I dedicate this book to my children. Zachary Dennis Turner - you constantly inspire me and make me want the best for us. If it wasn't for you son I'd have never pulled myself together. You make me the man I am today. Bump - you are not here just yet but it won't be long. I think about you each day and whate wh atever ver happens h appens know k now you are in my heart and in my mind. Until we we meet. . .
Firstly I'd like to thank Steve Wood. If it wasn't for his analytical eye this book would not only have been a mess, but wouldn't even have seen the light of day. He encouraged me to write this book and I did so (using my iphone!) whilst travelling back and forth between England, Paris, Spain, Dublin, Mexico and various other locations I have recently (and fleetingly) visited. Steve is solely responsible for the layout, and making me sound coherent in writing. I highly recommend that anyone who has an interest in making their own work look like eye candy should have Steve look over it. You won't regret it. it. I'd also like to mention: Michael Murray, the legend from the North, for his constant inspiration and for being a great sounding board. Mark Chandaue for letting me bend his ear off about this effect. Fraser Parker for his encouragement and inspiration. Max Maven for his clever multiple out. Atlas Brookings Brookings for inspiration. inspiration. Steve Haresign and Haresign Press for the amazing work done in printing this book.
FOREWORD Earlier this year, I received a phone call out of the blue from Pete Turner. We'd spent some time talking at a convention a few years back, and I was very familiar with his work, but I wasn't expecting him to call. We knew some of the same people in our respective mentalism circles and he wanted to discuss some ideas. That phone call started a chain of events that has brought us to this book. A couple of months ago Pete said he wanted to show me something on SKYPE, and that was the first time I saw him perform the routine that you have in your hands now. It's so hard to know everything that is released in the mentalism world, but one way or another I try to see the majority of what comes out, and this time I knew straight away that I was seeing something special. Pete had taken several of his (and other people’s) ideas and blended them to make a routine that was very strong, propless, well constructed and reliable in the real world. Since then it has been moulded, adapted and pulled apart multiple times to try and make it as strong as it can possibly be. Of course I'm biased, but I think that Pete has created a masterpiece and to me this is one of the best propless routines that I have ever had the privilege of reading. Working with Pete has been a true inspiration. His brain works so fast and whenever I have pointed out things that I felt needed more work, or to be tied down further, he instantly found solutions and improvements. Equally, at times working with him can feel like nailing soup to a wall! He knows his methods and scripts backwards, and in performance this gives him the freedom to jazz with them in different situations. He never stresses about things that other mentalists might worry about. He stays calm, and finds a way to bring things to a successful conclusion every time. It is beautiful to watch, as anyone who has been lucky enough to have seen him in full flow at a convention will know, and the only other person I can liken it to is watching David Berglas with a pack of cards. In both cases, nothing is left to chance. Nothing can fail because they are completely in control. The challenge in producing this book was to tie down Pete's ability to think in multiple ways at the same time to something that can be done by all. It's been a true pleasure working with him and I hope that we have managed to reach that goal. Isabella's Star 3 isn't easy, but it is logically structured and with work each part can be mastered quite quickly. Pete really deserves his place as a legend in our field. I'm so excited that the readers will now have the chance to see for the first time what I've been privileged to enjoy. It feels like Isabella's Star has finally reached its highest point.
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Isabella's Star 3 Overview •
The overview
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Working out if it's a one or 2 digit date (3 methods)
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Creatin Creatin g the name of a fic tio nal person with th at date of birth •
Guess Who Effect
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Version 1
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- Version Versi on 2
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Breakdown
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Performance script and breakdown breakdown of subtleties
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Versio Version n 1 Performing Performing with with one participant participant
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Version 2 The Hoy variation
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Additional Additiona l thoughts thoug hts -
Female names
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Deciding which sex the participant participan t is thinking of
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Editor's note: note: Ensuring a male name is thought thoug ht of
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Using 'Guess 'Guess Who Who ' in Isabella's Star Star 3 to get inf orm ation abou t the date Page Page 27 •
Discovering if the date has one or two digits
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Applying ‘Guess Wh o’ to the date
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Dealing with eight eigh t as a possibility possibi lity
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Narrowing down the list of possible names
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Additional Additi onal thoughts though ts
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Multiple outs
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Mini anagrams
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What if the name divination misses?
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Editor’s Editor ’s note: note: Framing the use of the day
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Using 'Monkeying 'Monkeying Aroun d' to find the star sign
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The Zodiac anagram
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Editor’s Edito r’s note: Adding in a reading
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The Chimpanzee and the Cat (by Steve Wood)
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Divining the month
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Narrowing down the month
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The Hanging Hanging Statement
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The Wash Princip Principle le
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The ‘Repeat It’ ploy
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Matrix using using odd and even months
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Extract from Memoria Two (by Fraser Parker)
Revea Revealin lin g the name and putt ing it tog ether to reveal reveal the date ot birth
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Revealing the name
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Narrowing down to 2 possible dates
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Cusp dates (3 ideas)
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Asking if they were born on a cusp date
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Throwing out twenty two at the beginning
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Asking Asking if both both digits are the same
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Zero and One
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The final two way reveal
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Alternative Alternative reveal reveal
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Editor’s note
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Add A dd it io nal ideas id eas
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The month anagram
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Easy mnemonics to remember the cusp dates
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The telephone and the story methods
How to create your own anagram -
The final French French star sign anagram
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I cannot believe it has been 7 years since the birth of 'Isabella's Star', when David Sena and I set out to create a date of birth revelation like no other. At that time, propless mentalism (outside of psychological forces) didn't exist. We tried to make the effect as close to propless as possible as we, like many others, were 'chasing the Holy Grail'. We were very limited in the resources we could use as inspiration to create the effect and we ended up with something that (even if I do say so myself) was at that time groundbreaking. David then took time out after the release of 'Isabella's Star' and became a successful computer engineer, moving from Lisbon, Portugal to the UK to pursue his career. I think about David all the time and really miss him dearly. Life has a way of creating obstacles that sometimes take us on different paths. I hope that David also thinks of me from time to time, and even though we are on different paths physically I love the idea that if sometimes we think of each other simultaneously we will stay connected psychologically. I went on to do what I always do, constantly tinkering with older ideas as soon as I have new principles to use as inspiration to help my creations grow. I went to work on 'Isabella's Star 2 - The Star Goes Supernova' (the title was created by Stephen Eric Young). A group of mentalists that I still consider to be the 'cream of the crop' contributed ideas, and together ensured that it was unlike anything else of its time. I loved IS2 (in fact I still do) and have used it thousands of times. My preferred method of retrieving the astrological number is using Michael Murray's 'CALendar'. Michael is one of my biggest inspirations and he has the heart of an angel. Too many people are scared to admit who they are inspired by and what helps to drive them forward. It's a shame that some people let ego get in the way of admitting that they are a fan of other performers and creators. I am proud to admit how much I like the work of Michael and the other usual suspects that contributed to IS2. If it wasn't for Michael Murray this book would not be in your hands right now. On a cold British morning a few years ago, whilst walking around the remnants of the previous night's campfire, Michael and I were jamming backwards and forwards the seed of an idea he had. It later found its way into his earth-shattering book 'A Piece of My Mind' (which I can't recommend highly enough). However, the version that was in the book a couple of years after our initial brainstorm was so much more advanced and refined than either of us could have dreamed of at that time, and this was solely down to Michael's creative genius. The principle is one that Michael coined the ‘Adam Ant Principle'. Principle'. Ev Even en though that idea idea is entirely different in presentation,8
method and execution it was a huge inspiration for the effect that you are reading in this book. I'm so proud to be a part of the mentalism community at this time. It's an exciting time for all of us because of the number of principles and methods that are now available, as well as the number of inspirational figures that help our own creativity to blossom. I sat a few mornings ago and smiled to myself after imagining what the reaction would be if I had shared the description of 'Isabella's Star 3' with the mentalism community a few years ago. It's incredible to think we have come this far. That campsite conversation was the omen that tha t led to what you are now reading. I'm so excited to share these principles, methods and presentations and hopefully inspire you to further your own work and help your creativity blossom, bringing things full circle. This will be the last instalment in the Isabella's Star series, and for that I'm both sad and happy. Sad that the journey has ended, but happy that I have one less thing to obsess about. I hope you are as excited for the future as I am. Much love, Peter Turner (Dublin (Dublin 2017)
The performer asks his / her participant to imagine their date of birth written in large digits in the air. The performer then directs the participant to think of a name and imagine that their date of birth belonged to an imaginary person with that name. The performer explains that imagining the date of birth as though it belonged to somebody else makes it possible to divine. To prove that point the performer looks at the participant and starts by revealing their star sign. The performer then moves on to reveal the name that the participant merely thought of, and finishes by revealing the date of birth! Note: this is entirely propless. It's an 'any place any time' routine that's surefire and I feel it's as close to 'real mindreading' as we've come (though of course I am biased!)
This effect relies on you (the reader) having a grounding in several ideas and effects that I have released in the past, along with some updated thinking. Using each method in symphony you will get so far ahead that you'll knock the participant for six! For ease of learning this effect (as it will require some work) here is the core method broken down into separate steps. After Afte r looking looking at an overview of these steps, we'll then then expand upon upon each each of them in turn, paying close attention to the subtleties involved.
1. The participant thinks of the day and month that they were born. 2. They focus on the day, and we work out if it's a one or two digit date. 3. The participant focuses on the first digit in the date, and then the second. 4. They create a name. 5. You deduce the star sign. 6. You reveal the month. 7. You reveal the name. 8. You reveal the date.
The first point should be the most obvious: ask the participant if they know their date of birth and star sign. If they do then you're set, but if they don’t know what it is (some people don’t) then either move on to something else, or if you still want to do this routine an alternative suggestion for using the month instead of the star sign is given in chapter 7.
After checking that the participant knows knows their star sign, sign, it's it's time to work out if there are one or two digits in the date, and there are two or three simple ways to do that. (Note: I know I am not being definitive when I say two or three but I feel that one of the ways is obvious and not really worth classing as anything of value - although that doesn't mean it won't be the best route for you).
The first method is from a suggestion by Michael Murray. He addresses this situation by using the following script: "Focus "Focus on the day for fo r me. me. Ignore the month for f or a few seconds and ju s t cycle between the two numbers in the day in your mind, over and over."
If the participant nods and responds quickly then you know it has two digits. However, if the participant looks confused then quickly continue with: "If it's ju s t one digit, digit, say it over ove r and and over again for m e."
You will now know whether it is one or two digits. Note: This is a great method, and the only time it has ever failed me is when the participant views a single digit day as a two digit day by adding a zero at the start as the first digit. For example, let’s imagine the participant's date of birth is the 6th of May. Some participants (when asked to cycle between the two digits in their mind) think of it as '06' and count the zero as the first digit. Even though this occurs very, very infrequently I have provided some alternative ideas so that you have the freedom to select which process works best for you. Personally I use them all and choose whichever I feel is best for each situation.
The second method uses a similar linguistic dodge: "In your mind focus on the day that you were born, ignoring the month for a few moments. Imagine the first number in the date, and now the second."
If there is only one, the participant will verbalise that this is the case and you will instantly know. There is a greater probability that it will be a two digit number anyway, and at this point in the routine nothing has happened yet, so the participant will never suspect that you know anything.
