Copyright © 2018 by Peter Turner All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. For television rights and further information, please contact:
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Introduction Welcome to the second in this mini-series of booklets. As with the first booklet “The Midas Touch” this booklet is inspired by the classical booklets shared to the community by such giants as Annemann, Berglas and Corinda. I always loved the ascetic qualities of those booklets and wanted to produce a similar looking series of booklets. When I held The Midas Touch booklet in my hands I was so happy that I had ticked an item off of my bucket list I celebrated by getting all my Annemann booklets out and re-Binged on the content. If you have them I recommend you do this - I find something new every single time. This booklet is an updated version of the late 2017 lecture lecture notes from my trip to New York City – which was cancelled due to personal circumstance. My advice when reading these routines (as always) is to customise the routines to fit your style. Don’t perform this material verbatim - what works for you, might not work for me (and vice versa). These routines are simple in nature and yet require little to no setup - I hope that you get as much enjoyment out performing these routines as I do. Anyway, to save me rambling enjoy the content.
Peter Turner 2018 (Spain)
Blurred Reality I sat whilst writing these notes and wondered the best place to start. I never tend to have a structure to my lectures and perform the routines as I see fit in the heat of the moment. These notes however have to have an air of structure so let’s begin with two powerful effects that revolve around one principle. This is a principle coined by Mark Chandaue, it is used to describe a routine that is not quite dual reality (in the flimsy sense) and not quite reality - it blurs the line between the two. The realities (even though they go off on different paths) meet at the tail side of the routine to create one reality for everyone.
Double bluff This routine looks staggering - it requires an intermediate amount of audience management and literally enables you to achieve what looks like a grail type technique! Note to reader*** this was is my solution to the first letter divination when performing Ted performing Ted K’s ‘ MOABT MOABT ’ ’. I will explain my handling in the additional thoughts section (Detailed after the routine). End of note***
Effect The performer asks the participant to think of any word that they desire, the only rule is that it must be a word that the audience will have heard at some point. The performer continues to explain that he will also in the process of attempting to divine the word that the participant is thinking of pick up on things
about the participant also. The performer asks the participant to focus on the first letter in the word and transmit it mentally to the performer. The performer starts to divine the participants thoughts, writes down a letter and shows it to the participant - who confirms that the performer is correct! This process is repeated to divine more letters, the performer after doing this stares into the participant’ participant’ s eye and successfully divines the word that the participant is merely thinking of... of.. . And then for good measure reveals their star sign also!
Breakdown The breakdown of this effect is frightfully simple simple in execution but requires focus on the details. For this this routine you must have knowledge of my “Raise” anagram – anagram – Before Before you groan at the slight amount of cross over here read this carefully because the way that is executed is unlike anything I have seen. From the audience’s perspective there is no anagram, it’ s completely invisible. Note to reader*** For those that do not know ‘Monkeying Around’ it enables you to be able to divine a star sign by picking up on the letters in the participant’ participant’ s sign one by one. This anagram is explored in detail at the end of this booklet. End of note*** The setup of this effect takes a few seconds. Start by taking a stack of billets and on the face of the stack write “Your star sign has these letters in correct?” Place a blank billet on top of this billet. For clarity, from the face it goes blank billet and then your prepared billet. You are set to
perform this routine. Let’s imagine that imagine that you are acquainted with the participant and the routine is being detailed from that point. Address the participant, Performer: “If I asked you to think of a word, then looked you and outright told you what it is would that impress you?” Participant: “Of course”. Performer: “I “I honestly honestly think though that it’s almost impossible to be able to do that without first knowing about the person that you are working with. If I can pick up things about you, those things in turn will lead me to know how you think and that of course makes it easier for me to guess the word its logical right?” Participant: “Yeah”. Performer: “T ake ake your time to think of a random word for me, make it nice and lengthy but something the audience will have heard and feel free to change your mind a couple of times so you’re not settling on something common and trite”. Participant: “Ok I’m thinking of one”. The performer displays the blank billet to the participant and audience. Performer: “Imagine your word written largely here here in bold block capitals”. capitals ”. Note to reader*** this is an excuse to casually flash fla sh a blank billet, naturally without saying “This is blank, look at it”. it”. It creates an organic moment that highlights the blank billet in a logical way whilst simultaneously having the participant think of their word written letter by letter again without outright asking them to. End of note*** Performer: “Imagine the first letter in your word, imagine it being larger and bolder than the rest, as it grows larger and larger. In your mind alone imagine sending me that letter and I will try to work out things about you whilst you are doing that”. that”. Note to reader***
As you are saying this casually take the blank billet off of the face of the stack, place the blank to the back of the stack bringing your prepared billet to the face and uncap your pen. Ensure that you keep the prepared billet hidden from the audience. Alternatively, you could have the prepared billet on the bottom of the stack and simply rotate the whole lot whilst talking - either way ensure that the prepared billet it is now on the face. End of note*** Stare at the participant and write down an “R” on the billet (you are following the star sign anagram here). If you do not know what the anagram is this probably won’t make sense until you read ‘Monkeying Around’. But when you do this is one of those moments where you will smile at just how cheeky this is! Performer: “Would I be correct in saying that this t his is right?” right?” Note to reader*** Turn the billet towards the participant and place your index finger next to where it says “These letters are in your star sign correct?” Let them read it and casually slide your finger down to the letter R. Ensure the rest of the audience do not see it. The participant will answer “ yes” yes” or “no no”” in regards to your question. If you are worried that your participant is a talker simply say “Yes or no, nothing else as I don’t want you giving anything away - Would I be correct in saying that this is right?” If you get a “no” (which I actually prefer) you can instantly move to the revelation phase by casually saying “I told you it would be near impossible!” If you get a “yes” something really lovely occurs - the audience will believe that you deduced the first letter in the word that the
participant merely thought of. Follow up by saying “Knowing this letter in no way tells me the word you are thinking of though that’s important” the participant will eagerly confirm that you are correct. “Back to this” - point to the card again, this moment is very throwaway and is just flippantly executed. It draws the attention of the participant back to the star sign, remember the audience never know that you are talking about the sign but it is clear for the participant. Write an “A” - “This letter is in there also right?” Speed up more quickly and get to the end of your anagram. When you hit the “no” in the anagram simply say “Don’t say anything or give anything away, I’m sure that letter is in there in your mind just jus t go back over the letters, don’t say a word keep word keep a complete poker face and just double check as I think I am right”. right ”. The audience will now never think you are wrong as you have muted the participant and when you nail the word in a moment (as they think that’s what you were deducing) they will assume that you were right and the participant had spelt it wrong in their mind – mind – washing washing away the “no” in the anagram. Be really clear that the participant must not say anything or give anything away, if they talk at this point then you’ve not delivered your instructions instructions clearly enough. It’s sometimes more important to stop the participant talking to serve your cause than it is to let them talk – talk – But But always make it seem like the reason they are not talking is to make things more impossible. End of note*** Performer: “I believe I now know enough about you to know exactly what word you are thinking of. I’m going to go for it”. Note to reader*** Move the billet to the back and write on the fresh billet (that’s now on the face) the two signs (or one if it’s the Aries branch) and place a cross through one of the signs lightly (as though you thought it was that and changed your mind) last moment.
