the sequel to the remarkable SILENT RUNNING “(Silent Running)... is so much more than just an effect. It is a powerful subtlety that is a must have for your mentalism tool box!”
— Banachek
BEN HARRIS’
RUN
SILENT RUN DEEP
JAMIE BADMAN RICHARD BUSCH CLAUDE IMPERIALE ISAAC LOUIE JASON MESSINA COLIN MILLER RAN PINK BERNARDO RODRIGUEZ HIRO SAKAI MATTHEW SHEPHERD STEVE SHUFTON ROBERT SMITH CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR FRANCESCO TESEI TOMMY MARIO UNGER & JOSH ZANDMAN FOREWORD BY MENTALIST MARC PAUL
End User Agreement
You are authorized to keep one copy of this manuscript on your computer and to print a single copy for physical reference. All other rights reserved. The end user (you) agree to abide by international, territorial, state and local copyright laws as regards the manuscript herein. You agree not to allow any part of this publication to be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, the internet, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author in writing. You agree not to make this manuscript available via any P2P networks.
This is a sequel... The reader should be famiar with the Silent Running procedure and its applications, as described in the book: Silent Running (Harris, 2010)
BEN HARRIS’
RUN
SILENT RUN DEEP
JAMIE BADMAN RICHARD BUSCH CLAUDE IMPERIALE ISAAC LOUIE JASON MESSINA COLIN MILLER RAN PINK BERNARDO RODRIGUEZ HIRO SAKAI MATTHEW SHEPHERD STEVE SHUFTON ROBERT SMITH CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR FRANCESCO TESEI TOMMY MARIO UNGER & JOSH ZANDMAN FOREWORD BY MENTALIST MARC PAUL
Copyright © 2010 Ben Harris The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the creator of this work. Copyright of individual contributions remains with the contributors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, the internet, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author in writing. ALL MARKETING RIGHTS RESERVED. Published by Media T Marketing Pty Ltd PO Box 86, Northgate, 4013 Queensland, Australia www.wowbound.com
Edited by Steve Shufton
WOWBOUND.COM
Dedicated to
PETER DUFFIE whose “dodge” and generosity started it all.
BEN HARRIS’
RUN
SILENT RUN DEEP
Contents 15
Foreword by Marc Paul
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Introduction by Ben Harris Steve Shufton
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A Force In The Shadows A critical examination of the Silent Running Procedure with the intention of providing the nuance and understanding to ensure a convincing execution.
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Script Stripped The bare guts of the script with commentary removed. Learn this!
31 38
Hands Off: Silent But Deadly Steve’s treatment of the Brainwave effect allowing the entire routine to be carried out in the spectator’s own hands. The performer NEVER touches the deck.
Speechless: Left Unsaid Picking up where “Speechless” left off, Steve teases out extra nuances and proposes multi-key sets for simultaneous use.
Jamie Badman & Colin Miller (The Underground Collective) 47 50
Silent Past A charming effect, complete with printable photos to add to your wallet. One of Jamie and Colin’s classics, given the Silent Running treatment.
Silent Present Clever gimmicks allow mind-numbing mental transpositions of cards mentally selected from the CrossRoads Set.
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Silent Future Combining Silent Running with Greg Rostami’s iforce has never been this sweet. You deserve an iPhone, just so you can perform this!
Richard Busch 57
SIR Richard Busch’s Think-A-Card Richard takes us on a different journey, one with a “nod to the dodge” and a different brand of digital finesse.
Ben Harris 65 72
Silent Travelers Two “thought-of” cards appear in an isolated packet. A full-on routine worthy of stage or formal presentation. Explores the use of an Osborn-inspired count procedure.
Small Packet Concepts Taking advantage of “small packets” and their inherent particulars—in combination with the CrossRoads Set—to create new effects.
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Vanishing Thought Continuing to explore “packet concepts” the author details further applications and ideas, this time, with the Elmsley Count at the heart of matters.
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The Deck At The Other End (DATOE) The polar opposite of the CrossRoads Deck. Instead of any card in the CrossRoads Set being absent, to the count of 51—with this deck—there’s always a duplicate of the “thought-of” card, and a count of 53!
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Easy Transposition Another “feature” routine that plays wonderfully on stage, formally, or under casual performing circumstances. Possibly one of the easiest and most convincing transpositions of a “thought-of” card (this side of the CrossRoads).
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Headway A wonderful property of the Deck At The Other End is revealed and it’s uses pondered. Imagine having a duplicate of ANY “thought-of” card, immediately at hand. Well that’s what this is all about—that kind of POWER.
Contents 86
R.E.M. The Headway principle is applied to create a formal and powerful “simulation” of the acclaimed “Berglas effect.” A card is “thought-of” and any number between one and fiftytwo is named. You don’t need me to tell you what happens next...
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Neuro-Pathway This is a new tactic for Direct Mind Reading (Silent Running, 2010). It eliminates what some considered an “iffy” bit, and leads you directly to the specifically “thought-of” card for a full-on “neuro-blast” of a finish.
Claude Imperiale 97
Silent Dice An expanded CrossRoads Set to match the numeric options offered by two imaginary dice. Play along...
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Silent Faro An impromptu method for setting any borrowed deck for a lovely demonstration of pure thought reading. Using Faro shuffles, of course.
Isaac Louie 105
Silence of the lambs Having your entire audience turn their cell phones OFF (as part of a routine) is sheer genius. And, that’s just the beginning! Crazy and effective magic!
Jason Messina 111
Waking Dreams Months, days, and events (lucid dreams) collide in this wonderful application of the Silent Running Principle to the “Diary Effect.” So many possibilities revealed here!
Ran Pink 117
The White Room Just you and the spectator, sitting in an “all white room.” She is asked to imagine the walls of the room changing color...
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ICAINU “Imagined Card at Imagined Number Unspoken”. The title says it all. This turns The White Room into a physical entity, with cards in hand.
Contents Christopher Taylor 133
Silent Solstice #1 Mentalist and electronics wizard, Christopher Taylor, saw a perfect match of his Solstice Wallet to Silent Running. Here’s the application and related ideas.
Bill Fritz 137
Silent Solstice #2 Quite independently of Christopher Taylor (see above), Bill concocted his own mating of Silent/Solstice. From an entirely different angle, and sweet as can be.
Bernardo Rodriguez 143
Numb-blur I have no idea what sparked this, but Bernardo decided to number the backs of his cards with a pen, and apply Silent Running. Great result!
Hiro Sakai 147
Notes on Silent Running Hiro-san notes the language barrier with Japanese audiences and povides a well thought out solution and in depth routine.
Matthew Shepherd 159
Screaming Walking Matthew has a certain way of going about things. A certain attitude. Here’s how he and the ideas in Silent Running meshed.
Robert Smith 167
Silent Floodgates Pulse, Voodoo Finger, Edgework, Impromptu Invisible Deck, The Sharpie Principle, and more await you in this crazy and inspired BSmith section.
Contents Francesco Tesei 173
Silent Running For Stage Italy’s Francesco Tesei takes us behind the scenes with his full blown stage presentation. Lots of wonderful ideas here.
Mario Unger 183
Thought-of Card To Wallet A direct way to ensure your CrossRoads Set always falls into a “cop-able” position. Ideal for “Card To Wallet” workers.
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Silent Frixion The clever use of a FRIXION pen assures you have a magical “out” no matter which CrossRoads “pair” a spectator has chosen.
BONUS 189
Starman (Ben Harris) Silent Running applied to the solar system, galactic events, and the special star maps of Dr Elmer William Bishop. Complete with “Star Deck” templates so you can print this out on your home/office printer.
APPENDIX 197
Silent Past Photo Templates
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Star Deck Templates
FOREWORD
FOREWORD Marc Paul
I've known of Ben Harris for years… I could even say decades! Yes, he's that old! In the last few years we have become firm friends, even though we have never met and live thousands of miles apart. Ben has always been incredibly creative and is constantly coming up with truly off the wall ideas with methods that are original and innovative. In 2009 he sent me his "Crossroads Deck" I thought it was great. When he released it to the magic world it created a sensation. In early 2010 he improved the principle using a clever dodge of Peter Duffie's and brought out "Silent Running" which created even more of a sensation. It enabled the performer to influence, genuinely, which card a spectator will think of. The whole process is incredibly clean and works like a charm. It's a great step forward in prop-less mentalism. But you probably already knew that, which is why you have bought this collection of effects. When I first read the Silent Running Procedure, I thought "WOW! Here's a genuinely new principle." It's very rare for a PRINCIPLE to be created. Effects yes… hundreds of effects are created each month and flood onto the market, but principles—NO. I thought to myself, "This is great and is going to have a massive amount of applications." I should have written that down and sealed it in a prediction chest because that prediction has come true. What you are about to read is a collection of some of the very best ideas from some of the brightest minds in magic and mentalism. Ben's "Silent Running" is an incredibly powerful and wonderfully versatile principle. It has the feel of real mind influencing and that's because it IS real mind influencing. It is true to say that some magicians just didn't get it. They didn't understand the value of what they had and they fell by the wayside. "Silent Running" is a tool that, when it is employed in the right way and in the right situation, creates incredibly powerful routines. BUT, like any other sleight, move or subtlety, you have to learn to use it correctly and wisely. In this book you will find numerous ways of increasing the deceptiveness of the principle. Ben has started the book off with a critical examination of the Silent Running Procedure by Steve Shufton. This is invaluable for what follows, make sure you read every word that Steve says and you will never fail to impress your audience.
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As you would expect you will be reading some great close-up effects, but you'll also learn about how to use "Silent Running" in front of an audience of 300 people. There are some seriously good ideas here. You'll also see some brand new methods evolving which will have other applications. Be sure to carefully think about Ben's DATOE. This is very clever and reminded me of the old MeneTekel deck, BUT, with a thought of card. I love it. You'll also notice the theme of the "Tossed Out Deck" comes up in a couple of the routines. These approaches are wonderful. Imagine performing "Tossed Out Deck" with NO CARDS! Anyway, enough of me telling you all the treats that are in store for you; I'm a mind-reader and I know that you want to start looking at the effects and routines straight away. Well, as you have been so kind to read this foreword, here is your reward. It's a simple effect with a straightforward method. I created it when I first read "Silent Running" and have been performing it since. It kills. (Also you'll have something that the others have missed!) The performer looks carefully at a spectator and without saying anything, writes something on a business card, folds it into four and places into his top breast pocket, poking out so that it is on view to everyone. The performer explains that he wants the spectator to use her imagination and visualise the numbers from 1 to 10 floating in front of her. He suggests to her that as she watches one of the numbers will come and settle on her outstretched hand. The performer then runs through the suits of playing cards and asks her to attach one of them to the number. She now has a playing card that only exists as a mental image in her mind. No one could know what she is thinking, as everything has happened in her head and is the result of purely mental processes. She is asked to tell everyone the name of her imaginary card. She says, "The 7 of Hearts." The spectator is asked to remove the business card from the performer's top pocket. She opens it and reads allowed.... "I believe you are the type of person who will think of the 7 of Hearts!" You will need a pocket index; I use one of Looch's. If you understand the Silent Running Procedure then you will understand that the spectator will be influenced to think of one of eight playing cards. The 7 of Hearts is the most likely psychological choice and is therefore the prediction that is written real time and placed on view. The other seven possibilities are placed into the index and everything then goes into your left trouser pocket. You might wonder why I write the 7 of Hearts prediction out in real time instead of having it already written. Well, two reasons really. Firstly, I'm meant to be accessing the spectator so it would not make sense to remove an already made prediction, and secondly, it plants the subconscious belief that there is only one prediction in the spectators' minds—after all, they don't see me write any other predictions. This is a small point, but it can make a lot of difference to any routine employing an index. Of course, the method should now be obvious. If the spectator does indeed go for the 7 of Hearts, you have a super clean miracle and she can remove the billet from your pocket herself. If not, then you simply get the correct billet from the index and switch it for the one on display. There are dozens of ways that you could do this. Here's what I do. During the
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"Silent Running Procedure," I have my left hand casually in my left pocket. I might take it out, gesture and place it back in, so my body language is relaxed and casual. This is designed to accustom the audience to my hand being in my pocket. The 7 of Hearts prediction has been placed in the top breast pocket of my jacket for a good reason. If necessary, it is possible to do a fake take of this billet. Let me explain. The right hand goes up to the left pocket to remove the billet, the fingers cover the billet for a split second and as they do the right thumb pushes the billet INTO the pocket. The right hand comes away as if holding the billet, while in reality it holds nothing. So putting both elements of the switch together... after the spectator has named her card, you remove the correct billet from the index, finger palm it in your left hand and remove your hand holding it, relaxed at the side of your body. The right hand now comes up to the breast pocket and does the fake take. It moves down as the left hand moves up and apparently places the billet into the left hand. As the hands part, the billet is seen at the left hand finger tips and the right hand is empty. You have cleanly switched predictions and both hands are empty, except for the one prediction. There, I hope that satisfied you for the next few minutes while you read Ben's Introduction. Have fun! Marc Paul www.marcpaul.com
17
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION Ben Harris Run Silent, Run Deep has been written with two very clear goals in mind: Firstly, it is intended to make the "basic procedure" CRYSTAL CLEAR, so that a wider audience of performers will be able to grasp and utilize the procedure, and thus have access to the exciting material that uses it. The second intent of the sequel is to bring you some truly STUNNING performance material. Several of the items included could have easily been sold as separate effects for the same price you have paid for this entire collection. This book is just “bursting at the seams” with ideas and routines—contributed by artists from all corners of the world. Some are hobbyists, some are full-time professionals. Bottom-line, they have all found practical and effective ways to put the Silent Running procedure to use—creating wonder and amazement for their audiences. Contributions, ideas and routines, started to pour in the DAY that Silent Running was released, and have not ceased since then. The creative process, out there in magic world, has been intense. The relentlessness of this activity means that a couple of last-minute contributions are included here, in this Introduction. But, firstly... some BIG “thank-yous” are in order: Steve Shufton. What a guy! I don’t think anyone has thought more about the SR procedure than Steve. He tirelessly explores the nuances, discovering new and tactical approaches that further develop the value of CrossRoads/Silent Running. His detailed break-down of the “procedure” is a must-read for both beginners and experienced performers. It is so important, that the book leads off with Steve’s thorough dissection. And, look at Steve’s routines! Stunning, and all so well thought out! Steve is also responsible for editing this book (as he is for all our publications) and his expertise has assured that the many different writing styles have coalesced into a full body of accessible material. Thank you Steve.
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Marc Paul is someone I’ve always looked up to. Being a “student” of Berglas, Marc’s ideas and routines all carry that special something—lifting them above average. I thank Marc for his kind Foreword and routine. I would highly recommend that you grab Marc’s new Fleetwood Notes, (available from his website), for some truly amazing mentalism. All our contributors are sincerely thanked. This sequel simply would not exist if it were not for you guys! Before we get into the meat, here are a couple of last minute ideas from Tommy (of ACAAN fame) and Josh Zandman. I trust that these ideas will excite you for the wonderful journey that is to follow!
Tommy’s SR ACAAN: Place a cased deck on the table. Instruct the spectator to think of a number between 1 and 49 using the following method—where the number is created one digit at a time: 1. Ask her to first mentally select a number from 1 to 4. (Let’s assume she thinks “2”). 2. Then ask her to select another number from 1 to 9. (Let’s assume she thinks “8”). 3. Ask her to combine the two digits, side-by-side, to create a “random number” between 1 and 49. In this case, it is “28.” 4. Now explain that you ALSO want her to use this number to calculate a random card: This is done by adding the two digits together (2+8=10). Ask her to do this in her mind. 5. Explain that you limited her first choice of digits to FOUR because there are four suits in the deck. You now use the Silent Running procedure (in a condensed form) to force her to associate a suit with her number. Call out the four suits (holding up your fingers as you do): “Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds”asking her to remember the suit that falls on the number matching her FIRST DIGIT. In this instance, as she chose “2,” she will remember HEARTS. Thus her chosen card is the TEN OF HEARTS. 6. Recap: The chosen number is 28. The mentally constructed card is the Ten of Hearts. 7. The spectator is instructed to remove the deck from its case, and to count the cards—face down—until she reaches the 28th card in the deck. When she does, she finds her chosen card, the 10H, staring her in the face.
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Method: This clever effect is self-working. All you need to do is stack your deck, in this order, from the top down (X cards are indifferent cards): 10 X Cards, 11=2C, 12=3C, 13=4C, 14=5C, 15=6C, 16=7C, 17=8C, 18=9C, 19=10C, 20=X, 21=3H, 22=4H, 23=5H, 24=6H, 25=7H, 26=8H, 27=9H, 28=10H, 29=JH, 30=X, 31=4S, 32=5S, 33=6S, 34=7S, 35=8S, 36=9S, 37=10S, 38=JS, 39=QS, 40=X, 41=5D, 42=6D,43=7D, 44=8D, 45=9D, 46=10D, 47=JD, 48=QD, 49=KD, 50=X, 51=X, 52=X. With the deck stacked in this manner, all you have to do is follow the number/suit selection process to create a very clever ACAAN effect. Thanks, Tommy!
Two Quickies By Nick Belleas and Josh Zandman Effect 1: Nick Belleas is a close friend and a brainstorming partner of Josh’s. They are always thinking of Invisible Deck routines, and when Josh told him the possibilities with Silent Running, the creativity flew: 1. A deck of cards is on the table in the case. This is a CrossRoads Deck. An envelope with a another deck of cards (Invisible Deck) is also on the table. Josh begins: "This morning I took out one card and one card only from this deck of cards and reversed it into this deck of cards, which is sealed in this envelope.” 2.Execute the Silent Running procedure in order to have a card “freely thought-of.” 3. Allow the spectator to pick up the cased deck and to count through the cards. One card will be missing. Allow the moment to register, and then have the spectator look through the deck in an attempt to locate the “thought-of” card. Of course, it will NOT be present! 4. For the first time, have the “thought-of” card named. Now, rip open the sealed envelope and thumb through the deck to reveal one reversed card—the “thought-of” card!
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Effect 2: 1. Have a spectator shuffle a deck of cards. Then re-case the cards (to apparently guard against any tampering.) 2. Execute the Silent Running procedure to have a card “merely thought-of.” 3. Have the spectator take the cards out of the box. State: "I want you to think of a word that has the same amount of letters as the number of your thought of card.” 4. Let's say she says, “DOOR.” When she counts down through the cards, the fourth card will be the 4S—her merely “thought-of”card!
Method: Simply have the eight force cards (CrossRoads Set), IN ORDER, within the card case. After the cards are shuffled, the deck is returned to the case and the stack is thus added to the top of the deck. The cased deck is handed immediately to the spectator to hold. What's cool is, you will also know her card from just knowing the word, so there are options to do other things before revealing the spelled card.
Enjoy the magic that is to follow. And, please don’t be shy about passing along any further ideas that you may have. The CrossRoads principle is only a little over a year old. Silent Running is only months old. So, we are participating in the GROWTH of these concepts. And, that is very exciting.
Ben Harris 2010
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Steve Shufton A Force In The Shadows Script Stripped Hands Off: Silent But Deadly Speechless: Left Unsaid
Steve Shufton ... has a knack for creating stunning, original magic. Many of his effects have found their way into the mainstream of the magic community, including 3D Paradox and Emergency Cash. A worldtraveling musician and insightful magician, Steve has made San Francisco his home, where he enjoys living with his beautiful wife Loren, and having fun with his 3 children. www.shufton.com
A FORCE IN THE SHADOWS Steve Shufton A spectator chooses a card number between one and ten, and then counts on fingers to find a suit. How could this be deceptive? Isn't it obvious that there is no free choice? Won't they see there are only 8 cards in question? Is this effective? When Max Maven wrote his wonderful treatise, Verbal Control, he made this comment at the onset regarding the skill of Equivoque (The Magicians Choice): "Equivoque is one of the most valuable tools to the mentalist, if it is used properly. If it is handled poorly, it is embarrassingly transparent to the audience.” How profound! Someone adept at this skill will complete the process invisibly to the spectator, and produce inexplicable miracles. It is my contention that the same holds true for the Silent Running process. If it is used properly, it is an extremely valuable tool! If done poorly, embarrassment awaits. It is my intention to provide some pointers for using SR deceptively. I will not be saying much that is new, because Ben Harris already highlighted the most important psychological aspects of this force in the original manuscript. I merely want to drive the point home for those that may still have wobbly legs, using the gentle art of elaboration. You will find a representative of the script I use as my general strategy, under the effect: Hands Off: Silent But Deadly. This script is only as good as your timing and delivery, and especially to your adherence to this strategy. Here are the main features of the strategy for a truly effective outcome: (A) Don't tell them where you are going. (B) Make each step seem like a separate entity. (C) Have them admit along the way that they have exclusive knowledge. Doing things in this way is sure to work—it has not failed me yet. When beginning the process, do not immediately introduce a deck of cards, or even suggest cards in any way. This will put the spectator at ease, and not put them in the frame of mind
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to outfox you. The procedure should not be presented as having anything to do with cards or a card effect—yet. You may want to start by saying to the spectator something like this: "I'd like to try a little experiment with you—but I need someone with strong visualization abilities. Are you able to visualize things well?” They are likely to say, "yes." I've never had anyone say "no," but I suppose it could happen. If so, get a better spectator! Continue, "Can we try a little test to see how well you are able to visualize? I promise it will be simple and I won't embarrass you or hurt you in any way. Good?” They will agree. So far, you have only introduced an exercise in visualization, and your spectator is assuming that is all this is. They have no reason to think otherwise. Therefore, they are likely to be very malleable. You also have not suggested that this is a trick at all. They are likely to take your instructions and do the best they can. Now, the next command I give to the spectator seems almost off the cuff, and completely unscripted: "How about this—let's have you try to visualize a number. Think of a number between… between… between, let's say, between one and ten. Yes, between one and ten—any number. Have you got it?” The spectator will say yes. Notice, I used the word "between" no less than four times. I also hesitate a bit after almost each use to really drive the point home. I even emphasize the word quite a bit. It seems to the spectator that I am practically making up the test on the spot, it isn't a trick, and they have no reason to be naughty, or to not follow my instructions to the letter. No one has ever chosen one or ten… yet! If that happens, it is ok, because I am prepared with a strong out—no problem. It hasn't happened yet! "Have you got a number? Good! Don’t tell me what it is! Focus on it—try to visualize it in precise detail—are you able to do that? Excellent—very good. Is it possible that anyone else could know, with certainty, what number you are only thinking of?” They must answer, "no." That's the truth! "Let's try something else."
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I have apparently completed a successful exercise with the spectator, and now we are moving on to something else. The thing everyone is aware of at this point is that the spectator is thinking of a number, and no one else could possibly know what that number is. Therefore, if you were only to divine that number at this point, you would already have a miracle on your hands! Now, for the first time, we introduce cards, when we say: "You know, a deck of cards has 52 cards in it, right? And those cards are divided up into 4 suits— clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds—you know that. This time we are going to try to visualize one of those four suits. Here's how we'll do it. I'm going to raise my fingers like this one at a time, but I won't be counting. Instead, I'll call out the names of the suits like this… diamonds, clubs, hearts, etc… and when I get to the finger that corresponds to that number you are thinking of, remember that suit—ok? Here we go…" Perform the finger maneuver and continue, "Have you got one? You are now thinking of a suit from a deck of cards. Could anyone else know, with absolute certainty, which suit you are only thinking of?” They must say, "no." Continue, "Great. Concentrate on that suit. Form an image in your mind. Project it onto your mental screen and visualize it in every detail. Good—can you see it? Good." You have taken a bit of time for them to visualize the suit. This does two things. For one, it makes it, for the moment at least, all about visualizing a suit—as if that is all that matters. It also creates some time misdirection—causing the number selection to float off into the past just a wee bit. Finally, it's time to make a card out of it:
"I want you to take that suit you are thinking of, and combine it with that number from before… do you remember the number? Combine the suit with that number so that you are now visualizing a complete playing card in your mind—have you got that? You are now thinking of one of the 52 playing cards—is that right?” They must say, "yes.” "Is there any way anyone else could know, with absolute certainty, which playing card is in your mind?”
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Once again, they must say, "no." Go on, "Very good. There is now a playing card in your mind—a card that no one could possibly know but you. Don't tell me what it is—that information is for you alone…" By using the words, "from before," you disassociate the number process from the suit process a bit more. By using the words, "52 playing cards," you have subtly increased the apparent scope of the selection. By having them admit out loud, several times, that no one else could possibly know what it is, you have allowed everyone to relax and accept the fact, that the playing card is unknown and unknowable— they can stop worrying about it now. Now, and only now, you are ready to start your effect. You can introduce other props, etc., or begin your embarkation on your direct mindreading procedure. Performed in this way, it will be a true mystery, and you are certain to astonish—especially if you dive into an effect like the Card Stab, the Dissolving Card, Speechless, Hands Off: Silent But Deadly, or any other of the beautiful effects this technique will allow. This procedure takes practice! You will also find yourself modifying it in real time to accommodate for the "type" of spectator and the inevitable unforeseen. Good luck!
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SCRIPT STRIPPED Steve Shufton As an addendum to the previous chapter, this is a basic script without all the wiseachring. It still needs to be altered—by you! You have your own manner and tempo, and an effect that might require further alteration. There will be many spectator responses along the way which you must allow for, and which will also dictate other changes you may need to make on the fly. If you commit the essential aspects to memory and practice, you will be able to give a very relaxed performance and easily manipulate the circumstance in your favor. “I'd like to try a little experiment with you—but I need someone with strong visualization abilities. Are you able to visualize things well?” "Can we try a little test to see how well you are able to visualize? I promise it will be simple and I won't embarrass you or hurt you in any way. Good?” "How about this—let's have you try to visualize a number. Think of a number between… between… between, let's say, between one and ten. Yes, between one and ten—any number. Have you got it?” "Have you got a number? Good! Don't tell me what it is! Focus on it—try to visualize it in precise detail—are you able to do that? Excellent—very good. Is it possible that anyone else could know, with certainty, what number you are only thinking of?”
"Let's try something else.”
