TREPVERTER Toby T oby Hudson
© Copyright Copyr ight 2015 2 015 by Toby Hudson H udson All rights reserved. reserved. No part of this book ay be reprodu!ed in any for "ithout "ritten perission fro the author. #asi!ally don$t s!an it and put it on %!ribd& 'or further inforation( please !onta!t e at) !ardtri!k212*gail.!o
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CONTENTS +ntrodu!tion +ntrodu!ti on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,
Principles -everse -eadings . . . . . . . . . . . . . /ood %"ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mentalism ThinkTank ThinkT ank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 + Can uess ass"ords& . . . . . . . 3anishing oint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 4o!kdo"n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 /eory 4ane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Essays #ut is it Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The ternal %truggle %truggle . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CONTENTS +ntrodu!tion +ntrodu!ti on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,
Principles -everse -eadings . . . . . . . . . . . . . /ood %"ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mentalism ThinkTank ThinkT ank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 + Can uess ass"ords& . . . . . . . 3anishing oint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 4o!kdo"n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 /eory 4ane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Essays #ut is it Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The ternal %truggle %truggle . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
#onus 6e!ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closing 7ords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION 4et e begin by saying thank you for pur!hasing this little book. And that although +8ve sat here for 15 inutes trying to think of soething "itty and !lever to "rite here( y ind is blank. %o( let e keep it siple. The idea for this book !ae about "hile at the /agi!k 4ounge in %he9eld. A friend of ine %teve #ro"nley suggested + should "rite up soe of y e6e!ts( so + did. This is y sall o6ering to the entalis !ounity( and hopefully you !an get soething "orth"hile fro it. :ne thing that really annoys about entalis books is spelling errors( so hopefully there "on8t be any of the in this boo!k. ;%ee( that8s the best + !ould !oe up "ith...< And =nally( + feel like this goes "ithout saying( but all the e6e!ts "ithin here are of independent !reation. >!ept( of !ourse( the tri!k that lies in -oger Cur?on8s 1@@2 unpublished notes( but that8s another story. Have fun( Toby
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PRINCIPLES
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REVERSE READING This =rst !hapter revolves around a ne" idea that !an be used alongside noral readings( "hether you do tarot reading or !old reading. 7hile it$s not an a!tual full syste( it !an be used before going into a full reading of any kind. There is also a lot of versatility "ithin the !on!ept and !an be applied to"ards e6e!ts "ithin entalis itself. %o( here "e go&
What is reerse rea!in"# -everse reading in its siplest for is to have a tarot !ard sele!ted sight unseen and you peek it( before leading the spe!tator to"ards it and aking it appear as though they !hose it theselves. Although this sounds a bit odd( let$s take a look at ho" to start the reverse reading and set it up. The =rst step is to have a tarot !ard !hosen supposedly sight unseen( but you need to kno" "hat it is. Here are a fe" "ays to do that.
Learnin" the selecte! Tar$t There are any "ays in "hi!h you !an do this( but here are a fe" di6erent "ays. + think that the siplest is to set the de!k up in a !y!li!al sta!k( so that "hen a !ard is sele!ted( you !an tell
"hat it is by looking at the ne>t !ard. :n!e the de!k is in a sta!k( reove it and perfor a sly shue( retaining the order of the de!k. Have the spe!tator !ut the !ards any"here any"here and to deal a !ard fa!e do"n onto the table. As you sBuare up the !ards( peek the botto !ard and this "ill tell you the fa!e do"n !ard. Another "ay to do it using the sta!k is to have the spe!tator !ut( then deal one !ard fa!e up( and the ne>t fa!e do"n. #egin by perforing a regular reading "ith the fa!e up !ard( before going into the reverse using the fa!e do"n !ard. ou ou should be be able to tell "hat the fa!e do"n !ard is using the fa!e up one( as both fall ne>t to ea!h other in the sta!k. The ethod that that + use ost often often is a peek. peek. Have the de!k !ut and one !ard dealt fa!e do"n into your hand. +ndi!ate for the spe!tator to pla!e their hand pal up and as you do( tilt the !ard to"ards you and siply peek it. There is not u!h to this( and done in a non!halant anner( "ill arouse little suspi!ion. :n!e done( pla!e the !ard in their hand and return to the reading. Another "ay to peek it to as you pla!e the !ard to the table( you hook your thub underneath it as though doing the ove to sho" both sides of a !ard the sae. As you do( the !ard "ill Dash in E
your dire!tion as you lift your thub up and leave it on the table. Anyho"( all you need to kno" is the sele!ted !ard.
In%&encin" the Tar$t 4et$s say that the person you are going to read is e>treely e>tr eely Buiet and nervous or the !oplete opposite( then +$d FinDuen!e the tarot.$ 7hat + ean is that + don$t "ant a shy person to sele!t Fthe fool$ for e>aple( as the reading ay go astray and ebarrass the. +n this !ase( you ay "ant to for!e a !ertain !hoi!e upon the( so as not to ruin the reading. + "on$t insult your intelligen!e and go over ho" to for!e a !ard( as +$ll leave that up to you.
Per'$rmin" the Rea!in" :n!e you kno" the !ard( pla!e it on their hand( or Gust on the table and say that you$ll !oe ba!k to it a little l ittle later later.. ou$re ou$re no" going go ing to begin to do a standard reading( but "hat you "ant to do is thee all the points you ake around the sele!ted tarot. 'or e>aple( if the fool has been sele!ted( you "ould do your reading( but keep !oing ba!k to the idea that they !an be Buite silly soeties of that they !an be daft at inappropriate ties. ou !an even ention the
"ord Ffool$ if you like. #elo" are a list of the thees that + "ould use if !ertain !ards !oe up. +$ve only used a fe" e>aples fro the aGor ar!ana( as you !an probably "ork ost out for yourself)
The L$ers( Ieep referring to ho" !onsiderate
they are as a person and ho" they !are and etaphori!ally Fgive love but don$t re!eive it ba!k$ and so on. The )ermit( T Talk alk about ho" they they feel !losed o6(
and di6erent fro everyone else ;"ho doesn$t fro tie to tieJ< ho" they al"ays =nd a "ay to separate theselves fro the !ro"d. The )an"e! Man( >plain that they al"ays feel
like a s!apegoat( as though they are on trial and under pressure fro everybody else. 7hat$s great about this is that be!ause you$re other"ise using generalised phrases( they !an$t say no( so "hatever you say "ill =t to the( even "ith the added thees&
Reealin" the Car! :n!e you$ve done the reading( you$re going to get the to nae their !hosen !ard. 4et$s say @
they$ve sele!ted the fool. 7hat + like to say is from the information, I’ve just received, and I think that three cards t you and your personality better than the rest. The Three of Coins, the Fool and the Chariot. Which of these do you think best described you, from hat I’ve learnt! 7hat you "ant to do is nae their
sele!ted !ard in aongst t"o lesser kno"n tarot !ards( as this stop the fro naing either of the other t"o. Also( the fa!t that you say they are to !hoose one based on the information just "iven eans that they are likely to pi!k the one you "ant the to( rather than one that ost des!ribed their genuine !hara!ter. :n!e they$ve naed the fool( reiterate that they pi!ked any !ard( free of !hoi!e and that all the inforation you re!eived "as !orre!t. They also had a =nal !hoi!e to pi!k one they felt "as truly right( so if the tarot is !orre!t( then there !an be no reasonable e>planation. Have the slo"ly turn over the !ard and reveal it to beK the fool&
C$l! Rea!in" No" that you understand the basi! idea( this te!hniBue !an be used in all sorts of "ays. Here is a "ay to apply it to !old reading in a slightly di6erent for. #efore you begin doing anything( 10
grab a billet and say you$re re!eiving a thought. %!ribble the "ords ri"ht brained on it and pla!e it fa!e do"n on the table. Luring the reading( get a sense of "hat type of person they are. This ay be !reative( logi!al or "hatever( but keep a ental note of it. ou !an easily =nd this out Gust by asking the about their hobbies or Gob( but be "arned that Gob isn$t that reliable as a lot of people see to "ork at Gobs they don$t like& +$d say that hobbies is your best bet. %ay you dis!over they are a very logi!al person. 7hen you rea!h the end of the reading( alost as an afterthought say #h I almost for"ot. It’s been scientically proven that people are of a certain type of brain. $eft, ri"ht or centre. I think, if I remember, left brain people are very creative and ima"inative, centre brain people are very closed o%, and ri"ht brained people are e&tremely lo"ical. Which ould you say you are!
