Mmm_lecture

M.M.M. Minimalistic Metaphysical Mentalism

The Lecture

By Scott Creasey

© 2019 Scott Creasey.

All rights reserved. Including all commercial manufacturing, marketing and distribution rights for the material contained within this publication are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Author.

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Minimalistic: (adjective) Minimalistic (of an artistic style) using simple elements with little embellishment

Metaphysics: (noun) Metaphysics from the Greek: Meta meaning over or beyond and physics meaning the physical, material world. Thus, the combination refers to such concerns that are beyond or transcend the material world.

Mentalism: (noun) Mentalism a performing art in which its practitioners, often known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities, including hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats, and deduction. Mentalists are sometimes categorized as psychic entertainers, although that category also contains non-mentalist performers such as psychic readers and bizarrists.

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Introduction Volume one of Minimalistic, Metaphysical Mentalism (MMM) was released in May 2018 and consisted of 362 pages, 20 essays, insights and observations, a link to a free downloadable video demonstrating multiple utility moves, 46 photographic descriptions covering 30 full mentalism routines, suitable for one to one performances, close-up, table hopping, cabaret and stage, including a full audience Q&A system with the patter, worked from your pockets using nothing more than a stack of double blank cards and a pen. I have got to say I was overwhelmed with the reaction the book received from the worldwide mentalism fraternity because the routines and performance philosophies I shared, are very personal to me and I wasn’t sure if my ramblings and the things I like to perform would make sense, or appeal to anybody else. It seems, judging by the reviews however, I was wrong. I have lectured at 90 different societies across the UK and Europe since 2004 but made a conscious choice after my last tour, to knock the lectures on the head. My reasoning behind that decision was that the style of heavy mentalism I love to perform, doesn’t really appeal to the majority of magic club members. However, it has been pointed out to me by close mentalism friends, that many of the routines I use which have a, let’s say less psychic approach, are very commercial and would probably appeal to both mentalists and magicians. With that in mind I have taken seven of what I consider the most, audience friendly, commercial and easy to perform routines from MMM volume one and two and put them together to create this lecture, one that I hope everybody, regardless of performance style or level of competency. will get something from. Welcome to MMM the Lecture

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Contents Introduction

4

Minimalistic Props

6

Unconscious Muscle Memory

8

The Rhine Experiment

13

Predictive Perception of Pi

18

Veridical Afterimage

24

The Retrospect Prophecy

30

A Coin in the hand is worth

33

Retrospective Rhine

38

Bonus

41

The Mystic Square

42

Conclusion

47

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Minimalistic Props Without going completely prop-less, which to be honest often seems to me to be very jumbled and heavily instructional, and for our mentalism to be uncluttered and effective in any environment, we tend to need people to write things down, it is the most efficient way of getting the information you want to feed back as though you are reading their mind. There are of course some amazing gadgets and bits of equipment on the market for gaining the information required, from gimmicked pads with magnetic pens, to special wallets with multiple peeks and expensive electrical gizmos that can transmit a drawing to a watch via a smart phone at three hundred meters, but do you need all that stuff? Well no, to be quite honest you don’t. So, let’s take a closer look at the props you will require to perform the routines outlined in these notes. In the photo that follows you will see the same props that I never leave home without.

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Yep, that’s it, a stack of about thirty double blank cheap quality bridge sized playing cards, wrapped in an elastic band along with a stubby sharpie or two. I carry them in the wallet you can see in the pictures and OK I admit it I also carry a small silver pendulum, but you don’t have to. The leather wallet I can either drop in my back pocket if I’m just out socially or if I am working professionally it has a belt loop and sits on my belt under my jacket. If I add an A4 Pad and a table, I can perform a full cabaret act using just those few cards and pens, simply because most of the effects I design I have adapted for both close-up and cabaret use. So, let’s get into the routines.

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Unconscious Muscle Memory The routine that follows uses the standard stack of banded, double blank cards we’ll be using throughout these notes. It is based on an effect called ‘The Tender Touch’ contributed to Lee Earl’s SYZYGY magazine by Dave Arch, who in turn got his inspiration from an effect called “The Eye of The Beholder” from Al Koran’s Legacy by Hugh Miller. Dave Arch presented his routine using a deck of cards, the method relying on a simple mathematical principle and a known key card at the 26th position. I wanted to do away with playing cards and remove the idea that this is just a card trick while presenting the effect with a smaller number of double blank cards instead. This required a change in handling due to the double blank cards looking the same on both sides and the addition of a short card to act as a key. In my opinion eliminating the playing cards in favour of double blank cards also strengthens the effect. You can present the routine as mind reading or remote viewing if you wish but I prefer to frame it around a technique I call unconscious muscle memory.

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Effect: The performer removes a banded stack of double blank cards from his pocket and drops them on the table as he explains there are those people out there who have the ability to measure time accurately using nothing more than their internal clock which scientists call the suprachiasmatic nucleus and there are those who can accurately measure the size and distance of faraway objects using nothing more than their own internal macrometer. He goes on to explain Neuroscientists have long believed it is these kinds of heightened senses that enable certain individuals to demonstrate what appear to be psychic phenomena, one of which is the ability of the psychic to tap into the unconscious muscle memory of someone else. He removes the band from the cards and puts the stack on the table as he instructs a volunteer to cut off a packet of cards, while his (the performers) back is turned and hide them in a pocket, but he stresses the volunteer should cut off less than half the stack and shouldn’t count them before hiding them because it is important that nobody knows how many she has taken. When she confirms she has done this, and still with his back turned, the performer instructs her to take the remaining cards and deal fifteen into a pile on the table and then hide those that remain somewhere else. When all these instructions have been carried out he once again turns to face the audience. The fifteen cards counted from those that remained after she cut the cards, he explains, represent exactly half the original stack which consisted of thirty cards in total. As he picks up the tabled cards he goes on to say, because I asked you to cut off less than half I know you have less than fifteen cards in your pocket. As he says this he appears to be weighing the cards in his hand. He then cuts off a small packet from the stack and drops them on the table and continues with the weighing motion. He cuts off another small packet and again drops them to the table as he says, by tapping into your unconscious muscle memory of the cards you cut from the original pile, I can sort of feel the weight of those cards as you held them in your hand and I think we are almost there. He then removes one more single card from the pile and drops it onto the table. At this point he counts the cards that remain in his hand out loud, let’s say he has a total of eleven cards. The volunteer removes the cards from her pocket and counts them aloud. She has exactly the same number as the performer.