"You know, a deck of cards has 52 cards in it, right? And those cards are divided up into 4 suits— clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds—you know that. This time we are going to try to visualize one of those four suits. Here's how we'll do it. I'm going to raise my fingers like this one at a time, but I won't be counting. Instead, I'll call out the names of the suits like this… diamonds, clubs, hearts, etc… and when I get to the finger that corresponds to that number you are thinking of, remember that suit—ok? Here we go…"
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"Have you got one? You are now thinking of a suit from a deck of cards. Could anyone else know, with absolute certainty, which suit you are only thinking of?” "Great. Concentrate on that suit. Form an image in your mind. Project it onto your mental screen and visualize it in every detail. Good—can you see it? Good.” “I want you to take that suit you are thinking of, and combine it with that number from before… do you remember the number? Combine the suit with that number so that you are now visualizing a complete playing card in your mind—have you got that? You are now thinking of one of the 52 playing cards—is that right?” "Is there any way anyone else could know, with absolute certainty, which playing card is in your mind?” "Very good. There is now a playing card in your mind—a card that no one could possibly know but you. Don't tell me what it is—that information is for you alone…"
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HANDS OFF: SILENT BUT DEADLY Steve Shufton What if you could: Hand a spectator a blue (for example) deck of cards… Have her form an image of a card in her own mind—a card she readily admits no one could possibly know… She hasn't told a soul… Have her open the deck, find her card and lay it face up on the table… Have her turn the deck face down and go through the entire deck—they are all blue, of course… When she turns her own card over, its back is RED You NEVER touched the deck! Welcome to Hands Off: Silent but Deadly!
Features: In the spectator's hands! Rapid reset! No sleights: you NEVER touch the deck!
Here's how: This effect uses a combination of Ben Harris' Silent Running selection technique, and a specially prepared deck of cards, to accomplish a miracle that is completely Hands Off—taking place in the spectator's own hands. I will again detail the Silent Running procedure—you will be taught all you need to know to accomplish this effect. I will provide you with a detailed description of the cleverly designed deck you can easily make, and a no-
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fail script, which will allow you to create this miracle as a matter of sheer simplicity! The deck uses a special rough/smooth arrangement on only eight pairs of cards. The reason for this is because the Silent Running procedure, forces the spectator to think of one of eight possible selections, yet leaves the impression that the choice was free and random. We will go through the elements of the effect and modus operandi, and then put it all together into one sweet presentation.
The Selection Script: Without discussing the deck arrangement quite yet, let's reiterate the Silent Running technique. Silent Running will force the spectator to unwittingly THINK of one of an assortment of eight cards as follows: 2 of clubs 3 of hearts 4 of spades 5 of diamonds 6 of clubs 7 of hearts 8 of spades 9 of diamonds This set of cards will be referred to as, "The CrossRoads Set," or "the CR set." Note that the cards run 2 through 9, in "ChaSeD" order, or clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds repeated. This set, originally presented in Ben Harris' CrossRoads manuscript, has many features and allows for a multitude of effects. The serious student should study both CrossRoads and Silent Running to get an idea of the enormity of effects and subtleties these particular cards can provide. I will describe only the aspects you will need to understand to perform Hands Off: Silent But Deadly. How do we get the spectator to think of one of these cards? Subtly, of course! Follow the words and actions in the following script, and you will have reached your goal. First of all, remember, at the onset of your presentation, the spectator(s) has absolutely no idea what you are going to do. This is important to understand! They will not realize until later in the procedure that what you are doing has anything to do with cards. This means that they will be at ease, cooperative, and not looking to mess you up!
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To your spectator, say the following: "You seem like a person with a good imagination—but let's make sure and put it to the test—OK? Don't worry—you won't get hurt and you won't be embarrassed. Fair enough?" The spectator will say, "Yes." Say, "Great. Let's do it this way—why don't you… Let's use a number. What I would like you to do is think of a number… (Pause here for at least 3 full seconds and slightly exaggerate the next word) BETWEEN… (pause again for 3 seconds more) one and ten. Yes… BETWEEN… one and ten. Have you got that? Between one and ten. Have you done that?" Now, these pauses and ellipses are VERY important. The word, "between," has been said three to five times. The pauses and repetition drive home the point that the number should NOT be a one or a ten. Don't worry—if worse comes to worse, you will have an "out" all prepared. It hasn't happened to me yet. Granted, this type of ritual takes practice and over time you will develop the knack. The spectator will say, "Yes." Say, "Is there any way anyone in the world could know with absolute certainty what number you are only thinking of?” The spectator will say "No.” Continue, “Good! You are the only one that knows your secret number. Now, as you know, a deck of cards contains 52 different cards.” This is the FIRST time you have made any mention of cards—and they don't yet know why. Continue, "And in a deck of cards there are 4 suits, right? Diamonds, Clubs, etc. Right? I'm going to hold my fingers up one at a time, but instead of counting, I will call out the names of the suits."
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Illustrate this by raising your right fist in front of your face, palm side toward you, and first holding up your thumb, followed by your index finger, etc, as you do when you are counting. Do this while saying, "Diamonds, clubs, hearts" as an illustration, but only go up to hearts, which will be your middle finger. Say, "When I come to the finger that corresponds to the number you are thinking of, remember THAT suit—OK? Here we go…" They will affirm that they understand you. Otherwise, explain it again. Say, "Don't give me any indication at all what your suit is—keep it a secret—to yourself. I don't want to know." Starting by holding up the thumb of your right hand, and say "Diamonds." Then hold up your index finger (keeping your thumb also up—just like when you are counting) and say "Clubs." Hold up your middle finger (along with your thumb and index) and say "Hearts". Then your ring finger and say, "Spades." Then add your pinky and say "Diamonds". Now raise your left fist, also palm toward you, and continue by extending your left pinky upwards and saying, "Clubs." Notice that, although you started with Diamonds, you are calling out the suits in ChaSeD order. Continue on with your left-hand ring finger (hearts), middle finger (spades), index finger (diamonds) and finally your left thumb (clubs). Do this finger procedure at a good pace —approximately one beat per second. Say, "Have you got a suit? Are you thinking of a suit?” They will say, "Yes"—otherwise, do it again. Say, "So, now you are thinking of a suit. Is there any way anyone else could know with absolute certainty which suit you are only thinking of?” They will say, "No."
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Say, "Good! Form a strong image of the suit in your mind—have you got it? Picture it. Try to get a detailed image. Got it? So now you have in your mind a suit that only you are aware of, and a number from before that only you know, correct?” Of course, they will say, "Yes." Say, "Great! I want you to take the suit you are thinking of and combine it with that number from before, so that you are now forming a playing card in your mind. OK? Have you got that?” They will say, "Yes.” Continue, "So now you are thinking of a playing card that only you could know, wouldn't you agree?” They will again say, "Yes.” Say, "There are 52 cards in a deck, and you are now thinking of one of those cards. No one else could possibly know which card it is—this information exists only in your mind. Focus on it!" You have now completed the Silent Running force procedure—congratulations! Practice this until it becomes second nature. This process, and the careful use of wording therein, will give your spectators the distinct impression that they have selected a card that only they could know. The fact is, however, that after this procedure, you know with certainty that they have selected one of our "special" eight cards. For a more detailed explanation of this strategy, see, A Force in the Shadows.
The Deck: Each of the eight cards of the CR set is paired with another card—the card directly below it in a face-up deck (or, obviously, directly above it in a face-down deck). These cards should be prepared and treated with a roughing fluid, but only in a central stripe, one and a quarter inches wide, across the width of the cards. The CR set is treated on the BACK in this way, and
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the card it is paired with is treated on the FRONT in the same way. This arrangement provides a special quality. When the deck is face up, a spectator can easily deal off a single card. This is true, because when dealing, the right hand tends to receive and differentiate a card from a far or near end—the part of the card that is not roughed. On the other hand, when the deck is turned face down, the thumb will be pushing against the "roughed" stripe, so that the two cards of the pair will be pushed over instead of one, hiding all the differentcolor backs. This works so well that the spectator can do it themselves and it will defy detection!
The Spectator: Choose a spectator that is willing to go along with your suggestions, and has no hidden agenda to trip you up! Do not at anytime explain what the effect is going to be. Just do it—and follow the script. It is possible (although it has not yet happened to me) that a spectator will choose an ace or a ten—that would turn out to be the Ace of Diamonds, or the 10 of Clubs. You can prepare a special out for these if you are so inclined. No one knows what the effect is going to be, so this will not defeat you at all. As I said, this has NEVER happened to me—but that doesn't mean it couldn't. It's best to be prepared!
The Presentation: First, choose a good spectator to assist you. Next, perform the Silent Running script, exactly as described above. As soon as you are done with the SR procedure, hand the spectator the boxed deck, and proceed with your script as follows: Say, "Please remove the cards from the box—I don't want to touch them. Be careful—because if the cards get dropped, it won't be as entertaining! Good job. Now, hold the deck face up, and thumb through until you find your card. It's OK if I see it—it doesn't matter— we all are about to find out what it is. Tell me when you've found it, OK? Good." Give them whatever time they need to find their card—it won't take long. Then continue: "Please cut the deck at your card so that it is now on the face of the deck. Good—and deal your card face up on the table so we can all see what it is. Excellent! Oh! You chose the (fill in the name of the card). That is a very interesting choice!"
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Continue, "Now square up the deck nice and neat—good—and turn the deck face down. Now do me a favor, and quickly thumb through the entire deck. Very good. All done? Good. Now put the deck back in the box. Wonderful. Did you notice that every single card in the deck, without exception, has a blue back (or red as the case may be)? Yes—every single card was blue—no doubt. Are you ready for this? Now turn your card over." I assure you, they will be stunned to discover that they mentally selected the only card in the deck with an odd-colored back! Watch their brain cells start to drip out of their ears! You have just performed Hands Off: Silent But Deadly!
Reset: To reset, simply return the card to the face of the deck, and cut the deck to the jokers, so that the jokers are on top of the deck (not on the face). You are now ready to go again!
Note: Because of the special "roughing" arrangement, the selected card should be easily thumbed off the deck as a single when they put it on the table. That, in fact, is why this scheme of partial roughing was developed. But do be aware, different people will handle the deck in different ways than you might expect, and the possibility remains that instead of their single selection, they will unknowingly put 2 cards down instead. What to do? Nothing! I usually say—"hold on, I think you've got two cards!" Then I will separate them myself, and put the odd card back on the deck they are holding. I do it cleanly and neatly, to make sure they realize that there is no "funny business" going on. No harm done!
Extra Idea: Two decks are presented, one of each color. After the spectator has gone through the deck of their choice, you can get a "kicker" effect with the second deck from which you "traded" cards. I'll let you mull that over. You could, for example, spread the second deck between your hands, face-down, and locate a single odd color back. A pencil dot may help you accomplish this. Think on these things, and have fun!
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SPEECHLESS: LEFT UNSAID Steve Shufton This section should be treated as an addendum to Speechless, which was described in detail in the book, Silent Running. It is not my intention to explain the Speechless effect again here. When I described the Speechless effect in Silent Running, I provided a bare-bones approach for a real miracle. It was "bare-bones" in the sense of two aspects. First, I found it unnecessary to review the Silent Running procedure, as you were already holding it in your hands! In this sequel I have described the general patter strategy I use for the SR procedure (See: Hands Off: Silent But Deadly). I have also contributed a philosophical treatise (A Force in the Shadows), which will hopefully drive home the subtleties employed to help make your force completely invisible and deceptive. Recalling Speechless, a deck of cards was used, specially and subtly set up, so that you could determine the chosen card without a word being spoken, and additionally have a prediction on the table before the spectator revealed the name of her card. This was Speechless, in the key of "C". Let's go a bit deeper into this idea of having your CrossRoads Set, (CR set), in a specific "key." This jargon and general concept was conceived by Ben Harris from the field of music, where as you know, you can play a song in varying keys. The same holds true with the CrossRoads principle. The eight target cards are always set up in CHaSeD order, starting with the 2 of clubs, and continuing through to the 9 of diamonds (2C, 3H, 4S, 5D… 9D). You could, however, use a set, still in CHSD order, but start with a 2 of hearts instead of clubs. You would continue through the set in CHSD sequence, (2H, 3S, 4D, 5C… 9C), and now have an 8 card set with completely different suits than the first set. The "finger selection" aspect of the SR procedure would obviously need to change to accommodate the different suits. Likewise, the set could start with the 2 of spades, or the 2 of diamonds. Thus, we have the CR set in 4 different keys.
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How can this multiple key aspect come into use? Let's discuss one way of exercising it, using Speechless as our basis. If you recall, the Speechless deck is set up to be read from left to right as the spectator thumbs through the deck—that is, from the face of the deck to the back. The first card the spectator will come to is the 2 of clubs, and the cards continue to be dispersed through the deck ending near the back with the 9 of diamonds. What if we wanted to perform Speechless using two spectators, and thus, two selections simultaneously? Not only that, but guarantee that they will select different cards? That is to say, even if they got the same value, they would still have a different suit, thus different cards. The way is to have the second card selected in another key! During the finger selection process, you would simply start with the next suit (instead of the first finger being diamonds for the key of "C", you would start by calling out clubs for the first finger, thereby giving us the CR set—but now in the key of "H" [hearts]). Great! We have now forced two cards out of CR sets in two respective keys. Our two spectators definitely have different cards—even if they selected the same value! In other words, if spectator number one selected "6", it will be the 6 of clubs. If the second spectator also selected "6", it will be the 6 of hearts. Obviously, you can use up to 4 spectators as we have 4 CR keys available to us. All 4 are guaranteed to get different cards in this way. Now, before we get into the method of silently detecting their cards, let's make a small point regarding the use of multiple spectators being involved in the selection process. You should carry on with the normal SR procedure, but perform the value selection process on all involved spectators, as a group, first. Then, perform the suit selection process on each of the spectators individually. As your finger designations will be different for each spectator, this method will actually add an additional layer of shadow on the whole process. Any audience member trying to keep track will notice that the designations truly seem random (because they change), which will only strengthen the effect! Let's discuss the manner of detection when using multiple spectators in the context of Speechless. We know how to set up the deck in the key of "C"—that was covered in Silent Running in detail. But what if we use a second spectator, and force a card out of the CR set in the key of "H"? Study the illustration of the deck (see following page): Notice that using a deck set up in this way, you can read the selection in the same way—but this time you will determine the card's value from right to left, instead of left to right. Notice that the 2 of hearts is the second card from the right. We are now looking at the CR set in the key of "H". The next card in the set, the 3 of spades, is positioned from the right hand side of the deck, just as the 3 of hearts (the second card of the CR set in the key of "C") is positioned from the left. The two sets more or less mirror each other throughout the deck. Simply stated, when the back of the deck is facing you, the CR set in the key of "C" is read from left to
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right, and the CR set in the key of "H" is read similarly, but from right to left! This means that you can determine both cards using the same deck! Have the first spectator remove their card from the deck (and note the position according to CR in the key of "C", from left to right). This will tell you their card. Then, have the second spectator remove their card—but this time determine the card using CR in the key of "H", and note the position, from right to left. As per original instructions, you want to do this in such a way as to make it seem as if you hadn't seen the cards being removed, and put in the respective pockets of the spectators. Those familiar with Speechless will understand how to handle this. Want to get one or two more spectators involved? Since there are 4 keys, you can use up to 4 spectators, and be assured they will each get a different card. I hope you are already aware of how to force a card in a different key—perhaps in the key of "S" or the key of "D". It really is a matter of assigning the correct suits to the fingers for that part of the SR selection process—that's all there is to it. But, what of the deck? Well, if you closely examine the illustration again, you will see that the cards are set up in such a way, so that a cut directly in the middle of the deck will set you up for the next two CR keys! Note that now, after completing this cut, the 2 of diamonds will be on the right (when the backs are facing you) and the 2 of spades will be on the left. In other words, you are now set up for the next two spectators, by simply making a complete cut, right in the middle of the deck. Obviously, this cut could be accommodated by a crimp or a breather, etc. I'll leave that up to you! You could do it openly, or secretly employing a pass, et al. The point is this—you can either have up to 4 spectators assist you in one large effect, or, you could rotate the 4 keys, making it easy to make sure you will get different results every time you perform Speechless—at least for the next 4 performances. Pretty cool, eh? All this with the same deck. Now, when you do the effect for one person, you will tend to have them cut to their selection before pocketing it—that makes reset a snap. Simply return the selection to the face, and cut back to the starting position. With multiple spectator's, however, you will want them to remove their selections from the deck without cutting it—thereby maintaining the "readable" order of the cards. So, reset will take an additional 5 seconds or so. However, you are likely to use this strategy in a larger show (as opposed to table hopping, where one spectator will be enough), so the additional few seconds of reset time should not be an issue. I must tell you that I am not in any way suggesting that you should perform Speechless on four spectators simultaneously! Two, yes—why not. Four might be overkill, and be too redundant during the suit selection process. You have to be pretty good with presentation and turning a phrase to pull that off. That is why this is merely an addendum to an already excellent trick. I simply wanted to demonstrate a practical use of different "keys", and get your mind pumping.
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photo of deck order for CrossRoads Keys
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Spend some time thinking about this and playing with the deck. Different presentational angles will be hatched in your brilliant brain. The minor alterations in patter when using multiple spectators should become evident. After practice, you will have something that is "you." You might even want to embed the whole affair into a larger segment of a bigger demonstration—who knows? Let your creativity flow, and practice with the deck—switching keys, etc., until you are perfectly comfortable with the handling. I'll leave you with this: an effect that you may already be familiar with—the solution of which has been offered by various magicians and by various means. But, using Silent Running, Speechless and Crossroads, you should be able to determine the solution for yourself… shouldn't you? Here is the effect: The spectator is thinking of a single playing card and no one else is privy to the card only being thought of—not a word has been spoken. Two decks are put on the table—a red deck and a blue deck. The spectator takes one of the decks, and while the magician's back is turned, the spectator removes the card she is only thinking of. The magician points out the other deck, and claims that he removed a card from it earlier. He removes a single card from his pocket and puts it face down on the table. The spectator is instructed to find her card in the other deck. She cannot—she searches and counts, and finds a deck with only 51 cards, and her card is missing! She brings forth her card, and of course it matches the one on the table! I am not suggesting you perform this routine as is or at all! It might be too long and complicated to get the same strength you can achieve in easier ways, for example, by just using Speechless. But, hopefully, contemplating the solution will help you to discover some of the versatility of this system and allow you to see that you can truly be creative with these tools, and accomplish amazing results! Here is one more idea that could be a feature part of an act. Note how I buried this way at the bottom. Here is the (final!) effect: Spectator A thinks of a card, and without saying a word and while the magician's back is turned, he removes the card from a deck and pockets it.
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Spectator B is handed another pack of cards. "B" is told to name any number between 1 and 52. "B" opens the deck (without it ever being touched by the performer) and deals down to that number, and deals the card that is there off to the side. It is demonstrated that any other choice would have yielded different results—the cards are different. Spectator B's card matches spectator A's card! Silent ACAAN—simply not possible! Unless, of course, you combine Speechless with CRACAAN (See CrossRoads, page 27). Need I say more? This will melt minds. I hope you have as much fun as I have had with Speechless and Silent Running. Good luck!
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Jamie Badman & Colin Miller (The Underground Collective) Silent Past Silent Present Silent Future
‘The Underground Collective’ are Jamie Badman & Colin Miller two magicians who have met up in London for over a decade to work on devious magical ideas and concepts! From their fertile minds have sprung effects such as 'Heirloom,' 'Hollywood or Bust,' ‘The Underground Change' and the soon-to-be-released mentalism blockbuster 'Legacy.’ www.underground-collective.com
SILENT PAST Jamie Badman and Colin Miller (The Underground Collective)
Jamie and Colin have kindly contributed three separate routines for use with Silent Running—each of which is quite different, as you'll see. The first uses a set of custom photographs (each of which contains a Silent Running card) and a routine introducing some subtleties to the Silent Running procedure. The second effect utilizes a couple of clever gaffs that provide a nice twist and the third routine combines an old gambling device with modern technology to deliver a routine that is their absolute favorite way to present Silent Running.
The setup for this first routine, Silent Killer, is to have the eight CrossRoads cards (represented on eight photographs), each placed in a separate compartment in your wallet. Every photograph is in a position that you can recall—so if someone names one of the Silent Running cards, you can immediately retrieve the appropriate photograph. Your wallet, otherwise, appears normal. Note: The required photographs are re-produced in the Appendix. Print these sheets, using glossy photo paper, and then trim along the guidelines to create a working set of photographs. The routine from this point on is almost completely verbal, so we'll provide you with a sample 'script' for the routine, which should give you all you need: "I always seem to have been around playing cards. Now it's with magic but when I was a kid it was through gambling. No, I didn't gamble myself—but my Uncle did—he played all the time; in fact I have very few memories of him away from the card table. He was a great player though; complete poker face, never let anyone peek his cards—not even me—though I tried my hardest! "I remember once, he was looking after me—but he had his buddies round for a game. He'd been dealt his cards and a lot of money was played on this particular hand. Some guy made a big bet and my uncle took a tiny peek at his cards. I caught a rare glimpse… not enough to make out the card initially but enough to see it wasn't a court card—and
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it definitely wasn't an ace; I saw a single digit in that card, not a letter. I'll tell you something more though…when I peeked that card I remembered it wasn't just any card—it was my Uncle's lucky card! He swore by that card; I knew then that all the money was going into the center! "Imagine you're there. You're me all those years ago and you catch a peek of the index of the playing card. You know it's not an ace or a court card; it's a single digit playing card. Imagine the digit on the index of that card. Do you have it in your mind? Don't tell me— just don't forget that number. "Tell you what, let's go a little further. You saw the number but not the suit—but we'll let fate play a part in this; I'll call out some suits at random and will hold some fingers up as I do so. You remember the suit I call out on your number. Can you do this? Are you ready? Ok…” Now execute the Silent Running procedure to match a suit to the chosen number. You will raise your fingers and call the suits to this order:
(1) Spades (2) Clubs (3) Hearts (4) Spades (5) Diamonds (6) Clubs (7) Hearts (8) Spades (9) Diamonds (10) Hearts
Note: the FIRST and TENTH cards are NOT following the customary sequence. This breaks things up and makes the calling of suits seem more random. Also note that the cards are announced in a broken rhythm—try a slight pause at the spaces indicated in the above list. This helps to disguise the pattern even further—and gives the spectator the impression you're thinking of the suits randomly on the fly. "So, now let's see if we can reconstruct the card I saw that day… put the digit you remembered together with the suit to form a playing card… have you done that? What do you have? Really? No way! That's it! My Uncle's lucky card! He won all the money
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that night with the card… look—he even had a photograph taken shortly afterwards and gave it to me to remember him by —look…" You slowly reach in to your wallet and remove one photograph—and on it is a picture of a man—holding the named card!
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SILENT PRESENT Jamie Badman and Colin Miller (The Underground Collective) This routine uses two very subtle gaffs—two double faced cards, consisting of the following: Gimmick 1: Side one—Joker, side two—2C/6C Gimmick 2: Side one—Joker, side two—4S/8S
photo of vertically split cards
In both cases, the flip side of the Joker consists of a “vertically split pair” of BLACK Crossroads Cards. These are all four black cards from the set. During our development of this routine, we simply cut a 2C, 6C, 4S and 8S in half and glued them to the backs of Jokers. This works perfectly well, though the gaffs are slightly thick. Try the routine using home-made gaffs first; then if you feel having custom gaffs made up, you can do so later! The gaffs are placed into a deck, split-faces should be upwards in the face-down deck. The club gaff should be placed second from top of the deck and the spade gaff just over half-way. Make sure the lower values of the split cards face left. In the top half of the deck, have the 2C
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and 6C. Place the 4S and the 8S in the lower half. Finally, remove the four red CrossRoads cards (3H, 5D, 7H, 9D) from the deck, and place them in your wallet—in known locations. Now, perform The Silent Running procedure to force TWO cards (as per Bob Cassidy’s idea in the original manuscript). This will result in one spectator thinking of a RED card, and the other, a BLACK card. Snap your fingers over the deck, then turn to the RED spectator and say: "Your selection has vanished." Cut off half the deck and spread them face up on the table. Ask the spectator to look for her card. She will not see it. Ask the spectator who chose the BLACK card if they have seen their card. If they say 'yes,' then they have thought of a club, else, they have thought of a spade. (Cool, eh?) Square up the spread cards and place them face down to one side—then spread the remaining half face up across the table. Ask the spectator who chose the RED card to continue to look for her card. Again she will not see it. If the spectator who chose the BLACK card did not see her card in the first half, ask her to look over this second half. She will, of course, spot her card this second time around. Square the cards and turn them face-down. If the spectator thinking of a BLACK card is thinking of a CLUB, place the SECOND half of the deck on top of the first. If otherwise, place the first half on top of the second. Square the deck. Now ask the red-selection spectator to name her card. She does so, and you then reach into your wallet and produce the named card! Ask the black-selection spectator to name her card. All you then need to do is spread the deck, either to the right—if they name the 2 or the 4, or, else to the left—revealing their thought of card.
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SILENT FUTURE Jamie Badman and Colin Miller (The Underground Collective)
This routine requires “breather” crimps to be placed in each of the Silent Running cards. The “breather” needs to be applied to the FACE DOWN cards). Additionally you will need to possess an iPhone—but let's face it, that's not so much a requirement of this trick than a pre-requisite for self-respect and clean living! On the iPhone, you will need to have installed Greg Rostami's brilliant App, iForce. (This bargain priced application is one of the best and most versatile magic apps out there. Its true beauty is that it does not pretend to be anything other than a regular doodling app—one that you would expect to find on such a hi-tech device. It is available from the App Store.) Before you go any further—and assuming you now have all the pieces you need to perform this routine—take some time out to learn how to use iForce properly. It's an absolutely superb application and it has been thought out brilliantly. You should go to the settings and set “reflippable” to “off” first. This is the safest mode and guarantees that, once you've performed the routine, there's no way the spectator can do anything untoward. Now you need to set up a custom “preset” for this routine. It's obvious: You need to enter “2 Clubs” in position “1”, “3 Hearts” in position “2”, “4 Spades” in position “3” etc. Basically, it's the Crossroads configuration. Note that the lowest four cards are in the SLOW positions and the rest are in the FAST positions. Also note that the suits are grouped together when the setup is complete: The Clubs are both in the top position, the Hearts are on the right, the Spades on the bottom and the Diamonds on the left. This makes the way you turn the iPhone very easy to remember! Set the app on the preset, ready for performance.