Fold the billet and place it on the table in front of the participant. End of note*** Performer: “What was the nice long long interesting word that you made up?” up?” Participant: “Supernova”. Performer: “No one ever does, does, but would you like to change your mind?” Note to reader*** It really doesn’t matter whether the participant does or doesn’t change their mind. My preference is that they do as it makes things a lot more interesting. But this question sets the foundation for the moment about to come. Whichever path the participant takes you make out as though you didn’t expect them to. If they do or don’t say “Ok, everything everythin g I thought I knew about you just went out of the window!” If they do want to change then ask the participant the new word - you need it! Point to the billet and let them reach down for it, just before they pick it up interject by saying “In “In-fact, -fact, I’m torn between two because of your decision to change (or not change if they didn’t change the word) let me see if I can get your star sign”. Talking to yourself mumble “Ok so you changed the word (or didn’t dependant on earlier events) I think it’s this” - write half of the word that the participant thought of and say “no!” Score the half word with your thumb nail so it looks and sounds like you crossed out what you wrote down. Proceed to write the second half of the word. In the audience and participants mind you just wrote a star sign, crossed it out and then wrote a second sign. Think about this
from the audience’s perspective, they have just seen you write something and then cross it out. When the billets are opened later and the star sign has a line through it is completely constant with the process. Fold this billet so that it is identical to the first billet and throw it down next to the first. End of note*** Performer: “Pick those up and hand them to someone someone you trust”. trust ”. Note to reader*** Of course this will obscure the order of the billets switching them for you. You can also drop the billets into a wine glass so when the glass is tipped out it mixes the billets. I also occasionally if time permits pencil dot the back of the star sign billet in each of the four quadrants q uadrants (before the performance) so I can identify which billet contains which piece of information. As the star sign is the lesser impressive piece of information I personally like that to be opened first. Let’s imagine you you have marked them and know the order - just because it’s the ideal scenario. What star sign are you? Let them answer - you know it will be on the billet you just don’t know if it’s the one with the line through it or not. If you are on the nose, sit back relax rela x knowing you have killed it. If not simply get excited before they open o pen it point to the billet you want them to open. When they do simply say “I should have trusted my first instinct! I knew you were one or the other!” If you are in any doubt about how strong this plays out (even if you cross the wrong one out) look at “The Gathering” Gatheri ng” by Derren
Brown the drawing duplication with the cat where this exact thing happens - the audience still go wild. Remember though you have a secret weapon! The word that the participant thought of to bring the routine to a conclusion. End of note*** Performer: “I’m going to be honest I wasn’t even close with the word that you were thinking of”. The performer points to the billet. The participant opens it and the performer finishes with, Performer: “I was bang on!” Note to reader*** This is of course nothing more than a one ahead mixed with an anagram and dual reality. But the dual reality is so subtle in this case that there really is no need to talk about it afterwards and even if they do talk it doesn’t matter as you’ve still outwardly achieved the exact same effect as they describe. You do not need to use a star sign anagram for this routine, you can use any anagram you like – Run a quick google search of “best anagrams magic café” (or similar searches) and you will find lots of sources to look at and use in place of the star sign anagram. End of note***
Additional thoughts In the above routine utilise cups if you get a “no” when when you go for the star sign you are down to two signs not three. The place to utilise the cups has to be utilised is different to outlined in “Monkeying Around”.
Ask the participant to focus on their star sign before you go in for the one ahead, remember that this is the first time that the audience know you are asking the participant to focus on their star sign. When you use the cups principle, ask the participant to go back to focusing on their word and now instead of writing the word write the star signs as before. The only difference in this case is that if you got a no for the letter R and the cups confirm that it is a short word you know it is LEO and you are going to hit.
Bonus idea - MOABT “Mother of all book tests” tests” is something that we all know and most of us have at some point utilised. As promised here is a dodge I created some years ago and used to divine the first letter. To get the first letter - Simply perform the first letter dodge as outlined above (so that the audience believe you have hav e nailed the first letter in the word from the book when in reality you have guessed the first letter in the participant’s sign) sign ) and then say “Openly tell the audience the the first letter in the word you selected so that the audience can see if they can guess the word from just that first letter”. letter”. Now the participant will openly state the first letter out loud which the audience believe you deduced anyway) and now you know the word using the MOABT principle. Ask the audience to try and guess the word using that one letter which re-instils just how impossible this is even though you have the first letter. This is much nicer than missing the first letter and then having to ask for it. From this point instead of continuing on the billet (as per the routine above) state “I would like to work out out your star sign, focus on the letters in there in a random order” now perform your anagram and nail the star sign.
Proceed to say “I now know how you think about letters let’s try the impossible impossible and go for the word”. Nail this out right with no anagram or further fishing! BOOM! You have a clean way of getting the first letter.
The almost perfect drawing duplication Let it be known that t hat I haven’t written about these type these type of effects for a long while. You see, 9 years ago being a lot younger and more easily influenced than I am now I took advice from Kenton Knepper to write a book based on a specific area of Mentalism that was little explored and whilst I adored the book as a result of that earlier (less experienced) point in my career and not being able to properly express myself I feel my reputation took a hit. I think people assumed that I was only schooled in one particular area of Mentalism and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In-fact like any technique I use the principles that you are about to read very sparingly. If you can find the correct time/ place to utilise these routine I guarantee it will be a highlight in your set. Every single type of effect, principle and method m ethod should be used in moderation to cancel out the last. You wouldn’t do a drawing duplication, followed by a drawing duplication, followed by a drawing duplication, followed by another duplication and then another for the full time you are on stage – stage – It It doesn’t make sense. So why would you use an effect that utilises blurred reality, then another and so on and so forth? You wouldn’t. I wouldn’t either. Pay close attention to the scripting, audience management skills and performing chops that are required to bring this effect to a fruition.
Effect The performer has a stack of cards each card detailing one random object, item or drawing upon the face. Littered generously amongst these cards are also cards that say “Think of anything you like” on like” on the face. These cards are openly shown to the audience to be all different and it is pointed out that each card also has h as a set of instructions on the face detailing how to best imagine whatever is written upon the card. For example, let’s imagine the image image upon the face of was an apple, the instructions would be “Instructions Imagine holding the apple in your hands, physically squeezing it and finally imagine taking a bite. Do all of this with a poker face not giving anything away”. These cards are openly displayed to the the audience and again just like the objects, items or drawings each set of instructions are different. It is explained that if the participant picks one of the “anything you like” cards they literally have free reign to think of the most obscure image that their mind can conjure up. With this in mind the participant freely selects one of the cards and they are then instructed to remember what is on the card not forgetting a single detail. They are instructed to be careful to not let anyone see what’s upon the face keeping face keeping it to themselves. When they are happy the card is returned into the stack. The performer sets to work attempting to divine the drawing. After a few seconds the performer stops and asks the participant if they selected an “Anything you like card” to which the
participant confirms that they did. This makes the performer’s task infinitely more impossible. “We don’t need these then” the perf ormer ormer says dismissing the stack of cards. The performer continues, Performer: “F “First irst I need to get to know you and how you think in order to divine the drawing”. With no fishing the performer divines the participant’s star sign and any other private piece of information (This information is not written on the card - it literally can be anything). The audience can even nominate the information that the performer attempts to divine. The performer then finishes by divining the drawing that the participant is merely thinking of - again with no fishing!
