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Goat's Grimoire José Prager
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I dedicate this book to my father, and to my soul mate, Mónica.
Father, you taught me the game, and you taught me how to play it right.
Mónica, yes, it was love at first sight.
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Illustrations by Gonzalo Carrera Graniel
Proofread by Mike Vance & Mauricio Jaramillo
© C op y r i gh t 2013 by Jos é P r ager
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the creator of this work. All rights reserved.
No p ar t of th i s p u bl i cati on m ay be r ep r odu ce d, s tor ed i n a r etr i eval s y s tem , or tr ans m i tted, i n any f or m or by any m eans , el e ctr oni c, m ech ani cal , p h otocop y i ng, r ecor di ng, th e i nter net, or oth er wi s e, wi th ou t th e p r i or p er m i s s i on of th e au th or i n wr i ti ng.
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Contents Preface.............................. ...................................................... .....
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3386........................................................................................ .....
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This eye.................................................................................. .....
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Duplo............................................................................ ......
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This eye 2...................................................................................
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This eye 3................................................. ...................................
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The goat knew me.................................................................. ..
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Heavy amnesia....................................................................... ..
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Mind flight............................................................................. ...
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The Scanner................................................................. .....
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Psychological jar.................................................................... ..
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Mr. Green's system................................................................ ..
1 04
Goat touch.............................................................................. ...
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Blank bank.......................................................... .......................
1 22
Leatherface................................................................... ....
1 26
PK team.................................................................................. .....
1 33
Cliff.............................................................................. .......
1 37
Acknowledgements................................................................
1 40
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Preface
What you are holding between your hands is a collection of nine, fully scripted, mentalism routines and five utility devices that have been carefully developed and successfully tested by me with the help of Luke Jermay and Peter Turner.
After each effect, you will also find what I like to call Peter Turner's "Golden Touches," which take each effect to a level you never thought possible. Read carefully. There are many hidden gems between the lines.
José Prager April 201 3
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3386 Jose Prager & Luke Jermay
3 3 8 6 E f f ect: The performer begins, addressing a woman in the group:
“I can already sense that you are the type of person who is open to new and unusual experiences. I get the feeling that you have a great deal of untapped creative energy; you are the type of person who has 10 proj ects going all at once; you find it a little difficult to finish those proj ects, but you have a really active imagination. This is good news, as for successful demonstrations of telepathy, a strong imagination is one of the vital elements. Would you like to try an experiment?”
The spectator smiles and agrees. The performer continues:
“OK , I am going to try to tell you one of your most deeply protected secrets. Already many things are coming into your mind—those things that you would really rather I not know, the things that you really would rather I not tell everyone here.”
The performer allows the weight of his claim to set in, and then after a beat smiles to break the tension, and continues:
“I n your mind, focus on a piece of information that I could not know.”
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The performer pauses, and after a moment or two continues:
“OK , not that. Change your mind and go for something else. J ust allow your mind to cycle through different pieces of information that a stranger would not, could not, know about you. I will work with whatever my imagination brings to me.”
The performer pauses and then smiles:
“P erfect. We will go for something personal but safe, something you will be able to change: your P in number. J ust focus your mind even stronger on your P in number.”
The performer pauses and writes something on a piece of paper. After a moment or two, he looks at the paper and then scribbles it out, without anyone seeing what he has written. Seemingly, he has made a mistake, but continues addressing the participant:
“P lease really focus your mind on your P in number. I know this is something that perhaps you would prefer I not know, and that makes sense, however the brain is an amazing thing. The moment we even begin to think about something, the full thought forms. So right now, even if you try to resist, the moment I plant the idea of walking to the ATM
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and pressing the numbers, your numbers, your P in number, into the machine, it appears fully in your mind. I t is odd, isn’t it?”
The spectator agrees that even as they were trying to not think about their Pin number, they did. The performer continues:
“P erfect. I knew you were the perfect person for this.”
After a moment, the performer writes something new on the paper, which he folds and hands to the participant, who holds it in their hand in a closed fist. He mentions:
“I am committed. I cannot change my mind. H owever, I do not think I will regret my final decision.”
Addressing the participant, the performer continues: “P lease be 100% honest. What is your P in number?”
The participant replies: 2678
The performer smiles and continues:
“Good. I do not regret my decision. I will show you my decision in a moment, however first I want to try something else, something more 11
difficult. I knew that you were the type of person with great untapped creative potential, the type of person with great imagination, the vital skill when it comes to successful telepathy. So I want to see if you can read my mind. I t is only fair. I know your P in number; now it is time for you to try to find out mine.”
The performer takes a second blank page of paper and opens it and writes something on it, and refolds it, handing it back to the spectator to hold. He continues:
“I have again committed myself. I have written my P in number on the paper. I want you to follow my guidance, and I am confident you will be able to read my mind. I am 99% sure of that. Do not try to work this out logically, there is no way you can. Do not try to rely on reasoning, there is no reasoning. J ust follow the first thought, the first idea that comes into your head. Listen to my instructions and do not second-guess your first thought, your first intuition.”
The performer leads the participant through a series of instructions, at the end of which she forms a set of numbers in her mind, which she says aloud. The performer takes the paper from the participant and opens it, so only he can see what is written on the paper. The performer once again asks that the participant say aloud the number she had in mind,
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the number she formed when trying to guess the performer's Pin number. She replies: 3386.
The mentalist turns the paper around dramatically, revealing that the participant guessed the performer's Pin number accurately.
The performer again asks the participant to say her own Pin number aloud. Amazingly, written on the other piece of paper for all to see is the very same number.
3 3 8 6 S etu p : On a blank billet, in the centre, write "0000." Now scribble over these numbers until they cannot be read. Ensure you have rendered these numbers totally illegible by scribbling them out. This will be used later to subtly prove that you wrote their Pin number before they told you theirs.
3 3 8 6 M eth od: As with much mentalism, the real secret to this routine is in the scripting and the delivery of that scripting in performance. The mechanical method is simple, allowing you to really focus on delivering the performance your audience deserves. We will detail the mechanical method for this routine in this part of the manuscript. I suggest you 13
follow along with some billets in hand to really understand how simple, easy and smooth this routine will be in performance. When you have fully understood the mechanical method for this routine, please go back and read the performance script again a few times. It has been designed to make the performance of this routine as smooth and easy for you as possible. While it is possible to change the script to suit your own personal style, I suggest you retain the general structure and form of the script, as it includes many hidden linguistic deceptions that will increase the impact of your performance.
Begin by asking your participant to think of their Pin number. After a dramatic pause, pretend to write 4 digits on the blank billet, and after a few seconds to scribble them out; use your nail against the paper to simulate the sound of the pen on the paper. Ask your participant to concentrate harder, and after a few seconds write 3386, fold it into quarters, place it into your spectator's hand and ask her to make a fist around it. Claim that you have committed yourself and that you can't change your mind. Ask them to be honest and to say their Pin out loud.
At this point, commit their Pin to memory! It is only 4 digits, so this should not be too difficult; however, I tend to turn the numbers into images in my mind using some simple memory techniques, just to be sure I will not forget them. Say that, before showing if you are right or
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wrong, you want them to try to read your mind. They will attempt to guess your Pin number.
Take the prepared billet (the billet on which you earlier wrote 0000 and then scribbled out), and write their Pin just below the scribbles, fold it the same way as the first one and place it inside their fist. They now hold their Pin and your Pin in their fist.
Tell your participant that you will concentrate on your Pin and they are going to receive it; you will guide them since they have never done something like this. Ask her to let go of reasoning and to allow the numbers to come to her mind. You will make use of an adjusted psychological force. At first glance this may appear to be the same as the classic 37 force. However, please pay close attention to it as you read it and you will soon see the differences. Frame the use of this psychological force as ‘a guided process, to help them succeed as they are new to this’ and instruct the spectator to bring the numbers to mind at each stage of the force.
For example: “I am going to guide you. Since this is your first time, please do not second-guess yourself; go with your very first instinct, your true intuitive reaction. We will work 2 digits at a time. Let's begin with the first 2 numbers in my P in. The first two digits, together, make a 15
number lower than 50. Both digits are odd in fact; they are the same number repeated—11 would work, but 15 would not. Already I know there are two numbers that have come into your mind. Lock those numbers in your mind and do not change your mind. I t is vital we work with the very first reaction you have.”
You have now successfully executed a modified psychological force. This is my method to force the number 33, and it will hit 99.99% of the time. In the years I have been using it, I have found it to be highly reliable and highly effective. You will now continue with the forcing process, having the spectator focus their mind on the final 2 digits in the number:
“You are already doing remarkably well. Let's now turn our attention to the final 2 digits.
“Together they form a number bigger than 50, and this time both are even and different one from the other. Again I can sense you already have numbers in mind. P lease lock those into your mind for me. Do not change your mind. Trust your first reactions.”
You now explain that they have to mentally place the first two digits followed by the other two digits to form a complete Pin:
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“Great. P lease take the first numbers that came into your mind, and put them in front of the others. You should have 4 digits in your mind, 4 digits that have come to your mind, with no real reasoning or logic. They are j ust arriving in your mind from your own imagination, your own intuition and instinct. I can already tell you, I am thrilled I asked you to do this…”
You will next take the billets from the spectator's hand. Open and hold one in each hand, making sure that the writing on them is facing you and not visible to anyone else. Ask the participant to name out loud the Pin they formed inside their head when trying to guess your Pin number. Turn around the 3386 billet to reveal that they successfully received your Pin! This is the first formal climax within the routine. Allow the impact of this moment to really sink in, and for your audience to show their appreciation. Do not be tempted to rush to the final climax and in the process not give this strong moment the time is deserves to sink in.
I am a mind reader, so I know as you read this you are thinking to yourself: ‘What happens if the force misses?’ Thanks to my 33 force, they will always get at least two digits out of four. If they get two or three digits correct, it is still very impressive; don't forget to congratulate them! If they do not get the force 1 00% correct, simply handle this as a
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‘warm-up test’ and congratulate them for whatever success they did achieve.
Now continue with the second formal climax of the routine. Ask the participant to name their Pin number out loud. After a suitable dramatic pause, turn the other billet around to reveal that you correctly received their Pin! The subtle detail of the scribbled number convinces everyone that that is the first billet you used, making the one-ahead principle completely invisible.
You need to deliver the Pin force smoothly and quickly. One of the easiest ways to do this is by memorizing the Pin force script. Here is the complete Pin force script; read out loud and repeat, repeat, repeat, until you are 1 00% comfortable with delivering the script each and every time in performance:
“I am going to concentrate on my P in, and hopefully you are going to receive it. Let go of reasoning and allow the numbers to come to your mind. I am going to guide you since this is the first time you have done this…To make it easy for you, I will think in two digits at a time. The first two digits I am concentrating on, together, make a number lower than 50. Both digits are odd, and in fact they are the same number repeated. For example, 11 would be OK , but 15 would N OT. Got a number in mind? P erfect. P lease remember it. N ow I am going to 18
concentrate on the last two digits. Together they form a number greater than 50; this time both are even and different one from the other. Got a number in mind? Great! N ow please place in your mind the first two digits followed by the other two digits to form a complete P in, and make sure you remember it.”
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : One thing I always take into account in performance is logic; an effect minus logic is often so transparent that it makes the effect see-through and easy to work out from an audience’s perspective, often making the simplest pieces of mind reading seem bolder in performance than they need to be.
One such principle that has long been a problem for me and other performers I have talked to is the one-ahead: a devastatingly simple principle that is so easy to perform badly. It is not so much the principle or effect of a one-ahead that is the difficulty, but a logical reason as to why the participant should say their thought out loud at all. Here I offer a logical reason that I have been using for a long time and perfectly fits this type of routine (a one-phrase one-ahead).
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C l os e u p {I will frame this in the context of the current routine.} “I would like to try something a little interesting with you. Can you generate a four-digit number in your mind for me? And please, for the purpose of this, make it as random as possible.
“For all intents and purposes, this number could be a pin code, but to protect your privacy, I am obviously not going to reveal your actual pin code, so this will make a nice substitute.
“Let’s take this a step further. I want you to constantly keep changing the numbers, so even you don’t know what numbers you are going to generate.