So now, on with the show:
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Introduce the iPhone application as a 'doodle' app. Open it up, show how it works and then explain how you're going to write on it a prediction. Write anything onscreen, out of the spectator's prying eyes, and then place it face down on the table, as per the instructions for iForce. Have a spectator give the deck a shuffle. Watch how the spectator shuffles the deck—if they riffle-shuffle, then at the end of the shuffle, have them cut the deck. If they overhandshuffle the deck, do not have them cut the deck. Let us explain why here: We should do so because we've never seen this idea in print before and it could be very valuable to know this. Traditionally, “breather” crimps are associated with cutting the deck. However, with multiple breathers in the deck, overhand-shuffling the deck is really a kind of repeated cut sequence and the chances therefore of ending with a breather on the bottom of the deck is extremely high—try it out, it's surprising! Once the spectator has shuffled the deck, have them turn the deck face up. If you have a Crossroads card showing on the face, simply turn the phone face up to reveal your prediction. If no hit, then we'll go for another chance. What we do NOT want to do is descend into a desperate shuffling/cutting sequence, so we need to optimize our chances. Choose a second spectator. Ask that spectator to cut the deck into two equal sized packets. If you get a hit on this cut, have the cut completed and reveal your prediction. If no hit, have BOTH spectators pick up the piles and have them both shuffle their halves. This time, for consistency, if either of them riffle shuffle, have them BOTH cut their packets. Have them both turn their packets face up and if you have no hit, just emphasize how the deck is now completely shuffled—and move on to a nice “Shuffled Deck in Use” routine. You will almost certainly have a hit. With a deck that has eight breathers in, it's much harder to miss than it is to hit—particularly if the deck is in good condition. If you have one hit, just have the spectators replace the packets on top of one another, so that the “hit” stays on the face—then reveal the prediction. If both cards hit, then have the spectators decide on one of the cards. Reveal to finish. This all sounds very hit and miss but we urge you to try it. You can simply “jazz” until one of the eight possible cards is “hit.” This routine plays so strongly—it really does seem impossible!
Bonus: Silent Combination: Here's a fourth routine. We'll give you just the concept, since it's a bonus, after all! So, what you do is to have two decks: one red backed and the other blue backed. In the red backed deck, place the gaffs
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from Silent Present, split-faces upwards. Put the Club card in the center of the deck and the Spade card second from the top of the deck. The blue back deck has the 2C, 6C, 4S, 8S (each treated with a “breather” crimp). The routine is simple—have the blue deck shuffled, have the deck turned face up, cut if necessary, etc. This is basically the same ploys as described in Silent Future. If they ended up with a Club, spread the red deck to show their selection has turned face up in the other deck, else, cut just above center and spread to show their spade selection. We hope you enjoy all three of our routines and we would be honored, should any of these become part of any magician's repertoire.
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Richard Busch SIR Richard Busch’s Think-A-Card
Richard Busch ... is an internationally known, multiaward winning writer and creator of mentalism and psychic entertainment. His first hardcover, Peek Performances, is generally regarded as 'the book' that reignited the peek craze back in 2001. For the first time, the many types of possible peeks that are found in various types of effects and their applications were categorized, along with rich examples of each. Among the many billets in its sequel, Peek Encores, is what many feel may be the cleanest approach ever offered, Busch's Billet. In real life, Busch is a Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy and specializes in work with human beings who sincerely wish to do and feel better. Richard Busch says: "Whether people see miracles on stage, at the table, or experience and benefit from them in their lives, a miracle is a miracle. I am always happy to do whatever I can to enable them to occur.” www.richardbusch.com
SIR RICHARD BUSCH’S THINK-A-CARD Richard Busch In an effect called DIGITS from my NUMBER ... PLEASE ? (2002), I first used the idea of framing and then blurring a Participant's secret mental processes to advantage by initially holding up one (index) finger, then two (index and middle) fingers to invite truly random selections of single and two digit numbers. The drama featured what I've termed in past releases "the illusion of choice". In this instance, we will continue to suggest the illusions of choice and compounding randomness that when combined, will irresistibly seem to be unknowable to the Performer. In fact, without any pumping or multiple outcomes, we will bypass a limited range force, directly force one of 52 playing cards with 100% certainty, and have much flexibility in doing so. Interested? By the way, SIR in the above title stands for Suggest Irresistible Randomness and is not a self-granted title. I mean, did you really think I would seriously suggest anything that silly? Here now are some suggested talking points, how this might play ... "Do you believe in miracles? Well, let's begin with a very small miracle, a tiny, teensy weensy one and leave the major ones to the politicians, G-d help us. Let's do a very simple exercise in pure imagination. For your amusement, we'll load it up with lots of secret choices only you will know. OK, are you ready to begin?" 1. [Holding up one finger] "Please think of any single digit number. Do you have one firmly in mind? Great! That's a span of 1 to 9, a secret single digit." 2.
"Now, let's expand the possibilities, double it. Got it? Super!"
3. [Repeatedly hold up one and then two fingers, over and over.] "You are now thinking of either a single or double digit number. I really don't know which.
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But you do, and don't you tell me either!" 4. [Hold up two fingers] "Add 10. Now for sure, you must be thinking of a secret two digit number because I just pushed you up into two digit territory. Which one, I have absolutely no idea." 5.
"Now let's further randomize it, so I can go back to not being at all sure of virtually anything. Cut your number in half ... and subtract your original number. "Now that's what I call randomness! So many choices and yet, there is still one very minor thing I do know for sure. You are thinking of either a one or two digit number, and don't you tell me which or which one. I am otherwise in a state of not knowing.
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"If you are thinking of a number from 1 to 13, and don't tell me if you are or aren't, fantastic. Remember it, because that is your final random number. If you are thinking of a number larger than 13, that's fine too. Just cut it in half as many times as you need to until you are left with a random number from 1 to 13. Why? Because right now, we are going to use your secret number to construct the random name of a playing card. And it's so easy! Your secret number is the FIRST name of your secret card. 1= Ace, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 10 = 10, 11 = Jack, 12 = Queen, 13 = King. Got it? You now know the first name of your secret, random card. "Did you know that all cards have three names? Yes! And truth be told, I already know the MIDDLE name of your card. I really do. It's "of". Every one of the 52 playing cards that you or anyone in the whole wide world could possibly mentally select has the middle name of "of". They all do. They're born with it. Funny how that works, and absolutely true. "For a random selection of the LAST name, we'll use my four fingers."
[Hold your left-hand straight up, fingers slightly spread. Curl the thumb in and down, out of the way. The four fingers are straight up. Just for now, think of them in your mind to be numbered as follows: 1-Index, 2- Middle, 3- Ring, 4- Pinky.] 7.
"I'll ask you now to assign your secret random card to a secret random finger. I'll simply point to each of my four fingers and you are to remember the finger's number that randomly comes up. QUESTION: Shall we make my Index finger 1 and go right, or make my Pinky 1 and go left? It's your choice!"
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If left to right is called: Saying "1, 2, 3, 4," tap Index, Middle, Ring, Pinky. Saying "5, 6, 7, 8," continue with Index, Middle, Ring, Pinky. Continue on through K. You will get:
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K If right to left is called: Saying "1, 2, 3, 4," tap Pinky, Ring, Middle, Index. To continue, repeat a tap on the Index. Continue this same repeat tap on the ends throughout, and you will get:
4 3 2 A 5 6 7 8 Q J 10 9 K 8.
"Now that you know your secret random card's secret random finger, it's time for you to randomly pick your card's suit. I'll simply point to each of my four fingers and you will remember the finger's suit that randomly comes up. One last QUESTION: Shall we begin with my Index finger and go right, or begin with my Pinky and go left? Once again, it's absolutely your choice!"
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If left to right is called: Saying "Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, Spades," tap Index, Middle, Ring, Pinky.
If right to left is called: Saying "Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds," tap Pinky, Ring, Middle, Index. This is the well-known CHaSed sequence, or, if you are Jewish, CHaSiD. The double force of a pre-determined card is complete.
Backstage and Behind the Scenes with Sir Busch: If you actually did the example as I wrote it above, I would have forced you to be thinking of the 5 of Diamonds. The math force is very old and credited in DIGITS, the most basic effect from my NUMBER ... PLEASE ? It's a good little book, still available for very little money, and has some powerhouse routines inside its covers. I think of the center of this method as the M A T H Force. M is 'multiply by 2,' A is 'add,' T is 'ten,' and H is 'half.' I do not ever say 'multiple by 2,' much preferring 'double it.' The specific words I use in this routine fit because in context, they describe an interesting adventure in imagery and not an overt math puzzle. Whatever number is added will force a result half itself. Thus, 10 (which is easy for the Participant to mentally figure out), forces a 5. 'An even dozen,' 12, would force a 6. An 8, a 4. You get the idea. It's all very old, but very good if presented flowingly in a non-procedural manner. And even then, it must seem to be only about images and random choices, not ever the numbers in and of themselves. My inclusion of the one and two fingers part of it works like a charm and quite naturally leads us to the suit selection (using any suit order you like). It's a once removed relative, wearing a big top hat being graciously tipped to Peter Duffie and his Duffie Dodge (see page 42 of Silent Running). My one-handed handling for all 13 possibilities features multiple Participant choices and an overall feeling of freedom. The all important built-in convincers will find favor with those of you who like this sort of random approach. You will note, and I'm sure appreciate, that my subtleties make a target of 5, 6, 7, 8, K, exactly the same finger in either direction! What a prime example of the illusion of choice! The fact that the previously mentioned 1's are obviously going in different directions, leading to different fingers, and therefore different suits, is the red herring that sets up this psychological convincer!
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I hope you will enjoy pulling off this compelling exercise in visualization without any props, limited range forces, pumping, or multiple outcomes. I do, and hope you will too! But what is, "it?" A premonition? A thought projection? Mind reading? A face-down card coincidence? What I believe it should not be is a math puzzle or card-less card trick where the name of a card is aimlessly blurted out. Some may ask, “So what? Who really cares? Does it matter? Why? Is it mystifying or even interesting beyond puzzle-land?” Perhaps a brief, personalized character reading of the color, suit, and number might be of greater interest within the context of a presentation that this time, you must choose. I ask this of you, because these possible effects are all different! And the final revelation could be the topper of something, that might actually matter and "wow" the Participant(s) in a memorable effect of your design. As always, the real magic will inevitably be the meaning you create! Lastly, just to further wet your whistle, I can honestly tell you that I badly fooled a couple of seasoned professionals (no names, please) with this effect, right over the phone. Because of the way I suggest and lead generally, and in this SIR Illusion of Choice presentation in particular, my style and schpiel cancelled the solution I'm positive they've known for decades. In other words, by redirecting their attention, they didn't recognize what they surely must know. When this happens, it's extra sweet miracle time. And now, it's your turn to be "SIR!" So, sell it right!
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Ben Harris Silent Travelers Small Packet Concepts Vanishing Thought The Deck At The Other End Easy Transposition Headway R.E.M. Neuro-Pathway
Ben Harris ...works out of sunny Queensland, Australia and is enjoying creatve success with his show “Hellucinations”— exploring the work of the late and mysterious, Dr. Elmer William Bishop.
SILENT TRAVELERS Ben Harris I want to address packet-tactics, or how to apply packet concepts to Silent Running. Firstly, a fully-blown routine from my stage show, HELLucination, and then some more general concepts and mental teases. The purpose of the following, is to bring to your attention to how the elements of the CrossRoads Set may be influenced by, or seek co-operation from, the packet manipulation techniques. The sort of things I’m referring to, are Elmsley Counts, add-ons, switch-outs, etc. Taking small packet techniques, can we develop routines or ideas that append to the CrossRoads/Silent Running palette? This first routine combines a cunningly divided CrossRoads Set, with a display method (inspired by Osborn’s Unlimited Count) to create a hands-off transposition of two “thoughtof” cards.
Effect: Two spectators are invited to assist, and are seated on either side of a small table. The performer stands behind the table, facing the audience. On the table is a wine glass with an elastic band in it. Both spectators are asked to think of a number “between 1 and 10”—with this caveat: the spectator to the performer’s right is asked to think of an “even” number, and the spectator to the left, an “odd” number. This is, the performer explains, to ensure that both do not settle on the same value. Both now match suits to their freely thought-of numbers, combining them to create “playing cards” in their minds. They both confirm that no one can know the cards they are secretly thinking of. The performer now removes a deck of cards from his pocket and counts the cards, one at a time, face up onto the table, until he reaches 52. During the count, the two spectators are asked to mentally confirm that their cards are present in the 52-card deck. The purpose of the count is to demonstrate that the pack is just a regular deck of 52 (thus no “extra” cards), and to also establish the existence of PHYSICAL CARDS—matching the “thought-of” cards—within the deck.
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Counting off a packet of eight or nine cards, the performer claims these as “his own.” He displays the faces of the cards to both spectators, who both DENY that their card is present in the packet. The packet of cards is now “quarantined” by snapping an elastic band around it. Now secured, it is rested, in plain view, across the mouth of the wine glass. The spectator to the performer’s right is asked to pick up the deck and to thumb through the cards face DOWN. He is asked to “imagine” that he has “extraordinary powers, enabling the ability to read the cards through their backs!” He is asked to “imagine” that he has located his thought-of card via this mysterious power and is requested to “play along”—placing the “imaginary card” upon the table. The spectator is now requested to remove the “real card” from the deck he holds. He is asked to place this on the table, beside the “imaginary card,” for comparison. Of course, he will not find his “thought-of” card in the deck, and you have the first mysterious moment. “Sometimes reality IS stranger than fiction,” the entertainer quips! He then pantomimes picking up the “imaginary card” and tossing it towards the “quarantined packet.” The second spectator is now handed the deck. He is asked to simply imagine handing you his “thought-of card.” The performer holds out his palm up hand to receive it. Glimpsing its imaginary face, the performer now REVEALS the card by divining its color/suit and then value. After receiving his applause, he again pantomimes throwing this second “thoughtof” card towards the “quarantined packet.” The spectator, in the meantime, searches through the deck and FAILS to find his thought of card! To finish, attention is drawn to the isolated—“quarantined packet”—sitting atop the wine glass. The two assisting spectators are requested to pick up the packet, pop off the rubber band, and to remove their “thought-of cards.” This they do, as both cards have mysteriously appeared within the untouched packet.
Preparation: Remove the following cards from the deck: A traditional CrossRoads Set, in the key of “C” (2C, 3H, 4S, 5D, 6C, 7H, 8S, 9D). The first four cards in a CrossRoads Set, in the key of “H” (2H, 3S, 4D, 5C). Place the BLACK cards from your traditional CrossRoads Set face down atop the deck. On top of these, drop the four cards from the set in “C,” again, face down. Finally, drop the remaining four RED Crossroads cards on top of all. Case the deck. You’ll also need a rubber band, and for a formal presentation, a wine glass.
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Method: 1. Induce both spectators to “think of a card” using the Silent Running procedure and Bob Cassidy’s two spectator, odd card/even card ploy. (See Silent Running, Page 47). This will result in one spectator thinking of an EVEN card, and the other thinking of an ODD card. Both will be completely convinced that they “created” these cards in their heads, and that NO ONE could possibly know the cards, but themselves. 2. Introduce the pack of playing cards, and either: thumb through the cards having both spectators confirm that their cards are within in the deck. Or: formally count the cards, one at a time, face up, to the table—displaying a full deck of 52 AND having both spectators confirm the presence of their “thought-of” cards. The latter is preferable for “formal” presentations. 3. The deck is given a false cut, retaining its order. You now appear to flip over eight cards and remove them, tabling the balance of the deck. In reality you will remove TWELVE cards. Do this by firstly thumbing eight cards over into your right hand, without reversing their order. The cards should form a fan between your hands. Flip the eight cards over, face up onto the deck and then re-spread them into the right hand, partially shielding their faces. Grab a pinky break below the FOURTH FACE DOWN card (twelfth card from top of deck if you factor in the face up cards). Close the spread and lift all TWELVE CARDS from above in the right hand. The left hand tables the deck. To all appearances, you simply thumbed off EIGHT OR NINE cards with an utterance, “these will do just fine, so long as...” 4.
“...so long as... your thought-of cards are NOT present!”
You now display the packet of cards to the spectator who chose the EVEN card in his head. He’ll only see EIGHT cards, none of which are his. He will be left with an UNSAID impression that he was shown NINE cards. (This is an important psychological subtlety because the final target packet or “quarantined packet” will consist of NINE cards). The display (based around the Osborn concept) is performed like this: Turn to face the spectator who chose the EVEN card (thus shielding the faces of the cards from everyone else) and spread off the top FOUR cards into the right hand, Take them fully into the right hand, Photo 1.
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Notice how there is the subliminal suggestion of FIVE CARDS at this point. (These four cards are the “H” Set). Ask the spectator if he sees his “thought-of” card. When he answers “No,” flip the four card fan (in the right hand) face down. Place it beneath the cards in the left hand, Photo 2. Then square up. Now, spread over the remaining four cards, again taking them into a fan in the right hand. These will be the four ODD CARDS from the CrossRoads Set. Photo 3. (The backs showing in the left hand will be assumed to be the rear end of the packet you flipped over a moment ago). Again, ask the spectator if he sees his card. When he says “No,” flip the right hand packet face down, as before, and place it beneath the packet in the left hand. Grab a pinky break ABOVE the packet as you square up. It appears as if you have shown the first spectator every card in the packet. Do not call attention to the number of cards. The display is designed to “sell” the number as NINE, even though you are displaying eight (and actually holding twelve). 5. Turn to face the second spectator, and as everyone looks his way, pretend to flip the packet of cards face up in your hands, but only flip the cards ABOVE the break. 6. Thumb the first four cards of the packet into the right hand. This will be the set of four cards from the “H” Set. Ask the spectator if he sees his “thought-of” card. As he is answering, upjog the third card from the top of this spread. Photo 4. Once he’s answered “No,” flip the four cards face down, end for end (bringing the jogged card to the inner end) and place it beneath the left hand packet. Secure a pinky break ABOVE the jogged card (third card from bottom). Immediately spread across the next four face up cards and ask the question: “Is your card here?” Upon receiving a negative reply (he is looking at the four EVEN cards from the Crossroads Set), flip the four card packet, face down, leaving it ON TOP of the packet. This leaves you holding a twelve card packet, all cards face down, and a pinky break ABOVE the third card from the BOTTOM. 7. Pick up the rubber band and apparently encircle the entire packet with it. In reality, work the band between the packets at the pinky break point, so as to leave the three cards below the break free. Photo 5. The fake encircling of the deck looks perfectly natural and is easily carried out. 8. Now, toss the packet onto the top of the tabled deck, Photo 6, as you say: “These cards are now quarantined, I shall not touch them again...” The three cards below the banded packet will have coalesced with the top of the deck, leaving you squeaky clean. The banded packet now consists of NINE cards, those being an entire CrossRoads Set and one card from the now expunged “H” Set. This single “foreign” card faces the packet allowing it to be shown all round. If this precaution is not taken, then
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one runs the risk of prematurely exposing a “thought-of” card on the face of the packet. You may decide that you don’t like unloading the unwanted cards so boldly, however, I would argue strongly for it. Why run when you are not being chased? The belief that a spectator would suspect you of “unloading” cards is just not something that should be entertained. Why would anyone think this? But, as alternatives, you could simply “lap” them, use a Gambler’s Cop, or maybe the “breast pocket dodge.” While much attention has been paid to explaining the detail in the above display processes, the actual physical handling is to the point, achieving exactly what is needed, with the minimum of fuss. The whole thing, from spreading off the original cards —to finalizing the display, and banding the packet—is delivered, like this... “I’ll use this small packet of cards, assuming, your cards are not present. Do you see your card here, or here. No? We’re doing well...” “What about you? Do you see your card here? No? Ok, I declare this packet of cards quarantined, and will not touch it again...” The physical handling is now complete, and the rest is, as they say, “presentation.” Once you have made the two “thought-of” cards vanish (as per the “effect”), ask the spectators to examine the “quarantined packet” for a little surprise!
Notes: For the photographs, I’ve left the cards in CrossRoads order. You may want to mix them up a little for actual performance.
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SMALL PACKET CONCEPTS Ben Harris A couple of ideas that further explore (albeit, fleetingly) the integration of the CrossRoads Set with small packet configurations: Consider that a spectator has, via the Silent Running procedure, created the image of a playing card in his head. No one can know the card he is thinking of and he acknowledges that fact. You hand him a deck and ask that he remove four cards, ONE of which is to be his “thoughtof” card. The idea is that he is to camouflage the identity of his “thought-of” card by surrounding it with decoy cards. “You may decide, if you wish, to disguise your card with it’s three mates. I often end up with a four of a kind. But you decide...” He hands you four face down cards. Where do we go from here? This is the most basic, stripped-down packet configuration we could possibly have. What mysteries can we extract?
Hushed Lies: The first thing you CAN do, when handed the packet of four cards, is glimpse the faces and mentally identify the chosen card. There is no need to hurry this. It really cannot matter if you see the faces. How could you know which card is which? Very simply—due to the Silent Running procedure, it is the ONE card in the packet that belongs to the CrossRoads Set. (Believe me: It is very unlikely that you will encounter two CrossRoads cards in your packet of four. If you do, you can discern the correct one with a question regarding color or odds/evens. Alternately, you can skip straight to Vanishing Thought where you don’t need to know which card is which!) Displaying the fanned packet to your audience, it is explained that the assisting spectator and the audience will be looking at the four cards with entirely different expectations. For example, to the audience, all the four cards are equal—none carry any greater emotional
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value than any other. However, on the other hand, the assisting spectator has a very special secret. ONE of the cards is his personally “thought-of” card—and he’s trying to HIDE it from you with three decoys. Can he keep a straight face? Can he maintain the charade? Will he tip his hand, so to speak? Thus is the premise for this little effect. The packet of four cards is mixed face down, by the spectator, so that even he does not know which of the four cards is his. The performer offers a test, a physical one, involving the counting of the cards. He stresses that the actions... “...while...beguilingly simple, will reveal your “thought-of” card for all to see.” The spectator is requested to stop mixing his cards, and to then deal the top card to the table, and the next card to the BOTTOM of the packet, and so on. This “deal and duck” process will leave three cards on the table and one in his hand. When he turns this card over, it is his “though-of” card. The result seems so impossible, because of two things: Firstly, how the heck could anyone know which of the four cards he was thinking of? And, secondly, he seemingly had complete control of the packet of cards, even shuffling them.
Method: The method is very simple, but gets the job done. The deception is in the layers: 1. Upon taking the packet of four cards from the spectator, fan and display them to the audience. Pay no particular attention to the faces. However, do note the “thought-of” card (it’s the only CrossRoads Card in the packet) and put in a nail nick at one SHORT edge. 2. Hand the packet back to the spectator and have him mix them. Explain the premise of the effect as he does so. When you see the nail nicked card atop the packet, have him stop mixing the cards. The fact that you are currently explaining what is to happen, gives you the verbal control to dictate the situation in this manner. 3. Have him deal the cards onto the table, using the traditional “deal and duck” protocol (starting with a “duck”): The first card goes onto the bottom of the packet, the second card goes onto the table, the third card goes onto the bottom of the packet, etc. So long as you have started with the nail nicked card on top of the packet, he will be left with this same card, (the “thought-of” card), at the climax of the effect. 4. Have this final card turned over to reveal the hit!
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A Sometimes Follow-up: This is a bit “touch and go”—not something that you’d always perform. It’s a quick followup to the above effect... “you see, it didn’t really matter how you dealt the cards, the result was destined...” Demonstrating the point, the performer asks the spectator to drop his card back, face down, onto the packet. The performer picks up the four cards and reverses their order, and places the packet back on the table. The spectator is invited to turn over the NEW top card. He does so, and again, it’s his “thought-of” card.
Method: This simply puts the Elmsley Count to one of its more subtle uses: ie, retaining the top card on top. Just give the packet a business-like Elmsley Count, apparently reversing their order of the packet. Do not perform a “display” count. This is strictly business. It must look exactly like you reversed the order of the four cards, nothing more. At the right moment, this plays very well. At the wrong moment, it’s a “huh, that was clever” moment. Judge carefully.
Notes: The use of the general “one CR Card in a packet of four” principle ties in nicely with pendulum work. You can implant the thought that the pendulum will “circle” when held over decoy cards, but will “swing” when held over the secret card. If you implant these thoughts with conviction, and excitement, the spectator’s ideo-motor response will take care of the rest.
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Vanishing Thought Ben Harris The previous effect put a “duck and deal” count and an Elmsley Count together in the form of a “Lie Detector” concept of sorts. We’ll now take a different route and put the Elsmley Count to a more traditional use. Instead of magically influencing the spectator to reveal his “thought-of” card—HIMSELF (as in the previous effect), this time it will vanish and reappear in a pocket. Assuming the spectator has created a playing card in his head, as per Silent Running, he is asked to remove four cards from a deck (one being his “thought-of” card), as already explained. He then mixes the cards and hands the squared packet to you. You flip the packet face up and ask the spectator to watch closely. With a snap of the fingers, the magic is done. You now count through the cards, and his “thought-of” card has VANISHED! The spectator yelps... “Where the f#@% did it go?” You reply... “It’s right here, in my pocket...” The words are accompanied by physically removing the card (with an empty hand) from your pocket (or wallet)!
Method: There are two ways to approach this. You can, just go with the flow, or you may grasp the bull by the horns and control this to the nth degree. The former is fun, but the latter means you’re less likely to be caught out “abusing” the Elmsley Count. When the spectator removes the four cards from the deck, have him mix them and then ensure that the face card is NOT his card. You don’t want to see it. Be clear about that.