Method: Although you tell the audience you have thirty cards in the original stack you actually have twenty-nine and the centre card of the stack is your short card. This means no matter which side of the stack you count from; the fifteenth card will always be the short card. You can 9

of course do this with more than thirty cards, but I don’t want the stack that I carry to resemble a deck of cards, so I stick to the smaller number. You must remember however that this routine needs to be performed before you do any others which may result in cards being taken from either side of the stack and then discarded. Lose one card from either side and this effect won’t work. So, take the cards from your pocket and in line with the patter remove the band as you place the cards on the table in front of a volunteer. Instruct her to cut off less than half the full stack and put them in her pocket (or handbag) without counting them and while your back is turned. Once done, you need the volunteer to count fifteen cards from the top of the stack on the table. It is important that she deal the cards starting with the card that was left on top after the cut, so a bit of audience management is required to ensure she doesn’t flip the cards over when she picks them up. When she confirms that is done, ask her to hide the cards that remain (I normally ask her to hide them under the leather pouch I carry the cards in) and tell her this is to ensure you have no way of calculating how many cards she has in her pocket. You now turn to face her and the audience again. At this point you genuinely have no idea how many cards she has in her pocket. But you do know she has less than the fifteen on the table and the short card in the stack is your key card. So, pick up the fifteen cards she counted onto the table, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, in doing so turn the stack over in your hand. Because the cards are double blank everything looks the same from both sides and to me this is the convincer that makes the effect stronger than when performed with playing cards. Now riffle to the short card using your thumb and when you get to it, allow a few more cards to riffle free from your thumb onto the short card to create a new break, then lift off all the cards above the break and drop them on the table. It is at this point you pretend to weigh the cards that remain in your hand as you patter about unconscious muscle memory. Riffle up to the short card again and cut all the cards above it onto the table. Weigh the cards again as you continue with your patter. Finally remove the short card from the top of the stack and drop it on the table to join the other discards. You now have exactly the same number of cards remaining in your hand as the volunteer has in her pocket.

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All that remains is to count them openly then have her count hers and confirm she has the same number. This routine is very strong, and I believe that because all the cards are double blanks and identical, is stronger than the same routine performed with deck of playing cards. Try it, it was more complicated to write than it is to perform, and I think you’ll be surprised by the reaction it receives.

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“The term suspension of disbelief or

willing suspension of disbelief can be defined as a willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; a sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment”. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1817

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The Rhine Experiment Effect: The performer removes a stack of about thirty double blank cards and a felt tip pen from his pocket, as he proposes a test carried out by J.B Rhine’s parapsychology team at Duke University in the 1930’s. On five cards he draws the standard Rhine symbols, a circle, cross, wavy lines, square and a star, one per card as he explains the origin of the symbols. The five cards are mixed and cut by a volunteer who then chooses one unseen and sits on it. The four remaining symbols are then shuffled into the stack of double blank cards by the volunteer who then holds the stack, so the symbols are facing him. With his back turned the performer instructs the volunteer to take blank cards one at a time from the face of the stack and put them to the back and keep doing so until he comes to the first symbol, at which point he is told to just say the word symbol and concentrate on the image before him. After a few moments of concentration, the performer describes the symbol the volunteer is concentrating on. 13

This symbol is removed and dropped on the able by the volunteer as the process is repeated two more times. Once the performer has identified three of the Rhine symbols, he proposes a slightly different test. There are two symbols left, one remains lost in the stack of cards the other the volunteer is sitting on. The volunteer holds the stack of cards between his palms as the performer concentrates. After a few moments he describes a symbol and asks the volunteer to remove the one he is sitting on. It matches the performers description.

Method: The routine as descried was devised for a close-up environment however, with just a couple of extra props, I use it in a cabaret or lecture situation as a test conditions style experiment, I’ll explain how later. However, for this close-up variation there is no set up, so it is perfect for table hopping. You can draw the symbols beforehand and carry them separately if you wish but I like the routine to appear totally impromptu so draw them real-time. Remove the elastic band from the stack of cards as you explain the relevance of the Rhine symbols. A quick search online will provide more than enough information for you to write a script about J.B. Rhine and the Duke University experiments, but I’ll give you a couple of snippets of mine as we work through the method. Draw the symbols in the standard stacking order but in reverse. So, the first symbol you draw is the star. Place this drawing side up on the table followed by the square, wavy lines, cross and finally the circle. So, with the five cards held drawing side down, the top symbol is the star and the bottom the circle. In order for the volunteer to be able to shuffle the five symbol cards in to the rest of the stack and still enable the routine to work, you need someone who can do a riffle shuffle, if you can’t find someone however do the shuffling yourself. Here’s what I say.

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“During the Rhine experiments, the symbol cards were always mixed using an electronic casino shuffling machine to ensure the procedure was completely random, the machine basically does a very thorough shuffle known in casino’s as a riffle shuffle. I don’t have a shuffling machine on me, but it looks a bit like this”. As I explain this I pick up the stack of blank cards (minus the symbols) and perform a couple of riffle shuffles. This is the only routine in my whole repertoire that I allow myself to display any dexterity with a pack of cards but even then, I do it somewhat clumsily. When I have demonstrated, I ask if anybody in the audience can do a riffle shuffle. If somebody says yes then they will be my volunteer, if nobody can do the shuffle then I tell them, “in that case I’ll have to play the part of the shuffling machine”. And I pick someone to be my volunteer. Assuming you find someone, who can do the shuffle, you now false shuffle the five symbols picture side down, then put them on the table in front of your volunteer and ask him to give the small packet of cards a couple of complete cuts. Your shuffle of course if false and doesn’t disturb the stacked order of the cards and the volunteer’s complete cuts also retain the cyclic stack. After the final cut instruct the volunteer to remove the top card and without looking at it, sit on it. You now pick up the remaining four symbols and drop them on top of the stack of blank cards peeking the bottom card of the stack in the process. You then instruct the volunteer to give the stack two complete riffle shuffles. Although the riffle shuffles distribute the cards throughout the stack, only giving it two means the cyclic order of the symbol cards won’t change. So, if we assume the bottom card you peeked was the square, then that will be the first card your volunteer comes to when he removes cards from the face of the stack to the rear. Followed by the star, the circle and the cross which means the wavy lines is the card he is sitting on. Of course, by the time you have read the mind of your volunteer three times, the routine is starting to become repetitive which is why after the third symbol I personally change over to the remote viewing premise. Here is the scripting I use.

“OK we have just two symbols left, one is lost in the stack and the other you are sitting on, so let’s try something different. Remote viewing is the ability to send your consciousness to a remote location and describe what you see. I am going to try to remote view the image you are sitting on; however it would be rude of me to remote view your butt, so instead I’ll see if I can ascertain the symbol that is lost in the stack and by a process of elimination I should be able to tell you the name of the other”. 15

This of course is a case of simply naming the last symbol in the stack. Depending on the gender of your volunteer you may be able to lighten the mood a bit with the image of remote viewing someone’s butt. However, it is always best to err on the side of caution and if your volunteer is female I suggest you stick with the idea that it would be inappropriate to remote view her bum. Of course, depending on your audience, you may need to change your language and call it a bottom, backside or even posterior.

