PowerOfThought.PDF

THE POWER OF

THOUGHT B Y PA PA U L C U R R Y A N D T O M B O W Y E R

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THE POWER OF THOUGHT By Paul Curry and Tom Bowyer THE EFFECT

The performer introduces two decks of cards. One deck has a red back, the other, blue.

A spectator chooses either of the decks, fans it with the faces towards him and mentally decides upon any card he sees as he fans thru. The performer stresses the fact that the spectator has had a free choice of any card, that since the card has been selected mentally, mental ly, it is impossibl impossible e for anyone, anyone, other than than the the spectator, spectator, to know the identity of this card. When this has been done the spectator closes the fan and returns the deck to its original face down position on the table.

The spectator is instructed to rest one of his hands on each of the decks and to concentrate, for about ten seconds, on his card.

The performer points out that each card in the red deck has a duplicate somewhere in the blue deck. “For instance,” he explains, “somewhere in this red deck is the card you are thinking of -- while somewhere in the blue deck is the duplicate of that card. Just where, in each deck, these cards lie, no one of course knows.”

The performer says that he is going to have the spectator deal the cards from each deck face up simultaneously. Before the spectator starts to deal, however, the performer remarks that





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end this card is twisted so that it projects sideways from the deck which is placed back on the table in its original face down position.

The spectator now begins to deal by turning face up the top card of each deck simultaneously. The performer remarks on the fact that it would be a truly amazing coincidence if these two cards had proved to be duplicates of each other. The two cards are placed face up in front of their respective decks and the spectator continues to deal the cards in this manner. As each set is dealt the performer points out that it consists of two unrelated cards.

This is continued until the projecting card is reached. The performer stops the spectator at this point. “We know,” he remarks, “that the card now on top of the red deck is the card that was thought of. We know also that the card on top of the blue deck occupies the same position in its deck as the thought of card does in the red deck. Further, we know that up to now no two cards dealt have been duplicates. Before we turn up these two cards,” the performer continues, “I should like to make it clear that I offer no explanation of what is about to happen. If you wish to to look upon it it as a trick, yours will be the problem problem of determining where and how the trickery occurred. If you believe it to be a coincidence I will not argue the point, but I merely wish to call your your attention attention to the fact that that the odds against what is about to happen would run into the millions. I do not even ask you to believe that there is another possible explanation of what you are about to see: that the human mind has powers as yet unexplained. I prefer to let you figure it out!”





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Despite the conditions outlined it is discovered that these two cards are duplicates! In other words, the card freely and mentally mental ly selected selected by by the spectat spectator, or, and and only that card, card, occupies occupies the same position in both decks!!

THE METHOD

To prepare for the trick take any well mixed deck and arrange another deck, preferably having a different colored back, so that the cards in this second deck lie in the exact same order as those in the first.

For the sake of Illustration we will assume you are using a red and blue backed deck.

After you have arranged the cards so that both decks are in the same order, put the blue deck aside and place the red deck face down in front of you. Count off three cards from the top of this red deck (without reversing the order of these three cards) and place them, face down, at the bottom of the deck.

Because of the transfer of these three cards every card in the red deck will be exactly three cards nearer the top of the deck than is its duplicate in the blue deck. In other words, the top card of the red deck is a duplicate of the fourth card in the blue deck, etc.

It follows, therefore, that if any red backed card is moved three cards lower, both this card and its duplicate in the blue deck will lie in the exact same numerical position in their respective decks.





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If he touches the blue deck, request that he place the card case or some small object such as a coin, watch, etc., on the deck so as to prevent your manipulating the cards or gaining access to that deck in any manner.

If he touches the red deck, request that he pick up that deck, fan it and decide mentally on any card he sees as he fans thru.

Note that regardless of which deck he touches, he must end up by fanning thru the deck in which the three cards had been transferred from top to bottom. The other deck, the deck in which the arrangeme arrangement nt had not been been so disturbe disturbed, d, must must remain remain on the table throughout.

After the spectator has decided upon a card he squares the red deck and places it back on the table in its original face down position.

Build up, as best you can, the fact that the card has been freely chosen, that no one could possibly know what card it is etc. Have him place his hands on the decks, concentrate on his card and finally tell him to deal the cards face up in unison.

Just as he is about to start the deal mention, as though an after-thought, that you have decided it would be more interesting if everyone could see just where his card is located in the red deck.

Pick up the red deck and begin to fan it slowly from hand to hand, the faces towards the spectator and the backs towards





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This done the cards, from the performers point of view, will appear as in Figure No. 1.

Watch the cards cards closely closely and and as soon soon as the selected selected card has has been raised by the spectator, count ahead three cards in the fan. Widen the fan a trifle trifle immediatel immediately y after after the third third card card and and rest the tip of the third finger of your left hand on the face of this card, See Figure No. 2.

Lower the fan face towards the floor closing it as you do so. When the the fan is entirely entirely closed the third third finger finger maintain maintains s a “break” immediately beneath the third card. See Figure No. 3.

As it now stands the left hand is holding the deck squared face down. The card noted by the spectator projects about an inch from the outer end of the deck. Unknown to the spectators, the left third finger tip separates the deck slightly at a point three cards beneath the projecting card.

(It should be noted that the artist has exaggerated the thickness of the three cards to allow for a clearer picture of the action.)

“Suppose we just turn this card sideways,” you remark and as you say this your right hand separates the deck at the “break,” as shown in Figure No. 4. From the spectators point of view the projecting card is the lowermost card of the cards now in the right hand. Actually, and unknown to them, there are three cards beneath the projecting one.

The right hand immediately swings the cards around and the left







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The right hand now draws away and the projecting card remains on the left hand portion of the deck being retained there by the pressure of the left thumb. See Figure No. 6.

The right hand openly drops its cards onto those in the left hand so that the deck now appears as in Figure No. 7.

The deck, with the card projecting from the side, is placed face down on the table.

The action just explained, which takes place in a second or two, places the projecting card in a position exactly three cards lower than the position it was in at the time the spectator noted it. In short, the projecting card is now the same number of cards from the top of the red deck as the duplicate of this card is in the blue deck.

It only remains now to have to have the spectator deal the cards face up in unison and to discover that the projecting card and its duplicate in the blue deck, are in the same position in there respective decks.





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deck. Properly performed the spectators should have no reason to suspect that the cards are arranged and the trick can be highly effective without the shuffle.

On platforms or before large groups the trick may be worked with two two spectators spectators. . Each person calls the cards cards aloud aloud as he deals and, of course, they both call the same card when the projecting card is reached.

It can be worked as a mental test by apparently changing the location of one card in the blue deck after the spectator has thought of one in the red. The impression, created is that the “Mentalist” reads the spectator’s thoughts and openly shifts the card he is thinking of to the same position in the blue deck.

If the performer believes in covering his tracks completely a simple shift (or “Pass”) will destroy the arrangement as far as clues are concerned after the trick is finished.

It is a simple matter to introduce the trick during a series of effects in which a mixed deck is used. If you have been using a red deck have the arranged red deck on its side in your side jacket pocket. Bring out the blue deck in its case from another pocket and drop the mixed deck you have been using all along in

PowerOfThought.PDF

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