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When you take the packet, turn it face up, being sure to keep the cards square. The spectator’s “thought-of” card is either the bottom card, second from the bottom, or third from the bottom of the face-up packet. An Elmsley Count will then affect matters like this: (A) If it’s second from the bottom, ONE Elmsley Count will make it vanish. (B) If it’s third from the bottom (immediately under the face card) then it will require TWO Elmsley Counts to make it vanish. (C) If it is on the bottom of the packet, THREE counts will be required. You can, as suggested, just “wing it” by saying, “watch your card,” and then executing the first count. If you get a strong reaction, like “What the...” then you know you’ve been successful. If there’s NO reaction, you comment, “Did you see your thought-of card?” When they say “Yes!” snap your fingers to apply the magic and repeat the count. You’ll know if you’ve been successful this time. If not, ONE more count does it. Of course, the only problem with blindly running through the above process, is that you are drawing attention to the COUNT way too many times. An Elmsley Count displays one card TWICE during its performance. If the count is repeated, with full attention drawn to it, this does become a concern. So, ideally, you want to CONTROL the process so you can casually breeze through ONE or TWO counts without undue attention being drawn to the cards. You save the full attention for the primary count. To take care of these details, proceed like this: 1. Take the packet from the spectator, asking him to confirm that his card is in the packet. Once he does this, say “watch” and then snap your fingers. Execute an Elmsley Count in such a way that your assisting spectator is the only one seeing the faces. A not so difficult prospect, considering HE is the only one who knows what card is important. As the count is executed, note the cards that appear on the count of “two and three.” One of them will be the chosen card, a member of the CrossRoads Set. Card number TWO is the next in line to vanish. 2. Assuming the card did not vanish during the FIRST count, and you have “sighted” the selected card as card number TWO in the initial counting process, then you simply say, “Watch it, this time...” and perform another Elmsley Count, again JUST for the spectator (ok, a little spill-over is allowed). His reaction will sell the vanish to the rest of the crowd. 3. Assuming, on the other hand, that the “sighted” selection appeared at number THREE during the FIRST count, then simply turn the packet face down and say, “Let’s just give them a lttle mix...”
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Do this by quickly transferring FIVE cards from the top of the packet—to the bottom—one card at a time. Do it casually. Ths sets the card in position for the vanish with one further Elmsley Count. 4. Turn the packet face up, snap your fingers and perform the count for the spectator. His card will have vanished, and his reactions will sell it to the audience. You now reproduce the card from your pocket. Firstly, it’s nice to add: “Seriously it’s GONE, not just in disguise, but GONE!” You display just THREE cards at your fingertips, hiding the chosen card (which is ALWAYS the top card after the “Elmsley”), as follows: 1. Hold the four card packet, faces to the audience in the right hand. The right thumb pushes the top THREE cards to the left, as if ONE card. Photo 1 (performer’s view). 2. The left fingers approach, take the pushed off packet, execute a two card push off (of the top two cards, pushing them to the right). Photo 2 (performer’s view). 3. The single card in the right hand is brought to the rear of the packet. Photo 3 (performer’s view). 4. The SQUARED pair of cards below the left thumb is now taken in front of the right hand’s card (the right fingers pinning it in place). Photo 4 (performer’s view). 5. The right hand, having taken the pair, MOMENTARILY moves to the right with all three cards. Photo 5 (performer’s view). 6. The right hand now moves back to the left, returning its cards. Photo 6 (performer’s view). 7. The packet is now squared, and you produce the “thought-of” and now “vanished” card, from your pocket. The above “push-off” technique does take practice, but once acquired is a solid skill.
Producing the “Thought-of Card” from your pocket: This is as easy as sorting the cards from a CrossRoads Set into your pockets so you KNOW where each card is, without thinking. I displace them across four pockets as pairs: Left Jacket Pocket: 2C, 3H
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Left Trouser Pocket: 4S, 5D Right trouser Pocket: 6C, 7H Right Jacket Pocket: 8S, 9D So, for me to remember where any card is, is as simple as realizing that the CrossRoads Set runs through my body, at pocket level, from left to right. As a rule, the lower valued card (of each pair) is on the outer side of the pocket, the higher value on the inner side. It’s an easy matter to dip the hand in and produce the correct card. Another option is the use of a wallet as the final destination. I’d highly recommend a Showdown Wallet from Outlaw Effects. It’s almost as if this wallet was “made” for CrossRoads/Silent Running with it’s lovely eight-pocket index. Of course, many other wallets will also do the job.
photo of card being removed from SHOWDOWN Wallet
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THE DECK AT THE OTHER END Ben Harris The title sounds like something from Douglas Adam’s dream of a far flung space at “the end...” But it’s obviously not that! In fact, it’s the OPPOSITE of a CrossRoads Deck. Still quite a bizarre proposition—babble fish and all, duly noted. As you will know, having read either CrossRoads or Silent Running, the CR Deck is one that allows the deck to be MISSING any one card of the CrossRoads Set. The spectator will always count to FIFTY-ONE cards, and her “thought-of” card (one of the eight cards in the CR Set) will ALWAYS be absent. The Deck At The Other End (DATOE) does, as already mentioned, the opposite. It will always contain ONE EXTRA card, and the deck will always count FIFTY-THREE cards. The extra card will ALWAYS be her “thought-of” card (one of the eight cards in the CR Set). This card may also have a different back design, if desired. It is desired. What can one do with such a deck? What use is a deck that shows “one extra card”—even though it’s a “thought-of” card? Well, that’s one of the reasons it appears here. Just like the packet explorations during the previous effects, this is all designed to push YOU on to creating your own ideas and routines. CrossRoads and Silent Running are young—they have much in them worthy of exploration. That being said, I’ll will pass along, in full detail, a complete routine using the deck. Firstly, let’s get one up and running...
Making a DATOE: We’ll make a RED backed deck. This will always show as such, and the “stranger” card that appears will have a BLUE back. 1. You’ll require a full RED deck and the eight CrossRoads Cards, in the key of “C,” from the BLUE deck. These are the 2C, 3H, 4S, 5D, 6C, 7H, 8S, 9D. Mix the packet of eight so the cards are in no particular order. Then place them on the bottom of the RED deck. 2. Remove ANY non-CrossRoads Card from the RED deck and place it on the face of the deck, hiding your stack. 3. Remove the AC, AD, 10H, 10S, JD, QC, and KD from the RED deck, discarding these cards.
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You have now created a 53 card deck (52 + 8 - 7 = 53), that will always show an additional “thought-of” card with an opposing back color. Note: You may think it wiser to remove 7 suited cards, rather than delete the two Tens and two Aces. Believe me, this has been thought about, field-tested, and mulled over for almost a year. To remove seven suit cards is to make the deck “spot heavy.” Trust me. Seven is over HALF the deck’s suited cards. Too many. Something just does not sit right with such absence of color. The deletion of either ALL the tens, or ALL the Aces seemed too severe—someone may notice. Careful experimentation though, has led to the final solution—deleting TWO tens and TWO Aces—plus, of course—ONLY THREE suited cards.
Handling: The physical handling is simple. The deck may be handled to appear as a RED deck, flashing many backs. If you are careful, you can even perform a Ribbon Spread, without flashing the Blue backed cards on the deck’s bottom. To show the “arrival” of a “thought-of” card, Ribbon Spread the deck widely so that EVERY card is visible. Have your spectator look over the spread, starting from the end OPPOSITE your stack. Ask her to lower a finger onto her card when she sees it. She will do so. Have her slide the card free from the spread. this will be the regular RED backed version of her card. Invite her to continue looking for ANOTHER (insert name of her card). Could it be the illusive fifty-third card? Wham bam—yes it is. She’ll find it up at the far end of the spread. Again, have her place a finger on it, sliding the card from the spread. Place it beside the first card. If wanting to imply that this extra card is a physical entity from ANOTHER deck, then you show the differing back color. This would make a lot of sense as the finale of a “Transposition.” (See also, Steve Shufton’s: Hands-Off: Silent But Deadly, Page 31, for another way of skinning this cat).
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EASY TRANSPOSITION Ben Harris With a CrossRoads deck at the front end, and a DATOE at the back end, you have a clean and super easy transposition of a “thought-of” card. There is nothing for you to do but present it. So on with the show... Assuming the DATOE is the RED backed deck (just explained, Page 81), then acquire a BLUE backed CrossRoads deck as well. Make sure both are in their cases. 1. Invite a spectator to assist. Have her create a playing card in her head—one that no one can know. Using the Silent Running procedure, she will now be thinking of one of the CrossRoads Set of eight cards. 2. Display the two decks and table them. You will now need to execute a simple piece of “equivoque”. Ask the spectator to pick up one deck. If she picks up the RED deck, extend your hand and have her pass it to you. Say, “thank you”. If she picks up the BLUE deck, comment, “you hold onto that....” Either way, the spectator ends up holding the CrossRoads deck. 3. Retreat to the opposite side of the table (or a separate table if “staging” this) with your DATOE. 4. Both you and the spectator simultaneously remove your decks from their cases and display the cards, front and back. She will be displaying BLUE backs, you will be displaying RED backs (carefully concealing your 8 card block). After the display, you return your deck to its case, and leave it sitting prominently on the table. 5. The spectator DOES NOT re-case her cards. Instead, she cradles the loose cards in her hands. She is asked to “imagine” reaching into the deck and pulling her “thought-of” card slowly away from the rest of the cards. You chide her gently as she only pulls the card out halfway, teasing you. Once she has taken the “imaginary card” completely from the deck, she is asked to pantomime—throwing it gently towards the RED backed deck. You explain... “If, for a moment, we transposed this imaginary event to the present, we would... I assume find some evidence of its occurrence. For instance, if you really tossed ONE card from your deck to mine, then you would expect to be holding just fifty-one
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cards? And me... ah, my deck, to consist of fifty-three? Would you not agree?” 6. Once agreement is established, you prove the point by removing your deck and counting the cards SIMULTANEOUSLY with the spectator who counts her deck in unison. You count your cards, out loud—FACE UP. “I want to see what’s going on...” you explain. Have the spectator count her cards in unison, matching you a card at a time—FACE DOWN. “I want you to retain an element of surprise...” is your rationale. Of course, she runs out of cards at fifty-one, and you have a total of fifty-three! Whether on stage, or at two ends of a table, this has great theatrical play! 6. Once you’ve finished with the count, spread your deck—w i d e l y—face up across your end of the table. “How can this be so?” You inquire. “Your card exists only in your mind!” Pause here and listen for the proverbial penny to drop. Allow the audience to anticipate the next step. Allow them some treasured NFW-space. 6. Invite the spectator to run through her deck, looking for her card. Watch her amazement as she FAILS to find it. She could actually go pale! 7. Now direct her to your deck, and have the two cards removed, in succession (as explained on Page82). 8. Accept your well earned applause. The effect has many layers—from the Silent Running process, through the CrossRoads Deck and then to the DATOE—that make it all possible. Conveniently, they “shade” each other along the way. It’s kinda freaky that you don’t even need to know the name of the “thoughtof” card at any point. Support this with a solid presentation and you’ll have a winner on your hands.
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HEADWAY Ben Harris While we are on the outskirts, exploring the fine bits of the machine, I would be remiss if I did not mention this rather powerful use of DATOE. By viewing the Deck At The Other End through rose-tinted “Silent Running/CrossRoads eyes,” we see a full deck of cards—each and every card with a handy duplicate at call. Think about it... You really only have eight duplicates. However, the Silent Running procedure leaves the impression that “any card” could have been created in the spectator’s mind. This being the case, any possible use of duplicates is psychologically ruled out—it would imply a fat, 104 card deck! What power to have—because we DO HAVE a duplicate of THEIR “thought-of” card—just when logic dictates we can’t! Put this to use with Ambitious card routines, Torn and Restored effects, Card To Wallet applications, and so on. Let’s try simulating The Berglas Effect, for instance...
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RAPID EYE MOVEMENT Ben Harris I thought “Berglas Effect” would grab your attention. Considered by many as the Holy Grail of card/mentalism effects, it has a certain magnetism. A sub-genre, within the field, known as ACAAN, has grown up around this effect—and its mythical status. David Berglas’ masterpiece, in his hands, or those of Marc Paul, is a thing of direct, mind-numbing beauty—truly worthy of it’s cult status. The following handling does not claim to be a solution, or an advance on any existing methods for ACAAN. It is simply offered as a practical way of “skinning the cat” and delivering the illusion of ACAAN on demand. It uses a DATOE, combined with the HeadWay approach.
DATOE Preparation: In the explanation of the Deck At The Other End (Page 81), you are taught how to make it with the duplicate set of CrossRoads Cards having different colored backs. For the application at hand, you’ll need to use backs the SAME color as the balance of the deck. Place both sets of CrossRoads Cards in front of you. “Pencil dot” the upper left and lower right corners, of the backs of ONE SET of cards. These dots should be light enough to go unnoticed, but easy enough for you to see when spreading the deck from hand to hand. You will now “cascade” the pairs (marked/unmarked) throughout the deck with four indifferent cards (X cards) between each. Here’s the order from top card of the deck to bottom (the * beside a card indicates a pencil dot): X, X, X, 2C*, X, X, X, X, 2C, 3H*, X, X, X, X, 3H, 4S*, X, X, X, X, 4S, 5D*, X, X, X, X, 5D, 6C*, X, X, X, X, 6C, 7H*, X, X, X, X, 7H, 8S*, X, X, X, X, 8S, 9D*, X, X, X, X, 9D, X, X. Yes, it IS a fifty-three card deck, remember? If this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to ditch one of the tens. With the deck in case, you are ready to perform this anywhere.
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Performance: 1. Enlisting a spectator to assist you, ask her if she is a “dreamer” and if she has a strong imagination. Using the Silent Running procedure, have her “dream up” a card in her mind. “One of the differences between reality states and dream states is that the DREAM is within the mind only. It rarely reaches across into reality. Your DREAM CARD, for example, only exists in your head, yes?” The spectator will answer, “Yes!” 2. Introduce the cased deck, remove the cards and casually display them. Say, “In order for the people in the paying seats to receive value, we’re going to need to reveal our dream, or it will be a tad meaningless... So, I’ll spread through the deck, ...would you remove your “dreamed-of” card when you see it? Please place it FACE DOWN on the table WITHOUT showing anyone at this point.” As the above is carried out, you will ascertain the identity of the “dreamed-of” card, AND cut its partner to the top of the deck. This is done by spreading the deck between your hands, left to right, with the cards held face to the spectator. As the cards are pushed across in singles, and groups of two, simply COUNT the pencil dots in your head, as they pass. Photo 1.
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When the spectator removes her card (it will be a pencil dotted one) you will KNOW immediately which card of the CrossRoads Set has been selected. As the spectator places her card face down on the table (remember, she is NOT to show it to anyone at this stage), secretly push across an additional FOUR cards with your left thumb. Secure a pinky break at this point, and close the deck into a squared state. Now, CUT the deck to the table—cutting at the break. The duplicate of the selected card is on top of the deck. 3. With the deck on the table, and the spectator’s “dreamed-of” card face down to one side, you say: “Now that YOUR dream is about to be revealed to all and sundry, let me reveal to you the dream I HAD last night. It was, in fact, of this particular moment. You (directed at the first spectator), appeared in my dream and selected one particular card, just as you have done now... “And, you sir (directed at another nearby spectator), ALSO appeared in my dream... You nominated a number, a number between one and fifty-two. Would you care to play along and name a number right now? Anything between one and fifty-two...” Let’s say, for example, the spectator says, “Seventeen”. Continuing, you say: “In my dream you dealt off the corresponding number of cards, like this...” Here, you deal seventeen cards (as per this example) off the top of the deck, one at a time to the table, making a small pile. You then draw attention to the NEXT card and say: “This NEXT card, right here (pointing to top card of the DECK), this NEXT card is the one in my dream that matched YOUR card (pointing to the first spectator). It was amazing. But, it was a dream.” The above actions (counting off the freely chosen number of cards (in this example, seventeen) has placed the duplicate at the bottom of the counted pile. 6. Re-assemble the deck by dropping the counted pile onto the balance still held in the left hand. The duplicate will now be at the seventeenth position from the top of the assembled deck. You are so far ahead of your audience—the still-not-revealed chosen card is on the table, to one side. Yet, you are now set for the reveal. 7. Still, temporarily holding the deck, announce: “I will turn my head to one side, and when I do so will you (directed at the spectator
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who “dreamed-of” the chosen card), please display your card so that everyone may see it. Please, no one speak the name of the card out loud. Place the card back on the table, FACE DOWN, when you are done. Have you finished? Thank you...” While you are temporarily turned away, take a second to SECRETLY turn the top card of the deck face up. Keep your elbows pressed against your sides to quell any tell-tale motion. When you turn back around, (once the chosen card has been displayed and turned face down), be sure to hold your hand in such a way (”wrist turn”), so as to conceal this reversed card from view. 8. Now that you have turned back around, and the identity of the spectator’s “dreamed-of” card has been shared with the audience, you continue. Facing the audience squarely, and with your best poker face, announce... “In my dream, last night, the card you (pointing towards spectator) chose, was the (insert name of correct card).” At this point, some members of the audience will give the game away by signaling that you’ve successfully identified the “dreamed-of” card. You play this up, acting shocked, and addressing the assisting spectator with... “Of all the cards you could have dreamed up in your mind, you dreamed the (insert name of correct card), gimme a break...?” She, and the audience will laugh and CONFIRM the coincidence/magic moment. 9. Continuing to act genuinely surprised, you pick up the selected card to confirm matters for yourself. Do this by lowering your “wrist-turned” hand, with deck, over the selected card on the table. Grab it with the fingers and thumb, and then turn the hand over to display the selection on top of the deck. Photos 2, 3 and 4 show the action. Keep the deck square as there is now a face up card directly below the selected card. 10. IMMEDIATELY execute a “double turnover,” turning the top two cards face down, as if they were one. IMMEDIATELY table the deck. Continue to act flabbergasted, enjoying the apparent synchronicity of the moment. “Well, this is all good and fine, but not the DREAM ending I’d hoped for... Quite a coincidence, though...” After a brief pause, add... “There’s probably only one way to actually see the dream ending I’d proposed, and
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that would be if we could all join together in a dream state. Sleep reseachers have shown that when people dream, their eyes flicker back and forth. It’s called R.E.M. Sleep. I propose we quickly flutter our eyes, take in the momentary buzz, and look at this in a new frame of mind—a dream-like state... What do you say...” After a brief moment of eye fluttering, you announce that, “...Ok, apart from the slight onset of a migraine, you should now all be in a mildly sleep-like, dreamy state. Let’s see how this all looks now...” 11. PAUSE and approach the tabled deck. “If indeed we are in my dream, the top card of the deck WILL NOT BE the (insert name of spectator’s card)!” Slowly lifting the card you show this to be the case. IT IS NOT the chosen card. Note: This is a profound moment because the audience now mentally fills in the blanks, and that damned penny drops again. On occasion, you’ll hear so many pennies fall that it will sound like cats on a hot tin roof. 12. After a suitable pause, allowing all the copper to land, hold the card aloft, firmly count “ONE” and turn it face down, placing it on the table. Now count “TWO”—taking the next card from the top of the tabled deck (without flashing its face) and dealing it onto the first card. Continue...”Three, Four, Five, etc until you reach the second spectator’s chosen number. In this example it was “seventeen.” 13. Point up the NEXT card on top of the deck, just as you had emphasized when you originally described your dream to the spectators. “Remember, I said, in my dream, it was the NEXT card...” Have the spectator turn over this “next” card to reveal the chosen card at the correct position.
Notes: As mentioned in the introduction, this is not presented as a method for The Berglas Effect. It is simply a way of simulating the basic outline, in a staged manner. You can further enhance the effect, for serious performances, by allowing the second spectator to do ALL of the card counting. Try to keep the deck on the table as much as possible. You want to create a “handsoff” memory of the event.
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NEURO-PATHWAY Ben Harris The application of “Direct Mind Reading,” from the original Silent Running book, created more discussion than any other of the effects or ideas presented therein. A quibble some had, was with the spectator “handing you the suit”—as a confirmation of you having divined the correct color. The following procedure eliminates that phase, replacing it with a technique that gives you the EXACT SUIT without needing to request it. Assuming a card has been created in the spectator’s head via the Silent Running Procedure. The spectator has confirmed that no one else can possibly know which card she is thinking of. In this example, we’ll assume she has “thought-of” the SIX OF CLUBS. You will now begin your “mind reading” phase. 1. Begin, as in the original, by establishing if the card is an ODD or EVEN card. Do this with the ambiguous question... “I’m not getting an ODD valued card, am I?” The spectator will answer either “Yes” or “No.” If she replies “Yes,” reply with, “ I thought so, you seem to be a well balanced person.” If she says “No,” reply with, “I didn’t think so, you seem like a well rounded person.” Either way, you now KNOW if it’s an ODD or EVEN card, and the spectator has been complimented along the way. In our example, she will have said “No,” which means it’s an EVEN card. This, tells you that it’s a BLACK SUIT (all EVEN cards in the Crossroads Set are BLACK). Continue... “As regards the suits, I’m a little foggy. The Neuro-Pathway is tight. I’m seeing, and
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don’t tell me which is correct, but I’m seeing either a SPADE or HEART, they are both pretty much the same shape, depending on if they’re right way up or not. It’s blurry. Are you thinking of EITHER a SPADE or a HEART?” In this instance, the spectator will answer “No”. This tells you that she has chosen either a CLUB or DIAMOND, and as you aready know it’s a BLACK card, you now know it’s the CLUB. In addition, you will now also know that the chosen card is ONE OF TWO POSSIBLE TARGET cards. In the case of CLUBS, it’s either the TWO or the SIX. This wonderful rule applies across the entire CrossRoads Set. Once you know if it’s either odd or even, then you KNOW the color of the suit. The answer to the question, “Is it either a Spade or a Heart” tells you exactly WHAT suit has been selected. You continue... “It is so blurry, I can’t even pin down the suit. This may end up taking a little time. Tell me, are there just a couple of pips on your card, or are there... are there... more than a handful?” The answer to this question will now give you the NUMBER you require. More than a handful, then it would be the SIX, less than a handful, it’s the TWO. Again, the same rule applies across the entire CrossRoads Set. Now, we apply a little ploy to convince the audience that you know nothing much at all about the “thought-of” card. Here’s how... ”Wow, I’m really having trouble tapping into the Neural-Pathway, the link between your mind and mine. One of us has been consuming too much caffeine!” Continue... “I’ve TOTALLY failed to read the suit. It’s just a blur. I can’t even pin down the color. And as to the value of your card, all I’m seeing is a smudge of pips. We may have to try a Neural Scream.” A “Neural Scream,” you explain... “...is a state of heightened thought projection enhanced with emotive content. Like a Primal Scream, only silent. Basically, just furrow your brow, and shout at me—IN YOUR HEAD—’my card is... you IDIOT!’ Really put some emotion into it, but be sure not to move your lips, OK!”
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Grab a pad of paper and pen, then count the spectator in, “three, two, one...” and have her transmit the card mentally, with a Neural Scream. Comment: “Ah, that’s better,” and then write down the name of the card. Tear the paper from the pad, place it face down on the table and have the spectator name her merely “thought-of” card. Turn over your impression to reveal the hit.
Notes: This method of establishing the suit, and later RE-CAPPING events, both interlace to create a very powerful demonstration that is very difficult to back track.
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Claude Imperiale Silent Dice Silent Faro
IMPERIALE Claude Imperiale ... was born in Venezuela, his father was Italian and his mother Belgian. And, if you're not already lost, he's French. He lived in Paris until he was 30 and then settled in London working as a database administrator for a telecom company. He's been practicing card magic for about 35 years.
SILENT DICE Claude Imperiale Claude has always liked the notion of using other objects to generate a number. Dice are a good choice. However, having 11 possible numbers—you can’t roll two dice to get a “one”—Claude has had to stretch the Crossroads Set to accommodate the broader range. The fishing method is based on Simon Aronson's idea of addressing two spectators simultaneously. This, of course, ties in nicely with Bob Cassidy’s suggestion—from the first book—for using TWO spectators to simultaneously select cards via the Silent Running process. Basically, any 'NO' answer to the asked questions, will immediately lead to the card being secretly thought of. Here’s how it works. Invite two spectators to assist. Address the first spectator: “Imagine you have two invisible dice, throw them a few times to ensure they are not loaded (grin)... and when you're happy with your throw, silently add the spot values of BOTH dice and remember the total.” Once done, ask “Is the number you're thinking of ODD or EVEN?” Let's say she answers “ODD.” Instruct the second spectator to follow the same imaginary actions with the dice but to ensure that she only considers EVEN numbers. (Remember, you goal is to have one spectator select an “odd” number, and the other an “even” number. So, you always instruct the second spectator to select the OPPOSITE of that indicated by the first spectator’s reply). Once the two numbers have been selected, both spectators SIMULTANEOUSLY match a suit to their relevant numbers. This is done by following the Silent Running procedure. However, due to the expanded nature of the set: 2 C , 3 H, 4 D, 5 S, 6 H, 7 D, 8 S, 9 C, 10D, J H, Q S (there are eleven numbers, not eight, and the set does NOT conform to the usual CHaSeD ordering), you will need to perform the count of the suits—holding your fingers aloft as in the original Silent Running Process—in the following order:
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1 2 (N/A) C
3 H
4 D
5 S
6 H
7 D
8 S
9 C
10 D
11 H
12 S
Note that, as per the original Silent running process, the FIRST finger is ANY suit because it is of no relevance. Once the spectators have matched the suits in their minds, the possible results will be confined as follows: (SPEC 1) ODD
(SPEC 2) EVEN
1 (N/A) 3H 5S 7D 9C JH
2C 4D 6H 8S 10D QS
You will now divine BOTH the selected cards, as follows: Address both spectators, asking the next questions to both of them simultaneously. As long as you get two “yesses,” you continue. As soon as you get a “no” (or two “nos”), you know the card(s) of the spectator(s) who answered negatively. In the case of a single “no,” you continue with the second spectator until you get a “no” (or finally get his card on the last “yes”). The questions (Q) presented here are simplistic in order to lay the method bare. You will need to refine these and make them suitable for your own performance style. Question 1 “I sense a spot card?” If two “nos,” then you know the two selected cards: JH (odd) and QS (even). If one “no,” then you have hit on selected card and proceed with the other “yes” spectator. If two “yesses,” then you proceed with the next question. Question 2 “Do I see an “A” in the suit name?” If two “nos,” then you know the two selected cards: 9C (odd) and 2C (even). If one “no,” then you have hit on selected card and proceed with the other “yes” spectator. If two “yesses,” then you proceed with the next question.