Cabaret/Lecture Variation. If you have seen me perform this in cabaret, then you will be aware that I use a batteryoperated shuffling machine and reveal the symbols by writing them on a an A4 pad, while standing with my back to the volunteer, who sits up stage from me. I draw the symbols on five cards as I patter about J.B Rhine, then drop the five cards on the table, introduce the shuffling machine and using the remaining blank cards demonstrate how the machine works. I instruct the volunteer in its operation and let him or her have a go using just the blank cards. Once I’m sure they can operate it correctly and after they have chosen one of the five symbols, I drop the remaining four on top of the stack, peeking the bottom card in the process, and then let the volunteer use the machine to shuffle the cards twice. This procedure is extremely disarming. From the perspective of the volunteer and audience, it appears impossible for the performer to know where the symbols fall in the stack (which is true) but also in what order they fall.

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“Celebrated psychics such as Uri Geller and Matthew Manning are masters of the reputation enhancing opportunism and the exploitation of ‘happy accidents’, coincidence and objective chance” Tony (Doc) Sheils – The Cantrip Codex 1989

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The Predictive Perception of Pi Effect: On an A4 pad or white board the performer writes a four-digit number, shows it to the audience then stands the pad against a chair so the number is on display throughout the routine. He then removes a stack of small cards secured with an elastic band from his pocket, removes the band shows the top card has the symbol for Pi drawn on its face. He turns the card over to show the number 3.1415 written on the back and explains these are the first five digits of Pi. This card he places in his pocket as he displays the remaining ten cards. These cards he explains have the next 180 digits of Pi written on them in the order they appear in Pi. The audience can see that each card has nine digits written on each side to form three rows of three-digit numbers. None of the three-digit numbers are repeated.

Pi is an amazing number, it is an infinite nonrepeating decimal which means that every possible number combination that has ever existed or ever will exist appears somewhere in Pi. So, your date of birth, all the telephone numbers you have ever had or ever will have, your bank account numbers, social security numbers and every combination of numbers you will ever use in the future. Think about that for a moment, every number you will ever use in the future, that means that Pi has already predicted an infinite numerical future for you me and everybody else. OK let’s test out the Predictive Perception of Pi shall we.

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Handing the stack of ten cards to a volunteer the performer asks her to mix them thoroughly, then look through the cards and silently choose one three-digit number from either side of any of the cards. He instructs her to remember this three digit number, mix the cards again and hand them to someone else to do the same. This procedure is repeated twice more until three people are merely thinking of a threedigit number each, at which stage the ten cards are pocketed by the performer. Turning to a fourth spectator he requests that he turns his mobile phone on and access the calculator. Addressing the volunteers, the performer explains he is going to mix it up a bit. The first volunteer is asked to call out any one of the digits that make up her three-digit number, when she does the person with the phone, keys it into the calculator. This procedure is repeated with the other two volunteers to create a brand new three-digit number. The spectator with the phone then presses the plus (addition) symbol. The same procedure is then repeated twice more with each volunteer giving a different digit from their three-digit number, until all the digits have been called out entered and totalled using the phone calculator. The spectator with the phone then calls out the total reached by adding the three randomly generated three-digit numbers together. The total matches the four-digit number written on the A4 pad which has been in full view since before any numbers were selected.

Method: This routine is something I have been playing with for years and I’ve used it regularly in close up, cabaret and on stage. I’ve always loved the mathematical principle used for predicting the sum-total of three randomly generated three-digit numbers and have written up a few variations in some of my other books. However, I’d never really been comfortable with the back stories I was using and to be honest I think many modern audiences find mathematical routines somewhat boring. That was until I saw an online quote regarding Pi stating that because it is an infinite nonrepeating decimal, every possible number combination that has ever existed or ever will exist appears somewhere among its digits. What a fantastic premise for any prediction that involves numbers. So, I set myself some criteria. I wanted a routine that could be carried in my pocket, seemed completely fair and hands off, was suitable for cabaret and closeup, required no reset and could be repeated with a different outcome. 19

The setup is fairly straightforward, and you’ll only need to make the cards up once (until

they are worn out of course). You create the cards by writing on each side of ten double blank cards, three rows of threedigit numbers. So, a total of eighteen digits on each of the ten cards creating a display of 180 digits in total. The cards you use can be bicycle stock, business card stock, index cards or as already described the cheap, bridge sized playing card stock I prefer. The three digits in the top row of each card (on both sides) when added together, equal 18. The digits of the middle row of each card (again on both sides) equal a total of 15 and finally three digits on the bottom row of each card (both sides) equal 14. (See Photo No: 1)

Photo No: 1 One side of one card. The top row of digits when totalled equal 18, the middle row 15 and the bottom row 14.

I chose these numbers on purpose because the final total of the mathematical calculations during the routine, will always equal 1964, which is the year I was born and which I have scripted in as further proof (sort of), that everybody’s date of birth will appear somewhere in Pi. The following numbers are the ones that I use. But of course, these were chosen from dozens that add up to the required total. You could easily increase or decrease the number of cards in play if you wish but I find ten is just about right and I’ll give you some variations later that will enable you to repeat the routine with a different outcome should you feel it is necessary. Top Row: All three digits total 18. 198, 918, 819, 981, 891, 189, 279, 729, 792, 297, 279, 369, 639, 693, 396, 963, 495, 954, 945, 549.

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Middle Row: All three digits total 15. 186, 168, 681, 618, 816, 285, 852, 528, 582, 384, 348, 843, 438, 483, 195, 159, 951, 915, 519, 591. Bottom Row: All three digits total 14. 176, 617, 716, 761, 671, 275, 752, 572, 527, 374, 347, 734, 743, 473, 437, 185, 158, 815, 518, 581. When the cards are made up, they should look something like those in the picture (See Photo No: 2) Photo No: 2 The Stack of Pi Cards

During performance the Pi symbol is on one face of the cards with the symbol showing. Snap an elastic band around the stack and you are ready to go. So, you write your open prediction, in this case 1964 then remove the cards from your pocket, remove the band, show the Pi symbol and explain its significance, flip it over to show the first five digits of Pi and then pocket that card. Now of course because I was following magic/mentalism effect tradition, I left out one important detail during the effect description. When you hand the cards to the first volunteer and request that she look at and remember one of the three-digit numbers written on any of the cards, you add that to ensure all three volunteers don’t accidentally choose the same number, she should choose a number from any of those on the top row, the second volunteer is given a choice from those on the middle row and the final volunteer choses from the bottom row.