The third way (and the easiest, as you can see in the example script below) is to ask! o f your date o f birth and star sign for me?" me? " Performer: "Can you think of
Participant: "Yeah." "I’m going to be really reall y honest from the off. off. The The likelihood likel ihood of o f me Performer: "I’m guessing this in its current form is slim to none because that information personally belongs to you, but if we remove your attachment to that information informatio n it will make it possible. possible. Til explain how we will do that in a moment. moment. Focus on your date of birth written in the air starting with the day, then the month (ignoring the year)."
(This tiny piece of script about seeing the day then month sorts out a huge choreography issue I had with this routine when I first started performing it. I used to run into the problem with people not understanding whether I wanted them to think of the actual day of the week that they were born (Monday, Tuesday etc) or the digits and it created a horrible hurdle in the routine. Scripting it like this makes it clear and understandable. It's a very small touch but these touches are honestly the real gold.) The participant confirms that they are doing this. Performer: "The only question I'm going to ask is: does the day have one digit or two?"
Participant: "Two." Alternatively, you you could use the following following question which which is less direct and and can can play more as a statement: "This is not a double digit, is it?"
If the participant says 'no' then follow up by saying: "I didn't feel it was, was, but had to clarify before before we got ahead of ourselv es."
If the participant says 'yes' then follow by saying: "I felt so so, but had to clarify before before we got ahead o f ourselves."
After ascertaining the number of digits, digits, the next part in this routine routine is to have have the participant think of a name before creating an imaginary person with the same date of birth. This is one of the most fundamental moments in this routine, as the name directly leads us to know a portion of the date. To do that, first let's look at a routine I call 'Guess Who?' It is essential that you know the mechanics of that routine in order to proceed with Isabella's Star 3. (Note: 'Guess Who?' can also be performed as a standalone routine if you so wish.)
I am going to share two variations, using the same method. I have tried to ensure that this is as streamlined as possible and I have road tested this extensively. When you know the method this might seem really simple, but I promise you that in practice you will not believe how well this plays out. (After redrafting I have also added a series of techniques to enhance the deception of this simple name divination.)
The performer proposes to divine a merely thought of name from the mind of his participant. However, the performer does not want the participant to think of someone they know so instead they will create a random name in their mind. The only rule is that the name must not be unisex so that he (the performer) doesn't get confused and thrown off by something as irrelevant as getting caught up on the gender of the person the participant is thinking of. Within ten seconds of the participant thinking of a name the performer can reveal it!
VERSfl VERSfl©Ei ©Ei TW © The participant asks three people to generate a name at random in their mind. The performer looks at the three participants and calls out what he believes the names to be. Each participant confirms that the performer is correct!
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how simple this is. It was born out of not wanting too much process, whilst also making the steps easy to understand for the participant and the outcome as surefire as possible. The best way to show you how powerful this is, is to perform it interactively for you the reader. In a moment, when I ask you to think of a name I want you to see the name in its simplest form (so Edward would be Ed), and don't pick a unisex name as it will confuse things. This is the only stipulation you must stick to when creating a name. Clear your mind. In this experiment we will use numerology to generate a name at random. Think of two digits of your pin code written large in the air in front of you. For example if you picked a 9 and an 8 you would see a big 9 in the air and a big number 8, but for obvious reasons don't go for the same numbers as me as you need to use your own thoughts, not mine. Imagine whichever two digits you are thinking of as a two digit number and now instead of seeing these digits in the air as numbers imagine them as words written in the air, like ‘N-l-N-E-T-Y-E-l-G-H-T. Now that you have done that, in your mind gravitate toward the first letter in those words, and think of the first male name that pops into your mind that starts with the letter that you are thinking of. Again, please don’t go for a unisex name, and see this name in its simplest form so for example Peter would be Pete. Have you got a random name in mind? If you are thinking of someone you know with the same name, it is only by chance that you are thinking of this person. Really see this name at the forefront of your mind. Think of the number of letters in this name. Okay, as there are a few people reading this simultaneously I will try to guess the names you are thinking of. Here goes. One of you is thinking of Frank or Fred (you were changing your mind between the two). I see the name Tom and Steve? Was I close?? If I wasn't close then you were likely to be thinking of
Sean / Shaun. (Those names rarely come up, and when I explain the method you will understand why.) If you haven't already figured it out, the method here is 'restricting without seeming restrictive'. Let's take a look at the restrictions. First, preventing unisex names from being used in this presentation drastically reduces the number of names that the participant can think of. By mentioning them in my instructions I also exclude the numbers 8 and 9, which means all the names that begin with N or E are also excluded. Let's look at the numbers that remain, and the letters (and names) that could relate to those numbers. We will then look at how to narrow things down to one name. Using this force for 2 digit numbers that are spelled out (as in this routine): 11 Eleven Eleven Begins Begi ns with E (see note below) 12 Twelve Twel ve Begins with T 13 Thirtee Thir teen n Begins with T 14 Fourteen Begins with F 15 Fifteen Fifte en Begins with F 16 Sixteen Sixt een Begins with S 17 Sevente Seve nteen en Begins with S 18 Eighteen Begins with E, but 8 was dismissed in the instructions 19 Nineteen Begins with N, but 9 was dismissed in the instructions 20-29 20- 29 Twen Tw enty ty . . . Begins Begin s with T 30-3 30-39 9 Thirty Thirty . . . . Begin egins s with T 40-4 40-49 9 Fort Forty y . . . . Begin egins s with F 50-59 -59 Fif ty . . . . Begins with F 60-6 60-69 9 Sixty Sixty . . . . Begin egins s with S 70-79 Sevent Sev enty y . . Begins with S 80-89 -89 Eight y. . . . Begins with E, but 8 was dismissed in the instructions 90-99 -99 Ninet y. . . . Begins with N, but 9 was dismissed in the instructions Note: 11 11 is the only 2 digit digi t number num ber that begins beg ins with E but doesn't doesn' t come from the digit 8, which was dismissed as part of the instructions. The most natural name from E is likely to be Ed / Edward, which has been mentioned and therefore is unlikely to be chosen anyway, but it's still technically possible for 11 to be chosen. To avoid this, make sure that you ask the participant to "Think of 2 different digits from your pin code " which which will excl e xclud ude e 11 as a possibility.
Looking at the table, you should now be able to see that any 2 digit number (not containing an 8 or a 9), when spelt as a word, will lead to a name beginni begi nning ng with either eithe r T, F or S. Given Given the th e instructio instru ction n to think thin k of a name . . in its simplest form . . . " the the most most likely likely names names will ill be be Tom Tom or Tim, Tim, Fre Fred d or or Frank, and Steve or Shaun/Sean. Note: in my experience these names work perfectly here, but IF you find that Sean/Shaun is occurring more than Steve then simply swap it in place of Steve as the most likely. I can honestly say I have never had Shaun come up, but my American friends have said that Sean or Shaun may come up more frequently than Steve. The principle is still the same and if you are at all worried about the participant going for that name in the performance, simply add this line of scripting: "If for fo r example example you ended en ded up thinking of o f the the name Shau Shaun, n, imagine what you feel a Shaun might look like. For obvious reasons, since I have said Shaun don't go for that."
This dismisses the name Shaun/Sean from the list entirely and stops any concerns about it being an issue (although I have never found it to be a problem anyway). The thing I find really interesting about getting people to think of a name this way is that it seems so random and yet it's very restrictive. Pay close attention to the way I 'paint this red' in the performance (I frame it up as an example of using numerology). You will notice that when performing the effect on you the reader I asked you to think of a male name. There are other ways to ensure the participant picks a male name that are not so transparent, and if you really wanted your participant to pick either sex a suggestion is given later. [Editor’s note: there’s a school of thought that using the phrase ‘his’ in the script in reference to the fictional person also helps to ensure that a male name is picked, and could also prompt the participant partic ipant to change their mind - as if they had had misunderstood misunderstood the instructions - if they originally chose a female name. name. Pete prefers to avoid further reference to the gender, to mask the original instruction to think of a male name.] By simply knowing the number of letters in the name you will instantly be down to either one or two names. If there is a name that you find keeps cropping up, simply add it into the list of names and use it as part of your performance (I know I have repeated this point several times but I really feel it
is important to note). Try to keep the 'formula' as simple as possible. You will find that this is very reliable and it is startling just how quick the routine is over and how great the reactions are. Now that we have the basic structure of the routine outlined, let's look at the script and break each part down.
Note: We will assume that the performer is acquainted with the participant. "If I asked you to think o f a name, name, the likelihood likelihoo d is that you will think of o f somebody you know. know. I really wouldn't wouldn't mind you thinking thinking of o f someone you know, but the problem is that the more sceptical people watching will always assume assume that I somehow found fou nd out from Facebook or some other social media platform."
One thing I always strive for is to make the moment that the method occurs in a performanc perfo rmance e the part that tha t seems the fairest. I always try to appease the participant's logic. This framework allows me to implement the method whilst at the same time getting the participants to agree that it is fairer than simply thinking of a name. "Let's create a name in the strangest, yet y et fairest, way I can can think of. of. Off Of f the top o f my head imagine, imagine, say... say... two different digits from your y our pin code and see those numbers as a two digit number like 98, but for obvious reasons don't go for those numbers as I have said them."
What we have achieved here is to eliminate a 9 and an 8, which drastically reduces the number of possible names. Notice that this happens before I even mention anything about using the numbers to generate a name and therefore doesn't seem s eem suspicious suspiciou s or restrictive. restrictiv e. I also ask the participant parti cipant to think of o f two numbers, which subtly makes the entire thing seem a little bit more impossible when in reality the second digit is little more than fluff to make the effect seem bigger.
The participant could think of a random number from something such as the 'Life Equation' routine or any other force that guarantees an outcome and again this would subtly restrict the participant to a small number of names. One huge, huge thing that aids this routine in working seamlessly is to make it appear as though you are inventing the process off the top of your head. If it seems that you made the process up on the spot, it is no longer a strange process. It is random and random is good. I think it's important at this point to talk about 'painting something red'. If you point out that a process is going to be strange and random, it doesn't seem out of place if it then becomes a natural part of the process. One rule I always stick to is if a routine has a flaw then 'paint it red' by trying to make the flaw seem as though it is the fairest part of the process. I feel that the use of a pin code is a great solution because you can say something like: “Let’s take something more impossible than a name. Let’s say two different digits from your yo ur pin code. ”
We'll now continue from the point where the participant is seeing two numbers in the air. Performer: "Instead of seeing these numbers as digits, imagine seeing the numbers written in the air as words." Participant: "Okay." Performer: "In your mind gravitate toward the first letter . . . " (pause for a s e c o n d ) " . . . and let the first male name starting with whichever letter you are thinking of right now pop into your mind, but please don't go for a unisex name. name. I need you to be definiti defi nitive." ve." This is a simple set of instructions; this paragraph is the most important paragraph of all as it completely leads the participant to one of the restricted outcomes. "You may coincidentally know someone with the same name as the name you are thinking of right now, but you've arrived at this name by chance not choice. Concentrate on the name."
This is just to press the point that the name was arrived at by chance not choice.
"Imagine the name in its simplest form for me, so for example Peter would be Pete."
