spectator may discuss the matter with interest. What the spectator says is inconsequential (although the performer must show great interest and make all the right noises). What the question has done is allow the performer time to secretly write 'Gemini' onto his pad with the Swami. The performer turns around the pad to reveal that he was correct in his prediction. “I knew it!” he exclaims. “As soon as I started talking to you, I just knew you were a Gemini! Isn't it weird?” The Clever Star-Sign Prediction. The performer stands before the spectator with a pad and pencil in his hands. He tells the spectator that he is interested in trying to make a prediction about her, something about her personality and the kind of person she is. But he needs to ask a series of questions, first. He begins to ask questions, and informs her to answer quickly without thinking about what she is saying. The questions that may be asked include, but are certainly not limited to: “What's your favourite colour?” “What kind of music do you like?” “What kind of food do you like?” “Which season do you prefer?” “Are you a sweet or a savoury person?” “Do you believe in God?” The performer then looks at his pad and writes something down on it (he actually doesn't, he is pretending). Then he

puts the pencil down on a table, or hands it to the spectator to 'look after'. “Right,” he says. “I've made something of a prediction here. I'm not sure if I'm right, but we'll see. Do you know your star-sign?” “Yes,” says the spectator, “I'm a Gemini.” “And would you say that you're a typical Gemini?” The spectator answers, and the performer turns around the pad to show that he correctly predicted the star-sign. This version works better because it shows the spectator(s) a faux-method by which the performer was able to make his prediction. This clearly wasn't some super-human feat of mind-reading, but rather a clever deductive process by which the performer was able to ascertain the star-sign thanks to the questions he asked. By providing a method, the performer leaves the spectators with much to discuss, and it also seems a more impressive feat. Simply reading her mind (as in the earlier routine) can smack of cheating or trickery simply because it is just so impossible – “if he can do that, why doesn't he win the lottery?” - whereas by providing a method, the performer deters any thoughts of trickery. The Star-Sign Vision. The performer approaches a table or group of people. He asks for three volunteers. Once three volunteers have been established, he asks them their names. Once the volunteers

have said their names, the performer looks at each in turn, and then writes something down onto his pad. Let us imagine that the three volunteers are names Rachel, Hazel, and Mary. The performer chooses one volunteer in his mind (it really doesn't matter which), and secretly (but truly!) writes down onto his pad 'I am being drawn to Hazel (for example). I believe I will be able to successfully guess her star-sign!' Most of this statement can be pre-written by the performer to save time, so that when he is stood at the table he can simply add the spectator's name in the appropriate spot. This ensures a minimum of dead-time while the performer is writing. The performer then tears the paper from the pad, folds it up, and hands it to an independent 4 th volunteer to hold. This 4th volunteer is asked to keep this piece of paper safe, not to read it, but just to look after it as it holds an important prediction. The performer then turns to his three original volunteers. He asks each of them to think of their star-sign but not to say anything out loud. While the volunteers are all thinking of their star-sign, the performer pretends to secretly write something down onto his pad. Then the performer asks the volunteers in turn to say out loud their star-sign. It is a good idea to start this process with the volunteer who the performer has chosen and whose name is written on the prediction being held by the 4th volunteer. This gives the performer ample time to do the necessary secret writing with the Swami while

addressing the next two volunteers. When all three volunteers have stated their star-sign, the performer turns around his pad to reveal that he correctly predicted Hazel's star-sign. There will be a murmur of appreciation, but even so this is a 1 in 12 chance, and with three volunteers it may not seem too impressive. However you then draw the spectators' attention to the prediction made before the process began – the prediction that stated: 'I am being drawn to Hazel (for example). I believe I will be able to successfully guess her star-sign!' The performer instructs the 4th volunteer to read out the prediction in a loud, clear voice. This revelation should elicit gasps from the table and with a bit of luck a round of applause! It is entirely possible that two of your volunteers will inadvertently share the same star-sign. This does not matter as the final revelation (the prediction held by the 4 th volunteer) is the kicker. On rare, but happy, occasions all three volunteers may share the same star-sign. If this happens, seize the opportunity to talk about how amazing this is. Not only did three spectators with the same starsign independently volunteer for the routine, but the performer got it right. “Well,” says the performer, “there's no wonder I got it right! All three of you are Gemini! That's amazing! Of course a sceptical mind may say it's a coincidence, but when you experience something as amazing as this it's difficult not to believe that there was something deeper going on! Impressive stuff! Well done guys!” The Star-Sign Vision Turnaround

This is a version of the above routine, but in this version one of the volunteers correctly predicts the performer's star-sign! Once the three volunteers have been selected but before the routine starts proper, the performer writes onto his pad as before and hands this 'prediction' to the 4 th volunteer. However this time the prediction reads: 'Hazel will get this right. She is blessed with some psychic ability'. Please note: the wordings on these predictions can be altered to suit your performance style. By all means make them more congruent to you as an individual performer. The performer then says that he is going to write his starsign down onto his pad secretly. In fact he, of course, writes nothing. He merely pretends and then places his pencil down onto the table. Then he asks the volunteers to concentrate and to allow a thought of a star-sign to enter their mind. They must trust themselves, he says, and allow their instinct to tell them the name of a star-sign that for whatever reason seems to make sense. Once all three volunteers have a star-sign in mind, they are asked oneby-one to state what star-sign they are thinking of (starting with Hazel to allow maximum time for the secret Swami writing that must take place). The performer secretly writes the name of the star-sign that Hazel thought of onto the pad. When all three volunteers have made their predictions, the performer turns the pad around. Hazel has got it right! The performer should encourage a round of applause for her.

But then the performer draws attention to the prediction made earlier, the prediction that stated: 'Hazel will get this right. She is blessed with some psychic ability'. The performer asks the 4th volunteer to read out the prediction in a loud clear voice. Again, there should be gasps at the table and perhaps a round of applause. Whatever the reaction, the performer should encourage another round of applause for Hazel for being so clever. Of course this routine means that the performer is going to have to pretend to be a star-sign that he, more than likely, isn't. But then sometimes the volunteer will get it right and you may be left wondering if there's something in this psychic malarkey after all! Star-Sign Synchronicity This is a variation on the above routine, but instead of the volunteers having to 'guess' the performer's star-sign, the prediction handed to the 4th volunteer should read along the lines of 'I believe I have the same star-sign as Hazel.' The rest of the routine should by now fall into place for you, but essentially the performer pretends to write down his star-sign, each volunteer calls out their star-sign, the performer turns around the pad to reveal that his star-sign is the same as Hazel's, and then the real kicker is the reading-out of the earlier prediction by the 4th volunteer. Note 1: When the performer turns the pad or piece of paper around to demonstrate that either he or a volunteer correctly predicted the outcome of the routine, it may be

useful to have the 4th volunteer (in the routines that use a 4th volunteer holding a prediction) or another spectator call out what is written on the pad/paper. This is especially true if working at a large table where spectators looking from the other side of the table may not be able to see what is written down on the pad/paper. Obviously in a more intimate setting this won't be a problem, and there's no need to do this if it's clear that all spectators can see for themselves what has been written down. Note 2: the writing of star-sign names may be slightly tricky until you become used to writing with your thumb and Swami. The easiest solution to this problem is practice, practice, practice. But please remember that your writing doesn't have to be perfect or anywhere near it, and it doesn't have to be neat (people have seen you 'quickly write' something down on your pad – they're not expecting brilliant handwriting). There is no problem with it being a scrawl, just so long as people can read it. While you are practising using a Swami device you may prefer routines that do not require the performer to write anything too complicated. The easiest answer is to opt for routines that utilise numbers. These following routines are all number based. My Lucky Number The performer selects three volunteers as in the previous routines. He asks for their names and then makes a prediction. This prediction is handed to a 4th volunteer for

safe keeping as per the previous routines outlined above. The performer then talks quickly about lucky numbers, how some people have them, some people don't, etc. The performer states that he has a lucky number and is going to write it down onto his pad. Obviously this is just play acting – the performer merely pretends to write something onto the pad, and then he places his pencil down onto the table. The performer then asks the three volunteers to think of their lucky number if they have one, or if not to simply think of a number, any number that just pops into their head, but to keep the number to themselves, not to say anything out loud. Once all three volunteers have thought of a number, they are asked to reveal it. The performer turns around his pad and it is seen that the performer's number and one of the volunteer's numbers match. Attention is then drawn to the prediction which correctly states the outcome. The prediction could read along the lines of: 'I predict that my lucky number will be the same as...' This could be written ahead of time and then the correct volunteer name filled in while at the table. There's no necessity to write the sentence before approaching the table – it just saves a bit of dead time. You may perfectly reasonably judge that there's no need to write anything ahead of time. House Number A similar routine can be performed with house numbers as the premise. The performer can talk about house numbers, how in Chinese folk-lore numbers and numerology are

very important, and that the number assigned to a house is seen as reflecting the soul of the building. It is even believed that certain types of people are drawn to certain properties purely because of the number it possesses – that they are subconsciously drawn to certain houses simply because they like or have some affinity to the number. The prediction written down and handed to the 4 th volunteer would perhaps be along these lines: 'I feel I have the same house number as...' Having read all the routines listed above, the rest of the house number routines should be perfectly apparent to you. The story about Chinese folk lore and house numbers is all hokum of course, I just made it up! But it does sound quite feasible and fits in with the routine very nicely. Not all routines using a Swami have to incorporate this 4 th volunteer/prediction angle of course. It is perfectly acceptable to run simpler one-on-one routines. There now follows a selection of simpler routines. Multiple Choice Multiple Choice is the title often given to an exam style where students are offered multiple answers to a question (usually 4 options labelled a, b, c, and d), and the student must highlight the answer that they think is correct. The performer stands before a volunteer. He asks her to

imagine that she is taking an exam (there is scope here to engage the volunteer in a bit of conversation – do they remember their school-days, did they take many exams, did they go to university etc?). She is told to imagine that she turns the exam sheet over and discovers that it is a multiple-choice exam, but sadly she has failed to revise for the test! She doesn't know any of the answers, but because it is a multiple-choice exam she has a chance of doing well if she just trusts her instincts. The performer says that the exam questions all have answers labelled a, b, c, and d. The performer tells the volunteer that he is going to secretly write down the correct answer to question number 1 on the exam, either a, b, c, or d, down onto his pad. This the performer appears to do (but doesn't really), and then he places his pencil down onto a table or hands it to the volunteer to 'look after'. The performer then tells the volunteer to imagine she has to make a guess at the correct answer. She doesn't even know the question, she doesn't understand the question, so what she has to do is take a guess, trust her intuition, and in her mind see which letter she favours – either option a, b, c, or d. The volunteer thinks for a moment and then makes a guess which she says out loud. The performer asks her if there is any reason why she made this selection. After listening to her answer (which will usually be no more lengthy or complicated than, “I don't know really, I just did!”), the performer turns around the pad to reveal that the volunteer was correct.

With this simple concept in place (performer 'writes' something onto pad, volunteer makes a statement, pad is turned round to reveal the statement was correct or was correctly predicted), we can really let our imaginations run riot and come up with all manner of routine plots. Have fun and come up with some of your own plot-lines! Phone Home! The performer asks a volunteer to hold up their mobile/cell phone. The performer concentrates for a few moments on the phone as though he can see something that no-one else can. He then secretly 'writes' something down on his pad, and places the pencil to one side. He then asks the volunteer to state the first 4 digits of his phone number. The volunteer does so. The performer then reiterates that he has never met the volunteer before, had not organised anything beforehand, had never talked before etc. The volunteer agrees. The performer turns around the pad to reveal that he correctly predicted the first 4 digits of the volunteer's phone number. This routine will get on-lookers talking and suspecting various nefarious methods that they believe this prediction could be made. In the UK, different phone network providers have their own few digits at the start of the number that all phones on that network share. The onlookers will suspect that somehow the performer was able to determine the network. The performer may wish to increase the predicted amount of numbers to 6 as a way of deterring this belief, or even go the whole way and

correctly predict the entire phone number. Another alternative is to correctly predict the first two and last two digits of the phone number. I See in Numbers A very rare medical condition exists in which people see music, and even more rarely the entire world, as a continuous flow of numbers. Some mathematical geniuses state that to them, the world around them is made up of complicated number sequences and equations. This condition is so rare that it doesn't even have a formal name, although a similar condition, in which people see music, numbers, and letters in colour is known as Synesthesia. The performer explains that he has always suffered, if suffered is the right word, with this condition. He continually sees numbers surrounding people and objects, and as he looks at his volunteer he sees four distinct numbers in particular floating around her, a little like one might imagine an aura would look. The performer states that he is going to secretly write down these four numbers onto his pad. Of course he does no such thing, but to on-lookers it seems as though he is writing something down. The performer asks the volunteer to relax and to imagine that her corporeal self is made up of numbers and equations. To imagine that she is surrounded by numbers and to allow herself to be able to perceive these numbers in her mind. Once she feels she is

aware of the numbers, she is asked to call out the first four that she is aware of. The volunteers does so; let us pretend that she says, “7.... 9.... 3.....2!” The performer asks the volunteer to reiterate the numbers. “7, 9, 3, 2?” he says. “Quite fascinating, because as I look at you I see four numbers surrounding you, and those four numbers,” he turns around his pad, “are 7, 9, 3 and 2!”

REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE I was once working at Oxford Castle in England. Oxford Castle is a fantastic location, and is a very popular tourist attraction complete with visitors' centre and gift shop. In the evenings they often run ghost walks around the castle, which for a long time served as a prison. It still has elements of the old jail in place, and in the evening it is a very eerie and atmospheric setting. My job was to provide a short 15 minute presentation about the ghosts and legends that are said to surround the castle and the prison, and to mix some mentalism effects into this. In one routine, I informed the audience that there was a female ghost that haunted the corridors from the Victorian era (this was all made up nonsense), and that I had written down her name onto a piece of paper that was fixed to the clipboard I was carrying. I told my audience that I wanted to try a little experiment. A volunteer was selected and she joined me at the front of the room. I asked her to relax and see if she could 'pick up' on the

name of the ghost. Normally in this situation, when I mentioned that the ghost was of a Victorian lady, the names that were 'picked up on' were typical Victorian-sounding names such a Emily, Emma, Lucy, Mary etc. These names are reasonably simple to write with a Swami (which was the crux of the effect – I would secretly write the name once the volunteer had stated it and it was a demonstration of their 'intuitive ability'). However on this particular occasion the volunteer quickly stated, “Anastasia Marie!” “Anastasia Marie?” I asked, playing for time as my thumb quickly got to work. “Are you sure?” “Oh yes,” said the volunteer, “I picked up on the name as soon as I walked into the building!” Luckily I managed to scrawl 'Anastasia Marie' onto the piece of paper, although it really was a scrawl. Perhaps I didn't need to embellish the story, but to cover the fact that the writing was really quite poor I said, “There's so much emotion surrounding Anastasia Marie and her time here in the jail, that I find even writing her name quite difficult. Just look at my writing! I think my hand was shaking as I wrote her name! It just goes to show the emotional power that is contained within these walls!” As an aside to this story, I was using a regular clip-board with a piece of paper attached to it and was using a boon style Swami. A clip-board, in the right circumstances, is an ideal alternative to pads, business cards, etc.

And as an alternative, I could have merely written Marie for the name, or the initials A.M. - but perhaps that wouldn't have been quite so impressive. In the kind of setting that I was located in, and the kind of work that I was doing, it would have been entirely possible to run the whole 'name of the ghost' routine without a Swami. I could have just asked a volunteer to think of a name, and no matter what name they came up with I could have said, “Oh my god! You're absolutely right! That's amazing!” CATHY SHADOWS SAYS... You can have a lot of fun doing these kind of routines 'for real'. Clearly 'doing it for real' contains a huge and inherent chance of total and abject failure, and therefore would be totally unsuitable for the top table at a wedding reception or the CEO's table at a corporate gig! But in the right circumstances they can be fun, entertaining, and seen as truly 'magical' by those taking part. Look at them as 'psychic parlour games'! So whether you are just having fun with a group of friends, or find yourself working at a dinner party where there is scope and inclination to try something a little different, why not have a play around with these genuine attempts at demonstrating and developing your intuitive abilities: Think of a Number:

In its simplest form, one person writes down a number between 1 and 10 (quite genuinely this time!), the second person relaxes for a moment, and allows a number to form in their mind. The second person states the number they are thinking of. The first person turns around the pad – did they get it right or wrong?! This very simple and totally ungimmicked routine can be expanded on by using three or four (or even more) people as the 'guessers'. This makes it a lot more interactive, perhaps at a dinner party, as well as massively multiplying the odds of getting a 'hit'. Augment it by leading the volunteers on a 'guided visualisation' to help increase their intuitive abilities. Something along these lines would work very well: “Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and just allow yourself to relax. In a moment a number is going to form in your mind. It will be a number between one and ten. You will not force it to appear. It will simply materialise by itself, effortlessly and easily. Take another deep breath in, let the air out, eel yourself relaxing, and now be aware of that number forming in your mind. That number that is between one and ten. Once it has formed in your mind, remember it and open up your eyes.” If you have the opportunity and the inclination, it is possible to include the 4th volunteer concept used in many of the Swami routines. You as the performer genuinely write down on a separate piece of paper the name of one of the volunteers who you, for whatever reason, think may get the number right. You will not be always right of

course! But in the right circumstances it adds another level to the performance, and if you get it right it will be the biggest hit ever! As well as being the biggest buzz! To reiterate, performing like this is not for everyone or for every circumstance. But when you are in a relaxed environment where you feel happy to stretch your wings a little, they can be surprisingly good fun (both for you and your audience) and the degree of success attained may also be something of a surprise. Think of a Colour: Exactly the same as above, but with colour being the object. Think of an Animal: And again, except with an animal being the object. You can narrow the field by stipulating household pets, or farm animals, or animals found in the jungle etc. Lots of scope for interaction with the audience and fun!

PENDULUMS BY

VOODINI STEP TWO in the Voodini Steps

In recent times, the humble pendulum has started to become a staple tool of both mentalism and bizarre magick. It was not always so, literature on this humble tool of the esoteric was fairly thin on the ground as far as magic and mentalism was concerned until fairly recently. Now however we have a plethora of good solid material concerning the pendulum, which is a good thing as the pendulum is a fascinating object that is simple to incorporate into any magical routine or show. A pendulum is a short length of chain (or sometimes string or thread) with a weight on the end of it. The weights and

the chain are usually quite ornate and esoteric looking, although this is purely cosmetic. When presenting a routine similar to the one we will discuss shortly to an

audience of several hundred people, and wanting to utilise a large number of volunteers, I made up dozens of rough pendulums comprised of string with a metal nut (as in 'screw and nut') tied on. They all worked perfectly well, although in normal circumstances I would recommend purchasing some nice looking pendulums to use in your act. The photograph above demonstrates how a pendulum should be held, while the performer (that's me on the left) gives instructions. Pendulums are usually used to answer questions or seek insights. They have traditionally been used as a way of communicating with spirits (ghosts) or as a way of accessing information on a psychic level. However they can also be presented as ways of communicating with the sub-conscious, or even as a way of getting information from a subject placed into a light trance. The pendulum appears to swing of its own volition (the volunteer, as you will see, is instructed not to swing the pendulum

themselves), and by its swinging are questions answered. The routines outlined later in this chapter are scripted with a particular approach (spirit, sub-conscious etc.) but it would be a simple matter for you to alter the script as need be to better suit your performance persona. I first encountered the pendulum when I worked in the paranormal world, running ghost hunts. The mediums would use them as a method to detect spirit activity, and when the mediums would occasionally hand the pendulums to members of the public to try out, I saw how excited and fascinated the people were with this simple little tool. From observing the pendulums being used during ghost hunts, I concocted the following routine that first saw the light of day in my Jack the Ripper Seance publication.

I have used this routine (with perhaps the minimum of tweaking) at events as varied as the aforementioned ghost hunts, psychic nights, hypnosis shows, and magic shows. Although there is no 'trick' (as such) involved, and there is certainly no move or sleight to be learned, it feels very magical and slots in effortlessly into all manner of presentations. Here then is the routine, and I hope that the routine's

explanation will also outline all you need to know about pendulums and the mechanics and intricacies of getting these amazing little things to swing for you! Routine: The Swinging of the Pendulum! I think that my spoken words explain it all really. Spoken words are in bold, while instructions and directions are in italics (like this)... Three volunteers are chosen and join the performer on stage or at the front of the room. Okay, so we have our 3 volunteers here. The experiment

that

we’re

about

to

run

involves

pendulums. Has anybody here ever used a pendulum before? (This to entire group). Have you three guys ever used a pendulum before? (This to your volunteers. Then be interested in their replies. You asked the question - now listen to the answers. To be honest you’ll usually only get a cursory “yes” or “no” answer, but if someone wants to

explain how they once located buried treasure in their back garden thanks to a pendulum, let them tell their story). Well, pendulums are one of the oldest forms of spirit communication known to man. They’ve literally been around for millennia, and they have three main uses. The first use is as a dowsing tool. By holding the pendulum like thus and extending your arm like this (obviously here you’d be holding a pendulum to demonstrate what it is you’re talking about), people have used pendulums to dowse for water, for precious minerals, for missing objects and missing people. If you were looking for a missing person, perhaps you would hold the pendulum over a map and wait for it to swing. When the pendulum swings, this is an indication that you are standing over an object or item you are looking for. So dowsing is the first use of the pendulum. The second use is a means of spirit communication. We hold the pendulum out thus, and we ask “if there are any spirits here, please let us know. Move the pendulum for us spirits, and let us know that you are here.” (Gently make the pendulum swing for

added effect). Once the spirits have got the pendulum to move, you can then ask the spirit “what is ‘yes’? And what is ‘no’?” So perhaps the pendulum will swing round in a circle for ‘yes’ and back and forwards for ‘no’. Once you have established the yes and the no, you can have a fairly in-depth conversation with the spirits just by asking yes and no questions. And the third use if to test for psychic ability. The idea is very simple - you hold the pendulum out in front of you and then with your mind you command the pendulum to ‘Move! Move!’ The idea is that the power of the mind can force the pendulum to swing. So those are the three main uses., and what we’re going to do is find out who of our 3 wonderful volunteers is actually the most psychic. We shall see who can get their pendulum moving the most. Now, obviously if we see you waving your hand around to get the pendulum moving, you’re going to get yourself disqualified! (This usually gets a bit of a laugh, especially if you’re holding a pendulum and you start waving it around madly!) So please, no cheating. Just

keep your hand as still as you can, but with your mind I want you to be really concentrating on the pendulum and really try to force it to move telepathically, okay? And the rest of you (addressing the rest of the audience), I want you to help too. If there’s somebody up here who is your friend, or who you’ve come here tonight with, try and help them to win by concentrating on their pendulum and trying to will their pendulum to move. (This gets the whole audience involved, which is always good) And I’m going to be helping too. I’m going to be calling out to spirit, to try and get any spirits here tonight to join in and get those pendulums moving. So with all of you guys willing those pendulums to move, and with me invoking the help of the spirits, there’s no reason at all that those pendulums shouldn’t be swinging backwards and forwards like crazy! (I hand out the pendulums, one to each of the 3 volunteers, and help them to get their arms in the right positions. Then I instruct them and the audience to concentrate on the pendulums, to get those pendulums moving with the power of their minds. Then

I’ll call out: Spirits! Any spirits who are in this room! Please step forward and get these pendulums moving for us! Let us know that you are here spirits! Step forward and move the pendulums! Again, you’re going to have to think on your feet. The reactions, the phenomena that occurs will vary from group to group, from performance to performance. I usually give a running commentary for a few minutes, describing whose pendulum is moving the best, who needs to concentrate more, commenting on any pendulums that are equally good, I may call out to spirit once again if the pendulums are being a little sluggish, I’ll be very upbeat and will really be willing the pendulums to move. I want people to know just how interested I am in what they are doing, I want my enthusiasm to be infectious, I want everyone to be having a great time and to be feeling involved. A couple of subtleties here: Firstly, calling out to spirit. At a lot of events, people will never have heard anyone calling out to the spirits before. They may have seen it in films or on TV, but to be suddenly confronted by a grown man shouting out to invisible people can be a bit of a shock,

and often people’s initial reaction is to giggle. But the giggling soon passes, and besides, the giggling is usually a little nervous too – after all, speaking to spirits is not only a little weird, it's spooky too! Secondly: Talk with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. Expect the pendulums to move and almost make them move yourself by your own attitude and enthusiasm for the process. There is, I suppose, a danger that none of the pendulums will move. But it’s never happened to me yet, even when done with a room full of magicians and/or mentalists! So, what happens. Well perhaps it is the ideomotor function at work, perhaps it is an unconscious desire to move the pendulum, or perhaps it really is the spirits and psychic power. The fact of the matter is, it works! Sometimes it works better than other times, but it really will work every time to some degree or other. If all 3 pendulums are moving well, then brilliant. If two are moving well and one is sluggish try to encourage that person to get their pendulum moving, and ask their friends to concentrate too. If only one pendulum is moving

well, tell that person how well they are doing but encourage the other two to do better as well. Think on your feet, be upbeat and positive, every performance will be different so just learn to roll with the punches.) After a couple of minutes (no longer, outstretched arms get tired) I will then turn to the audience and say: Right. I think it’s time to try a little experiment. Spirits! (Suddenly

raising

my

voice)

Spirits!

Stop

the

pendulums! Stop those pendulums right now! Bring them to a halt! Stop the pendulums! (Then listen to the gasps as the pendulums come to a sudden halt. Sometimes it may take 10 or 20 seconds for the pendulums to stop, but normally it’s a lot quicker than that. This is usually quite an impressive display of the power of the spirits! I have never had it not work for me - but again it is possible it will fail. However failure is not to be feared. For example one time I remember 2 pendulums stopped but one continued to swing. So I encouraged the spirits to get that particular pendulum swinging even more! That pendulum got some real movement going, the girl holding

the pendulum was saying “oh my god, stop it”, and the audience were totally enthralled. Then I again called on the spirits to halt the pendulum, but was very insistent and placed my upturned palm beneath the pendulum. It came to a halt and everyone burst out into applause. What could have been deemed a failure (the pendulum didn’t stop when I originally asked the spirits to stop all 3 pendulums) was turned into success by thinking on my feet. Why do the pendulums stop when I ask the spirits to bring them to a halt? Well, it could be the spirits. But it’s far more probable that it’s the mind obeying a command subconsciously. There’s probably as much hypnosis going on with the pendulums as there is spirit activity, to be honest! So the pendulum experiment has come to an end, but you need to decide who was the winner. I explain to the audience that the winner will go on to take part in a further demonstration, and this can be anything you fancy from a standard magic trick to a feat of mind-reading, whatever you fancy. The above pendulum routine is a

wonderful way to select a volunteer for further tricks/demonstrations. And I explain that it is the audience who will decide who that winner will be. What I do is I hold a hand, palm downwards, over the head of each of the pendulum volunteers in turn. When my palm is over the person they want to be the winner, the audience must clap and cheer. This leaves lots of room for fun and laughter, particularly if one person did badly during the pendulum experiment and when my hand is placed over his/her head it is met with stony silence or even boos! You may get two people who get very similar amounts of applause and then you can play the two off against each other, running between them and putting your hand over their heads quickly, almost conducting the audience to cheer. Then, responding to the reactions of the audience, you announce who the winner is and the losing two volunteers return to their seats amidst lots of applause and warm words of congratulations and thanks. So, a very simple routine using the pendulums, but a

routine, I hope you'll agree, that is fascinating and engaging for both the volunteers and the audience. And there is a minimum of activity required from the performer to make it work. No moves, no sleights, nothing needs to be done surreptitiously; all the performer needs to do is be excited, enthusiastic, and encouraging, and the rest will work out for itself. And remember, a pendulum routine need not incorporate spirits and the paranormal. They are equally at home with a more psychological and/or hypnotic approach. Further Ideas In a similar vein to the above routine, but this time presented purely as the pendulum as a method of communicating with a volunteer's sub-conscious, I would have a single volunteer selected and join me at the front of the room and give a similar pre-amble as the one provided in the routine above, but this time I would focus more on the pendulum being a tool for communicating with the

sub-conscious mind, and weave in some pop psychology and psych-babble! The volunteer is then instructed to secretly, with no-one seeing (including the performer), freely choose a playing card from a full deck, and then either place the card into an envelope or secret it somewhere about her person. Therefore the only person in the room who knows what the playing card (you could use Tarot) is, is the volunteer. She is then handed a pendulum and instructed on how to use it. The performer then asks a series of questions of the pendulum (and rather than address 'spirits', the performer should address the pendulum itself), with the intention of determining the secret playing card. These questions should take the form of the following logical steps: Firstly, get the pendulum moving so that you and the audience & volunteer can see that the pendulum is responding (if it doesn't respond, for whatever reason,

simply get a new volunteer, don't sweat it). Then ask the pendulum what the response for 'yes' is (maybe swinging backwards and forwards or round in a circle). Then ask what 'no' is. Once yes and no are established, ask if the card is red (hearts or diamonds). Or is it black (spades or clubs). Once the colour is established, ask if it is a certain suit. Then is it a number card or a royal card? If a number, narrow it down by asking if it is below five or is it five and over? Then narrow it down until you have the number. Similarly with the royal cards, you need only go through them one by one and see how the pendulum responds. Eventually you will narrow the entire deck down to one card. Then ask the volunteer to reveal the freely chosen card. Did the pendulum/sub-conscious respond correctly? 90% of the time it will, of course. And this will be a fascinating demonstration of the sub-conscious at work. Ask the volunteer, after the effect but still in front of the audience, “Now you weren't swinging that pendulum were you? You were keeping your hand perfectly still?” The audience will be fascinated by the process and the manner in which the volunteer was unable to keep her card a

secret. If the pendulum fails to correctly chose the right card, that doesn't matter. It has still been a fascinating process, and you can ask the volunteer the same questions, and then ponder out loud why the pendulum indicated it was the wrong card. Then, perhaps to save the day in the event of a wrong call on behalf of the pendulum or to add even more pizazz to a correct pendulum prediction, pull out an Invisible Deck and enter into the spiel: “Well, isn't it fascinating, because last night, while I was pondering my performance here, a card popped into my mind. I had no idea why this particular card should pop into my mind, but it seemed very important. So important, in fact, that I took the time to take out a pack of cards, this pack of cards, and turn one card around the wrong way...etc.” And of course, should you need it spelling out for you, you would produce the card chosen by the volunteer as the card you had 'turned around the wrong way' the previous evening.