All you$re doing is saying their traits "hen you supposedly tell the "hat right brained people are like. There$s no reason for the not to believe you. They "ill( of !ourse( say right brained. Have the slo"ly turn over the billet and sho" that you sensed it before the reading even began& 11
+f for soe strange reason( they say that they$re left or !entre brained ;"hi!h they "on$t< siply a!kno"ledge it and forget about the billet. As you never dra" attention to it "hen you ask the Buestion( it "ill appear as though you are Gust "ondering out of !uriosity. Another "ay to =t inforation like this is to "rite do"n( for e>aple( the "ords F1)2 personality$ on a billet and pla!e it sight unseen in full vie" for the sho". 7hen ready( take an ipression devi!e and have the "rite do"n any obGe!tMperson( peek the info. +f they "rote F%patula($ say soething like people ith a '(' personality ill often "o for a bedroom appliance, a '() ould usually "o for a kitchen item and a '(* tends to lean more toards recreational e+uipment. Which personality do you think you are!
7hen they say 1)2( sho" the billet before !ontinuing to read their ind of the spe!i=! thought.
Playin" Car!s Again( the te!hniBue used here is slightly di6erent fro the above t"o( but + think it$s iportant you get to see all the di6erent "ays in "hi!h this idea !an be used. This e6e!t !an also be done !opletely iproptu. #egin by having 12
soeone think of any playing !ard( soething not too obvious. +t$s iportant they don$t go for an obvious !ard as you "ill use this to your advantage later. %tare into their eyes and s!ribble the E do"n and fold the billet up and leave it on the table. Have the nae the !ard out loud( say the O. o to open the billet( and then as an afterthought say actually, you seem +uite responsive you let’s try somethin" else as ell. Three other cards I picked up from your subconscious as ell ere the -, the / and the 0 1. If you just ant to think of one of those as ell2
-eove a se!ond billet and "rite do"n the !ard that "as originally thought of. 'old the billet and pi!k up both in your hand( i>ing the around. Have the nae their thought of !ard fro three. +f they say the E ( "hi!h they usually "ill due to it being psy!hologi!ally appealing( open the billet you "rote the E on and sho" it( before sho"ing the other as "ell. +f they thought of one of the other t"o( not the seven( say that it as just a silly e&periment. %ho" you got it "rong before sho"ing the you nailed the original thought of !ard. + love the one 1
ahead prin!iple( and + think !obining it "ith the reverse idea akes it an absolute killer.
Wallet Pre!icti$n Have a !ard to "allet set up and ready to go in your po!ket. ou "il also need a billet that has 8E8 "ritten on it( paled in your hand. Have soeone think of any anial( or anything at all( and pi!k up a billet. 7rite on it 8Che!k the "allet( you fool&8 or any "ords to that eBuivalent and fold it and leave it on the table. Have the tell you "hat they thought of ;in this !ase a lion< and sile in a !on=dent anner. %ay that as they are so re!eptive( you8ll try it again. Have the think of either the nuber 10( *+ or @. i!k up a se!ond billet and "rite on it the "ord 8lion.8 As you apparently put it on the table( s"it!h it for the one in your hand that says E. As soon as you put it do"n( go to pla!e the pen in your po!ket and at the sae tie( load the billet that says 8lion8 on it into the "allet. 'irst open the nuber billet and sho" you either got it right or "rong. %hrug it o6 as fruitless if you got it "rong. Then( open the =rst billet to "hat they e>pe!t "ill say lion. +t a!tually says !he!k the "allet( and "hen they do( it looks as though you kne" "hat they "ere going to pi!k before they even did& There are so any "ays to 1,
use this. Have a play around( and if you have any ideas( +$d love to hear your thoughts. After all( t"o heads are better than one& Pnless one of the heads is ade of lettu!e. ;/y( "hat a "it + have&<
Cre!its +$ve been told that Ien Lyne has soe siilar ideas like this in one of his published routines( and Colin /!4eod has soe thoughts of this kind of thing in his latest book FLivine.$ Credit also goes partially to FCog$ by #en %e"ard( "ith his e6e!t FThe Trip$ "hi!h inspired the playing !ard phase of this idea.
15
MOOD SWINGS 4et$s talk about !olours for a bit. :r( ore spe!i=!ally( !olour rings. These rings !an be found e>treely !heaply on the internet or in little gift shops( and apparently easure your ood depending on "hat !olour they go. This idea !ae about after a !onversation "ith +ain Lunford on the /ystery erforers foru. + hope you enGoy&
Rin"s t$ Use 7hat you "ant to do is buy the band type of ood rings that are round in shape and =t over the =nger. Any ring that is kno"n as a Fgothi! ood ring$ and has a huge stone on the front of it "ill not "ork as "ell. These band rings !an be bought in bulk fro #ay or any seedy internet site.
Chan"e the C$l$&r :n!e you have pur!hased the rings( there are any "ays in "hi!h they !an be used in a sho" or as an e6e!t "ithin theselves( ea!h of "hi!h usually involves !hanging their !olour. After + have e>plained a fe" key "ays to do this to the( +$ll outline a fe" e6e!ts that use the rings to great e6e!t) 1
)eat( The ain "ay in "hi!h the rings !hange
!olour is through the use of heat( and "hen they are heated up on the =nger. +f you take a ring and breathe upon it( it "ill turn blueMpurple. Alternatively( !ooling the do"n by blo"ing on the "ill turn the bro"n( and then eventually bla!k. Varnish( ou !an use nail varnish for a ore
se!ure !hange. Take a ring and apply a sall aount of nail varnish of the desired !olour on the ring and slo"ly rub it round so that the "hole ring sudges into that !olour. Lry the varnish and "hen done( you "ill have a ring that is peranently one !olour. This eans you !an s"it!h a noral ring for a do!tored one and so on. :k( so no" that you understand ho" to !hange their !olour( let$s look at a fe" "ays to use the.
Rea!in"s +f you use the !olour of the ring as a guide( you !an perfor e>treely po"erful readings. Have the hold the ring in their hand and see "hat !olour it !hanges. Then( do a reading on the !olour of the ring( talking about ho" red represents blood or deep love( or "hatever !olour it goes. ou !an also sho" the ring and s"ap it for a peranently red ring. Have the 1E
hold it in their hands and say that you feel that they are the sort of person "ho ight ake the ring go red. 7hen they open their hand( it "ill be. +f you "anted to =t it in "ith a reading( + think though that you have to ake it soething other than Gust a ring. A friend of ine -oger Cur?on al"ays says that "hen perforing entalis that teeters on the edge of bi?arre( you !annot ake the ites you use look like props. +f you "ere to use it in a reading( put it in an old bo> and dress it up as you8re dead un!le Albert8s "edding ring or soething. +f they think( that like the tarot( you !an inDuen!e it in any "ay it turns fro a reading into a agi! tri!k. +t is also a great de!orative pie!e that !an be "orn on your =nger and never used( but to rather build up an iage that you "ant to portray. +t !an also be dangled over tarot !ards to pi!k up !ertain vibes and the like. %oeties + use it in !onGun!tion "ith y aforeentioned 8reverse reading8 te!hniBue.