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You now know that volunteer number one has digits that add up to 18, number two’s equal 15 and number three’s 14. So, three people have mixed the cards and chosen a three-digit number each, it seems impossible for you to know who has chosen what. We’ll call the volunteers A, B and C and assume they have chosen the following numbers A. 639 B. 915 C. 581 Explaining you want to really test the predictive power of Pi by mixing it up a bit, you ask another spectator to turn on his phone and access the calculator. I used to openly write the numbers down as they were called and calculate them myself, but these days I prefer to get one or more volunteers to open their phones and do it for me, it seems to make the routine appear even more hands off and out of my control, which I really like. Volunteer A is asked to choose any digit from her three-digit number and call it out, the spectator with the phone is instructed to key the numbers in as they are called. Let’s say she calls the number 9. Volunteer B does the same, let’s say he calls number 1 and finally volunteer C gives number 8. We’ve just created a new random three-digit number which the spectator has keyed into his phone’s calculator. That number is 918 at which point you instruct the spectator to press the plus symbol on his calculator. This procedure is repeated by asking the volunteers to call another, different digit from among the three to produce a second random three-digit number, in this case let’s say they choose 6, 5 and 5 to make 655. These are again keyed in followed by the plus symbol. This leaves just one unused digit remaining for each volunteer which are again keyed in one at a time to create the final random three-digit number, in this case that would be 391. The calculation that is in the phone therefore would be 918 655 391 + When the spectator with the phone hits the equal symbol, the total will be 1964 which of course matches your prediction.

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If you don’t like the idea of using a spectator with a phone or if you feel the audience members who have chosen numbers will forget which digits they have already called out, you can revert to doing an open manual calculation using a pad. I however really like to get three or four people (in a cabaret environment) to do the calculations on their phones and then get them to call out the total one at a time, which confirms there was no phone trickery involved and builds to the climax as you draw attention to your prediction.

Variations: You can repeat the routine with a different outcome very easily by simply requesting the numbers in a different order. For example, if the volunteers had chosen the same numbers as already described, but you have them called out in C, B, A, order the calculation would be. 819 556 193 + Which gives a total of 1568 no matter which numbers are chosen. Or B, A, C the order would be 198 565 931 + Which will always give a total of 1694, you get the idea. Of course, you don’t have to use three-digit numbers that add up to 18, 15 and 14 you can make up your own to suit your requirements.

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Veridical After-Image This Routine originally appeared in my book Surrealchemy released as an ebook in 2018. The version included here is a slightly updated variation and although I’ve included it here with the original force method, I also use an adaptation of a Hofzinser force when I perform this routine for the public. Veridical. adjective. truthful. psychol of or relating to revelations in dreams, hallucinations, etc, that appear to be confirmed by subsequent events An afterimage is an image that continues to appear in one's vision after the exposure to the original image has ceased. An afterimage may be a normal phenomenon (physiological afterimage) or may be pathological (palinopsia).

Effect: The performer in a serious tone addresses the audience.

Veridical afterimage was a term coined by Frederic W. H. Myers who founded The Society for Psychical Research (SPR). Myers' definition of the term would be, a memory impression left by dead individuals. Modern parapsychologists refer to it as ‘residual energy’ and contrary to what the sceptics tell you, scientists can and do measure it. Often, it would seem, these memory impressions are formed when a person dies under duress or when there 24

was a release of strong emotions involved. Myers believed that spirit mediums can tune in to and often manifest these memory impressions. Let’s see if we can do what Myers believed. The performer removes a stack of 20ish double blank cards from his pocket secured with an elastic band. He removes the band and while running through them calls out various names.

I’m not going to ask anybody to write the names of departed loved ones, I know that for me just thinking about those I’ve lost makes me sad, so I’ve got some pre-written cards here, I won’t show you all the names because I want your choice of spirit to be completely random., but we’ve got, John Lennon, Martin Luther King, Einstein, wait a minute that’s not right, we all know Elvis isn’t dead. He removes a card from the stack shows it to have Elvis written on one side and pockets it.

I want you to imagine the people named on these cards all have a couple of things in common. They were all well-known, famous, or infamous celebrities in their own right ……. and all of them are dead. Here nominate one at random but don’t let me see and we’ll try an experiment. A volunteer chooses a card at random and reads and remembers the name. The card is returned to the pile and the stack of names is handed to her to hold between the palms of her hands. The performer holds her hands between his, closes his eyes and tells her to concentrate on the name of the chosen person in spirit. After a few moments he opens his eyes and focuses just over her right shoulder.

There is someone standing just behind you on your right, ah! It is a lady and she is smiling. Very beautiful but the smiles don’t reach her eyes, lots of success but not as much happiness. She’s twirling and laughing, all the girls wanted to be her and all the men wanted to possess her. Hmm trying to stay awake but needing to sleep, booze for rest and pills for depression, taken too young. She’s whispering. The performer puts his finger to his lips…… shhh!

Norma, but don’t tell, it’s a secret. She’s waving and smiling, fading and gone. He releases his hold on the volunteer’s hands, opens his eyes and asks,

Did any of that make any sense to you? Yes, oh that is great, who were we talking to? Marylin Monroe, of course Marylin. Can I ask, do you believe in ghosts? You don’t ……. I do! 25

He tells her to turn over the cards in her hands, when she does she discovers both sides are completely blank with no names written on any of them.

Method: The routine involves the force of a single card, the only one with a name written on it (apart from Elvis) and the subsequent vanish of that card while being held by the volunteer. I originally used the rough and smooth principle for the vanish, then started using repositionable glue but eventually (as technology advanced) opted to use a substance called Plastidip. This substance comes in different colours, but the one we need is clear and when sprayed on one side of a card only, causes any other card placed against it, to adhere to it when a small amount of pressure is applied. Just go on line and search for Plastidip, I guarantee you’ll never use roughing fluid or spray again. There is another substance on the magic market called ‘Science Friction’ I am not sure what the difference is (apart from the price) although some magicians have said plastidip is an inferior product. I can’t comment because I’ve never used the Science Friction, so I am going to describe the method using the plastidip spray, but you will see how easy it is to adapt it for use with repositionable glue or roughing fluid should you wish. You will need a stack of about 20 double blank cards or more. Take one of your cards shorten it slightly by cutting off about 2 millimetres and re-round the corners, if you don’t have a corner rounder use a pair of nail clippers, then spray one side of the card with a coat of the Plastidip spray and allow it to dry completely. While it is drying, take a second card and on one side write the name of the deceased person you are going to force. I used Marylin Monroe in the effect description. (See Photo No: 3)

Photo No: 3 Shortened card sprayed on one side only with Plastidip. The name Marilyn Monroe written on the other card.