This is the only place where we have to apply any real work - figuring out the number of letters. Personally I use Michael Murray's CUP’s technique as I think it is the most elegant tool for the job. With Michael Murray's permission, here is how we can utilise this principle: "Think "Think of the exact number of letters in this name ."
If the participant responds instantly that they have thought of the number of letters, it is a good bet that the name is 3 or 4 letters long (and once you get good at this technique you will be able to differentiate between 3 and 4 letters). If they struggle slightly, then the name is likely to be 5 letters long. In a nutshell, this hesitation is the CUP’s central idea. It enables you to be able to know the rough number of letters in a word. Please look at Michael's work to see all of his wonderful uses for this principle. Using the CUP’s technique in combination with a 'hanging statement' will instantly give you the number of letters. First work out if you think it is 3/4 letters or 4/5 letters using the CUP’s technique and then address the participant. (For the sake of example we will imagine that the participant is thinking of 3 letters.) "This is three..." (Pause.) The participant will say you are correct.
Now let's look at the same statement and how it would play out if the participant was thinking of a four letter name. "This is three..." ( pause) " . . no, four letters long, right?" Notice how I finished the statement this time, whereas the first time the confirmation from the participant halted me in the middle of my statement. The same thinking applies to 4/5 letter names also. Side note: I often feel that mentalism lacks an air of drama or tension. Everything seems to flow all too smoothly and it is easy for the participant to feel like you know their thought before it comes to the revelation. That's something I believe we should aim to avoid. As mentalists we should be predicting others, not predictable ourselves. Let's imagine for a moment that
we are watching a show like Holby City or ER (for those outside the UK these are television shows about hospitals). Imagine a patient is brought into the hospital who is in a critical condition and needs an operation, and the surgeon says "There's a 100% chance of success" before the operation has taken place. After witnessing the surgery, imagine another story unfolding where the doctor claims that the patient needs to take a tablet and their condition will be resolved within 24 hours, followed by people checking in and out of the hospital with injuries like paper cuts or a sore throat. I am certain that the show would become boring rather quickly! In fact, thinking about it the best show I can think of to represent my point is an animal hospital show. 98% of the time on these type of shows the animal survives BUT the show’s producers have a way of editing the show so that there is an air of suspense. Each moment is dynamic, from the voiceover to the conversation between the professionals about the animal and each moment is carefully constructed to point toward the chance of failure on the vet's part and suggest the possible demise of the animal. It isn't until the very end of the show that we realise the outcome of each particular case. The show’s creators have a way of painting an image in our mind that suggests that the animal may or may not make it, and this keeps us hooked. When an animal doesn't make it, it is instantly upsetting for us the viewer. The reason is not only because an animal has lost its life (which is upsetting in itself) but because they hit us with the sad stories at the moment that we start to become accustomed to the animals surviving. Have you ever noticed that the saddest stories air during our most comfortable moments of viewing? That is no coincidence. The same kind of thinking should be applied to mentalism. It will add an air of drama and impossibility. If the participant thinks that you know the number of letters in a name they are thinking of and they see you guess that with ease, then it suggests that you are already close to guessing the name they are thinking of. However, if you incorrectly guess the number of letters in the name and you are not remotely close it will lead the participant to think you are completely off track, so when you do reveal the name you will completely knock the participant and audience for six. Of course, it isn't as straightforward as "Think of the name, here it is." There has to be byplay, but hopefully you understand my point.
This routine does require you to know the number of letters in the name to bring the effect to a conclusion. Once you are entirely comfortable with the CUP’s technique, miscalling the number of letters to create this drama is a simple yet elegant principle that I feel it would be a shame to dismiss. For the sake of full explanation, here are a couple of alternative methods which will enable you to deduce the number of letters. They are useful when, for example, you have used the CUP’s technique previously in your performance and you don't want to use the same principle for fear of the participants catching on. Whilst hopefully that shouldn't happen, there is nothing wrong with playing safe. One method is fishing (and I also use a hanging statement) for the appropriate number of digits. This method is simple and since in most cases the name will be 3, 4 or 5 letters long you have a one in three chance of being right by guessing. Address the participant and say: "Okay "Okay,, so how ho w many letters lette rs do I think thin k are in this name? nam e? Hmm, Hmm, I'd say 4 5." (pause slightly to wait for the reaction) " .. or 5."
"
If the participant reacts by nodding or affirming in some other way on either of these then you know the length of the name. If not then you are down to Tim or Tom. Since they are so similar, either one would be a hit. If the participant says ‘no’ when you deliver the above script simply say: "I wasn't asking, asking, don't give me any an y clues clues,, I was ju s t speaking out lou d." d. "
This kind of quick sentence is something I have always adored. It's very simple yet elegant, and makes the participant feel that they have accidentally tipped something that they shouldn't have. Another way is to reduce reduce the amount of possibilities via proxy. proxy. This is something I love to use in performance as it gives me the ability (without missing) to either know the exact number of letters, or at least to reduce the possible number of letters (or objects, words, whatever you are using this for). We are going to make use of a second participant for this.
Performer (addressing the second participant): "Dave, I would like you to try and guess the number of letters in the name. Do you feel it is three, four or five?"
Dave: "Three?" If participant one says Dave is correct, you take credit for the fact that you chose Dave, knowing that he could guess it correctly. If Dave misses, look at him and say: "You were not too far out, out, and this proves ju s t how much o f a feat fea t it is to even even guess the number of letters in the name." The most important thing to remember here is to say "You were not too far out" as it makes it seem like you know the number of letters in the name. You have to listen carefully carefu lly to what Dave and and the first particip pa rticipant ant say. If Dave Dave guesses correctly then move into revealing the information. However, if he doesn't (which is more likely to occur) then you have still reduced down to two possible numbers. If he eliminates four, then you know that it is three or five letters long. If he eliminates five you know that it is three or four letters long and if he eliminates three you know it is four or five letters long. (This may seem like a given to some but the number of emails / messages I receive each week because I do not describe things like this in their entirety is incredible!) Let's look at the scenario where Dave eliminates three letters, leaving the four letter and five letter names - so Fred, Frank and Steve remain. The interesting thing here is that Fred and Frank are not worlds apart and can be thrown out together, after first eliminating Steve. By far the easiest way to do this is using Derren Brown's 'repeat it' ploy. Say to the participant: "Keep "Keep saying the name name to you rself rse lf over and over ov er again like like Steve, Steve, Steve Steve,, Steve."
If it is Steve then the participant should react and your job is done. However, if the participant doesn't react you know that you are down to the last two names. I simply push it back onto the participant whilst mentioning two names: "Stare at me. me. Imagine saying say ing this name to me. me. Okay, Okay, I wouldn't wouldn' t usually usua lly find it this difficult. I think it's because you thought of one name and then changed your mind or were torn between two names. Anyway, that doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you the two names and let's see how close I get...Fred or Frank?"
This should be a hit. One thing that is very important to remember here is that the moment I mention the participant thought of two names, I quickly stop them from saying that they haven't thought of two names by saying "Anyway, that doesn't matter" and then continue to talk so that the participant has to listen. The reason that this is an interesting technique is that the audience will assume this to be true and therefore will assume that you not only got the name that the participant is thinking of but also the one that they changed their mind from. The great thing about this effect is that as soon as you know the number of letters you pretty much will know the name, or at least you will be down to a couple of possible names.
This is very, very similar to the interactive effect I performed on you at the start of this effect, except with an audience. If you perform this effect on three participants simultaneously you can simply say: Performer: "Keep a straight face and don't give anything away. Even if I say your you r exact thought thought,, please don't do n't reac react. t. Close Close your eyes for fo r me and remember to keep a poke po kerr face. face. I f e e l . . . Frank or Fred . . . " (poi (point nt towa toward rds s one one of the the Tom. . . " (point to someone else) ". . . and Steve" (point to participants) ". . . Tom. the last participant). "Open your eyes for me. Answering just yes or no - did I get your thought?" First participant: "Yes." Performer: "Yours?" Second participant: "Yes." Performer: "And yours?"
Third participant: "Yes." By pointing at the participants (while their eyes are closed) the audience will assume that you are guessing each person's individual thoughts. The participants of course cannot see this so never know you have pointed at them. When they confirm that you hit on the name, that's all the confirmation the audience need. If one participant says no just ask them what name they are thinking about and declare that "Two out of three ain't bad!" This is a simple variation but it is so powerful. Imagine sitting at a table and nailing three thought-of names with no billet peeks or the use of the 'one ahead' principle!
Personally, I have found that female names are a lot more difficult to get a hit from than male names. I did experiment with female names but it wasn’t surefire and I quickly reverted back to using male names. However, as part of my exploration I did come up with a clever way to get the participant to tell you the sex of a person they are thinking of without ever knowing that they have. The performance would have to be slightly longer, and this adds a slight amount of process to the routine but it is entertaining and therefore shouldn’t detract from the overall performance.
Performer: “I don’t know if you know this but knowing someone’s characteristics characteris tics and traits can often lead you to their thei r name name.. You don’ don ’t believe believe me? How many people called Herbert or Percy do you know that are cool? Joking aside, the person you are thinking of - are they tall or small?” Let the participant answer. " What colour hair do they have?” Let the participant answer. ”What are this person’s hobbies ?"
This is the answer that is important as the person’s hobby will usually lead you to the sex of the person! When you get the participant’s answer you will find that often it will lead you obviously to the sex. As an additional thought you can also get extra hits from the characteristics. I have found that if you wanted to add the characteristics phase to the routine while performing this, and you are asking the participant to think of a male name, the most common description selected by the participant is:
Tall Dark hair (brown black etc.) Medium build The way to approach this is simple: o f this this person, and in a moment you are going to make up 7 want you to think of some characteristics about them. ” Write down the word ‘tall’ and keep it towards yourself, “Is this person tall or small?”
If the participant says tall, then turn it around and show the participant that you were correct. Write ‘dark hair’ (the reason that I use dark hair is it covers a range of colours). hav e?” Performer: “What colour hair does this person have?” Participant: “Brown.”
Again turn your piece of paper around to show that you hit. it. Write down the word ‘Medium’. Performer: “Is this person thin, heavy set or medium?” Participant: “Medium.” If you were feeling particularly bold you could write the word 'sport' and ask for the hobby of the person and if that hits then BOOM! Miracle! If none of the above hit (which can be the case) simply say “I am going to make some notes as we go along.” Write down what the participant says and then finish by saying: “You said the person was XX and their hair colour was XX and their hobby XX. XX. There There is only one nam name e I have have in my mind right now - X X ” This wraps up the routine in such a way that makes the participant believe that by using the description that they have given you, somehow you deduced the thought of name!