Breakdown Before getting into the mechanics of this routine I remember posting on a forum some years ago that the drawing duplication plot is my favourite plot in Mentalism. I’ve created several drawing duplications in the past and none I feel are as subtle and elegant but easy to pull off as this. The method is self-working but as mentioned earlier requires good audience management. This effect can work in any performing environment (stage, cabaret or close up). To prepare, take a stack of blank business card stock roughly 40-50 cards is an ample amount. Cut the piles into two halves. Take the first half and then cut this half into quarters on one quarter go through each card randomly drawing images upon the cards and above each image write an instruction detailing a way to think about that image. Keep these instructions simple - for example if the image is a stick man the instructions might be,
“Instructions Imagine being 7 years old, envision yourself picking up a random coloured crayon and drawing a stickman over and over again”. again”. On the other quarter of the first stack write the words “Think of anything that you like”. For the instructions on these “Anything you like” cards write “Keep a poker face, don’t give anything away and simply answer any questions asked with a yes or a no”. Mix these cards up and on the very last card in this half stack of random images and anything you like cards I write something very specific (this is important) – important) – the the instructions I write, “If asked any questions about about yourself or the image on the face of this card (from the moment this card goes back in the stack) ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH” Below these instructions I draw the simple image of a car. For clarity sake, the first stack of cards are a random ran dom mixture of drawings and cards that say “think of anything you like”. The last card in this half has the truth teller instruction (as described above). After this first half is completed turn this half stack face down and place it on the table. Take the second stack (the remaining blank 25 cards) and on each card draw the same image, I recommend drawing an obscure image but something that is instantly distinguishable. I personally favour an image like a U.F.O. As it is recognisable yet slightly obscure. Above each image write these instructions, “If asked any questions about yourself or the card you picked you will ALWAYS TELL A LIE - Only start lying the moment this card goes back into the stack. stack . You will continue to lie
until the performer says “I’m sure I now know your drawing” and then you will go back to telling the truth”. Repeat this over and over until you complete the stack. When this has been completed place these cards face down on top of the first stack. Again for clarity sake, if you picked the entire stack up and ran through them from the face it would be random drawings and “anything you like” cards and then after getting halfway through it would be a stack of repeated images and instructions. One last thing before going out to rock this. Locate the truth teller card (the last card in the random images and anything you like stack), on the card before this last truth teller card place a noticeable dot in the upper corners of this cards face. The reason for this will become apparent in moment. You are now ready to perform. We will imagine that we are in a close up environment and we are already acquainted with the participants – I am noticing a pattern here! Ensure that the participant you want to work with is on your non-dominant side. Start to show all the cards to be different to the participants on your dominant side and the participants across from you - displaying the cards openly and encouraging them to read the instructions and look at the drawings. Note to reader*** The beautiful thing about having the instructions included as well as drawings is that it elongates the process of displaying the drawings. You might be wondering why that’s beautiful, well it’s quite simple - by the time the audience have reached the center of the cards they will be adamant that the cards and instructions are all different without wanting to go through the rest.
Because they will have taken a moment or so to look at the first set of cards they (as well as you) will want to move on fairly sharpish. When you are displaying the cards and come to a “anything you like” card spend an extra few seconds displaying this card and ensure that the audience are aware awar e that if any one of these cards are chosen the participant can literally think of anything you like. End of note*** When you see the dots on the upper corner of the prepared card you know that the next card is the truth teller card. Turn towards the participant you want to work with obscuring the view of this card (so the participant you are wanting to work is the only person who can see it) and address this participant, Performer: “You’re going to select one of these cards at random. If you’d taken this card for example it’s obvious that the drawing is a car. You read and follow fol low the details on the card and think of the car in whatever manner is detailed in the instructions”. Ensure the participant has time to read the instructions. Place the stack back together, flip the stack facedown and let the participant choose one from the top portion of the deck. It doesn’t matter what card that the participant selects as it will always be a force card with the drawing of the U.F.O. They will read the instructions instructions and understand that the moment they put the card into the stack they will LIE about themselves and the card they selected - Which is exactly what we want. Address the participant, Performer: “Even if you decide to try throw me off, I believe that if I can read you I can duplicate the drawing you have inside your mind”. Pretend to struggle when picking up on the image, casually ask the participant,
Performer: “Did you pick a card that told you, you could think of anything you like?”
Of course the participant is going to lie, we know they picked a card with an image on so we know they are ar e going to answer that they DID choose a card that told them they could think of anything they liked. Think of this from the audience’s perspective. They do not know the participant is lying.
Continue, Performer: “That’s why I’m struggling, we don’t need these then”
The participant will now of course think that you have bought their lie and you are further away from the drawing. The audience will now believe the cards are irrelevant. Remember the audience have never seen the liar or truth teller cards - The participant is not aware of this as they never saw the instructions on the earlier cards.
Try to look slightly nervous, Performer: “I need to get to know you a little better in order to divine the drawing. Keep a poker face, yes or no are you a Sagittarius?”
Again the participant is going to lie. There is a good probability that the participant will not be the star sign that you call out (which is what we want). They will confirm that they are in-fact the star sign that you call out! If If you accidentally hit the participant’s actual star sign and the participant says you were incorrect simply call out another sign and they will have to say yes!
This is where you ask any other question you like - for example “Did you have a pet Dog when when you were a young child named Bruno?” -
After this second hit continue, Performer: “Even though I think in your head you told a few white lies to throw me off, I am now sure I know the drawing you are thinking of ”. ”.
As you say this touch the particip participant’s ant’s arm. This will tell the participant to stop lying now. Analyse this paragraph carefully, if the participant’s partner is sat in the audience (or a relative who knows they are not a Sagittarius) they will take this sentence to mean that you picked up on the fact the participant was lying to throw you off the drawing and a nd they will now give you credit for working out the lie giving you an extra bonus hit and cleaning up any potential taking later. From the participants perspective they will think you figured out that they were lying and this will be a hit and to the audience they will see this as a throwaway comment and it will pass by unnoticed.
As the participant is now in truth teller mode, proceed to duplicating the participants drawing - Their reaction will completely sell the fact there is no way you could have known the drawing and by nailing the drawing you confirm to your audience that the rest of the information you divined was also correct! Making this drawing duplication “Almost perfect”. One line that I might add (if you are worried that the participant might still be in Liar Mode) is “Truthfully now – What drawing are you thinking of?” I really hope you love the little subtleties and nuances and the free hits. Now onto something more traditional -
Life with a unique twist Effect A participant is asked to take out their mobile phone and create a pin code at random using numbers from their private life. After a random pin code is generated the performer asks the performer to think of any digit in that pin code. The performer reveals the number! After revealing a second digit from the pin code the performer stops in disbelief, exclaiming “After reading you, you are never going to believe this, this is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me”. The performer directs the audience’s attention to his/ her own phone which has been on display the entire time. The performer continues “Try to unlock the phone using any random code” the participant does and it fails to unlock. This is repeated a couple of times. The performer continues “Type in the code that you generated from your private life that I haven’t even seen yet”. The participant types in their private code and the phone unlocks! By some twist of fate the numbers from the participant’s part icipant’s private life match the pin code that unlocks the performers!!!