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She was a beauty, is still recognised by most adult audiences and was a tortured soul who died far too early. I also like the fact her real name was Norma Gene which enables me to confirm who she is without saying so directly. Of course, you don’t have to use Marylin and I have a number of variations depending on the age range of the audience I am working for. On another card write the name Elvis. The Elvis card is not an integral part of the method so isn’t required if you don’t want to use it, however I include it for two reasons. Firstly, removing it and showing it to the audience psychologically reinforces the idea there is a name written on each card, and secondly the cliché about Elvis not being dead, lightens the mood slightly after the introduction to Myers and Veridical Afterimage etc. When the plastidip coating on the shortened card has dried, drop the Marylin card writing side down on top of it with the Plastidip coating against the writing and drop both cards on top of the stack followed by the Elvis card. With the cards on top you can genuinely mix the stack without flashing the side that is supposed to have the words on and without splitting the stack of three cards, but your aim should be to position the three in the centre of the stack after the mix, so you could just do a straight cut if you wish. However, when using the double blank stack, I always perform a Charlier shuffle which results in a straight cut and leaves the three cards together somewhere near the centre. Once mixed and after you have explained that the cards have names written on them, called off a few and removed the Elvis card, riffle up the inner end until you hit the short, plastidip blank card. Obtain a little finger break between the short card and the card above it, which is your force name and then riffle force that card on a volunteer. As soon as she has seen and remembered the name, reassemble the stack (which puts the gaffed cards back together) and hand her the stack to hold, at the same time making it clear your hands are empty without drawing undue attention to them. You will notice in the script I explain the reason for not showing the names by saying.

“I won’t show you the names just yet as I don’t want to influence what happens next and I want your choice of spirit to be completely random”. I say this while mixing the cards which acts as a convincer that I do want the choice to be random and by using the word spirit, I am setting them up to expect some sort of contact. Adding I don’t want to show you the names just yet, insinuates they will see them all later. Then by saying “Instead I want you to imagine the people named on these cards all have a couple of things in common”. I am by slightly emphasising the word imagine, also sowing the seed that the name they see is just a figment of their imagination. (Like a ghost).

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The rest is presentation and acting. And I’m going to stress here that this effect is not half as convincing if you don’t play it for real. After you’ve removed the Elvis card, adopt a serious demeaner, this abrupt change in character unnerves an audience. Don’t laugh, don’t go into any long explanations after the effect, simply leave them wondering. Describing the person, they are thinking of as though you can see their spirit standing just behind them and focusing your gaze over their shoulder, is quite unsettling, which is what I’m aiming for and is the main effect and where you should concentrate your attention. Showing the cards blank after is a secondary effect and you should treat it almost as a throw away.

“Do you believe in ghosts? No, I do”. Spread the cards and take a look, or “Do you believe in ghosts? Yes, me too”, spread the cards. If you are worried about the volunteer spreading the cards with the gaff in place you can always retrieve them from her and do the spread yourself. To be honest the cheap cards I use tend to cling together in clumps anyway, so it isn’t a problem, but letting the volunteer do the work usually results in them not looking too carefully. After all, in their minds, if there was something to find you wouldn’t let them look.

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“A successful mentalist has to have presentation, personality and showmanship, he works with little else. It’s not how he does a trick but WHAT he does and that is the effect”. Vic Perry - 1974

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The Retrospect Prophecy I have used the title ‘The Retrospect Prophecy’ here to describe an old mentalism technique that I have adapted for use with the double blank cards. Primarily (but not exclusively) it is used as a technique to perform real-time predictions in a close-up setting. One way to describe a Retrospect Prophecy would be using the term postdiction, a prophecy or prediction that is only revealed (as correct) after the events supposedly predicted have already come to pass. In other words, you have to see (or hear) the information you are predicting, before you can predict it, which I suppose applies to all routines of this nature. In a close-up situation the technique usually employed, is the one behind system and there are thousands of routines in the annuls of mentalism literature, that rely on it. The problem is that with most of these types of routine, a force is required in order to work one behind, and often the forced item bares little or no relationship to the other predictions. For example, the performer predicts a three-digit number thought of at random between 100 and 999, followed by the name of a childhood friend and finally a playing card chosen from a well shuffled deck. In this example, the forced card is illogical because the other two predictions are so wide ranging. 30

Over the years many have addressed the problem by giving the presentation a theme. For example, if using a deck of cards for the force, one theme that has been (in my opinion) over used for years is a gambling presentation. You predict the total of a throw of two dice, the colour and number of a roulette spin and finally the name of a freely chosen playing card. Each prediction is written on a separate card or slip of paper and is on display before each random choice is made. Of course, in the one behind system, on the first slip of paper you write the name of the card you will force, but pretend you are predicting the outcome of the roll of the dice. On the second slip you pretend to predict the outcome of the spin of the roulette wheel, but in actual fact write the total of the dice roll and on the final slip you pretend to write the name of a chosen card, but instead write the result of the roulette spin. A very simple procedure, but one that leads to another problem. During the revelation phase of the routine, how do you disguise the fact that you wrote your predictions in the wrong order? Boy there have been some complicated methods and mechanisms devised over the years to overcome that issue, from miss-numbered cards to mechanical switching display stands and envelopes. Most serious mentalists these days opt for simply folding the predictions as each is written and dropping them in a glass. That way when they are dumped out on the table, the order is disrupted, and the spectators are none the wiser. However, even that solution doesn’t deal with the problem of the force. For the one behind to work, you need to force the last item to be predicted. Many performers have stuck to a physical force whereas others have taken the less well trodden psychological force route. The issue I have with using a psychological force for the last prediction, is that it doesn’t always work. Some of course say that doesn’t matter, because not being one hundred percent can often increase the believability factor. To some extent I agree, but not it this instance. If the miss (using the psychological force) occurred on the first or even the second prediction the impact would be lessened, but should you miss on the last prediction then the routine ends in an anticlimax. Prediction one - hit amazing, prediction two - hit what no way if you get this next one I’ll scream, prediction three – miss oh dear……..Anticlimax. But to compound the problem, and again this is my opinion, if you miss on prediction three, the method becomes that bit more transparent. 31

So rather than a physical or psychological force, I opted for a ranging force, which when combined with the double back properties of the blank cards, addresses most of the problems I’ve highlighted so far.

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A Coin in The Hand is Worth? This routine is just one presentational angle I’ve devised using the retrospect prophecy technique and I’m sure when you are familiar with the handling you’ll come up with many of your own. You also have a choice here, you can either present the following routine with your participant making physical selections, or alternatively you could have him act everything out in his imagination. I’ll describe the routine using physical selections.

Effect: The performer enlists the help of a volunteer who has some loose change in his pocket. He puts a stack of white cards and a pen on the table and asks the volunteer to grab all the change in one hand but keep his hand in his pocket. Picking up the cards and pen the performer writes a prediction on the top card, turns it writing side down and puts it on the table to his right. Only then does he instruct the volunteer to take just one of the coins he holds in his hand out of his pocket but to keep it hidden in his closed fist.