“I am going to commit to my thoughts on this card, and after this I will give you a chance to change your mind further. Then whatever four digits you say out loud after this point, after you have changed your mind as many times as you like, will be your final decision. I want you to j ust keep changing the numbers in your mind.”
The performer writes down his impressions. (Write 3386.)
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“Change your mind a few more times (pause a few seconds) and say the four digits that are in your head right now (snap your fingers) . These four digits are the four digits that you have committed to. Are you entirely happy that these numbers are completely random?”
(Let the participant answer)
“From this point onward, I will refer to these numbers as your pin code.”
[What is great about this approach is that there is now a logical reason as to why the participant is saying the numbers out loud. Look at this in a simplified sense. They are repeatedly changing their mind and only commit to the four digits when they say them out loud. So they have to say them out loud, which is great as it logically makes sense.
Another interesting thing to point out here is that anybody who steps into the effect at this point will hear the four digits being called a pin code and see a much more impressive effect!]
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S tage An interesting principle for stage with a one-ahead is something that is often overlooked, but very simple, and from the audience's perspective makes this entire thing completely impossible.
Ask a member of the audience to stand. After you have repeated the above script about changing their mind and mentioned that whatever digits they say out loud are going to be the digits that they commit to, you write your impressions (WRITE NOTHING) and place it somewhere everyone can see.
Make a point of saying to the audience that you have committed to the number on which you think they are going to settle. Say to the participant:
“I am going to ask you what the numbers are in few seconds, but for now let me ask you a couple of questions. ”
(Ask a couple of random questions.)
In fact, I am going to change my mind, pick up the prediction, pretend to scribble it out and now write "3386." (THIS OBVIOUSLY SETS US UP FOR OUR PLOY LATER, BUT ALSO SOMETHING EVEN MORE
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BEAUTIFUL.) Approach the participant, take his/her wrists and look right at her and say:
“I think I am happy with what I chose.”
Ask for a round of applause and walk the participant to the stage. Under the round of applause, say:
“Sorry, I forgot to ask. What were the digits you chose?”
The participant will sing like a canary, believing you have committed to something. And now you have your piece of information.
[As you can see, this is beautiful, as no one else in the room knows that you know the four digits, meaning no one else in the room could ever even begin to work out the method.]
After you have proceeded to get the participant to make a guess at your number, say to the participant:
“Can you tell the audience FOR TH E FI RST TI ME what your four digits were?”
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[This one line will psychologically imply to the audience that the digits were never said out loud before that moment.]
{As you can see with the above two pieces, they are beautifully constructed in a way that not only makes them logical, but also makes the method more water tight. These principles don’t have to be applied to just this routine, but can be applied to any routine that requires any sort of one-ahead, making them great for flexibility purposes.}
T h e s wi tch Another thing that always bothered me about a one-ahead (or one behind) was the switch at the end. You can always mis-number the cards if there is more than one phrase, but in this circumstance there is only one phrase.
So I have found this method to be the most convenient and disarming. All you need for this is a wine glass or shallow glass (not a shot glass). When you have committed to your thought, screw it into a ball and drop it into the glass. Once the participant has committed to their thought, ask them to crumple theirs and drop it into the glass also.
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Now stay away from the glass and reiterate the events to the audience; this creates a time delay. Bring everyone’s focus back to the glass and ask the participant to tip it onto the table.
When the participant pours out the glass, it naturally makes it impossible to keep track of whose ball of paper is whose and makes them only identifiable via the squiggle inside.
[As you can see, this technique will work in stage, parlor or close-up scenarios.]
T h e l ogi c f or th e p ar ti ci p ant ’s r es tr i cti ons This is something I often talk about in depth: restricting without seeming restrictive. The force at the end of this routine (in order to get the participant to guess your pin code) is a very old force reframed. What I am going to do here is offer my personal opinions on how to make it seem even fairer, shedding a new light not only onto this force, but any force that has the same (or similar) restrictions.
“I am going to guide you. Since this is your first time, please do not second-guess yourself; go with your very first instinct, your true intuitive reaction. We will work two digits at a time. Let's begin with two of the numbers in my P in. For now, it doesn’t matter which two.
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“D o you think this two-digit number is above fifty or below fifty?”
Let them answer. Give them a completely FREE CHOICE. [The reason you give them a free choice is that they can either aim at the first two digits or the last two.]
If they say below fifty, apply this force.
“The only clues that I am going to give you are that both digits are odd. I n fact, they are the same number repeated—eleven would work, but fifteen would not. Already I know there are two numbers that have come into your mind. Lock those numbers in your mind and do not change your mind. I t is vital we work with the very first reaction you have.”
You have now successfully executed a modified psychological force. This is my method to force the number thirty-three, and it will hit 95% of the time (in my opinion).
If they say above fifty, great. Just have them go for the second two digits with this force.
“The only clues I am going to give you are that both digits are even, and they are both different from one from the other. So sixty-six would not work, but sixty-eight would. I can sense you already have numbers in 26
mind. P lease lock those into your mind for me. Do not change your mind. Trust your first reactions.”
This sets you up for something so psychologically fair.
I f th ey went f or bel ow f i f ty th e f i r s t ti m e “Because you went for a number below fifty last time, let’s make it interesting this time. Go for two digits higher than fifty, and this time because YOU WEN T FOR ODD, make both of these digits even and different one from the other. So sixty-six would not work, but sixtyeight would. I can sense you already have numbers in mind. P lease lock those into your mind for me. Do not change your mind. Trust your first reactions.”
[You will notice the little line I slipped in that will fly right by, but will be great when the participant creates a false memory later on. They will think they chose odd or even the first time. The reason this flies by is that you are giving your participant instruction, and because of the social compliance created (with them guessing a number), they are practically forced to stay mute until you have finished giving them instructions. By the time you have finished giving them instructions, they are focused on the instructions and forget the one slipped-in line.]
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I f th ey went f or above f i f ty th e f i r s t ti m e “Because you went for a number above fifty last time, this time go for a number below fifty, and because YOU WEN T FOR EVEN , this time make both digits odd. I n fact, make it the same number repeated—eleven would work, but fifteen obviously would not. Already I know there are two numbers that have come into your mind. Lock those numbers in your mind and do not change your mind. I t is vital we work with the very first reaction you have.”
[This is all about reframing the force depending on the participant’s choices. You may notice by doing the force this way that the two digits might be back to front…Is that a problem?
In all honesty, I would not be bothered if the participant gets the four digits in the wrong order. This can look stronger sometimes (after all, it is their first time mind reading).
If this is something you potentially worry about, don’t! Fifty percent of the time, they will (based on probability) accidently get them in the right order, so again this is not something you have to worry about, as you get the kicker of revealing their “pin code.”]
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A noth er s u btl ety f or ens u r i ng a s tr ong f i ni s h There is another thing I took note of when reading this routine. You have to ensure that the routine ends on the strongest possible outcome. With the problem of the participant missing a couple of numbers (it is not likely but still possible), you HAVE to ensure that their guess is opened first.
The reason is, if by some anomaly in probability they miss the numbers, then you can still open yours and be 1 00% perfect, meaning you are going to finish on a really high note.
The way to achieve this is to draw a black dot on the back of the first billet (before you start the routine), and when you crumple it up, ensure that you can see it. Don’t make the dot so big that the participant notices it. Just to reiterate, the dot goes on the back of the billet on which you are going to write 3386.
When the glass is tipped over, nonchalantly remark, “I am not sure whose is whose, but open that one first,” while pointing to the billet with the dot.
Now, even if the participant only gets two of the four digits, she gets a round of applause, which is great for a first attempt, but it ensures you
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get a more rapturous round of applause when you open the one with their pin code.
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T h i s ey e ef f ect: The performer hands one spectator a pen and a blank card.
He begins:
“I would like to try an experiment of a specific skill. This skill is known as psychometry. I t is the idea that an obj ect handled by someone somehow retains information about that person. To do this, we need some ‘target’ information.
“P lease, I would like you to write on the paper you have a place that you would like to travel to in the future. I t can be anywhere you would like, but it must be somewhere you have not travelled to in the past, but somewhere you would like to travel to in the future. When you are finished, fold it in half so the writing is on the inside and recap the pen.”
The performer turns his back to ensure that he cannot see what is being written. When the spectator has finished his writing, the performer extends his hands behind his back and asks for the paper.
The performer turns back to face the spectator and continues:
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“I get the sense that this is the desire of someone who has faced many challenges in their life, someone who finds themselves at a crossroads. Soon a mentor figure will present themselves to you, and if you follow their guidance you will begin to move in the direction you want to...this has been your past. I n your present you are faced with decisions on a personal level, decisions that you must deal with now.
“The secret is to allow the past to stay in the past so you can move toward the future you deserve... look at this eye...”
The performer points with his left hand to his right eye.
After a moment of focus the performer continues:
“I have good news for you...”
The performer turns his back and hands the paper back to his participant. After the participant has taken it, the performer again faces him and says: “I see you in the future on a beach, in a sunny place, relaxing with a significant other, someone very special to you, that you have not yet met. I see you in Brazil...where is it you wanted to travel?”
The spectator confirms that this is indeed where she desires to travel. 33
T h i s ey e s etu p : My Duplo gimmick is at the core of this method, so let me please first explain to you how to construct what I like to call an “organic duplication system.”
M ater i al s R equ i r ed:
A black Sharpie (fine point) marker
A black Crayola washable ink marker
Pair of scissors
I ns tr u cti ons : 1 . Open the Crayola marker from the bottom and remove its ink cartridge.
2. Using a pair of scissors, cut off approximately one inch from the Crayola cartidge.
3. Take the Sharpie and remove its ink cartridge (do not remove the tip).
4. Once the Sharpie’s cartridge has been removed, insert the Crayola cartridge into the Sharpie’s barrel and reassemble the Sharpie.
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5. After the Sharpie has been reassembled, take a blank piece of paper, business card, etc., and scribble on it until the remaining Sharpie (permanent) ink is gone.
W h at does th e gi m m i ck do? It allows you to obtain an impression from a business card. You will need to place some saliva on the palm of your hand. Then, you will need to apply a bit of pressure while ensuring that your palm makes direct contact with the spectator's drawing on the unfolded card.
T h i s ey e m eth od: The key to the routine is to ensure that the touching of the paper causes the spectators to understand, without saying it, why the paper is being held behind the back. This process, when performed, makes total sense. Review the scripting for this performance piece to properly understand the manner in which this is handled.
Hand out your Duplo gimmicked pen and instruct your spectator to record the name of a destination they would like to travel to in their future.
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Here is the first major performance point: you will turn this routine into a performance piece of predicting the spectator's future.
You can use any single piece of information the spectator can desire in the their future. It could be the number of children they would like, an item they would like to own, the car they would like to drive—anything that a spectator can desire owning/attaining in the future. If you wish to make this routine more ‘spiritual’ in nature, you could ask the spectator to record the quality that they wish to improve in their personality. In this manner, the routine becomes about personal growth.
Whatever presentational hook you decide upon to achieve the revelation of the information, you will hear the spectator recap the pen while your back is turned. As soon as you hear it, you are going to lick the palm (fleshy part near your thumb) and immediately to place both of your hands behind your back (right over the left). Have the spectator hand you the paper behind your back, turn around and deliver this line while you apply the impression of the word to your left palm:
“I get the sense that this is the desire of someone who has faced many challenges in their life, someone who finds themselves at a crossroads. Soon a mentor figure will present themselves to you, and if you follow their guidance, you will begin to move in the direction you want to...this
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has been your past. I n your present you are faced with decisions on a personal level, decisions that you must deal with now.
“The secret is to allow the past to stay in the past so you can move toward the future you deserve...”
Bring your hand with the impression to the front (hiding the impression inside your hand), and point to your eye and continue:
“Look at this eye...”
After a few seconds of focus:
“I have good news for you...”
Turn your back to hand the billet back to your spectator with your right hand, and at the same time take a peek at impression in your left palm, which will be very close to your face. This is a beautiful, invisible, fluid peek.
Face your spectator and finish:
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“I see you in the future on a beach, in a sunny place, relaxing with a significant other, someone very special to you, that you have not yet met. I see you in Brazil...where is it you wanted to travel?”