Pen!&l&ms +f you tie the ring to a pie!e of string( then you have a very pretty akeQshift pendulu that !an be used at a oents noti!e. + have found that soeties they !an be a bit light( so if you see 1
this as a proble( a sall blob of blu ta!k or soething in the ring "ill "eight it do"n su9!iently. ou !an also get the ring to turn !olour as it spins( "hi!h is a ni!e tou!h. +f you breathe on your hands and hold the !lose to the spinning ring( you "ill see a slight !olour di6eren!e that !an be used as a 8!hange in the aura8 or to prove that their ind is !ausing the pendulu to !hange !olour. -ead on for an e6e!t that uses this idea. As "ell as !hanging it8s !olour( siple letting it reDe!t o6 light surfa!es as it spins !an give o6 a da??ling e6e!t and enhan!e an e6e!t by a ile. + think that any pendulu e6e!ts are self e>planatory so + "on8t delve too deep into this se!tion.
E,ects No" "e have dis!ussed soe basi! ideas "ith a ood ring( let8s take a look at soe e6e!ts that !an be perfored "ith soething as little as the ring on your =nger. Pers$nality C$l$&r
ou !an either do this e6e!t using a obile phone or soe slips of paper. +f you use a phone( 1@
you "ant to "rite a list in your notes "ith all of the !olours "ritten do"n "ith playing !ards ne>t to ea!h one. 4et8s say ne>t to purple it says , hearts( you "ant to !reate four ore lists "ith the , hearts ne>t to a di6erent !olour. :n the se!ond list( the four !ould be ne>t to red( then the four ne>t to blue and so on. %tore all the lists in your phone and open one up. #egin the e6e!t by brieDy sho"ing the list( then as you turn your phone a"ay( press ba!k so you !an see the notes all in front of you. %ay that you8re going to set do"n a predi!tion and take out the , hearts. ass the a ring and have the hold it in their hand and see "hat !olour it goes. As you lean in to apparently get a better look at the ring( open up the !orresponding list "here the four is at the right !olour. %ho" the list and have the note the !ard at their !olour. Then sho" your predi!tion as !orre!t. This !an be done "ith loads of things( not Gust playing !ards. ersonality traits or even naes( so that you !an for!e anything you "ant. Alternatively( ake this easier by siply having one list on your phone instead of any and s"ap it out for a ring "ith a peranent !olour as you hand it out to your spe!tator to supposedly 20
!hoose a rando !olour. ou ust take the ring ba!k Bui!kly though to avoid suspi!ion. Rain-$. Prearicat$r
This is not really an e6e!t but rather y take on the !lassi! e6e!t by atri!k -edford. Take a regular ood ring and sho" it round. Take it ba!k and s"ap it for a peranently red one. ass it to one of t"o spe!tators and tell the to put it behind their ba!k and s"ap it bet"een hands and bet"een the t"o spe!tators. + don8t have perission to reveal the e6e!t here so + "on8t( but basi!ally at the end of the e6e!t( as "ell as revealing the liar and "here the ring is( you !an say "hat !olour it is. Pen!&l&m /n$.s All
'or this e6e!t( you$re going to use the ring as a pendulu( so you8ll need to atta!h it to a bit of string. ou "ill also need =ve business !ards that say F+ predi!t that RRRRR "ill !hoose this !ard( and in turn ake the ring go -L&$ -epla!e the blank gap "ith the nae of the person you "ill be perforing the tri!k to. Lra" a Buestion ark on the ba!k of ea!h !ard and last the Buestion ark side up in a line on the table. Take another four blank business !ards and dra" a big FS$ on one side and Buestion arks on the 21
other side. /ake sure the Buestion arks at!h the ones on the table. la!e the four S !ards fa!e up on the botto of the business !ard sta!k( so that if you turned the sta!k over( you$d see an S. 'inally( have a peranently red ring in your po!ket. To begin the e6e!t( say that the =ve !ards are a test of both intuition and personality. Have the hold the pendulu over ea!h of the !ards one at a tie and to stop on "hi!hever one feels right. Take the four un!hosen !ards and pla!e the on top of the pa!ket of business !ards. As you speak( slo"ly turn the pa!ket over so that the other four S !ards are on top. To the spe!tator( nothing should have happened. Pnhook the ring fro the string and se!retly s"it!h it for the peranently red one in your po!ket. Have her hold it over the !ard she !hose and sBuee?e it in her hand. 7hen she opens it and sees that she has Fade it go red.$ Take the ring ba!k and po!ket it. No" it8s tie for the big reveal. 'irst sho" the four !ards they didn8t !hoose on top of the business !ard pa!ket as having a huge S on ea!h of the. %lo"ly turn over their !hosen !ard and sho" that not only did they !hoose the right !ard( but also the right !olour& 22
+8ve only given you a fe" e6e!ts you !ould use the ring for( but +8 sure there are hundreds ore. +f you have any thoughts or ideas( as before +8d love to hear the so feel free to drop e a essage&
A Ga" '$r the 0$l! Here is a little bit of business fro a good friend of ine %teve #ro"nley. +8ve never had the guts to try it out for yself( but if you like this sort of thing( feel free to try it out& +nstead of using the little band style ring( this "orks better "ith a othi! style ring "ith the big !olour !hanging stone on the front. 7hat you "ant to do it use soe "hite paint and spread it a!ross the ring stone. :n!e it has dried( use a bla!k sharpie or felt pen and "rite a rude "ord on the ring8s "hite surfa!e su!h as Ftit.$ 4eave it to dry and "hen ready( have it hidden in your po!ket. 7hen your ready to perfor( take a noral othi! ring and say that it !an be used to tell the personality of "hoever holds it. Hand it to soeone and have the hold it tightly in their hand and see "hat !olour it goes. +f it8s red( ake soe !oent about love and passion or "hatever and have the pass it to you. /ake 2
another reading about the !olour and hand it to soe other people and see "hat !olour it goes. 7hen you$re ready to perfor the Goke( take the ring ba!k and s"it!h it for the one in your po!ket. Hand it to the ro"dy he!kler or the annoying boyfriend and have the sBuee?e it tightly and see F"hat it says about theselves.$ + "ould highly re!oend that before they open their hand( you turn and run for the hills&
1inal Th$&"hts + love using the ring throughout a series of e6e!ts. 7hat +8ll tend to do is Gust leave it on the side and bet"een e6e!ts( siply pi!k it up and do a little pie!e "ith it. +t really looks like a ysterious obGe!t and + love to use the. Hope you =nd soe use for these little beauties and use the "ell&
Cre!its The idea of using ood rings =rst o!!urred to e after seeing soeone post about !olour readings on the /ystery erforers foru. Credit goes to %teve #ro"nley for his gag and loads of other ideas. 'inally( !redit to atri!k -edford and his e6e!t revari!ator. 2,
25
MENTALISM
2
RULE O1 T)REE 4et$s begin "ith a favourite of ine. 7hy notJ This e6e!t is really strong and !an( in the right settings( appear !opletely ipossible. #est of all( all you need is a de!k of !ards and a sall sta!k of blank business !ards. This e6e!t akes use of the brilliant Hoy rin!iple by Lavid Hoy. %oe note"orthy e6e!ts using this idea are 3ave’s 4I5 fro /i!hael /urray$s book A ie!e of /y /ind and 4uke eray$s Touchin" on 6oy fro Coral 'ang. L+T) + Gust re!ently updated this e6e!t( so "hat you8re about to read is the latest version of this( rather than the original. Not sure it akes any di6erent( but + thought you ight like to kno".