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When he has one he is instructed to peek at the coin and tell everybody what it’s is. For example, he may say a 10p at which point he once again conceals the it in his fist. The performer writes another prediction on a second card which he turns writing side down and places on the table to the left of the first card. He asks the volunteer to look at the coin in his hand and tell everybody the date it was minted, for example he may say 2013. Finally, the performer takes a third card, writes a prediction on one side and places it writing side down on the table to the left of the other two cards. Standing back, he tells the volunteer to toss the coin in the air and let it land on the table. In this example it lands tails up. The performer then picks the cards up one at a time keeping them writing side down and, in the sequence, they were originally written. When he flips them over and deals them in a row on the table, the predictions read, TAILS, 2013 and 10p.

Method: For this routine, the last prediction is based on a ranging force. That force only has two possible outcomes, in this scenario those two force options are heads or tails, but because the choice of either fits the premise and is completely fair and random, the 50/50 aspect of the force isn’t questioned when the routine is taken as a whole. The set up and handling are simple, but it is best study the moves with cards in hand to keep track of which prediction is where. Take your stack of cards and on the top card write the word TAILS. Turn it writing side down on top and place two blank cards on top of that. Snap the band round the cards and you are ready to go. To perform, remove the elastic band and hold the stack with the TAILS card at the bottom, so in other words the tails card will be writing side up third from the bottom. As you ask the volunteer to hold his loose change in his fist with his hand still in his pocket, obtain a little finger break under the top two blank cards of the stack. Necktie the stack and on the top card of the two write the word HEADS, double turn over the two cards, which brings a blank card to the top, thumb this blank card onto the table to your right. This leaves the HEADS card writing side down on top of the stack. Ask the volunteer to remove one coin from his pocket but keep it in his fist. As he does this casually turn the stack over in your hands to bring the two blank cards, followed by the 34

TAILS card to the top. From the audience’s perspective because the cards are blank on both sides, everything looks the same. You now ask the volunteer to tell the rest of the spectators the value of the coin he chose. I’d like to emphasize here, you ask him to tell the SPECTATORS, not you, it’s a very small detail with rather large psychological implications. Look at him for a few moments as though deciding what to do next, then on the top of the necktied stack write the value of the coin he just told you. In this case I would write 10p. Turn this card writing side down and thumb it off onto the table to the left of the first (blank) prediction card. Ask him to tell the other spectators the date the coin was minted. Finally, necktie the cards once more and on the top card write the date he just gave you, in this case 2013. Flip the card writing side down and table it to the left of the first two predictions. The position is now this. On the table are three predictions, from your right to left they are, a blank card, 10p and 2013. On top of the stack in your hand writing side down, is a card with the word TAILS written on it. On the bottom of the stack writing side up is the word HEADS. Ask the volunteer to toss the coin and let it land on the table and as soon as it settles note which side is showing, heads or tails. Once you know, ask him to call out the result and at the same time turn the stack in your hands so the correct card is on top. For example, in this example the coin lands tails up so you do nothing, if it lands heads up you casually turn the stack over. Either way you get a little finger break under the correct top card, then pick the right-hand card of those on the table (blank card) and drop it on the centre card (10p) pick up those two cards and drop them on top of the left-hand card (2013), pick up the three cards and drop them on top of the stack in your other hand while maintaining the little finger break, square them and flip all the cards above the break over on top of the stack. You can now deal the top three cards writing side up on the table from left to right, in this example they will be TAILS, 2013 and 10p. (See Photo No: 4)

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Photo No: 4 The cards dealt in reverse order.

The card that was originally on the top of the pile before you did the quadruple turnover is now on top of the stack and because it is double blank everything appears as it should. You are left with the unused HEADS card writing side up on the bottom of the stack so make sure you don’t flash it; however, it is easy to ditch should you feel the need. Sat at a table you could just lap it, you could palm if off or you could just pocket the full stack. The routine appears complicated in print but try it with cards in hand and you’ll see how easy and logical everything appears.

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“The more a conjurer can convince them of magical forces at work during his performance, the better. To object to such fiction is on par with sending for a policeman when dead men fall out of cupboards on the stage. When a man goes into a theatre he enters a house of Illusion”. S.H. Sharpe NEO-MAGIC 1932

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Retrospective Rhine Each time I come up with a new routine using the stack of blank cards, I always end up spending many sleepless nights racking my brains for ways to streamline the handling even further, by getting rid of any gaffed cards and eliminating any prior set-up. The Retrospect Prophecy was no exception. I’d already changed the standard one behind procedure by eliminating the physical and psychological forces in favour of a 50/50 ranging force, but how to get rid of the force altogether? The solution is fairly simple, but it does mean a slight compromise. So instead of the 50/50 force, we get the spectator to test their own mind reading skills and use the test to write the last piece of information in the one behind system. Here’s the routine I perform as a follow up to ‘The Rhine Experiment’ when working close up. At the end of that routine you are left with a stack of blank cards and five cards with the standard ESP symbols drawn on them. I’m going to describe this routine as though I am performing the follow up.

Effect: The performer retrieves the five symbol cards, turns them symbol side down and gives them a good mix. He then hands them to the volunteer and asks him to mix them until nobody can know the order of the cards. 38

Once done he is instructed to deal them in row, drawing side down on the table in front of him. On the top card of the stack the performer draws a symbol, then without showing it to the volunteer or audience, he turns it symbol side down and places it on the table in front of himself. He instructs the volunteer to hold his hand above each of the five face down symbols in turn and when he is ready, let his hand drop on the symbol he intuitively feels matches the one drawn by the performer. His choice is turned symbol side up and placed next to the performers which remains face down. This procedure is repeated twice more, with the performer drawing a symbol and the volunteer choosing one he feels will match. After three symbols have been chosen the performer proposes a slightly different test.

“So far you have been working completely blind, you don’t know what I have drawn, and you can’t see what you are choosing until the choice has been made. Let’s try a slightly different experiment before we see how well you have done”. On the top card of the stack he draws another symbol, holds it with the back to the volunteer and while focusing on what he drew tries to transmit the image to him.

“I’ve drawn one of the five images on this card, I want you to see if rather than just going with blind intuition, you can read my mind and tell me which one it is. I’ll give you a clue, it matches one of the three you have already chosen. You think it is the star, no sorry it’s a square, maybe your subconscious intuitive ability is better, let’s see”. He turns the card to show the square and then discards it. Finally, he picks up his three face down symbols one by one flips them over and deals them on the table in reverse order to show the volunteer has intuitively matched all three.