The above routine can be augmented by having a committee of people (say three people) join you at the front along with your volunteer who has secretly chosen a playing card. Before each question addressed to the volunteer (colour, suit, number etc.), ask the committee the same question and see how their pendulums respond. Are they able to pick up on subliminal messages (or whatever angle you wish to adopt) and can their pendulums communicate this information? Will any of the committee correctly reveal the volunteer's card? Of course, normally they won't, and that doesn't matter. They aren't the main focus of the routine, your volunteer (and perhaps the Invisible Deck kicker ending) is. But they add an extra aspect, a bit more flavour, to proceedings. And if any of the committee (or rather their pendulums) are correct, then wow! You have a fantastic and unexpected kicker ending that will add considerably to the routine. So with these basic ideas now in your mind, I am sure that you will be able to figure out in your own mind a dozen

ways in which pendulums can be incorporated into your own act, as a way of adding even more wonder and mystery.

MNEMONICS BY

VOODINI STEP THREE in the Voodini Steps

The Marvellous Memory Man! You don't need me to tell you that the mind is a marvellous thing – of course it is! What amazes me most about the mind is its ability to imagine. It is an ability that I have focused much of my performance and creation on over the past two or so years; the fact that if you ask someone to imagine what an alien civilisation might look like, they are able to close their eyes and within a matter of seconds will have conjured up in their mind a whole civilisation, and behind that, if you asked them, there is a good chance that they would be able to tell you incredible details about this imaginary civilisation. A civilisation, you understand, that never existed until a minute or so previously when you asked them to close their eyes and imagine! If it is possible to close your eyes and create, almost instantly, a whole civilisation, imagine (sic) what else the mind is possible of!

I'll let you in to a little secret. I have a terrible memory, particularly when it comes to names and, oddly, shopping lists. If I go to the supermarket without a list, I will invariably return home without all the items I intended to purchase, which leads to a rather exasperated me jumping back into the car and returning back to the shops! All this changed when I discovered a rather marvellous (and life changing) technique known as The Memory Palace. A memory palace is an imaginary building that exists only in your mind and in which are placed things that you want to remember. Because the items you are wanting to remember are placed within an imaginary building, it makes the items easier to remember and easier to recall. I find that it is almost impossible to actually forget items placed within a memory palace until you actually make the conscious choice to let go of them! If the idea of a memory palace is new to you, I would

like you to carry out a little experiment, just to prove to you the power of the principle. However I will first explain to you exactly what my personal memory palace is, and then I will ask you to create your own memory palace in your mind. My memory palace is not a palace at all; it is in fact the house where an ex-girlfriend of mine used to live with her parents. Although this relationship, and the memories attached to it, occurred close to 20 years ago, the emotions and happiness attached to this location are still strong enough to make it a very potent memory palace for me. I find that the more personal the memory palace, the more powerful it is. The tour of my memory palace begins at the front door. This is location #1 and I imagine myself ringing on the doorbell as I did almost every night for five years. The door then opens and I imagine my ex-girlfriend smiling and greeting me. This is location #2. I then walk into the living room. Her father is sitting there smoking a pipe.

This is location #3. Next I imagine myself walking into the dining room. I remember us having Christmas dinner in there, and this is location #4. Next I walk into the kitchen and remember my ex-girlfriend making me macaroni cheese. This is location #5. Then I wander out into the back garden where we would sunbathe on summer afternoons. This is location #6. From there it is back into the house and I walk up the stairs. This is location #7. I walk into the brother's bedroom where I played around on the first ever computer I had seen (this was back in the 1980s) and this is location #8. Then it is into my exgirlfriend's bedroom which obviously has some very personal memories (!) and this is location #9. From there into her parent's bedroom, location #10, the bathroom is location #11, and then up into the attic which is location #12. In this very simplified description of my memory palace there are 12 separate locations in which memories can be placed. I can, and often do, expand upon this memory palace, adding other locations such as the garage,

the front garden, and the roads around the house. But for a simple demonstration, 12 locations are enough. Now let us experiment with remembering a simple shopping list using this memory palace. I don't expect you to try and do this yourself yet, after all my memory palace means absolutely nothing to you, but by reading an explanation as to how I employ the memory palace, when it comes to your turn to do this with your own memory palace, you will understand exactly what is being asked of you. The shopping list: breakfast cereal, tomato ketchup, milk, baked beans, cheese, Coca-Cola, wine, and shampoo. Now, normally, without the use of my memory palace, I would be unable to remember this short list without writing it down. Invariably I would leave the shop without at least one item. However this is how the memory palace helps me to remember such a list, and in fact makes it all but impossible for me to forget any item:

I ring on the doorbell of my ex-girlfriend's home. It is early in the morning and I am carrying a box of breakfast cereal to give to my girlfriend. The door opens and my ex-girlfriend smiles and welcomes me. However she is carrying a bottle of tomato ketchup, and some of the ketchup is smeared around he lips. We walk into the dining room where her father is seated. He is drinking from a bottle of milk, and some of the milk is spilling out of the side of his mouth and is dripping onto his shirt. From there we go into the dining room. I remember having Christmas dinner in this room, but all we are being served is baked beans. We then enter the kitchen. I remember my ex-girlfriend making macaroni cheese, and I hand her a block of cheese to grate over the pasta. We walk into the garden. It is a lovely sunny day and we both have a cold glass of Coke. Next we are running up the stairs, heading towards the bedrooms while carrying glasses of wine. Then we walk into her brother's bedroom. Her brother is there, but he is washing his hair with shampoo. This concludes the tour and I have successfully remembered each item.

When I have finished shopping, the items simply slip from my memory palace and are no longer stored in my memory palace. This can be achieved consciously by thinking to yourself “I no longer need to remember these items, they are erased from my memory palace”, but I find that this is not necessary. The erasure of the items seems to occur naturally by itself, on a subconscious level. Now what I would like you to do is create your very own memory palace. As I stated earlier, this always works better when you use a building that you know, can remember in great detail, and that, perhaps most importantly,

you have some emotional attachment to.

Perhaps you would like to choose the home of a partner, friend, or someone you are very fond of? An old school that holds a lot of happy memories? A night-club that holds a lot of happy memories and that you can remember well? Anywhere at all will fit the bill, as long as you feel some kind of emotional bond with it.

The important aspect of your memory palace is that it has rooms and/or locations contained within it, and that within you can 'store' pieces of information that you need to remember. In my own example, the house had many rooms, the living room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. The more locations/rooms that a memory palace has, the better. In the first instance, it would be good if you could close your eyes, imagine the building, imagine yourself walking around it, and see if you can find 12 individual locations in which items that need to be remembered (such as items on a shopping list) can be placed. In my example, I always imagine that my ex-girlfriend is there with me and walks around the memory palace with me. This helps to reinforce the memory and reinforce the items that need to be remembered. It gives them a human aspect that my mind can latch on to, and also gives me the opportunity to give the items to be remembered a slightly humorous angle which also helps. For instance, in the example with the shopping list my ex-girlfriend had

ketchup around her mouth, her father was drinking milk but it was spilling out of the sides of the glass, the Christmas dinner was baked beans, etc. Adding a human angle and making the memory slightly crazy really reinforces the items to be remembered. If by now you have settled on a memory palace of your own, discover what people are there with you. Perhaps friends and family who used to live or visit the place that you have chosen. Decide what rooms these people will reside in, and perhaps chose one person to accompany you. Someone who you have fond memories of and who you would like to accompany you every time you visit your own memory palace. Someone who will, perhaps, open the door, smile at you, and welcome you in on each visit. There now follows a list of 12 items. I want you to imagine yourself entering your memory palace and placing each of these items in a separate location within the memory palace. Remember to add a touch of the

bizarre to proceedings; for example, within the list is a ladder. Imagine the ladder in a certain location, and imagine a person (friend, family member) at the top of the ladder, asking for your help to get down. They're stuck, but it is still quite a humorous situation. Add the human angle, add something slightly crazy, and that item will be fixed firmly in your memory palace for as long as you want it to be. Hat. Banana. Bunch of flowers. Notepad. Telephone. Ladder. Flash-light. A collection of books. Mug of coffee. Newspaper. Photo-frame. A large, old-fashioned computer.

Don't expect miracles the first time you do this. If you fail to remember all the items (and I imagine that if this is the first time you have tried this you will probably get stuck on one item, perhaps two), you may not have added enough of the human angle and enough of the crazy/humour angle. Once you get used to applying those aspects, it becomes very simple. The 'trick' when remembering a list is to add the human and the crazy, and to really 'see' in your mind's eye these events taking place. Let me lead you through my own memory palace one last time, this time remembering the above list, and hopefully this will reinforce the principle. I arrive at the front door wearing a silly panama hat, my ex-girlfriend opens the door, smiles at me (and at the hat) and shows me that she is holding a banana. She proceeds to eat it in a suggestive manner! We head towards the living room where her father is flower arranging. He is wearing a floral apron for this task and

looks very silly with his pipe hanging out of his mouth. From there we walk into the dining room and sit down for Christmas dinner. The whole family are handed notepads upon which we are instructed to write down the food we would like to eat. Into the kitchen and there is a large public telephone box in the middle of the floor. This is ridiculous and we can barely squeeze past it as we head out into the garden. In the garden we see a windowcleaner stuck at the top of his ladder. He is hanging on and flailing around in a very Buster Keaton manner. We walk back into the house and head up the stairs. The lights have failed and we are having to use flash-lights to navigate our way. At the top of the stairs we head into my ex-girlfriend's brother's bedroom where he has rows upon rows of books. So many books that it is difficult to get into the room. From there we go into her bedroom where we always had a cup of coffee. The next room is her parent's bedroom. In there we find a newspaper that they had tried to hide from us by placing it under their bed. It contains a lurid headline that we are shocked to read. Into the bathroom and I imagine myself having a shower and

noticing a photo in a frame of me and my ex-girlfriend. It strikes me as an odd place to hang a framed photo, but kind of sweet too. Next we head up into the attic where an large, old-fashioned computer is located. It is very 1960s, science fiction in appearance and is buzzing away to itself. Although it may seem a very complex memory to conjure, the fact is that the above walk through my memory palace took mere seconds to create and you will find, with only a little practice, that you will also be able to create a similar memory in mere seconds yourself. For example, when going to the shops, I remember my list in my head as I walk to the car. It is that quick. If you struggled with remembering all the items the first time around, please go back and try again. Notice this time how much easier it is, and how much more successful you are. And you will also notice how, once it is appropriate, you can forget all the items, wipe the slate clean, and your memory palace is empty and ready for use again.

So now we have an almost fool-proof technique for remembering 12 items. What happens if we want to remember more than 12 items? Simple. We expand upon the original memory palace. The memory palace you have created in your mind is the 'basic' model, the 'classic' version. This is the place that you will generally use, 12 rooms or locations usually being enough for most day-to-day applications of the technique. However if you are using the technique for performance, you will probably need to remember more items. In order to do this, what you need to do is add more locations. My personal method is to imagine myself walking home from my ex-girlfriend's house. This walk home (and walk I undertook many, many times) gives me my new locations. You can perhaps do the same with your memory palace, or add a bus/car/taxi ride, or even imagine yourself walking around the grounds of the building. If there are floors or rooms left unexplored in the original memory palace, utilise these. Once you have 12 locations

under your belt, it is a relatively simple matter to introduce 'add-on' locations. My personal method is thus: Once I have exhausted the 12 original locations, I imagine myself leaving the house. I step out of the front door and walk onto the pavement. This is location #13. I imagine walking down the road. This is location #14. I walk down an alleyway. This is location #15. I walk past some shops. There are three shops in total. I look in each shop window in turn. This provides me with location #16, 17, and 18. I walk past a bus-stop. Location #19. I arrive at the gate that leads to the path towards my own house. This is location #20. I open the door and step into my own home. This is location #21. The dog I used to have runs to greet me as I enter. This is location #22. So I now have 22 locations. 22 locations for 22 items to be remembered. Take a moment now to expand your own memory palace until it too has 22 locations.

Once you have 22 locations in mind, let us experiment and test them. We need 22 items to be remembered. 22? Hmm. How about the cards of the Major Arcana of the Tarot? Let us remember each of these in the correct order. Here they are: The Fool (0) Magician (1) High Priestess (2) Empress (3) Emperor (4) Hierophant (5) Lovers (6) Chariot (7) Justice (8) Hermit (9) Wheel of Fortune (10) Strength (11) Hanged Man (12) Death (13) Temperance (14)

Devil (15) Tower (16) Star (17) Moon (18) Sun (19) Judgement (20) World (21) The 22 Major Arcana cards, numbered 0 through to 21. Imagine yourself walking around your expanded memory palace, placing a card in each location. Because the Major Arcana tend to have a human aspect to them, it is relatively simple to get that emotional and crazy hook that helps to really cement the memory in place. For example, the Fool, the first card in the Major Arcana, would be me, dressed up in a jester's outfit, ringing the doorbell of my ex-girlfriend's house. My ex-girlfriend would answer the door dressed as a old-school magician (top hat, tails etc.) and would produce a rabbit out of a hat. We would walk into the living room and there would be her father, dressed as Cleopatra! This would be the Empress. Etc., etc.

Items within the Major Arcana that do not have this human aspect are also relatively easy to remember. For instance, the Moon would be the old black & white movie moon with the rocket ship poking out of its eye, the Sun would be a burning ball of energy in one room, burning with such intensity that I can't enter the room. Once you have done this exercise for yourself, you will not only have remembered every card in the Major Arcana and in the correct order, you will also be able to recall which number each card is associated with (Fool = 0, Death = 13, Sun = 19 etc.) simply by walking around your memory palace and counting the rooms/locations. This method can also be used for remembering the signs of the Zodiac. You will find that if you want to always remember the Major Arcana, the Zodiac, etc., rather than forget the items as you would for something like a shopping list, your sub-

conscious is able to make that distinction and a particular memory palace (EG the Major Arcana) will be fenced off, will become an entity of its own, and you will be able to revisit it at will. The sub-conscious is very clever like that! If I need more than 22 locations, I would then imagine myself walking around the my own home (as explained above) and can easily make up to 26 locations. If I still need more, I imagine myself re-arriving at the front door of my ex-girlfriend's house and I take a 'second lap'. This is relatively easy to do with a little practice, again the mind is very clever at being able to differentiate between the first tour around the full memory palace and the second tour. This will take a little practice though, but once done will open up the possibility of 52 items. 52 items? Hmm. What could possibly take up 52 locations? Oh yes! A freely shuffled deck of playing cards!

So, using the memory palace technique previously

discussed, it is possible to memorise, within a minute or two, a freely shuffled deck of 52 cards. But there is a problem. The memory palace system works best when you are able to, as we have seen, inject a human angle and a touch of humour/craziness. For example, the girlfriend with ketchup around her mouth. This is okay for the royal cards in a regular deck; perhaps we can imagine the Queen of Hearts screaming “Off with their heads!” or the Jack of Hearts stealing the tarts. But what about the numbers? The numbers, for example the 8 of Clubs, have no human qualities, and it is difficult to inject any sense of humour into proceedings to help remember the card in the correct location. How then do we do this? In order to make the numbers easier to remember, and add an element to help us 'humanise' them, we use a number/rhyming system. For the numbers 1 – 10, these are the rhymes. I shall explain how to use them in a moment. 1 – in our instance, with playing cards in mind, the 1 is

the ace. This is relatively simple to remember as a great big representation of the appropriate suit; perhaps a giant diamond for the ace of diamonds. I shall expand on this shortly. 2 – rhymes with shoe. 2 is a shoe. 3 – rhymes with tree. 3 is a tree. 4 – rhymes with door. 4 is a door. 5 – rhymes with hive. 5 is a hive. 6 – is similar to sex. 6 is sex. 7 – rhymes with heaven. 7 is heaven. 8 – rhymes with mate. 8 is mate. 9 – rhymes with sign. 9 is mine.

10 – rhymes with men. 10 is men. Therefore in order to remember playing cards, we visualise them thus: Ace of diamonds – a great big, giant diamond. 2 of diamonds – a golden shoe encrusted with diamonds. 3 of diamonds – a marvellous tree that has diamonds for fruit hanging from it. 4 of diamonds – a sparkly door encrusted with diamonds. 5 of diamonds – a sparkly bee hive with diamonds instead of bees flying in and out of it. 6 of diamonds – having sex with the girl of your dreams, surrounded by bowls full of diamonds. 7 of diamonds – the gates to heaven encrusted with diamonds. 8 of diamonds – your best friend (your mate) offering you a bowl full of diamonds as a gift. 9 of diamonds – a diamond that belongs to you. You

pick it up very jealously, put it into your pocket and tell everyone that “It' mine!” 10 of diamonds – a gang of men (diamond miners?) arguing over who owns a diamond. The diamond keeps slipping out of their hands as they fight, and flies across the room. Jack of diamonds – a very flash young man, very confident, covered in jewellery and diamonds. Queen of diamonds – a woman with too much make-up on, dripping with gold and diamonds, and wearing very pink vibrant clothes. King of diamonds – an old man wearing a crown and inappropriate diamond jewellery. Big rings on his fingers, encrusted with diamonds. Ace of hearts – a giant heart, pumping away by itself, blood pouring from it (remember, make it crazy!). 2 of hearts – a red shoe with a heart in it, blood seeping out of the seams. 3 of hearts – a tree with hearts for fruit, blood dripping from the branches.

4 of hearts – a bright red door with a window in it, looking through the window you see an operation theatre where open-heart surgery is taking place. 5 of hearts – a red hive with blood seeping from its pores. Perhaps small hearts buzzing around instead of bees. 6 of hearts – having sex with the girl of your dreams and being worried you were going to have a heart attack! 7 of hearts – people in heaven, sobbing because they died from a broken heart. 8 of hearts – a friend (a mate) telling you that he had a heart attach, he is clutching his chest. 9 of hearts – your heart. You pick it up very jealously and scream, “It's mine!” 10 of hearts – a group of men who meet each week to discuss how they survived a fatal heart condition; a kind of heart related support group. Jack of hearts – a typical knave running away with the queen's tarts. Queen of hearts – the queen screaming 'off with their heads!'

King of hearts – the queen's husband, trying to placate her and offering her his heart instead of the tarts. Ace of spades – in my mind I always equate the spade with the sword in tarot. This makes it easier to remember. Sword = spade. A giant sword stuck in a rock, a little like in the Arthurian legend. 2 of spades – a shoe with a dangerous looking dagger (sword) sticking out of the toe. 3 of spades – a tree with tiny swords hanging from the branches. A warning sign near-by telling people to beware of falling swords. 4 of spades – a door with a dagger (sword) for a handle. Having to be careful to open it. 5 of spades – a beehive with tiny swords buzzing around. Being stung by one of the swords, which gives you a little cut. 6 of spades – having sex with the girl of your dreams. She is a princess and you a are a brave knight (!). Having to be careful where your sword goes while you have sex. 7 of spades – Heaven is guarded by knights with giant

swords, ready to propel an attack by the devil. 8 of spades – a friends (a mate) trying to pick up a giant sword. It is far too big and heavy for him, and the scene is quite comical. 9 of spades – the sword in this room is yours. You pick it up and tell everyone that “It is mine!” 10 of spades – men fighting each other with their giant swords! Jack of spades – Jack the Ripper with a very sharp knife (sword) creeping through an alleyway. Queen of spades – Joan of Arc, in armour brandishing a sword. King of spades – King Henry 6th in armour and carrying sword, about to fight Joan of Arc. Ace of clubs – a giant club, like that carried by a caveman, on display in a museum. 2 of clubs – a caveman wearing some very fashionable shoes. He is finding it difficult to stand in them and is using a club as a support. 3 of clubs – a tree with tiny clubs hanging from the

branches, a caveman asleep underneath it, holding a big club in his hands. 4 of clubs – the door is locked so you have to use a giant club to break it down. 5 of clubs – a caveman hitting a beehive with a club, and then having to flee from the pursuing bees! 6 of clubs – a caveman hitting a woman over the head with a club in order to...well, you know. 7 of clubs – heaven is full of cavemen, all holding clubs. 8 of clubs – your friend (your mate) is a caveman, perhaps for a fancy dress party, and is proudly showing you his club. 9 of clubs – fighting with a caveman because he has stolen your club. “It's mine!” you shout. 10 of clubs – cavemen gathered together, there are no women, this is a men-only club and a sign at the door points this out. Jack of clubs – Jack the Ripper has lost his knife and is having to make-do with a club. He isn't happy about it, and hides it behind his back in an embarrassed kind of

way. Queen of clubs – a female cavewoman, shouting at the cavemen and waving her club above her head. King of clubs – a caveman wearing a golden crown. The crown is far too big for him and he has to keep pushing it back on to his head with his club. Of course you do not need to use my own personal memory aids as listed above. By all means create your own – ones that would be more personal to you and which you think you would be able to remember more readily than the ones that I have provided. With these visualisation tools/ideas in place, it is then a relatively simple task to place them into rooms/areas of your memory palace as required, and for them to be recalled on demand by imagining yourself walking around your memory palace and recounting what you see there. In this way are you able to memorise an entire deck of cards within a matter of minutes.

Have a go now, and see how well you do. The first two or three attempts are likely to come to an end around the '12 cards correctly recounted' mark. Soon after you should be able to recount 18 or 20, and then 25. By practising for a few days, you will be able to remember more and more until you reach your goal of memorising an entire, freely shuffled deck. To practice by yourself, simply take a deck of cards, shuffle them fairly, then turn over each card in turn, memorise them by placing them in your memory palace, one card per room/location, until you have completed the entire deck. Obviously retain the original sequence of cards, then recount each card, one at a time, turning over the appropriate card after you have stated which you believe it is, and see how many you get right. As a performance tool, it is not necessary to demonstrate to memorisation of an entire deck. You can cut off half the deck, and simply use this packet for the demo. Alternatively use the entire deck but only memorise

around half. Then once you have recounted all you the cards that you memorised, simply push the rest of the cards to one side and say, “And that's enough of that! I think I have made my point!” the implication being, of course, that you had memorised the entire deck but could only be bothered, or only had time, to recount half of them.

The Marvellous Memory Man Cheats! Of course, it is entirely possible to present a demonstration of a fully memorised freely shuffled deck of cards by cheating! There are two methods I use to achieve this result. Both methods,you will be unsurprised to hear, utilise marked cards. Method #1: The deck of cards are handed to the spectator to shuffle

quite freely and fairly. The performer then takes the deck, pretends to take 20 seconds or so to memorise the order, then places the deck face down on the table. He then correctly names each card in turn, turning the cards over after each statement to show that he is right. The spectator, if he is a particularly sharp fellow, may suspect a marked deck or “something on the back of the cards that tells you what the card is”. To circumnavigate such suspicion, after 'memorising' the deck the performer should ask the spectator to place a blind-fold around his eyes to “make sure that I can't peek or see the cards or cheat in any way”. As we know, blind-folds are to all intents and purposes quite useless when it comes to stopping someone seeing. Method #2: The performer hands the deck of cards to shuffle. He takes them back, pretends to memorise them for 20 seconds or so, then turns them face down. He ribbon spreads the cards between his hands and invites the spectator to choose a card, any card, by perhaps tapping

on the back of one as the performer spreads them out in front of her. The spectator taps on the back of one card. The performer asks her if she is sure, and invites her to take it out of the pack, but not to let anyone see it. During this action, the performer has spied the mark on the back of the card and knows which card has been selected. The performer then squares the deck and looks through the deck. “I'm looking for the card that is missing,” he explains. “I have in my mind a sequence, the original order of the deck. I'm looking for something that is out of order, something that is wrong. There is a card missing, and it is my job, having memorised the order of the entire deck, to figure out which card it is that is missing.” With

much

theatrics,

the

performer

correctly

'remembers' which card is missing.

It is entirely possible to mix the genuine mnemonic

technique mentioned earlier with some cheating with a marked deck. Perhaps the performer correctly (an genuinely) recounts the first 20 cards in the shuffled deck, then asks the spectator to select a card from the remaining 32 cards in the manner outlined in method #2 above. He then goes on to correctly name the chosen card, thus proving that not only had he truly memorised the deck (as demonstrated fairly with the mnemonic technique), but his memorisation was so powerful and potent that he was able to correctly name one card that had been taken out of sequence. After successfully, and genuinely, recounting the first 20 cards of the deck, the performer would say something along the lines of: “Okay, so you can see that I have genuinely memorised the deck, but it would be boring if I simply continued naming each of the cards in order. Let's try something a little different with these remaining cards, let's make things even more difficult and see if I can spot just one card that has been removed from the memorised order!”

This makes the demonstration even more amazing, but actually makes the memorisation easier. Rather than having to memorise the deck, the performer only actually has to remember the first 20 cards. A far easier task that memorising an entire deck. Of course, to the spectator, it is quite obvious that you had remembered the entire deck, and not only memorised it but were able to spot and name just one card taken out of the order. As you have (hopefully) seen – mnemonics, and cheating to give the impression of mnemonics, can be a fun performance and presentational technique, as well as a useful tool to use in your everyday life. No more forgotten shopping lists!

PREDICTIONS BY

VOODINI STEP FOUR in the Voodini Steps

The Mists of Time Clear and I Can See the Future! Psychics and mediums have been getting themselves in the news by making predictions for the year ahead for as long as the printed press has been in operation. Because of this, mentalists have emulated this path to fame (and free publicity) by making similar predictions. However, in true mentalist fashion, these predictions are normally exact replicas of forthcoming headlines, and are usually done while blindfolded and driving a car. Subtlety, it would seem, is not a word widely used in the mentalist community. So something that was started by psychics making woolly statements about the year ahead has mutated into mentalists correctly predicting ahead of time something that will happen with 100% accuracy. This is all well and good, and works very well for the publicity seeking performer. But I am not going to be writing about ways to correctly predict headlines, nor am I going to talk about switch-bags, funny envelopes, knives with secret compartments in them, or any other nefarious

tools used by the mentalist. I am, hopefully, going to demonstrate how the woolly, vague predictions of the old school psychic can still play a powerful role in the performer of today's repertoire. Many psychics still manage to get in the national newspapers by making very general predictions about the year ahead. When you are first stepping into this area, it may be difficult for you to get national coverage, but local media, particularly newspapers, are always looking for something interesting to print amongst their otherwise dull reports of local politics and stories about cats getting stuck up trees. So a local self-proclaimed psychic (or however you describe yourself) approaching them with predictions for the year ahead is almost certain to get them jumping up and down with excitement, particularly around Christmas and the New Year. I have been analysing some of the predictions made for the year ahead by psychics and sooth sayers, and below is a compilation of some rather obvious but also rather

clever predictions: The weather will behave weirdly. There will be developments in our understanding of the solar system. A celebrity couple (insert name here) will split up and/or have a child. A celebrity death (just pick the name of a very old celebrity!). There will be bad stock market news. There will be financial problems in the Eurozone. Russia will be causing problems (aren't they always?). There will be a tragic terrorist attack. Hackers will cause cyber disruption. There will be a scandal involving the US President (isn't there always?). North Korea will be sabre rattling (aren't they...., well, you get the idea). There will be a death in the British Royal Family. The Pope will be ill. There will be flooding in rural areas.

The above list may seem a little obvious, and if you examine it with a cool, rational mind, they are very obvious! Most of this stuff happens every year. But the local media (and hopefully the national media) lap this kind of stuff up. A feature about a local psychic predicting the year ahead is bound to intrigue their readers, and readers are all the print media is interested in. And, of course, a year later you can reappear in the newspaper, tick off the number of predictions that came true last year (at least 75%, I would venture), and do the whole thing again. Do the whole thing again? Thinking on this brought me to a realisation. In cold reading I have a trick which is, if I run out of things to say I simply talk about myself. People are generally more alike than they are different, so when I talk about myself there is a very high chance that my sitter will be able to relate to what I'm saying. Maybe the same can be said about making future predictions. Maybe, when making predictions about the future, all we have to do is

regurgitate what has happened during the past year? Maybe two consecutive years will always, due to their closeness time-wise, be more alike than they are different? Here are a list of headlines from 2014, the previous year as I write this. Would they apply to the year you are now living in? There will be a scandal over the legalisation of euthanasia for terminally ill people. There will be a referendum and talks about Russia and the Ukraine. Islamists kidnap women and foreign aid workers, sparking international outrage. The Catholic church announces new saints. Economic sanctions against Russia tightened. Further unrest and civil war in the Middle East. USA begins new air strikes against terrorists in the Middle East. There are new successes in space exploration and space travel.