The spectator confirms that this is indeed where she desires to travel.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : This is a great routine; the scripts and presentations are fantastic. I thought I would add a variation with a few of my touches and subtleties that I thought of when I read this wonderful piece.
The first thing about this that stood out for me was the title “The eye”; when I think of a psychic eye, I instantly think of the center of my forehead, and because of that I want to shape that around the core of my presentation.
The scripts for the routine are going to stay the same. The only difference is that I am going to use three cards instead of one, making this a "sneak thief"-type routine (but I think you will agree that this is a beautiful method) and not similar in any sense to sneak thief (confused??).
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[Here is the streamlined presentation]: The performer places a blindfold upon his head and is verified to be essentially blind. Three business cards are introduced and handed one at a time to the participant. On these business cards, the participant is instructed to write, upon two of them, places they have been and, on one, a place she wishes to go.
(The performer can be out of the room at this point if the participant so wishes.)
The cards are mixed up into ANY order; they are examined to ensure that there are no bumps in the cards and no way to feel that they are different. (That’s right, no nail nicks or visible differences.)
The performer states that he is going to identify the card that has the place that the participant wants to visit by his skills of intuition.
The cards are then brought one at a time up to the performer’s third eye (his forehead), and after a little deliberating he says to the participant:
“Something amazing is about to happen. I f I correctly identify the card that has the destination you want to travel to on it, stand up and walk back to your seat. When you walk toward your seat, the audience will burst into a round of applause.” 39
The participant freaks out and makes her way to her seat while the audience applauds rapturously.
The performer removes his blindfold and stops the applause. He calls for the participant to stop and looks right into her eyes for a few seconds and says: “I s the place you want to go Brazil?”
When it is confirmed by the participant, the audience breaks into another round of applause. Sounds interesting, right?
B r eak down First I will tackle how to identify the card and then get into the subtleties.
The trick to this is a technique called olfactory. There is not much written on this subject, but this makes for a very simple way to tell on which card the place is written…so simple I think it will make you smile.
Take a business card, spray it with perfume from a distance and let it dry out. Now take two identical cards and place them behind the perfumed card.
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I n p er f or m ance Hand the card with the perfume on it to the participant to write the destination they want to travel to first. Then have them write destinations they have been to on the other two. All you have to do when you bring the cards up to your forehead is to smell them, and whichever one kicks off the smell of perfume is the right card!
Simple, but so effective.
[This part of the routine is all about theatrics; pretend you are having trouble divining the exact card, and in close-up performance always reveal the destination card last. By saying, "I don’t think this is it… or this… I think this is it! "
A quick note: the only difference between close up and stage is the blindfold; when close up you can close your eyes. It is just the same.]
T h e p eek Performing the routine this way also gives us a massive amount of time to peek and a disconnection from the billet, which makes the thing seem even more impressive from the audience and participant's perspective.
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Not only that, it gives us two ways to gain the information. The first way is simple and requires no gimmicks, as you say to the participant:
“I believe it is this card.”
All you have to do is hold the card below your nose, face up, so the participant is looking down, giving you all the time in the world to employ a downward peek from the blindfold, and the misdirection creates itself logically.
[For those new to blindfold work, tie a blindfold around your head and you will notice you can clearly see straight down the sides of your nose!]
What is great about this is that you have set up your participant to take the card and to head straight back to their seat, to a round of applause. This is your cue to remove your blindfold.
If you are in a close-up environment and you aren’t using a blindfold, you can place it (after finding what you believe the card to be) behind your back and use the impression-to-hand (Duplo) described in the actual routine. BUT
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I would create a time delay here and hand her the card to fold and to place away and then move into another routine. During the dead time in the next routine, I would turn and reveal the place.
[This is great, as it not only kills dead time in another routine, meaning you don’t have to make up “filler,” but it also ties the two routines together and is so disjointed from the participant placing the card into their pocket that it is impossible to backtrack, making the reaction larger.]
An important thing to focus on here is the time-delay principle; it is something I have discussed at great length in the past. Don’t be tempted to reveal a piece of information just because you have it. You can save it for later in use for a one-ahead, or part of a Q&A. If you let three or four pieces of information like this build up (remember the aim of the effect was just to locate the card), you will have a beautiful Q&A that is sure fire.
You could also take this piece of information and place it into your confabulation at the end, or use it as part of an ultra-clean mental epic. The point I am trying to express (forgive me for my tangent) is that you can use this information for much, much more later.
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Describe the feelings you get from this place. If you know what it looks like, describe a few things from there and go on a remote viewing journey with your participant.
Doing this, you can apply something so wonderful; after revealing the place, after having them feel and mentally travel with you, you can nonchalantly say, “You can now tick this off of your to-go list.”
If you say that line with conviction, I promise you it will make your audience/participant feel amazed. What’s even more amazing is how they describe the effect afterward to their friends!
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T h i s ey e 2 ef f ect: The performer hands two spectators a pen and a blank business card each. He begins:
“I would like to try an experiment in the unexplained, a blind test of a specific skill. This skill is known as psychometry. I t is the idea that an obj ect handled by someone somehow retains information about that person. To do this, we need some ‘target’ information.
“P lease, I would like each of you to write on the paper you have a place that you would like to travel to in the future. I t can be anywhere you would like, but it must be somewhere you have not travelled to in the past, but somewhere you would like to travel to in the future.
“When you are finished, fold it in half so the writing is on the inside. When you are finished, please hand them to me.”
The performer turns his back and extends his hands behind his back, to ensure that he cannot see what is being written. When the spectators have finished their writing and handed the papers to the performer, he openly mixes the papers as he continues:
“We will pick one of the papers as a random target.”
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The performer continues to mix the papers behind his back as he turns around to face the spectators again. He then brings one of the papers from behind his back in each hand and instantly hands them to the spectators for which he is performing. He continues:
“I will work with the paper I feel drawn to the most, the paper from which I feel the most vibration.”
The performer places his hands above the papers, and then after a moment of focus, he continues by reaching forward, grabbing one of the papers, closing it in his hand and closing his eyes.
After a moment or two, he continues still with his eyes closed:
“I get the sense that this is the desire of someone who has faced many challenges in their life, someone who finds themselves at a crossroads. Soon a mentor figure will present themselves to you, and if you follow their guidance, you will begin to move in the direction you want to.”
The performer opens his eyes and locks his gaze with one of the assisting spectators and continues:
“I am talking to you, aren’t I ? This is you; this has been your past. I n your present you are faced with decisions on a personal level, decisions 46
that you must deal with now. The secret is to allow the past to stay in the past, so you can move toward the future you deserve. I have good news for you. I see you in the future on a beach, in a sunny place, relaxing with a significant other, someone very special to you, that you have not yet met. I see you in Brazil…where is it you wanted to travel?”
The spectator confirms that this is indeed where she desires to travel. The performer then continues addressing the second spectator:
“I can feel that you are a little disappointed. I can try to work with you if you want.”
The spectator confirms they would like a reading, and the performer continues:
“I see you in a cold place, a place that you have considered visiting many times in the past, but for some reason or another it has not happened. H owever, I do see within the next year or two, you sitting in an ice bar, in Finland. Does this make sense to you?”
The spectator confirms this is indeed accurate.
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T h i s ey e 2 m eth od: Duplo is at the core of this method. It will allow you to get ‘one-ahead’ with great ease. The key to the routine is to ensure that the mixing of the papers as well as the ‘target selection’ causes the spectators to understand, without saying it, why the papers are being held behind the back. This process, when performed, makes total sense.
Review the scripting for this performance piece to properly understand the manner in which this is handled.
To perform the effect, you will hand one spectator a marked billet with a small ‘nick’ in the outside corner. This nick will be felt by running your thumb along the outside edge of the billet, along with the gimmicked pen and an ungimmicked paper. The second spectator is handed an unmarked billet, ungimmicked pen and ungimmicked paper.
When the spectators hand the papers back to you, instruct the spectators to record the name of a destination they would like to travel to in their futures. Here is the first major performance point: you will turn this routine into a performance piece of predicting the spectators' futures. You can use any single piece of information the spectator can desire in the their future. It could be the number of children they would 48
like, an item they would like to own, the car they would like to drive— anything that a spectator can desire owning/attaining in the future. If you wish to make this routine more ‘spiritual’ in nature, you could ask the spectator to record the quality that they wish to improve in their personality. In this manner, the routine becomes about personal growth.
Whatever presentational hook you decide upon to achieve the revelation of the information, you will have the spectator hand you the papers, with your back turned to them, and spend a moment mixing the papers. Draw attention to this moment, and then slowly turn to face the spectators. Take a deep breath, as if preparing.
This sequence silently communicates to the spectators that ‘we are about to begin’; it also communicates that what has happened until this point is not of importance. In reality, as this is happening, you will locate the marked billet by running your finger along the edge of the billets. Next, you apply the ‘impression’ of the word onto your palm. Instantly bring both hands out, each holding one of the folded papers. Be careful not to flash the ‘impression’ on your palm. Hand the spectators a paper each and then allow the hand with the ‘impression’ to drop to your side.
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Next, bring your ‘non-impression’ hand close to the papers and pause. Screw up the non-marked billet. You will pretend that this is the billet that belongs to the spectator who really wrote with the gimmicked pen on the marked billet. Review the effect description/script to see how you will reveal the information. When you have confirmed that you have accurately guessed the correct desired destination, you will, without calling attention to it, open the screwed up paper as if to ‘confirm’ to yourself you were correct. In this moment, you will read and remember the destination chosen by your second spectator.
At this point, pause and communicate to your spectators, through your attitude and body language, that the demonstration is over. Gesture for the second billet to be handed to you. At this moment, screw it up and place it with the first billet.
When the time is right, continue by stating:
“I sense you are a little disappointed that I did not work with you. We can try if you want.”
In this way, the second revelation seems totally off the cuff, and at this point, all papers are out of play and you reveal the information you just learned when reading the paper.
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T h i s ey e 3 ef f ect (by M i k e V ance): “I would like to try an experiment of a specific skill. This skill is known as psychometry. I t is the idea that an obj ect handled by someone somehow is imbued with information from that person, even their thoughts or intentions. To do this, we need some ‘target’ information.
“I need you to draw a quick simple picture on this card. I will turn away so that I cannot see what you are drawing. ”
Once they are done, and with your back toward them and your right hand held behind your back, tell them:
“P lease fold the card into fourths, and place it into my right hand.”
When you have the card, turn around, leaving your hands behind your back. Bring out your left hand, point at you left eye and continue:
“Look into this eye...”
After a few seconds of focus, say:
“I 'm getting an image, but it is not clear. I 'm getting the impression of a house. I s that correct?”
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The spectator replies that it is not. Continue:
“I 'm sorry, but the image I was getting was too fuzzy. I 'm going to need physical contact to get a clearer picture.”
Move your right fist in front of you. Ask her to hold out her right hand under yours. Stare directly into her eyes (or turn your head to the left) as you put the card on her palm-up hand and then grasp her hand with yours as if shaking hands, with the folded business card in-between the hands. Pointing at your left eye with your left hand, again ask:
“Once again, look into this eye. Ah, yes. The house was j ust the surface of the picture. We need to walk through the front door and into the kitchen. There, in a bowl on the counter, is an apple. Did you draw a picture of an apple?”
The spectator acknowledges that she did, and you get your welldeserved applause.
T h i s ey e 3 m eth od: This is an alternative handling of the Duplo effect. Ask the spectator to draw a picture. Turn around with your back facing the spectator and take the folded card into your right hand while licking your left hand. 52
Turn back around, facing the spectator, while transferring your left hand behind you as well. While you patter, get your impression on your left hand.
The patter plays the percentages as Banachek does. If you instructed them to draw a picture, suggest that you see a house, one of the higher percentage hits. If you are right, you are already done and don't need to use your impression at all.
If not, then bring your left hand forward and gesture with your left hand as you talk. Quick, sweeping movements with your palm toward the spectator should not flash the transferred impression. You can also look at your left palm in front of you, either openly during an openhand gesture, or by putting your left fingers to your forehead to concentrate, etc.