0asic E,ect Three spe!tators ea!h think of a di6erent thought that the perforer !ould not possibly kno" and "rite it do"n. %oeho"( the /entalist anages to divine all three( before sho"ing that he kne" "ay in advan!e "hat ea!h of the "ould pi!k. +n!redible&
Presentati$n 2E
Three ini slips of paper are sho"n( "ith a nuber 1( 2 or "ritten on ea!h. They are i>ed and three spe!tators ;#randon( Nathan and a?< take a !ard ea!h and reeber their nuber. The slips are then torn up. 7#k, so ri"ht no each of you is thinkin" of a number. If you thou"ht of number ', think of either the red deck or the blue deck for me. If you thou"ht of number ), think of any playin" card for me, but not an ace as they’re too easy. Finally, if you thou"ht of number *, think of any to di"it number from ' to 08 for me. 4lease, no decimals or recurrin" fractions.’
a!h spe!tator "rites their thought do"n on a billet. These are unarked and !opletely noral. The /entalist is handed the billets. He pro!eeds to read out all three thoughts ;e.g. 1@( the red de!k and U O< before giving a short but e>treely spe!i=! !hara!ter reading on all three parti!ipants. 76oever, I have to admit somethin" to you. I had a feelin" as to hat your thou"hts ere "oin" to be a eek a"o. I "ave you 9indicates spectator ': ) decks of cards a hile a"o, and I asked you to brin" them alon" ith you toni"ht. Could you please "et both out!’ 2
The spe!tator takes out the de!ks( and "ith shaking =ngers( reoves the !ards fro the !hosen de!k bo>. He is asked to !ount do"n to the 1@th !ard. +t is turned over. %ure enough( it$s the U O. The /entalist never handles the de!k.
C$ncept The basi! idea at "ork here is the faous FHoy rin!iple$ by Lavid Hoy. 7hat this eans is that all t"o parti!ipants are a!tually thinking of the sae thought "ithout realising it. To set up( you "ill need t"o one "ay for!e de!ks. and "rite the "ord Ftriangle$ a!ross any !ard. 4et$s say the 2 . Then pla!e this at position in the de!k. +t doesn$t atter "hat !ard and "hat nuber you use( as long as you kno" the. ou !an then put the de!k a"ay and send it to a parti!ipant of the e6e!t "eeks in advan!e. ou "ill also need a sall sta!k of business !ards that are blank on one side. Lra" a ediu si?ed re!tangle in the iddle of ea!h !ard and in one( "rite the nuber( in this !ase ( and in the other( "rite the !ard( in this !ase the 2 . la!e these t"o !ards on the botto of the business !ard sta!k fa!e do"n in any order. ou "ill also need =ve ini slips of paper. :n three of these( dra" a big nuber 1 on it( and then "rite 2@
2 and on the other t"o. /ake sure the ink doesn$t bleed through. ou$re no" ready to perfor the e6e!t. 7hen ready to perfor( pla!e t"o of the slips that have a 1 on the on your lap so you !an a!!ess the easily.
Per'$rmance To begin( introdu!e the e6e!t and say that you$ll need Fthree rando thoughts.$ %ho" the three slips of paper freely and have the e>ained. As this is happening( get the t"o slips in your lap( ready to be paled. ou$ll no" perfor a siple s"it!h to s"ap nubers 2 and for the ones on your lap. Take the slips ba!k so that nuber 1 is on top. Hold the fa!e do"n and get a break under the top slip. ou$re going to let the t"o belo" it to slip onto your lap as you pla!e the t"o paled on top. #ring your hands together and as you do( brieDy dip your hands belo" the table and drop the t"o slips belo" the break onto your thighs. #ring your hands ba!k up as they eet and drop the t"o paled slips onto the other hand. rab all three "ith your right hand and spread the on the table. To the naked eye( it should 0
appear as though you Gust transferred the slips fro one hand to the other and spread the on the table. 4ittle do they kno" the slips no" all have 1 "ritten on the. 7hat fools they are. %pread the out on the table and have the spe!tators take one at rando and reeber the nuber. /ake sure to tell the not to sho" anyone else "hat nuber they got. This "ill ensure no one "ill see that all are the sae. Take the slips ba!k and dispose of the. No" follo" the presentation "ritten at the beginning. +f you "ord is as sho"n( then all three of the parti!ipants should be thinking of triangle. a!h of the also thinks that the other t"o are thinking of a !ard or a nuber. + like to follo" this s!ript to the letter as it sees as though you are putting restri!tions on the nuber and !ard( as "ell as the shape. Take three business !ards ;!areful not to disturb your sta!k< and dra" three bo>es in the iddle identi!al to the ones dra"n earlier. Hand one to ea!h parti!ipant and have the "rite do"n their thoughts in the bo>es. Again( !aution the not to let anyone else see "hat they "rite. #lindfold yourself and take the three !ards fa!e do"n. /i> the up and hover your hand over 1
the one at a tie to pick up the auras the !ards are leaving. ou !an no" pro!eed to supposedly re!eive the thought one at a tie. I’m "ettin" a shape comin" throu"h here, +uite pointy, a trian"le maybe! 3on’t react anyone, don’t "ive anythin" aay. 5e&t, the number. This is +uite central, like *;!
-eove your blindfold and say Bui!k yes or no( did + get yoursJ Ask the one at a tie in Bui!k su!!ession and they "ill all say Fyes.$ i!k up the three !ards and set the on top of the sta!k !asually. -ela> a little here and soak up the applause. i!k up the business !ard sta!k and transfer the top !ard to the botto and turn over the "hole pa!ket. Leal the three fa!e !ards onto the table. This is dis!repant but "ill Dy past the audien!e. ven though you$ve Gust s"it!hed out t"o !ards( everything should appear noral. a!h spe!tator "ill see their thought and "hat they presue are the other t"o people$s thoughts. ou$re no" going to do a Bui!k Fhand"riting$ analysis and !old reading ;Note) see the end for an alternative for this< +$ll Gust e>plain this brieDy 2
as it should be pretty obvious. #egin by saying ok, the ay you’ve all ritten and dran your anser is very interestin" to me. We’ll try this ith the 7trian"le’ draer rst. 3on’t say ho you are, as this mi"ht "ive me a clue, but hat I’m "ettin" from you is2
ive a brief reading. 7hen you$re done( ove straight onto the se!ond Fperson$ "ho "rote the nuber. As this is no one( you !an be as spe!i=! as you "ant as no one !an verify it. The sae "ith the last Fperson.$ No" ask ea!h of the hat percenta"e of the information that I just "ave ould mean somethin" to you! As all three got the =rst(
general reading( their ans"er "ill di6er( one aybe saying 0V( then 0 and so on. #e!ause you$ll get di6erent per!entages( this !eents the idea that all the readings applied to only one person ea!h. 'inally( all you need to do no" is say that Fyou kne" "hat they "ere going to pi!k$ and go into the =nal reveal "ith the de!k of !ards. /ake sure you N3- go near the !ards so that there !an$t be any ba!k tra!king possible.
Alternatie
Here is an alternative to the se!ond phase. After you$ve revealed all three thoughts( all the fa!e do"n !ards still say Ftriangle$ so you !an have the i>ed as u!h as possible( yet you !an identify "hi!h !ard belongs to "hi!h person( as they "ill al"ays get a !ard "ith their thought "ritten on it& /ake sure though they all dra" a triangle instead of "riting it so that they don8t realise a !hange in hand"riting.