There will be a tragic airplane crash. I would suggest that by combining the lists above (and tweaking them to fit with your local area or with your knowledge of how things look like they are heading at your particular point in time), you have a sure fire way of garnering some good publicity for yourselves and proudly being able to boast that you are the man who can see the future! We've already touched on how making predictions for the future is a little akin to cold reading. I have always used cold reading as a method to beef up simple mentalism routines. For example, if we think of a very standard number prediction routine whereby the spectator thinks of a number, the performer pretends to write something down on his pad, the spectator announces the number they are thinking of, and, by using a nail writer or swami, the performer turns over his pad to reveal that he predicted ahead of time what the spectator would say. Very simple – and perhaps a little too simple for most – but the idea of

this routine serves our purpose and the theory I will now explain can be transferred onto any kind of mentalism routine. Either before or after correctly demonstrating that he knew the thought of number ahead of time, the performer can enhance his performance and the experience of the spectator by adding some extra thoughts. “When I was trying to pick up on what number you might select,” says the performer, “I couldn't help but pick up on a few other things too....” And then he might pick one or even two from the following list of predictions for the spectator's future: I sense that you will meet up with an old friend in the near future, and they might become important in your life once more. Over the next year you should reconnect with nature; perhaps do a little gardening, plant a few flowers, even if it's just in a little flower-box outside your window. I think

that making a connection with nature will really help you to relax. Over the next 12 months, if a situation is causing more pain than pleasure, maybe it will be better to let it go. Over the next 12 months, I feel that you will need to do what is best for all concerned. In the near future you may be feeling a little sorry for yourself, and that's okay and perfectly understandable, but remember that a little rain has to fall into all of our lives. Over the next year don't do anything that you might later regret. Be more energetic and enthusiastic in the future, and you'll find that things will start to go your way. Over the next year you are going to be going on a true journey of discovery, and you will be learning a lot about yourself. In the near future you may start to feel a little under the weather. If you do, pamper yourself, take a day off, put your feet up. If a situation in your personal life gets awkward or uncomfortable, keep a cool head and deal with the

situation in an adult fashion. Now, the above list contains statements that are so vague and so obvious that they verge on the nonsensical! However when spoken out loud in an endearing and heartfelt way, they will be accepted and will be accepted as rare pearls of wisdom. After all, this very same technique has been used by psychics and mediums for centuries! And the great thing about making predictions about the participant's future is that no-one knows whether they are true or not, it's all in the future! Therefore it's impossible to mess up! Let's see a couple of those predictions in action, combined with our simple number prediction routine: “Okay, I just want you to think of a number between, let's say one and a hundred. Think of a number but do not say it out loud, just hold it in your mind. Have you thought of a number? Good. Now I'm going to try and predict what number you're thinking of. Let me see. (The performer

goes through the process of looking like he is trying to read her mind) Okay, I'm picking up on a couple of things, and I'll mention those in a moment. But first I'm going to write down a number. I may be wrong, but that's the chance we take. (Performer pretends to write down a number in his pad but doesn't. He places pencil down on table and holds his pad close to his chest so no-one can see its face). Now, in a nice clear voice, can you call out the number that you have in your mind? (The spectator says a number, let's say it's 21). 21? Okay. Well I picked up on a few things while I was trying to figure out the number. Firstly, I'm not sure if you've been ill recently, but can I just say that if you find yourself feeling run down over the next few months, you really must pamper yourself, put your feet up, take the day off. Please don't make yourself ill by doing too much. Promise me? (The spectator smiles and nods). Good, thank you. And while I was picking up on that, I also picked up on the fact that you would choose the number 21! (The performer turns around the pad onto which he has just written '21' with his swami gimmick)” Cue wild applause and offers of free

sex. You will also note that while the performer is making his 'prediction', this also gives him ample time to use his swami to write the number secretly onto his pad which is held up close to his chest. Another example: “Okay, I just want you to think of a number between, let's say one and a hundred. Think of a number but do not say it out loud, just hold it in your mind. Have you thought of a number? Good. Now I'm going to try and predict what number you're thinking of. Let me see. (The performer goes through the process of looking like he is trying to read her mind) Okay, I'm picking up on a couple of things, and I'll mention those in a moment. But first I'm going to write down a number. I may be wrong, but that's the chance we take. (Performer pretends to write down a number in his pad but doesn't. He places pencil down on table and holds his pad close to his chest so no-one can

see its face). Now, in a nice clear voice, can you call out the number that you have in your mind? (The spectator says a number, let's say it's 21). 21? Okay. Well I picked up on a few things while I was trying to figure out the number. Firstly, I do get the feeling that making some kind of connection with nature will be very therapeutic for you over the next twelve months. Even if you just plant a few flowers in your garden or in a flower-box outside a window, I do think it will give you a sense of peace that perhaps your life has been lacking recently. Try it out over the next year and see how it works out for you. Promise me? (The spectator smiles and nods). Good, thank you. And while I was picking up on that, I also picked up on the fact that you would choose the number 21! (The performer turns around the pad onto which he has just written '21' with his swami gimmick)” This simple technique can enhance any performance, it makes any routine stronger, and it makes the performer look like both an all-knowing mystic and a caring, sharing human being. I strongly recommend that you use it, play

around with it, and see how it can fit into your own performances. So there we have two very powerful ways in which the most simple of predictions can be made to work for you. In the first instance as a way of garnering free publicity in the media, and in the second instance a way in which predictions can be used to enhance any mentalism routines. And we haven't had to go anywhere near any funny stationery, make any clumsy looking moves or even allow a blindfold anywhere near us!

BLINDFOLDS BY

VOODINI STEP FIVE in the Voodini Steps

BLINDFOLDS Blindfolds have been a staple tool of the mentalist for as long as performers have claimed to have the ability to read minds or predict the future. The notion is quite simple; that by having a blindfold wrapped around his eyes, there is no way that the performer can see an action being taken by a volunteer, what is written onto a pad, etc. But of course audiences aren't, by and large, stupid, and many will be well-aware that it is entirely possible to still see through even the most tightly knotted blind-fold, whether it be by looking to the side, down the nose, or even through the material itself which may be more opaque than the performer would like the audience to believe. Because of this, mentalists have gone to extreme lengths to prove to audiences that they really cannot see. They have utilised bags that go over the head, tape that is used to fix eyelids shut, one, two, or three blindfolds at one time, and even metal blindfolds that are placed over the head and make the performer resemble some kind of

futuristic robocop. And some performers have even used all of these methods together, at the same time. All in an effort to say, “Look, I can't see a thing!” Such efforts, I would suggest, are over-kill and quite miss the point of blindfolds as a theatrical tool. If the intention of a blindfold is to render the performer sightless, why does he not simply turn his back to the volunteer or simply look the other way? That's all it would take. The often over-looked (as it were) reason behind using a blindfold is not to supposedly render the performer sightless. The real reason blindfolds are used (whether the performer realises it or not) is because they are a dramatic stage prop that adds a dash of the dramatic to a performance. The performer is made to look vulnerable; like Samson with his hair shorn, he is suddenly stripped of his power and is as helpless as a babe before the audience. The blindfold humbles the performer, and more. There is also an unspoken, underlying sexual connotation to having a blindfold tied around the eyes (hey, you've never seen 50

Shades of Grey or 9 ½ Weeks??), which adds spice to the spectacle. All of these thoughts and emotions pass through the minds of the audience in an instant, and suddenly the show just got very interesting! The idea of the blindfold being a dramatic prop rather than a practical tool came to me while researching and writing a short manuscript called The Eyes of the Seer. This was a promotional PDF that I sent out in 2012 and has not seen the light of day since. In it, all of my thoughts and observations on the use of blindfolds is explained, as well as some interesting thoughts on cold reading, spiritualism, and mediumship – themes which I'm sure you're aware (or becoming increasingly aware) permeates almost all of my work. Here then is presented The Eyes of the Seer, and remember: next time you have a volunteer place a blindfold around your head, the audience isn't thinking 'Oh, now he can't see anything'. They're actually thinking, rather lustfully, 'Ooh, he's in a bit of a bind now, isn't he?'

THE EYES OF THE SEER

INTRODUCTION By the 1870's, the phenomena that was Victorian Spiritualism was in full swing. The general public had, since the 1850's, been awed by the likes of the Fox Sisters, the Davenport brothers, D. D. Home, Madame Blavatsky, and Florence Cook. It would be a mistake to believe that the combined populations of the USA and the UK believed en masse in the truth of Spiritualism. As today, the thought of spirit communication and discourse with the dead caused much controversy with supporters and opponents attacking each other in the strongest terms. However for the general public, the subject of Spiritualism was seen as little more than a fascinating side-show. A gaudy yet mesmerising form of entertainment.

And, in truth, who could fail to be entertained by such phenomena as the Fox Sisters' rappings, the Davenports' spirit cabinet, D. D. Home's levitations, and Florence Cook's overtly sexual (for Victorian sensibilities) spirit manifestations? Each of these mediums and psychics had their own specialities – a signature routine as it were. Such specialities were important to mark one out from the crowds of other mediums, each desperate for their own time in the limelight. One of the UK's lesser known mediums of the 19th Century was Emma Meyers. She worked primarily in small London theatres and displayed more psychic based abilities than many of her contemporaries. That is to say, she did not communicate with the dead but rather sensed the feelings, emotions, and most importantly the memories of those in her audience. She did not claim that this information came from the spirit realm, but rather that it was her own heightened sense of intuition that brought forth these images and this information.

Little is known of Miss Meyers background. She seems to have almost appeared on the London circuit as a fully formed performer, working at small to medium (sic) sized theatres as the headline act without the years of struggle that other up and coming performers had to endure. Certainly Emma Meyers was an attractive woman, and perhaps she was lucky enough to have garnered influential patronage that enabled her to go from unknown to headline act almost over-night. But such ideas are mere supposition, and we can only guess at the truth. The only fact that we can be certain of is that we shall never know! THE ACT The year is 1900. Spiritualism is somewhat in decline, although new mediums and new psychics with new 'gifts' to demonstrate can still expect a full house. Such a fullhouse has gathered at the Alhambra theatre in London, eager to witness the powers of British Spiritualism's latest bright star, Miss Emma Meyers.

The house lights dim and the audience are hushed. An expectant silence falls on the theatre. The stage is bare except for a simple wooden chair located in the centre. By the chair is a small table upon which is placed a single glass of water. From stage left two females appear, walking slowly and carefully across the stage and towards the chair. One female is dressed in red with flowers in her hair. The second is dressed in mourning black and is blindfolded. The more gaily attired female supports the arm of her blindfolded associate, leading her carefully to the chair into which she tentatively sits. The woman in black is Emma Meyers. Even though a heavy black blindfold is cruelly twisted around her eyes, it is obvious that she is young and attractive. She seems unsure of herself and trembles slightly. Unsighted, she fumbles for the glass of water and almost knocks it over. The audience gasp. Her friend takes Miss Meyer's hand gently and kindly places the glass of water into her grip.

The hearts of the audience melt; they are struck by both shame at voyeuristically watching this woman's obvious discomfort, and intrigue as to where this fascinating display will lead. Miss Meyer's red dressed assistant leaves the stage and walks out into the audience. “Are we ready, Jane?” Emma Meyer asks her assistant who is standing mid-way along the middle aisle. “We are, Miss Meyers,” replies Jane, the strength and clarity of her voice belying her small stature. “Ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments Miss Meyers will enter her reverie.” The audience crane their necks to catch a glimpse of Jane as she speaks. “When this happens I'm afraid that I must insist of absolute silence. Unless you are directed to speak, please be hushed. Any sudden loud noises or shouts can be very dangerous while Miss Meyers is in her altered state of mind. As ladies and gentlemen, I trust that I can expect such a small request be observed?”

Mutterings of agreement rumble gently through the audience. “You will notice that Miss Meyers is blindfolded. This is to ensure that no information from her sense of sight may interfere with the information being gathered by her third eye, the eye of her soul. Sadly it is not possible to effect such restraints as easily upon her ears and her sense of hearing, and so it is for this reason that we must insist on silence. Once Miss Meyers is deep in her reverie, she will begin to speak. She will be sensing memories and emotions from those of you who are here tonight in this audience. It is of utmost importance that if you understand what Miss Meyers is talking about, if her thoughts and images and emotions make sense to you, if you feel that the person she is intuitively connecting with is you, that you raise your hand and let me know. If you think the person being described is you, raise your hand and I will approach you. Please bear in mind that for Miss Meyers this is a procedure that is not without danger. Therefore it would be doing her a great discourtesy if you knew she was addressing you but you did not acknowledge this. I implore you, if you understand the

message being passed on, acknowledge as much. Simply raise your hand. It is not too much to ask, is it? And as this is now understood, I think we may begin Miss Meyers.” All eyes return to the stage. Emma Meyers sits silently, hands placed upturned into her lap. After a few moments she sighs deeply and her head lolls forwards. She sighs again, and then a low moan emanates from her mouth. Another few moments pass, and then Miss Meyers takes a deep breath inwards and her head is lifted up again. There now follows a full transcript of the first 15 minutes of the 60 minute show. Miss Meyers (her voice faint and almost childlike): I'm in a school playground. I can hear laughter. Children playing and shouting. There seems to be a lot of joy, I can sense it all around me. But I am not happy. I feel on the outside of this joy. I am not even really in the playground. I appear to be hiding almost, around a wall or behind a building. I know that I should be in the playground, I should be with

the other children, and that I will be punished if I am found skulking away down here. But I simply can't bear to be with them all. I want to be alone. I'm desperately sad and I don't want to mix with the other children. The fear of being caught hiding here by the teacher is nothing compared to my desire to simply get away from them all. If I could hide here for the rest of my life, I think I would.” Jane (calling our from the middle of the audience): How old are you Miss Meyers? What age are you sensing? Miss Meyers: Oh I'm young. I feel that I'm perhaps 6 or 7. No, perhaps a little older, 8 or 9 even. But there's a desperate sense of being on the outside, of not being a part of the school, of wanting to escape. And I'm hiding, definitely hiding, behind a wall or around the back of a building. Somewhere I shouldn't be. The person who this memory belongs to will remember this, particularly the feeling of being alone and of wanting to hide from the rest of the school. I do hope they will remember...

To the right of the auditorium a woman's hand is lifted aloft. Jane, who has been scouring the audience for any movement, notices the raised hand. Jane: We have somebody, Miss Meyers. Somebody has kindly raised their hand. Jane makes her way along the aisles to be as close to the raised hand as possible. Jane (to the volunteer): Would you be kind enough to stand up for me? Thank you. And what is your name please? Volunteer: Mary. Jane: Thank you Mary. And you understand what Miss Meyers is talking about? You understand the situation that she is describing?

Volunteer: Yes. I mean, it sounds like something that I went through as a child. Miss Meyers: Mary, my dear, there's a very strong sense of sadness here. But looking back on it now, I think you may wonder why you never talked to anybody about it. You certainly kept all of your emotions inside. There's a sense of grief almost, but of wanting to be left alone. This was something that you didn't want to share, that you wanted to deal with on your own. You took yourself away and hid, like an injured animal almost. Does that make sense? Volunteer: Yes, I suppose it does. I've never thought of it that way before, but yes. Miss Meyers: And do you still think about those days, Mary? Volunteer: Occasionally, yes. Sometimes.

Miss Meyers: Yes, I thought so. The pain may have healed, but the memories are still there. Oh! How odd! Mary, are you still there? Jane: She's still here Miss Meyers. Miss Meyers: Mary, you had a friend during this period didn't you? But it was a friend who was a little odd. I think that the other children shunned her? She may have been a little slow, not as intelligent perhaps as everyone else, but for some reason you became friends with her. It was like the two of you didn't belong, or felt like you didn't belong, and so you became firm friends. Does that make sense? Volunteer: Yes actually! Yes, it does. Miss Meyers: I don't want to go too deep with this, but at some point this friendship ended. I feel that years later, when you were feeling happier about yourself and your life, you ended the friendship. Not in an awful way, I don't

think, not bluntly. But you just let the friendship die. You felt that it was holding you back, that you had to spread your wings and increase your circle of friends. I don't want to upset you, but hopefully what I'm talking about makes sense? Volunteer: Um, yes. Yes. Miss Meyers: Thank you Mary, I feel I have to move on now. But thank you for helping and thank you for your honesty. Mary sits down and Jane instigates a round of applause for both Miss Meyers and her volunteer. Following the applause, Jane continues... Jane: And so again I must ask for silence as we allow Miss Meyers to once again enter her reverie. The audience are hushed and Miss Meyers enters her

altered state of mind. Miss Meyers: A child again but this time a boy. I believe I am 9 or 10 years old. I am in the family home. It is night time. My sister, younger than me, is close by. We are alone. So very dreadfully alone. We are worried. My younger sister is crying and there is a knot of fear in the pit of my stomach. Our parents are out of the home. They went out what feels like many hours ago. They said they wouldn't be long, they said they'd be back shortly and we were to go to sleep and not to worry. But that has been so long ago and now my sister and I are so worried. We are looking out of our bedroom window and staring at every person who walks by, every carriage that passes by, hoping that it is our parents. Oh, where are they? Where are they? Gingerly a man's hand is raised in the centre of the auditorium. Jane calls over to him. Jane: Thank you sir for raising your hand. Miss Meyers,

we have a man who has kindly acknowledged your words. Could you please stand for me, sir? The man stands, looking a little embarrassed. Jane: Sir, would you mind telling us your name? Volunteer: Reginald, Reginald Blackstone. Jane: Thank you sir. And the words that Miss Meyers spoke, do you recognise them. Volunteer: Yes, they seem to be describing a situation that occurred to me and my sister many years ago now. My parents had gone out with friends for the evening, leaving us alone. They told us to be brave and go straight to sleep, but we didn't. We sat waiting for their safe return, and as the night dragged on we became more and more concerned for their safety. In the end I had to go down to the servants quarters and wake up our housekeeper, a kindly old soul who came and sat with us until our parents

returned. My father in particular wasn't very pleased with us, I don't think he ever understood quite how terrified my sister and I were. Miss Meyers: Thank you sir, thank you for sharing that with us. I can certainly appreciate how scared you poor lambs were. I still have a knot in my stomach. Thank you for sharing. Jane once more instigates applause for both the volunteer and Miss Meyers, and the show continues. 30 minutes and several demonstrations of her psychic ability later, Emma Meyers removes her blindfold to rapturous applause. Perhaps it is the house-lights or perhaps it is the strain of having the blindfold pressing upon her eyes for close to an hour, but she appears to be crying. But if these be tears, then they are tears of happiness as she smiles broadly and thanks the audience for their time and their indulgence. Several usherettes

appear among the aisles and begin to hand out red roses. A red rose is passed to each lady in the audience, a gift, Emma Meyers explains, to signify the love and compassion experienced that evening in the theatre. Miss Meyer's associate, Jane, hands out roses along the theatre's central aisle. With the show over, the audience streams back out onto the cobble-stoned streets of Victorian London, the ladies clinging to their red roses, excited chatter passing amongst the crowd. Horse-drawn carriages make their way steadily along roads illuminated by gas lamps. A roast chestnut seller hawks his trade on a street corner as a thin fog begins to roll in from the Thames. A bill poster on a nearby wall announces the imminent arrival in the Empire's capital of Harry Houdini, direct from the USA. Tonight, in the year 1900, the residents of London can rest assured that magic still hangs in the air. But war is coming. In 14 short years, shots will be fired in far off Sarajevo that will mark the beginnings of the Great

War. A war that will claim the lives of forty million men, women and children and will change the world forever. Wither then the magic? HOW IT WORKS One of the most important tenets of the skill known rather crudely as 'cold reading' is the knowledge that all human beings share similar experiences, situations, and emotions in their lives. This is a tenet that is often overlooked in favour of other techniques. Human beings tend to think of themselves as true individuals. Living a life that is completely different from the lives lived by others. The rather humbling truth is that as a species (and I'm speaking here to a Western audience obviously), we are more alike than we are different. What I have experienced in my life, you will have experienced also. There will be small, subtle differences of course, but in general we will all have shared experiences.

We will all have shared similar joys, sadness, happiness, sorrows, successes and failures. We have all experienced the same ups and downs in all aspects of our lives – love, family, friends, work, money, ambitions, health and hopes. And these shared experiences express themselves in our memories. If we tap into our own memories and recount those details in a nicely vague fashion, concentrating more on emotions than on concrete facts, we can be sure that our own experiences will be shared by most if not all of the population around us. Let us consider the two examples used by Emma Meyers in the above story. I was quite impressed to realise that despite the fact that over a century separates us, I could empathise with both experiences that she recounted. Firstly the child feeling lost and alone at school, hiding from schoolmates, not wanting to be involved, and feeling very sad. Around the age of 8 or 9, I experienced this for

myself. I also made friends with a boy in class who was shunned by everyone else because he wasn't 'normal'. If this story had been recounted to me as a demonstration of intuitive ability, I would have been impressed. Could this story fit with you? I'm sure that most of us, to a greater or smaller degree, could think of some school-yard experience that was similar to the one described. Likewise with the story of the 2 children being left home alone while the parents went out. I'm sure that things have changed a lot since Victorian times and perhaps now in the 21st Century most parents wouldn't leave their children at home in an evening while they went out to a dinner party or similar. But those feelings of worry about parents disappearing or not returning when they said they would must be fairly universal. I can think of two examples in my own life when my parents left and didn't return as quickly as they had promised to. Or perhaps they were just trying to get rid of me!! It did make me smile that the gentleman in the example

cited in the story had to take refuge with the family's housekeeper! He wasn't really 'home alone' – he had staff to look after him! I only wish I'd had a housekeeper to run to! So what was Emma Meyers' great power? It was the knowledge that experiences from her own life, recounted in a vague and general manner but laced with very specific emotions, will “hit” with a large percentage of the population, particularly in a theatre setting where there would be 100 – 200 members of the audience. Let me reiterate that – memories recounted in a vague manner but laced with very specific emotions. The specific emotions are universal (love, hate, fear, joy), but they help to make a vague recollection sound specific. Vague facts + specific emotions = a story that sounds specific. Emotions trump facts, and if the emotions are specific then the whole story sounds specific. Let me reiterate that these are NOT Barnum statements. These are actual memories, recounted and retold. To

produce similar results yourself, you do not need to learn anything or be able to recount lists of 'shared experiences'. All you need to do is remember your own life and the events that have shaped you and that influence you still. I decided to make a list of events that I could remember from being a child and a teenager. Events that for whatever reason stick in my mind and that I seem to have attached great emotional importance to. I did not want to purely concentrate on sad emotions, so I included many happy and joyful ones as well. The Victorians may have been a darkly Gothic bunch, but there's no law these days against smiling! Here is my list. See how many could apply to you (even if you need to 'tweak' them a little bit). • Aged around 12, being madly in love with a girl at school but being too embarrassed to do anything about it. • The first time I properly kissed a girl and messing it up completely! In fact, due to incorrect face positioning on my behalf, I think she actually kissed my nose more than

my mouth. • Breaking a bone as a kid while playing football and going to hospital. • Experiencing a power cut and having to crawl on my hands and knees to find my way from my bedroom to my parents' bedroom. As a ten year old I found the experience quite traumatic, although my parents were quite nonchalant about the whole thing. • Aged around 12, shop lifting something stupid and inexpensive. Being caught and being terrified, and/or not being able to enjoy whatever it was that was stolen because of the fear of being found out. In fact, throwing the stolen item away in panic! • A sporting disappointment. Not achieving what I felt was my potential, and feeling hurt and cheated and as though I had been over-looked by those who selected a certain sporting team at school. I need to point out right now that the above list was compiled as I wrote them. No fore-thought went into their selection. They were just the first memories that popped

into my head as I wrote. Another day, another time, and a totally different list would have popped into my head. And this, as you will see, is an extremely important point... THE REAL SECRET The real power in this technique is to trust your own instinct, intuition, and subconscious. Whoa! That may be a pretty tall order for some magicians and mentalists to take onboard, particularly those who may not have come across my work before. I guess I'd better explain. So here goes... With this technique I do not advocate the use of a set list of memories to be trotted out at each performance in a similar way to how some may use Barnum Statements. The real strength of this particular technique is the fact that you are relying on your own memories. You will have literally thousands of possible memories to recollect and use as inspiration. Why limit yourself to a set list of perhaps 20? Trust your own mind, your own intellect, and your own memories to work for you when you need them

to. Standing or sitting in front of an audience and then waiting for a memory to pop into your head may seem to some a daunting prospect. Personally I find it exhilarating and I enjoy working without a safety net. But it goes deeper than that. With a technique like this, and many of the techniques I outline in my previous PDFs, there is no secret to be spotted by eagle-eyed members of the audience, no impression devices to fail, no nail writers to fall off at just the wrong moment, no electronic gizmos to screw up. There is just you, the audience, and your memories. If you can get over the fear of being 'wrong' (whatever that may be) and overcome the belief that it is gimmicks and gadgets that create the wonder (when the wonder is really you), then a whole new breath-taking vista opens up for you as a performer. Working naked (metaphorically of course!) is nowhere

near as daunting or fraught with perils as you may believe. With regard to this memory technique, the real secret is that in an audience of 50, 100, or more you are guaranteed a hit with each of your statements. Remember, we are all more alike than we are different. You are bound to find a match for your own memories in almost any sized audience. The only trick to perfect is keeping the description reasonably vague while highlighting precisely the emotions experienced. It's worth reiterating yet again – keep the description vague but really go to town on the emotions. The hardest parts of this routine are a) keeping the audience entertained and b) getting the audience to put their hands up and volunteer themselves as the owners of the memories you are describing. Point a) and point b) are really the same problem. To be entertaining with this routine, you have to be engaging and interesting. The audience have to like you and have to want you to succeed. We shall be discussing the subtleties employed by Emma Meyers shortly, but from my own standpoint I

engage the audience and win them over by appearing to be both interesting but also very down to earth. If we consider stage mediums such as John Edward in the USA and Colin Fry in the UK, we will notice two things. Firstly they are interesting characters who display amazing talents (whatever your thoughts may be about mediumship, and we'll discuss this shortly). But secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they portray themselves as an “everyman”. They are just like you and I. They have no inflated egos, they're success hasn't gone to their heads, they are still down-to-earth guys who have just been blessed with this amazing gift. The public can identify with them and empathise with them. John Edward does not set himself apart as some kind of super-man. He portrays himself as being from exactly the same stock as his audience. This means that his audience want him to succeed. The audience has no desire to see him fail. Compare this with the images portrayed by the old school mind-readers of the vaudevillian era. The classic image of

the mind-reader is the darkly brooding man in top hat and cape, with an arrogant self-important manner, who gazes out upon these ants known as 'mankind' and reads their minds as easily as if he were reading a page upon a book. The Great Greebo knows all, sees all, tells all! Immediately a barrier has been put up between the performer and the audience. The performer has projected himself as being greater than the common man, and therefore the common man has no wish to see the Great Greebo succeed. In fact, the common man will cheer heartily when the Great Greebo gets it wrong! And furthermore the common man may even conspire to ensure the Great Greebo fails!! There is a reason John Edward and his ilk project the “everyman” image. It's to ensure the audience want them to succeed and will endeavour to ensure that they do succeed. So when John Edward starts to pass on a message, the audience want to make the pieces fit and will happily put their hand up in the air and say “Yep, that's me!”

My opening script when starting a show goes a little like this: “Welcome ladies and gentlemen, it's really great to see you all here tonight. My name is Paul and I would describe myself as an 'intuitive'. Some people call me 'psychic', but I wouldn't be so bold or so vain as to describe myself that way. To me, using a word such as 'psychic' is a little too bold and sounds a little too much like a challenge. I far prefer the word 'intuitive'. And I believe that we are all a little bit intuitive, ladies and gentlemen, We can all do what I do, to a greater or lesser degree. I'm just lucky that I seem to have been blessed with quite a large amount of intuition and I've also been very lucky to have had the opportunity to develop this intuition until it is fairly well honed. “But we all have a degree of intuition inside us. I'm sure many of you here tonight have stories of the telephone ringing and knowing who it is before you pick up the

receiver, or knowing something was going to happen before it did. Perhaps some of you have seen ghosts or heard weird noises in the night - that would also be an expression of your innate intuitive ability. “Some people of course are slightly sceptical of the whole intuitive/psychic thing. They think it is all rubbish, and that's fine. But they will happily tell you about a friend who always wins at the casino, or the fact that they have a good gut instinct, or that some people are just born lucky. But it's all the same thing! However you dress it up, psychic, intuitive, instinct, lucky guesses, it's all the same thing. And we can all do it, ladies and gentlemen, all of us. “So what I need from you tonight is lots of energy. I need you to be upbeat and to want things to work tonight. Without your energy and your input I will fail. There is no doubt about that. I am only human. Tonight is all about teamwork, about us all working together to create an evening of wonder. So whether you believe in the psychic, whether you're on the fence, or whether you are a sceptic,

I ask you now to put all of those thoughts to one side and just enjoy the next 90 minutes for the entertainment it is meant to be. If I get an intuitive flash and you think I may be talking about you, put your hand in the air. Let me see you, and let's work together to make this happen! Let's have some fun, let me show you how you too can be intuitive, and let's read some minds! Okay? Let's do it!” What my opening spiel does is to establish that I am just like my audience, that they can do what I do, that the evening will require their input, and that if things go wrong, well it's probably their fault. I've enthused the audience to become involved, but I've also made them want me to succeed. I'm a nice guy. Why would they want me to fail? ON MEDIUMSHIP I am not a medium. I do not talk to dead people (except when I visit the in-laws). I do not promote or sell myself as a medium. My stage persona is 'intuitive', and the

reason I use that word is because I genuinely believe that intuition is a tool that we as humans use all the time. Morally I have no qualms about using the word intuition because I believe in it. I'm fully aware that others may have a different stand-point, and that's fine. Mentalism is a large house with many rooms. I like going to see mediums at work and reading about the techniques of old mediums. The reason I like this is not because I have any interest or belief in the 'talking to the dead' bit. I don't. The reason I like seeing mediums at work and reading about their exploits is because I am fascinated by the fact that they can walk out in front of an audience of hundreds, with no gimmicks, no props, just themselves, their voice, and their audience, and provide a full show of 'mystery entertainment' (for want of a better phrase). I enjoy taking the techniques used by mediums, stripping out the 'talking to the dead' bits, and seeing how these techniques can be utilised and employed by mentalists. With Emma Meyers this was easy as she made no claims to mediumship. Although surrounded by the

cloak of Spiritualism (a sign perhaps of her times), her act was essentially that of a mind-reader. THE SUBTLETIES OF EMMA MEYERS In the account of Emma Meyers' show outlined at the start of this chapter, we can see a few subtleties employed by her and her assistant. 1. She is young and attractive, thereby making it easier for her to gain the interest of the male members of the audience. 2. She is blind-folded. The blindfold is there purely to make her seem more vulnerable and helpless, despite the esoteric explanation used by Miss Meyers' assistant. The use of the blindfold also provides an underlying sexual tension. 3. She trembles and requires assistance to pick up a glass of water, again reinforcing her vulnerability. She is getting the audience on her side. They want her to succeed. It would be a cold hearted bastard who would want to see this attractive, vulnerable young woman fail.

4. Jane is employed as her eyes and ears amongst the audience. The assistant is ready to spot trouble, to encourage involvement from the audience, and generally to steer the proceedings in the correct direction. 5. The ladies in the audience are handed roses at the end of the show. This ends the performance on a real high, with everyone feeling good about themselves and about the show. It is accepted knowledge that a show should end with the performer's best 'trick'. The roses trick is a simple way to buy the love and good will of the audience. Who isn't going to leave the auditorium without a smile on their face? Unless they're allergic to roses of course. I saw a similar tactic employed by a medium once. After each 'message' that he passed on to members of the audience, they were invited onto stage and handed a red rose as a memento of the love the spirits had passed on to them. With all the roses being handed out and the shaking of hands and hugging, the whole performance became one big love-in. There was barely any time for any actual mediumship!