Then, suggest that you need contact with the spectator to clarify your vision. Turn your head to the left as you bring out your right hand with the folded card and drop your left hand to your side. Ask them to hold out their right hand under yours. Put the card on their palm-up hand and then grasp their hand with yours as if shaking hands. Look into their eyes.
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Explain that the house was the key, but that you didn't/couldn't delve deeply enough without physical contact. Now, travel through the picture in whatever way you need to arrive at the drawn object. If it is an animal, find a stuffed animal. Food will be in the kitchen. A car will be in the garage. Vegetation can be out in the yard. The sun and stars and clouds lie overhead. Pictures of just about anything could hang on the walls. Just about anything can be found in the house picture.
D u p l o cl ean-u p : The impression can be removed openly as well. Before you do the trick, establish the visual habit of holding your hands in front of you while talking and rubbing your right thumb in the left palm. After the trick, use the established behavior to clean up.
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The goat knew me Jose Prager & Peter Turner
T h e goat k new m e ef f ect: The mentalist places his phone, his keys and a coin onto the table.
“I n front of you on the table are three obj ects. These three obj ects right now mean nothing. What's interesting is that sometimes the greatest things in life can be right underneath our own nose and we don’t even know it."
The mentalist takes out a bill.
"I made a prediction.... I f it fails, you can keep this money."
The mentalist places the bill onto the table.
“I f you were to instinctively choose one of these three obj ects right now, which would it be? Go ahead and grab it.”
The spectator grabs the phone, and the mentalist continues:
“The choice you made speaks volumes about you. The interesting thing is, you didn’t j ust randomly choose the phone, no matter what you believe. Subconsciously your mind told you to select the phone. A good representation of this is every time you move your arm, you don’t 56
consciously think MOVE. A phone is a metaphorical bridge that connects people from all demographics in seconds. I t is faster than a plane; it’s an obj ect that is depended upon by most people j ust to get through their day in an organised fashion. The sort of person that might choose a phone would be someone who is a mediator, the glue that holds everything together in social situations; a person that is relied upon for organisation; someone who actually makes plans happen and a person that people turn to in times of despair.
"I k new you were that kind of person bef or e you even came over here. I k now you are thinking, right now, that there is no way I could...
"P lace the phone close to your ear.”
The spectator now hears for his amazement a recording repeating:
“I knew that you would pick the phone…”
T h e goat k new m e s etu p : You have to make an audio recording of yourself saying: “I knew that you would pick the phone…” Transfer this audio to your phone. 57
Open the audio, and make sure to place the volume bar as low as you can go without it being completely off—just enough sound so that when you place the phone near your ear, you can hear the recording. Now configure the “song” so it plays over and over again. You can easily set it up in front of your spectators. There is nothing strange with what you are doing; you are just checking your phone. You can have the phone ready in your pocket; the recording will be playing over and over as long as you want. You also need a plastic keychain. There you will write, with small letters, “You will pick the keys.” Finally, write with a black marker on a bill: “You will pick the money!” Fold the bill so the writing is hidden inside.
You will only make the setup once, and you will be ready to perform this effect as long as you are carrying your Phone and your keys (the coin can be easily borrowed).
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T h e goat k new m e m eth od: We are simply making use of multiple outs and a little reading. When they choose an object, it gives us the opportunity to talk in a special light about them, to make the entire effect a lot bigger and to take the attention away from the other two objects. It gives them a reading that suggests why they chose the object they did. This makes it personal. Using these scripts below, they will believe you knew them and knew the choices that they would make.
I f th ey p i ck th e p h one: “The choice you made speaks volumes about you. The interesting thing is, you didn’t j ust randomly choose the phone, no matter what you believe. Subconsciously your mind told you to select the phone. A good representation of this is every time you move your arm, you don’t consciously think MOVE. A phone is a metaphorical bridge that connects people from all demographics in seconds. I t is faster than a plane; it’s an obj ect that is depended upon by most people j ust to get through their day in an organised fashion. The sort of person that might choose a phone would be someone who is a mediator, the glue that holds everything together in social situations; a person that is relied upon for 59
organization; someone who actually makes plans happen and a person that people turn to in times of despair. I knew you were that kind of person before you even came over here. I know you are thinking right now that there is no way I could... place the phone close to your ear.”
*Make sure to place the phone volume as low as possible using the volume bar. It does not matter if you are in a quiet place; the voice coming from the phone will not be noticed by your spectator until they place it near their ear or they turn it up so everyone can hear.
I f th ey p i ck th e k ey s : “The choice you made speaks volumes about you. The interesting thing is, you didn’t j ust randomly choose the keys, no matter what you believe. Subconsciously your mind told you to select the K eys. A good representation of this is every time you move your arm, you don’t consciously think MOVE.
“K eys are metaphorically depicted as the tools that open passageways to new pastures, a must in security and essential in protecting privacy.
“The sort of person that might choose the keys is someone that is constantly thinking forward and investing in new ideas for a better future. They are more often than not very private people that keep
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things bottled up, and at the best of times keep people at arm’s reach. They are the sort of person that is trusted with secrets because of their private nature. I knew you were that kind of person before you even came over here. I know you are thinking right now that there is no way I could... take a closer look at the keys.”
I f th ey p i ck th e coi n: “The choice you made speaks volumes about you. The interesting thing is, you didn’t j ust randomly choose the money, no matter what you believe. Subconsciously your mind told you to select the money. A good representation of this is every time you move your arm, you don’t consciously think MOVE. Richness, to gain richness, is something that all mankind seeks, but more often than not is unachieved. I t doesn’t represent greediness. Quite the opposite, it represents visual progression. The sort of person that chooses the money might be the sort of person who constantly aims to strive through adversity; often a thinker, constantly refining his or her thoughts in order to ensure that their life is the best it can be within their own circumstances; successful and life enriched. I had a feeling you were that kind of person before you even came over here. I know you are thinking right now that there is no way I could...I placed this bill right here since the beginning… I n reality my money never was at risk…”
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A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : This is my favorite effect in the book. I love this effect for the premise and the fact that you get to give a reading. I am about to share with you a way to do this without multiple outs. These methods will take some practice, but genuinely work.
You will also notice that I have altered the script very subtly. Please do not overlook the power that this piece has. It will blow your participant's mind.
The mentalist places his phone, his keys and a coin onto the table.
“I n front of you on the table are three obj ects. These three obj ects right now mean nothing; they seem insignificant. What's interesting is that sometimes the greatest things in life can be right underneath our own nose and we don’t even know it.
“Take these three obj ects. When we look at them in their simplest form, they are j ust a phone, keys and a coin, but look beyond the title and see what these things really are.
“A phone is a metaphorical bridge that connects people from all demographics in a matter of seconds. I t is faster than a plane; it’s an 62
obj ect that is depended upon by most people j ust to get through their day in an organized fashion.
“K eys are metaphorically depicted as the tools that open passageways to new pastures, a must in security and essential in protecting private obj ects that we wish to hide away from the world.
“The coin is often wrongly associated with greed, when metaphorically it is a universally understood language that is passed from hand to hand. This small seed has the power to make the world stand still.
“I want you to think about these obj ects. I nstinctively in your mind be drawn toward one of these obj ects; focus on it and concentrate on holding that obj ect.”
(This is where you have one of four options to gain the information of which the participant is merely thinking.)
M eth od #1 Look directly into the participant’s eyes as you are telling them to concentrate on holding the object and feeling it in their hands. You will notice they look directly at the object!
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When you think you have a feel for which object the participant is looking at, close your eyes and ask them to look at you and to see you holding the object.
[This is great, as when the participant looks up, you have your eyes closed. This means that there is no way for them to backtrack a method, as they will believe you had your eyes closed the entire time.]
M eth od #2 If the above method fails, I would then proceed into this method. If you are not comfortable with the above method, you can just move straight into this.
This method is very old but underused. Take the participant's wrist. This is where you need to make a quick decision: do you believe your participant is compliant or non-compliant?
I f y ou r p ar ti ci p ant i s non -com p l i ant: “As you have come into this with an air of skepticism, I want you to try to lead me in your mind away from the obj ect.”
Hold the participant's wrist above each object. There will be one of two tells here which should give the game away very easily.
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One tell is that they will pull you toward another object, rapidly eliminating that object and making it 50/50, and then you find which object they subtly pull you away from, leading you to the object.
The second tell is that they will pull you away from the object instantly, and you know it is that object.
(Sounds easy, right? That’s because it is, but it does require practice.)
I f y ou r p ar ti ci p ant i s com p l i an t This is the scenario you will find yourself in more often than not.
Ask the participant to guide you with their mind to the object and to imagine being drawn toward it.
Hold their hand above the objects, and whichever object they pull you back toward is the object of which they are thinking!
Again, it is ultra-simple and often overlooked, but so strong.
[The secret here is the framing; even though the principle is old, I believe framing them like this is new. I took into account their natural actions and framed them in a way that pulls the muscle reading in your favor (mind the pun).] 65
M eth od #3 This is the boldest of the methods I have found, but works in a tight spot. Address the participant:
“Can you please pick up the obj ect and show everyone else of what obj ect you are thinking?”
At this point just apply a gypsy peek. [To perform a gypsy peek, cover your eyes with your hand and peek through the space between the little and fourth fingers.]
M eth od #4 This is the simplest of the four. If I was going to perform this method, I would ensure that there was only one key on the table as opposed to many (but I will explain a subtlety should you want to keep the many outs).
Ask the participant to pick up the object that appealed to them and to show the audience.
All you have to do is place your palms face down onto the table and listen/feel from where they pick up the object. Ensure your eyes are tightly closed at this point.
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[As an added subtlety, if you say “make sure you don’t make any noise” and you leave the keys in a bunch on the table, what will happen is that you will make the participant avoid taking the keys, because they will take into account the noise factor, which is great for the reading you are about to give.]
T h e r eadi ng Instead of revealing the object at this point, you are going to give a small reading based on the object you believe the participant has chosen. It really doesn’t matter how long winded the reading is (the less the better, of course), as when you reveal the object from an audience’s point of view, you confirm the reading.
Here are three simple and short readings:
I f y ou th i nk th ey ch os e th e m oney : “I get a nice feeling from you; I believe you are the sort of person who constantly aims to strive through adversity; often a thinker, constantly refining your thoughts in order to ensure that your life is the best it can be no matter what the circumstance. You will always be successful and life-enriched in any venture or path you take, and because of that the choice you made speaks volumes about you. I believe, based on everything I am feeling, that you went for the COI N .”
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I f y ou th i nk th ey ch os e th e p h one : “I get a nice feeling from you. I believe you are the sort of person who is a mediator; the glue that holds everything together in social situations; a person that is relied upon for organization; someone who actually makes plans happen and a person that people turn to in times of despair, and because of this there is only one obj ect you could have chosen: the P H ON E.”
I f y ou th i nk th ey ch os e th e k ey : “The feeling I get from you is that you are the sort of person that is a thinker. You are constantly thinking forward and investing in new ideas for a better future. You are more often than not a very private person that keeps things bottled up, and at the best of times keeps people at arm’s reach. You are the sort of person that is trusted with secrets because of your private and introverted nature. You often hold the weight of other people's stress on your shoulders, don’t you?”
Let them answer.
“Because of all of that, you most certainly thought of TH E K EY.”
[A really cool thing to do here, if you did leave a bunch of keys and were going to ask them to pick up an object, is to throw it into the reading. It is an added hit. 68
“I think you are also the sort of person that second-guesses yourself; you often think of what you are going to do or say, build yourself up and at the last second talk yourself out of it. For that reason, I believe you thought of one obj ect and changed your mind at the last moment.”
You can now not only point out what object they thought of first (the keys), but also point out the object that they changed their mind to!]
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H eavy am nes i a ef f ect: “By a show of hands, how many people in this room have ever walked into a room and completely forgotten what you went in there for? This mental phenomenon interested me so intensely, for years I tried to work out what it was that triggered a state of temporal amnesia to the point I almost forgot myself why I was doing it. “
The mentalist waits for a little laugh from the audience.
“I am going to choose somebody I believe this will work perfectly with.”
The mentalist selects a female from the audience.