1inal Th$&"hts + kno" this ight read a bit dull on paper( but as long as you keep the !aptivated and involved( there$s no reason for the to be. eople love theselves( so as long as you keep it !entred on their thoughts and ideas( they$ll be hooked& After sho"ing this e6e!t to a friend of ine( they said that they liked it but they thought that revealing that you kne" "hat they "ould think in advan!e kind of ruined the idea that previously + had read their supposedly read their inds. This is a good point( but + think that as long as you fo!us ore on the readings and ake it appear as though getting the thoughts "as erely an e>perient( this shouldn$t really pose an issueW ake it look as though the ind reading "as Gust a !asual e>tra to the ain event ;the readings.< #ut if you Gust "ant to ,
reveal the three thoughts "ith no de!k ending( you !an. 'inally. +$ sure soe pessiists out there "ill be thinking F"hat if a parti!ipant doesn$t pi!k the triangleJ$ The siple ans"er is that if you$ve built up good rapport "ith your spe!tators beforehand( then they "on$t try and tri!k you and they "ill go for the triangle. lus( "hat other shapes !an they !hooseJ There$s really nothing to "orry aboutK
5
I CAN GUESS PASSWORDS2 Although + don$t perfor this routine u!h as it doesn$t really =t y style of perforan!e( +$ still pretty proud of ho" it turned out and ho" it all "raps itself up neatly. There$s a lot of ni!e little ideas in this routine and + hope you enGoy& Credits for this routine go to 4uke eray for the idea of gathering t"o pie!es of inforation or ore during the a!tion of getting soeone to "rite it do"n.
0asic E,ect T"o spe!tators for a +N and the entalist pro!eeds to reveal it( before passing on hi aa?ing gift to one of the other t"o spe!tators&
Presentati$n The entalist begins by inviting a spe!tator up on stage and hands hi a sall billet. After a bit
of byQplay( -oger introdu!es hiself and the /entalist hands hi a billet. 7What I ant to talk to you about no is somethin" that I nd +uite orryin" in today’s modern society. o, I’d like to try somethin" ith this concept. ?ust think of any passord you use every day. @ou can chan"e some of the letters a bit if you ant to keep your passord safe. >o Ao"er, just ll out the billet and rite the passord on it, if you don’t mind.’
The pass"ord is then "ritten do"n on the billet and hidden soe"here on the spe!tator$s person. The entalist !lais that they "ill get ba!k to it a little later. Another spe!tator( 4es( is invited up on stage. 7#k, so hat I ant both of you to do is think of the last to di"its of your birth year, as the rst to di"its ill be 'B of course. 5o, rite each of your di"its on this billet and keep the billet close to your chest so no one else e&cept you to can see the di"its.’
The spe!tators !oply "ith the deands.
E
7#k, I’m "ettin" an . $ook at me2 there’s another as ell. The third di"it that I’m "ettin" is2 is2, try and project it to me please2a D! #k, the last one is a bi" harder so keep repeatin" it over in your mind like *, *, *2yes! Eery "ood.’
The nubers are !on=red to be !orre!t. The entalist then !lais that he "ill pass his ability onto the se!ond spe!tator. He stares into his eyes for a oent and passes the a billet. The other billet that !ontains spe!tator one$s pass"ord is reoved and ripped up. The t"o stare into ea!h other$s eyes and the se!ond spe!tator gradually gets the pass"ord. 7>o you see, passords aren’t as secure as they seem. Thanks for helpin" me out toni"ht and2 ait a minute, do you have a mobile phone! @es! Well I’d consider chan"in" the code on it from 0 ) B * to somethin" a bit less obvious= Thanks for helpin" me out=’
C$ncept There are Buite a lot of little ideas hidden "ithin this routine( but "hat + like is that at the end( everything ties itself up in a neat "ay. The =rst stage "ill be a peek and soe !oon sense( the se!ond phase an instant stooge.
#egin by "riting F4A A4:N( TH A%%7:-L +% RRRRRRRRR$ on a billet and pla!e it fa!e do"n on the botto of the sta!k. Then( take a pie!e of !ard and on it "rite FLate of #irth RRMRMRRRR$ and Fass"ord RRRRRRR.$ 7riting the L.:.# in this fashion ensures they "ill "rite do"n their birth year as "ell.$ The lines represent a blank area "here the parti!ipant "ill input the reBuired inforation. 'inally you "ill need to set up a peek. This !an be done any "ay( but the siplest "ay that + like to do it is to !ut a hole in the ba!k of an envelope. + also have a noral sealed envelope in y po!ket "hi!h + "ill s"it!h out.
Per'$rmance #egin by inviting t"o spe!tators up on stage. :n!e you$ve introdu!ed the e6e!t( ask the =rst spe!tator to think of any pass"ord that they !urrently use on their !oputer. Hand the the billet and you$re no" going to use soe !lever "ording to appear as though they are only "riting the pass"ord do"n. oint at the L.:.# and say 7ll this in for me2’ then point at the pass"ord se!tion and say 7and rite your passord there as ell.’ A bit of L- here ensures that no one realises the date of birth has been "ritten. @
Take out the envelope "ith the hole in it ;!areful not to Dash it< and load the billet in fa!e do"n. As you speak( !asually seal the envelope and hold it up so you !an see the inforation. No" in the a!tion of sear!hing for your pen( you !an easily s"it!h it for the other envelope in your po!ket. + "on$t go into too u!h detail about this as you !an probably =gure out your o"n ethod being the e>perien!ed perforer you are X Have the sign "hat they believe is an envelope that !ontains their pass"ord. Alternatively( you !ould Gust peek the inforation and not s"it!h the envelope( but + think you get a bit ore freedo this "ay. %ay that you "ill get ba!k to the pass"ord a little later.
Phase 3 No"( you "ant to have a se!ond spe!tator !oe up on stage( but it is essential that they "ere born in the sae LCAL as the =rst person. 'or e>aple( they "ere both born in the 0s or "hatever. After you$ve seen your peek( you should get a better idea as to "hat age you$re looking for. Choose your se!ond spe!tator and ask that both of the !reate a four digit +N by using the last t"o nubers of their birth year. Have the "rite ,0
these four digits in any order on a billet. #ut the sneaky thing is that you already kno" of the nubers. ou kno" the t"o peeked ones and you kno" that one of the se!ond spe!tator$s nubers "ill at!h the =rsts& 4et$s say the =rst spe!tator$s digits are ,( then you kno" that one of the se!ond spe!tator$s nubers "ill be ( as you$ve pi!ked t"o parti!ipants fro the sae de!ade& i!k up the sta!k of billets( turning the over as you do so you are fa!ing the !ard that "ill be used for the instant stooge. 7rite the pass"ord in the gap( but then a!t as though you$ve !hanged your ind and put the sta!k ba!k do"n and ove the billet to the ba!k of the sta!k. +t$s also ni!e to not "rite it e>a!tly !orre!t( so that it has ore !redibility at the end. #egin by saying that you$re getting t"o nubers !oing through. Have the repeat the nubers in their ind( and nae the t"o nubers you peeked( F 5$ on the billet. /ake sure you tell the not to rea!t. ou$re no" going to get the other t"o. :f the reaining t"o( have spe!tator one reeber the highest of the t"o nubers( and spe!tator t"o the lo"est. This has no ipa!t on the e6e!t( but + like to ake it look as though both spe!tators are sending e a nuber separately. ,1
ou !an reveal the =rst one as being an in any "ay you$d like( but for the unkno"n one( you !an go about this a nuber of "ays. #egin by using the old Lerren idea of saying repeat it over and over in your mind, like *, *, *2 and so on. +f you hit( perfe!t( if not !arry on. Then say this number hasn’t already been said, has it! +f they say yes( say I thou"ht so. +t "ill either be an or 5 again. +f they say no( then + Gust guess. +t it$s right( great( if it$s not( shrug if o6 and ask for the nuber( before reQiterating that you already got three of the nubers and that it isn’t an e&act science. There are( as you !an probably think( hundreds of other "ays of getting the last digit. +f you "ant to( you !an further this by psy!hi!ally diving "ho ea!h of the nubers belonged to. %ee ore about this at the end of the routine in the F'inal Thoughts$ se!tion.