WAYS OF PRESENTING THIS ROUTINE Although the routine outlined here made up the entirety of Emma Meyers' show, I personally would see this routine as making up just one element of a larger show. Perhaps the routine outlined here would form around 20 minutes of an hour or 90 minute show. The way you would present this routine would of course have to be totally congruent with the rest of the show and tie in with your stage persona. I do see this routine as being very flexible in the way it can be presented. Although its roots are very definitely in the esoteric, there is no reason why it has to stay there. The three main presentation angles that spring to mind for me are as follows (and of course you are positively encouraged to come up with your own angles): 1. A display of psychic/intuitive ability. By standing or sitting in front of an audience, the energy of the people in

the room cause images, ideas, thoughts, and emotions to flash into your mind. 2. A display of commonality amongst human beings. How we all share the same hopes, fears, dreams, and even memories. 3. Straight out, good old fashioned mind-reading. How does he do it? You decide! IN CONCLUSION This is a very simple routine. You are basically standing in front of an audience and recounting some memories that you have. But don't let that simplicity fool you. This is highly powerful stuff, and when framed in the right way will hit hard with any audience. There's no need to be afraid of using this routine. Because human beings share many common experiences, in any given audience there will be people who will understand the story you are passing on. It may not be fail-safe, but it's as good as. The real trick is getting the audience on

your side so that they are willing to put their hands in the air and claim ownership of the memory. But even that isn't too difficult. Just encourage them to like you. It's not rocket science after all. I would encourage you in the strongest possible terms not to simply have a list of memories that you recite parrotlike

at

each

performance.

Trust

your

intuition/subconscious to allow real, genuine memories you have to float to the surface of your mind at each and every show. This may sound a touch scary, but it's not. Just have a little faith. Trust your subconscious to show you the relevant memories each time you perform. I dare you! The fact that they are genuinely your memories will add extra potency to your performance.The audience will pick up on the fact that you have an emotional investment in what you are saying, even if they only pick up on it subconsciously. It will be obvious that you aren't just making this stuff up or reading from a preprepared script.

As you remember the memory, new details that you had long forgotten may begin to materialise in your mind. That makes your performance very potent, very emotional, and to all intents and purposes, very genuine. You have memories coming into your mind, you aren't dictating which memories they are, and hopefully they will mean something to other members of the audience. What wonder! What mystery! And all done without an impression pad in sight!

BILLETS BY

VOODINI STEP SIX in the Voodini Steps

Introduction The term 'billet' comes from the French word for a note or a ticket. The art of billet reading was developed as an honesty test for mediums and clairvoyants during the rise of Spiritualism in the mid19th Century. A piece of information or a question was secretly written onto a piece of paper (normally no larger than playing card size), the piece of paper was folded or sealed within an envelope, and the medium proceeded to correctly reveal the piece of information of provide answers pertinent to the written question, thereby demonstrating the genuineness of their abilities. Before long ways of cheating to obtain the information were developed, and these then found their way into the repertoires of magicians and formed one of the cornerstones of mentalism.

In this particular 'step', it is not my intention to discuss how to cheat to gain the information secretly written on to a billet. What could I possibly add that has not already been covered by countless giants of mentalism,

not

least

of

which

is

Corinda's

contribution in 13 Steps to Mentalism and Annemann in Practical Mental Magic? Instead I shall be approaching the subject from a more esoteric and perhaps more 'Voodini' angle. But please note – all of the techniques discussed within this chapter, while esoteric in nature, can be used purely as smokescreen for a more traditional mentalism routine. In other words, the esoteric methods can be utilised as presentational angles. However I do hope that you will look a little deeper than that and come to see how the original use of billets – to demonstrate and develop intuitive ability – can still, by themselves, make for an enthralling and entertaining experience for your audience.

I shall firstly discuss methods of intuitively reading a folded billet in order to gain some insight into the information secretly written there upon, then I shall move on to the important aspect of utilising these ideas for entertainment and performance.

Billets as Esoteric Tools There are four general headings that I shall be looking at: billets as tools for psychometry, the use of billets in a séance setting, using billets in a stage show, and billets as positive affirmations.

Psychometry

Psychometry is the esoteric technique by which psychics and intuitives divine information from an

inanimate object such as a watch or a piece of jewellery. The belief is that an object that has been held close to a person's body for a length of time picks up emotions, thoughts and other information about the wearer. This information then becomes 'stored' within the object, and when the psychic holds the object these impressions will make themselves known. The billet can be used in exactly the same way. A person may secretly write a piece of information (such as a happy memory, a colour, or a name) or write a question upon a billet. The billet is then folded so that the information is hidden (or perhaps the piece of paper may be placed into a sealed envelope). The billet is handed to the psychic or the intuitive who holds it between the hands and allows impressions and ideas to enter their mind. How is this achieved? Well, firstly, let us accept that this technique is far from foolproof and will not

deliver the stunning accuracy that the various methods of cheating will deliver. Therefore we should not go into this exercise expecting such results. I will talk more on this in the performance section of this chapter, but I should quickly point out that it is this 'honest/no cheating' aspect that lends this technique its power. The fact that you are not surreptitiously gaining the information but are in fact relying on your own intuition or gut-instinct means that any hit you get is quite genuinely 'mind blowing'! But we will discuss this in more detail later. For now, let us talk about

the

technique

used

to

intuitively

gain

information from a folded billet. Firstly, the billet should be cupped between the palms of the hand as if you were holding onto a very precious object that you didn't want to drop. Then you should take a deep breath and close your eyes. Imagine your mind was a blank canvas and allow ideas, thoughts, or images to appear upon this canvas.

Then begin to describe them. Simply allow the words to come, and describe what you see or are feeling internally. At first such a technique may seem nonsensical, especially for those who have been trained in the magical arts of one-ahead and sleights. However, no matter how sceptical you may be, I would encourage you to at least give this technique a try. There are several reasons why you try this technique – firstly, you may find yourself actually surprising yourself with the accuracy of your pronouncements, secondly, doing this 'for real' will give you a good idea of how to present a more traditional trick-based routine – you will know how it feels internally to do this for real and this will help your presentation, and thirdly, working like this is incredibly liberating, particularly if you are used to the constraints of peeking or getting oneahead.

The real secret of using billets without trickery is getting

used

to

vocalising

the

thoughts

and

impressions you are getting while holding the billet. As magicians, we are perhaps used to techniques that we know will yield the correct results. Psychometry can offer us no such comfort, but if you can get over this fear of being wrong, if you can allow yourself to simply speak and say how you are feeling, then you have armed yourself with a great tool in your mentalism arsenal - the weapon of being able to trust your own gut-instinct and being fearless in using it. This fear of being wrong is not exclusive to magicians and mentalists who approach this kind of work. It is the same for everyone, whatever their background. Developing psychics and mediums have the same fear – “What if what I say is wrong?” In psychic development classes, the biggest issue and the biggest amount of time is spent on convincing the students to simply let go of their fears and trust their gut instinct

(or their guide, the spirits, the angels, whatever – it's essentially the same thing). Therefore billet work is ideal to help develop both the intuition and overcome the fear of being wrong. In a development class of perhaps six students, each is given a small piece of paper. On this piece of paper, each student may write a piece of information, a question, or perhaps just their name. This piece of paper is then folded, and then all the pieces of paper are placed into a bowl. The billets are mixed around so that nobody has any idea which piece of paper belongs to whom. The bowl is then passed around the circle, with each student taking out one piece of paper. Taking it in turns, the students place the piece of paper between their palms (as described above), and they allow their intuition to pass on to them information, thoughts, ideas etc. These are then vocalised by the student, and then they pass the billet to the person in the circle who they believe the paper belongs to. In

turn, the billets are opened and the students can see who has been given their correct billet back, and they can discuss what was said and how much information was correct. This exercise has two points to it – the students get used to trusting their intuition and developing it (like a muscle, it grows stronger with use), and perhaps more importantly the students get used to speaking out loud their thoughts and impressions and begin to lose their fear of being wrong. What should a volunteer be asked to write on to a billet? I generally stick to headings such a 'write down a happy memory', 'think of a colour', 'sign your name', or a question – but you may want to restrict the subject matter of the question so as to avoid any embarrassing or upsetting scenarios. Simply point out to volunteers that there is every chance that what they write on the piece of paper will be seen by all present.

Seance

Billets were originally used in séance settings – sitters would write down a question that they required 'spirit' to answer, and the medium would deliver said answers. It is entirely possible (and probable) that the peek, the centre tear, and the one-ahead methods of billet reading adopted by mentalists were originally formulated and devised in the séance room.

Stage Show

Billets have often been utilised by mediums and psychics to form the bedrock of their stage shows. Each member of the audience is handed a piece of paper as they enter the auditorium and are asked to write down a question or the name of a spirit that they wish to 'come through' and communicate with them. These stage shows sometimes have the medium

holding folded billets, the information on them being unknown, and other-times the medium may simply open up the billet, read the question out loud, and use her 'gift' to deliver a message that answers the question. Both techniques are perfectly acceptable in the esoteric world.

Positive Affirmations

A positive affirmation is a phrase that can be repeated, and in this repetition the mind becomes programmed to let go of negative influences. A couple of examples that demonstrate the broad spectrum that positive affirmations can influence: if you have a headache, simply write down on a piece of paper (a billet) the phrase My headache is gone. Fold up the billet, place it in your pocket, and for the next five or ten minutes be aware of the billet in your pocket, how it feels, and repeat the affirmation to yourself My headache is

gone. You will find, perhaps unsurprisingly, that within ten minutes your headache will be gone. Why? Well, of course, you are telling yourself that the headache is gone by repeating the phrase in your mind, but more potently you have written the phrase down onto a piece of paper, and you are carrying this paper around with you as a physical manifestation of your desire for the headache to be gone. To your subconscious mind, this piece of paper takes on a role of authority, a little like a note from a teacher or a story in a newspaper - if it's written down, it must be true! A headache is usually only a minor inconvenience. A positive affirmation can be used to deal with more profound aspects of life, for example I will shortly find myself in a loving relationship. Such an affirmation may take a little longer to manifest than the ten minutes it takes to shift a headache! However the idea is that the subconscious is reprogrammed to

expect good things, and this expectation then transfers to your conscious mind allowing you to feel more confident in yourself, to handle yourself more elegantly, to have more self-respect, perhaps dress a little more invitingly, all of which can lead to you finding yourself more attractive to those around you and consequently to finding yourself in a relationship! Not bad for a little piece of folded over paper! Positive affirmations should never use a negative – for example a line such as I don't have toothache would not work as the self-conscious does not recognise a negative, and would read the above statement as I have toothache. So remember that all positive affirmations should be exactly that – positive. Don't include negatives (or perhaps that statement should read Only include positives!). Now I'm not going to stand here (or sit here) and tell you that positive affirmations work 100% of the time,

or that when they appear to work they are anything more than a combination of luck, expectation, and self-fulfilling prophecy. But positive affirmations are hugely intriguing to the general public, the idea of them is fascinating, and they make a great presentational angle involving billets as we shall see!

Billets in Performance

Routine #1: At a dinner party or a parlour performance, the guests are gathered around. Perhaps there are up to 12 guests in attendance. Each guest is handed a piece of paper and a pen, and are invited to write down a piece of information. You, as the performer, may chose from any of the following categories, or you may chose to come up with your own categories: A happy memory, a favourite holiday destination, a favourite colour, the name of a famous

person you would like to meet, the name of a childhood friend, or a question that you would like answering. The performer should remind the guests that the piece of information they write down will be revealed to everyone else in the room, so they should perhaps steer away anything too embarrassing or upsetting or controversial. Having found myself in a few 'sticky' situations with information written down on billets, I can't emphasise enough how important this seemingly throw away piece of instruction is. The last thing you want, unless you're presenting a very dark séance piece, is one of the guests writing down the name of their dead father who they are desperate to communicate with (as happened to me once). A little audience management will ensure that everything stays as light and as breezy as you want it to be! Once the guests have written down the information

and folded the billets over, the billets are collected in a bowl or similar. Each guest is then invited to pluck out from the bowl one billet and hold it in their hands. The performer may wish to demonstrate how this works first, but the guests are instructed to hold the billet, to close their eyes, take a deep breath, and then recite any feelings or thoughts they have about the billet. What kind of a vibration do they get from it? How does it make them feel? Do any emotions or words come into their mind? Does a name or a situation or even a fully formed story suddenly appear in their mind? The guests are instructed to trust their instinct, their intuition, and their gut feeling. Once they have recounted whatever feelings or thoughts they have from holding the billet, the guests are then instructed to hand the billet to the person they believe is the owner, the person who wrote the piece of information. This person then opens up the billet and it can be seen if it is indeed the right person.

If it is the right person, this is a gigantic hit and should be milked accordingly. Of course, a more cynical mind may state that it is a simple matter of mathematical odds; that out of a room of 12 people, there is a good chance that someone will hand the right billet to the right person by pure chance. But you should ignore such cynicism and wax lyrical about how wonderfully well your volunteer has performed! If the billet is not handed back to the right person, this is not a problem. The billet should be handed over to the correct owner and the information written on it read out. How does this tally with the thoughts and feelings expressed by the guest who held this particular billet in their hand? Does it make sense? Ask the billet's owner how she felt about the information provided by the guest who held the billet, and ask the guest how they felt while holding the billet. Can they expand on what they originally said in the light of now knowing exactly was written there?

Remember that this is a fascinating process for your guests. The idea of telepathy, intuition, gut instinct etc. are endlessly intriguing and any group of guests will find this presentation entertaining. Occasionally a guest will pluck out the very billet that they wrote. Explain this possibility before the main thrust of the presentation begins, and tell your guests that if they feel they are holding their own billet, they should say so and not try to force it to fit with any of the other guests. A guest who correctly divines that they are holding their own billet has just scored a massive hit! Females (in general) respond best to phrases such as 'intuition' and 'telepathy' and even 'psychic'. Men may (in very general terms) sometimes be a little dismissive of such terminology, particularly if they are within a group of males and alcohol is involved! In such circumstances phrases such as 'gut instinct'

work well alongside references to people being lucky at casinos or at predicting football scores etc. Present the routine in terms that they will understand and appreciate. And don't be afraid to mix up the terminology 'intuition' and 'gut instinct' and explain how being lucky at the casino is very akin to what others may refer to as 'precognition'. Look at your guests, understand them and understand what motivates them, and edit your approach accordingly. Different people behave differently, and sometimes you will get guests who will want to talk away for half an hour about their feelings, their gift of ESP, how they correctly predicted the death of their neighbour's dog, the ghost that they saw as a child etc! This is great and can add to the fun of the routine, but try to make sure that no one person hogs the limelight or that the rest of the guests don't get restless as they have to listen to yet another tale of what happened when this particular guest's 'gift' manifested itself!

Likewise some people may feel too self-conscious to express themselves properly or to let go and enjoy themselves. You should encourage these people gently, but at the end of the day if they are too shy to embrace the experience there is little you can do about it. All audiences are made up of light and shade, and for every shy person you will have one extrovert, while the majority of your guests will be a happy medium (as it were), somewhere in-between the two extremes. This whole routine can provide the performer with a good thirty minutes of entertainment and amusement, but did you notice something? The performer didn't actually do anything! Rather than 'performing', the performer is the facilitator, the ring master, who is there to ensure that things run smoothly and to time and don't get bogged down needlessly. There may be no sleights or moves to perform, but who can deny that there is magic in this routine? Lay people love it,

get completely caught up in it, and will often ask if they can do the routine once more upon its completion - “Can we do it again? I'll do better this time!” they will often exclaim excitedly! Routine #2: The same routine as before, but this time the performer takes an active part, writes down his own piece of information, and plucks out a billet himself. Because of the performer's skills (peek, centre tear, pre-show etc.) he can deliver a blistering and enthralling impression of what is written on the billet, followed by correctly handing the billet over to the right guest. If the mind-reader should need to successfully pick out one particular billet in order to deliver his performance, a simple mark upon this particular billet should suffice, and perhaps an equivocation force. Or more simply the performer should make his choice first in order to demonstrate to the rest of the guests how they should select just one billet from the bowl and hold it between their hands!

As I've always said, if you're not being chased, don't run! Combining the 'pure' method of routine #1 along with some more traditional mentalism you have the best of both worlds – an intriguing and enthralling experience for all of your guests followed by a killer 'ta-da' moment for the performer. Routine #3: Both of the above routines can easily be adapted to fit in with a séance based presentation. Routine #4: My favourite way of using billets as part of a stage show was inspired by seeing mediums at work. The audience are invited to write questions down onto a piece of paper and all of the pieces of paper are collected into a bowl or box or similar. This bowl or box is placed on stage, usually on a table. The medium than takes out a billet at a time, opens it up, reads the question aloud (and usually asks the

questioner to stand up so they can be addressed directly), and then using their 'gift' answers the question. No one-ahead, no peeks; they simply read out the question and under the guise of allowing their gift to channel through them, answer the question, usually in a 'folksy wisdom' manner. Such a presentation may cause the uninitiated mentalist to scratch his head in wonderment, but the fact of the matter is that the true magic of such a presentation is that everyone in the audience is on tenterhooks in the hope that their question will be selected. The audience are not there to see a performer hold a folded billet to his head and attempt to divine the secret question within – they want their question answering! It is this expectation and anticipation that provides the entertainment and the magic. I have written extensively on this manner of presentation in my manuscript 'Pure Q&A' and if you

have had your appetite whetted, I do suggest you investigate it further. Routine #5: The positive affirmations discussed earlier make for a wonderful presentation angle, especially in situations such as routine #1 and #2. The performer explains about positive affirmations, how they can be used to reprogramme the mind in a positive manner to enable all kinds of changes, and then asks each guest to write down a positive affirmation of their own. The performer explains that this affirmation can be profound or rather more mundane, it really doesn't matter, but the performer reminds his guests (again) that anything written on the billet will be revealed to all present and so should not contain overly personal or upsetting information. Once each guest has written their own personal positive affirmation, the routine continues as outlined in routine #1 and/or #2.

However once the presentation is concluded, the performer is able to leave the guests with a very powerful tool that they can take away with them. Each guest will have been reunited with their piece of paper upon which they have written their affirmation. The guests are invited to place this piece of paper in their pocket or purse, and they are told that they will see, as they remember that their affirmation continues to be about their person, that the affirmation will manifest itself into reality. Not only that, but should any of the guests have any worries or concerns, or wish any changes in their life, from a headache to a new job, they can use the technique of the positive affirmation taught by the performer to help and aid them in attaining that which they desire. The performer should always 'cover his back' and explain that we cannot simply wish a million pounds or dollars to materialise in our lives, or a new Ferrari, but the positive affirmation is a simple method to help

focus the mind in a positive manner. And if it does happen to bring a truck load of money or a super-car into our lives, then who are we to complain!

BOOK TESTS By

VOODINI STEP SEVEN in the Voodini Steps

For a long time I didn't 'get' book tests. I couldn't see the justification for them. What was the point, I wondered, of having a spectator flick through a book (or, heaven help us, roll a dice, select a playing card, or flick through an entirely different book in order to establish the page number), find a word, and then memorise this word? Wouldn't it be easier and make more sense, in the eyes of the audience, to have the spectator simply think of a word? And then have the mind-reader intuit this word? Why bother introducing a book at all? The answer to my dilemma came, as it often does, while I was researching one of my favourite subjects – Victorian Spiritualism. Like so many other concepts in mentalism, the roots of the book test can be traced directly back to the mediums of Spiritualism's golden age. Initially books, predominately the Bible, were used a tools for divination or fortune telling. This is known as bibliomancy. A passage from a book is selected at random, either by the sitter or the

medium, and this passage is then interpreted by the medium, the idea being that messages, information, and insights for the sitter will be contained within the passage. It is the medium's job to interpret the passage and pass on the information. This idea soon evolved into a 'test' for mediums. Rather than simply interpreting the passage, the medium would demonstrate their psychic abilities by correctly detailing the passage chosen secretly by the sitter. As with all matters Spiritualism, mediums soon devised ways and methods to cheat at this, which ultimately became the standard mentalism book test. Once I had read about this, the book test started to make sense and I began to see how it could work for me. These ideas were further cemented when I worked with Cathy Shadows on her series of manuscripts. I took the book test back to its basics, and introduced it as both a divination tool (for readings) and as a way of demonstrating intuitive ability and telepathy in an entertainment setting.

Hopefully the routines that now follow will inspire you to think of how such presentations could work for you, or they could be used purely as the back story for a more traditional (that is to say, gimmicked) book test.

Routine #1 Two volunteers stand at the front of the room. From a selection of books (this is optional, it is entirely possible to simply provide just one book to be used), one volunteer picks out a single book, flicks through it and stops at a random page. This volunteer silently reads the passage that her eyes fall upon, and then turns to face volunteer #2. Volunteer #1 attempts to mentally transfer an image/idea of the passage to volunteer #2. Trusting her intuition, volunteer #2 begins to vocalise any ideas/images that she finds popping into her head. Once volunteer #2 has finished vocalising her impressions, volunteer #1 reads aloud the actual passage, and any hits and similarities are commented on.

This is essentially a psychic development technique transferred to an entertainment setting. However do not underestimate

the

entertainment

potential

of

this

presentation. Your volunteers and the audience will be fascinated by the process, and in a dinner party/parlour type environment (the ideal setting for a routine of this nature) do not be surprised if you are met with a chorus of “Me next!” from the observers, all wanting to 'have a go' themselves. Clearly sometimes your volunteers will fail miserably to make any kind of connection and there will be no hits or similarities to comment on, while other times there will be some amazing similarities. The ideal situation of course is for there to at least be some similarities between what volunteer #2 says and the actual passage read by volunteer #1. However, to worry about this is to miss the point. It is the process and the mechanics that are fascinating, and if you present it as a genuine attempt at ESP/telepathy (which it essentially is despite the fact that you're hoping for coincidence to come into play rather than anything

genuinely psychic), then this is what your audience will regard it as, and yes, they will be entertained by it. Trust me, this kind of psychic parlour game can provide every bit as much 'magic' as the most convoluted trick. During this process your role is one of host and guide, rather then performer. Your job is to encourage your volunteers to buy into the experience, to immerse themselves in it; to encourage volunteer #1 to genuinely attempt to transfer her thoughts to volunteer #2, and to encourage volunteer #2 to overcome any shyness/nerves and talk about her ideas and impressions. You must hand over the spotlight to your volunteers and allow them to be the stars.

Routine #2 You stand at the front of the room with one volunteer. The volunteer selects a book (or uses the one provided by you), and then flicks through it, coming to a halt on a random page. She selects a random passage (a paragraph

or two), and reads this passage aloud so that you and the audience can hear it. You then offer a reading based on the passage. All readings are, to a greater or lesser degree, based upon metaphors (particularly tarot card readings), and so anyone with a little experience in cold reading (a phrase I dislike but it conveys the idea) will be able to offer an interpretation based a passage from a book. Again, some passages will be easier to interpret than others, but again that is not the point. The point is the reading, and the fact that a randomly selected passage can offer insights into the life of the volunteer. The reading should be spoken aloud so that the audience can hear it, and it need only be a few minutes in duration. The audience will be fascinated to hear what you have to say, but if you ramble on for too long your fickle audience will begin to lose interest! Once more, do not be surprised if you are met with cries of “Me next!” once your short reading is finished. If the idea takes your fancy, this

simple routine/idea can form the basis of an entertaining, fascinating, and interactive dinner party/parlour show. A selection of books and your cold reading skills could happily provide a 30 minute show in such a setting with no problem at all. The randomly selected passages will often provide humour, drama, and intrigue all by themselves. Perhaps one volunteer will inadvertently choose a passage that is a little sexy and saucy! Much laughter! Or a sad passage will give a little serious time and some food for thought, a humorous passage some comedy and light relief. And sometimes, occasionally, a randomly selected passage from a book will dove-tail into the life of a volunteer so perfectly, so accurately, that you will begin to wonder yourself whether or not there may be something in this psychic stuff after all! NB Both routine #1 and routine #2 can be combined very easily to make an even more fascinating presentation. The presentation begins with with an attempt by the volunteers to pass ideas and images from a passage within a book to each other, then you explain a little of the history of

bibliomancy and interpret the passages that have been selected as mini-readings for the volunteers.

Routine #3 Both routines #1 and #2 can be effectively 'gaffed' by introducing a more regular mentalism book test. Run the 'psychic experiments' as outlined above, but then add the mentalism book test element. “You know, I'm sensing a very strong connection between us. I wonder, can you look at the word in the top left hand corner, don't tell me what it is, just see it and remember it, keep the book turned away from me. Now, think of that word, and try to send it to me. Let's see if we can do something really very weird here!”

Routine #4 The easiest way to do a genuinely impromptu book test with a 'normal' book is to use a swami/nail writer. You

pretend to write something down on a pad, then ask the volunteer to flick through a book. She stops on a random page, finds a random passage, and selects a random word. She calls out the word, and after a moment or two to confirm everything (thereby buying you time to do the secret bit of business), you turn over the pad to reveal that you knew that your volunteer would select that word. Again, this method (which is very powerful by the way, don't let its simplicity fool you) can be used in conjunction with either routine #1 or routine #2 – indeed I would encourage this.

Routine #5 My favourite routine in the book test section of Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism is The Crossword Puzzle. You can find it on page 211 of 13 Steps. Essentially, a volunteer selects a book, selects a page at random, tears out this page and draws a large cross on the page with a pencil. The first line runs from top left to bottom right corner, and

the second line runs from top right to bottom left corner. Therefore the point where the two lines cross is the exact middle of the page, and the word that falls at the intersection is the word the volunteer is to memorise. The routine then becomes, essentially, a centre tear routine. The performer knows very well that the chosen word is at the exact centre of the page and it is then a simple matter of tearing up the paper, perhaps burning the pieces, and then revealing the word. The only problem with this routine as it stands is justification. Why would you ask a volunteer to tear out a page from a perfectly good book, tear up the page, and then burn it? The solution I came up with is to use books that people would not mind being destroyed and would quite enjoy seeing burn.

Book burning, Berlin, 1933. My introduction: “Ladies and gentlemen, as we all know one of the defining images of the Nazi party is the sight of them burning books that were deemed to be un-German. Now in what we perhaps erroneously believe to be more enlightened times, we see book burning as a savage act, an act of a barbarian and an enemy of truth and artistic expression. However are there not some books that we would, even now, like to see burn?” The performer produces a collection of books and reads

out their titles: “Mein Kampf, Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, The Doctrine of Fascism by Mussolini, The Road to Power by Stalin, and here, yes here is perhaps the most hated book of all – Fifty Shades of Grey by the evil genius that is E.L. James! (A little humour there!) Which book, out of this foul collection, would you choose to rip to shreds and perhaps even burn?” And the routine continues from there, a good justification being provided for the tearing out of the page, the ripping up of this page, and the burning of the pieces. The volunteer gets to choose which book they would most like to burn from the selection you provide, and yes it will not surprise you at all, I'm sure, to hear that the most commonly chosen book was always Fifty Shades of Grey! A similar routine can be performed using magazines, perhaps the glossy celebrity style magazines. Using an introduction that discusses the dangers of our celebrity obsessed media, the pit-falls of celebrity, and how these magazines present to us an image and a lifestyle that we

can never hope to emulate. Even dipping one's toes into the murky world of body image, photo-shopping photographs, and the pressures placed on young people to try to look like their idols would provide the performer with a strong, powerful performance piece, as well as justifying the ripping out of a page and the page's subsequent destruction. If a volunteer was selected who had body-image issues, the whole process could be quite cathartic as well as adding drama to the proceedings.

TWO PERSON TELEPATHY & OTHER PSYCHIC PARTY GAMES By

VOODINI STEP EIGHT In the Voodini Steps

Introduction The following routines outlined in this chapter all have one thing in common: none of them include or feature a 'trick' of any kind. They are genuine experiments in ESP, telepathy and psychic communication that I have acquired over the years from various sources; mediumship development circles, psychic awareness courses, ghost hunts etc., plus one or two that I devised entirely myself. One more thing that all of these routines have in common is that they are all fun to perform and present, and they are all fun to take part in. Because they are presented as 'interesting experiments', there is no challenge involved, no puzzle to be solved. This means that the magician/mentalist who presents them does not set himself up as the all-powerful wonder man, but the routines are all the stronger because of that. The magical performer may use these routines to add a change of pace and a different approach during a more

standard mentalism/magic show, or he may develop them into a show in its own right that is not concerned with trickery but in the 'power of the human mind'. A third way that these routines may be used is to take the premise as presented here but to 'trick them up', add a gimmick, sleight, or other technique to ensure there is a 'magical' outcome to the proceedings. There are a variety of ways in which these routines can be presented; they can be experiments in ESP and telepathy, experiments in synchronicity and coincidence, experiments in the human mind's ability to perceive subtle non-verbal cues, or perhaps you can devise a presentation angle of your own? Because there are, as presented here, no tricks involved, the results will be varied. Sometimes the results will be amazing, other times they will be slightly disappointing. It is important to realise that this variation in results does not matter. Clearly presenting these routines is an easier and more fun job when the results are very positive, but

remember that you are

not presenting them as

demonstrations of your own powers – rather they are presented as entertaining experiments that are fun to take part in, and “who knows what results we will encounter?!” I love all of these routines for their simplicity and purity. You and your audience will enjoy taking part, and will often be amazed at the results. How you present those results,

ESP/telepathy,

coincidence,

non-verbal

communication, or other, is entirely up to you.