“Each one of these cards has a different word upon it. I want you to randomly select one of them.”
The mentalist asks his spectator to extend his left hand in front of him.
The mentalist begins to deal the cards one by one and asks his spectator to call out STOP at any moment.
The spectator says, "STOP ."
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The mentalist cleanly takes the card he was stopped at and continues:
“Stare at the word for a few seconds, concentrate, and you will notice for a few seconds everything apart from my voice becomes very difficult to focus on.”
The mentalist holds the card facing his spectator, and he rips a corner from the card.
“Focus on the connection between yourself and the word that you selected as it j ust seems to fade out as though you never actually saw a thing, and the more you try to focus on things that seem important, the less important these things become.”
The mentalist now places the ripped card onto his spectator's empty hand.
“The more you focus on how unimportant these things become, the more irrelevant they seem...What word do you TH I N K you saw?”
The spectator unexpectedly names the word.
“Great.”
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The mentalists smiles.
“As I mentioned earlier, I searched long and hard to answer the question of why we forgot things when we walked into a room, and the answer was so simple I overlooked it...Distraction. I t seems so obvious; surely it can’t be that simple.. but it is! I will prove it. This has not been about remembering a word on a card. What it did was give me enough time to distract your mind in a way that I guarantee you won’t have noticed... See the corner in my hand? I t's no longer here.”
The mentalist slowly and cleanly opens his fingers, which were in full view the entire time, to show that his hand is now completely empty.
“D o you remember me going to the other side of the room and placing the corner under that cup of wine? N o? Really?”
The mentalist point to a man and continues:
“H ow about you, sir? N o? You honestly don't remember me going to the other side of the room and placing the corner under the cup?”
The mentalist now addresses the whole audience:
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“D oes anyone actually remember me going there and placing the corner under the cup?”
Everyone moves their heads, saying no.
The mentalist points with his hand to a cup of wine and directs the spectator to go for it.
The spectator grabs the corner and sees that it matches perfectly with the torn card in his hands. He addresses the whole audience:
“You have j ust experienced amnesia.”
H eavy am nes i a s etu p : Take 25 blank billets, place them into a vertical position and write one random word on each.
H eavy am nes i a m eth od: A portion of the methodology involves forcing the top word card of the stack. The top word card (force card) has a missing corner, which the performer has previously torn and hidden. The forcing procedure is achieved in the following manner: 74
1 . Bring the stack of word cards into a vertical (necktie) position so that the torn corner of the top card is not exposed.
2. Deal the cards singly until the spectator tells you to stop. As you deal, you are leaving the force card in the topmost position. In effect, you are performing a second deal. However, given that the top card has a missing corner, it becomes a simple task to perform this simplified second deal.
3. Once the spectator calls “stop,” take the top word card (force card) and slide it to the right, making sure to cover the torn corner with the same hand you are using to remove the card from the stack. When you take the card in your hand, use your index/middle fingers and thumb, respectively, to conceal the missing corner from your audience.
The performer now holds the “chosen” word card in front of him, covering the torn corner with his fingers. Next, the performer takes the card and pretends to tear it. The illusion is simple, yet deceiving.
The rest is simply a matter of the performer mimicking the tearing, holding and vanishing of the corner while delivering the script outlined previously.
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A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : What José has ultimately offered here is an out, should the amnesia effect not work. I would focus primarily on making the first phase of the routine come off. I perform this type of routine all the time and can vouch for the fact that if you are confident and come across as credible, people will honestly forget the word that they saw on the card.
If they forget the word on the card, I would then forget the second half of the routine, and know that I had an ultimately compliant subject and proceed to make them forget their name. Remember about social compliance when someone is in a group of people and you are going to perform something like this a lot of the time; the participant is forced via the pressure from everyone looking at them to comply.
Use this effect as a tool to gain confidence in using suggestion in your routines; you can afford to fail as you have an out, which is ultimately important here. If you find that you have a really compliant subject, you can now add five or ten minutes of hypnosis to your set. Once you start to gain confidence, eliminate the second part of this routine and the cards; you have the basis here to have an effect that will teach you the confidence you need to hypnotize.
Never overlook the importance of a good out! 76
Mind Flight Jose Prager & Luke Jermay
M i nd f l i gh t ef f ect: The performer is introduced and walks onstage. He reaches the microphone stand and begins:
“H ave you ever heard the expression 'flights of fantasy'? I like it. I t reminds me that with our imagination, our minds are capable of achieving the most fantastic things. When I was a child I dreamed about traveling the world, seeing the exotic mysteries of far-off lands. These days I do get to travel a fair amount, but no j ourney I have ever made has lived up to the fantasy destinations my imagination created as a child.”
The performer leaves the platform and hands a sealed envelope to a spectator in the audience. He invites this spectator to accompany him back onto the stage, where she takes a seat center stage. The performer continues:
“I would like you to make a fantasy j ourney right here and right now. For a moment, I would like you to close your eyes and bring to your mind a number of places you would like to travel. These can be any places in the world. They don’t even have to be real, they can be purely fictional places—somewhere from a movie, a book, or even of your own imagination. The choice of your fantasy destination is left entirely up 78
to you. Begin by bringing into your mind a few different places you would like to visit in this imaginary j ourney. I will give you a few moments to bring those places to mind.”
The performer pauses, and after a moment or two he continues:
“D o not tell me any of those places you have in mind, but a simple yes or no answer. Do you have a few different places in mind?”
The spectator confirms they do. The performer continues:
“I would like you to decide on one final destination: a place you would like to visit, a fantasy location. P ick one, j ust one of the places you have in mind for me now.”
The spectator nods her head, confirming they have a single destination in place. The performer continues:
“The interesting thing about all the fantasy j ourneys I have taken in my own imagination, is that they have never been taken alone. This will sound hard to believe, but you were al way s with me. J ust last night, we took a j ourney together in my imagination, and I can p r ove i t. I did not know your name then. So I had to identify you in a different way...” 79
The performer opens the envelope and removes a folded sheet of paper from within. He then continues:
“You have been holding this envelope from the beginning, from before you even picked which place from the many in your mind you would take a fantasy j ourney to, and you could have brought any number of fantasy destinations to your mind. Which place did you end up traveling to?”
The spectator announces:
“H ogwarts School, from H arry P otter.”
The performer continues:
“Yes ! That is perfect. That final choice was made right here and right now, correct? You had other destinations in mind, but it was H ogwarts that you settled on right here and right now?”
The spectator confirms this is correct. The performer continues:
“Like I said, in our fantasy j ourney I did not know your name, so I had to describe you. P lease read what I wrote on the paper last night.”
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The spectator reads aloud what is written on the paper. It is a perfect description of her psychical appearance. It then reads:
"Together we visited H ogwarts school for magic."
The prediction is written in bold, large ink on a large sheet of paper. The spectator is thanked offstage, and the performer accepts the applause.
M i nd f l i gh t s etu p : My impression pad called Scanner is at the core of this method, so let me please first explain to you how to construct what I like to call “an examinable impression pad.”
M ater i al s R equ i r ed:
Notepad with spirals/rings on the top, front and back covers made of clear plastic
Clear contact paper (sticky clear plastic used to protect book covers)
Pair of scissors
I ns tr u cti ons : 1 . Take one of the covers from one of the sides of the pad, and open it up. You should now be looking at the inside cover. 81
2. Take your contact paper, and measure 2 squares about the same size as the covers, and cut them out using the scissors.
3. As you know, contact paper is sticky on one side and glossy on another, so take the sticky side and stick one square on each of the inside covers. You must apply the film gently and not rub it down too hard.
Upon examining the pad, you will see that it resembles a normal pad, even with the contact paper stuck to one side of both covers. It looks very ordinary like it should. It even looks normal after an impression has been made.
A bou t th e p en/m ar k er : Cheaper pens are better than expensive ones as you need to apply some pressure to get them to write, I personally use an HB#2 pencil and it works perfectly.
H andl i ng and p eek : Take the two sheets that are closest to the cover you used in your preparation and flip them over onto the contact paper.
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So in essence, if you are now looking down at the pad, you should see one sheet, followed by another sheet, followed by a cover. Hand the pad to your spectator and have them write down their thought. Tell them to tear off the paper and fold it up and place it in their pocket. The pad is now in this position after they tear off their sheet: There is one visible sheet of paper that is blank, followed by a cover. Have the spectator hand you back the pad.
To see the impression you will find a lonely place and will remove the contact paper from the pad then. You can calmly look at the impression.
M i nd f l i gh t m eth od: This routine will blend the simple with the sophisticated in a really elegant manner. It will make use of preshow work to achieve a surprising and uncommon outcome. Normally preshow work is limited to the harvesting and revelation of information. In this demonstration, we are harvesting and revealing information, but we are disguising it as a prediction. We are also able to eliminate the notion of preshow work by having the spectator make their final choice in real-time onstage.
With your Scanner Pad ready to go, you will look at the audience before the show begins and pick a spectator that has something interesting or unique about their appearance; this might be a bright or odd-colored
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piece of clothing, hair color or some other element. The important thing is that the spectator can be described in a few lines of text, and later be instantly recognized by the audience. A quick scan of your audience will instantly locate your spectator.
You will approach this spectator with your Scanner Pad. You will address them:
“Later in the show I would like to try a special experiment with you. I t is all about creative thought and imagination, and I do not want to put you on the spot in the show, so I want to get the hard work done now. I t will make things much easier for you later.”
By framing the approach in this way, your preshow work is framed as being h el p f u l to the spectator, rather than it being some odd process. You will then continue:
“I want you to think about your favorite book. I s there somewhere in that book that if it were real, you would want to be able to visit?”
The spectator thinks for a moment and then confirms there is. You then offer them the pad and ask them to record this place, on the pad. It is important that you offer the spectator the restriction in language, by asking them to think about their favorite book, and a place connected to 84
it. They will have no problems in creating the thought or m or e i m p or tantl y remembering it later onstage. This is something they al r eady k new, and therefore they will have no problem recalling it later onstage. You will continue with this approach, asking the spectator to think about their favorite movie and finally their favorite childhood movie. Have all three pieces of information written on the pad and have the spectator retain the paper. Be clear that you have not, and will not, read the paper. I suggest turning your back on the spectator as they write on the pad.
Finally, you will instruct them:
“Later in the show I am going to ask you to pick one of th os e th r ee places. I do not want you to pick one yet. Wait till I ask you to settle on one final destination. So when you are onstage, have those three places in your mind for me. Allow them to cycle around in your imagination, and later you will select the one we will use in our experiment. P lease do not tell anyone the places, and do not show anyone the paper. I t is important you know that y ou and y ou al one have these places in your mind.”
You will now head to the backstage area and access the information obtained with the pad. You will prepare three predictions, each with the
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description of the spectator and one of the destinations you have acquired from your preshow work.
To speed this process, up I often begin with a set of ‘template’ predictions ready. These have the bulk of a description already filled out:
“A woman, with blonde hair wearing a ________ top and _______ shoes. She has _______ eyes. Together we will travel in our imaginations to_______.”
I simply fill out the blanks to fit the spectator and add one additional line of more-detailed information to the second line of text. Once these predictions have been filled out, you will load them into one side of a standard double envelope. You will use the double envelope as an open index, with the ability to show it empty after the prediction has been removed. In performance you will open the index side of the envelope, remove the correct prediction, and then display the envelope empty by showing the empty side of the separation. Handled smoothly and with confidence, this is a very confounding combination of deceptions. I fold all three papers slightly smaller than the last, creating a set of staggered predictions, and place them into the envelope in the order I preshow the information: Book, Movie, Childhood Movie. This means that I am never confused as to which paper to remove. 86
Your preparation is now complete. You preshow work has been completed. Now it is show time. Please review the effect description for the staging and scripting I use.
Walk onstage carrying the envelope. Invite the spectator onto the stage with you. You will then have them imagine a number of fantasy destinations. The scripting here is important. You will ask them:
“I would like you to make a fantasy j ourney right here and right now. For a moment, I would like you to close your eyes and bring to your mind a number of places you would like to travel to. These places don’t even have to be real; they can be purely fictional places—somewhere from a movie, a book, from your childhood dreams. The choice of your fantasy destination is left entirely up to you. Begin by bringing into your mind a few different places you would like to visit in this imaginary j ourney. I will give you a few moments to bring those places to mind.”