Method: The procedure is more or less the same as for the previous version (a coin in the hand is worth) but without the pre-written cards required for the 50/50 ranging force. When you draw on the first card of the stack, simply draw which ever symbol you wish, in this example I drew a square. Then double turn over the square and the blank card below it and deal the blank card on the table as your first target. 39

As the volunteer chooses the card he thinks matches, turn the stack over in your hand to bring the square you just drew to the bottom, symbol side up. You instruct him to turn his choice over and position it next to your target which means of course you can now see which symbol he chose. This you draw on the top card of the stack, turn it over and place it next to your first target card. Again, the volunteer chooses another card turns it symbol up and places it next to your second target. You repeat the procedure one more time with target number three. As he places his last choice, symbol side up next your third target card, you flip the stack over in your hand to bring the card with the square you drew, back to the top. This is where the procedure differs. Instead of a ranging force you now propose a separate test to assess the volunteer’s psychic ability. As you say this you double turn over the top two cards (the square and the blank below it) to show it is blank on both sides (without saying so), necktie the stack and on the top card draw the last symbol chosen by the volunteer. Then double turnover the cards again, thumb the top card off symbol side down and hold it with the back to the audience. This card is now the original square you drew, and a copy of the last symbol chosen by the volunteer is face down on top of the stack. In the example given in the effect description, the volunteer failed to guess correctly because I wanted to illustrate that it really doesn’t matter. However, during performance, I will point out that the symbol I am concentrating on is either one of those on the table, or one that hasn’t been chosen so the odds of him guessing correctly are one in three or 50/50 so there is a pretty good chance you’ll get a hit. Finally, as you discard the square, you obtain a little finger break under the top card of the stack, this of course is a duplicate of the last card chosen, then pick the right-hand card of those on the table (blank card) and drop it on the centre card, pick up those two cards and drop them on top of the left-hand card, pick up the three cards and drop them on top of the stack in your other hand while maintaining the little finger break, square them and flip all the cards above the break over on top of the stack. You can now deal the top three cards symbol side up on the table from left to right, matching them to those chosen by the volunteer. The card that was originally on the top of the pile before you did the quadruple turnover is now on top of the stack as in the previous routiine and because it is double blank everything appears as it should, but this time you are completely clean, and everything can be examined should the need arise.

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Bonus If you bought these notes at one of my MMM lectures, then you’ll be aware I didn’t perform the next routine. It is included here as a bonus insert and appeared in volume one of Minimalistic, Metaphysical Mentalism. It’s something I have been doing for years but had never bothered releasing because I didn’t feel many mentalists would be interested. However, with the release of MMM volume one I was proved wrong. I received dozens of emails about this routine from performers who present their shows with a psychic twist and even more from those who don’t. Maybe it is the simple impromptu nature of the routine that people like, I don’t know but what I do know is that it is very well received by the audiences I work for. I’m describing it here as presented with a psychic flavour which includes readings, but you don’t need to if that doesn’t suit your style.

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The Mystic Square Although I do like the concept of a magic square I have a few issues with the routine in general. Firstly, a magic square presentation can be difficult to perform for, let’s say the mathematically challenged audiences which is often the case when copious amounts of alcohol are involved. Next making it entertaining can be a problem and if you are not careful it just comes over as a clever math’s trick, but finally and most importantly, I have watched so many people perform this who profess to be carrying out lightening calculations to create a 4 x 4 grid, only to struggle to add the rows and columns up quickly and coherently. Of course, all these things can be overcome, and some performers do a fantastic job, so apart from those few points, the actual idea is great. However very rarely have I ever seen a magic square presentation that professes to be anything more than a display of rapid calculation and to be honest that concept doesn’t fit my persona. So, a few years back I decided to come up with a simplified close up version (although you can also do it on stage) which reduces the square to a 3 x 3 grid, forces a number which relates to a tarot card prediction (no cards involved), uses no number choice or calculations and ends with the magic square using only the numbers 1 – 9 with a builtin numerology reading. The routine I came up with is a combination of ideas inspired by something from Larry Becker's Stunners, a tip shared on a forum by Bill Cushman, Richard Webster’s tic tac toe numerology grid all blended together with a concept from my book Number 5 and all using a simple one to nine 3 x 3 grid. However, be aware this routine isn't repeatable for the same 42

audience because the outcome is always the same, but I use it for giving readings and demonstrating how we can all be influenced by our subconscious while simultaneously predicting a tarot card.

Effect: The performer removes a single card from a stack of rubber banded double blank cards along with a pen. He draws a 3 x 3 grid on one side of the card as you would do when playing noughts and crosses (tic tac toe) while explaining the basics of Chinese Numerology, whereby the numerologist would create a grid using just the numbers one to nine to represent a client’s past present and future. He looks at a lady volunteer for a few seconds then proceeds to fill in the spaces of the 3x3 grid by appearing to write the numbers one to nine in a random order. He shows the grid to the lady and asks her if it has any significance. She says no, to which he replies, it is what is known as a life grid according to Chinese numerology, the numbers represent aspects of your life, past, present and future, I have written them in the order that I feel characterizes you as you are today. He contemplates the numbers for a few more seconds then on the other side of the card, unseen by the audience, he writes something else and places the card writing side down, grid side up on the table. As he does this he explains the symbolism within numerology is inextricably linked to the ancient tarot. He now pulls another blank card from the banded stack and once again draws a 3 x 3 grid on one side and fills each space of the grid with the numbers one to nine, however this time he writes the numbers in numerical order as he explains that in Chinese Numerology this would be a perfect life grid starting with the number one representing beginnings and attainment and ending with number nine, completion and humanitarianism, but as we all know life isn’t perfect and the paths we take are usually determined by the decisions we make. Each of the nine numbers in the grid he explains represents one numerological position along life’s journey and he asks the lady to name a number from 1 – 9 which he circles on the grid as he explains that the decisions we made in the past, have dictated the choices available to us in our present, he then crosses out all the numbers in the same row and column as the chosen and circled number. He then asks her to name one of the remaining numbers that hasn’t been crossed out which he also circles and explains the decisions we make in the present lead us towards an unknown future and he crosses out the numbers in the same row and column as the second circled numbered, this leaves only one number that 43

hasn’t been crossed out which he also circles as he explains this is the future, unknown and still to come. The 3 x 3 grid now has three circled numbers and the rest crossed out. At this point he gives a reading based on the chosen numbers and the order they were selected, the first being past, the second present and the final number future. Once the reading is complete, the seer explains again that numerology is also linked inextricably to the ancient tarot and the numbers you are drawn to during a reading can also lead you towards one key card from the twenty-two-major arcana of the tarot, which in turn can provide an extra layer of insight into where you are on your journey. The three circled numbers are added together and the Tarot card which bears that number is named and a further reading is given according to the card linking it to the reading already given. For example, the three numbers when added together may total 15 and the tarot card which bears the number 15 is the Devil so the reading would relate to the Devil card from the Tarot. At this point the performer explains he had a sort of premonition about her when he drew up her life grid even before she’d chosen any numbers and draws the volunteer’s attention to the original card which is still on the table with the numbered grid uppermost. He asks her to turn the card over and on the back, is written the number 15 and the words The Devil. When the significance of the prediction has sunk in he asks her again if she feels the original 3x3 grid he showed her still means nothing to her, or did she feel influenced by it at all while selecting her three numbers. She of course says no at which point the performer points out that the three digits in each row when added together equal fifteen, the three digits in each column when added together equal fifteen and the three digits that make up each of the diagonals also equal fifteen. He then goes on to deliver a more in-depth reading based on the grid. This card is left with the volunteer as a souvenir while the other is pocketed.