Routine #1: Psychic Hide & Seek. At a dinner party, one volunteer takes a personal item of their own (perhaps a watch or ring or car keys) and secrets this item in some unknown part of the house, perhaps inside a cupboard, underneath a bed, in a drawer, or similar. Upon returning to the rest of the guests, this volunteer writes down the location of the item on to a piece of paper. This piece of paper is folded over so that no-one can see what is written on it and perhaps placed on

to a table-top. One guest is chosen (or perhaps all the guests depending on how you want this routine to develop) and focuses on this piece of paper in order to try and 'divine' the whereabouts of the hidden item. The guest(s) can then either say out loud where they feel the item is hidden or they can write it down on their own piece of paper. Results are then compared with the actual location of the hidden item which is revealed by the original volunteer. A fun element that can be added is rather than have the guest(s) write down or say out loud where they believe the item is hidden, is for them to enter the bowels of the house and physically stand where they believe the item is hidden. Do, though, bear in mind the privacy of the party's host – they certainly wouldn't want a dozen or so people running through their home, pulling open cupboard doors and rummaging through sock drawers! Only invite the guest(s) to descend into the depths of the house if you are sure it can be done politely and cordially – or if you know that the host wouldn't mind a mini-riot taking place in their home!

Routine #2: Bibliomancy 1. Bibliomancy is the ancient art of predicting future events or seeking answers to questions using a book. A volunteer asks a question out loud. A book is selected from the book shelf. The volunteer turns to a random page and reads out a random passage (no more than a paragraph). Does the passage answer the question or offer insights? The book will often answer questions in a metaphorical manner. The guests can have fun by deciphering the message and saying what they think the passage means.

Routine #3: Bibliomancy 2. A book is selected from a shelf. The volunteer turns to a random page and silently reads a passage of the book to themselves. As the volunteer is reading, the rest of the guests attempt to 'tune in' to the volunteer and get an impression of what they think the volunteer may be reading. Do they feel hot or cold? Are they inside or

outside? Is there danger, love, humour? Is there conversation or a more descriptive prose? Does the passage take place in the past, the present or the future? These are all questions that the guests can ask themselves as they attempt to get a psychic impression of the passage that the volunteer is reading. Once the volunteer has finished reading the passage, and once they have had time to collect their thoughts and impressions, the guests each recount what they felt or 'picked up on' while the volunteer was reading the passage. Did any guests get close to the feeling and content of the passage? Or perhaps two or more guests felt the same kind of things and while these were not very similar to the actual passage being read, the fact that several guests had similar experiences is in itself interesting.

Routine #4: Dream Interpretation. Each guest in turn recounts a vivid dream that they remember. The other guests take it in turns to analyse this dream and say what they think it may represent. A spooky

alternative is to have the guests recount nightmares rather than dreams.

Routine #5: Psychometry. A large bowl is produced. Each guest in turn places a personal item (ring, watch, broach, car keys) into the bowl. This must be done secretly so that no-one knows which item belongs to whom. For a humorous twist ask the guests to take their car keys from the key fob and place the keys alone into the bowl. Having the guests take the key off the fob means that no personal information is left that could influence the outcome – once removed from the fob, car keys tend to all look alike. This can have a humorous angle as it is very similar to how partners were chosen in 20 th Century sex parties that probably never took place! Every guest would put their car keys in a bowl, and a new sexual partner was selected for the night by pulling out a car key at random. Whosoever's key you selected, you went off to have sex

with! You will be disappointed to read that there are no sexual encounters in this particular routine. A volunteer is selected to demonstrate their psychic ability. They pick one item at a time out of the bowl, hold it in their hands, ponder upon it, and then hand the item to the person that they think it belongs to. The idea is that items such as watches, rings etc. pick up the particular energy of their owner and by 'tuning in' to this energy it is possible to locate the item's owner. Once all items have been handed out, the guests declare whether they were handed the correct item or not. How many did the volunteer get right?

Routine #6: Psychic Higher or Lower. A pack of cards is fairly shuffled and mixed. One volunteer holds the cards and turns over the top card for all to see, perhaps placing it face up on a table. The second

volunteer must declare whether they think the next card in the pack will be higher or lower in value. The second card is turned over. If the volunteer was right in their prediction, the process is repeated until they fail to correctly predict an outcome. The number of correct predictions is remembered and in this fashion everyone at the dinner party can have a go to demonstrate their 'psychic abilities'. The person who correctly predicts the most outcomes is declared the winner. This is a great, fun routine that everyone at a party will want to participate in. If the card that is turned over on any given go is of the same value as the previous card, IE it is neither higher nor lower, it is declared in the volunteer's favour. That is to say, no matter what the volunteer predicted, it is counted as a correct guess/prediction.

Routine #7: A Question & An Answer. One volunteer writes down a question on to a piece of paper. This piece of paper is folded over so that no-one can read it, and perhaps is placed down on a table. A second volunteer ponders for a moment, and then writes down an answer to the question on their own piece of paper. The second volunteer has no idea what the original question is, but rather must trust their own intuition to get a feeling for the question, and trust their own psychic abilities (or whatever presentation you're giving) to provide an answer that makes some kind of sense. The original question is read out. The answer is then read out. Do they tie-in? Does the answer make sense? Is the answer metaphorical? Can other guests interpret the answer? It is always wise, unless you are very familiar with the

guests and everyone knows each other very well, to tell the original volunteer not to write a question that is too personal or pertinent. Remind them that the other guests will all hear the question, and so any subject matter that may be too emotional or potentially upsetting should be avoided.

Routine #8: Group Questions & Answers. This routine works in exactly the same way as above, but everyone in the group rather than just one person writes down an answer to the unknown question.

Routine #9: Read My Mind. One volunteer is seated before the other guests. He or she is asked to think of a particularly happy memory. If you have any hypnotic skills, it may be a good idea to place the guest into a light trance as they remember this

happy memory. Once the volunteer is nicely immersed in the memory, the other guests are invited to try to 'tune in' to the volunteer and write down any impressions they are getting. What is this memory? When did it happen? Who else is there apart from the volunteer? Are they inside or outside? Warm or cold? Is the volunteer grown up or a child? Any impressions they receive are to be written down. The volunteer is then told to open their eyes. One by one the guests read out the impressions they received. The volunteer then recounts the happy memory. Are there any matches/hits? Which guest got the closest? Believe me when I say that a close hit will be quite an emotional experience for both the volunteer and the guest who 'received' the impression of the memory. Always remark upon any guests whose impressions are very similar, whether or not they tie-in with the volunteer's memory. And once the original routine is completed, the presentation can be expanded by asking the guests if any

of the memories recounted tied in with their own memories. Perhaps, rather than tuning in to the volunteer, the guests were tuning in to one of the other guests?

Routine #10: Which Object? A selection of objects is gathered and placed on the top of a table. It does not matter what the items are, they can be as commonplace as an orange, a telephone, a coin, a ring, and a wallet. The objects do not matter, but this routine usually works best with a random selection of around six – ten objects. A volunteer is selected and they are asked to secretly concentrate upon just one item. They are not to say anything or to indicate in any way which object they are focusing on. They are to simply and quietly just think of one of the items. The rest of the guests should sit in silence and after a minute or two decide which item they believe the

volunteer is focusing on. They should do this by being aware of which item seems to appeal to them for some reason, or which item stands out on the table. Once everyone has decided, they should call out one by one the item they are drawn to. Following this, the volunteer states which item they were in fact focusing on. Again there is opportunity here to compare the results. Aside from the obvious 'who got it right' question, there may also be interesting results when several (or all) volunteers picked up on the same item, regardless as to whether or not it was the 'correct' item. It is entirely possible to run several of these routines back to back, and you could use the personal items utilised in routine #5 (psychometry) for this routine, using this routine as a follow-on routine to the psychometry one.

Conclusion The main thing to remember about these routines is

that they are fun. Once people have seen the 'experiment' in action, they will all want to have a go. The possibility of ESP, telepathy, and/or non-verbal communication is a fascinating proposition for almost 100% of people, and when presented in an upbeat, engaging manner all of these routines will entertain and amuse everyone at any kind of party. And remember, there is no pressure on you as the performer to actually do anything other than be the interested, fascinated host. Be excited by the results, be encouraging, and don't forget to flag up any coincidences when several guests may have picked up on the same ideas and thoughts. You will find that these coincidences crop up far more often than you may initially believe, and it is the job of the host to point out and 'big up' any odd coincidences and positive results. There is no failure with these routines – they are entertaining, engaging experiments that intrigue and enthral. The guests will be your stars; let them be the centre of attention and they will give you a show like no other!

MEDIUMISTIC STUNTS By

Voodini Step Nine in the Voodini Steps

Introduction Based upon the classic Corinda 13 Steps to Mentalism, Step #9 Mediumistic Stunts is my very personal take on 'paranormal entertainment' in the séance room. My approach to the subject, as you shall see, is very different to Corinda's. Although Corinda's Step #9 is essential reading for anyone interested in séance and paranormal presentations, and there are some excellent sections and pieces of information in there, I would not feel comfortable using some of the 'trick' based routines explained. Having worked for many years in the paranormal industry, taking groups of the public on ghost walks around supposedly haunted buildings in England and running seances in them, I feel that there is no need to use 'tricks'. The tools of the trade such as Ouija boards and pendulums will produce fascinating and engaging phenomena for your guests without the need to resort to out and out trickery, and these types of presentations (the Ouija board, the pendulum, the black-out séance) will be regarded very much as being genuine by your guests. Of course we can discuss the fact that tools such as the Ouija board do use trickery of a psychological nature, but the fact of the matter is that to a lay person, when they use a Ouija board, the experience they have is perceived as being real, genuine and not trickery, whereas luminous ping-pong balls being thrown around the room may not be seen in quite the same light!

In this manuscript I will be discussing some areas that I have covered before in my other seance-based books, but all of the texts within are original and will bring new ideas to the fore. Other areas I cover herein are completely new and have not been covered by me in any previous publications. This new material includes red light phenomena, table-tipping, and the spirit conductive rope. For the first time I have included many photographs along with the text. This serves to illustrate all the areas I cover so that there is no ambiguity as to what I am referring to, but also demonstrates to you, the reader, that I really have been out there in 'the field' doing what I claim to do with real members of the public!

Part One: Establishing Atmosphere in The Seance Room One of the most important aspects of presenting an evening of séance and paranormal entertainment is the creation of the correct atmosphere. In a séance where most of the 'action' is going to take place in the minds of the participants, the correct atmosphere is essential. The correct atmosphere will excite the imagination, put ideas into the mind, and create a level of expectation that later in the evening will express itself as a self-fulfilling prophecy as the participants start to experience paranormal phenomena. All seance-based events work best in an intimate atmosphere, whether that be in someone's home, a hotel meeting room, a village hall, or an historic building. My experience is that séance events work best with around 10 – 15 participants, although there will be no problems with running an event for 6 people, and the maximum I have worked an event with was for an audience of around 120. The large audience is by no means ideal, and everything had to be scaled up. Luckily on those occasions when I have had to work with large numbers, the setting and venue have been conducive and the events worked well. In order to create the correct atmosphere, it may be necessary for you to introduce a few items of your own. If you're lucky enough to be running an evening in the crypt of an old castle, there will be little you need to do! However if you are working in a bland and uninspiring function room, you will need to spice up the environment.

However this does not mean that you have to spend a lot of money or arrive with a van full of props. Creating the right atmosphere within an otherwise normal looking room is actually quite a simple task. Firstly bear in mind that due to the nature of the event, it will invariably be held at night. Therefore you already have darkness on your side. Simply closing the curtains and switching off the lights will instantly create an environment more conducive to the spirits! Candles are wonderful tools to employ. Traditionally three is seen as a spiritual number (representing perhaps the Father, Son & Holy Ghost or Heaven, Earth, and Hell, or the spirit realm, the Earthly plane, and limbo). Therefore the number of candles used should be multiples of three (3, 6, 9 etc.). Place them in little clusters around the room, and already your room will be transformed into a place fit for a séance. If you go to the trouble of using candles in multiples of three, always point this fact out to your guests. We will cover the opening preamble in a short while, but during it you should say something along the lines of, “You may not have noticed, but the room is illuminated by candles in multiples of three. Three is seen as a spiritual number (use the reasons for this outlined above), and that is why we are using candles made up of multiples of three.” By pointing this out, your careful attention to detail has not gone unnoticed, and your guests will regard you as an obvious expert in this field because of it. Please note that some venues do not allow the use of

candles and naked flames. In such an event, you can easily use the modern electric candles. Although these are clearly inferior to the real thing, some of the electric candles produced these days look very nice. Smell is a hugely evocative sense. Many memories are fired purely by how a room or a person smells. Incense and joss sticks are very easy to find and purchase (everywhere from new age shops to gift shops and even museum shops stock them, or failing that on-line). Sandalwood is a good scent to choose, and so is lavender. Lavender is the kind of smell that will remind people of the 'olden days', perhaps the Victorian period, and also may remind guests of their mothers or grandmothers. Lavender is a great scent that will invariably conjure 'ghosts' and memories in the minds of the guests. As we will see soon, you will be using tables during the séance. These should be covered in a table-cloth. Fancy table-cloths are readily available form any number of high street outlets and on-line. The best kind of colours to go for are either purple or black. Purple is seen as a very spiritual colour and it is believed that it can enhance the intuitive abilities. Black is clearly very funereal and therefore ideal for séance work. During the actual séance, when you and your guests will be holding hands around the table, a table-cloth provides good cover for all kinds of shenanigans! My experience is the heavier, more fancy and Victorian-looking a table-cloth is, the better. Again, this imagery helps to fire up the guests imaginations, and fits in with what they will be expecting to see at an evening of the paranormal!

An old fashioned electric table-lamp with a tasselled lamp shade and a low wattage red bulb works wonderfully well. This can augment the candle-light as your guests arrive, fits right in with the décor and atmosphere, and can be easily switched off when a darker environment is required. It can also be used for 'red light experiments' and we will discuss these in a short while. Ornaments and spiritual knick-knacks scattered around the room can add to the atmosphere, and perhaps guests should be allowed to peruse them when they first arrive. The kind of items I am talking about could include (but are certainly not limited to) packs of tarot cards, crystal ball, ceramic palm reading hands, old black & white photographs both in picture frames and loose, Ouija board, hand of glory, and an old wooden crucifix. If these are tastefully arranged on a table alongside some flickering candles, the guests will be drawn to them instinctively and will want to take a good look at them. This is good as once again we are exciting the imagination and creating an atmosphere of expectation. Music can be used to enhance the ambience, although I have rarely used it myself. Some people recommend using funeral style music or even music such as Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (made famous by the movie The Exorcist). Personally I think this may be just too much, and may encourage your guests to feel that they have found themselves in some kind of horror movie spoof! I personally prefer a hushed quiet to greet my guests.

Part Two: Physical Phenomena Once your guests have arrived and are settled, it is time to begin the evening. I always do this by welcoming the attendees and also giving a short list of 'dos and don'ts'. By being quite firm about the kind of behaviour expected, you are again adding to the atmosphere and expectation. The guests begin to realise that this is 'for real'. Here is an example of the opening talk: “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to what promises to be a very interesting and hopefully enthralling evening of séance and paranormal experiments! My name is Paul (clearly insert your own name here, otherwise it's just going to be weird!) and I've been involved in the paranormal for more years than I care to remember! Throughout this evening we're going to be engaging in various different methods of spirit communication, that is to say that we are going to attempt to speak to the dead. Now although this evening will be fun, there are some very important rules and pieces of advice that I need to pass on to you, so please listen carefully. “Firstly it is very important that you adopt an open-mind throughout this evening. No matter what your beliefs are, for the duration of this evening I ask that you approach each activity with an open mind and a good heart. Spirit communication is such that if you approach it with negativity and the mind-set of 'well this probably won't

work', then guess what? That's right, it won't work. However if you approach it with positivity and with the intention of wanting to experience something remarkable, there's a very good chance that you will. “Throughout the evening, if you have any questions for the spirits, have them in your mind and see if they are answered. At certain points you may be invited to actually ask questions out-loud or to take on a more prominent role during the evening. At other times it may be necessary for us to adopt a more solemn attitude, and at that points I would ask that you don't shout out or interrupt proceedings. Because of the nature of the evening, things may get a little spooky. If you can avoid it, try not to cry out or scream! I realise this may be difficult, but try and bear it in mind. (I really don't care if they do scream, in fact I rather hope they will! However mentioning that it is a possibility in the pre-amble places the notion that this will probably happen into their heads!) “But most of all I would ask that you simply have an open mind and a welcoming heart, and who knows what dark wonders we may experience tonight?” Following the introduction, it is time to move on to the physical phenomena. Physical phenomena are 'routines' (to use a magician's parlance) that utilise props or physical objects that can be seen and held. The physical phenomena I shall be talking about are the Ouija board, pendulums, and for the first time table-tipping, red light phenomena and the spirit conductive rope. Following the physical phenomena, we shall be examining mental

phenomena which takes place during the actual séance when the group shall be sat around a table holding hands. Both the physical phenomena and the mental phenomena are geared towards establishing communication with the spirit realm. The Ouija Board A lot of people you will encounter will have heard all kinds of crazy nonsense about the Ouija board. You yourself may feel a little uneasy about using them. If you or your guests don't want to use a Ouija board, a simple alternative is to use a set of alphabet cards and an upturned wine glass. The alphabet cards are placed in a circle around a table (for obvious reasons this table should not have a tablecloth on it!), and the upturned wine glass is used as the 'pointer'. In a Ouija board set-up, the pointer is called the 'planchette'. The advantages of the Ouija board is that it is easy to transport and can be set up on almost any surface. It also has a very iconic design which aids the creation of atmosphere talked about earlier. The disadvantages of the Ouija board is that it is reasonably small and for larger groups may not be large enough for all to see. It also carries with it this 'baggage' whereby some people may be too scared or concerned to actually use it. The advantages of glass moving or glass divination (with the alphabet cards and wine glass) is that it can be set up on any table, and by using a large table all guests will be able to clearly see what is going on. It will also not be

regarded as a Ouija board by your guests, thereby carefully navigating around any concerns. I have found that it is easy to allay any fears simply by saying when introducing glass moving, “Now this isn't a Ouija board. What it is, is a very old and very direct way of communicating with spirits.” Simply by saying that it isn't a Ouija board, you will allay 90% of all concerns. The disadvantages of glass moving is that a table is required for it. Although most venues will have a table suitable for the task, most tables at public locations suffer from having had drinks spilt over them for a number of years. No matter how clean they appear, they cannot help but have a slightly tacky feel to them. This tackiness is obviously not good news when you are wanting an upturned wine glass to slide across it. Over the years I developed a couple of solutions to this. The first was to always carry with me a can of spray polish and a cloth. I would then set to work upon any table the venue had, and made it as clean and as polished as possible. This solution was okay, but it was very much reliant upon the venue actually having a table, and it was just one more job for me to do before the guests arrived. Life became a lot easier when I purchased a table of the perfect size and shape from a local second hand furniture store. The table fitted in the back of my car, I kept in nicely polished, and it went to every paranormal event with me. I also used this same table for 'table tipping' which we shall discuss later.

The photo above shows my table with the alphabet cards set up around the table and also the upturned wine glass that acts as the pointer. I had just finished the glass moving element of the night's entertainment (it was in a rather cold and drafty old castle!). Note the gentleman examining the glass and pushing it around by himself – the glass moving had worked very well and I think he

suspected trickery. Of course, and as we shall see, there was none.

An old advert for the Ouija board. As you can see, it was originally designed and sold as an intriguing parlour game. It was only later when all manner of urban legend was attached to it that it gained its fearsome reputation. How does the Ouija board/glass moving work? If you look at the photo above of me and my glass moving

set-up, you will see the man with his finger on the top of the upturned glass. This is the kind of position that I like to employ in both glass moving and with the Ouija. Others prefer to have the finger (or often a finger from both hand) placed onto the bowl of the glass. A finger from both hands can also be used on the planchette when using a Ouija board. The advert above for the Ouija board shows the two participants with a finger from either hand atop the planchette. I prefer to use 3 or 4 people at a time on the glass/planchette. It is perfectly possible to use just 2 as shown above, and up to 6 can be squeezed on if need be. I do not recommend balancing the board on top of volunteer's knees as shown in the advert. It is far better to have the board atop a table and have the volunteers standing. Once you have selected your volunteers, have them place their fingers on top of the glass or planchette. Both the Ouija board and glass moving utilise letters of the alphabet; the glass or planchette will move to the letters to spell out answers. The Ouija board also has 'Yes' and 'No' printed upon it. The glass moving table should have a tealight candle (lit) upon the table. This acts as the 'Yes'. Take a look at the photo again and note the position of the tealight. It is in the right hand corner of the table. This is the ideal location. In glass moving, the tea-light acts as the 'Yes'. The glass moving away from the candle, to the opposite corner acts as 'No'. Before starting the session, instruct your volunteers that

you will ask the questions. Do not allow the volunteers to start acting the questions – they invariably ask too many questions too quickly, and you will also end up with several of the volunteers asking different questions at the same time and the whole thing becomes a muddled mess. You must be in charge and you alone should ask the questions. When you start asking questions, the idea is that the planchette or glass will begin to move to answer your questions. The idea is that the energy provided by your volunteers' fingers enables the spirits to move the planchette or glass. Instruct your volunteers to maintain a light touch on top of the planchette/glass, and not to press down too hard. They should also be asked to maintain this contact even when the planchette/glass begins to move, not to get too freaked out and pull their hand away! Please note that at no time would I, as host/performer, place my own fingers on top of the glass or planchette and become involved. If I did place my own fingers on top of the glass, the suspicion would be that I was pushing the glass. By only using volunteers, the suspicion of any kind of trickery is minimised.

Why does the planchette/glass actually move? It is either because the spirits are communicating with us, ideo-motor function whereby the human body is never truly still and slight movements of the muscles make the palnchette/glass move, or it could be simple wish fulfilment whereby the people (or just one person) wants the planchette or glass to move and sub-consciously pushes the planchette/glass. Sometimes it is not subconscious pushing. Sometimes it is someone who believes so ardently in the spirit realm that they happily push the planchette/glass themselves just to help out! Sometimes I feel it is a combination of ideo-motor and wish fulfilment, but that is only my opinion.

This explanation for why the planchette or glass moves on a Ouija board applies also to table-tipping and pendulum work, and I shall refer back to this section when describing them. To begin a Ouija or glass moving session, I ask out loud for the spirits to make the planchette or glass move. I am not asking questions or looking for specific movement. I just want 'the spirits' to get the planchette or glass moving. I will say: “Spirits, if you are in the room with us, please move this glass (or planchette). Move the glass to let us know that you are here! Any movement will do. Simply move the glass across the table and let us know that you are here!” Sometimes the glass will start to move immediately. Other times it may take a minute or two. Don't panic. Simply ask again, “Spirits, please move the glass for us. Show us that you are here! We mean you no harm, we only want to talk to you.” After a couple of minutes the glass should start to move. Sometimes it will move very dramatically and quickly, other times it will be far more sluggish and slow. It doesn't matter how fast or how slowly the glass moves – the important thing is that it is moving. A slow glass will generally speed up as the minutes progress. If the glass or planchette does not move after around 5 minutes, simply ask the volunteers to step away from the

table or board and invite another set of volunteers to take their place. There is no problem in doing this. It should not be seen as failure. This isn't a magic routine. It is an attempt at spirit communication, and sometimes it won't work as well as hoped. I simply say to the volunteers, “Don't worry. This doesn't work for everyone.” Once the glass is moving, it is time to ask questions. To begin with, and after every question, I ask the spirit(s) to move the glass back to the centre of the table. I will explain this further as we go along, and hopefully it will become apparent why I do this. The question session starts with me saying, “Thank you for moving the glass for us, spirits. Please now move the glass back to the centre of the table.” If the glass doesn't appear to want to move to the centre of the table, I will say, “Come on spirit. We can't ask you any questions if you won't move the glass back to the middle of the table.” This will usually be enough to encourage the glass to settle back in the middle of the table. To begin with, it is best to simply ask questions that require only a 'Yes' or 'No' response. For example: “Did you used to live in this building?” Then when using the glass moving set-up, say: “Move the glass towards the candle for yes, or away from the candle for no.” Alternatively when using a Ouija board: “Move the planchette towards yes or no to answer our question.” Once the glass has answered (and this may happen very quickly or it may need a little encouragement), instruct the

'spirits' to move the glass back to the middle of the table (or the Ouija board alternative). Once the glass has returned to the middle of the table, you are then free to ask further questions. “Did you die in this building?” “Did you work in this building?” “Are you happy?” “Are there other spirits around us in this room?” “Do you like us being here?” “Do you want us to leave?” “Were you an adult when you died?” “Were you a child when you died?” “Are you male or female?” (“Move to the candle is you are female, move away from the candle if you are male.”) Etc. You are limited only by your imagination. Depending on the responses you get, new supplemental questions will pop into your mind. Asking these simple yes or no questions is the backbone of any Ouija or glass moving session. Only if you have a particularly strong contact should you embark on questions that require the glass or planchette to start spelling words out. If I had a strong contact with glass moving freely and easily, I might be tempted to ask the spirit to spell its name. In order to spell, the glass should be instructed to move to the letters of the alphabet in turn to spell the word, or the planchette should be instructed to move to the letters upon the board. But be warned – when the glass or planchette start to try to spell, they will very rarely make any sense at all. You will normally find that a totally random selection of letters are pointed to that make no sense whatsoever. While this is in

itself a fascinating phenomena to witness, I would only recommend trying it when the glass/planchette is moving well, and then I would tend to limit it to the attempted spelling names. A good session for any one group of volunteers on the Ouija board or glass moving table should last no longer than ten to fifteen minutes. Of course if you have a number of guests all keen to have a turn, you will have to figure out for yourself how long to keep each group of 3 or 4 volunteers at the table. Anything longer than fifteen minutes and even the most enthusiastic participant will start to suffer from an aching arm! A nice way to end the communication, especially a glass moving session where there may be more room available around the table, is to have a large number of volunteers place their fingers on the glass and then ask the spirits to move the glass as fast as they can around the table. This generally produces a very visible spectacle of the glass swirling around the table at breakneck speed. You can shout out, “Faster spirits! Faster!” and then when the glass is moving very quickly indeed, instruct the volunteers to all take their fingers off. The glass will normally continue moving across the table 'by itself' thanks to the momentum and it is an enthralling and entertaining way to end the session. A more sedate and perhaps more respectful way to end the session is to have the glass moved back to the centre of the table and then say, “Thank you for taking the time to communicate with us tonight spirits. We truly appreciate

it, and we hope that you will continue to talk to us throughout the evening.” Pendulums With the principle behind the Ouija board and why it works fully understood, similar techniques can be employed with other tools. One such tool is the pendulum. Pendulums are essentially a length of fine chain with a weight of some kind attached to the end of it. The fine chain can also be rope or string or even a length of leather. Some pendulums are very fancy and ornate (and expensive) but something as simple as a length of string with a heavy nut (as in nut & bolt) tied to the end will work just as well.

The photograph above shows me demonstrating the use of

the pendulum. The pendulum is held out in front of the volunteer and they are asked to focus on it and will it to move, perhaps by the force of their mind. In most cases the pendulum will start to swing. How enthusiastically the pendulum swings depends very much on the individual volunteer; for some it will swing very energetically, for some it will swing quite sedately, and for some it will not move at all. In this respect it is very similar to the planchette or upturned wine glass, and relies on exactly the same forces to move it. Is it the spirits, ideo-motor function, or wish fulfilment? You decide. When it comes to spirit communication, the pendulum is a very basic but very visual tool. It should be used thus: The volunteer holds the pendulum out before them. The host (that's you) calls out to spirit in exactly the same way as with the Ouija board. “If you are here, spirits,” he calls, “move the pendulum for us. Move the pendulum and let us know that you are here!” Once the pendulum is moving, you need to establish a response for 'Yes' and 'No'. Firstly instruct the spirits to stop the pendulum (this is the same as asking that the glass be moved back to the middle of the table). Then ask the spirits to swing the pendulum in the direction that will indicate 'Yes'. Perhaps the pendulum will move left to right. Thank the spirits for this, then ask them to stop the pendulum. Ask the spirits to move the pendulum in the direction that will indicate 'No'. Perhaps the pendulum will swing around in a circle. Thank the spirits again, and then

ask them to stop the pendulum. Once the pendulum movements for 'Yes' and 'No' have been established, you can then engage in conversation with the spirits using the questions listed in the Ouija board section, questions that only require a yes or no response, or to which certain answers (such a man or woman) can be attributed to a certain movement.

Photograph above shows me communicating with the spirits while a volunteer holds a pendulum. The simplest way to use the pendulum during a performance is to select one volunteer to stand in front of the other guests and engage in spirit communication with the pendulum while the other guests watch. However it is quite a simple task to spice things up a little if you want

things to be a little more entertaining. For instance you can use three volunteers (or more) and hand each of them a pendulum. Ask the spirits to select the one volunteer they would like to work with by moving their pendulum the most. Whoever's pendulum swings the most is then deemed to have been chosen by the spirits and goes on to communicate directly with them as explained above. Another option is to hand out a pendulum to all of your audience (assuming this is a parlour style performance with an audience of around 10 -20). You don't need to provide expensive pendulums for them all. Simply make up a batch of string and nut pendulums at home. These will be perfect as a cheap alternative to hand out to an audience. Instruct your audience on how to use the pendulums, and then ask your audience to hold the pendulums out in front of them and ask questions in their mind. The room should then remain in silence while the pendulums gently swing. It's quite an eerie spectacle to witness! Again you can see who seems to be doing well, whose pendulum is swinging energetically and invite them to the front of the group to demonstrate their talent at spirit communication!

Different people have slightly different techniques by which they instruct volunteers to hold their pendulum. I prefer the method shown above. Table Tipping By the same combination of spirits, ideo-motor, and wish fulfilment is the phenomena known as 'table tipping' achieved. The idea is that a group of people, perhaps four or six, stand around a table where their hands on top. They ask the spirits to communicate with them in exactly the same way as you might with the Ouija board or the pendulum. The spirits reply by moving the table, pushing across the floor, or making it tip up at one end. Specific communication with the spirits, such as the revealing of names, is clearly not possible. Table tipping is

quite a clumsy form of communication, but when it works it is very impressive to observe. The level of communication possible is limited really to “Move the table if you are here! Show us how strong you are by tipping it up at one table!” etc. But this is a very visual and exciting phenomena to part of. Getting a pendulum to move is quite a simple task. Getting a glass or planchette to move is relatively easy. Getting a group of volunteers to subconsciously move a table is another matter altogether. It can be quite difficult. However, much like a pendulum or a glass, once it is moving it will generally keep on moving. In order to get the table moving I recommend that the host of the evening, the performer (you!) help out directly by being one of the volunteers stood at the table with your hands on top of it. By experimentation you will find that it is a reasonably simple task to get the table moving and/or tipping by yourself, while looking like you are doing nothing of the sort. The palms and fingertips are generally quite tacky, and by placing your hands on top of the table and then gently and slowly swinging your hips and shifting your weight from one leg to another you will find that it is possible to surreptitiously begin to move the table.