Breakdown This is an effect that I’ve explored many times over the years and I think fits perfectly here in this lecture because of the amount of subtleties detailed within that you can tie into the rest of your performances in order to elevate them to a new level. As some of you might have already guessed this effect utilises a principle from Annemann’s 101 methods of forcing - This
principle I expanded upon and named “The life equation” in my 2014 project “Jinxed”. The language and nuances I apply within this routine really disguise the method making this effect feel completely hands off and impossible to back track. To set this up begin by taking your calculator, type in your current year and multiply it by 2 (in this case - 2018 x 2 = 4036). This is important to note, n ote, if you are in the first f irst half of the year yea r (Jan - June) take one off of the total - the reason will become apparent in a moment. If however it is the second half of the year (July - Dec) then leave the total as is. Right now it’s January (for me) it is the first half of the year (2018) therefore the the total would be ‘4035’ again to re-cap re -cap this is after multiplying the year by two and then applying the minus one rule (because it’s the first half of the year). Take this number and set is as the pin lock on your phone. It doesn’t matter what kind of phone phone you have as long as you can set a code. You are now ready to perform. You have several choices when opening this effect eff ect - I decide how I feel at the time of performance and use whichever route I feel. If I am performing this routine one on one I tend to move straight strai ght into the routine and change the back side of the routine (the revelation) if needed (which I will detail later). As this will work on everyone you perform to you can simply perform the routine asking the participant to think of a digit in the middle (which I will outline later) then tell them to focus on the last digit and apply a hanging statement between the two digits.
Here is an example of how to use the hanging statement - in my case (with the total being 4035/ 4036) I would say, Performer: “The last digit IS a 5 (pause)... Note to reader*** You are pausing here for a reaction if you get it you’ve got a hit! If not quickly continue speaking. End of note*** Performer: “Or a 5 so focus on which one it is keeping a straight face as you do”. Now you know it’s a 6 because they didn’t react on 5, I usually throw in a cheeky line here that gets a laugh, Performer: “by you confirming you will focus on which one of the two digits it is you’ve just told me it is one of those digits! I will be using underhanded tactics like this don’t fall for them”. Now a time delay has existed between the hanging statement, the revelation and the fact that the humour breaks the atmosphere when you reveal the digit you will get a good reaction. More importantly you will now know whether to pull the phone out or not when it comes to the revelation or whether to finish the routine verbally/ using a written prediction. I will also later provide a dodge (during the full performance) to be able to still finish the revelation using a phone. If you wanted to know before the performance you can start by asking a simple question, “Have you had your birthday yet?” Ask this question casually as though you are just making conversation.
If you are coming into this routine on the backside of a star sign divination you will know if the participant’s birthday has passed or not. Again casually asking, as far as the participant is concerned nothing has happened yet and asking the star sign seemingly has nothing to do with the performance. Another beautiful technique is “audience polling”. You can do this in a group or on stage, simply ask the audience or group Performer: “By show of hands how many how many of you have recently moved house? (Wait for show of hands), listen to rock music? (Wait for show of hands) celebrated their birthday this year? (Wait for show of hands) how about play a musical instrument?” (Again waiting for a show of hands) Note to reader*** If you are using this polling method you can just set the code to the year x 2 minus 1 - in my case 4035. And just make sure the participant has not had their birthday. On paper this reads as very complex and like there is a lot to rememberr in practice it really, really isn’t. remembe End of note*** The only question that is important is the birthday question, you are looking for people that have not had their birthday (if you are performing in the first half of the year) or have had their birthday (in the second half of the year. This will ensure when you pick one of these people that your phone lock will always match. Note to reader*** Another secret that I apply when performing this to a big group (in the first 2-3 months of the year) is to watch who puts their hands up to say their birthday has passed (when I’m polling).
That way I can ‘force’ the audience to choose this participant later (I will outline the force later) and I’m instantly down to three star signs. Likewise if I am performing this without the phone revelation on the back side and I choose to go for a verbal or written revelation the last digit will always tell me if the participant’s birthday has passed or not. This is particularly useful in the first three and last three months of the year as I am instantly down to three signs. Granted this is only good for six months of the year using it like this this (three at the front end, three at the back). But it also helps in the middle of the year to avoid that hanging statement in most star sign divinations - as the total will instantly tell you which half of the year the t he participant was born in without having to ask them and it is completely disguised. Another really clever technique I use (that I have not shared) is to casually ask someone (when not performing this routine) “What year was you born?” (Wait for the answer) then answer) then respond “and that makes you how old?” When they give you the answer at some point during your set (if you can’t do this mentally) open your calculator calculator and type in the year they were born plus their age. If it doesn’t match the year you are in you know they have not had their birthday yet. If it does match they have had their birthday. This is so well disguised and again is one cleverer way to know someone’s star sign quickly if performed in the first few months or the last few months of the year. Now you have decided how you want to introduce the effect the actual effect itself is simple. Here is the full rundown, remember this works the same every time and therefore if you follow this performance you will have the same results.
For example purposes I will outline my preferred way to perform the routine. As you are reading this take your phone out and follow along and see for yourself how easy and quick this is.
Full performance Performer: “Take your mobile phone out and go to your calculator. We are going to generate a pin code at random. Generally when we create a pin code we use random numbers from our life and that’s what we are going going to do. Type into the calculator in 4 digit form the year that you were born”. Note to reader*** This is the first f irst part of the process them t hem typing in their year of birth. End of note*** As the participant is doing this turn to address the rest of the group. Performer: “If I was to look at XX I could probably work out his/ her age and therefore it wouldn’t really be a fair pin code”. Re-address the participant, Performer: “Press the plus key and add in a year that means something to you from your your lifetime, again in four digit form”. Turn to the audience, Performer: “I think this is a little fairer, the chances of me being able to guess this number is slim”. Note to reader***
The second part of the process is the participant adding a special year to the year they were born. Notice how I am killing the dead time while the participant is typing. Think about your routines, when a participant is writing or drawing these areas are the most important times to be talking to the audience. They keep the routine fresh and interesting, also if you are talking t alking to your audience it seems you are disinterested in what the participant is doing it kills the idea you could have someone how watched what the participant is doing and simultaneously it creates important memories for the audience, as you are talking during the typing process the audience remember what you are saying and not what the participant is doing. When they come to reiterate to their friends they can only reiterate what you tell them - giving you the opportunity to paint any picture you want through the exaggerated words shared by the audience. End of note*** Address the participant, Performer: “Press the plus key, type in your age and then press equals”. Note to reader*** So far we have taken the participants year of birth, added it to their special year and added that to their age. End of note*** Address the participant, Performer: “Think about this for a moment, you’ve taken lots of random numbers that are from your private life and added them together. If this was me, each number would be different. My special year happened in 2010, which based on probability will be different to yours and even if it’s not all the other factors will be. My special year happened 8 years ago. Can you think about
how many years ago your special year happened? Press the plus key and type that amount of years in and press equals”. Note to reader*** Your total should be (in 2018) 4035 or 4036. If it is not 2018 it will be double the current year you are in / double the current year are in minus one. Notice how I said my current year was in 2010 - this is in-fact a fabrication. I said 2010 so it was a square number and I can quickly tell the participant how many years it has been since my special year. One thing to note, the participant takes the longest to work out how many years it’s been since their special year and is the only part in the routine that they have to do mentally. If you are worried about this part in the process another line to add might be “Type in a year that is special to you, but make it one in the last ten years”. This makes the math for the participant incredibly simple now and there won’t be any mishaps. Again this is over in less than a minute and a half in performance, on paper it may seem like a while but in actual fact it really isn’t. End of note*** Performer: “I think this total is completely fair and completely random as it’s unique to you and you alone”. Note to reader*** Think about the logic here, it seems so fair and personal to the participant there is no way you should be able to know it. The reason that this works works is simple, if you re-arrange the math it’s so blatantly obvious.