Part of the presentation for 'Guess Who' relies on the spectator thinking of a MALE name. We can simply ask them to think of a male name, but in discussion about this part of the routine I came up with a way to ensure that the participant thinks of one without having to do that and Pete suggested I should include here. It could work in conjunction with Pete's idea for discovering whether someone is thinking of a male or female name, and removes the restriction for them in the instructions. (Although this is offered as an alternative, in the original routine this restriction is such a small aside that I don't think it plays as an issue to specify a male name from the start - it's just a case of personal preference.) Instead of initially saying that the participant is going to create a male name, say that they will build up an image of a person in their head. Then use Pete's idea above, asking about Height / Hair colour / Build and Hobbies to work out whether the image is of a male or female person. If you want absolute certainty, you could state "So this is a male, right?" to either get confirmation or denial, but you may be pretty sure without needing to do this - it's a case of personal choice. If the person being thought of is male, continue with the effect of thinking of a name, generated as before from 2 digits of the pin number. However, if the person is female then ask the participant to give a name to her. Continue as though that was an example of the process that you want the participant to go through, but say that of course that could have been influenced by you, so: again but make make this more more random. random. We'll We'll imagi imagine ne that tha t X X X . . . " . . . let's start again " (insert the name that the participant gave to the female image they had built brother. Start by again thinking about ab out his height, heigh t, hair ha ir colo colour, ur, u p ) " . . . has a brother. build and an d hobbies hobbies but bu t this time answer only in your you r min mind. d. Now let's think of a name. name. We'll use use 2 numbers numbers from your yo ur pin code to make this even more random
The rest follows as before, and we have ensured that the name will be male without directly requesting it at the beginning.
'Guess Who?' is one of my 'go to' routines in close up situations. We are going to be using the core method to gain extra pieces of information pertaining to the date the participant was born. Here's how:
D IS00W ESR 1S N ©H ETEE ©JAPE Ei^ i^S © S N E©R TW© S D S © ITS
This was covered in chapter 1, where 3 different methods were discussed. We will assume in this chapter that you have already been through that procedure and know whether wheth er the date date has 1 or 2 digit digits. s.
Jft ftPPLYlJN© '©EESS WE©1T© PEE ©i\TE We will now use a modified form of the 2-digit restrictive force outlined in the previous chapter. Ask the participant to focus on the first digit in the day and and then move to the second digit, ignoring the first. After a few seconds proclaim that you feel the participant sees things better as words, as opposed to numbers. Ask the participant to imagine whatever digit they have in their mind written as a word in the air, and then use the same principle in 'Guess Who?' (moving to the first letter, then creating a male name that begins with that letter). This is very similar to the previous version that uses the written form of a 2 digit number, but this time only a single digit (the second digit) is used to spell the number in the participant's mind.
Here are the possibilities and the most likely names to go with them: 0 1 2, 3 4, 5 6, 7 8 9
Z 0 T F S E N
Zac / Zach Owen Tim or Tom Fred or Frank Steve or Shaun / Sean Ed Neil or Nigel
DEAEH AEHN® W IFE EIO EIO ET AS A PO SSIB SSIB IL ITY “ (pause) (pause) “ . . Performer: "Perfect. Focus on the first digit in the day for me . ignore the first, move to the second. See this digit printed large at the front of your yo ur mind like 'E ig h t'. t' . . . “ (Pause) (Pause) “In “In fact I think you would see this second digit better as a word - so so if i f it was Eight it would be spelt E...I...G...H...T. Are you y ou doing that?"
Participant: "Yeah." Here, we are looking for a reaction on the initial ‘Eight’. If we get a reaction we know it is an Eight and we will leave out the name divination (you can still assign a name beginning with E to the image of the male person built up, but this is done as more of a case of providing further detail instead of being to reveal a thought of name).
INARROY/BN® INARROY/BN® SD SDOWiN T E E L IS T © F POSS PO SSIB IBL L E SN SNAP1ES If we do not get a reaction on the initial 'Eight' we continue to generate a name - having reduced the possible letters by one. At this stage, there are 6 possible letters that the participant could have in mind: Z, O, T, F, S or N. Now continue: Performer: "In your mind gravitate towards the first letter in this word." Participant: "Yeah." Performer: "Can you think of a day of the week starting with this letter?" Participant: "Yes." "In fact let's make it more impressive. Think o f the first male name Performer: "In that pops into your head starting with this letter, but don't go for a unisex name. Be definitive. definit ive. The The more definitive def initive you are the more I can be. be. If the the name is questionable, questionable, dismiss it. For Fo r example, Terri or Toni might be questionable, but Shaun is fine. fine. Obviously don’ don ’t choose choose that now, now, since I ’ve
[Editor’s note: if you pause slightly after the word ‘questionable’ it provides an opportunity for an instant hit if the spectator happens to have quickly thought of Shaun Shaun / Sean - although in general we leave the name reveal reveal until later in the routine.] "I've got one." Participant: "I've
Performer: "I want you to imagine that your date of birth and star sign belongs to this this person. That way way you are viewing the the information from an an objective perspective perspective and it becomes becomes easier eas ier to read."
If the participant says 'yes' when asked if they can think of a day of the week starting with that letter then the only letter they could be thinking of is T, F or S. If the participant says 'no' then the letter they could be thinking of is O, N or Z. Either way, I change the goal posts and get them to think of a name, claiming it would be more impressive. This justifies the reason for creating the name, and methodologically we have reduced the possible letters down to 3.
In the ‘yes’ situation I use the name Shaun/Sean as described in the script above. However, if the spectator answers ‘No’ to the day of the week question then the script is slightly different and becomes: o f the first male name Performer: "In fact let's make it more impressive. Think of that pops into your head starting with this letter, but don't go for a unisex name name.. Be definitive, and if it can be shortened s hortened then you can choose choose if i f you do that. For example, Nathan might be shortened to Nate, but Owen is fine as it is. is. Obviously don't choose choose either eithe r of o f tho those se,, since since I've ju s t said them." them ."
(Asking if they can think of the day of the week starting with the letter is a very clever ruse that was inspired by Atlas Brookings. Atlas uses this question in a very different way but it works so perfectly here.)
From here we will finish in a similar way to 'Guess Who' in chapter 2: T - Tom or Tim F - Fred or Frank S - Steve or Shaun / Sean
or
O - Owen or Oscar or Oli/Oliver N - Neil or Nigel or Nathan/Nate Z - Zac/Zach
The process will be: a) Use one of the techniques outlined in chapter 2 to discover how many letters are in the name. b) Once you know the number of letters in the name, you will be down to 2 possible names. (Note: I have chosen to eliminate Sean/Shaun or Nathan/Nate and Owen - depending on whether the participant can think of a day of the week starting with the letter they are thinking of - because in each case there are other names that the participant could then think of for each letter and it also ensures that there are only 2 names to consider for each possible number of letters.) Finish as outlined in the previous chapter: "Stare at me, and imagine saying this name to me. Okay, I wouldn't usually find it this difficult. difficult. I think it's because you thought thou ght of o f one one name and then changed your mind or were torn between two names. Anyway, that doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you the two names and let's see how close I get...Fred or Frank?"
Where we are heading overall is this: by knowing the name that the participant is thinking of, you will know (using the first letter of the name) what the second digit of the date is (sometimes this will be between two possibilities). For example, if the participant thought of "Frank" or "Fred" you know that the participant must be thinking of a four or a five. This is a clever use of the name divination to gain extra information and I think it really puts a new spin on the idea idea of fishing for information. information. We then put this alongside knowing whether the date has one or two digits to narrow things down to either 2 or 4 possible values. In the above example, if the name is Fred and the participant is thinking of a) a single digit date then it's either 4 or 5 b) a 2-digit date then it's either 14, 15, 24 or 25 As soon as the participant has has created created a name in their mind, mind, and we know know what it is, we will swiftly move into the star sign divination (saving the name revelation for after the star sign). It is important to save the name because it is a much more impressive piece of information to reveal.
I would highly recommend carrying a few multiple outs in your wallet with some of the possible names on, including some that haven't been included in the main effect (like Simon) upon the cards. This is not essential but I find it makes the effect move more seamlessly. I write on each card: "I don't know where where,, why or when but I feel today toda y I will meet someone who who will think of o f the name xx." Have these set up in different positions in your wallet. If you happen to have a multiple out wallet, even better. Leave the wallet on the table throughout the duration of the performance should you need it. It NEVER hurts to have a plan B. I have naturally tried to take into account other likely names, in order to do the routine with no props at any given time, but I still carry these as 'outs' regardless of whether I intend to use them. 4 business cards really do not weigh much or take up much room, and they are easy enough to conceal (whether in separate pockets or different portions of a wallet).
It's also possible to use a mini anagram to discover the name, once you know the number of letters (or even instead of that), but I haven't gone down that route as we will be using an anagram in the next part.
The biggest thing to remember here is that even if you miss on the name (which in my experience is very unlikely) don't worry. It is very likely to be close which you can still count as a hit, and if it's not then this is only one part of a bigger effect. If you really have to ask the name they have in mind, you can still use that to help you to divine the number, and you will still be able to divine the star sign, the month and the date.
It would make the script a bit lengthier (by adding extra process) but the day of the week could be framed as the day that the fictional person was born on. The script would become something like: Performer: "It's said that people born on different days adopt different types of characters. characters. You You may have heard hea rd the poem that begins ‘Monday Mon day’’s child is fair o f face, face, Tuesday’s Tuesday’s child is full o f grace In your yo ur mind gravitate towards the first letter in this word." Participant: "Yes." Performer: "Can you think of a day of the week starting with this letter?" Participant: "Yes." "In fact let's make it i t more impressive. Think of the first male name Performer: "In that pops into your head starting with this letter, but don't go for a unisex name. Be definitive. The The more definitive definit ive you are the more I can be. be. If I f the name is questionable, dismiss it. For example Terri or Toni might be questionable but Shaun
That way the question about a day of the week is tied into the wider presentation, and (if you wanted to) you could add an additional reveal of 'the day that person was born on' once you knew the name, giving 2 reveals for the price of one.
Now move on to divining the star sign. We will use an anagram that I like to call 'Monkeying Around'. The beauty of using an anagram at this point in the process is that you can fish for letters under the guise of 'calibrating' the way that the participant thinks. This will be seen as completely credible (from the participant's perspective) as soon as you move onto divining the name (without fishing for letters).