A table with a single leg in the middle is the easiest to make tip. However I tended to use the same table as I used for glass moving (see photograph in the Ouija section), and this table had four legs. But it was entirely possible to get this table walking across floors, tipping over, and even pushing volunteers up against walls! To reiterate, with your palms placed on top of the table, allow a little perspiration to add a degree of tackiness to your palms. Begin to slowly and easily shift your weight from one leg to another and move your hips left and right also. You will soon feel yourself building up some momentum and the table will begin to move very slightly. You will feel this through your palms and will become aware of when it is about to make a 'big' movement. Once it starts to move or tip, express surprise (you probably will

anyway, quite naturally). The other volunteers will be surprised and soon you will find the table walking across the floor or perhaps tipping up at one end. It may even flip over completely! Once the movement has begun, you will find that you will have to do less work to keep it moving. It will seem to take on a life of its own, although perhaps the truth is more along the lines that the other volunteers are having to literally hang on to keep up with the movement and this is creating more friction and more energy which in turn is moving the table. Sometimes you won't have to do anything! Sometimes the other volunteers will unwittingly do all the work and you will find the table moving by itself before you have time to employ your nefarious tactics. If you are having difficulty getting the table to move, and after several minutes nothing has happened, a good tactic to employ is to take one palm off the table (leaving one palm still on top of the table) and stand up straight. Complain that your back is aching (“Ooh! My back's aching!”) and put your free hand on to your back as though rubbing it. Meanwhile, as you stand up straight from bending over the table, you will be providing enough energy to the palm still on the table to pull the table up and for it to begin tipping. To the on-lookers you look perfectly innocent. You only had one palm on the table at the time (everyone else had two), and you were busy complaining about your backache when the table started to move. Great misdirection! Once the table tips up, again express surprise, place your second palm back onto the table, and the show begins.

The act of standing up straight, rubbing your back, and the table starting to tip will take about two seconds and should be one fluid movement. Try practising on your home and perfect the motion.

Red Light Phenomena There is a well-known phenomena whereby when a light source (such as a flash-light) is held beneath the face with the light aimed upwards, the human face takes on a more sinister and at times grotesque appearance. This 'trick of the light' is often used by film makers to make actors look more frightening, and it was used to awful effect by the Nazis when making propaganda films about sections of society that they wanted to demonise. This phenomena is doubly effective when conducted in surrounding darkness and when a red light is used – a flash-light with a red bulb or a red filter, or, indeed, a table lamp with a red bulb as previously mentioned in this manuscript. By placing the light source beneath the face, the face begins to take on strange qualities, and if the face is observed for any length of time the face will appear to change shape until it looks entirely different to the face as it would in normal light.

The photograph above shows me engaging in some red

light phenomena. You may consider this phenomena to be a trick played on the eyes by a combination of the surrounding darkness, the red light, and the odd shadows cast around the face. Others believe that this phenomena is caused by spirits standing on the same spot as the volunteer. This is sometimes known as 'shadowing', when a spirit's energy begins to force itself upon a human's body, and the face and the body begins to alter size, shape, and outward appearance. As you or a volunteer hold the light beneath their face, you should call out to spirit in a similar fashion to when using the Ouija or pendulums. “Step forward spirits, use the energy of the red light to show us what you look like! Use my face as a vehicle, use the energy, and show us what you look like!” It is a fascinating phenomena to witness, and your guests will have great fun and be more than a little spooked watching your face and the faces of their friends alter quite dramatically as a result of the red light. There is also a technique whereby mediums or psychics will sit in the glow of a red light, and then pass on messages from spirits to the audience. This can be quite a spooky thing to observe, and the readings are really quite secondary to the spectacle itself. This may be an option to consider if you are wanting to provide readings of one description or another during a night of séance and the paranormal.

The Spirit Conduction Rope Here is a little concept that I have seen and actually used in the esoteric ghost hunting world - the Spirit Conduction Rope! A length of normal rope (perhaps 12 feet - 20 feet long) is adapted by having rose quartz crystals attached to it at regular intervals by copper wire. The copper wire is wrapped around the crystals to form a cocoon, and then this is attached to the rope by wrapping the copper wire around the rope. The crystals should be about half the size of your fist, although really there's no reason why smaller crystals cannot be used. The crystals should be positioned at regular intervals along the rope, and these intervals should be large enough so that a person can happily stand between two crystals and hold the rope in their hands without it being a squash. Your group of ghost hunters/seance attendees/psychic students pick up the rope. In an ideal situation one person should stand between two crystals. The group should then form as large a circle as the rope allows. So you have a group of around 12 people, all holding the rope at waist height, with a crystal hanging from the rope (via the copper wire) between each person. The host stands to one side and encourages the group to relax and imagine energy running around the rope. That energy builds and builds until the rope starts to rise of its own volition. The rope rises higher and higher until people are holding the rope above their heads. Feel the energy

building! Feel the rope rising! Spirits! Inject your energy into the crystals and into the rope and allow it to rise! Rise! As well as making the rope rise upwards, you will find that the spirit energy can pull the rope inwards to contract the circle - and force the circle outwards again! The idea is that psychic and spiritual energy is attracted to the rose quartz, and the rose quartz collects and magnifies spiritual/psychic energy. That energy then passes along the copper wire (a good conductor of psychic/spiritual energy) and into the rope, infusing the rope with this energy and causing it to rise. All you need is a length of rope, some rose quartz, a roll of copper wire, and your seance craft project is good to go! Part Three: Mental Phenomena And so we come to the actual séance. As stated in the introduction, the seances that I run are essentially ungimmicked, and the phenomena experienced takes place 'in the mind' of the guests. A séance could be described as a gathering of people in order to attempt communication with spirits. This gathering can either take place seated or standing up. Traditionally people have been seated around a table, but there is no problem having a group of people standing around the room in a large circle if the venue size,

available table size, or numbers make being seated impractical. As we shall see, sometimes having the guests standing can actually be preferable.

When running a séance, my advice is always to make the room as dark as possible. Some practitioners prefer to have a candle burning in the middle of the table (as shown in the image above), but from personal experience I would recommend going for as close to pitch darkness as possible. This is not always practical of course. Without the use of blackout draped on windows you will always find some light 'leakage' occurring. My advice is not to get too obsessive about it – if you can attain perfect darkness, wonderful. If not, it will still be okay. I have run very successful seances in both underground crypts where pitch darkness was easy to attain, and hotel function rooms where light has flooded in through ill-fitting curtains and glass doorways. Simply play the hand you're dealt, and don't lose sleep over it.

A handy tip is to always take some black bedsheets with you and some drawing pins as part of your 'kit', and pin these up over windows if at all possible. But, again, this will not always be possible or practical. Once everyone is seated around the table or is standing in a circle around the room, I will invite them to hold hands with their neighbours, both to the left and right. I explain: “The reason I ask you to hold hands is two-fold. Firstly while you are holding hands you are creating a protective circle. This circle will keep us all safe, and as long as we maintain the circle, you can come to no harm. Secondly, if you experience any phenomena such as something touching you or pushing you, you can be sure that it isn't your neighbour playing a silly trick on you, purely because you are holding heir hand!” I will then extinguish any remaining light (perhaps a candle that was flickering on the table) and the séance will begin. In a seated séance I will always be seated as part of the circle. In a standing séance, with people standing in a big circle around a room, I generally stand in the middle of the circle although I will on occasion join the circle. It's all down to personal preference and doing what feels right at any given time. When sitting or standing in séance, what phenomena will your guests believe they are experiencing? The guests will experience the following phenomena: being touched on the shoulders or head, hair being pulled, being pushed, temperature fluctuations (the room getting

hotter or colder), the room appearing darker, whispering in the ear, perceiving figures standing in the corner of the room, dizziness, nausea, extreme emotions (laughing, crying, sadness, joy). All of these reactions can be interpreted as spirit interaction, or merely as interesting phenomena depending on your presentational angle. Why do the guests experience such phenomena when in reality they are simply sitting in a circle (or standing), holding hands? There are several reasons why these phenomena present themselves. Firstly, prior to actually beginning the séance, you will have led your guests through several experiences that may be described in magician parley as 'opening routines'. These will or may include the Ouija board/glass moving, pendulums, red light etc. as described in the manuscript, and may include other routines such as tarot card readings or a Q&A session. All of these routines, when conducted before the actual séance, will lead the guests to believe that they are experiencing the paranormal first hand, and when it comes to the séance they are expecting something to happen. This expectation then manifests itself in the phenomena described above. Secondly, by placing your guests in darkness they are prone to misinterpret external stimuli as being of a paranormal nature. Shadows become figures, an itch on the neck becomes a Victorian spirit child tickling them, etc. This is even more true if absolute pitch darkness can

be attained. At that point sensory deprivation occurs and the phenomena experienced becomes even more intense. Thirdly, when the guests decide to attend an evening of 'séance and paranormal experiments' (or however you have marketed or presented your event), they are already excited by what they expect to experience. The word 'séance' and 'paranormal' and very evocative words and will start to work on the guests imagination before they even arrive at the venue. Once they arrive at the venue and find themselves (for instance) being involved in a Ouija board session, this imagination is excited even more, so that by the time they sit down for the séance they are positive that they will experience something. This then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. No two people will react in the same way at a séance. Some will totally freak out and scream, others may faint, some may describe what they are experiencing in a confused or interested fashion, and other may experience nothing and simply sit quietly. Do not expect everyone to react in the same way; they won't. Your job as the host is to give a running commentary on events. You will start the séance in a similar way to how you ran the Ouija board, pendulum, etc. sessions. You will call out to spirit like this: “Spirits, if you are around us tonight, please step forward and communicate with us! Let us know that you are here! Make a noise for us! Or touch somebody, push somebody, or whisper in someone's ear! Step forward spirits and let us know that you are here!”

Leave the room in silence for a few moments, then call out again. If a member of the group cries out or offers any information, ask them to explain what is happening to them. Seize any information volunteered by a guest and expand upon it, ask if others are feeling the same way. If your group are a little silence, after a few minutes enquire as to how everyone is feeling, are they all okay, has anyone seen or heard anything yet, those kind of questions. Some people may be a little shy and with a little prompting from you will go on to volunteer information. If there is a degree of light in the room, watch the faces of your guests. If anyone suddenly looks shocked or worried, even if they haven't said anything, ask them how they are, did they see something, etc. Seize on anything and 'big it up', make it seem more impressive than it really is, explain to the group how you are feeling (even if you have to make things up!). With some groups this won't be necessary – they will be screaming and jumping and shouting, and your job will be more along the lines of trying to contain the fear! But for other groups you may need to be a little more pro-active. Further details on running an actual séance can also be found in my publications The Paranormal Entertainer, the Jack the Ripper Seance and It's a G-G-Ghost! The psychology of the séance is a fascinating subject, and one I thoroughly enjoy as you've probably gathered! I find that a séance should rarely last longer than 40

minutes, although if your guests are having a great time (or a terrifying time!) you can carry on a little longer. My experience is that after 40 minutes or so, people will begin to get itchy bums! It's always a good idea to leave them wanting more rather than exhausting the experience. To wrap up a séance, I will say something along the lines of: “Thank you spirits for joining us tonight. Thank you for all the interaction you provided. We are truly grateful. We leave you now to rest in peace. Thank you.” And then I will light a candle or turn on a lamp, and it is always a nice idea to recap the events of the séance (and indeed the entire evening) for five minutes, asking individuals in the group how the séance felt for them, what did they see etc., and also perhaps comment on things that happened during the Ouija board session, pendulum session etc. This recap is a nice way to bring the entire event to an end.

PLAYING CARDS By

VOODINI STEP TEN in the Voodini Steps

Introduction Much has been written over the past decades about the role of playing cards in mentalism. There are, of course, two distinct camps; those who believe that playing cards have absolutely no role in mentalism and those who believe that playing cards can be used in mentalism with no problem. The main argument made for the exclusion of cards from mentalism is that they smack of 'tricks' and 'magic'. The belief is that a lay person will see the playing cards and immediately assume that the mentalist is performing a magic trick. Aside from the fact that the mentalist will in all likelihood be performing a 'trick', I personally believe that the assumption that a lay audience immediately associate playing cards with card tricks and cheap magic to be an erroneous one.

First of all, what, precisely, is wrong with card tricks? Card tricks have amused and entertained, not to mention flabbergasted, audiences for centuries. To belittle card trickery is a form of snobbery that I personally believe (and I may very well be wrong, it's just my opinion) is illjudged and is unbecoming of an intelligent mentalist. To master card sleights and become a proficient card technician takes years of dedication and practice, and if nothing else that deserves our respect. Secondly I believe that it is wrong to assume that a lay audience will immediately associate playing cards with card tricks. Place a deck of cards before a member of the general public and is 'trick' the first thing that will enter their mind? Perhaps it will be, but it is equally likely that they will think 'gambling', or 'card games', or even 'readings/cartomancy'.

Rather than 'silly trick', the

audience are just as likely to be put in mind of gangsters, shady gambling dens, lucky streaks, lucky cards, the dark and mysterious Ace of Spades, gypsy fortune tellers; they will perhaps even regard the cards as instruments of the

devil (the Devil's Picture Book or Devil's Bible). Yes, the general public know that magicians use playing cards, of course they do, but that only adds to the mystery. Lay people do not know how magicians perform their card tricks. For all they know, card tricks are perpetrated by invisible imps over which the magician has diabolical control! Yes, they've all got embarrassing uncles who perform stupid card tricks where you have to count out cards and place them in four piles etc., but that's just their uncle being silly. In their minds a real magician performs real magic, and how they make that playing card keep appearing at the top of the deck is a complete and utter mystery to them. They have not the faintest idea... I feel that playing cards are a wonderful tool at the disposal of any mentalist or mind-reader, and to discard them through a misguided sense of snobbery is to deny an avenue and a tool that can and will yield wonder for both you and your audiences.

Of course I fully expect many of you reading this manuscript to disagree with me, and that is fine. If nothing else I hope you will still enjoy reading this work, and maybe it will give you some ideas or food for thought whatever your standpoint on the whole playing cards in mentalism debate. It is not my intention to outline of describe any tricks in the manuscript. I have travelled down that road before in a previous manuscript of mine called Hypno-Mental SelfWorking Card Tricks. And besides, I am not a card man. I would not embarrass you or myself by trying to teach you card tricks when the fact of the matter is that you are probably ten times the card expert that I am. What I do believe I can bring to the table (the card table, no doubt) is justification for using playing cards, back stories, and explanations for your tricks. You see, your audience will interpret playing cards as you tell them to interpret them. Tell them that they're just silly cards and what you're about to perform is just a silly trick, then that is how they will interpret and react to your performance. However tell

them a deeper, more fascinating or even darker story, and then they will see you and your performance as being deeper, fascinating, and dark. Tell them what they are about to witness, and then show it to them. The classic Ambitious Card routine is often much maligned, and not without good reason. But what if the reason the volunteer kept seeing their chosen card appear at the top of the deck what not because of the skill of the magician, but because the performer had secretly hypnotised them previously and had instructed their subconscious to only see that one particular card? And then as soon as the performer tells the volunteer that she is no longer hypnotised (with the usual 'and you're back in the room' patter), she finds only random cards at the top of the deck? Suddenly what is often used solely as a vehicle to demonstrate the cleverness of the magician is transformed into a mental miracle. My point is this: give the cards a good, convincing, and fascinating back story and the audience will have their

belief that playing cards are slightly shady, slightly weird, and a bit edgy confirmed. They will then see you and your performance as being shady, weird, and edgy, which can only be a good thing! Here then are a selection of back stories and explanations for playing cards, all of which I have used myself. They are all more-or-less nonsense, although some of them do contain grains of truth and, more importantly, they are all eminently believable in the minds of the general public. Of course you can and should come up with back-stories of your own – it's great fun to weave such tall tales and semi-nonsenses around any of the tools we use in performance, not just playing cards! The following texts are written as though I were addressing an audience - whether that be just one person or a few people at a table, or a large audience. Please feel free to alter and augment to suit your own performance style. Most of the explanations are total fabrications so please don't email me to tell me so – I know! They are

meant to distract, enthral, and entertain your audience while adding a certain gravitas to your performance. Take all with a pinch of salt.

The Mind-Reader's Tool. Magicians, mind-readers, psychics etc. are often asked what the deal is with playing cards? Why do we always seem to use playing cards? Well the answer is quite simple and quite logical. In order to demonstrate our peculiar skills and abilities, it is often necessary to have a volunteer perhaps think of a word or a number, and then the mindreader or the psychic has to pluck that word or that number out of the very mind of the volunteer. It's a very simple premise, however it is quite fraught with difficulties. Firstly, when put on the spot and asked to think of a word or number, many people will quite simply freeze, and be unable to perform such a seemingly simple task. Or they may choose one word, but then switch to another, and then switch back, and then worry that the word is somehow wrong, or is too easy to guess, or even

too difficult! All of this, of course, makes the task of the mind-reader quite impossible and all he manages to pick up on is a scrambled collection of thoughts that make no sense! Perhaps even worse is the kind of volunteer who will cheerfully think of a word or a number, but then when the mind-reader correctly predicts that word or number will deny that the mind-reader got it right! Out of spite or perhaps jealousy they will change their mind simply so they can say 'you got it wrong' and make the mind-reader look silly in front of an audience. A simple solution to this second kind of volunteer is to have them secretly write down the word or number on to a piece of paper, and have that piece of paper kept safe by an independent witness, to be revealed once the mindreader has made their prediction. However in order to keep both types of volunteer, both the mean-spirited cheat and the volunteer who finds it difficult to think of a word or number when put on the spot, we use playing cards.

It's quite simple really. Firstly there are 52 different cards, so that allows a volunteer to randomly pick one of 52 cards, and the mind-reader has odds of 52 – 1 that he won't be able to simply guess the right card chosen, he must use some other more magical skill to correctly say which card has been chosen. As well as there being numbers on playing cards, there are of course the colours, red and black, and the four suits, all of which means that a deck of playing cards is the perfect tool to enable a volunteer to quickly and easily choose a random item. And of course, once the mind-reader has made his prediction we have the evidence, the proof – the card is turned over and revealed! Did the mind-reader get it right or wrong? No-one can cheat, either mind-reader or volunteer, because the evidence is right there in front of us for all to see! This is the reason why we use playing cards.

The Ancient Art of Fortune Telling Playing cards are of course very strange and mysterious objects. Throughout time they have been associated with gambling, with trickery, and with psychic fortune telling. They have, at various points in history, been banned by both churches and governments for being instruments of evil, bringing people into bad habits, or ruining lives both by gambling and by being tools for fortune telling. These days psychics tend to use tarot cards when providing their dubious services, but it wasn't always so. For many centuries, psychics, gypsies, and fortune tellers would use playing cards. It is a little known fact that tarot cards actually grew and developed from playing cards, and still, today, in certain circles, playing cards are seen as the genuine tools of fortune telling with tarot cards being regarded as a fad and a more modern development. Not for nothing are playing cards often referred to as the Devil's Picture Book!

God's Picture Book Playing cards have often been regarded as instruments of evil, primarily thanks to their association with gambling and the other vices that often find themselves being attached to gamblers and gambling dens – alcohol, prostitution, racketeering etc. However the truth is slightly more godly, although no less fascinating. It is a little known fact that playing cards were developed as a tool through which illiterate peasants in the middle ages could remember and contemplate upon the stories from the Bible told to them from the pulpit in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, most people simply did not know how to read or write; and even if they could read or write English, all Bibles were written in Latin. Therefore a means by which the humble populations of villages across Europe could remember scripture was devised. The playing card! The Ace represents God.

The two represents the two parts of the Bible, the Old and New Testaments. The three represents that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The four represents the four apostles; Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The five represents the five virgins. There were ten but only five were glorified. The six represents the days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth. The seven represents the seventh day upon which God rested. The eight represents Noah and his family. The nine represents the nine lepers that Jesus healed

and who never thanked him/ The ten represents the Ten Commandments. The jack represents the Devil. The queen represents Mary, Mother of God. The king represents Jesus. (You may wish to edit this when explaining it to an audience, or just use certain examples to highlight your point)

Playing Cards are an Ancient Calendar In the Middle Ages, when people were illiterate and uneducated, a deck of playing cards were a highly sought after commodity. But playing cards were not sought after as a means of playing games or anything so trivial. They were originally used as a very ingenious calendar and

once I explain it to you, you will never look at a deck of cards in the same way again. There are 52 cards in a pack of playing cards, and these represent the 52 weeks of the year. There are four suits in a deck of cards, and these represent the four seasons. Farmers also sow their crops in four yearly cycles. There are 13 cards in each suit, ace through to king, and these represent the 13 lunar cycles in a year and also the fact that there are 13 weeks in each quarter. Finally, when all the dots on all the cards are counted up, they number 365 – the number of days in a year.

Playing Cards are Symbols of Good Luck and Fortune Playing cards have long been linked to gambling. In fact the link between playing cards and gambling is so strong that it is impossible to think of a deck of cards without thinking of gambling, and when asked to imagine a gambling scene, the first image that pops into most

people's head is the image of a group of men hunched over a table playing some kind of card game with money piled up in the centre of the table. Gamblers are naturally a very superstitious bunch of people. They will often carry lucky tokens with them when they enter a casino or wherever it is that they gamble. They will, believe it or not, have lucky socks or a lucky belt or a lucky shirt that they swear gives them some kind of supernatural edge over their competitors! Because of this many cards within a deck have come to be associated with good luck or bad luck. Some cards are seen as positive, while others are seen a harbingers of bad luck. Any poker player receiving the ace of spades in his hand will instinctively feel his stomach sink. The ace of spades has long been associated with bad luck, and no more so than amongst gamblers. It has even been known for poker players to fold on a perfectly good hand simply because it contains the ace of spades. The card represents bad luck and they want rid of it as soon as possible!

Likewise the queen of hearts is seen as a good card and that predicts good fortune for the gambler, while the king of diamonds is seen as a card that predicts the gambler will win big money on this occasion. Again, a poker player may continue to play a nondescript hand purely because it contains the king of diamonds, and the king of diamonds promises wealth and success! Rather than trust to logic, the superstitious gambler will bet all on the dubious promises of a single playing card! There is a certain hand in poker that is seen as very bad luck. This is known as the Dead man's Hand, as it is thought to be the poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was gunned down and murdered. The Dead Man's Hand is two black aces, two black eights, and a fifth nondescript (and unknown) card. Throughout history there have been other descriptions for what constitutes the Dead Man's Hand. In the late 1800s it was described as a full house with three jacks and

two tens. Jacks and sevens and jacks and eights have also, at various points, been described as the Dead Man's Hand. The current superstition that a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights are the infamous Dead Man's Hand comes from the legend that this was the hand held by Hickok when he was gunned down in 1876.

The Story of the Four Kings You can add a dash of the Da Vinci Code style mystery by pointing out the following about the four kings! The four kings all represent four great kings and emperors from ancient history. The king of spades represents David, king of Israel. The king of clubs represents Alexander the Great. The king of hearts represents the French king Charlemagne. The king of diamonds represents the Roman Caesar Augustus.

The Story of the Four Queens In a similar way, here are interpretations for the four queens. As well as a historical or Da Vinci Code style presentation, such information could be tied in to an Alice in Wonderland type routine where the queens continually jump to the top of the deck (ambitious card) or where the volunteer finds the queens by 'chance'. It is a little known fact that the four queens in a deck of cards represent British queens from the middle ages. Because of the time-scale we're talking about, many of the queens represented had bloody lives that were cut unnaturally short, and because of this bloody history lent inspiration to CS Lewis when he penned Alice in Wonderland and created to grotesque queen of hearts screaming “off with their heads!” The queen of hearts represents Elizabeth 1 st who reigned in England from 1558 to 1603, and who was nice enough to have her own sister, Mary Queen of Scots,

executed in 1587. Talking of Mary, she is represented by the queen of spades. The queen of diamonds represents Queen Anne who reigned from 1702 – 1707. The queen of clubs represents poor Queen Jane who reigned for just 9 days in 1533 before being beheaded at the Tower of London at the tender age of just 16. Off with their heads indeed! So there, for your delectation and entertainment, are a selection of back-stories and origins for the humble deck of cards. By introducing these explanations you will add more intrigue to your performance, and perhaps see that the humble playing card can, with a little imagination, be turned into a true tool of mentalism!

COLD READING BY

VOODINI STEP ELEVEN in the Voodini Steps

INTRODUCTION Of all the techniques and skills discussed within my Steps, and indeed of all the techniques and skills housed under the banner of mentalism, I think it would be fair to say that cold reading is the one skill that has brought me the most money (if that is your motivator) and brought me and my spectators to most entertainment, mystery, and wonder. I first began employing what is crudely known a cold reading, via the use of tarot cards and palm reading, long before I ventured into the world of mentalism and first heard the term 'cold reading'. For a long time I believed that my success and ability with tarot cards and with reading people's palms was due to the fact that I had some kind of esoteric gift. It was only when I began reading literature pertaining to mentalism that I learned of a skill called cold reading, and that this was a skill that could be learned. After being indoctrinated into the mainstream mentalism viewpoint of cold reading, I spent a couple of years happily believing in this commonly accepted

explanation of the mechanics of reading. However it slowly began to dawn on me that what I was employing was perhaps something a little deeper than the mere regurgitation of stock phrases. I developed my own theory of what was actually going on in my mind during a reading, and these thoughts are perhaps best expressed in my cold reading lecture notes which follow this introduction. Cold reading, or rather simply reading, comes annoyingly easy for me, and because of this I tend to use it throughout all of my mentalism, both as a back-story or justification for some routines and to add spice and intrigue to other routines. Hopefully throughout my Steps I have illustrated this. Although I should point out that the skills of a reader are perhaps at their most potent when they are employed purely to give a reading, such as a tarot card reading or a palm reading. Because reading comes easy to me, I find it frustrating when I read about mentalists who claim to have been

'studying' cold reading for years, reading up on all the available literature (and there's lots), and still, years later, have never done a proper reading because they believe they aren't 'prepared enough'. My advice is simple: you are alive, you are a human being, you are prepared. As stated a few paragraphs ago, my thoughts, beliefs, and techniques for cold reading are perhaps best summed up in the cold reading lecture notes I prepared several years ago (and which follow this preamble). These notes were originally used to deliver a lecture to a group of drama students. Within thirty minutes I had students giving each other quick readings in front of the class, and some of the readings were great, and one, in particular, included a spectacular hit that mentioned the name of a fellow student's child-hood friend. That's within thirty minutes, not thirty years or thirty months or thirty weeks – thirty minutes. The thing about cold reading, the trick as it were, is that all you are doing is talking about life. The most important

aspect, and the thing that simply cannot be taught in books (even this one), is that cold reading employs nothing more or less than life experience. All you are doing, essentially, is talking about life. You may quite happily sit amongst friends in your home or in a bar and talk about how funny and sad life is, the ups and downs, the roller-coaster ride of it all, and then complain on magic forums or at a magic club that you'd love to be able to master cold reading but you can't get a grasp on it! All cold reading is, believe me, is the ability to sit down with a stranger (or stand on stage in front of an audience) and talk about how funny and sad life is, the ups and downs, the roller-coaster ride of it all, but instead of a glass of beer in your hand, you'll have a pack of tarot cards! Cold reading, essentially, is the ability to connect with people on an emotional level. There isn't a trick to be learned, lists of so-called Barnum Statements won't help you (they'll sound like stock phrases, which of course they are), there's no magic bullet that will ensure success. Reading is not about being right or wrong or doing it right.

It's

about

engaging

with

people

and

starting

a

conversation. The most easily accessible examples of cold reading in today's society is the celebrity mediums that you will find on TV. Now please don't think that I'm advocating or encouraging people using these skills to talk to the dead, I'm not. But much can be learned from these people if we can simply overlook the bad taste that the dead people leave in our mouth (as it were). Watch a good TV medium, or even better – go and see them perform live, and you will notice that they are not chasing hits, they are not rushing to find some kind of ta-da moment. They are creating conversations and they are engaging with their audience. They are relaxed, informal, and friendly. Mentalists and magicians, who are keen to incorporate cold reading into their repertoire of skills, need to change their usual mind-set of 'show me the trick, tell me how it works, here's a ton of money in return for the secret'. Instead they should simply take a deep breath and start talking.

Cold reading is not something that can be bought; unlike most magic, it does not come in a packet or in a Jiffy bag. But also, unlike the more specialised areas of magic such as card sleights, it does not require hours, days, and years of practice in your bedroom. All the skills you require, those

of

being

understanding,

sympathetic,

and

compassionate, are already within you. Or if they are not within you, then the skills required the emulate those emotions are within you. I know that to begin a performance (whether you're reading for one person or doing a show involving cold reading for hundreds) without a set script and with no guaranteed ta-da moment, can be a challenging concept for many mentalists, and even more-so for magicians. It is for this reason that I think those with no knowledge of mentalism, the 'ordinary' people who become mediums or psychics, have an easier job of it than magicians and mentalists. Ordinary people are not burdened with years of being told that everything has to be routined down to the

last detail, that A leads to B and to C, that skills must be honed through hours of practice and rehearsal. Cold reading doesn't work like that, it is a lot more fuzzy and ill-defined, and as such runs contrary to almost all other aspects of mentalism and magic. Unlearning years of accepted wisdom is a big ask. Even I, after doing this for so long, have doubts and nerves creeping in occasionally. My solution to this is simple. I smile, I open my mouth, and I start talking. “Goodness me,” says the reader to the sitter, “there's been a lot going on in your life, hasn't there?” And the reading begins... THE LECTURE NB – Throughout this chapter I use the word 'psychic' several times. When I say psychic, I am referring to skills such as extra sensory perception and precognition. The kinds of skills generally associated with mentalism. I am

not referring to any skill that requires or involves communication with spirits, ghosts, or the dead. In my personal definition, mediums talk to the dead whereas psychics read minds and predict the future without the aid of the spirit realm! What is 'cold reading'? Cold reading is a term that is much misunderstood and much misused these days. It is used as a catch-all phrase to explain the actions of psychics, mediums, and mind-readers by people who have little or no comprehension as to what cold reading really is. “Of course,” they will say as they observe the psychic on stage, “it's all just cold reading,” and those around them will nod sagely, the conundrum of how the psychic is able to divine impossible information solved with those two simple words: cold reading. The problem is, these 'know-it-alls' are usually wrong on two counts; firstly they don't understand the actual concept of cold reading, and secondly very few psychics (or mind-readers or mediums) actually use cold reading techniques.

