Hidden Runes You show a small cloth bag, which you tip out to reveal a collection of Rune Stones. You show a few of them, comment on their meanings, and then drop them back into the bag, before having a spectator reach in and grab four. The magician takes the four stones and hands them to four different spectators, with the request that they hold their stones tightly until the end of the effect. Now the magician removes what looks like a deck of large cards… and shows them to bear the symbols of the runes on the faces. Each of the spectators cut the deck, thus selecting a card. At the conclusion, it is shown that each spectator has cut to the card that matches the rune they were given at the start of the effect. Discussion To perform this piece, you need a set of Rune Stones, a deck of Rune Cards, and a suitable change bag – although there are some alternatives. The Rune Stones you can get from any new age shop (I actually got a lovely handmade wooden set from e-bay a little while back), though the Rune Cards may cause you a little more trouble. My ones are “Aquarian Rune Cards” by Anthony Clark, and the ISBN is 0 – 85030 – 988 – 3 If you cannot find a set, you can easily adapt the effect by buying a pack of double blank cards (or double blank index cards) and drawing the symbols on yourself. If you do this, you can easily add the meaning of the symbol on the bottom of the card, making them ideal to learn the stones from as well. Finally, get a change bag that looks as plain as possible. As you have to carry 20 small stones in something, having a bag is logical, as if having the stones selected from it. Just avoid ones with handles, tassels and glitter! From the stones, choose four symbols to be your force symbols. I use the following ones.
Liam Montier
October 2004
Is Geofu Ansur Rad
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I X F R
Drawn Drawn Drawn Drawn
with with with with
one line two lines three lines four lines
This simple system means that if I number the spectators one to four from left to right, I can ensure they get the correct stones in performance, by giving them the stone that matches their number. So begin with the force stones in one side of the change bag, and the rest of the stones in the other side. All that remains to do is to stack the rune cards for any version of cutting the aces that you might know. I use John Bannon’s from his lecture notes “Cardzilla is Coming”, although you are free to use your favourite method.
Liam Montier
October 2004