You will then pause and continue:
“I am right that you already have a few different places in mind, correct?”
The spectator will confirm. You will continue: 87
“Good. N ow, I would like you to make the final choice. From the places in your mind, I want you to settle on one of them as your final destination.”
Here you are repeating the exact scripting you used with the spectator before the show, when you explained she would pick one of the destinations as her final destination onstage. Using this language acts as a trigger or anchor, and she will instantly be guided to think about the three destinations you acquired in your preshow work. She will not settle on one of these destinations as her final choice.
This means you can then underline the impossibility of the situation by having her confirm that this choice, this final destination, is a choice she has made right there and then, a choice she has made after you handed her the envelope. Do not underestimate the power of having the spectator orally confirm these facts. It eliminates the possibility (in the minds of the audience) of any prior preparation.
After the spectator has confirmed these facts, ges tu r e for the envelope. Her natural response will be to gi ve the envelope to you, without the need to ask for it. Have the spectator announce the destination she has in mind, open the index side of the double envelope and remove the accurate prediction. Then display the empty side of the
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envelope to the spectator, asking her to confirm there is nothing else inside the envelope.
Finally, read the prediction, and accept the applause.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : This piece is a wonderful piece of preshow work, on the basis of which you can create many wonderful variations.
Stick closely to the scripts offered above; they are of ultra-importance to ensure the clean nature of the effect.
Here is what I had in mind (as a variation) when I read this piece. I would approach someone I knew would be sitting at the front of the audience. I would then ask them to think of someone they have seen that stood out to them from within that room, someone that if you were to say the description out loud we could instantly recognize (someone they do not know). Ask that member of the audience to write that person’s description down and to keep it hidden away at all times. Explain that later you will ask the person to point to a random member of the audience, and as they randomly went for that person, point them out.
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Leave the audience member with that and go preshow the member that they have written down!
Later, when you are performing, all you have to do is point to the first person you pre-showed and ask them to point to a random member of the audience. You know they are going to point to the person that you have pre-showed in order to make this work.
S tage As the above is great for parlor (as they are pointing out a person), with a minor adjustment you can work this on stage. Instead of asking the first participant to point to someone, ask them to simply call out the description of someone that stood out to them. Then ask anyone in the audience that thinks they match that description to stand.
This is where you have two choices: if the second pre-showed person is in eye-shot of the first, you can have them point to the person, OR if they are not, you can just point to the person that you pre-showed.
[Don’t be afraid if the person doesn’t point to the right person; just proceed into a different routine. Not the end of the world! What is great about setting up an additional pre-show is that, when it comes to the revelation of the description in the variation I am about to share, because you didn’t choose the participant, it makes the whole thing 90
seems so much more impossible and the reactions will be a lot greater as a whole.]
Now we have taken care of how to ensure that the pre-showed participant gets onto the stage. Let’s take a look at the preshow I would apply to the actual participant coming onto the stage.
First, I find my candidate.
“Later in the show, I would like to try a special experiment with you. I t is all about creative thought and imagination, and I do not want to put you on the spot in the show, so I want to get the hard work done now. I t will make things much easier for you later.”
[As this is very similar to my approach, the scripting here I think is perfect.]
“I want you to think of a place you have been to and absolutely loved, (wait for their confirmation) and now I want you to think of a place you would absolutely love to visit.”
[The participant has two destinations in mind now; this is where things get a little sneaky.]
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Ask them to commit to the two places and to write them down. Ensure that they write the destination they want to travel to at the top and the destination they loved underneath (it is essential).
Address the participant:
“As you went for these places, you could have chosen any place. H ell, you could have even made the places up; as far as I am concerned, these could be made up places—somewhere from a movie, a book, from your childhood dreams. What is ultimately essential is that there is no way I could know these places!
“Later, I am going to ask you to think of making a mental j ourney to a place, a place that could even be made up; I want you to think of one of these two places for me.”
[Ensure that they understand; if I think they aren’t, I reiterate.]
“When I ask you to change your mind, I want you to j ump from one of these places to the other. I f I tell you at any point to keep changing your mind, j ust keep cycling between these two places. I f you do all of this for me, I am going to try and guess at least one of these places.”
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[Now you have done something wonderful. You have set up the participant to change their mind as many times as you want, and they will only ever change between two pieces of information.]
Write down the participant’s description (on its own) and seal it into an envelope. Now when you go on stage later, you hand out the envelope to a random member of the audience (of course, that random member is the member we have asked to choose someone for us in preshow).
Ask that member to stand and point to someone in the room. They do.
“Completely free choice?”
Let them confirm that it is.
“D o you know each other?”
Get confirmation from the two that they do not.
“Wonderful.”
You can either invite the participant onto the stage or deal with that participant at their seat (for this effect it doesn’t matter).
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“I would like you to make a fantasy j ourney right here and right now. For a moment, I would like you to close your eyes and to think of a few places; these could be places you have been to or would like to travel to. These could be made up places—somewhere from a movie, a book, from your childhood dreams. The choice of your fantasy destination is left entirely up to you. I n a few moments, I am going to send you in your mind to one of these places.”
[You have just employed what is known as a call-back line (the lines about the movie, the book); they will remember you mentioning this in the pre-show and therefore will not even pay it any attention. If you had not mentioned these in the pre-show in the way you did, they could at this point potentially let their minds just wander somewhere else. This prevents that.]
T h i s i s agai n wh er e we di f f er f r om th e or i gi nal : “I want you to keep changing your mind for me.”
Give them a few seconds to do so.
“N ow, honestly, there is not j ust one destination you were thinking of, correct?”
Let them answer. 94
“You have now changed your mind a few times.”
Let them answer.
“I want you to focus on one of the destinations. You changed your mind from any one of them. I n fact, make it interesting, and go for a destination you would love to travel to.”
[Lovely use of dual reality here: to the audience, you are telling them to go for any of the destinations that they changed their mind from; to the participant, you are directing them to go for the destination they would like to travel to.
This serves a beautiful purpose: it lets you know exactly which destination they are thinking of, because you just disregarded the entire "change your mind" thing without having to openly tell them to disregard it.]
This is where you let your participant travel in their mind to that place. I would make an effort to Google the place before the show starts, so I could point out a few bits and pieces before the final revelation. For instance with landmarks, I would not reveal the actual landmark, but I would reveal it in a totally ambiguous way that only the participant would understand. I would finish by revealing the place real time. 95
Get your round of applause and then ask the participant to take a seat. As the participant is taking a seat, cut the applause short.
“Sorry, sorry, can you stand back up for me?”
Let them stand.
“Be honest. D id you try to catch me out there?”
Let them answer (the answer doesn’t make a difference).
Scribble the place they loved to visit on the pad (keeping it hidden from the audience and the participant) and say to the participant:
“At the last second, you changed your mind from another destination. I j ust saw this as you were taking a seat, and I got a sense this was a place you loved to visit.”
Let them answer and turn your pad around for an even larger round of applause. Let them take a seat now and start to talk to your audience. Then stop mid-sentence.
“I forgot the envelope, the envelope! ”
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This is where you can fill in a script about how you made a journey the night before and saw yourself in that very room. The details were a little hazy, but you wrote down what you saw.
Now when the envelope gets opened, it devastates people, especially the person holding the envelope who chose the participant. It really solidifies the fact (from the audience’s perception) that they did in fact select the person at random!
[As you can see in this routine, the many layers that are placed together make this an impossible piece of what appears to be real mind reading. Pay attention to all the little nuances and scripts, and think about how you could utilize this layering process in your own routines. It is a little bit of extra work, but on stage it gives you all the room you need to be playful!]
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Psychological jar Jose Prager & Peter Turner
P s y ch ol ogi cal j ar ef f ect: A spectator is called onstage and asked to think of a random word. Once they have a word in mind, the performer asks them to change their mind several times. The performer then asks the spectator to confirm that there is nothing written down and the word only exists in their mind. After going through a strong process of mind reading, the thought is finally revealed.
P s y ch ol ogi cal j ar m eth od: This is the best preshow you will ever get.
You approach the participant with your Scanner device. You ask them to think of a random word and to write it down and let them take the paper out and ask them to fold it.
"The reason I am asking you to write this, is it is j ust a target for me to aim for. Also it saves you having to worry about something later on as you can j ust focus on this.
"Last week I was performing something similar and the lady really messed me up.
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"You know what? You are a really genuine person... I don't think you’re the sort to mess me up."
Wait till she responds.
"Ok, we don't need that then. Tear it up and get rid of it, SO TH ERE I S N OTH I N G WRI TTEN DOWN AN D I T ON LY EXI STS I N YOUR MI N D .
"Also, please make sure that there is no ink or anything left on the pad."
The Scanner allows for a full examination and nothing will be found.
"Later I am going to ask you to focus on your word and to change your mind... When I ask you to change your mind, you will j ar psychologically, and in that moment you will give away the information… When I tell you to change your mind, YOU MUST STI CK H ARD ER to the word you have committed to."
Then reiterate:
"We have nothing set up, there is nothing written down, it j ust exists in your mind, and when I ask you to change, stick harder and harder on to what you committed to." 1 00
NOW, when in performance, say, “Can you think of a random word for me?” She will say “yes.” You will say, “CH AN GE YOUR MI N D .”
She will say she has (even though she hasn’t).
“Change it again.”
She will stick harder.
Then ask her, "This is not written down anywhere, and it j ust exists in your mind?"
She will say that it’s true.
At that moment, you can nail it.
She changed her mind several times and claimed nothing was ever written down. There is no way you can know what she is thinking.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : When you preshow the participant, after she has committed to the writing, chat to her for a moment, and then proclaim:
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“You know, what you are is a very genuine person. I don’t think you are going to mess me up at all.”
[The reason for this is that now you know her a little more; there is a reason for her tearing up the paper. Don’t overlook the power of this method; I will personally preshow two pieces of information.
You can always preshow a pin number. That way if you wanted to tie this type of preshow into one of the other effects such as 3386 , you never have to ask them to say anything out loud. The ultimate value from work like this is learning how to correctly utilize the information you receive. Think about the other effects in this book or in your own work and how can you weave them into already existing premises. Another thing to think about when getting two pieces of pre-show information: go for some actual real mind reading and readings, as you always have two pieces of information to fall back on. If they write down a name, see if the name is male or female. Reveal that as a piece of information (that is one hit), the length of the name (two hits), think of a letter in the name (three hits), and then the reveal. Essentially, take as many hits from one piece of information as possible. What is great about this sort of thing is that you also get more of a process when it comes to your mind reading without having to think.]
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Another little subtlety I am going to share here is something that I have used in the past and also answers a question that everybody worries about: “What happens if the participant mentions the paper on stage?”
The answer is simple: paint it red. I will paint a simple scene.
Performer: “Can you focus on a name for me?” Participant: “You mean the one I wrote down?” [Don’t freak out] Performer: “I f you have written down a name recently and thought about this person, please feel free to go for that one. What is essential, is there any way I could have known you had written that name down?”
[Look at the clever dual reality question. To the participant, it implies that there is no way you could have known what they committed to on the paper before the show. From the audience’s point of view, the question seems like you are asking if there is any way you could have known this was written down somewhere (before she came, at home wherever). When the participant says, "No," it completely blows any theories out of the water.
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Mr. Green system
C oncep t: Mr. Green’s system allows for a very clean and impressive prediction using no pocket writing, nail writing, one ahead, pre-show work or assistants. In its most basic form, some influencing takes place, and then a participant calls out a thought. The mentalist finishes by cleanly removing a folded envelope with his completely empty hands from an inside jacket pocket that has not been touched at any point. The folded envelope contains a written prediction that perfectly matches the participant’s thoughts. Everything can be examined.
M ater i al s R equ i r ed:
Coin envelope
Jumbo paperclip
ID card holder on a retractable reel
Safety Pin
X-Acto knife
Business card
Pen
Small Notepad
Jacket
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M r . G r een s etu p : Sound like a lot of materials? Don’t worry, it’s a gimmick you make once in less than 30 seconds, and then all you have to do is reset your prediction each time. You will only really hold on to a gimmick, a pad and a pen. This easy setup will allow you to perform an extremely clean prediction with no illogical moves.