Method: I often perform this routine in cabaret using a couple of whiteboards, but this variation was devised for close up strolling mentalism using just the stack of cards and without the use of 44

a table, because everything can be done in the hands while standing. It also includes the kicker ending of the magic square and only uses two cards each time it is performed. This simple but very effective piece of metaphysical mentalism uses a matrix force along with a memorized 3 x 3 grid which when combined with numerology and a tarot reading add up to a very nice piece of psychic theatre. Please don’t underestimate the impact this routine can have when presented correctly and please don’t omit the readings unless you try it with them first or want it to be perceived as a simple mathematical puzzle. Try this, write the numbers 1 – 9 to form a 3 x 3 grid and circle any number crossing out the other numbers in the same row and column. Repeat the process with one of the remaining numbers which wasn’t crossed out and then circle the only number left. If you now add the three circled numbers together, they will always equal fifteen. It doesn’t matter which number you circle to begin with, if you follow the rules and cross out the numbers in the same row and column you will always end up with a total of fifteen.

The Tarot card of the major arcana with the number fifteen is the Devil so the prediction you write on the back of the first card will always be 15 The Devil. The grid written on the first card is as follows.

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If you add together the three numbers in any of the columns, rows or diagonals in this grid the total will once again always be 15.

So, once you have committed the previous sequence of numbers to memory, you are always ready to perform this routine with either the double blank cards we are using here, a few business cards or even on stage using a large pad of paper or a couple of whiteboards. Remove the first card, draw the grid then write in the numbers 1-9 in the order shown. Show it to the volunteer then on the back write the number 15 followed by THE DEVIL. Table the card with the grid upper most. Take another card, draw the grid and fill in the number 1-9 but this time in numerical order. Follow the procedure outlined to arrive at three numbers. Add the three chosen numbers together to get a total of 15. Show your prediction, 15 THE DEVIL, and as a final kicker add the rows columns and diagonals of the grid together.

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Conclusion Many years ago (probably 40 years at the time of writing), while I was still pulling coloured handkerchiefs out of shiny tubes, I read a quote that said,

“Every time you pick up a prop your price goes down”. Joseph Dunninger At the time it didn’t make much sense to me, that is until I caught the heavy mentalism bug and lost my interest in general magic. But taken at face value it still doesn’t make sense especially when used in terms of general magic. If it were true, Copperfield's fee would go down every time he stepped out of one box and into another. But I don't think for one moment Dunninger was talking about general magic when he said it and I don't think for one moment, he or any of the other well know mentalists who have used it since, meant it to be taken literally. My opinion and it is just my opinion, is that he used it as a metaphor for credibility. I think he was trying to say (and remember the era he said it) if you want to convince your audience you can truly read minds, then the large crystal clock face on a stand, the mental epic slate, questions collected for the Q&A in a one handed velvet tasseled change bag and the sequined prediction chest on the chrome plated tripod table, wheeled on by a scantily clad assistant, aren’t the way to go. Of course, even in minimalistic mentalism, sometimes you need to include props that act as integral parts of your presentation, you couldn’t present a believable Russian roulette 47

routine without the guns, but the props you use in mentalism need to be logical in order to maintain the image you are trying to portray. That image of course is down to your performance persona and what the client is booking you for. If you are presenting what you do as comedy magical entertainment, then your props can be as bold, shiny and illogical as you like, but if you want to create an air of believability when performing psychic entertainment, then the props you use, or don’t use, need to be chosen wisely. What I discovered as I performed more mentalism and as I ditched the mental epic props, change bags and prediction boxes, was that the routines I was growing in to, were beginning to be perceived by my audiences as a genuine display of psychic ability and my client base changed (for the better). Mentalism and in particular psychic entertainment seem to possess an underlying thread of believability, quite simply because for many people the possibility of psychic phenomena being real, seems more plausible than general magic. As my appreciation for the impact of mentalism and psychic entertainment has grown, I have come to believe (just like an actor) and I’ve said it many times before, that it should be our primary objective, during our shows, to convince the audience that what they are seeing is real, an idea that is so obvious to those who work in theatre, that it doesn’t need to be said. In fact, I would go as far as to say that for an actor (and mentalist), if the illusion of realism isn’t created, they have failed. I also believe that general magic would benefit greatly, if the majority of magicians performing today, approached their performances with that same mindset. Over time as my knowledge of mentalism has developed, my understanding of that original quote has morphed to become,

“Every time you pick up an illogical prop, your credibility as the real deal goes down”. A transformation that has resulted in a thirty-year quest, to strip back the props and handling in all the routines I perform on a professional basis. I think in the original quote, Dunninger was trying to say, if you could really read minds, you’d walk on to an empty stage and read minds. And if you could do that you'd be able to sell that ability to the highest bidder. Of course, you'd also end up in a military lab with probes inserted into various orifices. I think I’ve always envied the singer who can walk onto a stage and with little more than a microphone, entertain and stir the emotions of an audience of any size. 48

Out of this envy were born more than sixty cabaret and close-up routines contained in the two volumes of Minimalistic, Metaphysical, Mentalism, seven of which you’ve seen in these lecture notes. The props used are simple and easy to carry, the handling is simple and the routines easy to perform, but to make them your own you’ll need to put the work in to the scripting and presentation. Enjoy.

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Other Books and DVD’s By Scott Creasey Minimalistic, Metaphysical, Mentalism Volumes 1 & 2 available as print on demand hardback books from

www.lulu.com The following instant download ebooks and DVD’s are available from

www.mentalmagicism.com Books My Q&A Number 5 Cartomancy for Magicians Forces, Peeks, Stacks and Gaffs The Corporate Mentalist Lost Luggage and the Close-up Cabaret Tarot in your Pocket Mental(magic)ism UNO It Surrealchemy

DVD’s Q&A Evolution Switchervope Totally Awesome Close-Up Hanussen’s Demise The Piddington’s Quandary Single White Dwarf S.P.I.T The DIY I-Pad The Empty Multiple Out Envelope The Envelopologist 50