Year of birth + Age When you do this it equals the current year you are in or minus one. Special year + Amount Equals the current year you are in. When the math is laid out in this form it seems so obvious and so transparent. It’s the verbal fluff that makes this work. We are now going to reveal the information. End of note*** Performer: “Think of any digit in your total, don’t say anything but look straight at me”. Note to reader*** This is a four digit total the key words in the last piece of scripting is “Think of any digit IN your total” there’s only two digits in the inside and the one in the third position is a hell of a lot more appealing than the one in the second position. I will re-frame in a moment when I have noticed the participant has committed to a number. End of note*** Performer: “You could have thought of any number in your total and I know you thought of one digit and then changed your mind. You’re thinking of the number three now right?” Note to reader***
You will be impressed at how this hits, it just does and the psychology behind it is fascinating. If for whatever reason it does not (which is very, very rare) and the participant says “no” then simply smile and say “Ah “Ah you changed your mind from that then, there is a three in there correct?” They have to say yes now. Of course I am explaining this as though it is 2018, you will be talking about the digit in the third position of whatever the total is in your situation. End of note*** Performer: “Focus on the last digit in this pin code for me, this me, this is a 5 (pause)... (Wait for a reaction) or a 6. Focus on which one of the numbers this is, keep a poker face but give me a nod when you are doing that”. The participant nods. Performer: “by you confirming you will focus on which one of the two digits it is you’ve just told me it is one of those digits! I will be using underhanded tactics like this don’t fall for them”. Note to reader*** This will now give you indication of whether to resort to the out using the mobile phone or written out. You can however use a verbal dodge - (imagining you are one out) Look at the participant, tell them to focus on the rest of the numbers and then say “you are never going to believe this! No way, this is so close that it can’t be a coincidence.
Add one to the last digit in your code - type in a random code into my phone you’ll see it won’t unlock. Type in the code you have but add one to the last digit!” When it opens you will get an insane reaction, of course that is not the perfect end but still gives you the opportunity to finish the routine visually. We will however continue with the routine from the hanging statement. Imagining that they have reacted on the 5. End of note*** Performer: “Imagine the rest of the numbers in the pin code, scream them at me in your mind. Imagine Imagin e telling me them... You are not going to believe this! I have never had this. I think your pin code is coincidentally the same as mine! Pick my phone up, type in a random code... Now another. Now type in your pin code”. Note to reader*** Ensure that the phone is sat flat on the table so everyone can see the phone visually open. If you are on stage you would hold the phone and ask for each of the digits in turn slowly and carefully typing them in. Think of the visual moment here, if you are on stage you need to create an applause moment. This can be done by setting a dark black background on the wallpaper so when it opens the contrast is easily seen even at the back of the room. If you are performing to a large audience you should have a live camera on the stage, ensure this camera is focused on the phone and that the glare isn’t killing the visuals for the audience. End of note***
Bonus idea Remember the earlier audience polling idea which I perform in the first three or last three months in the year? Well let’s imagine we are performing this on stage. (Before all of this has taken place (at the start of the show) take a Polaroid picture of the audience. Tell them it’s a souvenir. Keep this in your pad till later. Perform the matrix during the routine, place a squiggle (a mark, a rough ‘X’) on that persons face. Address the participant whose code just unlocked your phone. We are about to use a technique to get them to seemingly select a regular member of the audience. Casually flash the Polaroid that was taken earlier to the participant, (this is the cheeky moment) hand the participant a dried out sharpie pen. Note to reader*** Take the inside out of the pen and scribble till it dries out or superglue the nib so s o it can’t write. Either way the pen needs to be dry. End of note*** Performer: “I’m going to turn this photo upside down, take the pen and make a little squiggle on the photo. This will nominate the next random participant”. Note to reader*** If it was an ‘X’ you made then ask them to make an X, if it was a dot then get them to make a dot. Of course it’s not going to actually make a mark and therefore your mark the participant will always believe it is their mark.
End of note*** Performer: “W “Whoever hoever you have placed a mark on, grab that person from the audience and when that person stands and makes their way up here the audience will give you both a round r ound of applause. This is of course an indirect cue to get the audience to applause at the right moment without telling them to. Simultaneously because you never looked at the photo to check you just let the participant grab the audience member this kills the earlier audience polling method. When the participant comes up you are down to three signs sig ns use the “reductive processes” described in the “monkeying around” (later). This leads me to go g o off on couple of tangents that tha t I would urge you to read one one about the use of mathematics in mentalism and two varying your technique for maximum effect.
Mathematics in mentalism I would (For the most part) avoid any mentalism that requires the participant to make mental arithmetic - If the routine is labour intensive for the participant (mentally) then there is room for error. If like within this routine the participant uses their calculator (which is something everyone carries with them on their mobile phones) it eradicates the need for any errors. The mathematics is over very ver y quickly in this routine and I have hav e created a logical frame work for it to exist within. It makes sense to be adding numbers together and makes the routine seem more impossible as a whole – whole – This This makes the mathematics the strength in this routine. In regards to mathematics being boring in mentalism - that is a whole different argument. I believe anything can be interesting if presented correctly. Any performer who tells you that a particular plot is boring probably lacks chops in that area, which
is not a bad thing. I cannot perform P.K mentalism, I lack chops when it comes to metal bending or telekinesis. We can’t all be experts in all areas of mentalism. Utilising multiple techniques to achieve one result Why not just have the participant write a pin code? Why not have them simply write it on an impression device and reveal it, makes life much easier right? Wrong Well, sometimes but you need to vary the techniques you use to gain information. If the participants are constantly writing information info rmation it won’t take long until the audience start to wonder whether the writing process has something to do with getting the information. You need to use a variety of techniques to gain information, this is so hands off and seems so fair you never go near the participant, you never touch the participant’s participant’s phone. phone. Imagine if you had a billet Peek where the participant writes something something and you never touch touch the billet or or go near them after they have written written and folded the billet. This is the outward appearance of this routine! Imagine if you used something like this first, then applied a billet Peek. You have already solidified in your participants mind the idea you don’t need to look at the information and now when you move into the billet Peek it’s killed the method before it’s began. That is the strength of using multiple techniques in symphony.
Simple yet psychological What sort of notes would these be if I didn’t incorporate some purely psychological methodology? Here is a reworking of something that I created many years ago, in its first form it appeared in “BF1 BF1””. This version is an updated revamped version of that effect. The difference with this version is I have even been delightful enough to share an out to keep you fail safe should you need!
Effect The performer briefly explains the the tests that were were conducted using ESP symbols, he then hands the participant five different ESP symbols. The performer places an ESP symbol facedown and asks the participant to place one adjacent to it on the table this is repeated for the rest of the cards. During the middle of the experiment the participant is asked to think of a random image. The cards are turned over one by one to show that each one in turn matches! The performer then asks the participant what image they thought of during the experiment. The participant says that they thought of the image of a house. The performer casually addresses the participant, “If you were in any doubt that I predetermined the outcome of this experiment maybe this will convince you” you”. The performer removes a black light from his pocket and asks the participant to shine it on the back of each of their cards in-front of them. The first one has the letter H the second and O then U, S and E! Proving that not only had you predicted the order but put the image into their head in the first place!