I would advise the reader to pay close attention to the way that this anagram is constructed and executed as there are lots of little subtleties and nuances that can be applied to many other Zodiac-style routines (these are detailed in between the lines of the anagramming process). To effectively outline my process of constructing and executing the Zodiac anagram I am going to write a hypothetical presentation where the participant’s star sign is Capricorn. I will then break down the performance in detail, piece by piece, outlining all of the nuances and subtleties that I use in performance. I believe this will demonstrate how clean anagrams can look when executed correctly. After first outlining the presentation with just the anagram (to avoid making things unclear), I will then add pieces of performance / scripting around the anagramming process to help disguise the anagram further. You will notice that the scripting and choreography is what makes the anagram beautiful. I know you are waiting to get on with reading the anagram, but let me first point out a few things that historically I didn’t like about using a letter anagram in conjunction with a star sign. These thoughts may be similar to your own, in which case you will appreciate the things I have changed to make the process logical. The first question I always asked myself was "What the hell does seeing the word have to do with star signs?" When you think about something people
consider so emotionally relevant, how can you reduce that to just guessing the word, almost making the process scientific? The second thing I didn't like was the idea of throwing out the letters in a random order. It didn’t make any sense to me. Thirdly, I hated people asking: “IS THERE AN XX IN YOUR SIGN?” Are you kidding kidding me? me? You can read read people, people, so tell them confidently what letters are in the sign. Finally, when it comes down to the last two star signs I didn’t want to ask several more questions. I wanted that part of the process to be streamlined and handled beautifully, and to make it feel as though I really was feeling what they are like as a person and reading them for real. As a result, result, I have tried to create viable reasons that were logical, logical, to wash away the things I didn’t like when anagramming. You might think I am running when not being chased; I would argue that I am just going the extra mile. So how did I remedy these problems? Here's my take on star sign anagramming. I hope you like it! Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?” Participant: “I do.” Performer: 7 certainly think it is a fascinating subject, and I am a great believer in the fact that even though the stars are thousands of miles away, they really can and do have an effect effe ct on our lives here and now. now. I would like to read you, you, with your yo ur permission o f course course,, to not only intuit your yo ur star sign, sign, but to learn about you during that process. ” Participant: “That is fine with me.” Performer: “It might get a little bit rocky in places, but this is nothing more than connection building. Building a connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of minutes. Some people are better bette r at seeing letters, letters, others are better bett er at seeing pictures. I need to figure out how you think. All I need you to do is to imagine your star sign written in the air. air. I want you to imagine looking lookin g over ove r all of the the letters of your yo ur star sign sign and ju s t beam them towards me. me. The The clearer you can imagine this, this, the easier eas ier it will be for fo r me. me. There is one thing I will point out. Because you have not mentally transmitted a piece o f informatio infor mation n before, I think we we should make this process proc ess fun. The The guicker guic ker your yo ur mind spins the the easier eas ier it is for me me to receive your thoughts. I want you to imagine seeing the letters in the star sign in a completely random order. Keep changing through the letters randomly, in any order or der you choose. choose. Can Can I
The participant gives the performer her hands. Performer: “Don’t say anything unless I ask you a direct question. Focus on the star sign written in the air between us...like...LEO. Are you seeing the letters from YOUR sign in the air?” Participant: “lam .” Performer: “Great, then we can begin. Keep changing through the letters, stop there, there, go back. There Th ere’’s an R in this, this, corr c orrect ect?” ?” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “There's also an A.” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “I am getting slightly confused now. I think the connection has weakened slightly. slightly. There There isn't a letter lett er I in the the star sign sign,, is there?” the re?” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “You are doing perfectly, though I might in a moment have to resort to you focusing focusi ng on the picture o f this star sta r sig sign. n. Is there there an ‘S ’ in there?” there ?” Participant: “No.” “Ok, can you you jus ju s t in you r mind count the the numbe nu mberr of letters in the Performer: “Ok, star sig sign n for me?” me ?” The participant starts to count. Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you can.” The participant starts to focus. “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of o f information informat ion has ju s t flooded floode d Performer: “Wow, in. in. I now know you focus on things aesthetically aestheti cally instead instea d of o f analytically. analytically. You’ Yo u’re re a Capricorn, correct?”
Participant: 7 am!” It’s as simple as that. What I have done is created a logical explanation for a lot of the flaws that I found in common star sign anagrams. Let me point out the star sign anagram I use and then I will go back over the presentation and break it down piece by piece to show you why I applied certain 'excuses' and 'washes'.
the i m m a e m You will be throwing out these letters in this sequence: R. A. I. S. E. the word (RAISE) A lot lot of performers use R.I.A.S.E. R.I.A.S.E. but I have found from a presentational point point of view using R.A.I.S.E. is easier to remember and flows better. Let’s look at this in anagram form:
The chart is incredibly easy to follow. You say a letter and if you get a 'No' then you move to the right; if you get a 'Yes' you move down the chart to the next letter. This is the anagram in its simplest form, but with presentation it becomes so much more. Let’s look at our example of ‘Capricorn’ again and break it down piece by piece. Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?” Asking this question is the start of the anagramming process. process. I will base my performance on the participant’s answer. I want to create instant rapport, and
therefore the way to do it is essentially to agree with their viewpoint. No performance of mine is ever the same. Participant: “Ido.” In this performance the participant does believe in them; this is the scenario I find occurs the most frequently. If the participant says 'No', then make a judgment on their answer in a positive way. way. What do I mean mean by that? Let’s assume the participant says 'No'. Respond with: “That tells me you are a logical thinker who tries to see the systematic side of things things.. That’s That’s great, and I think what I am about to show you will fit perfectl perf ectly y with the way you think. ”
You have complimented them for thinking this way, therefore maintaining rapport instead of brushing against the way they think. If the person is on the fence about believing, I might say: “Are you open to experiencing something new and exciting that might change your viewpoint?" viewpoint?"
Then I move into the next line about the stars. Performer: “I certainly believe it is a fascinating subject. I am a great believer in the fact that even though the stars are thousands of miles away, they really can and do have an effect effec t on on our ou r lives live s here and now. now. I would like to read you, with with your permission of course course,, to not only intuit you r star sign but also learn about you during that process. process. ”
I ask for the participant’s permission to read them. This suggests that what I am doing is private, and there must be something about to be read. Think about this for a second. If I wasn’t really going to get inside the participant’s mind, why would I ask that question? It gives what I am about to do an instant air of credibility and at the same time I think it is theatrically strong. Participant: “That is fine with me.” In this scenario the person said it was fine; if the person says 'No' then I always always respect their the ir wishes. wishes.
Performer: “It might get a little bit rocky in places, but this is nothing more than connection building. Building a connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of minutes. ”
This provides a logical early excuse if you get a ’No' response in performance. In this system that will only ever happen once, and it won't seem like a miss. In other systems you could get two. I have taken principles from outside anagramming that fit perfectly to ensure that you can only ever get one 'No' response, and that is in such a logical place that it will never be remembered. I always hated the idea of apparently being wrong after you have been right so many times, and I feel that is one of the main issues with using anagrams. I really focussed and spent time ensuring that I tied these areas up logically. Now I never worry, because the logical justification is more than enough (after they agree with it) to ensure that they don't even think about a miss. In fact, it opens the doors to you being bolder. Al l I need you to do is to imagine you r star sign sign written in the air. air. I Performer: “All want you to imagine looking over all of the letters of your star sign and just beam them towards me. me. The The clearer clea rer you can imagine this the easier easi er it will be for me. me. There There is one thing I will point poi nt out: because you have not mentally mentall y transmitted transmitt ed a piece o f information before, I think we should make this process proces s fun. fun. The The quicker quic ker your yo ur mind spins the easier it is for fo r me me to receive your you r thoughts. I want you to imagine seeing the letters in the star sign in a completely random order. Keep changing through the letters randomly, in any order you choose choose
Again, Again, another pet hate of mine when using using anagrams is the seemingly random nature of picking up on letters. We don’t focus on words in a random order, so why would we receive them in a random order? I thought about it, and this idea seemed very plausible and gave me an excuse for receiving them in a random order. Performer: “Can I take your hands?” This is theatrical but suggests to the participant that some connection has been created. Why would I do it if that wasn't the case? The participant gives me her hands.
Performer: “Don’t say anything unless I ask you a direct question. Focus on your star sign written in the air between us...like...LEO. Are you seeing the letters from YOUR sign in the air?” This is a very important section; the timing is essential here. I first mute the participant. Remember Remem ber at this moment in time we don’t do n’t know know what the participant’s star sign is. If we get a 'No' on the letter R, we can see by looking at the anagram outlined above that there are three star signs it could be (Leo, Pisces, Gemini). I need to eliminate one of those star signs before any letter is ever thrown out, to cover the eventuality that there isn’t an R in there. I need to be on a branch with two signs not three. Let’s take a look at why I mute the participant from speaking. I ensure the participant doesn't say a word during this first part of the anagram because I need to stop them from saying “That isn’t my star sign” when I mention Leo. I do this by carefully thinking about the way that I throw out Leo, as the timing of it is essential. Take a look at the script. There is a slight pause before the word 'like' and then again a pause before you say “Leo”. The reason for the pause is because if the participant’s star sign is Leo, they will react as though you got it right and you won't need to continue with the rest of the anagram. If they don't react as though you have hit their sign, you need to follow up directly with: “Are you seeing the letters from YOUR sign in the air?”
Slightly emphasise 'YOUR', which suggests that you know Leo isn’t their sign and you were just using it as an example. If it is Leo, it will appear to be a miracle and then you can move into the reading from here. If not, move straight on. Participant: 7 am.” “Great, then we can begin. The The first thing I am feeling is there is an Performer: “Great, R in this, correct?” I point out that we are ready to begin. This indirectly suggests that you haven't already begun. Participant: “Yes.
In this scenario it is a hit; if it's not and there is no R in the star sign, move straight into asking the participant to focus on it as a picture (outlined in this example after the letter S). For demonstration purposes, let’s assume the participant says 'No' at this stage. The signs would now be Pisces or Gemini, and you can use Derren Brown’s 'Repeat it’ principle: instruct the participant to focus on their picture and whilst focusing on it to just keep saying the title of the picture pictu re over ov er and over, . like Pisces, Pisces, Pisces ." If the participant reacts instantly, jump on the reaction and say: “I was feeling that was your sign.” If not, simply respond with “Just repeat it over and over again like that. ” Now you know they must be a Gemini. Seemingly, a miracle has taken place. In our hypothetical scenario (where the star sign is Capricorn) there is an R. When we deduce that this letter is in their sign, we receive positive affirmation and therefore we move on to the next branch of the anagram. Performer: “There is also an A.” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: 7 am getting slightly confused now, like the connection has weakened slightly. slightly. There There is not a letter lette r I in the star sign, sign, is there?” ther e?” This is another important line. By claiming you are getting slightly confused, it provides an excuse for a miss. Remember, probability tells us that the further you get down the anagram the greater the chance there is of getting a 'No' from the participant on each subsequent question. I have taken this into account and have offered another logical excuse / reminder to 'wash away' the 'No'. If you haven’t noticed, I have also applied a closed ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question which is “There isn’t the letter I in the star sign, is there?” Say this with a little bit of a confused tone. Look at the question again more closely. It enables us to ensure that your response to the participant’s answer will always be a hit, as whatever the participant answers you have a line there isn ’t ” prepared. For example, let’s say the participant responds “No, there Quickly continue with “I didn’t think so,” and smile as though the pressure of doubt has been removed from your mind. Now move into the line “Focus on this as a picture."
It never seems to be a miss. On one occasion (after mentioning I was losing the connection), the participant’s phone began to ring and when the tha t explains why. why. That really real ly threw me off. off. participant stopped it I said “Ah that Where were we?" This gave me a logical reason for getting a 'No' later as I could point out that the phone interrupted me and I needed to refocus. In our hypothetical scenario there is an I in the star sign so the response from the participant would be 'Yes'. Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “I might in a moment have to resort to you focusing on the picture o f this star sign. sign. There There is an S in there? the re?”” I have suggested to the participant several times that this could fail at any moment. In this scenario I am indirectly blaming the participant for not being able to focus on the letters, and that’s the reason we are having to shift to pictures - it's almost blaming them for the reason that I got a 'No' and therefore it doesn't play as if I've made a mistake. In this hypothetical scenario, suppose we get a 'No' at this part of the anagram. Participant: “No.” “Ok, can you ju s t in your you r mind count the number numbe r of letters in the Performer: “Ok, star sig sign n for me?” me ?” The participant starts to count. Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you can.” The participant starts to focus. Here I apply Michael Murray’s CUP’s technique. I would for any other letter apply Derren Brown’s 'Repeat it’ principle, but as I keep striving for the 'perfect' version, on this letter I use the CUP’s approach. I notice the participant is struggling to count (had it been Libra then the response would have been instantaneous). I cut them off after a few seconds and continue. “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of o f information has ju s t flooded floode d Performer: “Wow, in. in. I now know you focus on things aestheticall aest hetically y rather rathe r than than analytically. ”
I now claim that a wealth of information has come through, as a result of the participant thinking in a different way. This gives you a perfect opportunity to read the person, and at the same time it 'washes away' the miss by implying
that you have discovered how the participant thinks. Remember, you told the participant right at the start that you needed to find the connection. Performer: “You’re a Capricorn, correct?” You now reveal the star sign. Your work here is done. You have gained credibility and with no props (not that I think props are an issue) you have collected several pieces of information about the participant that you may not have known before. Fin! (If I was performing this as a standalone piece, I would now give a reading of the person based on their star sign.)