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Question 3 “I am sensing a red card?” If two “nos,” then you know the two selected cards: 5S (odd) and 8S (even). If one “no,” then you have hit on selected card and proceed with the other “yes” spectator. If two “yesses,” then you proceed with the next question. Question 4 “I’m feeling a low value spot card, something ... under six?” If two “nos,” then you know the two selected cards: 7D (odd) and 10D (even), or 3H if odd says “yes.” If one “no,” then you have hit on selected card and proceed with the other “yes” spectator. If one “yes”(which will be for the EVEN spectator and will be between the 4D or 6H), you can fish for the final suit designation. OR.. Rather than fish again, Claude has a prepared deck with the 4D towards the top and the 6H towards bottom. He asks the spectator to secretly thumb through the deck and to look at his card. This is to form a better mental image to assist the performer. The identity is secretly acquired as you note WHERE in the deck he looks.
Example Run Through: (Assuming: ODD has chosen 7D and EVEN 2C). Address both spectators: Q1: You get two YES Q2: ODD says YES and EVEN says NO. You know EVEN's card: 2C. Address ODD only Q3: ODD says YES Q4: ODD says NO, you know his card: 7D You’ll need to practice and get used to the expanded CrossRoads Set, but the effort will be worth it. It’s sometimes nice to use actual dice, rather than imaginary dice. Either way, this is strong.
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SILENT FARO Claude Imperiale Claude submitted this with a non-Crossroads set that started with an Ace. I’ve tweaked it back into line so as not to cause any confusion. Claude created this, wanting an impromptu, full deck mind-reading application, that did not use any special cards. You can set this up right in front of your audience (while toying with the cards), or you can simply set the deck before hand (by placing the key cards at the appropriate positions). While toying with the deck, cull a CrossRoads Set: 2C, 3H, 4S, 5D, 6C, 7H, 8S, 9D, to the top of the deck. They need to be in order, the top card of the deck becoming the 2C. Cut off about fifteen cards and Straddle Faro them part way into the balance of the deck. Only coalesce the cards part way and then strip out the telescoping block, placing it back on top of the deck. (Photos 1, 2 and 3). Square up. The 2C is still the top card. Repeat the actions performing another Straddle “Faro and strip”, again placing the telescoping section on top of the deck and re-squaring. Finally, cut the deck at the 8S and FARO this half into the remaining half so that the 8S becomes the SECOND card from the BOTTOM of the deck. Your position is now: 2C (3rd from top of deck) 9D (6th from top of deck) 3H (11th from top of deck) 4S (19th from top of deck) 5D (27th from top of deck) 6C (35th from top of deck) 7H (43rd from top of deck) 8S (51st from top of deck) Table the deck and proffer an “experiment of the mind.” Ask a spectator to assist you, and guide her through the Silent Running procedure so that she ends up with a single “thought of card” in her mind. Reiterate, and have her CONFIRM that no one can know the card she has secretly constructed in her head.
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You will now take the deck into your left hand and thumb a packet of eights cards (in a nice fan) into your right hand. These you show the spectator, being careful to keep your head turned to one side. This fan of eight cards will consist of the following: (First fan) X,X,2C,X,X,9D,X,X. Ask the spectator if she can see her card. If the answer is yes, you need to ascertain which it is. This is done by asking the spectator to remove her card from the spread and to hold it safely against her chest. As the two target cards are well separated within the fan, it is an easy matter to note which card she removes. Try to keep your head turned away and distinguish the target by feel (as she removes it). Now, as you know the “merely thought of card” that the spectator is holding to her breast, you can reveal it in your most impressive mind-reading manner. If the chosen card is not in the first fan of eight cards, simply continue pushing off groups of eight, fanning them, and asking the spectator to look for her card. The subsequent fans of cards only contain a SINGLE CrossRoads card each, and they run sequentially (from fan-tofan). The final group being just four cards): (Second fan) X, X, 3H, X, X, X, X, X. (Third fan) X, X, 4S, X, X, X, X, X. (Fourth fan) X, X, 5D, X, X, X, X, X. (Fifth fan) X, X, 6C, X, X, X, X, X. (Sixth fan) X, X, 7H, X, X, X, X, X. (Seventh fan) X, X, 8S, X.
Adding in an extra surprise: If during your initial set up (either on the spot, or before your show) you substitute the 7H with a Joker, then you can have the option of pulling the 7H from your pocket AFTER the spectator has confirmed her card is not in any of the fans shown to her. “I know” (you add), your card I put aside safely, here in my pocket. I had a hunch...” The 7H is the preferred target for such a demonstration because a “7” is the most often named (or thought of) number when asking a spectator to select (or think of) a number between 1 - 10.
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Isaac Louie Silence of the lambs
Isaac Louie ... is a professional magician and variety performer based in Seattle, WA, USA. When he's not on the road, he's an amateur bullwhip maker, robot builder and loves making forts from sofa cushions with his daughter.
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Isaac Louie When Isaac sent this to me, I had, what I remember so fondly from childhood, “a maniacalcackle” moment. Seriously, I broke out in a gaffaw, and had to turn off my cell phone. This is so clever and effective, and, conveniently forces your audience to turn off their cell phones! Hooray. Here’s the effect. Note how it “plays” large and bold. Everyone in the audience with a cell phone stands, and thinks of a card. Then, they send a text message to themselves—with the name of the “thought-of” card—so that they won't forget it. While they have their phone in their hands, you ask them to “set to silent or vibrate” before putting it away. Lots of fun to be had with the above procedure. It allows you to possibly involve a LARGE group of audience members, depending upon age and demographics. So everyone is phone silenced, and you can get on with your show. Wow ‘em! Later... ...you invite someone from the audience onstage to help be the "eyes of the audience." You then take a pack of cards and spring them into the air. Gravity ensures they flip, swirl, and float down to the ground—in a face-up/face-down mess. You now ask everyone that had previously texted the name of a card to themselves, to stand up, and to open the relevant text on their phones. This is to remind them of their previously thought of card. The spectator who is assisting you on stage is now asked to call out the names of all the cards that landed face up. He does so. The performer requests that all those who hear their named card to “Please sit.” Everyone standing, SITS DOWN!
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Quite a lovely moment, I think you will agree. Here’s how the deception is built. Firstly, the “Deck”: This pack consists of 44 double backed cards (same color) and 8 double faced cards. The double faced cards are the same on the front as the back (for example on the back of the two of clubs is the two of clubs). You need one double faced card for each of the eight Silent Running force cards. The easiest way to get the correct double faced cards is to make them yourself: split two matching cards and glue them together. Seven of the eight double faced cards start in the bottom 1/3 of the pack, with the last double face card on the bottom of the pack.
photo of tossed deck
To Perform: "Who has a phone? We're going to do a trick with your phone, if you have a phone stand up and make sure it's turned on..." Do the Silent Running procedure for the ENTIRE GROUP of standing spectators.
“Now I want you to send a text message to yourself. Text the name of the card to yourself. So if you are thinking of the 10 of hearts, to abbreviate, just text the number 10 and the first letter of the suit, so you'd send 10H. Do it now, and once you've done that, set your phone on ‘silent’ so it doesn't ring during the show. Once you've texted yourself, and your phone is on ‘silent or vibrate,’ please sit down.”
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If in an MC role, introduce the next act, or if part of your own act, perform your next effect or routine. Later, reintroduce the mass-card-selection previously undertaken. "I'm going to try to find the cards that everyone thought of and texted themselves. If you thought of a card and texted it to yourself, please take out your phone and find the text to remind you of the card you thought of. Once you've reminded yourself of the card, please stand up. Also, I need someone to help me out on stage. Someone that didn't text themself ..." Bring someone from the audience onstage, to assist you. "I'll find everyone's card in an unusual way, I'll throw this pack in the air and let the cards flip and flop around in the air and we'll use whatever cards land face up." Stand back, and then dramatically spring the cards high into the air. Once they land, use your foot to spread them around a little, and to make sure that all the face up cards are visible. Ask your assisting spectator to: "Please slowly say the name of all the cards that are face up.” You then add: "If you heard the name of your card please sit down." Once everyone standing sits down, finish with... "Please give everyone who helped a round of applause!"
Some extra thoughts from Isaac: “I'm not worried about someone lying about the card that they picked to something that wasn't called out. If someone is still standing, ask to see the text they sent themself. That should take care of that problem. If for some reason they didn't correctly follow directions and are thinking of the wrong card, you can use the Invisible Deck as an out to get his card. Obviously, you need at least 8 people with a cell-phone to text themselves, so this won't work in a close up situation for 4 people. The idea of tossing the pack of cards into the air and having one end up face up is based on Dai Vernon’s experience of throwing a pack of cards off the side of a cruise ship and having a selected card end up being the only face up one in the ocean.
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The idea of having everyone stand, then sit after their card was named, is from the standard presentation, Hoy's Tossed Out Deck. By combining these two tricks, you get an excellent stage presentation that will FILL an entire theater or play HUGE in a small comedy club…and more importantly, it gets everyone to silence their phone!”
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Jason Messina Waking Dreams
Jason Messina ... is a writer and performance artist who sometimes finds himself with a deck of cards and surrounded by people, but with no memory of how he got there. This usually turns out to be a good thing. He also tends not to believe anything, except on those days when he believes in everything. Usually, this also turns out to be a good thing. His work includes TUBE, Wi, Method Impossible I and II, Intelligent Design and Touch with Mark Calabrese. www.surfthegasp.com
WAKING DREAMS Jason Messina When Jason first learned the Silent Running technology, his first thoughts were to apply it to effects without playing cards. This led to, as some called it, the offbeat experiment titled, Silently Running Bearded Pop Stars (See Silent Running, page 54). Since then he’s devised a slightly less bizarre presentation involving lucid dreams and how we can share them. There is plenty of room to slip a bearded pop star into the mix and Jason will think no less of you. Here’s the effect: A diary is introduced to the audience. It is full of scribbled dreams. The performer explains that he does something called lucid dreaming, a process where one realizes they're dreaming while they're dreaming. When he wakes up in the morning, he writes down what happened in his dream. He explains that he did this for an entire year: thus the diary. A date is randomly generated and while across the room with his eyes closed, the performer begins to relive the lucid dream as described on that date. The Technology. This utilizes the idea put forth in Silent Running, that by giving a seemingly random selection process to an audience, you can actually force a set of objects/cards/etc. In this case it will be a specific date. Originally, the fingers were employed as a device for selection. Jason found this to be too confusing to use with months, especially since he currently only has 10 fingers. To remedy this he simply uses 12 index cards, a month written on each one. To further expand the selection and overload the senses, Waking Dreams provides 36 possible dates to select from. The beauty of this is that while all the dates are different, what is written on these dates is not! The diary needs to be prepared beforehand. This is where you pour yourself into this effect. Consult a dream dictionary, one that describes what dreams mean, to inspire what you write in each entry. Or you can spend a year practicing lucid dreaming. The first option is probably quicker. Seriously, work up three interesting and themed dreams. These THREE
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dreams will repeat throughout the diary, on specific force dates. For the sake of clarity, let’s refer to the dreams as, Dream One, Dream Two and Dream Three. Write the description of DREAM ONE in all of the following twelve date entries: January 1 February 2 March 3 April 4 May 5 June 6 July 7 August 8 September 9 October 10 November 11 December 12
Write the description of DREAM TWO in all of the following twelve date entries: January 10 February 11 March 12 April 13 May 14 June 15 July 16 August17 September 18 October 19 November 20 December 21
Write the description of DREAM THREE in all of the following twelve date entries: January 20 February 21 March 22 April 23 May 24 June 25
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July 26 August 27 September 28 October 29 November 30 December 31
You should intersperse DIFFERENT dream descriptions on as many of the other pages in the diary as you can. Use different pens, pencils, etc. A coffee stain would not go astray. Make this diary look used. In addition, you will need to write each month of the year on a separate index card. You are now ready for a walk through. Jason begins talking about ideas and introduces the index cards with the months. He explains that he will go through the cards, one at a time, and say a number as each card is shown. He explains that when he comes to a month the spectator wants to select, she is also to remember the number called out. These “two elements,” it is explained, are to be used to create a random date. This will be the target date. Before beginning, Jason asks the spectator to pick the number “1, 10 or 20.” Whichever one he picks, that's the number he starts with. For example. If he picks 1, you start with the first force set and as you flip over January, say, "1" and then February, "2," and so on, counting off the months. If they pick “10” or “20,” that’s the second and third force set, respectively. So, you simply count off the index cards, matching months to numbers and ensuring you start from THEIR selected start point, either “1, 10 or 20.” Once the date/month are decided, have a spectator open the diary at the appropriate date. Have her read the lucid dream depicted there to herself. Then, use your creativity to reveal the lucid dream by acting it out, talking it out or drawing it!
Jason’s extra tips: Before the audience member reads off the correct entry, ask her to silently read off some of the adjacent entries, to confirm that they're all different. Since there are only 11 other entries that are alike, the diary can withstand fairly close scrutiny. This is especially so, if you’ve been thorough in adding many additional dummy entries. Instead of going through the dates in order, you could use a stack and false shuffle them for a more "random" order of months. Just be careful with the 3rd force set: February won't work past the 28th and you'll have to make sure the last month in the stack has 31 days.
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If performing for a large group, you could hand out large cards with the different months written on them. Then as you went down the row of people, they would hold up their card and say their respective number (the first person saying "1," and so on). This adds a visual element and can play to a big audience. The diary premise can be broadened. It could be your eating diary (you magically produce whatever food they're thinking of), an exercise log (you start doing the exercises), random scribblings (drawing duplication), etc.
This is a crazy idea, one that I haven't tested, but you could conceivably have 12 force sets, one for each sign of the Zodiac. Using 12 months, you now have 144 force entries. The first one would start January 1st, February 2nd, March 3rd, etc. The second one would start January 2nd, February 3rd and so on. Depending on their Zodiac Sign, you'd have to somehow force the starting point. But then they could think of any date, and when they go to that entry in the diary, there would be some mention of their Zodiac sign. This might be best suited for secretly finding one spectator's Zodiac Sign and then forcing the starting point on a second spectator so the second spectator could wind up landing on the first spectator's Zodiac Sign.
Though I haven't explored this idea too much because it makes my head hurt, you could have more than one force set happening in the diary. At just a brief glance, if you always started with January and went in order, you could have 19 different force sets. But going even further, if you combined entries (an entry about what you ate could also mention that you met a Taurus that day), you could have a diary that could predict LOTS of different possibilities. Basically, you throw the diary on the table and ask the volunteer what they'd like to think about (food, Zodiac Signs, playing cards, exercises, baseball team, etc.) and then you force the appropriate set of dates on them. What I'm trying to say is that there is a way to use each and every diary entry as a possible force, giving you a handy 365 forces in the palm of your hand.
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Ran Pink The White Room ICAINU
Ran Pink ... is a music producer and mentalist living in Los Angeles. As head of Fonogenic Studios, he has collaborated, recorded, engineered, and produced various well-known artists, from Macy Gray to David Grohl, Alan Parsons, Kris Kristofferson, Don Was, Dave Koz, Band of Horses, Pete Yorn, Oren Lavie, The DayLights, Lissie, Harper Simon, Minnie Driver, Priscilla Presley for The BBC and many more… As a mentalist he has created the Think Pink center tear as well as the Showdown wallet with Outlaw Effects and has consulted and contributed to several other effects on the market.
www.worldwidemagic.com
THE WHITE ROOM Ran Pink Ran had contributed to the original Silent Running, but could not switch his brain off. Continuing to allow his creative juices to flow, he developed this lovely cousin to Silent Running. This manuscript, up until now, has been available exclusively to mentalists, and only from Ran’s website. It is a pleasure to make it available to my readers. Note how in the following scene this is being set up in a “classic” mentalism fashion—as an “experiment”—with the acknowledgment of a possible failure. The idea being, to enthuse the spectator into playing along. And to encourage him or her to carry the ball over the finishing line themselves. You may like to imagine this description of events unfurling in your own mind—playing along—to see if Ran can read your mind through the printed page.
“I would like to attempt something very difficult. It may not work. This is also probably the first time you'll have done something like this. So just go along with me, relax and use your first instincts. A lot depends on your imagination and concentration abilities. I promise, I'll make it fun. I've got a good feeling about this. "First, please close your eyes so everything goes dark. Now, keep your eyes closed but just imagine that you open your eyes and now you are somewhere else. You are in a large, bright, empty white room and you are sitting in the middle of the room holding a little box on your lap. The walls are breathing and pulsing as though they are alive. Hold this image in your mind. "It's ok to open your eyes now as long as you can remember the picture in your mind—so you can go back there when I ask you to. “Let's play a game where you make all the choices in your mind. Are you ready? "The walls in the room are about to change color. There are two colors we are going to concern ourselves with at the moment, red and black. Please don't change your mind as soon as the color has crossed your mind. I want you to make a silent choice and
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only focus on either red or black. Now imagine the walls slowly turning into that color. Remember, these choices exist only in your imagination. "If the room is now the color red, I want you to think of a number between 1-5. "If the room is black, I want you to think of a number between 6-10. "Now, lets have some fun. We all enjoy playing card games. I want you to imagine that the box you are holding in your lap in this room, is a box of playing cards. We are going to create an imaginary playing card in your mind. Please focus once again on the color and the number you are holding in your mind. "If you are thinking of an odd number, I want you to think Spades or Hearts, based on the color of your room. So, if your room is red, think Hearts. And if the room is black, think Spades, again, only if you are thinking of an odd number. "If you are thinking of an even number, I want you to decide on Clubs or Diamonds, again, depending on the color your room. So, if your room is red, think Diamonds. And if the room is black, think Clubs. "Now you have made a series of choices only you could know. You have arrived at an imaginary card that exists only in your mind. "I want you to close your eyes again and imagine that you open the box of playing cards and you look at the cards, but they are all the same card. It's your card. All the cards fly out of your hands and stick to the walls and now what used to be a white room has now gone dark, like in a theater, and now images of your card are being projected all over the walls. Focus on these images. Try to make them as strong and as clear as possible. I am going to imagine walking into that room and I'm going to try to describe what I see on the walls of your mind."
Now, if in the past, Ran had guessed which card you are now imagining (you are reading it long after it was written), would you forgive him if he gets a little confused and sees a few different cards? After all, a bunch of you mentalists are reading this at the same time and there are 52 cards in a deck! Well, Ran’s on the phone now, and here is what he has to say... “My first instinct tells me that your readers have thought of the 7 of spades, but my instincts are not 100%. “But, then a 3 of hearts just popped into my mind...
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“Who was that? Ok now a couple people in Texas are thinking of the 4 of diamonds and the 8 of clubs. That's all I'm getting.... Hold on I'm also getting a 9 of spades. That's it. Wait. No. Never mind... “If I missed your card you probably didn't focus hard enough... on your 2 of diamonds. I'm seeing a very faint picture. What can I say, it happens.”
******
The above presentation was written so that it might be magical for you, the reader. Obviously, we didn't want you to close your eyes while reading it. Ran just wanted to include some of the subtleties that will work to give you an advantage. The forcing procedure is there, you can adjust it as you please. The only cards you could have thought of are: 2D, 3H, 4D, 7S, 8C, 9S—that's only SIX cards. The effect can be done over the telephone, using various pumping techniques, explained later. Six cards are so easy to index, and so much more. The most common choices, Ran has found, are 3H, 7S, 4D, then 8C. To understand why this is the case, we suggest studying Banachek's Psychological Subtleties series. Here is a simple chart (breaking down the distribution of elements):
Red 1-5
Black 6-10
If Odd, then Hearts or Spades and If Even, then Diamonds or Clubs, depending on the color of the room. (Reds) 2D-3H-4D
(Blacks) 7S-8C- 9S
1,5,6,10 are cancelled out by asking for numbers BETWEEN 1-5, 6-10 (If you include these options, then the cards are AH, 5H, 6C, 10C.)
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The Instruction Beat: Ran says, that watching somebody get a refresher Poker lesson from a friend, inspired this idea. The cards were dealt for a sample game and the teacher said something along the lines of, "You want to make sure you have a decent hand to start— high pair for example." The student looked up immediately when he heard “pair” and said, "What did you say about pairs?" We all knew he was holding at least a pair, probably a high one. It didn't matter, as this was only a lesson. But it reminded me that when someone is learning a new game, they tend to focus on rules that pertain to their situation. So, if I you ask someone to think of Red or Black, the next instruction is, "If you are thinking of Red, I want you to think of a number between 1-5.” Wait a beat. They will either start thinking of a number, or they will be awaiting instructions because they are thinking black. It's subtle but you can tell the difference. Look for their eyes to shift momentarily, as they are visualizing numbers. Sometimes it will be more obvious than other times, but since it's not required that you gain this information for the effect to end well, you don't have to worry and you can just observe, examine the results after the effect, and make a mental note of the cues you noticed during the procedure. Since the pumping is built into the card selection process, you have the chance to be quite ahead of the game. It is very important that you take your time while going through the procedure, making sure that they are following along and that they understand the process.
A Bold Addition of Visual Cues: Tell them that you will turn away so they can imagine privately. Have them close their eyes when they are deciding on the color choice and keep their eyes closed until you tell them to open them. "If you are thinking of red, I want you to open your eyes, and think of a number between 1-5.”
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"If you are thinking of black, I want you to open your eyes and think of a number between 6-10." The trick is to stand parallel with your head looking away from the participant and pretend you are not looking or paying attention to them at all. You will notice that if they are thinking of red, they will open their eyes. They may shut them again once you've continued with the instruction, but that's because they are trying to fool you. It's important that they see you turned away from them before they close their eyes. They must be sold that you are not looking at them, or it becomes too obvious. I said it was bold.
Fishing Techniques: You must be a good fisherman, but you only have 6 cards to fish for and hopefully you've picked up clues during the forcing procedure. The goal should be to make statements that always feel like a hit. Note: If you are not thrilled about using pumping techniques or you find it difficult to fish convincingly, then you might want to skip to ICAINU (page 127), which involves none of the above. If you can't tell if they chose red or black, you are still going strong. As a matter of fact, the reveal will feel just as direct. It is explained in the section called: If you can't tell if they chose red or black, you are still going strong. (Page 123). The next two sections deal with the situation where you feel confident that you know the color. Your abilities will improve over time and will give you a very direct path to revealing their card.
The Direct Hit Approach: One approach is to simply go for a direct hit. Lets say you know the color because of the "instruction beat," so you only have 3 cards to fish for. I like an approach that Derren Brown uses in his effect, "Smoke," from his book, Pure Effect. Use the middle card of the set first. So, if you feel confident that they are thinking of a red card, you want to check first if they are thinking of the 3 of hearts. Have the spectator imagine their card and instruct:
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"Please focus on your card and repeat it over and over in your head, 3 of hearts, 3 of hearts, 3 of hearts.” Pause for a second to see if the participant reacts. If they are thinking of the 3 of hearts there will be a reaction. If not continue with: "...or whatever card you are thinking of." Let’s say there was no reaction, so you know it's either the 2 or 4 of diamonds. This is the perfect moment to use T.A. Waters technique from his effect, "Trionic," from, Mind Myth and Magic. You claim that you see 4 pips or drawings on the card. If there is a positive response or reaction, then it's the 4 of diamonds. If there is a negative response, then you immediately declare the card to be the 2 of diamonds. (Ran has an alternate—a similar ruse that involves the diamond suit for this particular set. It is explained later). You should be correct. But what if you are still wrong? Well, so far you've only made one guess. They are either thinking of a black card or they didn't quite hear the instructions and chose 1,5,6 or 10. Most likely they are thinking of a black card. The most common anomalies are 5 and 6. Based on the procedure, the 5 is a hearts and 6 is a clubs. So, you've eliminated 2,3,4, but you were sure they chose red. After you incorrectly guess the 2 of diamonds you could exclaim "but it is a red card." If they agree, then you know it's the 5 of hearts. If you are wrong about the color, then try to reset the situation by telling them they need to focus harder, take a deep breath, and close their eyes when they concentrate. Start the direct hit procedure over, but this time with the black cards. This is, of course, the worst-case scenario, which is the risk you take by going with this approach. However, if you name their card without asking any questions, then that's quite a feat.
More Fishing Options: Again, if you already know the color because of the "Instruction Beat," then you only need to find out which one it is amongst 3 of the same colored cards. Here is another option that works as well: If I knew it was Red, for example, I would start with: "I'm seeing something even?"
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If they say, "Yes," now you declare that you see 4 points in the design. If they immediately respond as soon as you say 4, you know it's the 4 of Diamonds. If it takes her a second to think about it or she acts unsure, then she is thinking of the 2. You clarify that you are seeing 4 corners of a Diamond suit and then reveal her card as the 2 of Diamonds. If they say, “No,” you continue with: "Yeah, I see a shape with 2 bumps, but now it makes sense to me. I'm seeing 2 bumps of the top of a heart shape, and you are thinking of a 3 of hearts." Same goes if they are thinking of black, except now you start with: "I'm seeing something odd." Then you use the same excuse for the 8 of clubs, as you did for the hearts. Explaining that you saw an odd shape, but it was the 3 bumps of a Club card, and they are thinking of the 8 of clubs. To determine if it's the 7 or the 9, you could use T.A. Waters pip ruse, or you can try something explained in the next section.
If you can't tell if they chose red or black, you are still going strong: This is perhaps the best way to start practicing The White Room. You don't need to worry about getting any visual cues. This is how you would perform the effect over the phone. I prefer to start with a direct statement: "I'm sensing something odd." If you get a positive reaction from an "open book" participant, one can assume they are thinking of an odd number. If you don't get any reaction, continue with the classic fishing ploy, “You're not thinking of an odd number, are you?" If they say “no,” then continue with: "I didn't think so. It's just odd to me that I'm seeing the image you are sending me reversed and upside down. Can you try and reverse and flip the image over in your mind? Perhaps that will calibrate us."