Breakdown This routine is simplicity at its best. First you need to purchase a black light and UV pen. Each can be purchased cheaply on Amazon. You have two choices at this point – You You can purchase ESP cards or you can simply draw the ESP symbols on blank business card ca rd stock. I personally prefer to draw them on business cards quickly in the as it seems impromptu and like a unique performance for the participant as opposed to a prepared piece. You would of course if you are doing this already have the UV ink prepared. You will need ten symbols, 2 stars, 2 waves, 2 squares, 2 crosses (plus symbols) and 2 circles. On the back of one of the stars write a large “E”, one of the waves an “S”, one of the squares a “U”, one of the plus symbols an “O” and one of the circles a “H”. Mark these cards with a light pencil dot on the back – back – do do this in such a way that you know which card is which. For example the circle you might place a light dot in the center of the card. The squares you might place dots in the corners etc. Find your own places to mark the cards doing it this way makes it easier for you to remember as they are your unique markings. This stack of symbols will be the stack that that is is handed to the participant. You are ready to perform. This routine is literally about following the provided scripts and instructions – instructions – Start the performance by placing the STAR symbol facedown and saying, Performer: “Looking at these cards for the first time, take one out that you would consider your favourite, the most interesting of the entire group””. group Note to reader*** considering the participant has never seen ESP cards before so when they look over the cards they will instantly recognise all
of the symbols except the wave, which from a probability perspective alone dismisses the waves. The rest of the symbols are fairly uninteresting meaning the star should be the one chosen at this point. End of note*** Now place the Wavey lines down. Performer: “Look over the remaining cards and take out the one you don’ don ’ t recognise (pause) as belonging with the rest it just seems out of place””. place Note to the reader*** we are now taking advantage of the fact that the participant doesn’ doesn’ t recognise the Waves. Look at this from a logical perspective it is the easiest to choose because they definitely recognise the rest. End of note*** Place the square down next. Performer: “I want you to think about a simple image like the sun, a flower, or a stickman but don’ don ’ t go for those things as I mentioned them. Make it something you can draw in a few seconds. Now that you have done that think of the rough shape of this drawing and place down the card you believe is closest to the shape of image you are thinking of ”. Note to reader*** after eliminating a sun, a flower and an d a stickman whilst simultaneously mentioning the circle over and over the participant will likely think of an image that is square in nature – nature – for for example a house, a car or a tree (something along these lines) each of these resemble the square which is perfect for what we need. End of note*** Now place down the cross and then circle one after the other. Performer: “You are now left with shapes, designs or a mixture of shapes and designs, the designs are waves, the cross and a star. If you have one of these designs left place it down here. You are left with one card, place that card down just here” here ”. Note to reader*** If the participant has followed everything you have said until this point, the last two cards you get g et for free based on the few choices before these two cards.
End of note*** Continue, Performer: “ Think Think about this, this, I would have had to have known the exact way you think to know which would be your favourite symbol. Likewise I would have had to have known what you considered your least favourite symbol. I would have had to have known the exact image you drew in your mind and after all of that then known what cards you would have had left in your hands” hands”. Ask the participant to turn over their first card, you flip yours over showing that they match! This is repeated till after you have flipped the middle card (the square) after you have flipped that card over casually ask “What image did you think of?” of?” If they went for the house great! If not don’ don’ t worry you wrote on the cards in UV ink and therefore no one needs to know you have a prediction at all, simply smile and say “I thought so” so” nodding. This is a tiny moment but when the rest of the cards match in a moment it is more logicial that the participant actually believes that you were inside their head and picked up on the image than it is to dismiss it as being a lie. Think about when mediums speak facts about people that are on the other side, these comments could easily just be comments but after the medium has divined the name everyone believes the other little comments made by the medium. The psychology here is the same. The last two cards play the most integral role pertaining to the revelation of the effect – Please don’t don’t make the same mistake I see almost every performer who performs this type of routine make. Instead of the participant flipping the next card over (following the way each other card in this routine has been revealed) ask the participant to flip both of their remaining cards ca rds over and then you proceed to prove a match by flipping your last two cards over. This gives the last revelation a punch – Don’t on’t make the mistake of asking the participant to flip one of their cards and then you in turn flip one of your cards (they match) and now being left in a position where there are two facedown cards that obviously match (killing your last revelation) - this is what my old mate Lloyd Barnes calls “Shitting in your own bath water” water”. Now that all of the cards match, let’ let’ s look at the wrap up of this routine. Of course the drawing that the participant makes has to hit for you to continue to the wrap up.
The reason that we labelled the letters on the back of the participant p articipant’ ’ s cards back to front is that the ‘ H’ will will now be on their far left making the word house the right way around from their perspective. You would have to lay the cards out to fully understand what I mean but in short – As As the star went down on our left as a s the participant is placing it across from mine it will be on their far right (hence labelling the star the letter ‘ E’ Instead Instead of ‘ H’ . Ask the participant to flip each of their cards facedown. Take out the black light and hand it to the participant. Performer: “You may still be doubtful that I influenced you to put the symbols down in that order. There’s order. There’s only only one way that I can really prove that I was inside your head the entire time. Take the black light, and shine it slowly on the back of each of the cards” cards”. They will do this and the reaction will be insane!
Fail safe out Remember that we marked the cards? You will obviously know whether the cards c ards laid down are in the right order or not. If the cards are in the right order do not proceed by asking this question finish up as described above. If however the cards are in the wrong order ask the participant, “Do you want to move around any of your cards?” cards?” Most of the time the participant will say that they do not want to move the cards around, it really doesn’t doesn’t matter matter if they do want to change or they do not – not – Either Either way you are going to deliver a specific answer this is a technique I call “Equivocal choreography ”. It is a fancier way of saying “Equivoque Equivoque”” the technique I am about to outline is verbal acrobatics opposed to physical. Either way you bring the routine to a conclusion by simply following thisIf they decide they did want to move the cards – cards – Performer: “I was so sure you wouldn’ wouldn ’ t move the cards, its ok I still don’ don ’ t know what cards you have placed where but I will move my cards slightly to reflect as where I believe you have placed your cards” cards”.
Simply re-arrange the cards and then move to the revelation. If they do not adjust their cards simply say – say – Performer: “I was so sure you were going to move the cards I purposefully placed a few of mine out of order. As you didn’t didn’t move move yours I will move mine to reflect the order I think you have kept your cards in. Remember I never saw your cards and don’t don’t know know the order you have placed them down in” in”. Again you now bring the routine to a conclusion. Note to reader*** If the participant did think of a house h ouse during the middle of the routine (but some of the other cards were out of order) you can simply move into the drawing revelation with black light (after the revelation and making the necessary adjustments) pausing a few seconds collecting the cards up and rearranging them as you turn them facedown and then openly saying “Oh the weird thing is this” this” then moving into the black light revelation of the word on the back. Offer the participant to check the back of the rest of the cards to prove there is no other letters and with the letters they have challenge the participant to make any other drawing – drawing – they they will not be able to proving that you genuinely influenced the image. You will get a huge reaction no matter which way this routine plays out and really outlines what I feel the most important factor is when performing psychological work of any kind. As long as you have a solid out prepared there is nothing wrong with taking a chance on a miracle every once in a while!