This is written as a standalone piece that enables you to reveal the star sign of the person that you are performing to. In Isabella's Star 3, remember that it is the star sign of a fictional person that the participant is thinking of, so 'your sign' should be replaced with 'the sign' or 'the sign that you're thinking of in the above script.
As an additional idea, idea, when it comes to revealing revealing the star sign, sign, because this is about a fictional person you could also give a quick 'cold read' about that person by asking the participant to focus on what they think are that person's characteristics. This opportunity provides an additional 'hit' and comes as a freebie in the routine. The beauty of it is that you can't miss, because it's not about the person you are performing to, or even someone that they know. The script would be: "So now thinking about this person's characteristics I'm feeling that they are X, X, Y and Z, Z, and some people believe that th at they are characteristics often associated with someone who is a Scorpio." X, Y and Z could be any general, positive statements of your choice. The worst that could happen is that the participant says "Well I pictured him as a really nasty piece of work" to which the response is "That's quite unusual for a Scorpio" and this
finishes with the hit on the star sign anyway.
This enables you to remember the 2 star signs at each branch easily, using a visual memory aid, and it can be learned very quickly. Picture a lion watching a dance off featuring a chimpanzee versus a cat. The chimp is really going for it, dancing his heart out, then stops and gestures at the cat who ignores him, makes no attempt to dance, but just sits there licking its arse. Technically it's an American cat and is licking its ass. I apologise if the crudeness offends the reader, but it will help you to remember the progressive anagram. Just remember to keep a straight face in performance! Here's how: Picture a lion (LEO) Watching a dance off featuring a chimpanzee. . . (In the UK we had a famous advertising campaign featuring chimpanzees for PG Tips tea. PG - PISCES and GEMINI. You may prefer instead, particularly if you're not from the UK, to think of a PiG for the same 2 letters.) Versus (VS - VIRGO and SCORPIO) A cat (CaT - CANCER AND JAURUS) Licking (LiC - UBRA AND CAPRICORN) Its ass (ASs - AQUARIUS AND SAGITTARIUS) Technically ARIES is not included in this, but since it's the only star sign that is an anagram of the 'RAISE' letters that you use for the main divination, it's easy to remember. In fact, in the same way I usually don't bother picturing a lion watching as LEO is easy to remember as the first sign in the progressive anagram.
ff)I ff)I! / Ii\ jit\[ jit\ [ 0 TJ HE IMW IMWOSMTE Following the reveal of the star sign, this is where you move into divining the month that the participant was born in. After utilising the 'Monkeying Around' anagram we will know the star sign, and therefore have reduced the possible months in which the participant could be born down to 2. After performing this hundreds of times, I now know which months belong to which star signs (it's not difficult to learn). The way I learned it was by using Stephen Young's poem (which he has given me permission to include here): A q u a r i u s
r ai n s s o t h e f i s h
c an
s w i m . T h e r am
an d
th e b u ll c o m e
c h a r g i n g i n. n. T w i n s o n g i a n t c r a b s w i l l r i d e . T h e l i o n s l e ep ep s b y th th e v i r g i n ' s side. To balance out the Scorpion's sting, the archer hunts the goat for its skin.
This is really simple yet elegant, and so easy to remember. It outlines the months perfectly. Hold up a finger as you say each sign and all twelve are accounted for. In order they are (the number corresponds to the month that they START in - on roughly the 20th, although this does fluctuate slightly between different months - and they then continue into the next month): 1) Aquarius
January or February
2) Pisces - fish
February or March
3) Aries - ram
March or April
4) Taurus - bull
April or May
5) Gemini - twins
May or June
6) Cancer - crab
June or July
7) Leo - lion
July or August
8) Virgo - virgin
August or September Septem ber
9) Libra - scales, balance out
September or October
10) Scorpio - scorpion
October or November
11) Sagittarius - archer
November or December
12) Capricorn - goat
December or January
There is a very, very important rule to remember here. IF at the beginning you found out that it was a single digit date, then you will automatically know the month as it must be the second month of the 2 possibilities for that star sign.
If it is a double digit date then you will now need to divine the exact month from the choice of 2 that each star sign covers. This is a very important part of the process as it is going to aid us in getting down to one of 2 days for the chosen date of birth. There are a number of different ways to achieve this which are outlined below. Each one is as practical as the next but the route that you choose should be dictated by the situation that you are in and what you have already used in performance.
This is my 'go to' method for ascertaining the month as I usually perform this effect on the fly when the moment calls for it. After you have guessed the star sign you you are going to be down to 1 in 2 months. months. Let's for example say that it is is Taurus - this would give you April or May. Say to your participant: "You "You were were born born in A p r il . . . "
Pause very briefly, waiting for a confirmation. "No, it's May isn’t it?"
Your timing here is crucial. You have to pause and catch the person before they say 'no' and then continue with the rest of the script. If the participant reacts when you throw out the first month then there is no need to continue the script. This is quick, simple and elegant. If timed perfectly it really flies straight by people. You could also use another linguistic hanging statement that I thought I had created (but I later found out that Yaniv Deautsch has something similar). Again we will use the example of Taurus: "Whe "When n I first met you you I assumed assumed you were born born in A p r il . . . " (pau (pause se)) ". ". . . "but I'm glad I didn't follow my assumptions. You're You're born born in May, May, right?" right? "
Again this is a simple verbal verbal way of reducing reducing down down to one month. month. The hanging hanging statement is the method I use more than any other. As an alternative to the hanging statement above, you could apply the 'Wash Principle' instead.
The Wash Principle can be used verbally or physically. This principle (when used wisely) will significantly reduce your chances of 'missing'. In this instance, we will assume that you are working with numbers. Imagine that you are fishing for a number someone is thinking of out of a series of numbers (like a pin divination, to give this a real world context). You have deduced that the last digit is odd and is reasonably low (3 or 5). Address the participant: “Can you think of the last digit for me? Imagine drawing the number in the air; imagine seeing all the different lines and the way the number is constructed. Concentrate for me but don't say anything out loud. ”
This is where you pick one of the odd numbers (let's assume you have chosen 5.) Start to draw the number quite big in the air (remember to draw it from their perspective so you are in essence drawing it backwards). Watch the participant’s face; if they react by starting to smirk, you know it's that number! If not, wipe the air clean and shake your head as though you are not seeing it clearly. Secretly we now know it isn’t 5 and therefore we know it is 3! Even if you didn’t hit with the choice of 5, you corrected yourself and therefore have NEVER missed. The theatrics are also beautiful here as it really is just two minds working in unison. The same principle can be used here between 2 star signs. The initial letter needs to be drawn clearly in the air to get the reaction from the participant. [Note: I wouldn't use the Wash Principle with Cancer - June or July]
TEE 'TEEEiYE BT* EE€)Y Providing you haven't used this earlier, at the end of the star sign divination you can use this method to reduce the month down to one. Repeated use of this technique removes its impact, but for a single use it is very strong. More generally, some of the main techniques that I use in this routine are Hanging Hanging Statements, Statements, the Wash Principle, Principle, the 'Repeat 'Repeat itit . . . ' ploy and and the CUP’s technique. In many cases one can be replaced with another (based on personal preference) at each stage, but be mindful of which of these techniques you have used and try not to use the same one twice.
One method that I highly recommend if you are using this as a stage piece (or for a group in a close-up setting) is to discover whether the month is odd or even, and for this we use a form of 'audience polling' or 'matrixing'. For those not accustomed with audience polling, it's the process of asking your audience to raise their hand when you ask a question. Let us say you wanted to find someone in the audience that banked with a particular bank, because you have information about that bank that you can use as an effect. You would hide your request amongst other questions but it might sound like this:
Performer: "Just to show you how varied the audience is here, by a show of hands how many people like rock ro ck music?"
(Pause) "How "How about RnB?" R nB?"
(Pause) "Dance music? These are examples of social choices, but what about our different tastes in making more personal decisions? Who banks with HSBC?"
(Pause) "Santander?"
(Pause) "Lloyds? I think we've proven that there are a wide variety of people in this room, all with different mindsets. In fact there is no one person in this room that is exactly the same as you in the way that you think."
All you are doing is spotting spotting two people that bank with the bank you know information about. The reason for picking two people is in case one of them hasn't brought their bank card. This is essentially the art of matrixing.
I wanted a way to do this without the participants having to raise their hand, as personally I think that asking is the wrong way to do this. As a result, here is the script that I came up with, which I think is really solid:
Performer: "The way we think is completely influenced by the music we listen to, the films we watch, the stars we were born under and the people that we choose to let into our lives. It is said that those born on an odd month or a waning star are better at building an image in their mind by hearing their own voice inside their the ir head, head, whereas people born on an an even month are better bett er visually. visually. I persona pers onally lly don’ do n’tt know how accurate this is but let's put it to the test. test. The people in the audience who were born on an odd month close your eyes now to block out your sight and imagine your own voice telling you a fact about yourself. It can be a star sign, pin code, a random name - anything you wish. For the people born on an even month close your eyes now and imagine seeing an image of that random piece of information. If it's a pin code, imagine pressing the buttons on a pin pad. If it's a name, imagine seeing the person wearing a name badge."
The word "now" needs emphasising to ensure that the audience do this at the correct time. The beauty of using this technique is that everyone has their eyes closed at the end when you say: "Everyone open open your you r eyes and shake shake yourselves off. I am am going to attempt atte mpt to pick up on a few of the the things that you you created in your yo ur mind ju st now. no w.""
This is an epic line as it completely suggests that when you later guess things you will be revealing the things that they just cooked up in their minds, rather than things that you have set the parameters for. All you have to do is watch for the people who close their eyes first! You now know that they are born on an odd month. Remember one or two of these people. Perform a couple of other routines and when you move into Isabella's Star 3 later and use 'Monkeying Around' to get the star sign you will know exactly which month they were born in, as it will be the odd month out of the two possibilities. Note to reader: Devin Knight uses a polling system involving participants closing their eyes (which is different to the above as half the audience have their eyes open and half closed), but I personally feel that this tips the method to one part of the routine if anyone was to attempt to backtrack. By having everyone close their eyes and then placing emphasis on "everyone" when you ask them to open them again, you completely 'kill' any backtrackable method. (That's not to say that you cannot choose to do it this way.) Fraser Parker has an interesting take on Devin's principle that he has allowed me to contribute here.