Phase 4 ou$re no" going to supposedly pass on your gift to the se!ond spe!tator( and they "ill soeho" divine the pass"ord of the =rst spe!tator. 7hat you "ant to do is =rst stare into spe!tator t"o$s eyes and tell the you have passed over Fthe gift.$ As you talk( pi!k up the billets and !asually ove the top !ard to the botto. ,2
No"( aking sure no one else !an see the fa!e !ard of the sta!k( "ave the in front of spe!tator t"o and tell the Gust to iagine a "ord appearing in the air FGust about here.$ As you do this( they "ill get a !lear vie" of the pass"ord. A sly "ink here seals the deal. Add "hatever presentational tou!hes you$d like ;i.e. asking spe!tator 1 "hether it$s Gust a "ord or a nuber as "ell.< Hand spe!tator t"o a billet and pen. Ask spe!tator one if there is any "ay anyone !an see through the envelope. 7hatever they respond( say it doesn$t atter any"ay and proptly rip up the envelope and thro" it on the Door. This is psy!hologi!ally a very strong oent( as it no" appears as though there is no possible "ay that you should kno" anything and you$ve destroyed the only paper that had it "ritten on. Have the t"o spe!tator$s stare into ea!h other$s eyes and "hen spe!tator t"o feels a !onne!tion( he is to "rite do"n "hatever he feels. Ask spe!tator one to reveal "hat he$s "ritten. :f !ourse( spe!tator t"o "ill rea!t and of !ourse( there is the end to your routine. Thank both spe!tators for helping out and send the ba!k to their seats as you soak up the applause. ,
Ph$ne C$!e ou ay have noti!ed in the presentation that at the end of this routine( + reveal spe!tator t"o$s phone !ode as he akes his "ay to his seat. The reason + do this is be!ause it kills the stooge. Te!hni!ally( the =nal phase "on$t ipress hi( so if you nail his phone !ode at the end( it !opletely thro"s the o6 the ethod. The "ay + do it Gust guess and +$ll hit on!e every 100(000 ties. Not really( that "as a lie. +f you have the FiPnlo!kour/ind$ app by /yke hilips then you !ould use that to harvest the !ode( or perhaps the siplest ;and !heapest< "ay is Gust to "ander about before the sho" looking at people. No one is parti!ularly se!retive about their phone !ode( and so you "ill get loads of opportunities to gather the inforation you need. Then( "hen both spe!tators are "alking o6 stage( !asually ask if spe!tator t"o has a phone( and then use the line about !hanging the !ode. %uper siple& Another idea "hi!h is Buite bold but eans you don$t have to peak any nubers is to as they$re ,,
"alking o6 stage !asually say soething like you have a phone, yes! Well I’d consider chan"in" the di"its to 0;B as they’re not as obvious at those. +t doesn$t ake perfe!t sense(
but said Bui!kly( "ill give the ipression of saying their !ode out loud. :bviously you$re Gust saying any rando nubers.
1inal Th$&"hts + thought + ight Gust !over a fe" little things + entioned earlier in the e>planation) Diinin" N&m-ers5 After the =rst phase( you$ll
see it says that you !an then divine "hose nubers belong to "ho. + "ould only do this if + hadn$t hit the fourth digit bang on. 7hat you$d then do is say F:k( "hat +$ no" getting is that your nubers are and 5( yesJ And yours areK areK and &$ /ake sure to reverse the order of the se!ond t"o nubers to ake the appear ore rando. Star Si"n( ou ay have realised that after
you$ve peeked the birthday( you get a great opportunity to reveal a star sign along the "ay. +f you kno" you$re signs( then you !an in!orporate it into the routine. Also see FYodiBue$ later on "ithin this book for a "ay to reveal star signs. And that$s all there is to it& ,5
VANIS)ING POINT + "asn$t even going to publish this e6e!t( but + "as !onvin!ed by a !ouple of friends that it "as good( so here it is& Credits for this go to Aeri!an !ard agi!ian ason ngland for a !ulling idea.
0asic E,ect A de!k of !ards is borro"ed fro a eber of the audien!e and shued thoroughly by anyone "ho "ishes to i> the. A !ard is erely peeked at( but soeho"( the /entalist al"ays kno"s&
Presentati$n The /entalist asks for a parti!ipant to help hi "ith his ne>t F!ardboard !reation.$ A de!k of !ards is borro"ed fro hi ;let$s !all hi %teve< and the !ards split into four rando piles. 7#k, so you look like a smart "uy. @ou probably kno all the tricks usin" key cards and 7secret helpers’ and that sort of crap. >o hat I’ve done is split the deck into four piles. 4ick 7em up on at a time and shue to your heart’s contents. 7
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The helper does Gust this. He shues the pa!kets on at a tie. The pa!kets are then gathered and sBuared. Ai"ht, so I’m "oin" to turn my back and hat I ant you to do is lift up a section of cards anyhere, peek at the card, then slap the deck back to"ether and thorou"hly shue. @ou done! Good.
The /entalist should have no inkling as to "hat the !ard is. He stares into the parti!ipant$s eyes. 7I’m "ettin" a red card, yes. $ook at me please, it’s a heart yes! #k, no think about hether or not it’s a picture or a number card...it’s a number card. 5o for the value. It a hi"h card, is it not! I thou"ht so. $ook at me here, the , no B of hearts yes! Thank you very much.’
%teve !on=rs this is the !ard and the de!k is fully e>ained( and there are no gii!ks or sta!ks to speak of. 7hat + love about this routine is that it is totally iproptu and !an be perfored at the drop of a hat. + like to use this e6e!t "ith the Fove onkeys$ as it really !onfuses the.
C$ncept This e6e!t is e>treely siple( and there are no hard oves at all "ithin this routine. The basi! ,E
idea is that at the beginning( you separate the de!k out so that one pile !ontains all of the !ards of one suit( and fro there( it$s Gust =shing.