Monkeying Around We will use an anagram that I like to call 'Monkeying Around'. The beauty bea uty of using an anagram at this point in the process is that you can fish for letters under the guise of 'calibrating' the way that the participant thinks. I would advise the reader to pay close attention to the way that this anagram is constructed and executed as there are lots of little subtleties and nuances that can be applied to many other
Zodiac-style routines (these are detailed in between the lines of the anagramming process). To effectively outline my process of constructing and executing the Zodiac anagram I am going to write a hypothetical presentation where where the participant’s star sign is Capricorn. I will then break down the performance in detail, piece by piece, outlining all of the nuances and subtleties that I use in performance. I believe this will demonstrate how clean anagrams can look when executed correctly. After first outlining the presentation with just the anagram (to avoid making things unclear), I will then add pieces of performance / scripting around the anagramming process to help disguise the anagram further. You will notice that the scripting and choreography is what makes the anagram beautiful. I know you are waiting to get on with reading the anagram, but let me first point out a few f ew things that historically I didn’t like about using a letter anagram in conjunction with a star sign. These thoughts may be similar to your own, in which case you will appreciate the things I have changed to make the process logical. The first question I always always asked myself was "What the hell does seeing the word have to do with star signs?" When you think about something people consider so emotionally relevant, how can you reduce that to just guessing the word, almost making the process scientific? The second thing I didn't like was the idea of throwing out the letters in a random order. It didn’t make any sense to me. Thirdly, I hated people asking: “IS THERE AN XX IN YOUR SIGN?” Are Are you kidding me? You can read people, so tell them confidently what letters are in the sign. Finally, when it comes down to the last two star signs I didn’t want to ask several more questions. I wanted that part of the process to be streamlined and handled beautifully, and to make it feel as though I really was feeling what they are like as a person and reading them for real. As a result, I have tried to create viable reasons that were logical, to wash away the things I didn’t like when anagramming. You might think I am running when not being chased; I would argue that I am just going the extra mile.
So how did I remedy these problems? Here's my take on star sign anagramming. I hope you like it! Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?” Participant: “I do.” Performer: “I certainly think it is a fascinating subject, and I am a great believer in the fact that even though the stars are thousands of miles away, they really can and do have an effect on our lives here and now. I would like to read you, with your permission of course, to not only intuit your star sign, but to learn about you during that process.” Participant: “That is fine with me.” me.” Performer: “It might get a little bit rocky in places, but this is nothing more than connection building. Building a connection emotionally and mentally can take years, as I am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of minutes. Some people are better at seeing letters, others are better at seeing pictures. I need to figure out how you think. All I need you to do is to imagine your star sign written in the air. I want you to imagine looking over all of the letters of your star sign and just beam them towards me. The clearer you can imagine this, the easier it will be for me. There is one thing I will point out. Because you have not mentally transmitted a piece of information before, I think we should make this process fun. The quicker your mind spins the easier it is for me to receive your thoughts. I want you to imagine seeing the letters in the star sign in a completely random order. Keep changing through the letters randomly, in any order you choose. Can I take your hands?” The participant gives the performer her hands. Performer: “Don’t say anything unless I ask you a direct question. Focus on the star sign written in the air between us…like…LEO. Are you seeing the letters from YOUR sign in the air?” Participant: “I am.” Performer: “Great, “Great, then then we can begin. Keep changing through the letters, stop there, go back. There’s an R in this, correct?” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “There's also an A.” Participant: “Yes.”
Performer: “I am getting slightly confused now. I think the connection has weakened slightly. There isn't a letter I in the star sign, is there?” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “You are doing perfectly, though I might in a moment have to resort to you focusing on the picture of this star sign. Is there an ‘S’ in there?” Participant: “No.” Performer: “Ok, can you just in your mind count the number of letters in the star sign for me?” The participant starts to count. Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you can.” The participant starts to focus. Performer: “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of information has just flooded in. I now know you focus on things aesthetically instead of analytically. You’re a Capricorn, correct?” Participant: “I am!” It’s as simple as that. What I have hav e done is created a logical explanation for a lot of the flaws that I found in common star sign anagrams. Let me point out the star sign anagram I use and then I will go back over the presentation and break it down piece by piece to show you why I applied certain 'excuses' and 'washes'. You will be throwing out these letters in this sequence: R. A. I. S. E. the word (RAISE) A lot of performers use R.I.A.S.E. but I have found from a presentational point of view using R.A.I.S.E. is easier to remember and flows better. Let’s look at this in anagram form:
The chart is incredibly easy to follow. You say say a letter and if you get a 'No' then you move to the right; if you get a 'Yes' you move down the chart to the next letter. This is the anagram in its simplest form, but with presentation it becomes so much more. Let’s look at our example of ‘Capricorn’ again and break it down piece by piece. Performer: “Do you believe in the Zodiac or horoscopes?” Asking this question is the start of the anagramming process. I will base my performance on the participant’s answer. I want to create instant rapport, and therefore the way to do it is essentially to agree with their viewpoint. v iewpoint. No performance of mine is ever the same. Participant: “I do.”
In this performance the participant does believe in them; this is the scenario I find occurs the most frequently. If the participant says 'No', then make a judgment on their answer in a positive way. What do I mean by that? Let’s assume the participant says 'No'. Respond with: “That tells me you are a logical thinker who tries to see the systematic side of things. That’s great, and I think what I am about to show you will fit perfectly with the way you think.” You have complimented them for thinking this way, therefore maintaining rapport instead of brushing against the way they think. If the person is on the fence about believing, I might say: “Are you open to experiencing something new and exciting that might change your viewpoint?" Then I move into the next line about the stars. Performer: “I certainly believe it is a fascinating subject. I am a great believer in the fact that even though the stars are thousands of miles away, they really can and do have an effect on our lives here and now. I would like to read you, with your permission of course, to not only intuit your star sign but also learn about you during that process.” I ask for the participant’s permission to read them. the m. This suggests that what I am doing is private, and there must be something about to be read. Think about this for a second. If I wasn’t really going to get inside the participant’s mind, why would I ask that question? It gives what I am about to do an instant air of credibility and at the same time I think it is theatrically strong. Participant: “That is fine with me.” In this scenario the person said it was fine; if the person says 'No' then I always respect their wishes. Performer: “It might get a little bit rocky in places, but this is nothing more than connection building. Building a connection
emotionally and mentally can take years, as I am sure you know, and I have only known you a matter of minutes.” This provides a logical early excuse if you yo u get a 'No' response in performance. In this system that will only ever happen once, and it won't seem like a miss. In other systems you could get two. I have taken principles from outside anagramming that fit perfectly to ensure that you can only ever get one 'No' response, and that is in such a logical place that it will never be remembered. I always hated the idea of apparently being wrong after you have been right so many times, and I feel that is one of the main issues with using anagrams. I really focussed and spent time ensuring that I tied these areas up logically. Now I never worry, because the logical justification is more than enough (after they agree with it) to ensure that they don't even think about a miss. In fact, it opens the doors to you being bolder. Performer: “All I need you to do is to imagine y our our star sign written in the air. I want you to imagine looking over all of the letters of your star sign and just beam them towards me. The clearer you can imagine this the easier it will be for me. There is one thing I will point out: because you have not mentally transmitted a piece of information before, I think we should make this process fun. The quicker your mind spins the easier it is for me to receive your thoughts. I want you to imagine seeing the letters in the star sign in a completely random order. Keep changing through the letters randomly, in any order you choose.” Again, another pet hate of mine when using anagrams is the seemingly random nature of picking up on letters. We don’t focus on words in a random order, so why would we receive them in a random order? I thought about it, and this idea seemed very plausible and gave me an excuse for receiving them in a random order. Performer: “Can I take your hands?” This is theatrical but suggests to the participant that some connection has been created. Why would I do it if that wasn't the case? The participant gives me her hands.