But perhaps we're running before we're done with walking. Firstly let us talk about cold reading and what it really is, and then perhaps later we can talk about how the majority of psychics, those who don't employ cold reading, actually produce the results that we read about, see on TV, or experience first hand. Where does cold reading as a technique originate? Well, let me take you on a little journey through time and space. Let us board an imaginary time machine and travel back to the Mid-West of the United States in the 1930's. At that time large carnivals would travel from town to town, putting on circus shows and presenting sideshow attractions for the local populace before, after a few days, moving on to the next town. These carnivals both fascinated and infuriated the townsfolk of the locations visited. On the one hand those who worked in the carnivals were generally seen as thieves, con-men and ne'er-do-wells. But on the other hand, who could resist the lure of the bright lights, the smell of candy-floss, and the

dubious delights of such attractions as the Bearded Lady and the Man-Eating Chicken? An integral part of the carnival was the palm reader's tent (known colloquially as the 'mitt camp', mitt referring to the hand). The palm reader was generally female and would dress appropriately for her role, dressing in a manner that would be seen as mysterious and gypsy-like. Her tent likewise would be covered in moons and stars, and the inside would be dark and candle-lit. The interested customer would enter the tent, cross the palm reader's hand with silver, and would then receive their 'reading', the palm reader being able to discern with amazing accuracy the personality traits of the customer, and also describe past events and predict the future. The carnival palm reader however was not psychic or blessed with esoteric knowledge. For the most part, the palm reader was employing a technique known as 'The Spiel'. The Spiel was a standard piece of patter that was handed down orally from one generation of carnival palm

readers to another. The Spiel was a script, a script that would be used for each and every customer who entered the tent. Every customer would essentially receive the same reading. The Spiel, the script employed, would be full of stock phrases. These stock phrases would be along the lines of: 'you can sometimes be the life and soul of the party yet other times you find yourself in a more reflective mood'. The stock phrase is designed to sound very specific but is in fact generally true of every person. The Spiel also used a technique whereby each statement contained both positive and negative elements, so for example 'you are sometimes the life of the party but other times you aren't', or perhaps 'you know you are a good person but sometimes you have doubts about things you have done in the past'. So each and every person receiving The Spiel was essentially being fed the same script. This worked well for 3 very good reasons:

1. The Spiel utilises an under-appreciated fact that Human Beings are more alike than they are different. People tend to go through life kidding themselves that they are uniquely individual and that nobody is like them. The rather humbling truth is that we are all the same. We all experience the same emotions, the same ups and downs in life. My life will be little different from yours. 2. People misremember situations to a ridiculously high degree. Two people witnessing the same bank robbery will provide the police with two entirely different descriptions, right down to the colour of the get-away car and the number of bank robbers involved. This is a phenomena well known to law enforcement agencies. It is almost as though the mind takes in a little information and then makes up all the details for itself, over-riding the actual experience with thoughts and images based more on previous experiences, beliefs, and biases than genuine fact. Therefore two people receiving The Spiel will report totally different experiences. By the time they leave the palm reader's tent, they will have rewritten the experience in their minds so that it become a a uniquely individual

experience. 3. And finally, once the palm reader has memorised The Spiel, she is on easy street! She doesn't have to work hard trying to deliver a unique reading for every person who enters her tent. She can simply go into automatic mode and recite her script. Those who worked in the mitt camp were keen to make life as easy as possible for themselves! Who wants to work for a living?! But The Spiel is most certainly not cold reading, although many people believe it is. Let me explain. The term cold reading actually refers to a skill we all employ every day of our lives. Cold reading is literally reading somebody from cold. When we see a stranger in the street we are unable to not make snap, irrational judgements about them (no matter how liberal and openminded we fool ourselves that we are). We look at a stranger's clothes and make snap decisions about how wealthy and stylish we think they are. From their clothes we also make snap judgements about the person's lifestyle, their political persuasions, their religion (or lack of),

etc. Combining the clothes with the physical attributes (attractiveness, weight, hair etc) we also make the most important decisions; do we find them attractive, do we think they could help us in life, and do we think we like them? We make all these decisions usually within the first few seconds of meeting them, and indeed we make similar decisions almost instantaneously with people we pass in the elevator or who we drive past in the car. Once we add in their voice and their mannerisms, within a matter of seconds we have decided whether or not we are going to like this person. Once this irrational and totally judgemental decision has been made, it can take weeks or even months or years for someone who you internally decided you did not like to win you over and prove to you that actually they are okay! How many times have we heard the phrase, “When I first met you I didn't like you. But now I think you're a good guy!” Talk about a backhanded compliment! This is cold reading. The ability of the human to make snap decisions about people based

purely on the way they look. On top of cold reading, there are also techniques known as warm reading and hot reading. And when talking about cold reading most people mistakenly incorporate elements from these other techniques into their definition, so it is important that we cover these techniques also. Warm reading is the technique that utilises the most elements from the original Spiel of the carnival palm readers. It is a set of phrases, often known as Barnum Statements, that are vague enough to apply to most people but sound very specific. They also contain the positive and negative elements discussed earlier, such as “sometimes you like to party but other times you don't”. Here is a list of the accepted Barnum Statements, although of course there is nothing stopping a person from inventing a few of their own: • You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.

• You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. • You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. • While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. • Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you. • Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. • At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. • You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. • You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. • You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing

yourself to others. • At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. • Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. • Security is one of your major goals in life. Let us now talk about hot reading. Hot reading is the technique of obtaining information about a person that you know to be correct, and then regurgitating this information during a reading. For example, when researching for my own mindreading show, if it is possible to discover who is likely to be in the audience I may do a search for their name on the internet (perhaps on Google or Facebook) and see what information I can find. This information can then be fed back during the show. A more unscrupulous medium may use such a technique to gain information before a private reading. In the days pre-internet, looking in a person's car, riffling through their purse, or eaves-dropping on conversations will have

been just a few of the many underhand methods utilised. The combination of cold reading, warm reading, and hot reading is generally what is meant when people mention the term 'cold reading'. There is also another element – experience. As someone who has been engaged in provide readings for most of my adult life, I have come to some quite sobering realisations about people. Generally, underneath the guise of niceness and respectability that most people demonstrate, human beings are pretty selfish creatures. This selfishness may never manifest itself, and the person may live their life as a perfect saint, helping others and never saying a cross word about anyone. However, I guarantee you, underneath the surface, in every person, there is a small child stamping its feet and shouting that it's not fair! Even the most helpful, accommodating person will, at some level, believe that they always get the shit end of the

stick. They will believe that they work harder than most people, that their work is tougher than anyone realises, and that other people generally get an easier ride than them. Of course they realise that there is genuine hardship and horror in the world and that they are lucky to live without the fear and desperation that many experience in some parts of the globe. But in general, in their office, in their factory, in their home and neighbourhood, they believe that they get it tougher than most. At work, they work the hardest and get the least recognition, in the home why is it that they always have to wash up/cook/put the kids to bed/walk the dog etc. while everyone else does less than them?! This selfishness in most people will never or rarely manifest itself. In others it will be bubbling away constantly. The only difference between the nice guy who is always prepared to help others out and the angry man who is always shouting and complaining is that the nice guy is better at hiding and controlling his inner spoilt child.

Therefore, mentioning in a reading that the person sitting before you works harder than most people realise and isn't generally given the praise they deserve will be met with almost universal approval. “Oh thank god,” they will exclaim, “you understand!” Another realisation is that there is a general formula that people tend to use when thinking about the past, the present and the future (the bedrock of many readings). It's a very simple equation: people believe that the past 12 months have been quite tough with some ups and downs (think of that inner spoilt child again), they believe that right now in the present they have some difficult decisions to make, but once those decisions are made the future will be a lot brighter. So in short, past = bad, present = decisions to be made, future = good. I made the mistake many years ago of telling someone during a reading that the past year had been quite nice and positive. “Pah!” she exclaimed. “Positive?! The things I've had to put up with over the last year you wouldn't believe!

It's been awful!” I quickly realised that no matter what the actual truth might be, people tend to believe that the past year has been a time of trials and tribulations. There may have been some good elements, but in the main it has been a period when it has been necessary to climb over some hurdles. I believe that this is just another manifestation of the inner spoilt child believing that they get it worse than others! The human experience, in the 21st Century, is such that we are met with a series of decisions to be met and made on an almost daily basis. We are constantly having to make decisions about our lives, our careers and our love lives. Should I look for a new job, am I happy in my relationship, should I change my car, should I grow my hair or get it cut, should I visit my parents more often, where shall I go on vacation this year, what shall we have for dinner, should I see the teacher about my child? All of these are just a few examples of decisions that most people wrestle with on a daily basis. Let me repeat that, a daily basis.

I don't want to make anyone feel insecure in their relationship, but it is my experience that people examine their love life every single day of their life, if not every hour. Am I happy in my relationship (a ridiculously high percentage are not)? Should I run off with the guy/girl in the office? People spend a ridiculous amount of time analysing and making decisions about their relationships. Careers are an issue that people are also constantly examining, and of course there are a hundred different decisions that are forced onto us by circumstance, from do I want to accept the promotion that means moving to another city to can I struggle on for another week with that old vacuum cleaner that gives me an electric shock every time I switch it off? We are quite literally at a crossroads in life every day of our life! It is the price we pay for having more choice in life. A hundred years ago (and certainly 200 years ago), you got married once and stuck with it no matter what. These days we have the freedom to explore our

relationships, our sexuality, and to make changes in our lives if we are not happy. This is a good thing, but it comes at a price. That price is the belief that things are always better on the other side of the hill. And the choice we have (and it's a choice we think about on a daily basis) is when exactly to make our excuses and make tracks towards that hill! The strange thing is that we don't realise we are at a crossroads in life every day. Every day we are making decisions, but once we have made those decisions we edit them out of our lives. We forget about them. We forget about them because we are caught up with this day's and this week's decisions. We forget all about the other crossroads we have dealt with because we are too busy dealing with our current crossroads! Therefore when analysing their life, people are aware that there are decisions to be made in the here and now, but they don't realise that there are decisions to be made each and every day. They erroneously believe that once this

day's, this week's, or this month's decisions have been made, that will be it. They'll be off and running, decisions made, full speed along the open road ahead! Wrong. This time next year they'll still be bogged down in decision making. They may be different decisions that need to be made, but they will be there all the same. However due to this the formula for how people view life holds true: past = bad, present = decisions, future = good. Now I just stated that decisions to be made in the future will be different to those ones being faced right now. Perhaps that's true, but the decisions won't be TOO different. The reason for this is simple. There are only 4 main areas of concern in the human experience; and all situations, decisions, sorrows and joys fit within these 4 simple areas. Here they are: sex/love, money/work, dreams/ambitions and friends/family. And so, by combining cold reading, warm reading, hot reading and experience in how people tend to view their

lives, we come up with what some observers actually mean when they say “Oh, it's all just cold reading!” Simple, huh? A simple job to actually use 'cold reading' and fool someone into believing you have some special powers of intuition? Well, no, not really. As you have just read, cold reading is actually a very complicated combination of skills and ideas. It is by no means a simple skill to master, the correct combination of elements from cold reading, warm reading, hot reading and life experience. In fact, to truly master this juggling act takes much skill and judgement. So if you are going to be a psychic or a palm reader or a tarot card reader, wouldn't it be easier and make more sense to do it for real??? That's right, you read correctly. If you're going to 'fake' psychic or intuitive powers, surely it would make more sense to at least attempt to do it for real, without the help of so-called cold reading?

I happen to believe in the power of intuition. It is an ability that I believe we all have and that we all use to one degree or other. Bearing in mind that I am not a scientist or a doctor, I will attempt to explain my own personal theory about what precisely 'intuition' is. I'm probably wrong and I'm perfectly happy to accept that probability. But it's my theory and it makes sense to me. So here goes: The subconscious remembers every situation you've ever been in and every person you've ever met. While the conscious mind tends to operate in the 'here and now', the subconscious works quietly in the background, recording and filing away every environment, every engagement, and every person for future reference. It remembers everything and forgets nothing. The subconscious is basically a giant database where all of life's experiences are stored. The older you are, the more experiences you have stored away below the conscious level. As well as working as a storage device, the subconscious is also working as an early warning mechanism. It is

constantly comparing situations and people you are engaging with in the present moment with situations and people

you

have

encountered

in

the

past.

The

subconscious is trying to give you a half second jump on the world, trying to keep you alive by trying to anticipate how any given situation may pan out. The subconscious is your guardian angel and it wants to keep you safe. Messages are passed directly from the subconscious mind to the conscious mind and manifest themselves in the form of feelings and emotions. Because these feelings and emotions are passed directly from the subconscious, they can seem irrational or unfounded. They are not based on evidence, but rather on past experience. Therefore when meeting someone for the first time, you may find yourself liking this person or disliking this person instinctively and without good reason. The explanation is the messages being sent up from the subconscious. In a conversation that takes place far away from your critical faculties, the subconscious mind is saying “Ooh, we like her, she reminds us of that nice

teacher we had when we were younger, oh yes, she's very nice,” or “Watch out! We don't like him! His hair is like that boy that beat us up years ago and he's wearing a tshirt like that skinhead wore when he was shouting at us from across the street one night a few years ago! We don't like him!” If you've ever walked down a street and suddenly felt uneasy for no reason, or have ever crossed the road at the sight of someone walking towards you on the same side of the pavement, then perhaps the explanation lies in your subconscious' attempts to keep you safe, keep you ahead of the game, and to give you insights that would pass your conscious mind by. This to me is intuition. It is nothing supernatural or paranormal. It is simply a very natural part of the human experience. It can be utilised and it can be tapped into. AN EXPERIMENT Two students sit opposite each other. These two students

do not know each other. One is told he is the 'sender', the other is the 'receiver'. The sender merely sits and perhaps ponders upon his life. The receiver is told to trust his intuition, and to write down 3 facts about the student sat in front of him – 3 facts that he could not have known beforehand. The receiver is encouraged to be as specific as possible. After a few moments the receiver starts to write 3 facts about the sender onto a piece of paper. Once completed, the 3 facts are read out aloud and the sender is asked to confirm or deny the truth of them. As much as anything else, this is an experiment in selfbelief. The receiver has to have confidence in his own intuitive abilities, and not be afraid of being wrong. Every psychic, every mind-reader, is wrong sometimes. Being wrong is not to be feared. The student must learn to trust their 'gut instinct' and not be afraid to 'go for it'. I tend to run this experiment twice. Firstly with one couple, and then with a second couple. The reason for this

is that during the first experiment the receiver tends to write down very general statements, perhaps inspired by the talk of warm reading and Barnum Statements. So following this I instruct the second receiver to be very specific and write down actual points that are either right or wrong such as “the sender once had a dog called Spot”. Sometimes

the

results

of

this

experiment

are

disappointing, but other times the results can be quite remarkable. I have run this experiment with members of the public and mentalists/magicians alike, and sometimes the results are just fantastic. I find routines like this great fun to play around with. No gimmicks, no gaffs, just a genuine attempt to make something wondrous happen. I once conducted this experiment for a group of mentalists. The chosen receiver was very nervous about taking part. He was sat in front of a room of his peers and was very worried that he would 'do it wrong'. He was worried that his friends and contemporaries would ridicule him if his statements did not hit. He was so nervous (and this was a guy who was used to performing in front of an

audience) that he was sweating and shaking with anxiety. Following the routine (I recall that he wrote down Barnum-style statements, perhaps trying to be as general as possible to avoid failure), I discussed his nervousness. “Can you remember how nervous you felt just now?” The guy laughed and said he was shocked by just how nervous he had felt. “Always remember that feeling,” I told him, “because if you could really read minds, if this was a genuine gift that you had, then you would feel like that during every performance. You would be terrified in case you got it wrong, in case your gift just vanished as quickly as it came. But perhaps you would also be terrified by your gift, you would worry about the personal information you would receive, you would perhaps wish that you had never been given this ability. So rather than being the suave, sophisticated, self-confident mind-reader you would in fact be a worried individual whose gift caused him inner turmoil. Perhaps that would be a more believable performance persona.” Intuition can be helped by the use of an oracle system.

Oracle systems include such things as Tarot cards, palm reading, crystal balls, and tea leaves. They are techniques that can be utilised to enhance a person's natural intuitiveness. All 'readers' use some kind of system, and they will often employ more than one system. I personally like to combine Tarot cards with palm reading. The use of an oracle system also helps the reader in a number of other ways besides enhancing their intuition. These are: 1. It demonstrates to the volunteer, the person being read for, (and the audience if this is being done from a stage or with others observing) that the reader is a learned, experienced person who has done his homework and has taken the time to learn his craft. 2. It also protects the reader from accusations that he is 'just making it all up off the top of his head'. There is a reason and a justification for the words coming out of the reader's mouth. He is saying these things because the Tarot cards (or whatever) have a meaning that is being interpreted by the reader. The oracle system gives the

reader justification. 3. If the person being read for does not agree with what is being said, it is not the reader's fault. It is the fault of the Tarot cards (or whatever system is being used). The cards are telling the reader what to say. If that message is incorrect then it is either the fault of the cards or the person being read for. The one person whose fault it most definitely is not is the reader himself. He is blameless. Experienced readers know that if they are working in an environment where they are required to provide a large number of readings in a relatively short period of time (for example, if working as a strolling reader at an event), it can be very difficult to rely on intuition 100%. This is particularly true when working in an environment where it is unacceptable to say something along the lines of, “I'm sorry, my intuition isn't really working at the moment!” That kind of scenario may be okay when with a group of friends or in a relaxed social environment, but if you are being paid by the hour to provide a form of mystical entertainment then you need to just get on with the job. In

such an environment even the most experienced readers will occasionally fall back on some elements of cold reading (and perhaps other systems also). It will be a weapon in their arsenal to be called upon if required. However I would like to finish by restating my belief that the techniques collectively referred to as cold reading should never be the reader's primary skill. The primary skill should be the belief in their own intuition and a desire to develop that intuition. Intuition is not paranormal or supernatural. It is a natural ability that we all have. Different Ways That People Dress Up 'Intuition': • Psychic! They can read minds or predict the future due their esoteric gift. • Lucky! Every time they go to the casino or the races, they're lucky and come away winning. • Gut instinct! They know straight away whether someone is a good person or a bad person. Their gut instinct has never led them astray! • Guardian angels! They have someone looking out over

them who tells them if it's safe to walk down a street or what lottery numbers to choose!

PUBLICITY & PROMOTION By

VOODINI Step 12 in the Voodini Steps

RADIO Like local newspapers, which we'll look at in a short while, local radio are always on the look-out for ready made stories that are interesting. A ready made story means that the reporters working for the radio station have to do very little work. If you approach a radio station with an interesting story about yourself, they will snap you up and have you 'on air' within 24/48 hours. As a mentalist and/or magician, you are already an interesting character; remember that most of the general public have absolutely no idea how you achieve the phenomena that you demonstrate, and for all they know you are in league with the devil! Even just talking about your life, your effects, and your personal journey into the world of magic is interesting. Remember that most local radio stations are on-air 24 hours a day. That's an awful lot of air-time to fill, and if you can help fill 10 -20 minutes of that time they will

welcome you with open arms. Appearing on a radio station is a good way to promote an upcoming show or to promote your services. But there are a few golden rules and tips that you should be aware of... Firstly when contacting the radio station, always approach a specific show rather than the station in general. If there is a radio show that you listen to yourself and know reasonably well, contact them as you will have a good idea of how the format of the show works. If you are contacting the radio station without much knowledge of their shows or content, I have always found the breakfast show to be a good show to target. Breakfast shows tend to be quite chatty in format, which is ideal for you. Clearly the Saturday night dance music show or the Top 40 countdown (do they still do that???) are less than ideal! Appearing on the breakfast show will naturally mean an early start. The show's producer will generally ask you to

arrive around 20 minutes before they want you on-air. This is so they can just quickly run through the questions that the show's host (the DJ) will ask, and also for them to double check that you aren't a lunatic who is going to hijack the radio station! The show's producer will generally be upbeat, chatty and very friendly. However don't let this fool you. They are at work, and you are a commodity. Despite how they may appear, they really don't want to be best buddy with you, you are there to give them an interesting story and fill 20 minutes of air-time. Don't be offended if, once the interview is over, the once friendly producer is a lot more curt with you and efficiently steers you towards the exit! This is doubly true for the show's host/DJ. When it is time for your interview, you will be led into the studio, and introduced to the host. The host will generally be busy (he is at work) and won't waste time getting to know you before the actual on-air interview begins. When on-air, the host will be interested in you and will ask you lots of questions. He may even attempt to be a little

confrontational and ask an awkward question that you weren't expecting. Stay cool, be polite, and answer as best you can. It isn't personal – he just fancies himself as being a little 'edgy'. If the host plays music in-between your interview, he will probably simply ignore you until the two of you are back on-air. Once the interview is finished, the host will immediately be moving on to the next section of the show (traffic report, news, weather, next interviewee) and will forget you. Don't be offended if he simply ignores you and you are whisked away by the producer without even a 'thank you' or 'good bye' from the host. He's not being rude, really. He's just busy and has people like you popping into the studio day-in, day-out. His job is to present the show, not be your friend. You are a commodity, so approach the whole experience with this mind-set. A good story that will interest a radio station is something that is a little quirky, different, and has a human

element. Local radio stations will also be looking for stories that have a local angle. Magic, mind-reading, seances, ghost walks etc. are all interesting subjects that will immediately peak the interest of the show's producers. The human element is you, what is your story? And, of course, if you are approaching your own local radio station, the local angle is covered by the fact that you are a local resident. The two main ways of using exposure on a local radio station would be to either promote an upcoming show, or to promote your services as a close-up magician, tarot card reader, etc. In the first instance, approach the radio station with an email. Try to send that email at the same time as the show you are targeting is on-air. Do this because you will know that the show's producer will be monitoring their email as the show is being broadcast. Therefore your email won't get lost beneath many hours of emails arriving in their in-box. In general, a radio show's producer is monitoring emails, Twitter, Facebook, national news and news-feeds as the show is being broadcast. They do this as

they are looking for stories and articles to broadcast. If you make contact while the show is on-air, there is a very good chance that the show's producer will read it within minutes of you clocking 'SEND'. If they are interested in using you, they will often reply within a short period of time and ask you to appear on the show the following day or a few days later. Things will move very quickly. If you have a funny or quirky angle to your story (the story being your show or your services) include that in the initial email. But don't worry too much, being a magician, mind-reader, séance host etc. is more than interesting enough in and of itself. My advice is to approach either the breakfast show or the drive-time show unless your local knowledge tells you otherwise. The breakfast show and the drive-time show of any radio station is the most listened to shows, and you obviously want to get your message out to as many people as you possibly can.

Talking of getting your message out; you need to get your website address into the interview. There is little point doing the interview if you aren't able to get an easy, memorable way that listeners can contact you into the proceedings. Your website address is the best and easiest way to encourage listeners to seek you out. This is especially true if you aren't on-air to specifically talk about and plug an up-coming public show. If you are onair to promote a specific show, then you will be invited to mention the venue, date, and ways to obtain tickets probably several times during the interview. However if you are there to supposedly chat about your life in magic or your personal journey as a magician, you will need to be a little cheeky and drop your website into the discussion. The host may not like you blatantly plugging your website, but don't worry. This is a two-way street, and they can't expect you to appear on-air without getting something from it yourself. The trouble with all media (and especially TV as we'll see later) is that they believe that people are desperate to

appear on their shows or in the pages of their newspapers/magazines, and will do anything to get on those shows or appear in those pages. In the main, this is true. Just look at the amount of people that make fools of themselves or ruin their lives by appearing on 'reality' TV shows. For the most part, no appearance in the media will be paid. Certainly this is true of radio appearances, even if you manage to blag a weekly spot to predict future news or announce the horoscopes. You will normally be doing it for the 'exposure'. If you are merely being interviewed on the breakfast show, forget any idea of being paid for this appearance! As far as being a promotional tool goes, don't expect miracles from radio. Most people who listen to the radio simply have it on 'in the background', they don't actually pay too much attention to it. Even if they listen to your interview, are interested in your story, and hear the address of your website, five minutes later they will be occupied with something else and may totally forget about you. Appearance on the radio, as a promotional tool, should

just be one aspect of a much broader promotional campaign. Radio appearances that I have made (all local unless stipulated): Appearance on a breakfast show to promote my services as a magician/mind-reader. I actually bent forks live on-air which I still find amusing. I was a guest alongside a local vicar who came in every week to give a 'life's-like-that' type sermon. The vicar's comment about me was, “Watch your pockets when he's about,” implying that because I bent forks for a living I would probably be an accomplished (and keen) pickpocket. The interview had no discernible influence on the number of bookings I received, and I was told off on-air for mentioning my website! Several appearances to promote a swing & jazz club night I used to run and DJ in my local city. This was in the very early days of the internet so I had no website to plug,

and I can't be certain if anyone actually attended the club as a direct result of hearing me on-air. An appearance to promote a local ghost stories book I produced. And finally an appearance to talk about a website I used to run which recounted people's stories of being teenagers and the youth cults that they used to follow (punks, mods, rockers, skinheads, goths etc.). This website was also mentioned on a national radio show (Steve Wright's show on Radio 2 for those of you in the UK), and this one mention on the national radio station brought in a huge amount of traffic. On a normal day the website would attract 100 – 150 unique visitors. On the day of the mention it had 10,000 unique visitors. National radio is, clearly, a different kettle of fish to local, and a mention on a big national station really can bring about a huge change in your circumstances! This is doubly true as most national radio stations have a website where they will often provide links to the website's of those they interview

or feature. Interestingly, when I appeared on local radio to talk about this website, it was the one time when the producer and presenter wanted to carry on talking to me after the interview. I think the reason was that they remembered being a punk or whatever and wanted to talk about their own experiences. A similar effect may be produced if you are interviewed as a tarot card or palm reader – the staff may be keen to have a reading of their own. I can't vouch for this obviously, but it is a thought that occurs as I write this. If you get the opportunity to appear on national radio, bend over backwards to make it happen. Don't be quite so flexible when it comes to local radio – remember that you're doing them a favour as much as they are doing you a favour. The above appearances all have one thing in common – they are all interesting stories that are out of the ordinary: magician, a jazz music club (regarded as uncommon and quirky in the 21st Century), ghost stories, etc. If you are

already a magician, a mind-reader, a psychic, or séance host, you are already interesting and out of the ordinary, and local radio will jump at the chance to feature you. You're a ready made story.

NEWSPAPERS

In many regards, local newspapers behave in a similar way to local radio. Their reporters are inherently lazy and like nothing more than a ready-made story landing in their laps. You, of course, are that ready-made story and you can almost guarantee that they will publish something about you if you get in touch with their news-desk. Unlike radio, where just the fact that you are a magician will usually be enough to get you on-air, newspapers are looking for a story. So any little narrative that you can create will go a long way to ensuring you get yourself into print. How did you get into magic? What funny things have happened to you? What weird things? Did something happen once that now makes you think that magic might

be real? Remember that most people (and this includes newspaper reporters and editors) have no idea how magic or mentalism works, so use this knowledge to your advantage. Make up a quirky or funny story. That's right, make it up. No-one cares if it's a fabricated story, least of all the newspaper! Newspapers very rarely check facts (that, after all, could be classed as work) and will generally run a story as it is presented to them. If a newspaper decides to run a story or feature on you, they will usually want a photograph. If you can provide them with a print-ready image, so much the better. Otherwise be prepared for them to send a photographer out to you. Whereas a radio presenter may sometimes serve you a 'swerve ball', IE ask a question you weren't expecting and which you may regard as being a little confrontational, you should be aware that on occasion a newspaper journalist or editor may look at a story and decide to approach it from a different angle. An angle that perhaps you hadn't anticipated.

I worked for around 12 -18 months as a children's magician, before moving into more adult-oriented closeup magic and palm/tarot reading. When I began to make the change, I approached the local newspaper with a story. The story was about the children's entertainer who was now offering magic for grown-ups. Nice and simple. The newspaper sent a journalist to my house. He asked me lots of questions about what I did, where I worked, and even took some photographs of me performing magic for my (then) 4 or 5 year old daughter. As we were finishing up he asked me, conversationally, why I was leaving the children's magic behind – didn't I enjoy it any more? I joked with him that a children's magician is nothing more than a glorified babysitter (which is actually true) and shared a couple of horror stories. I finished by saying, “I've come to the conclusion that I don't like children very much!” We both laughed, shook hands, and he left. The story ran the following day. In a centre-page splash there was a wonderful photo of me doing magic for my daughter,

along

with

the

headline

MEET

THE

MAGICIAN WHO DOESN'T LIKE CHILDREN! The story went on to outline, in gory detail, how I had come to the conclusion that I didn't like children, that children's entertainers were nothing more than glorified baby-sitters, and how I couldn't wait to move my career away from children's parties. As I was earning my living almost exclusively as a kids' entertainer, my (now ex-)wife was understandably concerned about the effect it would have on my business and the household income. “Nobody's going to book you now!” she exclaimed, and even my father when I saw him next said, “I like children, but I couldn't eat a whole one!” I took a more relaxed attitude to it, remembering the old adage about newspapers being tomorrow's fish & chips wrappers. And so it came to pass; there was neither a notable increase nor decrease in bookings as a result of the article. Like mentions on the radio, newspaper articles should be seen as just one piece of the promotional jigsaw. Do not rely on a newspaper article to, by itself, shift a load of tickets, or get you a multitude of bookings. It should be

seen as a small step in raising awareness of you and what you do. The main point I want to get across with regard to the story recounted above is that you should never trust a journalist. They have their own agenda, and will quite happily twist a story to fit their needs. They will see it as approaching the story from a more interesting angle that their readers will find more appealing. You may regard it more as being stabbed in the back. Handle with care. One final note on the print media. I would never recommend paying for an advert in a newspaper or in a magazine. If your contact details are out there for all to find, particularly in the Yellow Pages (or your country's equivalent), you may discover that newspapers and magazines begin phoning you up to offer advertising space, giving you 'discounted rates', and with promises of reaching huge readerships. Don't believe a word of it. From my experience, paid advertising never works unless you are willing to invest a lot of money without expecting

to see a return on this advertising. My experience is that a paid advert will never bring in enough new business to justify the initial outlay. I once worked as a DJ, and advertised my services in a quarter page ad in a huge national monthly magazine. The advert ran for 3 months (I had been given a 'special' rate – pay for 2 months and get the 3 rd month for free), and it cost me an absolute fortune. But, I reasoned, it was bound to bring in lots of business – after all, the magazine was huge, very popular with a massive readership. How could it fail? Well, it did fail. I had one enquiry over the entire 3 months. And they didn't book me. Please, don't fall for the spiel of those whose job it is to sell advertising space. Nobody reads the ads. Do you?