Per'$rmance To begin( have any de!k of !ards borro"ed and shued. +t isn$t !ru!ial that it be a full de!k( but it "ill ake the e6e!t easier to do. After it has been e>ained( pi!k it up and spread the de!k "ith the fa!es to"ards you. As soon as you spread the de!k( upGog the =rst t"o !ards. ou no" "ant to upGog the values one to ten of the sae suit as the se!ond !ard. 'or e>aple( if the se!ond !ard is a heart( all of the hearts "ould be upGogged e>!ept the pi!ture !ards. This is all done so only you !an see the fa!es. %trip out the upGogged !ards and pla!e this pa!ket fa!e up on the table. ou !an slightly spread the top !ard of the pa!ket to sho" red and bla!k !ards. 7ith the rest of the de!k( do the sae a!tion but this tie( really do reove rando !ards. -epeat this t"o ore ties. ou should no" have four pa!kets that supposedly !ontain rando !ards( but the =rst pa!ket is ,
a!tually full of hearts and the =ve of !lubs( "hi!h "ill a!t as a !over !ard to hide all the hearts. Turn all the pa!kets fa!e do"n. Have the spe!tator i> the four piles one at a tie until they are happy the !ards are all i>ed. :f !ourse it doesn$t atter ho" they i> the as all the hearts "ill stay together in one pile. ather up all the pa!kets aking sure the hearts is on top. No"( you "ant to !ut the !ards to !entralise the hearts pa!ket. Ho"ever( if you$re doing this for a "oan( !ut the !ards do that the hearts are bang in the !entre. +f( on the other hand( you$re doing it for a an( pla!e the hearts a little lo"er do"n in the de!k. The reasoning behind this "ill be!oe apparent in a oent. la!e the de!k fa!e do"n on the table. No"( to the audien!e( the de!k should appear !opletely shued. %ay that in a inute( "hen you turn round( the assistant is to !ut the de!k about the iddle and to peek at a !ard. As you do this( you are going to deonstrate "hat they are to do by !utting o6 a Buarter of the de!k and Dashing the fa!e !ard. This is Gust to sho" the assistant "hat to do so that they are one hundred per!ent sure. %Buare the de!k and turn around. As you do( say Fso !ut o6 A#:PT HA4' and reeber the !ard.$ ,@
Nine ties out of ten( they "ill hit the hearts pa!ket. + "ill !over outs of they don$t later. 7ith your ba!k still turned( have the sBuare and shue the de!k. The reason for pla!ing the hearts in slightly di6erent positions depending on their gender is be!ause +$ve found fro e>perien!e( "hen asked to !ut Fabout the iddle$ "oen "ill go right for the !entre( but en "ill !ut a bit deeper. :bviously( this is not an e>a!t s!ien!e( but it does ake a di6eren!e. :k( so you no" kno" that the !ard is a heart( but you$re going to present this as three hits. Have the pla!e the de!k do"n and stare into their eyes to Fre!eive their thoughts.$ Again( see presentation at the end for all of this. 'irst reveal that it$s a red !ard( then a heart( then a nuber !ard. No" all you need to do is =sh for the value. #egin by saying F+$ not getting a high !ard( a +J$ +f they say yes( reply "ith Fyeah + thought soK$ but if they say no reply "ith Fno + didn$t think soK$ This is an old te!hniBue but does the Gob perfe!tly. 4et$s say it "as a high !ard. 4ook at the and !all out the values =ve to ten( as though studying their fa!ial e>pressions. No" say Fthis is Buite high( is it notJ$ +f they agree( you !an assue it$s the nine or the ten. +f they 50
say Fnot really$( it$s a si> or seven. +f they have trouble ans"ering( it$s the eight. The sae applies "ith the lo" values( but ask( Fthis is Buite lo"( isn$t itJ$ ou should no" have a !hoi!e of t"o values. %iply !all either out. +f they rea!t( =nish here. +f they don$t( iediately !li!k your =ngers and say Feliinated( be!ause your !ard "as theK$ and say the se!ond value. And that$s all there is to it. :bviously( there are a lot of other( Bui!ker ethods out there( but + like =shing as + think it "orks "ell.
O&ts :k( let$s be frank here. This e6e!t doesn$t al"ays "ork. :n!e every so often you$ll get a spe!tator "ho isses the blo!k( and gets a di6erent !ard. And( although this se!tion is !alled outs( + don$t really have one. %o( "hen it does happen( and you get the !olour or suit "rong( + "ill say soething like) Fsorry( there are Gust too any thought going on in your head. Could you "rite your !ard do"n on this pie!e of paper for eJ$ Then Gust resort to a !entre tear. Not too F!lever$( + kno"( but as it happens so rarely( + don$t have an out. Also( the spe!tator ay have !ut to the !over !ard( in this !ase the =ve of !lubs. Al"ays 51
reeber the !over !ard and you !an use it as a se!ond resort. ou !ould( of !ourse( try and =sh your "ay out( but you ust be ready "ith lots of double eaning senten!es su!h as Fthe value( it isn$t high is itJ$ and so on.
1inal Th$&"hts :ne =nal tip + "ould like to add is that if the spe!tator looks a little !onfused "hen you say the senten!e about "hether the value is high or lo"( it eans they have sele!ted the =ve. Lon$t be put o6 by the siple ethod behind this( as it really does "ork. 7hat + also love is that it !reates a double blu6 oent. After the e6e!t( agi!ians "ill approa!h e asking the ethod( and they$ll al"ays begin "ith F+ kno" that the four pa!ket splitting "as Gust blu6K$ #ut it isn$t& + love things like that&
52
LOC/DOWN This e6e!t is a relatively ne" pie!e and + use it to !lose a series of e6e!ts. +8ve al"ays loved the add a nuber plot( but thought it needed a little bit ore to it. The idea here is that they dis!over the lo!k on a bo> that !ontains the =nal predi!tion. This ay sound a little !opli!ated( but you8ll see "hat + ean as the e6e!t begins. Credits for this e6e!t go to 7illia -obinson being ;+ think< the !reator of the F:ut To 4un!h$ prin!iple.
5
MEMOR6 LANE This routine is based on an e6e!t by -oger Cur?on fro his booklet FThe 4ost apyrus of +hotep.$ The e6e!t( Fotional Catharsis($ is very di6erent to y e6e!t( but "hen + =rst !ae up "ith this( they "ere Buite siilar. Ho"ever( over tie the routine has been adapted into the pie!e you$re about to read. +$ve also been told that it is siilar in prin!iple to an e6e!t by Lo!! Hilford( !alled FThe -i!hie Te!hniBue.$ +$ve had a look at this e6e!t and the t"o routines are based on the sae idea( but !arried out di6erently.
0asic E,ect The spe!tator thinks of three eories that set o6 di6erent eotions( and one by one( the 5,
/entalist re!eives all three thoughts( before tapping into the ystery of Flove.$
Presentati$n Three billets are pla!ed out onto the table and a volunteer is !hosen to help "ho has a good eory. A rather annoying spe!tator by the nae of To akes his "ay on stage. I ould like to try somethin" ith you Tom, but not ith the psychical, but rather the mental. What I ant you to do is think of a happy memory, a time hen you felt "enuinely emotional, and concentrate on ho that made you feel.
The =rst billet is pi!ked up and the /entalist stares into his eyes and Bui!kly s!ribbles soething do"n. He folds it in half and "rites the "ord FHA$ on the front. The assistant is then asked to !on=r her eory out loud. This is then repeated t"o ties( one "ith F%:--:7$ and one "ith F'A-.$ :bviously( nothing too e>tree( Gust a tie "hen they ay have felt un!ofortable. :ne at a tie( very fairly the envelopes are gathered up and opened( and the entalist "as bang on "ith at least t"o of the three billets& 55
6oever, there is one emotion e haven’t touched on yet, but is probably the most important of all and that is love. If you don’t mind, I ould like to try somethin" +uite personal ith you. If you don’t ant to partake in this, then no is the time to2you WI$$ help me! H&cellent. 6opefully, at the end of this, you ill take aay not sadness, but happiness, as love can provoke both feelin" ithin us.
The entalist gets his helper to think of a beloved person "ho has passed a"ay. He dire!ts their attention to a billet that has been folded "ith a heart dra"n on it. They open it and silently read it to theselves before !on=ring that you kno" "ho they are thinking of.
E7planati$n This e6e!t is in t"o parts really. The =rst three billets and the last billet. ou !an perfor the =rst part "ithout the se!ond if you feel that the situation isn$t right( but +$d re!oend doing the full e6e!t for the person to re!eive a fully personalised e>perien!e. #egin by folding three billets in half and "riting the "ords F%AL$( FHA$ and F'A-$ on the. 4eave these "riting sides L:7N on the table( in the sae order as "ritten. At no point are the audien!e going to suspe!t there is already 5
"riting on these. ou ust also use the sae pen you "rote these "ords "ith for the tri!k. As you have probably guessed( this tri!k relies on the old Fone ahead$ prin!iple( but in a slightly di6erent "ay "hi!h akes for a !lean ending.
Per'$rmance #egin by talking about eotions and talking to your parti!ipant. + think "hen you do an e6e!t "ith a tou!hy subGe!t su!h as eotions( it$s ni!e to get to kno" the spe!tator a bit and really !onne!t "ith the. +t also eans that you !an gather ore inforation for a reading later on.