Let's say I secretly know the colour of the participant's thought of card. I can now apply the eye cues to work out which of the two possible suits they are thinking of, as follows: “If you are thinking thinking of a Heart I want you to to just ju st close close your you r eyes eyes for me " [pause] . and focus on a time when you felt passionately towards someone or something. If this is a Spade then focus on a memory when ...If this is a Diamond then focus on... And finally, if this is a Club then focus on... Now, Now, open you yo u r eyes. eyes. ”
What this scripting does is to allow us to know with complete accuracy which one of the two possible suits they are thinking of. If we already know they are thinking of one of the red suits and we place one of these at the front of our instructions then it becomes an easy matter to work out which which of these they are thinking thinking of - whilst at the the same time making the selection field look much larger. What is clever about the scripting is how it allows us to nail down and eliminate one of these possible thoughts. We give the following instruction followed by a slight pause. “If you are thinking of a Heart I want you to just close your eyes for me."
[Pause.]
Because we pause for a second or two, the spectator will understand what you say to be a direct instruction and will therefore close their eyes at this point, if they are indeed thinking of a Heart. If they are not thinking of a Heart then they will keep their eyes open and we then automatically know they must be thinking of the opposite suit of the same colour: Diamonds.
This would be obvious if it were not for the fact that we simply continue with our script, script, no matter how the spectator responds - and and we do this this without seeming to be interested or taking any real notice. It will appear to the spectator that we were always going to list each of the possibilities while they
had their eyes closed. This will cause them to feel that they simply missed our instruction for them to close their eyes from the start.
This is a slight reframe refra me that occurs occurs,, naturally natura lly - our actions, and how what we do appears outwardly, is what changes the meaning of our words and our apparent intentions as well. This shifts the perception of the spectator, in line with the illusion we wish to create. create. If the spectat spe ctator or closes their eyes from the start, then great! Everything will look as it should. If they don't close their eyes then all we need to do is remind them to close their eyes after we have given them each of the different options. It's as easy as that! Thanks to the shift in meaning that takes place, everyone will be none the wiser.
As you can can see, see, labelling labelling each each suit with a different memory or category also allows you to essentially get two two thoughts for one - if you know the suit then then you also know the memory.
Now that we have defined the exact month that the participant was born we can move into the revelation of the name, after using the 'Guess Who?' techniques from chapter 3
PBJTTBtNB BT TBBFTB-IEB
INARR0WiLI NARR0WiLI® ® B0 B0W1M ¥ 0 ¥ ¥ © POSS OSSIBLE B A TES TES Divining the name gives you the second digit of the date, within one digit. So it could be: a) 0 (if the name starts with a Z i.e. Zac or Zach) or b) b) 1 (if the name starts with O) or c) 2 or 3 (if the name starts with T) or d) 4 or 5 (if the name starts with F) or e) 6 or 7 (if the name starts with S) or f) 8 (if you get a hit when you mention 8, and therefore leave out the name anagram part) or g) 9 (if the name starts with N) Once you know the name, the month and whether the day of the month has one digit or two, you will know that the date of birth is one of 2 dates (which I will wrap up shortly to bring us down to 1). Since star signs start around the 20th of each month a single digit date instantly eliminates the first month so you will know it's the second month of
of October. If instead we know that the date is a two digit number and then we determine which month the participant is born in, this gives us a vital piece of information. If it's the first month in a star sign then it's in the 20s or 30s. If it's in the second month in a star sign it's in the 10s. Let's take the above example of Libra and use the name Steve again. As I mentioned previously, Libra falls over September and October. If it's September (which is the earlier month of the two) we know it's in the 20s so this time (using Steve) it would be the 26th or 27th of September. If it's October (the second month in the star sign) then we instantly know it's in the tens so this time it would be the 16th or 17th of October. This works because Libra doesn't start until after the middle of September so it can't be in the 10s in that first month. This is one of the most important things to remember in this effect. Watch the performance videos back to get to grips with this section of the routine as it is crucial. The following tables give some examples of the possibilities for different dates and names:
Date ends in:
6 or 7
Star siqn:
Libra
Months:
September or October
Single or double digit
First or second second of the 2
date
possible months
Single
Second (Oct)
6th or 7th Oct
Double
First (Sept)
26th or 27th Sept
Double
Second (Oct)
16th or 17th Oct
Possible dates
Date ends in:
4 or 5
Star siqn:
Scorpio
Months:
October or November
Sinqle or double diqit
First or second of the 2
date
possible months
Single
Second (Nov)
4th or 5th Nov
Double
First (Oct)
24thor 25th Oct
Double
Second (Nov)
14th or 15th Nov
Date ends in:
0
Star siqn:
Sagittarius
Months:
November or December
Sinqle or double diqit
First or second of the 2
date
possible months
Single
-
Not possible
Double
First (Nov)
30th Nov
Double
Second (Dec)
10th or 20th Dec
Possible dates
Possib le dates dates
Date ends in:
1
Star siqn:
Aqu Aquar ariu ius s
Months:
January or February
Sinqle or double diqit
First or second second of the 2
date
possible months
Single
Second(Feb)
1st Feb
Double
First (Jan)
21st or 31st Jan
Double
Second(Feb)
11th Feb
Possible dates
In each case once you know the second digit, the star sign and which month it is then you are down to at most 2 possible dates. However, there are 2 situations that we need to take into account. Now that you have understood the basic idea, let's look at each of them in turn.
Name:
Tim
Date ends in:
2 or 3
Star siqn:
Cancer
Months:
June or July
Sinqle or double diqit
First or second o f the 2
date
possible months
Single
Second (July)
2nd or 3rd July
Double
First (June)
22nd or 23rd June
Double
Second (July)
12th or 13th or 22nd
Possible d ates ates
July
The example on the previous page is a special case, and occurs when the spectator's date ends in a 2 or 3, and falls in a star sign with 22 as the ‘cusp’ date i.e. just before the star sign changes (so Cancer, Leo, Virgo or Libra). Although this only affects 12 dates in the calendar year, year, those 12 dates (12th (12th / 13th / 22nd of July / Aug / Sep / Oct) will lead to 3 possible dates at the end.
AQ UA RIUS
PISCES
ARIE S
TAURU S
GE M IN I
Jan 20th Feb 18th
Feb Feb 19th March 20th
March 21st Ap ril 19th
April 20th May 20th
May 21st June 20th
LEO
VIRGO
LIB RA
SCORPIO SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
July 23rd Aug 22n d
Aug 23rd Sep t 22n d
Sept 23rd Oc t 22n d
Oct 23rd No v 2 1s t
Nov 22nd Dec 21s t
CANCER June 21st July 22nd
CAPRICORN Dec22nd Jan19th
I will outline 3 ways to deal with this:
At the beginning of o f the routine say: say: "You weren't born on the cusp of two signs, were you?”
(Wait for the answer) Performer: "The reason I ask is that you might have characteristics that are tied over from another sign and that can totally throw me off as sometimes the characteristics characteristics are contrasting." contrastin g."
If the participant says that they were born on the cusp of two signs I respond with "/ felt so". Then move on to the above line of script about the reason I asked the question. The spectator's confirmation or denial will then help you to know whether the date is the 22nd, when you know later that there are 3 possible dates. This method does rely on you knowing the cusp dates, or at least the dates affected by this situation.
[Note: personally, if the participant says that they were born on the cusp of 2 signs I perform the routine differently to how I usually would from this point. I ask the person to think of their sign and I deduce the sign and after deducing the sign I give the participant a brief reading based on their sign and finish by revealing the exact date. I know the exact date because I know the cusp date that fits that particular sign and that's why there is a benefit to learning the cusp dates.]
TETO T/1E© T/1E© O UT T T /E B T Y T Y /0 Y T TUT BEOfiTlTHTJ© (In a similar way to throwing out the 8 and eliminating the name part if it hits which was detailed earlier.) on the day for fo r me. me. Ignore the month for f or a few seconds sec onds Start by saying "Focus on and cycle between the two numbers in the day in your mind, over and over."
This (or one of the other methods in chapter 2) establishes whether it is a double digit date. If it's not then the scenario we are dealing with here can't happen so there is no problem. "Keep "Keep repeating the date in your yo ur mind, mind, like 22 22, 22, 22, 22 . . . "
If this gets a reaction then you've nailed 22 at the very beginning of the routine, without any process. You then proceed with the star sign anagram and then get the month. If it doesn't then you know it's not 22 and so if you find yourself in this special case then you know that only the 12th and 13th are left so you have reduced down to just 2 possibilities. Then continue as before with: "Perfe "Perfect. ct. Focus on on the the first digit in the the day for m e . . . “ (pau (pause) se) " . . . ignore the first, first, move to the second second.. See this digit printed prin ted large at the front of o f your yo ur mind like Fight ' . . . " (Pause) “In fact I think you would see this second digit better as a word - so if it was Eight it would be spelt E...I...G...H...T. Are you doing that?"
YSKBBO BE BOTE BfiOfiTS TEE TEE STifiiE If you don't like using the same idea to throw out 22, and then a moment later throwing out 8 then once you know it's a double digit date you could ask "Are both digits the same here?" The response will then eliminate or confirm 22 if you later find that you are in this special case scenario.
Let's assume you know the name is Owen and the date has 2 digits. If the star sign is Gemini then the possible double digit dates would be 21st or 31st May (i.e. two days in the first month) or the 11th June (i.e. one day in the second month). However, if the star sign is Leo then the possible double digit dates would be 31st July (i.e. one in the first month) or the 11th or 21st August (i.e. two in the second month). If it is Pisces then the possible double digit dates would be 21st Feb (i.e. one in the first month) or 11th (i.e. one in the second month). This illustrates that knowing how many possible days there are for the first or second months depends on knowing what the cusp dates are. (The same thing applies for numbers ending in 0.) Personally, I took my time to learn the cusp dates and therefore to me it makes this part of the routine extremely simple. However, the way that we deal with the final 2 way out means that you can do this routine without worrying about when each star sign begins and ends.
For this we are going to use an idea from Max Maven. Suppose that you know that the date ends in a 0, and it is a double digit date in the first month. For this example, we'll assume that the star sign is Leo. Even Even if you you don't don 't rememb r emember er whether whet her Leo starts before, on or after the 20th 20th (in reality the only possibility is 30th July) this will work. On a piece of card write:
This covers both possibilities (even if, unbeknown to you, 20th isn't even an option for that star sign in the first month). When the participant says which date they are thinking of at the end, turn it round to show them your prediction and cover up with your thumb / fingers the value that is incorrect / irrelevant.
In the same way, if it is a double digit date in the second month then write:
In a similar fashion, this method will cover every other 2 way out scenario and remove the necessity for you to learn the cusp dates. Writing down the reveal serves as a point of reference, and also makes it more theatrical. In a similar way (as an example to illustrate my point), if we take a look at a 'which hand' style routine where the participant simply imagines the coin (instead of physically holding a coin), I feel that when it comes to the revelation it can be boring and flat for the audience. The reason that it can be underwhelming is that the only confirmation that they have that you were right is the reaction of the participant. If the participant’s reaction is flat, then that’s what you can expect from your audience. If the participant is physically holding a coin the audience have confirmation when the participant opens their hand and it gives them a moment in which they can react and the routine comes to a bigger crescendo. The same thing applies here with the reveal of the birthday.