TV Journalists of all ilks, whether they be in printed media or broadcast media, have a little trick that they use all the time. For the duration of the interview they will pretend to

be your friend, and will make you feel relaxed and special. However once the interview is over they generally cannot get rid of you quickly enough. This, I have found, goes doubly so for TV journalists. Should you be lucky enough to be invited to appear on a TV show, whether a local or national station, you should of course grab the opportunity with both hands. TV is the king of all media, reaching numbers of people that other forms of media can only dream about, plus it gets your face on TV, and rightly or wrongly there is a lot of kudos in that. People are drawn to TV like moths to a flame. However when you are on TV and around TV journalists/presenters, you should have your guard up at all times. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that any conversation with a TV journalist, even off-air and offcamera, is just a friendly bit of chat. It isn't. They are working, and when they talk to you they are looking for an angle, for a way in to a juicier story. They are attempting to work you. Don't let your guard drop, and stick to the story you want to tell. Of course you should be happy and

smiling, full of energy and fizz, but remember this is a game. Understand how it works and play the game right back at them. I have one story that demonstrates how clever TV presenters/journalists can be. I used to work at a venue in Manchester, England called the Hellfire Club. This was a restaurant with the theme of horror movies. The restaurant itself resembled a crypt, and the place was packed with horror movie memorabilia; framed movie posters, instruments of torture, chains and scythes, monster masks, and even a life sized statue of Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Once a month they organised a 'ghost hunt' for the public. The public would have a meal and then I would run a psychic/ESP themed show followed by a tour of a local graveyard. The highlight of my psychic/ESP show was 'glass moving', which, as you probably know, is similar to the Ouija borad. One night I arrived at the restaurant to be met by a Canadian TV crew. They were filming for a TV show

broadcast primarily in North America called 'World's Weirdest Restaurants'. They travelled the world filming at all manner of weird and wonderful venues, and had, unbeknownst to me, invited themselves along to the 'ghost hunt'. The owner of the restaurant was thrilled, and of course so was I. The presenter interviewed me extensively about what I did, and he was particularly interested in the glass moving table that I had set up. He asked me how it worked. I explained all about calling out to spirits and the glass moving to answer questions. “Does the glass move straight away?” he asked. I explained that sometimes it did, but more often it would take a minute or two, or even five or more minutes. There were no guarantees. “But if we did it,” he asked with a glint in his eye, “do you think we could get the glass to move straight away?” He winked at me. “After all, we'll be filming it and we don't want to waste a lot of time. Perhaps we could have a go, you can go through your script, and we can encourage the glass to move straight away?” Of course we could, I said. After all this was for TV! I had no qualms about pushing the glass purely for demonstration purposes!

The cameraman and the soundman got into position and filming began. I had a finger on the glass and so did the presenter. As I called out to spirit the glass (aided and abetted by me) started to move. Suddenly the presenter started to ask me questions that I wasn't expecting. “Are you pushing this glass?” he asked. Well, yes I was! But because he'd asked me to! Knowing this was for TV and wanting to put on a good 'show', I answered 'no'. The glass continued to move and the presenter took his finger off the glass, trying to catch me out. I took my finger off the glass too. We placed our fingers back on the glass and the glass began to move again. Unbeknownst to me, as we spoke, the presenter took his finger off the glass and with my finger alone on the glass it continued to move. Craftily the presenter looked at the camera, nodded towards the moving glass, and winked conspiratorially to his audience. I'd been 'worked' by an old pro who knew how to get the best angle and the best story for his show. He'd lied to me, pretended to by my friend, and set me up. But it made good TV! Remember – they aren't your friend and they are

always working. The whole entertaining scenario, as explained above, can be witnessed for yourself by following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfEBD-D6tts or going to YouTube and searching for 'World's weirdest restaurants hellfire club bonus clip'. Enjoy!! It is, of course, more difficult to get your face on TV than it is to get it into the newspapers or your voice on-air. Your story, for local TV, needs to have a human element to it and also have a local angle. Doing something, a stunt such as driving a car blind-folded, for a local charity is always a good approach, or a ghost hunt in a local 'haunted venue' is another good approach. TV has always sort of happened to me out of the blue, rather than me actually chasing it, and perhaps by getting your name and your face featured in local newspapers and on local radio the doorway to TV will open more readily. Approach your local TV station initially via an email to their news-desk, the address usually being available on their website.

Remember – like with radio and newspapers, provide them with a ready-made story. Journalists of all ilks are intelligent, crafty creatures, but are inherently lazy and looking for an easy way to get their work done. I once knew a sports journalist who was paid by his newspaper to travel to sports grounds around the country to cover various football and cricket matches. He used to get paid his travel and accommodation expenses on top of his salary, but he never travelled to the sports grounds. He drove to his local pub and watched the games on TV. You get the idea? The websites of local TV stations often feature local stories that don't actually get aired. Sending a story to the website, with the initial intention of it only appearing online, may be a good way of levering open the door. If the story is interesting enough, and has a good visual aspect that will film well, you may (hopefully) find the story being nabbed by the broadcast element of the local station.

One final word on TV, and this concerns TV production companies. As a master of the occult arts, you may find yourself being approached by production companies who are researching forthcoming TV shows. These TV shows could be concerned with all manner of subjects, from the paranormal to the supernatural to witchcraft to ESP and telepathy to magicians of old. They will approach you as they are researching a subject matter that they regard you as an expert in. Initially they may imply that they'd like you to be 'on the team', work as the programme's researcher, or even be featured on-screen as the 'expert'. They will stroke your ego and ask you ll kinds of questions. Flattered by TV's interest in yourself, and the promise of you possibly being on the show, you may find yourself doing hours of research, emailing them detailed answers to their questions, and even travelling at your own expense to their offices to discuss the subject face-to-face. I know all this because I have fallen for it myself. What tends to

happen, after weeks or even months of communication, is that you will get this infamous brush off: “Thanks for all your help, and we'll be in touch.” Needless to say you never hear from them again, and all thoughts of fame, fortune, and your own TV show slowly fade. It can be very difficult to resist the lure of TV's interest in you. As I have already stated, I've fallen for it myself, travelling to London at my own expense, meeting TV executives, only to be given the “Thanks very much” brush off. TV folk know that most people in our business (and most other businesses) are desperate to get a break in TV, and they use this to their own advantage, getting hours of research and knowledge provided for them on a plate, totally free of charge. If you can be brave and decisive, should such an enquiry come your way, reply to the initial communication by asking how much you are going to be paid for your

time, knowledge, and work. Don't do it all for free. This is what I tell myself now, and it is the advice that I will give you. But TV can be very alluring, and it is difficult not to find yourself mesmerised by it.

PATTER AND PRESENTATION By

VOODINI STEP THIRTEEN in the Voodini Steps

Introduction When I started to write and put together this interpretation of the classic 13 Steps to Mentalism, it soon became apparent that my version would be very different in many respects to the original and would be quite personal to me as an individual. On reflection I think that this is a good thing; after all, what would be the point in me simply regurgitating the original? The aspects that perhaps separate me from the 'mentalism mainstream' are perhaps the things that also allow me to stand out, and these aspects are also the things that make the Voodini Steps very different to the 13 Steps. Doubtless this will be found to be doubly true of this particular Step, #13, 'Patter & Presentation'. I have often thought that it is a shame that 'Patter & Presentation' was placed at position #13 in the original 13 Steps. Patter and presentation are such important aspects to mentalism and yet they are so often over-looked (as they are in magic in general) in favour of the latest trick,

the newest gimmick, and the quick fix. Placing 'Patter & Presentation' at #13 means that it is all too easy for the reader to omit it, when really it should have been placed at position #1 with an instruction to the reader to make sure they read this particular step before progressing onto any other step! Of all the 13 Steps, step #13 is the only essential step! What makes a good performer is perhaps a question that cannot be answered. There are so many variables involved, and of course what one person enjoys, another will dislike. Look at the debates caused by performers such as David Blaine, Dynamo, and Criss Angel! One person may love them, while another will hate them! Actually, that's not entirely true. The one thing that David Blaine, Dynamo, and Criss Angel all have in common is that they are successful. In order to be successful a performer has to be, by and large, popular with the general public, what we in the magic biz refer to as the lay audience. The people who tend to dislike performers such

as Dynamo and Criss Angel are other magicians and mentalists. We complain that Dynamo has no personality, that Criss Angel uses camera tricks, and that David Blaine is, well, David Blaine! Is it real magic? Is it real mentalism? The on-line debates are as endless as they are tedious. What we, as magicians and mentalists, think is actually irrelevant. What is relevant is that they are enjoyed and liked by the public. And why are they enjoyed by the public? Because they are different, they are contemporary, and they are entertaining. They are entertaining. There, in a nut shell, is the answer to it all. The public find them entertaining, and the thoughts and opinions of the legion of bickering, angry, jealous magicians and mentalists mean nothing. The public like them. All else is irrelevant. There is a saying in magic that you have probably heard before, many times. It's not the trick, it's you. In that one sentence is the secret to being entertaining and to being liked by an audience, whether it be a world-wide TV

audience or a table at a wedding reception. If they like you, they'll like the trick. Sadly most magicians and mentalists approach the problem from the other side – their approach has always tended to be (and magic retailers love them for it) if they like the trick, they'll like me. Sadly the 'if they like the trick, they'll like me' approach leads only to lacklustre performance and a poor show. You see, the trick is always secondary. The primary thing that an audience of any size will enjoy is being in the company of the performer; to hear him speak, observe his actions, learn a little about him and his life. The audience need to buy into you not only as a performer, but as a person who they either warm to or are intrigued by. And if they warm to you and are also intrigued by you, then that's even better. In the 21st Century, most magicians and mind-readers will find the vast majority of their work being employed as a 'table-hopper' or a 'walk-around' entertainer, where the

magic is performed close-up, to small groups or at the table-side. When it comes to working from the stage, all bets with regard to appearance and style are off – you can get away with a lot more from the stage than you can when working at a wedding reception or a corporate event. And as most professionals and semi-professionals will, in this day and age, be more likely to be employed as a close-up performer, this will be the main thrust of this particular step. There's an old adage amongst body language experts, pop psychologists, and pick up artists that people decide within the first ten seconds (or whatever) whether or not they like you. If this is true, and my personal experience has done nothing to disprove it, people have decided whether or not they are going to be entertained by you before you've even had chance to do any 'magic'. And if you lose them within those first few seconds, you'll have the devil of a job winning them back. It can be done, of course, but far better to win them over in the first place.

How then to win over a (for example) table at a wedding reception? After all, these people have been having a perfectly nice time before you arrived. They were laughing, chatting, drinking champagne, enjoying the day, and suddenly here you are, talking loudly, attracting everyone's attention, and going on about performing 'some magic'. How rude! Here I can only speak from my own experience. I have worked as a table-hopper at hundreds of wedding receptions and corporate events, and have witnessed the approach of many other magicians who I happened to be working with at larger events. I shall firstly outline my approach, and then outline the approach of those who I feel tend to alienate their audience rather than win them over, and perhaps rather humbly explain what they were doing wrong.

Personal Appearance The days of magicians having to dress very formally are

by now past. No-one expects a magician to arrive in top hat and tails. However dressing appropriately for the particular event is still extremely important. I have a basic 'uniform' that I will wear for almost all events. This is a smart suit, smart shoes, shirt, and waistcoat. If I feel that the event is going to be particularly 'posh' I will happily add a tie to this ensemble. The only time I would not wear this uniform would be if I am informed that the event is 'black tie'; then, of course, I would dress in the expected manner. My uniform works on several levels. It is smart enough and formal enough to pass muster at 90% of all events (the black tie events being the only exception), and yet it is not overly formal and stuffy to a degree that I may alienate people and look a little too 'full of myself'. I no longer believe that the performer should dress one class above those he is entertaining. I no longer feel that is appropriate or required with a 21st century audience, and indeed risks alienating those you are meant to be entertaining. “What's he come dressed like that for?” would be a death knell

when approaching a table – they've judged you in those first few seconds and now the rest of your time is going to be spent winning them back over. However I must admit that I am a fan of a saying I first read in that marvellous book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: 'I suppose one ought not to employ a magician and then complain that he does not behave like other people.' Some quirkiness in your dress is to be encouraged. Perhaps a waistcoat with a pocket watch and chain (although, please, no playing card waistcoats or multi-coloured affairs), a fancy looking shirt, a slightly extravagant hair-style or facial hair, even a tattoo or two poking out from beneath shirt collar and cuffs, or shoes that are altogether too dandy. These slight concessions to eccentricity are to be encouraged so long as they remain a flash of colour on an otherwise conservatively stylish canvas. Just a dash of flavour you understand, so that your audience realise you are not of the norm while not being alienated by your appearance.

An adult, grown-up audience will throw the barriers up immediately if they see the following: An ill-fitting suit. Nothing says 'boy pretending to be a man' better than an ill-fitting cheap suit in which the performer clearly feels uncomfortable. If you are not used to wearing a suit, spend a day or two wearing it around the house until it feels perfectly natural to you. Do not buy your first ever suit and then wear it for the first time at a performance. Spend time in it, and perhaps more importantly, spend time running through your routines while wearing it. Learn where the pockets are and where you will place the various items you will be using. Unprofessional may be defined by a performer riffling through his pockets looking for a pack of cards half way through a performance at the table side: “Now where did I put those cards? They're in one of these pockets, I'm sure!” When choosing a suit, colour is very important. You cannot go wrong with a black suit (dark & mysterious and

all that!), and dark blue is also a good choice. Grey is not a particularly good choice, unless it is a very well made suit and you can carry it off. A grey suit tends to put people in the mind of an office worker. Dark suits also have the advantage of being able to cover up a multitude of sins, including spilt drinks and food, before requiring cleaning! My personal opinion is that wedding receptions, dinner parties, and corporate events dictate me wearing my uniform. Occasionally you may be employed to work at a party that is slightly less formal. In this case you may be able to get away with dressing more liberally. Personally I would still stick to my uniform – I am 50 years old after all and if I attempted to dress in a more contemporary fashion I would be in danger of looking silly! But if you are blessed with youth, and you have been invited to work at a teenager's birthday party or similar, you could very well get away with dressing in a less formal manner. Whacky clothing. There is a world of difference between

whacky clothing and the elements of quirkiness I discussed earlier. By 'whacky clothing' I am referring to the stereotypical magician clothing that some performers seem irresistibly drawn to: playing card ties, multicoloured waistcoats, etc. Please, simply don't. And if you ever find yourself being drawn into wearing such an item, again, simply don't. Your audience will think you're a children's entertainer. This is fine if you are a children' entertainer, not so fine when you're approaching the table of the CEO of the large multi-national company that have just paid a thousand pounds to have you entertain their top salesmen. Please note: there are some performers who cater for a very specific demograph and may dress in a unique or flamboyant manner. For these performers, the rules are very different. They have built up a reputation and an image that ties in with the kind of audience they wish to attract, and so they will dress in a manner befitting this audience. I'm thinking here particularly of 'goth' magicians, but I'm sure there are others as well. The rules

I am talking about are for performers who will be and are working at more mainstream events. Personal hygiene. Nothing will detract from your performance or your magic, and alienate your audience along the way, quicker and more surely than poor hygiene. Be clean, smell nicely, cut your nails, and invest in deodorant. In all matters of personal hygiene, treat every gig as though it were a first date. Present yourself as you would if you were going to meet the lady of your dreams.

Manner and Speech You can look a million dollars, smell divine, and still ruin it all as soon as you open your mouth! Here's the opening lines that I always approach a table with: “Hello there! My name's Paul and I'm a magician employed here today. I wonder, would you like to see some magic today?”

Three simple sentences, but all tried and tested and there for a reason. Over the years I have tried all manner of introductions and opening gambits, and I have settled on these three sentences and have used them for the past, ooh, five years or more. Why? Because they are polite, they are non-confrontational, they offer the audience a choice, and they tell the audience what they are likely to experience. “Hello there! My name's Paul and I'm a magician employed here today. (First things first – they now know my name, I've been very courteous and polite so they're not likely to be rude back at me, I've told them I'm a magician so they have an idea of what I'm likely to do, and they know I've been paid to be there – I'm not just some random weird bloke who's wandered in off the street) I wonder, would you like to see some magic today? (Here they have a choice – they can say 'no'. And if they do, that's fine. I'm not obligated to force my particular brand of entertainment down their throats. They're allowed to say no if they want)” I have, over the years, been variously employed as a

magician, a mentalist, and a palm/tarot reader at events. At all these events I have described myself as a magician when approaching the tables. Why? Because it is a word that very quickly gets the idea of who I am and what I do over to a lay audience who have a very broad idea of what constitutes magic. Remember, they're not experts like you and me! They don't know the difference between magic, mind-reading, mentalism, or even mediumship! To lay people, magic is weird stuff that Harry Potter, Dynamo, and other assorted weirdos do. That's close enough for me! It's in the ball park. If I was to describe myself as a mentalist, most people would not understand what I meant and in some countries it means something completely different to how we in the magic community mean it. If I describe myself as a mind-reader, some wag is inevitably going to shout out, “What am I thinking now then?” And if I describe myself as a tarot reader, people can get a little worried or freaked out. 'Magician' is the softest word available to me that does not encourage confrontation and still puts an idea into the minds of the audience of what kind of entertainment I perform. The wise-ass remarks

you are likely to receive by describing yourself as a magician are along the lines of: “The children are over there,” (to which I would reply, “Oh no, it's not that kind of magic! It's very much grown up magic, and perhaps a little freaky!”) or “Can you make my wife disappear?” (to which I reply by smiling broadly as though I'd never heard the remark before). I offer the audience at a table the opportunity to say 'no' to my offer of magic because I don't want to force myself on someone or on a particular group of people. Some people have a very genuine fear of magic (I had one woman run out of a restaurant in a panic after I introduced myself – apparently she had a phobia of magic), and some religious types might even think that you're about to start conjuring demons and so might decline your kind offer. There are even one or two poor misguided souls who view 'magic' as being children's entertainment and may scoff at the suggestion, and turn you down because they're far too grown up and sophisticated to be entertained by such trifles! Whenever I encounter a table that say no to the

Voodini magic, I always respond by putting on an extra, extra special performance for the surrounding tables. I encourage applause and whooping, and ensure that the table that said 'no', which by this point are usually sat in silence, thoroughly regret their rash decision. I have heard some performers say that they don't introduce themselves to a table and merely dive straight into their routines. This may work well for them, but personally I fear that such an approach would run the risk of alienating people. As well as the aforementioned anti-magic brigade (those with phobias, too much religion, or those who are simply too important), even otherwise very friendly people could be frightened off or sacred away by a sudden 'magic attack'. My stand-point would always be that at a wedding reception, a corporate event, or even in a restaurant, you are dealing with grown-ups. Allow them the opportunity to make grown-up decisions. Diving straight in, beginning your routines without warning, to me smacks of a performer who is afraid that given the opportunity the people at the table might not care to be

entertained by him. By jumping straight in he is negating the possibility of being rejected by the table, but ironically he is multiplying the chance of him alienating the table and receiving a lukewarm or even confrontational response. When talking to a table of people, the performer should always speak loudly enough to be heard and in a clear manner. It sounds like common sense, I know, but I have on several occasions witnessed magicians at the side of the table, mumbling away as they fumbled with a pack of cards, and with half the table looking at each other and saying, “What did he say?” If you are a performer, a magician, and you are there to entertain people, be proud of that fact. Speak as though you are proud of the fact that you are a magician. Do not mumble your words, do not be ashamed, and do not, under any circumstances, believe that the trick will cover for you, that the trick will amaze everyone, and that the trick will leave everyone liking you. It won't. The only thing that will amaze everyone and make everyone like you is you. The trick is just the added

wow factor. The main vehicle on the road to both amazement and being liked is you. Talk up, make eye contact, smile, and show your audience just how proud you are of your skills and your profession. “Hello! My name is Paul and I am a magician!” If you are a naturally shy person, and many magicians and mentalists are, it may be a good idea to attend public speaking or acting lessons simply to get over the feeling of self-consciousness, and to get used to hearing yourself speak in front of groups of people. Believe it or not, I used to be a terribly shy person. Now I'd happily walk up to a table full of Hell's Angels and spend half an hour reading their palms (and indeed have done exactly that on more than one occasion). I can still remember the moment when I had to change my personality in order to work as a professional magician. I had been employed by a restaurant to perform magic at the table-side. The restaurant didn't know it, but this was my first proper gig entertaining adults. I had been working for

a while as a children's magician, mainly at local birthday parties, but I was still terribly shy. I remember standing by the bar looking out at this ocean of tables, all occupied by strangers who were chatting away to each other, laughing, having a good time. My legs felt like jelly and I thought to myself, “How on earth am I supposed to walk up to these people, interrupt them, and start bending forks (which was what I was doing at the time)?” Then I noticed that the manager of the restaurant was looking at me, no doubt wondering when I was going to actually start performing some of the magic that I told him I was going to do. I thought to myself, “You have two choices; you can either go up to the first table and perform some magic, or you can walk out of the restaurant, jump in your car, drive home, and get a job in an office. The choice is yours.” So I shook myself down, forced myself to walk, one step at a time, over to the first table and performed magic. After that I got less and less shy, one table at a time, one event at a time.

Perhaps as a result of this shyness, I have never had too much of a problem with awkward punters and people trying to get the better of me. My approach as a close-up entertainer has always been very earnest, and I strive to genuinely deliver a top notch performance each and every time. This inner shyness motivates me to win over any audience by being a decent, nice guy. I have occasionally fallen into the magician-as-smart-ass trap, but really, it's not me and as soon as I feel myself heading that way I mentally slap myself and get back on the straight and narrow. Magician-as-smart-ass. Why is it that so many magicians feel the need to be the smart arse, the obnoxious bully, the guy with the clever put-downs who takes a perverse pleasure in making fools of the very people he is supposed to be entertaining? Take it from me, a smart remark or the ability to make someone look stupid is a poor substitute for magic. I was shy when I began to work as a close-up magician. I

compensated

for

that

by

being

earnest,

nice,

accommodating, and good fun. I fear though that my way of dealing with my inner shyness may be in the minority. A lot of magicians I suspect deal with an inner shyness, but many find less positive ways of dealing with it. They may, and we've all seen it, deal with their shyness by being the smart Alec, passive aggressive, forceful, sexist, and by making their volunteers look and feel stupid. Strike first, get the first blows in, make other people look stupid, and that way perhaps nobody will notice how shy I am and how much my hands are shaking! My advice to those performers is: stop it. Stop it and grow up. You may have the greatest magic at your fingertips, you may have all the moves, you may be dressed to impress, your personal hygiene may be impeccable, you may have the routines at your disposal that could indeed start a new religion. But all of that means nothing if, as you leave the table, the people whisper to each other, “Well, he was a bit of a dick wasn't he?”

Be nice, be honest, be yourself. NB Just to reiterate once again, I am talking about the close-up entertainer. When it comes to stage work, all bets are off. The stage performer has a lot more leighway in terms of performance persona.

Patter All of which leads us very nicely to patter. I feel that the advice not to treat your audience like idiots fits just as well in this section. No need to repeat it again, hopefully by now you understand my stand-point. I am also a great believer in the magic happening in the hands of the spectator rather than in the hands of the magician. I am not a fan of the magician as the cleverest man at the table, the man with all the power. I am far more in favour of the magician as conduit, the man who is able to take an ordinary person and demonstrate to them the hidden magic they have inside them.

A very quick mental magic demonstration will hopefully give you an idea of the kind of thing I am talking about. I would never, generally, perform this routine quite as simply as outlined here – I would normally add other elements – but I think that it will demonstrate my point quite nicely. Routine #1: Magician hands pack of cards to spectator. Spectator secretly chooses one card. Magician reads her mind and correctly predicts which card she has chosen. The magician is the hero, he has the magic, no-one can do what he can do. Routine #2: Magician thinks of a card. Spectator trusts her instinct and secretly selects a card from a deck, a card that for some reason she feels drawn to. Magician names his card. Spectator turns over her chosen card and it correctly matches the magician's thought-of card. The magic is in the spectator, the magician has demonstrated the wonder that everyone carries around inside them.

In routine #1 the magician is taking something away from the spectators. If he is a good performer and a pleasing personality, the audience will give him their sense of awe and wonder, he will be elevated to the position of miracle worker, and his ego will be fuelled. The spectators give and the magician takes. In routine #2 the magician is giving something to the spectators. He is giving them a sense of awe and wonder at the magic inside themselves, he is saying 'look what you are capable of'. The star of the performance is the spectator, and the other spectators will ask her, “How did you do that?” Her ego is fuelled, she is the centre of attention. The magician gives and the spectators take. My preferred manner of working is in the style of performance #2. Now, as stated right at the beginning, this is a very personal stand-point. It is clearly not possible in all

scenarios, with all tricks and routines, to make the spectator the star, and some performers may simply enjoy being the centre of attention and all the applause and accolades directed at them. I can't change human nature. However I would encourage every magician to ask himself whether he is a taker or a giver, and why he performs in the manner that he does. A final word on patter, and it shouldn't really need saying but I fear that it does, is to be yourself. There is no point in stealing other magician's patter and scripts. It will seem wooden and sterile when the words of other people tumble from your mouth. Base your patter and your scripts on your own life experiences, on who you are as an individual. By basing your patter and your script around who you are, your words will have added meaning and depth, and as you speak your audience will perceive, almost subconsciously, the genuineness of your words. This will help you to endear yourself to them as we have talked about previously. Merely recounting the words of another will leave both you and your audience cold. If a

routine or a trick is important to you, tell your audience that it is important to you and then tell them why it is important. If you do different routines at different tables, explain why you have chosen to perform this particular routine with them. Be funny, be self-depreciating, be honest, and they will love you for it. And as a bonus, you will find the number of 'dick heads' you have to deal with diminishing. By taking away the confrontation, by not trying to be the smartest person at the table, by being humble and giving the magic to your spectators, you will find that very few alpha males will feel the need to establish their authority. Or if they do, they will not continue for long before they realise that, after all, you're a decent kind of guy and they no longer feel the need to confront you.

Good Effects In the original 13 Steps, Corinda states that it is enough to be able to perform six tricks perfectly. I agree wholeheartedly, and feel that this is particularly true of

mentalists. I have often thought it strange that some mentalists feel the need to demonstrate a whole host of abilities – from mind-reading through to metal bending. If you genuinely had one super-power, if you could, for example, predict the star sign of a stranger, would you then think to yourself, “Yes, but I need more super powers!” Of course not, you would have your superpower and be happy with it, and go on to make your fortune (or save the world from evil). Would it make sense for Iron Man to think to himself, “Yes, I've got this super cool metal suit but you know what? I kind of fancy being a god of thunder too.” Of course not. Therefore my advice is to all performers is do one or two things, and do them so well that it is second nature to you. When I'm employed to work at an event, I have two tools at my disposal that I rely on again and again. I know these two tools very, very well, they are almost extensions of myself. I can rely on them to provide wonder and mystery, and I know that they will never let me down. These two tools are a marked deck of cards and my abilities as a

reader (palm, tarot etc.). I may dally with other routines and ideas occasionally, but all I need is my marked cards and my reading abilities. Magicians are always chasing the next big thing, the holy grail, the one great 'trick' that will elevate their performance and take them to the next level. As a magical creator myself, I'm as guilty as most of perpetuating this myth. The truth is that you already have more than enough ability, more than enough skill, and more than enough props to provide magic and wonder at every event you ever attend from now until the day you shuffle off this mortal coil. My two 'skills' are marked cards and readings. What are yours? If you had to chose just two skills, what would they be? Now think on that, and think on how you know and understand those two skills to such a degree that they have become extensions of who you actually are. That's a pretty profound statement to make – that two skills could become so ingrained in your psyche that they have

become extensions of yourself. If you have these two skills already at your disposal (and to be honest, you probably have more than two), why are you running around, constantly chasing new ideas and new routines that will never substitute those skills that you always carry with you? You have your iron suit. You don't need to be the god of thunder too. Let someone else do that. NB If you are a magic collector who enjoys acquiring new magic and new props, that's a very different matter entirely. Please continue with your hobby unmolested!

Entertainment Please remember that at the end of the day, you are an entertainer. Your sole purpose, when working at an event, is to provide entertainment. You are not there to feed your own ego, to chat to the pretty girls, or to moan to the DJ about the lack of complimentary drinks. You are there to entertain, and so for the two or three hours that you have

been paid to be there, go out and entertain! When it comes to your routines, use the routines that you know always 'do the business'. You may be tempted to put new routines and new ideas into your performances simply to spice things up a little bit for yourself, and there is something to be said for that. But in the main, I would always advise falling back on the tried and the tested and the things that you know work for you. Bearing in mind the advice in the previous sections, there should be little danger of you becoming weary and bored with your own performance. If you are being yourself, placing the magic in the hands of the spectator, and utilising the skills that feel like extensions of who you are, the last thing you should become is jaded. When you perform magic with your audience rather than at your audience, no two performances will be the same, the magic will express itself in slightly different ways each time, and the look of wonder in the eyes of your spectators will never cease to amaze and inspire you.

You are blessed – you have magic inside you. Now go out and show the world what a wonder this magic is!