1irst Three 0illets Anyhoo( "hen you$re ready to begin( pi!k up the billet on your very left( !areful not to Dash the "ord on the ba!k. %tart by talking about ho" eories !an trigger !ertain eotions "ithin us. This is a really ni!e tie to billet should have F%AL$ se!retly on it. As you do( hold it up to"ards you but ake sure the "riting is hidden. Ask the spe!tator to think of a FHA$ eory. et the to pi!ture it and study the !arefully( as if re!eiving a thought. No" "rite do"n on the billet F4oss( disappointent( aybe failyJ etJ Not rea!hing a spe!i=! goalJ$ 'old the billet in half and "rite FHA$ a!ross the blank portion( 5E
again keeping the other "ord hidden. la!e it on the table "ith the "ord FHA$ for everyone to see. Ask the "hat their eory "as. A!t intrigued by "hat has happened. i!k up the se!ond billet and have the spe!tator think of any eory "hen they "ere s!ared or feeling fear. ;/ake sure they don$t pi!k anything too upsetting.< Again( keep the "riting hidden and "rite on the billet the happy eory the spe!tator Gust told you. Lon$t ake it too a!!urate of they "ill suspe!t soething is up. 'old it in half and "rite F'A-$ on it for everyone to see. Have the tell you the eory. i!k up the =nal billet( and have the think of a sad eory. Ho"ever( on this one( a!t as though the thought isn$t !oing through !learly. This is to !over you for the vague stateent on the =rst billet. 7rite the fear eory on it before folding it up and "riting F%AL$ on it. ou should no" have three billets on the table. i!k the up fro left to right so that %AL is the top of the pile. No" here is the sneaky bit. +f you turn the three billets over se!retly( the eories "ill no" perfe!tly at!h "ith the "ords that are upperost. Lon$t ake anything of this oveW Gust !asually turn over the billets as you talk. 5
%ay that the F%AL$ eory "as a bit fu??y. Have the tell it you and open the top billet. Hopefully their eory "ill =t "ith one of the stateents you "rote in the =rst billet. +f it does( ake sure to play it up( but if it doesn$t shrug it o6 and !arry on. The other t"o should at!h perfe!tly. Al"ays ake sure that the "riting on the other side of the !ards is hidden at all ties. + do realise this probably reads pretty Bui!k( but if you give it a good presentational hook and really go into depth about our !onne!tion "ith eotions( this !an be really po"erful to your spe!tator and !an bring it out to about 10 inutes in total.
The 1$&rth 0illet This is basi!ally an abiguous stateent that !an apply to anyone. 7hat you "ant to do is "rite the follo"ing phrase on the billet) This person "as very !lose to you and "as al"ays there "hen you needed soeone to turn to. 7hen they departed( it felt like you !ouldn$t live "ithout the for a "hile( but you used their love as a "ay through. + "ant you to understand that even though they !an$t be "ith you( as long as you keep the in your heart( they are never truly forgotten.$ 5@
+f you kno" a relative has passed a"ay re!ently or you do a little pre sho"( you !an ention their nae at the end. All you need to do is repla!e Fthey are never truly forgotten$ "ith FRRRRR "ill never truly be forgotten$ putting in the relatives nae. Al"ays reeber to be !areful "ith this as you don$t "ant the to feel upset "hen the routine is done. Have this billet on the table fro the beginning in plain sight. 7hen you have =nished the =rst part of the routine( say that there is one eotion that is probably ore po"erful than any of the ones already entioned( and that is love. Have the parti!ipant think of a !lose relative "ho passed a"ay re!ently. %ho" the the billet and have the pi!k it up and read "hat it says to theselves silently. This is "here the "ord play !oes into a!tion. +nstead of asking the Fdo you kno" "hat + eanJ$ or soething like that siply say Fdo you understandJ$ +f you look in the te>t( it says Fas long as you PNL-%TANL that they "ill neverK$ so to the assistant it "ill appear as though you are !on=ring that they understand "hat to do( "hereas to the audien!e( it "ill appear as though you kno" "ho the relative is. :nly slight Lused here( but it !an have a really lasting e6e!t. +f you have the te>t "ritten up on a really ni!ely 0
designed !ard( you !an give it to the at the end and you "ill =nd that it akes a beautiful souvenir for the that they "ill reeber for years to !oe. +t also takes the heat o6 the other three billets.
Alternatie Here is an alternative that isn$t as bold "ith the last billet and doesn$t deal "ith the tou!hy subGe!t of eotion. + used to do this before !oing up "ith the above version. +t$s very siple to understand. +nstead of using eotions( use three pie!es of inforation su!h as FGob( house nuber and iddle nae.$ ou need to a!Buire the kno"ledge of one of these bits of info. 4et$s say you kno" their Gob. 7rite the naes on the ba!k of the billets and have the in this order) Gob( iddle nae( house nuber. i!k up the =rst billet and have the think of their iddle nae. A!tually "rite the Gob on it. 'old it in half and "rite Fiddle nae$ on it. Have the tell it you. Lo the sae( ne>t getting the to think of their house nuber. 7rite their iddle nae on it and so on. Then "hen you se!retly turn the over at the end( you get three perfe!t at!hes& + "ould only do this as a deonstration before going into a longer( ore substantial pie!e. 1
1inal Th$&"hts As soe of you ay have realised( there is a great opportunity to do a !old reading in this e6e!t. The assistant has already given you three eories and told you they are an eotional person( so "hat ore !ould you needJ 7hen "anting to do a reading( +$ll usually insert it right bet"een the t"o phrases. Lon$t ake this too long( but Gust a brief suary of the inforation you$ve gathered. This is Gust a ni!e little !onvin!er to ake it appear as though you !an really read their ind& 4et$s say that the happy eory is "hen they last "alked their dog. i!k up the Fhappy$ billet and a!t !onfused. Then say Fout of interest( "hat "as the dog$s naeJ$ resue they say 7hiskey. %ay soething like Foh( no" + get it$ and pla!e the billet ba!k do"n. Then( "hen "riting the happy eory on the ne>t billet( never ention Fdog$ but put soething like FLrinkJ Al!oholJ etJ$ Then "hen you reveal all at the end( it looks like you not only pi!ked up the eory but also the nae of the dog( "hi!h they "ere probably thinking of during the eory& %iple& 'inally "hen asked to pi!k a s!ary eory( 0V of people "ill say F"at!hing a s!ary ovie($ as 2
you tell the N:T to think of an eotion that is too upsetting. ou !an( if you feel !on=dent enough that they "ill go for soe sort of !hoi!e like this( instead of "riting vague stateents on the =rst billet( s"ap the order around and use the =rst billet as the 'A- eotion( and "rite the horror ovie on it. +t8s not 100 per!ent( but if you never take risks( you8ll never kno"&
ESSA6S
0ONUS
,
+n this se!tion +8ve "ritten up a fe" bonus ideas that aren8t really full ideas( but rather sall nuggets of "hat !ould be. Hope you enGoy&
R$"er )ates ACAAN 'or this( you8ll need a nail "riter and a de!k in a eori?ed sta!k. et t"o spe!tators up on stage. %ho" the de!k and "ave it in front of the =rst spe!tator and have the Gust nae any playing !ards that pops into their head. 4et8s say they say the Iing of !lubs. As you speak( "ork out "here it is in the de!k( say position 1. Pse your thub "riter and 5
s!rat!h F1$ on the ba!k of the !ard bo>. o to spe!tator t"o and again( "ave the bo> in front of the and have the nae any nuber. +f you !ue the right( they$ll nae 1 and be!oe an instant stooge. 'inish ho"ever you like.
Wr$n"# Ri"ht2 'or this you8ll need a "allet "ith an inde> su!h as Heirloo. Take E billets and on ea!h one "rite F+ guessed E "hi!h + kne" "ould be "rong be!ause you thought of RRRRR&$ -epla!e the blank gap on ea!h !ard "ith a nuber fro 2Q@ e>!ept E. %et the up in your "allet in a kno"n order and you$re ready to begin. %tart by saying that you8d like to try a little e>perient. Have then spe!tator think of any nuber #T7N 1 and 10. +t8s iportant to say bet"een so they don8t pi!k 1 or 10.
CLOSING WORDS