Connect your retractable ID card holder to a paperclip on one end and a safety pin on the other; this is the pull that will transport your billet without anyone noticing. Attach the safety pin with the gimmick to the inside of your jacket, roughly around the left arm, in the middle of the bottom linings around the armpit area. All jackets and body types are different, so experiment and see where your perfect location is. It should be well concealed, yet within easy reach with your right hand.
Stick a business card with a pre-written prediction inside a coin envelope. Fold this in quarters with the envelope flap inside and cut out a window with an X-Acto knife on one of the outer quarters of the envelope. The written prediction on the business card should have a blank space that shows up right where the window is. Stick this foldedup envelope into the jumbo paper clip. Make sure you only stick the non-window half of the envelope onto the clip so it doesn’t interfere when you write on it later. Leave this secretly hanging inside your jacket 1 06
and place a pen clipped to the inside jacket pocket. To check your setup, slightly open your jacket to display the left inside pocket; your gimmick should be completely hidden.
M r . G r een m eth od: Approach your participant with a notepad in your left hand, and open to a new page as you talk to them and begin explaining that you’re about to try a test using influence. As you’re talking, reach inside your jacket with your right hand to grab the folded envelope on the clip and immediately grab the pen. This should be a very casual and normal movement. Secretly pull the envelope and pen in your right hand so the reel expands and place this with the window facing you behind the notepad. The spectator will be in front of you, so they will not see anything. This can be done with many people in front of you; the angles are pretty good thanks to the large cover you get from the notepad. Do not pull the notepad forward too much. Pull it only to where it would be natural to hold a notepad casually and close to your body as you talk. This will also make the retraction noise softer later on. Subtly transfer the grip you have on the envelope, so your left thumb pushes down against the pad and your right hand will be freed up to only hold the pen.
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Whatever premise you use, tell the spectator that you’re going to take some notes as you try to influence their thoughts. Ask them some questions and jot down what they say, perhaps even try some psychological forces. You can show them the notes you take down later on, so there’s no need to worry. Casually ask them to name a thought— be it a name, number or word—one that is clearly very different from the rest of the questions you’ve been asking and could not possibly know. Whatever they say, just smile and jot down a few more notes, perhaps some that include a bit of cold reading to explain that you’re pleased with what they’ve just said. Right before jotting down those final words, write their thought on the window of the folded envelope. You are now ready to retract the reel inside your jacket. The notepad covers everything, so nothing will be seen. All that is needed is a bit of misdirection as you talk, so casually bring the notepad a little closer to your body and let go of the gimmick with your left thumb, where it will retract back to the safety pin.
The dirty work is now done. Before you reach for the prediction, allow more time to pass as you openly talk and hand them the pen and pad. Let them see your empty hands; you truly are clean at this point and have never gone near the pocket or even placed your hands inside the jacket. Be subtle with this. Don’t say, “Look, I have nothing in my hands,” as that is too much; just let your attitude and body language clearly imply it. Some may feel differently about this and opt to do a 1 08
clear display of empty hands for a more “test conditions” approach. Whatever you decide to do is up to your personality and character.
Now, reach inside your jacket with your right hand and remove the envelope from the clip, displaying it with the window side facing you. As you can see, you don’t actually show your pocket when you remove it, but it’s clearly implied. Some may opt to show the inside jacket pocket as empty at this point. In that case, remove the folded envelope from inside and immediately open the jacket with your left hand, as you hold the envelope in your right hand and tell participants to check that pocket. Slowly and carefully unfold the coin envelope, open the flap and remove the prediction. The folded nature of the billet will even lead many to think later on that the prediction was completely folded up and closed inside, making any tampering with it impossible. As they stare at the prediction, casually crumple up the window envelope and put it away. Let the moment sink in.
A ddi ti onal I deas & S u gges ti ons :
The folded envelope will be secured to the clip thanks to its thickness, so there should be no way it slips out. If for some reason you notice yours is slipping out, try any of the following: Tighten the clip more, get a bigger clip, sandpaper the clip so it’s
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not as smooth or lock the envelope into place by allowing it to be stuck against both short rounded ends of the clip.
With some clever handling and using a jacket that’s the same color as the reel, you can cover the gimmick with your hand and let the reel rest against the arm of your jacket, so you can casually display the writing on the pad as you talk.
Remember not to retract the reel too far for less noise. The noise will not be noticed with normal ambient sounds, but talking and moving the pad with your hands as you talk will cover this. All reels work differently, so play around with yours and see if you need to add a piece of felt near the safety pin to decrease the sound. I don’t find any of this necessary, but I do find it worth mentioning.
The writing on the pad will depend on your style of presentation and premise. It might be lots of words or just 2 or 3. Whatever you decide, use lots of showmanship and show a process. Whether it’s your eyes or your hands, do something that will make them feel that something strange happened.
Compared to most secret writing techniques, this is done slowly at your own pace, so feel free to write long words down. Keep
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your writing on the window neat and uniform with the other things written on the billet. While you’re free to use double writing, it’s much more logical to use this “jotting notes” approach, and you can relax and concentrate on your presentation.
Besides jotting down notes, some may prefer to sign or write the date on the notepad for the spectator to keep as a souvenir. In this case, you’d write those in the middle of the pad before your presentation. Use that moment to secretly write the participant’s thought.
Besides being great for close up, many will love doing this on stage. Use a large clipboard and you’ll have twice as much cover! Simply switch to a marker for this approach. A normal fine-tip Sharpie will work fine and be logical on both the prediction and clipboard.
With some clever tweaking, the notes can be in one color and the prediction in another. Think about that…
In the beginning, you may want to clip the pen to hang on the outside of the inner jacket pocket for less fumbling as you grab the gimmick. 111
Using misdirection to cover the moment you retract the reel is always a good idea even if it’s already covered. Make sure it’s close to your body. A nice idea to play around with is to tell the spectator to breathe in (move the pad closer to your body a little and let go of the folded envelope) and breathe out. As you say breathe in, your hands move toward your body as you explain this to your participant.
Some may prefer to remove the envelope visibly from the pocket. I don’t find this necessary, as it requires a bit more fumbling around, which is the last thing you want before the reveal. Still, if you can reach in and remove the envelope fast enough, you can quickly drop it in the pocket as your left hand opens the jacket to display the pocket.
If you want them to examine the envelope too (not necessary), many switching options are available. Create a replica folded envelope and stick it inside the pad. As they read the prediction, it can be easily switched under the pad. You have all the misdirection in the world. You might also want to crumple up another envelope and stick it into your pocket for a very easy pocket switch after initially putting it away and removing it later on as an afterthought.
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Any prediction theme is possible—dreams, lottery numbers, names, countries, phobias, emotions, etc.… You have a very strong thing here; don’t turn it into a trivial “guessing a word” trick. Use a bit of cold reading while jotting down the notes to make this a more profound experience.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : This, for me, is an interesting piece. It is a principle that is very easy to utilize and would catch most people off guard. The thing that didn’t really appeal to me about this piece (as it doesn’t suit my style) is the fact that it is essentially an influence-style effect. With a little bit of tweaking, you can make this into a real-time mind reading piece. There are only a couple of little subtleties that need adding to this routine to change its feel entirely. One of these subtleties is asking someone to think of something, and then looking at them and sealing a piece of card into an envelope without ever asking them what they thought of.
Make a couple of notes about them and their persona and then finish by asking them what they thought of. Apply the move and let the envelope go inside the jacket. Now when you retrieve the envelope a moment or so later, the participant will believe that it is the one you placed in there right at the start of the routine!
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This is only a small, small subtlety, but it takes it away from the psychological illusion-type effect and makes it more about reading someone.
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Mr. Green system exp os ed !
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G oat tou ch ef f ect: “H ave you ever found that you have finished a friend's or a partner's sentence without even knowing what subj ect your partner was going to talk about?
“I t's a phenomena we all share, but it happens very rarely.
“There is a connection that we are often not aware of and goes beyond mere thought and words.”
The mentalist selects a couple.
“Can I try something with both of you? P erfect! From this point onward, I want both of you to stay completely silent, and not to say a word until I say so.”
The mentalist asks the man to relax, to close his eyes and to be aware of any sensations that he might feel from this point onward.
“And you, Miss, please keep your eyes open the entire time, and stand right here.”
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The performer now positions the woman right in front of the man. The man is now right behind the woman. The performer extends his index finger and slowly slides it across the woman’s chest.
“Sir, be honest, did you feel something?”
The man replies that he did, right in his chest , like someone slid a finger across his chest.
“You can now open your eyes… N o one touched you… I j ust touched her, and she was standing right there in front of you the whole time with her eyes completely open.”
The lady confirms this to be true.
“H old on tight and don't let go, because connections such as this do not happen all the time.”
G oat tou ch m eth od : You select two people who are either good friends or in a relationship. In this instance it is a man and woman who are married.
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You verbally ask them to stand in front of you, the woman positioned on your left side and the man on your right side.
You ask them to remain silent from this point onward, until you ask them to speak.
After asking the woman to keep her eyes open and to move "right here," move her slowly and silently one step to the front by placing your left hand on her right shoulder and your right hand on the right side of her upper back.
However, your hand on the woman’s back is not flat, but perpendicular, with your fingers extended and only the base of the wrist making contact with the woman's back.
This allows your hand to stick out and for your index and middle fingertips to make contact with the man behind by swiping your fingertips on his chest as you move the woman into the final position, right in front of the man. Imagine this movement as an "L." You take the woman one step to the front and then to the right, just in front of the man.
Dramatically and slowly swipe your index finger from left to right on the woman’s chest, above her breasts. 119
Now both the man and the woman man have felt the same touch.
D eal i ng wi th a wom an beh i nd: If your spectator in back is a woman, you need to be careful with her breasts! Don’t touch them! I know it seems tempting, but just don’t!
An easy way to avoid this is to place your extended hand in the lower back of the front spectator instead of placing it on the upper back. This way you will touch her stomach.
Now just swipe your finger on the stomach of the spectator in front.
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The goat touch exp os ed!
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Blank Bank Peter Turner & Jose Prager
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B l ank bank ef f ect: "Being a mind reader means that everyone is always sitting there thinking: 'I hope he doesn’t tell everyone my secrets,' or, 'I hope he doesn’t tell everyone my credit card information.' N ow I could do that, but honestly I don’t want to cause problems for you. So instead we will play a game, a game of imagination. This means we don’t have to worry about your real credit card data. I nstead, using your imagination you will create a new card at a new bank..."
The mentalist removes his wallet and a blank business card, and at the top of the blank card writes: "Blank Bank." He then hands this card to the spectator and continues:
"I t's called the Blank Bank, and it’s so new and exclusive that you get to choose the last 3 numbers of the card. So I want you to take a moment and to think of a three-digit number."
The performer adds 6 zeros to the business card, followed by 3 blanks for the spectator to fill in their numbers.
"You can also you choose the owner...a good chance to get creative! I t could be a fake name or even a favorite celebrity. Really anyone."
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The performer adds a second line onto the card for the spectator to write a name on.
"Take the new card and P RI N T the information on it, both the 3 last digits and the owner.”
When they are done:
"Let’s place the new card in a secure place, and let's place the card back into the wallet… H and it to me face down… Make sure I don’t see the information…”
The performer hands the wallet to the spectator and asks him to hold it between his hands.
"Focus on one of the last 3 digits from the card."
The mentalist concentrates for a few seconds and continues:
"What is interesting about general members of society is, when they are asked to focus on a digit in a series of digits, the mind tends to flit; the mind thinks of one thing and j umps to something else...That's exactly what you did."
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The spectator smiles.
"Focus on the first digit… 2… N o? Really?! Again, focus on the first digit…3…Yes! ...Focus on the second digit… That’s a 2! And the last digit…7…327! "
The spectator confirms this to be true.
"N ow focus on the name of the owner...j ust the first letter...A! "
The mentalist places his hands onto the spectator's shoulders.
"Scream the name in your mind, over and over."