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Once you know this piece of information, you narrow the cards down to 3 from different color sets. If she said “no,” then you know its 2D,4D, or 8C. I would use the Derren Brown idea here and tell them: "Please repeat the card in your mind, 8 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 8 of clubs, or whatever card you are thinking of.” You will know if they are thinking of the 8 of clubs. Now ask them to visualize their card as they repeat it's name and that you will try to describe what you see. You declare that you see 4 points in the design. If she immediately responds as soon as you say 4, you know it's the 4 of Diamonds. If she thinks about it for a second and then agrees, she is thinking of the 2, because she probably connected the 4 points to the suit of diamonds, which has four corners. It's more likely she'll say “no.” Either way, you explain that you see four points of the suit of diamonds and that her card is the 2 of diamonds. If she is thinking of an odd card, your response is: "Yeah, but it's just strange that I'm seeing the image you are sending me reversed and upside down. Can you try and reverse and flip the image over in your mind? Perhaps that will calibrate us." Now you can use the Derren Brown gambit of repeating the 3 of hearts in their minds again. Or you can try another pumping combination that works with this set. Continuing with the "upside down" idea, immediately say: "OK. I'm seeing what looks like a spade..but, I think it's still upside down?" If there's an immediate reaction to spades, you know its between the 7 and the 9 and you can say: "Please try to send me the images right side up, thank you. This is difficult enough as it is." If there is no response to the spades, then it's the 3 and you continue with: "I'm sorry...Upside down, it actually kind of looks like a heart. The 3 of hearts.”
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This upside down spades thing was inspired by Rick Roth. Thanks Rick. If it is between the 7 and the 9, you could use the T.A. Waters pip ploy as described earlier. Or another option would be to state: "I see what looks like a 7, but the picture seems incomplete. Does that make sense?" Again, if there's an instant reaction to the 7, then you know it's the 7 of spades. "It's incomplete because you forgot to imagine the spades in the corners." If they respond with a negative, you immediately continue, saying: "and I'm starting to see what looks like a circle on top, which looks more like a 9. I'm getting 9 of spades. Is that correct?"
Anomalies: If you have a real poker-faced person, who will not confirm that easily, I would go for direct hits amongst the most common choices. I've found these types go for the 8 of clubs, based on the procedure. If I'm wrong, I apologize and state something like: "I was completely thrown off because this morning I found a playing card on the sidewalk. I put it in my wallet thinking it may bring me luck. But it hasn't brought me luck. If it did, I would have been able to read your mind. What was your card? No kidding.(Pull it out of your wallet). I guess it is my lucky card." There is always a chance that the participant will think of a card that's not in the set. Perhaps they included cards A-5-6-10 as their options. I've found that this happens when someone has chosen his or her lucky number. This isn't a problem for some of the effects described. But, it will throw you off, if you are going for a direct, "mind to mind," revelation. If you ultimately miss because they thought of a card outside the main set, then you can say: "You thought of a lucky number, didn't you? I think that's what's throwing me off.” If they agree, you'll get credit for knowing that. By this point you should have enough clues to give it one more shot. If you're wrong, you can thank them for trying this experiment with you and move on. It is known that being off sometimes adds believability to what we do.
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Final Fishing Tips: Odds are that most of the time Red is chosen. 3 should be the most commonly named or thought of number between 1-5, and 4 is next in line. Certain types of people lean towards black, 7 then 8 being the most popular options. The cards in order of probability of being chosen—3H-7S-4D-8C. The natural choice of red sometimes gets rejected, simply because they only catch your directions after you've mentioned, that if they are thinking of red they should think of a number between 1-5. Just pay attention to the participant's attention level at all times. Notice in the original script, that just before I have them make the color choice, I ask them if they are ready. The "ee" sound of the "y" should be slightly under enunciated, so it almost sounds like red. There are probably many ways to try to subtly influence the participant to choose one color over the other. In the script, the participant experiences darkness-Black, and a White Room-White. So when the option of red comes along, I' d expect it to be tempting. These built in fishing/pumping techniques are useful for a direct mind reading, where you are receiving thoughts and images and then revealing the card merely thought of. But now, lets discuss the fish free, hands off, ICAINU.
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ICAINU Ran Pink ICAINU stands for, “Imagined Card at Imagined Number Unspoken.” The White Room is turned into a “Thought Card at Thought of Number” with a regular deck. The story changes so that the participant imagines opening the card box and putting their card at a number they think of between 1-52. Your spectator arrives at this number in a very personal way, by multiplying their thought of card by the number of letters in their name. Here’s an example. Say your participant’s name is name is Jenny. She would multiply her card number by 5. The reasoning being, that by multiplying by the amount of letters in her name she has a personal connection (and it will place the card deeper into the deck). Note from Ran: I know this might seem disappointing. Some of you might cringe that the method involves multiplication in the procedure. You must try this on a layperson and see what kind of reaction you get. I've also figured a way to tie the math in with something personal from the participant. You could choose to multiply each card 2,3,4, by whatever number you want from 1-5. It must be 5 and under to make sense. Place those cards at those positions in the deck. If you know the name of the participant is 5 letters or less you could have them multiply their thought of card/number by the number of letters in their name. The deck is easily set up in front of the participant, false shuffled and then handed over to the participant before the start of the effect. So if you chose to use 5, then set up the deck so positions 10-15-20-35-40-45 are occupied by the magic 6 cards. No special deck needed! If you met someone named Jackson, you couldn't use his name, so you would use 5 as a standard setup. Justify the use of number 5 by explaining, “During the imagination/dream moments... if you have a difficult time maintaining the image of the white room, it helps to imagine looking at your hand as a focal point to maintain the waking dream.” Then you tie it in by asking them to multiply their thought of number by 5, because we have 5 fingers on our hand.
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To be extra safe, there's always those people who don't hear “in between 1-5, between 6-10.” Just put cards A-5-6-10 in the correct positions in the deck as well. Remember, based on the forcing procedure, the extra cards you'd need to set up are the AH-5H-6C-10C and at multiples of 5, they would be placed at 5-25-30-50 respectively. You can set up the deck in front of a participant and do so under the guise of pretending to begin a different effect and then changing your mind. Do your best false shuffle, box the deck and hand it to the participant. Another easy way to set up the deck is to find the force set, and get them in order on top of the deck. Let’s say our multiplier is 5 and we have all ten cards to set up. Now begin a face up overhand shuffle and peel one card at a time until you reach 4. Next you will peel both the face card and the top card with your left fingers and then peel the next face up card and count “2” in your head. Continue with 3,4 and repeat the procedure above. Do this ‘till you have the 10 of clubs at position 50. Box the deck and hand it over. A fancier method for setting up would be to get the force set on top of the deck and execute two faro shuffles placing the cards at multiples of 4. If the person's name is Jane, you are set. To make the cards sit at multiples of 5, just look through the cards, and displace cards from the face of the deck to positions in between the force cards. You have the option to count to yourself as the participant is dealing cards and you'll know what card they were thinking of before they turn the card over for the reveal. Use this info how you would like. This can be performed “over the wire.” You just have to send a setup deck to someone and instruct him or her not to open it until you speak on the phone or on iChat or Skype. Do The White Room procedure and then have them unseal the envelope and listen for the gasps. They can examine the cards forever and it still won’t make sense. If you know more information about your victim, like a birth month under 5 or some other personal tidbits that can work for the multiplication, then use this instead of the name.
Tossed Out White Room: Invite six audience members to stand up. Do the procedure. Call out the 6 cards. Have them sit down if you called out their card. There's more to this but you know where this is going and you can take it from here. This is based on David Hoy's, Tossed Out Deck. (See also: Isaac Louie’s take on this, page 105).
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Alternate Sets and The Court Cards: The set can also be flipped so that if they have thought of black they should choose a number between 1-5. If red, then they select between 6-10. If we maintain the previous rules for odd and even, then the force set would be: (Reds) 7H,8D,9H
(Blacks) 2C,3S,4C
In other words, you can customize the set if you prefer certain force cards. Change the rules for odd and even and you have a whole new set. This may be useful in coming up with your own fishing procedure that you feel comfortable with. In this version of The White Room, both Ran and I wanted to keep it simple—with as few outs as possible. This was in order to create an impromptu direct mind reading effect with the minimum amount of fishing. However, you could even change the rules around so that they think of a number from 1-13, allowing for a broader range of choices. In case you would like to include the court cards in the set for the other card effects, then these are the suits of the royals. These are based on the original forcing procedure: JS,QC,KS Instead of red room thinking of a number between 1-5 and black thinking of one between 610, it would be red thinks between 1-7, and black thinks between 8-13. This changes some of the cards in the forcing set. For example, the 6 is now a 6 of Diamonds and the 7 is 7 of Hearts. So, here is the whole alternate set with the court cards: (Reds) AH-2D-3H-4D-5H-6D-7H
(Blacks) 8C-9S-10C-JS-QC-KS
This means that for ICAINU, the highest number you could multiply by is 4. Four seasons, four suits, four Beatles; there are many good ways to incorporate 4 into the picture. Final tip: You can easily find out if they are thinking of a court card. This time the good ole, "I'm seeing too many details! Your not thinking of a court card, are you?” You are just trying to find out because, "It's much harder with a court card.”
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You'll either say: "Great! Phew! It's so much harder with a court card!” or "Great (sarcastic) I knew it. This is so much harder with a court card. Let's try it anyway." If it is a court card, it's actually much easier. It's most likely JS or QC, because 13 is a fringe number and is likely not to be chosen. If it's not a court card… Well, surely by now you have enough fishing techniques in your arsenal to work this out.
Premonition/Prizewinner/Thought Control/Crossroads: The White Room procedure will also work for a "Premonition" style effect. This concept was made famous by Eddie Joseph, but invented by William H. McCaffrey and he called it "Prize Winner." Later Fred Peterson and Burling Hull used this same idea in "Mental Television Thought Control," which was published in Sensational Mentalism Part 3, and was also marketed as a separate item before that. In addition, the more recent Crossroads, by Ben Harris is also due credit. The White Room story is adjusted so that only their card flies out of the deck and then gets projected on the wall. You say that you are going to walk into that room in your imagination and you are going to take their card away, so the projections have gone blank and the walls are back to bright white. So, there should only be 51 cards left in the deck. The spectator looks through the deck to find their card is missing. You take it out of your wallet. No fishing required. Just the magic 6, or if you want to play it safe, 10 cards have to be removed from the deck, put in your wallet, and replaced with 5 or 9 others.
Thankyou: Ran would like to thank, Rick Roth. “We brainstorm almost daily and I'm very fortunate to have a good friend like Rick who is very supportive and full of incredible ideas. Rick is a big fan of impromptu mental effects and this one is dedicated to Rick. Thank you to Yaniv Deautsch for recommending additional excellent sources for pumping/fishing techniques and for help with credits.”
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Christopher Taylor Silent Solstice #1
Bill Fritz Silent Solstice #2
Canadian mentalist Christopher Taylor has produced material for Chris Angel, David Copperfield, Marc Salem, Keith Barry, Andy Nyman and scores of other performers all over the world. While he is best known for the multitude of high-tech devices he has released through his company, Taylor Imagineering, he has also created a great deal of well received traditional magic and mentalism. This material includes: Outside the Conventional (2 DVD set through Inner Mind Productions); No Batteries Required (DVD), the eBook, The Poor Mage's Billet System, and his two books: Inside Out and Unconventional (H&R Magic Books). www.taylorimagineering.com
SILENT SOLSTICE #1 Christopher Taylor In Christopher’s own words:
“The concepts presented in Ben's Silent Running book are powerful and versatile. Combining them with a mindreading device, like the electronic Solstice Wallet from Taylor Imagineering, provides for effects that are simple and devastating.”
Description of Effect: The mage introduces the notion of how Numerology and Cartomancy can reveal much about ourselves. To demonstrate, the mage requests a participant to think of a number between one and ten. He passes his jotter wallet to the participant, who finds in it an index card with a list of "Cartomancy Associations" (see illustration). The participant circles their thought of number. The participant is now directed to circle any one of the four suits and combine it with their thought of number to create the image of a playing card clearly in their mind. The wallet is closed and put aside. The mage does not touch or even glance at the wallet again until the effect is concluded. The mage is now able to provide a reading for the participant, explaining how their “thought-of” card reflects on their personality. Lending great power to the overall effect is the fact that during the reading, the mage accurately reveals the colour (red/black), then the suit and finally the full identity of the imagined card.
Discussion: My philosophy regarding props like Solstice, is that it makes no sense to employ an electronic device in an effect if it does not provide a significant theatrical advantage over non-electronic methods. In this effect, there are two such advantages.
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1
2
Clubs
3
4
Hearts
5
6
Spades
7
8
Diamonds
9
10
Christopher Taylor’s Index Card configuration for The Solstice Wallet
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Firstly, hands-off distance: Once the wallet is handed to the participant, the performer comes nowhere near her or the wallet. In fact, the performer can be on the opposite side of the room or behind a room divider (which adds a nice piece of theatre to the proceedings). The distance also facilitates the easy removal of the thought of card from a deck during the reading, which can then be placed face down on a table for later revelation. Secondly, the participant is not restricted in any way as to their choice of suit. Note: This effect is even easier when performed with two participants.
Working: It is not necessary for me to provide a detailed description here of the inner workings of the Solstice. Suffice to say that the device instantly signals the performer as to which of the five lines on the index card the pen is touching (from up to 100 feet away). That means, if she is thinking of the 7H, when she circles her number, we know it is either 7 or 8. When she circles the suit, we know exactly what it is. How do we use this information to our advantage? We begin our reading with the revelation that she is thinking of a red card, and proceed with a "warm reading" based on that surefire hit. Then comes the number which, because of the layout of the numbers on the index card, we know is either 7 (odd) or 8 (even). Of those two numbers, the most likely is 7 and we state casually that her number is odd. If we are correct, we carry on. If we happen to miss, we act very pleased and state that she has even greater depth than we first picked up on and continue appropriately. In any case, we do not need to be concerned because we have already had one direct hit and are about to have another, namely, the complete identity of the card.
Working with two people: As mentioned, it is even easier with two participants. When working with a group, have everyone think of a number between one and ten. Explain that you want to work with two people and simply ask someone if their number is odd or even. If their number is even, ask the rest of the group; which of them is thinking of an odd number. Let us assume the thought of cards are the 4D and the 7H. When the first participant circles their number, we know it is the 4 as it must be even. We find the second participant's odd
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number through the same process. It could not be simpler.
A final word: I am confident that those readers who own Solstice, will find a great many ways of applying the concepts in this book, and Silent Running, to create an endless variety of powerful effects.
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SILENT SOLSTICE #2 Bill Fritz This clever idea from Bill came in right at the last moment, and almost did not make the deadline. I’m so happy we’ve been able to squeeze it in. It’s a further way of using the Solstice Wallet with Silent Running. And, it is one of those “wish I’d thought of that!” moments. Thanks, Bill. Write two columns of numbers (as per the illustration). The first column goes: A, 2, 3, 4, 5 The second column goes: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 In a 3rd column write: Spades, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds Explain that we're not going to use face cards: “Basically, all of the face cards look the same. The only differences are the actual faces. So, for people new to mind reading, such as yourself, it's really hard to differentiate. Therefore, we'll stick with what's easy to transmit—the numbers.” Have them stare at the ten written numbers and mentally select one. Now comes the clever bit... Run through the suits, as in Silent Running. Ask them to CIRCLE THE SUIT they ended up selecting. Due to the wallet’s secret workings, you now know the suit they have selected, even from across the room! This means, you also know which of TWO NUMBERS they have in their mind. Say:
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"You've locked in the suit, in your mind, by circling it—right?” Spectator says: “Yes.” Then, I say: "And you're locked in the number you thought of by circling it too, right?" Because you DID NOT ask them to do this previously, the spectator says: “No” Nonchalantly request: “Oh, go ahead and circle the number." Now, based on the signal received, you will know exactly which number they’ve selected. For example, let's say you know they circled a Diamond. That means that your POSSIBLE TARGET NUMBER is the 5, or the 9. (As you know, the CrossRoads Set features a LOW and a HIGH number for each pair associated with a suit). When they circle their number on the Solstice Wallet, you will receive a signal from one of the five hot zones. (1-5). This signal will either MATCH the lower card in the two card set of possibilities, or it won’t. You only have to remember that a direct match is YOUR TARGET CARD and an INCORRECT MATCH means that it was the HIGHER of the two possible values that was chosen. This works because of the way the numbers are ordered in two columns. In our above example (DIAMONDS), you will receive either a “5” (direct hit) or a “4” (indicating that the HIGHER of the two possible values (ie: the 9) was chosen. Bottom line—getting them to first circle the suit allows you to figure out the number.
Isn’t that sweet, petite?
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A
6
Spades
2
7
Hearts
3
8
Clubs
4
9
Diamonds
5
10
Bill Fritz’s Index Card configuration for The Solstice Wallet
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Bernardo Rodriguez Numb-blur
Bernardo Rodriguez ... is 17 years old and a professional magician— performing close-up card magic and mentalism. “I enjoy adding my own creativity and presentation to already existing effects”.
NUMB-BLUR Bernardo Rodriguez Begin by introducing a prediction. Then, display a deck of cards. A special deck with a single number written boldly on the back of each card; a deck of cards with numbers on them in a mixed up random order. These numbers run 1 - 52. A spectator now THINKS of a card and then spreads through the deck to also SECRETLY note the NUMBER on the back of her selected card. Your prediction is then shown to match the number! The effect can also be made into a mind-reading game. This is done by telling the spectator what card they chose, and then revealing the prediction of the number!
The How 2: Prepare a spare deck of cards by firstly removing the CrossRoads Set: 2C, 3H, 4S, 5D, 6C, 7H, 8S, 9D. On the back of each CrossRoads card, write the number “23.” (You can use any number between 1-52, but “23” is what Bernardo uses). Shuffle the balance of the deck and write a random number from 1-52 on the back of each card. DO NOT duplicate your Crossroads Number on any of these cards. Mix your CrossRoads Set back into the deck, and then, on a piece of paper, make your written prediction. This is the NUMBER you have written on the backs of your eight key cards. In the above instance, it is “23.”
To Perform: This should be self-evident. Begin by having a spectator think of a number, and then a suit, using the Silent Running procedure. Once she has a card in her mind, ask her to remember it.
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Introduce the deck, and display the numbers on their backs while pattering about “the coincidence of numerology.” Ask your spectator to secretly locate her “thought of card” in the deck, and to note the NUMBER written on its back. (This will be your force number). Once she has done this, have her place the deck upon the table. You are now ready to either read her mind, revealing her “thought of card” (Direct Mind Read, Silent Running, Page 21), or reveal your prediction—and THEN divine the card.
Other Ideas: This makes a nice effect with “ESP Symbols” written on the backs of the cards. Thus, you have a nice double-barrelled prediction/revelation involving a card and a symbol. Also, why not experiment with NAMES written on the backs of cards? Or, town names, and a tie-in with a map—for a “Murder Mystery.”
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Hiro Sakai Notes on Silent Running
SAKAI
NOTES ON SILENT RUNNING Hiro Sakai Sometimes language and cultural differences can make explicit nuances problematic. Such, in Japan, is the case with the concept of “between” 1-10. My friend, Hiro Sakai, ably translated by Yuki Kadoya, hereby addresses the problem. Hiro’s thinking asssures a deep and powerful mystery.
Hiro-san says: First, we must ask the spectator to think of any number BETWEEN 1 and 10. This patter prevents numbers 1 and 10 from being chosen. But in Japanese, we rarely speak like this. We must say: “any number FROM 1 to 10,” rather than “any number BETWEEN 1 and 10.” If you use the following patter, spectators will have no feeling of inconsistencies: "In your head, please imagine 10 digits from 1 to 10. Line them up in a row. Can you imagine this? Now I want you to select a number between 1 and 10 in your head." Even if we carefully select the words in our patter, we can't eliminate the risk that someone might choose numbers 1 or 10. This problem could occur to Japanese speakers as well as to English speakers. Especially, if we use the patter that appears in "The Court Card Illusion," the probability that 1 or 10 will be chosen dramatically increases. I actually faced this situation a few times. To avoid this risk, I came up with the following strategy: I changed the "Crossroads” set a little bit, as listed below. (1) Ace of Diamonds (2) 2 of Clubs (3) 3 of Hearts
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(4) 4 of Spades (5) 5 of Diamonds (6) 6 of Clubs (7) 7 of Hearts (8) 8 of Spades (9) 9 of Diamonds (10) 10 of Clubs I set number 1 for Ace of Diamonds and number 10 for 10 of Clubs, so I can reveal any number chosen, no matter which routine from the Silent Running booklet I choose to perform. If you feel that the spectator is unsure, or if something goes wrong, you can reveal the Ace of Diamonds or 10 of Clubs. Now, you can cover any number from 1 to 10. I've found that a better way to handle the revelation is like this: remove these two cards from the deck and put them in different jacket pockets as predictions. If you want to perform "Spirited Card Stab," you will need to make one additional pocket on your newspaper, for the extra pair of cards.
A Routine: Image Is Just An Image For this effect, you will need 1 full deck (52 cards) with no Jokers, and any 3 additional court cards from another deck. Remove the following 10 cards from your full deck: Ace of Diamonds, 2 of Clubs, 3 of Hearts, 4 of Spades, 5 of Diamonds, 6 of Clubs, 7 of Hearts, 8 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds, 10 of Clubs. From these 10 cards, place the Ace of Diamonds, 8 of Spades, 9 of Diamonds and 10 of Clubs in 4 different pockets (example: AD in your jacket's outer left pocket, 10C in the outer right pocket, 8S in the inner left pocket and 9D in the inner right pocket). You must remember which card is in which pocket. Split the remaining six cards from my set into two groups - Black cards (2 of Clubs, 4 of
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Spades and 6 of Clubs) and Red cards (3 of Hearts, 5 of Diamonds and 7 of Hearts). Set these six cards as follows, from the top of your deck to the bottom (X indicates an indifferent card): X (top card) 3 of Hearts X 5 of Diamonds X 7 of Hearts (remaining 36 cards) 2 of Clubs X 4 of Spades X 6 of Clubs X (bottom card) Once you have assembled these cards, your deck will consist of only 48 cards. So, you must now add the additional 3 court cards from another deck. Duplicates of these 3 court cards must be well separated in your deck. This is a simple version of a “Crossroads Deck.” Insert this deck into the card case and you are ready to perform.
Performance Script: After you select your assistant, say: "Together, we're going to attempt an interesting experiment. This experiment is based on the power of imagination." It is important to announce up front that this is an "experiment based on imagination." This line can apply any to any of the effects that appear in the Silent Running booklet. "Yes, I know that your imagination has no limits, so I want to limit it somewhat, just for this experiment. We'll use a deck of playing cards." Introduce your deck and place it on the table. The deck must remain in full view during this effect.
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Carry out the "Silent Running" procedure to have a card mentally selected. Using my new set, you can cover any number from1 to 10. "I want you to create a more solid image of the playing card in your mind. Please burn an image of your imaginary playing card into your eyes." As you say this, step to the side of your assistant. Indicate the deck of cards on the table, and continue speaking: "Please pick up this deck and remove it from the card case. Slowly thumb through the deck until you find your card. Once you find your card, break the deck at that point, and hold all those above it aside for a moment. With your card at the face of the deck in your left hand, hold your card against your heart. This will help you to really focus on your mentally selected card." This procedure gives you a clue as to the mentally selected card in one of 3 ways. (This is a variation of "Speechless" by Steve Shufton. [Translator's note: England's Jerry Sadowitz first published this strategy within the context of his "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" variation. His method actually used a Tabled Spread method.]) Here are the three possibilities in brief. We’ll examine them in detail, after:
Pattern 1: The assistant found her card right away. In this scenario, she has found her card near the bottom of the deck, so you instantly know that her mentally selected card is one of 3 black cards in my set (2 of Clubs, 4 of Spades, or 6 of Clubs). Pattern 2: The assistant took time to find her card. She will find her card near the top of the deck, so the mentally selected card is one of 3 red cards in my set (3 of Hearts, 5 of Diamonds, or 7 of Hearts). Pattern 3: The assistant couldn't find her card. Her mentally selected card is one of the four cards that you previously removed from your deck, and secreted in your pockets. Once you note that your assistant has located her card, turn away from her as soon as possible. If she was unable to find her card, I'll explain this scenario (Pattern 3) later.
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Pattern 1 (in depth): "Now you are imagining your freely selected card in your mind, and you're also seeing it with your eyes. I can sense it clearly, too. Your card is definitely a black card. Isn't that right?" In this scenario, the answer is always "Yes." You can continue from here using Devin Knight's patter in the original text (Silent Running, Page 48), or you may use my patter, which is described below. "Please imagine all of the pips on your card, not just the number. Yes! I can see... four pips. I see four pips. Is this true?" — If she responds "Yes": "Yes, I can see the actual shapes of each pip. Your imaginary card is the 4 of Spades. Is this correct?" End of effect.
— If she responds "No": "That's strange...I can see 4 pips. Please concentrate on your card more intently... Yes, I sense 4 proper pips.... I definitely see 4 pips. Please look at your card again... Look closely. Do you notice anything about the pips?" This is a technique similar to Cold Reading. Depending on the response of your spectator, you will receive a clue. If you use the suggested patter and make a little pause, you surely can get some reaction from your assistant. It is important to deliver the above patter with complete confidence. (a) If the spectator says that her number is "smaller than 4" or asks, "Does this include these small corner pips?” then respond: "A-ha! Yes, I sense 2 small pips in the corners, so that's what made me think there were four pips! So your number is 2... Yes, I can see the actual shape of the pips... Clubs... Your card is the 2 of clubs!" End of Effect.