EvETEEEJETBWE EEVEEE After Afte r the first draft of this book was complete, complete, we looked looked further into each part part of the routine and saw that some people had commented on the final reveal within Max Maven’s original routine, because that approach prevented the performer from being able to hand the card out at the end. Whilst this routine is large enough in scope to ensure that not handing the card out really shouldn’t be a huge issue, it did feel as though it would be preferable to find a way to do that (especially since the reveal is on a business card). We wanted this routine to be as complete as possible and we didn’t want to leave anything in that we felt could still benefit from further improvement. Here is my solution:
Start with a stack of business cards that have been signed by you in advance, and put a blank business card on the face. Write the 2 way reveal exactly as detailed earlier, covering up one outcome and revealing the other as described. After that reveal, take the card and add it to the face of the stack of cards, but in doing so glide the next card (which has a signature on it already, without the audience knowing that) aside so the actual prediction card just shown can be placed back second from the face. Reach for a pen and say “Let me sign that. Whilst the participant thinks you are signing the card (but you don’t need to because, unbeknown to them, the new face card is already signed) you actually write the correct date on. That way you create another version of the prediction that can be given away.
EDITOR’S DOTE Pete and I both set about resolving the issue of not being able to hand out the card at the end and our results were similar, but with a small difference. As a result we have decided to present both as alternatives for the reader. My version requires a similar set up in advance, but this time with your initials rather than your signature (or as an alternative you could use today’s date) written on them in advance. It also requires the ability to double write without it being obvious to the participant. Hold the stack of business cards blank side towards towa rds you and write wr ite (for examp ex ample) le) 20th July 30th on the face card as before, bef ore, but upjog the card in your hand before you do. If you start to write it when you are revealing the name, this provides a logical reason to start, then stop and start again which masks the time it takes to write ‘20th July 30th’ on the face card as well as also writing ‘July’ on the next card. Place the ‘20th July 30th’ card on the table and reveal the prediction as before, then take it back and say ‘Til add my initials.” (Again, this could be today’s date instead.) Whilst apparently doing this, write in the ‘20th’ or ‘30th’ to create a version of the reveal that can be given away. I think this version gains from the initials (or date) being so small in length that even if there was any suspicion of what you are doing (which there shouldn’t be at this point in the routine) you could never be writing the whole birth date at the end. However, the cost is the ability to convincingly double write at the beginning which isn’t an issue with Pete’s version.
TiHF tMOINTIH You may not be comfortable with using star signs in your act. I personally love them and would always use that method. Alternatively, you might just prefer this anagram to the star sign anagram as an alternative way of getting the month. Note to reader: in the same way as before, this works by moving to the right when you get a 'no' response, and when you get a 'yes' response you continue on down the tree.
With this Anagram I would start with a 'closed' yes or no question: "There's not an A in there is there?"
If they say 'yes' simply move on down the tree swiftly. However if they say 'no' then quickly continue with: "I didn't think so, but there is a B in there?"
Continue down the anagram.
When you do get to the month, it enables you to casually ask about the star sign as you've deduced the month and this won't seem important now. "I'm intrigued, does that make you a Taurus ora Gemini?"
By starting the sentence with "I'm intrigued" the participant will not challenge your question and will respond with their sign. It is usually best to give a small reading after being told the sign.
Note: If the answer to the first question (about A) is 'No' then you can use the CUP’s technique before asking about B. That way, based on how long it takes the participant to respond to your question about how many letters it contains, you will already know whether it is a short name (and hence June or July) or longer (hence September, October, November or December). You can then miss out the question about B if it's June or July, to avoid another 'No' response, or choose to include it and get a guaranteed 'Yes' if it's one of the others.
TO
B R F i M F H i i R F K T flfl - IB 7 € )B ) B J 8 P D J A TT TT F S
Here are the cusp dates again:
AQ UA RIU S
PISCES
AR IES
TAUR US
G E M IN I
Jan 20th Feb Feb 18th
Feb Feb 19th March 20th
March 21st Ap ril 19th
Apri l 20th May 20th
May 21st June 20th
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
July 23rd Au g 22n d
Aug 23rd Sep t 22n d
Oct 23rd No v 21 st
Nov 22nd Dec 21s t
Sept 23rd Oc t 22n d
Laid out from Aquarius to Capricorn the final date in each sign is: 18, 20, 19, 20, 20, 22, 22, 22, 22, 21,21, 19
CAN CER June 21st July 22nd
CAPRICORN Dec 22nd Jan 19th
THE TELEPHONE P1ETHC© One way to remember the cusp dates is to imagine the last digit of each of the above numbers as a telephone number: In this case think: 809 double doub le 0 quadruple quadr uple 2 119 119 It doesn't take long to learn a telephone number, and as we are solely focusing on the second digit we reduce the number of digits to remember plus there are repeated digits which also makes the memory process easier.
THE STORY P5ETHOD Another Anoth er method method is to create a story based based on the numbers numbers,, I would suggest again focusing on the second digit solely. Here is an example story: 80 9 year olds with 0.0 pocket money stole 2 quads and drove down route 119 Of course, this is an example, and creating your own story will make it easier for you to remember. Don't be intimidated by the cusp dates. Take your time to learn as much about this as possible. I promise that even outside this effect it will come in handy.
One issue that crops up over and over again is the language difference with star sign anagrams, so I am quickly going to share how to construct an anagram. I will attempt to be brief on this, and please remember that it doesn’t just apply to star signs. signs. You can create an anagram using using any list list of words that you like! I am going to do this in a language I don’t speak - FRENCH. We would then apply the same techniques and subtleties as with the anagram in English. Here are a list of the star signs in French. Belier Taureau Gemeaux Cancer Lion Vierge
Aries: Aries: Taurus: Gemini: Cancer: Leo: Virgo:
Libra: Scorpio: Sagittarius: Capricorn: Aquarius: Aquarius: Pisces:
Balance Scorpion Sagittaire Capricorne Verseau Poissons
To create an anagram first do a frequency analysis of how many times each letter appears across all of the signs. The table below summarises the results:
A
B
c
D
E
F
G
H
1
J
K
L
M
10
2
6
0
13
0
3
0
8
0
0
3
1
N
0
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
6
6
3
0
9
6
3
4
2
0
1
0
0
The most common letter is E, so this will be the first letter called in the progressive anagram. We now eliminate any signs that do not contain an E (these are highlighted in red below). Aries: Aries: Taurus: Gemini: Cancer: Leo: Virgo:
Belier Taureau Gemeaux Cancer Lion Vierge
Libra: Scorpio: Sagittarius: Capricorn: Aquarius: Aquarius: Pisces:
Balance Scorpion Sagittaire Capricorne Verseau Poissons
These 3 signs will be the 'No' outcomes on the first part of the progressive anagram, which so far looks like this:
E
Lion or Scorpion or Poissons
Next repeat the process by doing a frequency analysis of how many times each letter appears across the remaining 9 signs. The table below summarises the results (E is highlighted in yellow as it has already been used in the anagram):
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
1
J
K
L
M
10
2
5
0
13
0
3
0
5
0
0
2
1
N
0
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
3
1
1
0
8
2
3
4
2
0
1
0
0
The most common letter (apart from E) is now A, so this will be the second letter called in the progressive anagram. We now eliminate any signs that do not contain an A, and highlight them in red to go with the first three. Aries: Taurus: Gemini: Cancer: Leo: Virgo:
Libra: Scorpio: Sagittarius: Capricorn: Aquarius: Pisces:
Belier Taureau Gemeaux Cancer Lion Vierae
Balance Scorpion Sagittaire Capricorne Verseau Poissons
These 2 signs will be the 'No' outcomes on the second part of the progressive anagram, which now looks like this:
Lion or Scorpion or Poissons
E Yes
! A
Yes
I
No
Belier or or Vierge Vierge
Repeat the analysis on the remaining 7 signs:
A 1 0 N 3
1
C 5
D 0
E 9
F 0
G 2
H 0
1 3
J 0
K 0
L 1
M 1
0 1
P 1
a 0
R 6
S 2
T 3
u 4
V 1
w 0
X 1
Y 0
Z 0
B
This time tim e choose R, R, since A and E have already alre ady been used. used. Eliminate Elim inate any signs that do not contain an R, and highlight them in red to go with the first three. Aries: Aries: Taurus: Gemini: Cancer:
Belier
Leo: Virgo:
Lion
Libra: Scorpio: Sagittarius: Capricorn: Aquarius: Aquarius: Pisces:
Taureau Gemeaux Cancer Vierge
Balance Scorpion Sagittaire Capricorne Verseau Poissons
These 2 signs will be the 'No' outcomes on the third part of the progressive anagram: No Yes
I
No
A Yes
I
Belier Belier orVierge orVierge
No
R Yes
Lion or Scorpion or Poissons Poissons
Gemeaux or Balance
I
Finally do the frequency analysis on the remaining 5 signs to give:
A 7
B 0
C 4
D 0
E 6
F 0
G 1
H 0
1 3
J 0
K 0
L 0
M 0
N 2
0 1
P 1
Q 0
R 6
S 2
T 3
U 3
V 1
w 0
X 0
Y 0
Z 0
Choose C (since E, A and R have already been used) and then use the remaining signs without a C as the 'No' outcomes on the fourth part of the progressive anagram. anagram. Aries: Aries: Taurus: Gemini: Cancer: Leo: Virgo:
Belier
Taureau
Gemeaux Cancer Lion Vierge
Libra: Scorpio: Saaittarius: Capricorn: Aquarius: Pisces:
Balance Scorpion Saaittaire
Capricorne Ver Verseau seau
Poissons
The 2 that remain will go at the bottom of the completed anagram.
TEE FBElftE EREBS10E STM? Si©EJ AWAGRfflP1 Lion or Scorpion or Poissons Belier or Vierge
Gemeaux or Balance
Taureau or Sagittaire orVerseau Cancer Cancer o r Capricorne
I am sure that if I spoke French I could clean it up even more. I hope that you get the idea of how easy it is to create an anagram, and if you want it bad enough then take your time to do it. I honestly think it is worth it. I really hated anagrams until I started using them and I would now say that in close up this is one of my go to pieces for any place, any time mentalism. Some people also seem to have an issue with star signs only having a probability of 1/12, but people who believe in astrology don’t see it that way at all! Probability
Bob Farmer and Ray Grismer for their work on star sign anagrams Bob Bob Farmer - Fate Fate Accompli (1986) Ray Grismer - What’s Wh at’s my sign? (1986) Michael Murray for inspiring the CUP’s technique, and for the ‘Adam Ant’ principle, both from A Piece of My Mind (2014) Derren Brown for his 'Repeat it' principle First released in the routine ‘Smoke’ from Pure Effect (first edition self-published late 1990s) Max Maven for the written two way out from Positive Negative on Videomind Volume 2 (1997) Steve Haresign, who came up with the idea of restricting the choice of letters to T, F and S from the spelling of numbers. His work on this principle will be published in his upcoming book ‘Do Animals Believe in God?’ Louis Cipher for your constant inspiration. It’s been a real pleasure working with you. Atlas Brookings, Brookings, who inspired inspired the question question about thinking of a day of the week beginning with the thought of letter. Devin Knight for the principle behind Four Told (2011) Stephen E. Young for his poem that helps you to remember the order of the star signs.