The mentalist begins to nod his head, like he is getting a rhythm.
"Angelina...Angelina...Angelina."
Time for everyone to freak out!
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B l ank bank s etu p /m eth od : The core method of this effect is as you expect: a peek wallet. Any peek wallet should do the job, but not as good my peek wallet Leatherface.
C ons tr u cti on/de s tr u cti on of Leath er f ace : 1 . Obtain an inexpensive tri-fold wallet.
2. Open the wallet and lay it down in front of you. As it is a trifold, you will notice that there are three sections: left, middle and right.
3. In our example, we will use the left section as the "hot"/peek portion. In the pocket(s) of the left portion, place a credit card you no longer use. This will provide cover for the peek.
4. Fold the left section inward, so that it now touches the middle section.
5. From the outside of the left section, cut out a window about the size of a business card. You will need to cut through all of the layers of material until you reach the credit card you inserted into the wallet in step three.
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6. It is now a simple matter of having a spectator write down a thought on a business card, and placing that business card behind the credit card we inserted into the left side of the wallet.
To get the business card into position for the peek as noted in step six, simply place it behind the credit card in the left ("hot"/peek) section of the wallet.
L eath er f ace p eek : Hold the wallet length-wise, so that the peek section is closest to you. Place the business card, writing side down, into the peek section (behind the credit card). Then, fold the section furthest away from you upward— this section will form a right angle with the middle section of the wallet. Push the peek section forward so that the "hot" side of the wallet comes into view. Obtain your peek as you push the peek section upward/forward and finish closing the wallet by folding the peek section inward so that it rests atop the middle section; simultaneously fold the outermost section inward on top of everything, thereby concealing the peek area. At the end of the peek, both sides of the wallet can be shown (the more casual, the better). The wallet can be placed between their hands.
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I m p l i cati on: In the words of Peter Turner: "Implication is a wonderful tool."
Fail when revealing the first digit to lead them to think that you did not read their information. If you had read it, you would not be wrong at any point!
It's as simple as that.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : The problem with most peek-wallet effects is the justification of placing the card into the wallet. For this reason, it is not something that I use frequently. However, when I did use a wallet, this is the justification I would always use.
“We will set this up as a little challenge; inside here there is (count an amount of money into the wallet) 20 pounds. I f I don’t manage to correctly read you, I will give you the money inside this wallet. Because this is a challenge, naturally your instincts will be to do whatever you can in order to win the money.
“For that reason, I want you to write down a couple of pieces of information for me to aim toward. The written information acts as 1 28
insurance for me, and at the same time people don’t j ust think you are agreeing with me.”
[In the sense of a challenge, paint the writing process red. Again, this is an invaluable touch you can apply to other pieces already in your working repertoire.]
“I want you to place the card into the wallet, so it is in there with the money, and someone else can hold it and act as the j udge. This prevents you from swapping the card at any point and really ensures that the money is going to get handed to you if I don’t successfully manage to read you.”
[It logically makes sense now why the card is going into the wallet. It couldn’t be more logical from the audience/participant's perspective. Make sure you set a few rules in place; that is, they print the letters and numbers so people can easily read them after the challenge has taken place. Make the challenge light-hearted and not aggressive and people will naturally love the fact that it is a little challenge. You may want to be cheeky and set this up as a proposition bet and get yourself a drink if you are in a bar scenario.]
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I would ask them to focus on four digits as in a bank card scenario; a pin code is taboo. You could even ask them to write their actual pin code, and if they refuse, say:
“A couple of moments ago, this guy was the biggest skeptic on the planet. There must be an amount of doubt in his own mind for him to worry about writing down his actual pin code.”
[Again, this is just a throwaway line and a little bit of fun; this is a perfect routine as an ice breaker.]
When I ask a participant to think of a digit in the middle, I use binary opposition like this:
"What is interesting about general members of society is, when they are asked to focus on a digit in a series of digits, the mind tends to flit; the mind thinks of one thing and j umps to something else...”
Wait for a smile or a little tell (it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come, but it usually will) and proceed.
“Based on that affirmation there (point to their face), that's exactly what you did, but what specifically interests me about you is that I
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would have to determine what you would consider a boring enough digit to move to something more intricate.”
[With use of the words general and specific, what you do there is separate the participant from everyone else, making it seem like they are the only person that would make the choice they have made.]
“What I feel with you is that you are an outgoing person. I can tell that by the fact that you instantly rose to this challenge. I think you are also the sort of person that is fairly stubborn and will often cut off your own nose to spite your face. (The participant’s friends will confirm this at this point.) Based on all of this, I believe you would definitely be the sort of person that would find rounded shapes more boring than intricate sharp ones.”
[Cutting off your nose to spite your face is a British expression. I am not sure how universal it is.]
Pause for a few seconds.
“Focus on the number as a whole for me.”
Reveal the information any way that you see fit from this point.
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[The reason I make no guess as to the digits in the middle in this variation is that you have set up a challenge and you cannot afford to miss.
As you can see with this routine, it is an anyplace-anytime type of routine, and framing it as a challenge makes the entire difference as to the outcome of the effect as a whole. The justification is what is essential in this routine, as it could be any piece of information, but I believe creating a bank card is a nice premise.]
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PK Team Jose Prager & Luke Jermay
P K team e f f ect: “The term ‘Telekinesis’ was coined in 1890 by Russian psychical researcher Alexander N . Aksakof; it has been demonstrated in more recent years by the likes of Uri Geller and featured in many films. At its most simple, it is the ability to cause obj ects to move with the power of your mind. I t was later adopted and slightly modified by American parapsychologist J . B. Rhine in 1934, in connection with experiments to determine if a person could influence the outcome of falling dice. Often referred to as mind over matter, telekinesis is used to refer to affecting of obj ects such as metal by mere thought alone. P opular culture such as movies, television, and literature have provided us with scores of examples of people with the ability to cause obj ects to move, bend, warp and even break using apparently nothing more the power of the mind. I do not claim any supernatural abilities, but rather wish to present to you now my own findings with experiments in Telekinesis.
“N ow, as with most things, it is best to begin with something simple—a warm up if you will. I have a key, which I am going to balance along the edge of this table.”
The mentalist places a key onto the border of the table.
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“N ow, even though it is balanced, you can see that if we were to blow on the key or even knock the table slightly, it will not fall off the edge. The balance point is much too far forward for the key to fall off the edge by mere accident.”
The mentalist removes the key from the table and continues:
“N ow, what you're about to see is something that will seem very small. H owever, in principle, this obj ect could be a mountain; we might need more people working together to harness enough mind power, but nonetheless together we could attempt to move mountains. After all, there are over 100 of you in this room right now. H owever, if we can do this, it will open the door to further interesting demonstrations. Miss, I want you to focus with me. I want you to concentrate all of your conscious energy and thought on a specific point in this room. You might pick to focus your attention on the clock at the back of the room, or maybe on a friendly face in the audience. H owever, it is important that your conscious mind is busy focusing on something else while your subconscious mind is focused on one idea. That idea is: you can move obj ects with the power of your subconscious mind. I know that sounds crazy, however I want you to enter into this test with a spirit of openmindedness and genuine belief in the fact that you can cause obj ects to move with nothing more than the power of your mind.
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“I , too, will play this game, and hopefully together we can cause something small, but nonetheless impossible, to happen. I would like everyone to remain silent while we both focus.”
After a few moments, the key falls and the performer finishes:
“N ow, that is what is possible if j ust two minds focus on one outcome. I magine what we could do if we were to all focus on one common goal and worked together to achieve the outcome we desired. The common focus and desire combine to create miracles. The next time you find yourself in a situation that seems impossible to deal with, j ust remember that the power of the mind can literally move mountains.”
P K team m eth od: The method for this effect is my PK method called "Cliff," which will allow you to make a key, a spoon or even a card box fall. As an alternative, you can use Banachek’s PK pen.
As you will learn, the secret is self-contained and it’s just a matter of waiting before the object falls. The first time you place the object on the edge of the table, it will not fall because you will simply not allow enough time for it to fall.
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C l i f f r equ i r es : Zots brand clear adhesive dots, which can be obtained at most artsupply stores or online.
I ns tr u cti ons : 1 . Remove one of the Zots from its plastic strip.
2. Begin by tearing a small piece of adhesive from the adhesive dot. Note that you will only need a very small piece in order to effectively perform "Cliff."
3. Once you have torn off a small piece of adhesive, place the adhesive on the l i gh ter end of the object you wish to use for your demonstration.
4. Place the object onto the edge of a table. Be sure to place plenty of pressure onto the end of the object where the adhesive resides. This will allow the gimmick to stick to the surface.
5. You will simply allow some time to pass before it falls.
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6. Once the object has fallen, pick it up and remove the gimmick/adhesive in the action of picking it up. It’s a completely invisible movement.
C ar d B ox S etu p : 1 . Using a box cutter or knife, cut a tiny flap/opening on one corner of the bottom of the card box.
2. Apply the gimmick/adhesive to the bottom of the card box.
3. Stand the card box on a flat surface. It will fall after the adhesive releases sufficiently.
Notes :
Not all keys and spoons are the same. You will need to experiment to see which types work better than others. While experimenting, you will need to determine the correct gimmick size and amount of pressure to use.
If you want the object to fall more quickly, use a smaller piece of adhesive and apply less pressure. If you want to make the object fall after a long period of time, use a larger gimmick and apply more pressure.
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The illusion provided by "Cliff" is excellent, especially given that the larger (lighter) portion of the object is on the table. A spectator would assume that the majority of the object's weight is on the table when, in fact, the opposite is true.
Keep in mind that as an alternative you can use Banacheck’s PK pen.
A ddi ti onal th ou gh ts by P eter T u r ner : There is not much I can add to this routine other than a quick alternative presentation. Depending on your character, you can be controversial with any type of PK effect, and instead of claiming the ability to move something with your mind, you can frame it as a spirit moving the object in a séance-type performance that gets the entire audience involved and chanting.
If you have the entire audience chanting and the object moves, they all feel a part of the process, which makes the feat a lot more impossible, as you were chanting at the same time, and the only logical method is that you all did what you set out to do.
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Acknowledgments
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This routine was inspired by Bill Cushman’s The Fource.
D uplo
Richard Osterlind introduced me to the concept of
getting an impression behind my back on his N o Camera Tricks bonus DVD.
H eavy am nes i a
The vanishing corner concept has been
previously explored by Daniel Madison in his book I nside.
S canner
I independently came up with the use of contact paper
on a plastic notepad to achieve a secret impression. I sent this idea to several people I trust; the majority of them thought that it was original and unique. I was really excited at this point... and then one of them contacted me and let me know that a very similar idea was published in 2004 by Brian Halliday under the name of The Invisible Assistant (thanks to Greg Arce for pointing me in the right direction). I knew that the vast majority of mentalists were not aware of this idea (not even myself and some very knowledgeable mentalists), since The Invisible Assistant disappeared and was unknown for almost 9 years now. I came to an agreement with Brian, and now I own the rights to The Invisible Assistant.
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M i nd f l i gh t
This routine was inspired by Luke Jermay’s "PPP
Prediction" and his "Inkblot Test," in which the notion of multiple outs and preshow work reframed as a prediction were first published. The techniques in this routine were created by Luke and appear here with his express permission. The "PPP Prediction" was circulated in a private manuscript as early as 1 999, and the "Inkblot Test" appeared in a privately published manuscript, The I nk Blot Test, published in 2004.
M r . G r een ’s s y s tem It has come to my attention that T. A. Waters published a routine called "Backdate" in his book Mind, Myth and Magick. While I have never read it, I understand that it uses an elastic pull to reveal a prediction visibly pinned to the back of a jacket. I would like to credit this routine for its use of a pull for a prediction.
G oat tou ch es
Many brilliant mentalists have divulged their
personal methods to achieve “secret touches,” Banacheck, Lior Manor, and Ormand McGill to name but a few.
L eath e r f ace
My peek wallet Leatherface is very similar in
design to Dr. Stanley Jack’s Wallet, which as far as I know is no longer available for sale.
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Cliff
Banachek told me that he played with a similar idea of
sticking an object to a surface and waiting for it to let go, but he never published his results.
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