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(b) If the spectator says, "Is this possibly the direction of the pips? Are there four pips facing the same direction?" This will make sense to spectators who were initially confused about the statement. Or, if your spectator says "larger than 4": (In the case of the 6 of clubs, for example, 4 large pips face in the same direction, while the other 2 pips face in the opposite direction.) "Yes, that's right! 4 pips! 4 pips faced in the same direction. Is this true? I can sense other pips facing in the opposite direction...1,2,3... No, two pips face in the opposite direction. So you are imagining 6 pips. Yes, I can see the actual shape of the pips... They are clubs... and the card you' re thinking of is the 6 of Clubs!" End of Effect.
Pattern 2 (In Depth): "Now you are imagining your freely selected card in your mind, and you're also seeing it with your eyes. I can sense it clearly, too. Your card is definitely a red card. Isn't that right?" The answer is always "Yes." You can continue from here using Devin Knight's patter in the original text (Silent Running, Page 48), or you may use my patter, which is described below: "Please imagine all of the pips on the card rather than the number of pips—yes, I can sense... 5 pips. I see 5 pips. Is this correct?" — If she responds "Yes": "Yes, I can see the actual shapes of each pip. Your imaginary card is the 5 of Diamonds. Is this correct?" End of effect.
— If she responds "No:” "That's strange...I can see 5 pips. Please concentrate on your card more intently... Yes, I sense 5 proper pips.... I definitely see 5 pips. Please look at your card again... Look closely. Do you notice anything about the pips?"
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(a) If the spectator says that her number is "smaller than 5" or asks, "Does this include these small corner pips?” then respond: "A-ha! Yes, I sense 2 small pips in the corners, so that's what made me think there were five pips! So your number is 3... Yes, I can see the actual shape of the pips... Hearts... Your card is the 3 of Hearts!" End of Effect.
(b) If the spectator says, "Is this possibly the direction of the pips? Are there five pips facing the same direction?” This will make sense to spectators who were initially confused about the statement. Or the spectator says, "Larger than 5": (In the case of the 7 of Hearts, for example, 5 large pips face in the same direction, while the other 2 pips face in the opposite direction.) "Yes, that's right! 5 pips! 5 pips facing in the same direction. Is this true? I can sense other pips facing in the opposite direction...1,2,3... No, two pips face in the opposite direction. So you are imagining 7 pips. Yes, I can see the actual shape of the pips... They are hearts... and the card you' re thinking of is the 7 of Hearts!" End of Effect.
This subtle technique of including the corner pips is a T. A. Waters idea. Using the direction of pips as a further means of discerning a thought-of card and the associated patter are my ideas. At the end of Pattern 1 or Pattern 2, you have revealed a mentally chosen card. Thank your assistant for her great power of imagination, and lead a round of applause for her participation in your successful experiment.
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Pattern 3 (In Depth): "You can't find your card in the deck? Wonderful! Our experiment in imagination is a success! Allow me to explain. Someone's image can be transmitted unconsciously. Before we started, I removed a card from this deck without looking at it. So, I don't even know myself what card I removed. To make sure, please count the cards. Let's see if one is missing." Your spectator counts the cards, and finds only 51 cards in the deck. "What is the card you've chosen in your mind? The card that only you know?" Once she answers, you must adjust your patter to match the correct pocket that contains her named card. As soon as she answers, indicate the correct pocket and say: “Ah yes. Please reach into my pocket and remove the card that I took out earlier." She will remove her thought-of card from your otherwise empty pocket. "Images surely can be transmitted unconsciously!" Thank your assistant for her great power of imagination, and lead a round of applause for her participation in your successful experiment. End of Effect.
Final Thoughts: You may not need to count all 51 cards, as the case may be. The audience already knows that the imaginary card has vanished from the deck, so it may just create dead time by dealing through all of the cards. If you don't feel that it's necessary to count all 51 cards, there is no need to initially add 3 duplicate court cards to your deck. You can use a 48-card deck for this effect and perform it impromptu. There are 2 points that I think enhance Ben’s concept: 1. You can cover any number from 1 to 10. 2. From the spectator's point of view, it appears that the performer never makes a mistake. The mentalist never asks an either-or question. (Actually, you do ask a question, but
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spectators never notice this.) Despite this lack of fishing, you are able to accurately divine a mentally selected card without any obvious questions. As a result, your spectator will believe that she has truly had her mind read by a mentalist. When I perform this effect, I receive a tremendous reaction from my audiences. When you perform this effect (or any mentalism), it is important to have some degree of acting skill. When you perform the "Silent Running" procedure, you must speak slowly and clearly, to make sure that your spectator understands every one of your directions. If she can't understand your directions, "Silent Running" effects can fail miserably. And if you direct a spectator too blatantly, the audience will sense that you are imposing some kind of limitation during the selection procedure. I highly recommend that you write down your own patter once on paper. You can adjust the entire procedure and therefore fully understand what you need to say at each stage.
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Matthew Shepherd Screaming Walking
SHEPHERD
SCREAMING WALKING Matthew Shepherd Matthew has some pretty radical views on things, and that’s why he’s a successful performer—he’s not afraid to be himself. Here are his thoughts on various elements of Silent Running.
Fishing Without A License: This is a slightly different way of using fishing techniques, so that the spectator never says the suit OR the color of their card out loud. It appears that you make two statements (one which could be wrong) about the card and then "reveal" the thought of playing card. As we know, the 8 cards the spectator can think of are: 2 Clubs 3 Hearts 4 Spades 5 Diamonds 6 Clubs 7 Hearts 8 Spades 9 Diamonds
This is a VERY basic script of how I fish for the correct card: “Please Think of a number between 1-10." Now execute the Silent Running “suit selection” procedure (See next section for my handling). Note: Once they have a card in mind, there is a good chance of it being the 7 of Hearts. I use this to my benefit in the next bit of patter... "Say your card over and over again in your head for me, just like that, like the 7 of
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Hearts, 7 of Hearts, 7 of Hearts." Stop if you get a reaction to the 7 of Hearts. You have your miracle! If no reaction, then carry on as normal. "You're not thinking of an ODD value are you?” Either response from the spectator means that you are always right: “No” = Black Card, “Yes” = Red Card. "I could be wrong but it appears to be higher than a 5, yes?" “No” (Black) = 2 of Clubs / 4 of Spades “No” (Red) = 3 of Hearts / 5 of Diamonds “ Yes” (Black) = 6 of Clubs / 8 of Spades “Yes” (Red) = 9 of Diamonds Note: If, at this point, they say “NO” then I say something along the lines... "I should always go with my first instincts!" You are now ready to reveal the card. With just the two cleverly disguised questions, you already know what color the card is—if it is odd or even—and, if it is higher than a 5! At this point I use Devin Knight’s handling of the T.A Waters’ subtlety (Silent Running, Page 50) to reveal the correct playing card—achieving a full-on hit.
The Suit Selection Procedure: I use a different method (to that described in Silent Running), to “sell” and “lock in” the suit selection. What I do, instead of holding up my fingers, is to SNAP MY FINGERS as I verbally call, “1, 2, 3...” etc. I ask them to remember the “random suit” that falls on their number. If they are thinking of the number 3, they are to remember the 3rd suit I name and “snap” my fingers upon. If they are thinking of the number 8, they are to remember the 8th suit I name/”snap”. I then start calling out the suits in a very "I don't really care what I am saying" tone of voice—clicking my fingers each time I name a suit. I also look away from the spectator like I am not really interested, but I keep a close eye on them using my peripherals just in case! I space the suits out, probably 2 seconds between each other. I also call them out as if I am making them up on the spot. I pause every now and again, like I am struggling to think of a suit. Also, since 1 and 10 will never be chosen (with proper audience management), you can call out two totally random suits that don't fall into the ChaSeD sequence.
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Finally, once I have named 10 suits, I turn to the spectator as if I was in a world of my own and say to them: "Oh, I am sorry! Have you selected a suit?" All of this, I have found, really helps to sell the effect and also covers up the method a little bit more.
Time Misdirection: Once the spectator has a playing card in mind, fumble in your pockets and pull out a business card or slip of paper. Request for the spectator to write down the name of their playing card and to fold it up into quarters. You turn your back whilst this is being done. Once done, you now turn to the spectator and boldly say: "You have freely thought of any playing card and have now written it down on that slip of paper, yes?" They will say "YES," and you then request for them to place the slip of paper in their pocket, so you can't cheat. This bit of time misdirection, and forcing them to say "yes," will (most of the time) cause the spectator to forget the selection process and remember that they "thought of any playing card." Do not shun this little subtlety. It will make all the difference to the after effect, where the "real" magic takes place.
The Two Card Out: Here’s an alternative to the T.A Waters fishing method that Devin Knight provides in his fantastic section in the original book. "I seem to be getting two cards, I think there are a few people in the audience thinking of playing cards, too. I am getting the 6 of Clubs and the 8 of Spades. Which one were you thinking of?" The spectator will confirm their card, let's say it is the 8 of Spades. "Ah! I thought yours was the 8! I should have taken a gamble as it would have paid off!! Just out of curiosity, who was thinking of the 6 of Clubs?"
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Acknowledge the person who makes themselves known and make a joke out of them "blocking your thought process" or just acknowledge an imaginary person, if no one makes themselves obviously known. I have found that this plays just as strong if doing this on a stage, since you have just received two playing cards!
Using Two People: In the original book, Bob Cassidy provides a brilliant subtlety, that when using two people it is easier to do the fishing, since you already have one piece of information at your disposal. As an afterthought, it occurred to me that since you know who has a red card and who has a black card, you could do the Richard Osterlind dodge of saying: "Who's card has the value over 5?" Notice how I phrase it as "Who's card has THE value over 5." This implies that I already know that one of the cards is higher than a 5. If they both are above 5 then I can say something like: "Oh, that's why I was getting confused!" Once this person makes themselves known, you can now "reveal" both cards!
Below is a copy of the basic script I used to use when I first came up with this handling. There is a little bit more fishing to do, but its fun to play around with and I sometimes still use this method just for fun. The benefit is that the spectator gets a 100% free choice of suit. The downside is, you need to be good at fishing and making misses seem like hits. I have tried to update the notes with extra subtleties and tips that I have stumbled upon since first writing these notes. I call this, SHO-BAM-RO: "Please Think of a number between 1 and 10." This should be done quickly, to hopefully force them to think of a 7. "There are also the four suits, Clubs, HEARTS, Spades and Diamonds. Please think of one of the suits—either Clubs, HEARTS, Spades or Diamonds." A slight emphasis is put on "Hearts", to try to psychologically force that suit. “Please concentrate on the card for me. In fact, start repeating it over and over again in your head for me. Just like you are now... like... the 7 of Hearts, 7 of Hearts, 7 of Hearts.”
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If they are thinking of the 7 of Hearts they will most likely react, if not then carry on with the script. "Great! You seem to be doing really well! Please concentrate on just the color for me, please." "You're not thinking of a RED card, are you?" “YES” - “I thought so!” “NO” - “I didn't think so!” "I seem to be picking up on your thoughts quite well! Please concentrate on the value now." "Ok, this is a little harder, it’s coming through quite fuzzy and I can’t quite make out the number, it appears to be higher than 5, yes?" “YES” — “Ok good I thought I was losing it a bit there, but our minds are still going strong.” “NO” — “No, I didn't think so. I should have gone with my first instinct.” (That doesn't really make sense, but I have found that spectators go with it!) "Oh, by the way, it’s not an ODD card is it?" “YES” — “I thought so!” “NO” — “I didn't think so!” "Oh, just one more thing. I see bumps at the top of the suit—does that make sense to you?" “Yes” (Black) - Clubs “No” (Black) - Spades “Yes” (Red) - Hearts “No” (Red) - Diamonds I now use the T.A Waters method (previously cited) to correctly identify the card. I ask the spectator to picture the playing card as if they were holding it, to see all the detail in their mind. I claim I am going to: "...count the symbols on your card in my mind.”
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I then count the symbols. Once I have finished counting, I look at the spectator with a hopeful kind of look. If I see that they are looking hesitant or about to say “NO”, then I know it is the lower card. If however they look excited or are smiling, then I know I have hit the nail on the head. Sometimes I will go straight past the fishing for the suits business and just take a gamble at the suit. More often than not, I get it correct. Even if I miss, I still get the number and color, just the same. I am still credited with being very close. By the way, if the spectator IS thinking of an ODD RED card, then you can boldly state that it is the 9 of Hearts. This works more often than not. If you miss, then it will be the 9 of Diamonds. Even if you miss the suit, the spectator will still credit you for being very close. Enjoy.
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Robert Smith Pulse Voodoo Finger Edgework Impromptu Invisible Deck The Sharpie Principle Another One
Robert Smith ... (a.k.a. bSmith) is what some would consider a mentalist, but he can seamlessly blend it with powerful visual magic. With a philosophical approach to magic, and controversial effects such as "Wounded,” and "Tears of Blood", bSmith pushes the boundaries of our art form and uses illusion to break through the social conditioning of what we accept as real. bSmith has been a creator/Head magic consultant for David Blaine and consultant of the great Paul Harris. Many other well know magicians seek his insight, tips and advice.
SILENT FLOODGATES Robert Smith When Robert Smith gets to thinking about something, he normally does not stop until he’s exausted every little avenue. This is possibly the off-shoot of living with Paul Harris for twelve months! A flurry of recent emails carried these communiques from the rarefied air of the offlands...
Pulse: Conceptually, you have the participating spectator thinking of an assigned finger related to their card. The idea is to then silently know that finger—thus knowing the card. There is an old effect published in The Jinx, in which a spectator places their finger tips to your fingertips and you know which finger they are thinking of (this is due to a slight twitch when asked to concentrate on the finger). When they are thinking of the card, have them think of the finger (your finger) assigned to it, and touch all fingertips (they will usually favor their eyes on the hand/finger they are thinking when lining up the tips). You can re-emphasize for her not to say anything. Now, have her close her eyes and "send the image of the card through that finger into your mind." When the eyes close and she is thinking of that finger, you will undoubtedly get a twitch or slight release of pressure on that finger. The above has a "mind-meld" look to the effect. You can now step back and reveal by any means you choose. With your subtlety of being nonchalant while keeping an eye on their attention, followed by nonchalantly watching their focus while they line up their fingertips to yours, and finally feeling the twitch/lift in that finger, the hit rate should be incredible without any words or fishing involved. Of course, if you are still uncertain, you can easily fish.
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Voodoo Finger: I use a voodoo effect—where the spectator concentrates on a finger. I then stab a napkin tracing of my hand, and my REAL (corresponding) finger begins to bleed. (I secretly prick the thought of finger with a diabetic lancing device in my pocket when I retrieve the pocket knife to hand to them... it does not bleed until I put pressure on the pad of my finger with my thumb). A nice blood puddle seemingly appears out of nowhere. (Disclaimer: neither the author or publisher can be held responsible for any harm you inflict upon yourself by following this procedure).
Edgework: Also, play with edge marks on the force cards. This way they can be located and forced/produced from a shuffled face down deck. The fact that there are only 8 cards makes this very easy to do and can rival the best memorized deck effects.
Impromptu Invisible Deck: You can do a pretty nice invisible deck by reversing only the red ones and separating them 1/4 of the deck apart. Spread the deck revealing the thought of card, while pushing the others over in clumps to hide their status.
The Sharpie Theory (Using Pencil Writing Awareness): Here it is in a very logical theory, but it needs testing as the events unfurl after the Silent Running procedure has been completed: Hand a marking pen and an index card to a spectator. Orientate the card vertically in their hands. You will want her to write on the card while holding it in “portrait” position. Instruct her: "If you’re thinking of a higher number, like above 5, write it down on the top of the page...” Pause slightly, and expectantly, to see if they begin writing. Whether they begin writing or not, continue with: “If its a low number, write it at the bottom of the page... I’ll look away while you do this.”
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You have 2 chances to know what half the number falls into: first, is if they begin writing immediately or not. Second, when they begin writing, just notice if it’s at the top of the page or bottom of the page. Once they start writing, you look away with a Doc Hilford-style, gypsy peek (one eye on them). The number may be obvious through the markers movement plus sound, in which case your job is done. Even if you don't get the number, it’s not a problem. Now all you need to know is the suit. "Now draw the suit on the other half of the page...” A hesitant look will most likely confirm they are thinking of a club or spade. Look for this. If they jump right in, it will be a heart or diamond. Either way, cut them off and say: "Actually, don't draw the suit—just put down the first capital letter of the suit, I’ll look away...” The SOUND of the writing, for each of the letters, is very distinct (C, H, S, D). By employing “sound reading,” you have the audible strokes (C-1, H-3, S-long1, D-2) Again, you also can reconfirm whether they have a high or low card by the position of where the suit is drawn. This should be enough information to know exactly what the card is. At the very least, it will have your fishing cut in half and only one question, phrased in the negative, will solve it: "It isn’t a spade, is it?" ("thought so/didn’t think so")
Here’s another one: A good friend of mine, Aaron Delong, has a deck out called the Hummer Deck. The deck, if you are not familiar with it, consists of half-blank and half-printed cards. When the cards are spread one way, they see the entire 52 card deck, and when turned end for end and spread, they see a blank deck. The idea is to remove the crossroad set, along with a blank cover card from the Hummer Deck, and you’re ready to go. Once they are thinking of a card (via the Silent Running procedure), spread the blanks and ask them if they see their card... You’ll get a laugh. Now fish, "red card?... no?"... etc. "Are you sure it’s not there?" Show the blank fan again, for another laugh. Notice, the byplay with the blank cards should disarm the fishing process completely.
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Once you know the card through fishing, but before they know that you know, act perplexed. With the spread facing you, remove the thought of card, turn it end for end and replace it in the fan, while saying: "That's not it." Now, remove the blank card, show it to them and say "you sure this isn't it?" Another laugh. Finally, ask them to name the card they are thinking of. When they name it, bring the fan down, showing that card to be the only card amongst all blank cards. This is a powerful moment. Later...
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Francesco Tesei Silent Running For Stage
Francesco Tesei ...is a professional mentalist in Italy. Since 1994, his show has toured more than thirty countries and three continents. He has released "Mind Juggling," (a dvd in Italian), and recently joined Marc Spelmann and Peter Nardi in the creation of new effects, produced by Inner Mind Productions, UK.
SILENT RUNNING ON STAGE Francesco Tesei Introduction: Most of my work as a mindreader is for stage, usually in front of two or three hundred people, comfortably seated in the dark. Every time I need to interact with the audience during the show, my lighting technician brings the house lights up by 30-35%, so I can see faces and engage a proper rapport with spectators. My mind is set to this kind of "working environment," and I believe that is why something weird clicked into my own head as soon as I read Ben's amazing Silent Running. Since I first talked about this with Ben, I had the chance to try and test it on several occasions, and the results were delightful: I am talking about that strange sensation, when you feel you have accomplished so much with, well, so little. You know that look in the face of your spectators, when at first they just don't know what they could possibly hang to, and then they surrender to the thought—they just witnessed a true miracle. That is due to a simple fact: this routine is built like a mind-trap. Once the Silent Running procedure is accomplished, and is "accepted" by spectator’s mind, there is simply no turning back. You, as a performer, find yourself well ahead, and spectators suddenly are into that deep, deep pit that you silently dug for them, even if they cannot realize it just yet. That is precisely the situation I like to be in: everything has not even begun from the audience's point of view, while for you, the "trick" is already over and the fun part can begin. It just makes me feel so in control, and lets me focus on my spectators, on the presentation, the rhythm, the humor and all those things we can sum up as showmanship. So, if you like to be in that position too, keep reading and I am pretty sure you will soon have the same kind of grin I had on my face when this wacky idea crossed my mind for the first time.
Scenario: The perfect scenario is a formal show, rather than a party where everybody knows everybody. You will soon see why.
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The Procedure: At any point during my show, I randomly select FIVE spectators by throwing paper balls, or a puppet, among the audience. I then ask the selected spectators to stand up for a moment and I explain that we are going to play a little test in order to find out who has, among them, the strongest imagination. After a brief pause, I continue by saying: "Imagination is the ability of building images with your mind, and that is exactly what I would like you to do: in a moment I am gonna ask you to create a strong and vivid image in front of your eyes. Are you ready?” Once I get a positive reply from them, I continue, just like the standard S.R. procedure: "Well, I would like you to start with something easy, so picture a number in your mind. I would say a number between... between... let's say between one and ten." I then go on for a while, trying to pump the idea that it is very important that they do see the number they are thinking of. I ask them to decide on a color for it, maybe they also want to mentally outline it— make it a little bigger and so on... All this is done in order to focus the attention on the IMAGE of the number, rather than the number itself and the way it was selected. In other words, it doesn't matter that I gave them a range between one and ten—all that matters is how they see the image of their own number. Now... I then smile and say: "Good job. You can sit, now, and I'll come back to you later." I then continue my show, performing one or two effects, and then I get back to my five spectators, asking them to stand up again. I then proceed with the selection of the suite, following the standard procedure, but, in case you didn't notice it, this is done with FIVE spectators at the same time. The idea that I vaguely suggest is that this game of imagination is a little test in order to select the best subject among them, for something that will happen later. That will not really happen, but nobody will notice at all, by the end. Once each of them has a suit selected, I smile again and say: "Very good! You are doing really well. I will come back to you later...”
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I like very much this approach, not only because it creates a time lapse between the different phases of the procedure, making it easier for the whole audience to forget those details we want them to forget (like the range of numbers, and the way specific suits were selected), but also because it creates a mysterious interlude between effects, giving the feeling of building something little by little, during the whole show. In a way, it can help to make the show a little more organic, and if you play it well, it could look and feel like a recurring theme. Lately, I included this effect, and this specific way of performing it, during my lectures for mentalists and magicians in Italy. This lecture is titled "Vision," and the idea of having some people playing with their own imagination all along the two hours of my lecture just made sense and felt like a nice touch. Back to the routine. After one more effect from my repertoire, I then get back to my five spectators. Notice that every time, I ask them to stand up from their seats. In this third phase, the number is combined with the suite, to create a mental picture of a playing card. Hopefully, the time lapse will play on our side, but (as Ben says) it is also very important to focus the attention on the fact that these choices were merely thoughts, which were never shared with anyone. The more we make them think about this, the more they will stop thinking about the mechanics of the procedure. Once they have the image of a playing card in their mind, my pattern takes a slightly different route from the original routine. You may follow this or not, it is up to you and to your own opinion about this (I will explain what I mean shortly). Here is what I say, word by word: "Great! Now, please remember, folks, that you never said a single word to anyone, have you?” “NO.” “You simply created some images in your mind, no one else could see them, except you, right?” “RIGHT.” “Each of you has the image of a playing card in their mind, right now... as you know, there are 52 cards in a deck—you first imagined a number, a nobody could possibly know which number you are thinking of—right?”
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“RIGHT.” “Then you chose a suit, and again no one could know which one, right?” “RIGHT.” “As far as I know, you can have in your mind any suit, as well as any number.” (Brief pause) “... Well, any-suit and any-number to me sounds like you could be thinking of any card! Actually, to be honest with you, you cannot have a picture card in your mind, like a king or a queen: I did that on purpose, 'cause those cards just look too similar when you try to read minds... anyway, that takes possibilities from 52 down to 40. Fair?” “YES—FAIR.” Let me take a moment to analyze what happened just then. I openly declared that court cards could not be selected in order to strengthen the idea that any other card, apart from court-cards, could be chosen. It makes me sound so fair... I even do the math for them! And, after all, 40 cards is still a pretty good range! This is my personal opinion, but I believe that smart people would figure out easily that, due to the procedure, only numbered-cards could be chosen, so I might as well declare that openly, if it can help to subliminally suggest that all the other cards are into play. I call that losing a battle in order to win the war, if you know what I mean... This concludes my personal take on the procedure. At this point I have FIVE different members of the audience thinking of a card. They were never asked to take nor glimpse a card from a real deck. They just formed a card in their own mind, saying nothing to no one. And yet, the dirty work is done.
The reveal: You must have figured it out, by now. Yes, that's it: the good old “tossed-out deck principle,” but with no deck at all. A miracle, ladies and gentlemen! ... Are you smiling? Here is the situation, at this point of the routine: five members of the audience are standing. Each one is thinking of a playing card in a range of eight cards only, even though everybody (themselves and the rest of the audience) thinks it's a free choice among 40 cards. From your point of view, you have eight possibilities and five cards to name out loud.
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The beauty of the Tossed Out Deck principle, is that people are led to believe that each person is thinking a different card. It is just the most natural and logical thing to believe, even though that is not what's happening.. So, back to the routine. I now ask the participants to literally push the image of their cards to me, as I concentrate trying to receive those images, looking for all of them, one by one. I close my eyes, as if it is for me really hard to make sense of all those images entering my mind at the same time... "This is what I see... it was... there was a black four, I think the four of spades... I also saw many hearts... it was a three and a seven... yes: the three and the seven of hearts... but something else was red... I think it was the 9 of diamonds... and the last card was clubs... yes... the six of clubs... again... four of spades... three of hearts, seven of hearts... 6 of clubs and 9 of diamonds. If you just heard me saying your card, sit down, now.” I always name those cards in that precise order. I think it is the best way to make them sound quite random. Those are also the most common cards, as we well know that number 3 and number 7 are the most commonly chosen numbers. At this point I just wait and see what happens. Different outcomes may arise now, so let's analyze them one by one: (1) All of them sit: A true miracle. Nothing was said, nothing was written down, five different minds, five different cards freely chosen. Could it get any better than this? The fact is, this will happen more often than you think, as people will tend to choose the same common numbers, but (just like the Tossed Out Deck effect) they will believe that each had a different card in his mind. Plus, do not forget that you simply named those cards, one by one, without the need of any fishing procedure. They think five cards, you name them, they sit. Thank you. Nothing could be more direct and straight-forward. (2) Four sit, one of them stands: This is, in a way, an even better scenario, because it gives you the chance to create some drama. If you play it well, people will have the feeling that you might have missed one on purpose, just to create this climax. When this scenario happens, first of all I get my applause: after all I got four right, which is very impressive.