Performer: “Don’t say anything unless I ask you a direct question. Focus on your star sign written in the air between us…like…LEO. Are you seeing the letters from YOUR YOUR sign in the air?” This is a very important section; the timing is essential here. I first mute the participant. Remember at this moment in time we don’t know what the participant’s star sign is. If we get a 'No' on the letter R, we can see by looking at the anagram outlined above that there are three star signs it could be (Leo, Pisces, Gemini). I need to eliminate one of those star signs before any letter is ever thrown out, to cover the eventuality that there isn’t an R in there. I need to be on a branch with two signs not three. Let’s take a look at why I mute the participant from speaking. I ensure the participant doesn't say a word during this first part of the anagram because I need to stop them from saying “That isn’t my star sign” when I mention me ntion Leo. I do this by carefully thinking about the way that I throw out Leo, as the timing of it is essential. Take a look at the script. There is a slight pause before the word 'like' and then again a pause before you say “Leo” . The reason for the pause is because if the participant’s star sign is Leo, they will react as though you got it right and you won't need to continue with the rest of the anagram. If they don't react as though you have hit their sign, you need to follow up directly with: “Are you seeing the letters from YOUR sign in the air?” Slightly emphasise 'YOUR', which suggests that you know Leo isn’t their sign and you were just using it as an example. If it is Leo, it will appear to be a miracle and then you can move into the reading from here. If not, move straight on. Participant: “I am.” Performer: “Great, then we can begin. The first thing I am feeling is there is an R in this, correct?” I point out that we are ready to begin. This indirectly suggests that you haven't already begun.
Participant: “Yes.” In this scenario it is a hit; if it's not and there is no R in the star sign, move straight into asking the participant to focus on it as a picture (outlined in this example after the letter S). For demonstration purposes, let’s assume the participant says 'No' says 'No' at this stage. The signs would now be Pisces or Gemini, and you can use Derren Brown’s 'Repeat it’ principle: instruct the participant to focus on their picture and whilst focusing on it to just keep saying the title of the picture over and over, “. . . . like Pisces, Pisces, Pisces." Pisces." If the participant reacts instantly, jump on the reaction and say: “I was feeling that was your sign.” If not, simply respond with “Just repeat it over and over again like that.” Now you know they must be a Gemini. Seemingly, a miracle has taken place. In our hypothetical scenario (where the star sign is Capricorn) there is an R. When we deduce that this letter is in their sign, we receive positive affirmation and therefore we move on to the next branch of the anagram. Performer: “There is also an A.” Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “I am getting slightly confused now, like the connection has weakened slightly. There is not a letter l etter I in the star sign, is there?” This is another important line. By claiming you are getting slightly confused, it provides an excuse for a miss. Remember, probability tells us that the further you get down the anagram the greater the chance there is of getting a 'No' from the participant on each subsequent question. I have taken this into account and have offered another logical excuse / reminder to 'wash away' the 'No'. If you haven’t noticed, I have also applied a closed ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question which is “There isn't the letter I in the star sign, is there?” Say this with a little bit of a confused tone. Look at the question again more closely. It enables us to ensure that your response
to the participant’s answer will always be a hit, as whatever the participant answers you have a line prepared. For example, let’s say the participant responds “No, there isn’t .” .” Quickly continue with “I didn’t think so,” and smile as though the pressure of doubt has been removed from your mind. Now move mo ve into the line “Focus on this as a picture." It never seems to be a miss. On one occasion (after mentioning I was losing the connection), the participant’s phone began to ring and when the participant stopped it I said “Ah that explains why. That really threw me off. Where were we?” This we?” This gave me a logical reason for getting a 'No' later as I could point out that the phone interrupted me and I needed to refocus. In our hypothetical scenario there is an I in the star sign so the response from the participant would be 'Yes'. Participant: “Yes.” Performer: “I might in a moment have to resort to you focusi ng ng on the picture of this star sign. There is an S in i n there?” I have suggested to the participant several times that this could fail at any moment. In this scenario I am indirectly blaming the participant for not being able to focus on the letters, and that’s the reason we are having to shift to pictures - it's almost a lmost blaming them for the reason that I got a 'No' and therefore it doesn't play as if I've made a mistake. In this hypothetical scenario, suppose we get a 'No' at this part of the anagram. Participant: “No.” Performer: “Ok, can you just in your mind count the number of letters in the star sign for me?” The participant starts to count. Performer: “In fact, please focus on this as an image if you can.” The participant starts to focus. Here I apply Michael Murray’s CUP’s technique. I would for any other letter apply Derren Brown’s 'Repeat it’ principle, but as I keep striving for the 'perfect' version, on this letter I use the CUP’s approach. I notice the participant is struggling to count (had it been Libra then the
response would have been instantaneous). I cut them off after a few seconds and continue. Performer: “Wow, this is much better; a wealth of information has just flooded in. I now know you focus on things aesthetically rather than analytically.” I now claim that a wealth of information has come com e through, as a result of the participant thinking in a different way. This gives you a perfect opportunity to read the person, and at the same time it 'washes away' the miss by implying that you have discovered how the participant thinks. Remember, you told the participant right at the start that you needed to find the connection. Performer: “You’re a Capricorn, correct?” You now reveal the star sign. Your work here is done. You have gained credibility and with no props (not that I think props are an issue) you have collected several pieces of information about the participant that you may not have known before. Fin! (If I was performing this as a standalone piece, I would now give giv e a reading of the person based on their star sign.) This enables you to remember the 2 star signs at each branch easily, using a visual memory aid, and it can be learned very quickly. Picture a lion watching a dance off featuring a chimpanzee versus a cat. The chimp is really going for it, dancing his heart out, then stops and gestures at the cat who ignores him, makes no attempt to dance, but just sits there licking its arse. Technically it's an American cat and is licking its ass. I apologise apologise if the crudeness offends the reader, but it will help you to remember the progressive anagram. Just remember to keep a straight face in performance! Here's how: Picture a lion (L (L EO) EO)
Watching a dance off featuring a chimpanzee. . . (In the UK we had a famous advertising campaign featuring chimpanzees for PG Tips tea. PG PG - PISCES and GEMINI. You may prefer instead, particularly if you're not from the UK, to think of a PiG for the same 2 letters.) Versus (VS (VS - VIRGO and SCORPIO) A cat (CaT (CaT - CA CANCER NCER AND TAURUS) LiC LIBRA Licking ((LiC - LI BRA AND CAPRICORN) Its ass (AS (ASs s - AQUARIUS AND SAGITTARIUS) Technically ARIES is not included in this, but since it's the only star sign that is an anagram of the 'RAISE' letters that you use for the main divination, it's easy to remember. In fact, in the same way I usually don't bother picturing a lion watching as LEO is easy to remember as the first sign in the progressive progressive anagram.
Hope you loved these notes.
Peter Turner