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Then I turn to the one standing: "Mmm... I am sorry, I guess I got confused with all the other images. I don't know why, but I thought you were thinking of a black card." Before I go on, let's take a moment and see what our options are at this point. I named 5 cards out of the range of 8. That means that three specific cards are still in play: those are the 2 of Clubs, the 8 of Spades and the 5 of Diamonds. Two of them are black and one is red. All I need now is a little fishing, which doesn't even sound like fishing. In fact, it is supposed to look as if I am still talking about my "miss," apologizing for my mistake, while at the same time I take the chance to get the information I need to find out what card he is thinking of. So, when I say: "... I thought you were thinking a black card," my tone is supposed to mean: "I guess I made a mistake, then..." At this point the spectators will feel called to give me some feedback, and will naturally comment on my last words. If he says something like: "Yeah... you were wrong, it's not black.” I just comment, by saying: "Yep, I was probably thrown off by that 6 of Clubs, I thought yours was black too." I then take a little pause and continue: "Well, let's try again. Try and push me the suit and the value of your card. We all know it's red, so please try and make that color more bright and vivid in your own mind...” Suddenly, we are back into the game! And I am going to get a direct hit, since there is only one red card available now. "I think I can see it clearly, now: it's... it's... yes... I think it's the 5 of Diamonds. Am I right?” “YES!”
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Notice that this time, rather than ask him to sit, I prefer a verbal confirmation. This also suggests the idea that I knew which specific card each of the other four spectators were thinking of—even if it's not exactly like that. Let's check the other option, now—if the spectator says something like: "Well, it is indeed a black card!", I look at him for a second, as if I was surprised to hear that, and then I say: "Well, it was not a high card, was it?” Again, this is supposed to sound as if I am only trying to understand when I made my mistake. Considering that his options are a 2 or a 8, it really takes a second to understand which one he is thinking. If his answer is a quick and firm "No," then he chose the 2 of Clubs. If he says “Yes,” or if he takes a second to think about it, then he is thinking the 8 of Spades. Usually when I see that the spectator takes a moment to answer, I stop him by saying: "Don't tell me, it doesn't matter. Just think about it. Think about your card, now...” And then I name the 8 of Spades. Let's take a step back and see what's happening if the spectator is thinking of the 2 of Clubs instead. When I ask: "Well, it was not a high card, was it?” He will answer with something like: "... Right, it's not high.” At this point I continue: "Ah! There! I am sorry: I saw that 6 of clubs, the 8 of spades... I must have confused your image, but now that it's just me and you I think I can see it. Just focus for a second, push your image towards me again... Yes... I see clubs, two of them... You must be thinking of the 2 of Clubs, right?" “RIGHT!”
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Again, all I asked was a vague question about being high or low, then I was able to name the correct value and suit. That's good fishing...
3) Three sit, two stand: Basically, I repeat the above scenario, talking to both spectators at the same time. From their reactions to my questions I will be able to determine which card each of them is thinking of.
4) Three or more remain standing: Ok, this might look a little lame, as I managed to guess only one or two cards. The good news, though, is that I now have three (or more) spectators standing, and only three possible cards remaining. That means that I don't need any fishing at all. I just name the 2 of Clubs, the 8 of Spades and the 3 of Hearts (adding more random cards if more spectators are standing), and they will all sit. I have tried this effect many times and only once three spectators remained standing. It was during one of my lectures, so the audience members were all magicians. I think that was due to the fact that magicians tend to avoid common numbers, as they are aware of this. In other words, this effect works much better with lay people.
Last words: I realize that it is, to a certain extent, a bold presentation. It takes guts and a good performer to be convincing. Also, it is not 100% sure fire. Potentially there is, in fact, the chance that all spectators will choose the three cards that you are not naming at first. This never happened to me. It happened, instead, that all of them sat straight away, after naming the first bunch of cards. People were so impressed by this effect that I believe it is well worth it to take the risk. It's not a smart idea to do this with a few friends at a party, because they might talk to each other after the show, and find out that some of them thought of the same card. That is a typical issue for the Tossed Out Deck (in general) as well, so I am sure you already have your own opinion about this. Last, but not least, this approach with multiple spectators, makes the fishing procedure absolutely painless and, more often than not, you won't even need it. I hope you will give this a try.
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Mario Unger Thought-of Card To Wallet Silent Frixion
Mario Unger ...is a semi professional mentalist living in Austria. He is married to Martina and has two children—Laura 13 and Sebastian 17.
THOUGHT OF CARD TO WALLET Mario Unger We’ll use the CrossRoads Set to allow a nice Thought of Card To Wallet routine. This is for those who like to “jazz the moment,” making it up as you go along. The wallet used is one that will accept a palmed card. Firstly, consider every card in the set as a number. This is easy: 2=2C 3=3H 4=4S 5=5D 6=6C 7=7H 8=8S 9=9D With a handy scalpel (or knife) and steel rule, shorten the five of diamonds. Now, set up your deck to this tune (top to bottom): 2 (2C) 3 (3H) 22 x-cards 4 (4S) 5 (5D—short card) 6 (6C) 7 (7H) 22 x-cards 8 (8S) 9 (9D)
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To present: Remove setup deck from box. While performing the Silent Running procedure (number and suit selection), casually “toy” with the cards. Nothing fancy, just cradle them as if anticipating that something special is to come. When you ascertain the “thought-of” card, secretly take a break at the short card. NOW, it will only take two cuts—at most—to bring the thought-of card to an accessible position for either a top palm, a bottom palm, or a Mercury Fold. This is power, and allows the performer much flexibility in producing the “thought-of” card.
Some examples of how this may play out: Thought of card is number 7 (Seven of Hearts): You cut to break. You then double undercut the top card to bottom. The Seven of Hearts is now on top of the deck. Another example: The “Thought-of” card is card number 2 (Two of Hearts): This time you were lucky. It’s already the top card. Enjoy! Maybe, as another example, the “Thought-of” card is number 9 (Nine of Diamonds). Here you either Mercury Fold, or bottom palm. If the card was number 4 (Four of Spades): Then you would cut to break, buckle the bottom card, and double cut to top. Mercury Fold the Four, which is now on the bottom. You’ll work out the other possibilities. Once you have your system in place, you will be prepared to produce an apparently “thought-of” card from your wallet, or anywhere, on demand!
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SILENT FRIXION Mario Unger Mario has applied the modern technology of the Frixion Pen to solving, post reveal, the “two-number-ambiguity” in Silent Running. This had previously been solved by carefully “reading” the spectator, or via physical means (see Ben’s Note Pad approach: Silent Running, Page 23). What you’ll need: (1) A Small writing pad. (2) A “fineline” permanent marker. (3) A FRIXION “fineline” marker. The FRIXION marker consists of a special ink that vanishes when HEAT is applied—via rigorous rubbing—or a cigarette lighter. You’ll find them in various colors at your local stationers. BOTH pens need to be the same color. To prepare, leave the top sheet of your pad blank, and write the cards 2 -5 on the NEXT four pages of the pad with the permanent marker, like so: Sheet 2: 2C Sheet 3: 3H Sheet 4: 4S Sheet 5: 5D Cut the lower right corners of the pages so you can easily flip it open on the correct page. Place the FRIXION pen, and the pad, in your pocket.
In performance, you follow the Silent Running procedure to have the number and suit “thought-of.” Once this is done, introduce the concept of mind reading, and perform “Direct Mind Reading” (Silent Running, Page 21) until you have discerned the SUIT. At this point, you will know which of the TWO possible values the card could be. This is because the cards in the CrossRoads Set always, (conveniently), travel in pairs:
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Clubs: 2/6 Hearts: 3/7 Spades 4/8 Diamonds: 5/9 We’ll assume, for this example, that the suit is HEARTS. That being the case, your target pair is 3H-7H. So, you take the pad and FRIXION pen from your pocket, turn to the appropriate page, and OVER-WRITE the smaller number with the higher number in the pair. Do it BOLDLY. In the example at hand, you’ll be over-writing a big bold “7” over the “3”. The same technique is applied to WHICHEVER pair is applicable. Once you know the suit, you have all the information you require. Once you’ve scribbled down your psychic impression, rip the page from the pad and crumple it into a ball. Hand this to the spectator as you put the pad and pen back in your pocket. You are committed. Ask the spectator to open the paper and announce either a “Yes” or “No,” as to the accuracy of the prediction. Emphasize that a simple “Yes” or “No” is all you require. If she says “YES,”—then your over-written embellishments (the higher of the two numbers) is correct. Bath in the glory of the moment! If she says, “NO”—then you ask: “Is the suit correct?” She will have to say “YES”—and you then continue... “So, I’m a little off on the number, let’s use this flame (borrow a lighter) to focus your attention...” Wave the borrowed lighter under the incorrect writing. Do this as you ask your spectator to “again concentrate on the numeric value” she has in her head. The heat from the flame will cause the over-written material to vanish. This miraculously turns it into a CORRECT hit, right before their eyes. To finish, ask for confirmation. (Although, the look on her face should suffice).
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BONUS Starman
STARMAN
STARMAN Ben Harris This was one of the first routines I began working on with the intent of moving away from the traditional playing card application for Silent Running. The idea is to replace the card values and suits with planets and months/years. Dr. Elmer William Bishop’s Star Deck (the original is in the author’s collection) provided the inspiration. The original Star Deck was used by UFO “contactees” (people who claimed to have been in contact with aliens) of the 1950’s and 60’s. It was utilized in much the same way that occultists used a Ouiji board. Dr. Bishop initially found nothing of interest with the claims of Adamski, Fry, etc., but the deck did eventually provide the inspiration for his far flung (and often amazingly accurate) predictions. The deck has been adapted and modified for our purpose. Effect: The performer introduces the Star Deck and explains how it was used to make various astronomical predictions in the 1960’s. Many of these predictions have indeed come true. The most profound prediction, however, is that of “First Contact”—the humanity-changing event, when we first genuinely encounter intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The deck is displayed, showing its various star-field images, celestial maps, a plan of the solar system, and Bishop’s ninety or so “Event” predictions. Continuing, the performer explains that the “Event” was/is so profound that it has echoed back in time and is secretly known by each and everyone of us. “We all feel it in our hearts,” he declares. Somehow, “we know that we are not alone—we feel it in our bones,” he explains. An experiment, to prove the point, is proposed. This humanity-changing “Event,” as predicted by Bishop, “occurred in this current century,” the performer explains. “It was recorded on a single card,” which is placed onto the table. A spectator is now asked to merely think of a number between 1 and 10. This number, it is explained, could possibly be associated with a decade in question, or maybe even the month of the profound “Event.”
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Once she has secretly thought of a number, she is asked to associate it with one of the planets in our solar system. She does this by remembering which planet falls on her secret number, as the performer counts them off on his fingers. She is then asked to associate her secretly thought-of planet on one of the many celestial maps and to note if it has an “Event” number listed along side it. She confirms that it does, and is asked to note the name of the “Event” on the list of predictions. This she does. For the first time, she is asked to name her secret number. Let’s say she says, “5.” The performer explains that this could either mean the FIFTH DECADE of this century, or the FIFTH MONTH (MAY) of the year in question. So, we have: a FIFTH DECADE and the month of MAY. She is then asked what planet she has thought of. We’ll assume she says: MARS. She now also names the “Event” she has associated with the planet. We’ll assume it’s called the “BIRTH EVENT.” To recap. The spectator has, via the Star Deck, and a free choice of number (one she felt, in her heart, may be relevant), established the following information: FIFTH DECADE MONTH OF MAY PLANET MARS BIRTH EVENT The prediction, made by Bishop in the 1960’s, that has been sitting UNTOUCHED on the table all the time, is now turned over. It reads: “First Contact: This amazing event (MAY, 2051) will occur on PLANET MARS and will become known as the BIRTH EVENT!”
Method: The Star Deck does all the work for you. If you’ve made one according to the instructions (see Appendix), you will be aware that the bulk of the deck is set up using the Svengali principle, allowing all of the possible predictions (eight of them) to be hidden. The Silent Running process is used to force one of the eight outcomes, and an “Optical Turnover” used to switch in the correct “Event” at the climax.
Performance: With the deck prepared and set up as explained in the Appendix, proceed as follows:
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1. Introduce the deck and explain the backstory. Discuss the wonders of the universe, the likelihood of us being the only intelligent(?) life amoungst the stars, and Dr Bishop’s predictions. If desired, hand out the top card of the deck (entitled “About The Star Deck”) for any curious spectator to read out loud. When done, place this card aside, it will NOT be used. 2. Display the Prediction Card (this is the one reading: “this is the most profound moment I see in the Star Deck”) and without flashing the star-field on its underside, place it in full view to one side. 3. Leaving the two “Event List” cards atop the deck, flick through the cards in established “Svengali-style” to display a flurry of star-field images and celestial maps. Photos 1 and 2. The short cards interlaced between the full length cards, will force them to fall in sets of two, thus concealing all of your prediction cards.
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4. Ask your spectator to think, silently, of any number between 1 and 10. “This event occurred in one decade this century. It could have been the 2nd decade, the third, the seventh, you think of which decade it MAY have been. Just think of any number between 1 and 10—whatever your heart tells you.” 5. Now, ask your spectator to associate a planet with her number. Using the Silent Running procedure, call off the bodies in the solar system (holding up your fingers as per the original procedure) in this order to force the appropriate match: (1) Sun (2) Mercury (3) Venus (4) Earth (5) Mars (6) Jupiter (7) Saturn (8) Uranus (9) Neptune (10) Pluto The spectator will now be associating one of these celestial bodies with her number. 6. Again, flick through the deck, Svengali-fashion, displaying all of the star-fields. Ask the spectator if she feels any affinity with any of them. Despite her answer, turn the packet over (ensuring that the words on the celestial maps now face the spectator) and begin thumbing the cards from your LEFT hand into your RIGHT hand. Ask the spectator to stop you when she sees a map that contains HER THOUGHT-OF PLANET. Do this fairly briskly so that she really only has time to fully perceive the LARGE force planets on every SECOND card. Photo 3. (Each of these cards has the appropriate prediction on its back, the cards interlaced between them—with star-fields on their backs—are dummies only). 7. Once she has indicated her card, remove it from the spread (without flashing its back) and draw attention to the fact that there are SEVERAL planets on the card (her large planet and a couple of small ones). Flip the balance of the deck over and drop her card on top of it. 8. Perform a Double Turnover (turning the top two cards over as if one) in order to display the star-field supposedly printed on the back of her card. Ask her if she feels any affinity with this image. Squeeze whatever entertainment you can from her answer, and then flip the pair back over. 9. Now, ask the spectator if there is an “Event” number beside her planet. She will say “Yes.” Placing the card alone on the table, hand her the two “Event” list cards and ask her to look
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3
4
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up the appropriate “Event.” Once she has done this, you recap by emphasizing that she freely chose a number that she felt an affinity with, a planet and an event. Reiterate that her number could be related to a decade, or maybe a month. 10. For the first time, ask the spectator to reveal the details. You then associate her number with the appropriate DECADE and the appropriate MONTH. (Example. 2 = the SECOND decade, and the month of FEBRUARY. Another example: 6 = the SIXTH decade and the month of JUNE). Then have her reveal the name of the “EVENT” she referenced on the list. 11. Once you have had the details announced, reveal the “prediction hit” via an “Optical Turnover.” To do this, slip the spectator’s card below the prediction card, and then, in one smooth action, use it to flip the prediction card over. Photos 4 and 5. These actions switch in the back of the spectator’s celestial-map card—where it then pretends to be the flip side of the original Bishop prediction. The fact that the “other” card now shows a star-field on its back, makes this the perfect switch for this application.
Notes: This effect is all about capturing the imagination of your spectators. It’s about keying into one of the most profound questions we can ask: “Are we alone in the universe?” So, PRESENTATION is everything. The effect can be achieved without the use of the Silent Running procedure. You can start by having the spectator think of a planet, and then have them lock into the “planetary number” printed on the “Solar Objects” card. You can also do this in reverse by having them think of a number and then associate that with a planet (again by looking at the “Solar Objects” card). Try making the association with the number more personal by having the spectator add the digits of their birth date together. Have her compress them in the tried and tested numerological manner, until she arrives at a single digit between 1 and 10. The objects represented by the “Solar Objects” card, are deliberately numbered the way they are, to both eliminate Pluto and the Sun, and to shift the number “3” away from the “Third Rock.” This removes the temptation for a spectator who chooses “Earth,” from defaulting to “3” automatically, due to familiarization with that sitcom.
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APPENDIX Templates
APPENDIX
Silent Past Templates Print these photo templates out on a high quality photo paper with a laser or ink-jet printer. Trim along guidelines or trim to leave a white border.
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Silent Past Photo Templates
Copyright © 2010 by The Underground Collective All marketing/manufacturing rights reserved. You are permitted to produce one (1) set for your own personal use.
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Silent Past Photo Templates
Copyright © 2010 by The Underground Collective All marketing/manufacturing rights reserved. You are permitted to produce one (1) set for your own personal use.
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Starman Templates
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PRINTING AND ASSEMBLING A STAR DECK
On the following pages, you will find the templates allowing you to print your own Star Deck. This artwork is mono—producing a black and white set of cards. It is suggested that you “age” the finished deck (with strong black tea) to give it a genuinely old appearance. If you pre-ordered this book, then you will have also received a color set of templates. These, you do not age. For now, you’ll need 5 sheets of card stock (A4 or Letter size) that will run through your laser or ink- jet printer. You will also need a sharp knife (or scalpel), a steel rule, and a cutting mat.
Printing The Star Deck: The card stock used needs to be thin and stiff. You’ll find something suitable at your local stationers. A little experimentation may be called for. For the very best card stock, I would suggest you get in contact with Chris Wasshuber at Lybrary.com. Chris has “air cushion” finish stock available, just like what they use to print genuine playing cards. This card stock is wonderful, and will give your Star Deck a lovely fit and finish. At the time of writing, the cost is $20.00 for ten A4 sheets—enough to make two Star Decks. Find out more here: (http://www.lybrary.com/blank-aircushion-playing-card-cardboard-sheets-p-31762.html). 1. Print SET A (Backs 1,2,3,4) 2. On the BACK of this sheet print SET A (Fronts 2,1,4,3) 3. Print SET A (Backs 5,6,7,8) 4. On the BACK of this sheet print SET A (Fronts 6,5,8,7) 5. Print TWO sheets of SET B (Backs) 6.On the BACKS of BOTH print SET B (Fronts) 7. Print SET C (Backs 1,2,3,4) 8. On the BACK of this sheet print SET C (Fronts 2,1,4,3) Ensure that the orientation is correct. In other words, after printing, the artwork on both
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sides should “face” in the same direction. “Head to head,” as it is called in the printing industry. Some printers flip the sheets, so be careful. Best to experiment first so that you know how YOUR printer behaves when printing two sides of a sheet. Once printed, allow the ink to dry.
Trimming your Star Deck: 9. Using your scalpel and steel rule, carefully cut out the cards from SET A. Once done, shuffle this packet into a random order (ensuring all cards are orientated in the same direction) and place the packet to one side. 10. Do the same with SET B. However, once you have cut the cards out, TRIM AN EXTRA HALF A MILLIMETER from one NARROW end of each card. This will set them up for the Svengali Principle. Shuffle this packet into a random order (ensuring all cards are orientated in the same direction) and place the packet to one side. 11. Cut out SET C, and also place this packet to one side.
Assembling your Star Deck: 12. Place SETS A and B in front of you, MAP SIDES DOWN, and orientated so that the writing (on the maps) is facing AWAY from you. Alternate the cards from the sets so that you end up with ONE packet. Do this by firstly taking a card from SET A and placing it on the table, map side down. On top of this, place a card from SET B (again, map side down) and so on. Once done, a B/W image of a star-field should be seen as the top card, Photo 1.
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This single packet is now set up with the Svengali Principle—allowing you to flick through the cards showing nothing but maps and star-fields—the predictions remaining concealed, Photos 2 and 3.
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13. Place the remaining four cards (SET C) onto the combined packet, to this order: A. EVENT card (list side up). B. EVENT card (list side up). C. PROFOUND MOMENT card (writing side up). D. ABOUT THE STAR DECK card (either side up). Thus, the very top card of the deck is the ABOUT THE STAR DECK card. Your deck is now complete, and ready for performance.
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1
Set A (Backs)
3
2
4 207
5
Set A (Backs)
7
6
8 208
209
3
4 A10
A84 A48
EARTH
A68
MARS
JUPITER
A51
A92 NEPTUNE EARTH A48
MARS A51
A56
A63
A19
D2 A10 A26 XG6 A68 JUPITER
VENUS
SATURN A76
JUPITER
A37
A68
MERCURY A23
SATURN A76 A19 A56 A84
Set A (Fronts)
2
1
210
7
8 A63
A68 JUPITER
A83 MARS A51
URANUS
A92
NEPTUNE
NEPTUNE A92
A56
EARTH A48
A19
A56
A26
A84
D2 MARS A51 XG6
SATURN A68 JUPITER
SATURN A76
A76
JUPITER A68
MERCURY A23
A63 A84
A26
A10
6
Set A (Fronts)
5
PRINT TWO SHEETS
Set B (Backs)
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212 SATURN
A76
Tt2
A63
A31
SATURN
A76 JUPITER A68
XG6
A68 JUPITER
A10
D2
A56
ANDROMEDA
TWIN SPIRAL A56
A19
A45
EARTH A48 NEPTUNE A92
A84
MARS
A51 JUPITER
A68
A10
Tt2 A31
Set B (Fronts)
1
Set C (Backs)
CLASS “A” EVENTS 21st Century A10. “Nomad Event” A11. “Sagan 2 Launch” A12. “Mars Water Test” A13. “Nomad Return” A14. “Cassini Encounter” A15. “Disc Ammar probe” A16. “Orion Signal” A17. “Loss of Moonbase” A18. “Retro Space disc” A19. “Contamination” A20. “Sagan 3 Launch” A21. “Shufton Super Nova” A22. “Mars Walk #1” A23. “Awakening Event” A24. “Neptune Affliction” A25. “Moonbase #2” A26. “Unger Matter disc” A27. “Ran Pink Event” A28. “Stellar Stall” A29. “Tesei Matter disc” A30. “Antimatter ship” A31. “Roland strip disc” A32. “Water on TT2” A33. “Dusheck Dimension”
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CLASS “A” EVENTS 21st Century
A34. “Time Slip Disc” A35. “Signal from Sagan 1 A36. “Black Hole Breach” A37. “Dawn Event” A38. “Felicitti Free Space” A39. “Taylor Time disc” A40. “Loss of Sagan 1” A41. “Mars Base 1” A42. “Earth near miss 1” A43. “Badman Space disc” A44. “Mars Failure” A45. “Holographic Time” A46. “Disc probe from TT2” A47. “Bob Delusion” A48. “Enlighten Event” A49. “Miller Matter disc” A50. “Mars Mission 3” A51. “Birth Event” A52. “Great Comet” A53. “Star Matter Drive” A54. “Teletransporter” A55. “Sideways Time” A56. “Hitchen’s Matter” A57. “Hawking’s Base”
A58. “Sakai Space disc” A59. “Loss of Mars Base” A60. “Saturn Event” A61. “Giant Sunspot Event” A62. “Artificial Moon” A63. “Space Rip at D34” A64. “Comet Near Miss” A65. “Evacuation MB2” A66. “Nano Mass Drive” A67. “New World Plan” A68. “Welcoming Event” A69. “The Roth Event” A70. “Earth re-build 1” A71. “Black Hole Engine” A72. “Antimatter Backlash” A73. “Dual Universe disc” A74. “Moon 3 collapse” A75. “Clone Revolution” A76. “Rising Event” A77. “Banachek Binary” A78. “Berglas Effect” A79. “Starbase 1 est” A80. “Two World est” A81. “Signal from T77”
A82. “Nomad’s return” A83. “Final Proof Event” A84. “Eden Project” A85. “Grant’s Event” A86. “Re-Earth Project” A87. “3rd Moonbase” A88. “Gardner Gap est” A89. “Maximum Drive” A90. “Sagan 1 reappears” A91. “Jason’s Star disc” A92. “Clarifying Event” A93. “Nurture Event” A94. “Total Loss Event”
For a full description of both class “A” and class “B” events, please consult the book: Galactic Event Categories and Explanations by Dr. Elmer William Bishop (1966)
About the Star Deck Dr. Bishop’s work with the Star Deck came several years before his meetings with the famed UFO contactees of his era. The most famous of these encounters supposedly involved the legendary George Adamski. While Elmer did not take most of the claims made by the “buzz-boys” (as he called them) seriously, his imagination was indeed sparked to further delve into the “star deck.” The resulting revelations have proven eerily accurate. Through the use of this deck, he has presented the world with a galactic time-table, stretching across the 21st century. NOTE: Bishop categorized events into two classes: Alpha (A) Beta (B) Only Class “A” events are represented within the Star Deck. The original Star Deck is in the Dr. Elmer William Bishop collection. This current deck is an updated version.
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2 1
Sun
2
Mercury
3
Venus
4
Earth
5
Mars
6
Jupiter
7
Saturn
Set C (Fronts)
1
plan of main
solar objects circa 1960 “...there are many more than ten and debate will rage about classification well into the next century.” Dr. Elmer Bishop, 1962
8
Uranus
9
Neptune
10
Pluto
Dr. Elmer William Bishop developed many strange theories and demonstrations throughout his secretive life. His work with the Star Deck in the 1960s not only predicted the Hubble Telescope, the exact date of the first Shuttle Launch and the confirmation of black holes, it also lays clear what is to come: from the date of man’s first footsteps on Mars, to the humanity-resolving moment of “First Contact.”
4
3 214
Easy & Effective Card Magic Stunning & Mysterious Mental Magic “Ben Harris has always been incredibly creative and is constantly coming up with truly off the wall ideas with methods that are original and innovative. In 2009 he sent me his "Crossroads Deck." I thought it was great. When he released it to the magic world, it created a sensation. In early 2010, he improved the principle using a clever dodge of Peter Duffie's and brought out "Silent Running,” which created even more of a sensation. It enabled the performer to influence, genuinely, which card a spectator will think of. The whole process is incredibly clean and works like a charm. It's a great step forward in prop-less mentalism...”
Marc Paul (from the Foreword to Run Silent, Run Deep)
WOWBOUND.COM
