Robert Watkins - Positive Negative

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Watkins































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Watkins

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By Watkins

© Psychonaut

Publishing 2017































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Watkins































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Contents (+)

Foreword by Jacob Smith Introduction………………………………………...12 Concept……………………………………………..13 ‘Editions of You’…………………………………...15 ‘Ambivalence’………………………………………20 ‘The Strangest Secret’………………… Sec ret’……………………………...25 …………...25 ‘Dark Entries’………………………………………29 ‘Dark Entries II: Weaving a Story’………………..40 Story’………………..40 Challenges………………………………………….58 ‘The Difficult Ploy’………………………………… Ploy’…………………………………61 61 Another Reality…………………………… Reality…………………………………….63 ……….63

Contents (-)

Foreword by Fraser Parker Introduction……………………………………….69 Creativity…………………………………………..70 Classic VS Avant Garde…………………………...72 ‘Entheon’…………………………………………..73 ‘Thanatos’………………………………………….79 ‘Another Version of the Truth’……………………83 ‘Mothman’…………………………………………93 ‘Separation Anxiety’……………… Anxiety’……………………………….101 ……………….101 My Preshow………………………………………..115 ‘To One in Paradise’………………………………121 The End of +/-……………………………… +/-……………………………………128 ……128 Special Thanks…………………………………….130

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Watkins Foreword by Jacob Smith

Robert Watkins. This is a name that I believe all of us will someday look back on on as a visionary of modern mentalism, mind reading and hypnosis. Why? Well you're well on your way to finding out through this treatise of original ideas, routines and honest deceptions on the positive and negative aspects of mentalism effects. Who is Watkins? Watkins is one of my dearest friends, I say that with so much sincerity that these words etched to paper will never really be able to fully convey just how valued he is. Watkins came to me like most do, seeing me on Penguin Live then connecting with me on social media then showing interested in creating and publishing material. The main difference between Watkins and everyone else who typically does this isn't that he is world class, but that while many have fertile creative minds, his mind thinks far different than anyone else I know. Creators like Watkins are rare, but friends like him are far rarer. I feel it's important that you know that you aren't just getting a tome on brilliant unique performance pieces by just anyone, Watkins is as sincerely great as they come in all aspects of life as a person. He is truly a down to earth, yet mystical being that has a beautiful mind that thinks in the language of dreams and visions. Nearly two years later, we talk daily, text, Skype call and talk general life while supporting one another, never being afraid to be dead honest. We were fast friends from day one and I can honestly say that I am forever grateful to be able to call him a true friend and cohort.

































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When is the last time you have you purchased a book boo k where you can see the author do the material contained inside in the real world, exactly as written? Watkins is the type to learn or develop an idea by going directly into the trenches with cameras rolling to refine his craft. He has the amazing ability to see things from his audience's perspectives. This may sound like something you think to be common, but as someone who sees more magic in a year than most see in a lifetime, I can tell you that isn't the case. When will you be able to take this work out and use it? If you're like me or Watkins then immediately you will adopt these ideas, routines and concepts into your working repertoire. Taking something as the Separation Anxiety or even just the Severance concept out will be like taking a gun to a knife fight when you perform. Confidence, belief in yourself and the devotion to performing some truly stunning mentalism are the cornerstones of your success with the material ahead. If you never underestimate yourself or the methods presented then the material will bring massive amounts of success to even the most novice of performer. Finally... You're in for a treat, I know firsthand how powerful these workers are because I in fact use many of them. I still remember the first time I saw Dark Entries and the unbelievable layering of methods that makes everything appear to be way too clean to be simply a pseudo demonstration. It appeared real and the audiences in the video confirmed that further. I'm going to leave something special for those of us that have taken the time to read through this Foreword and learn a little about my friend through my writing. What I am going to share with you is my unique handling for Almost Real Prediction by Jack London.

































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Here is the basic effect: After hours of congratulations and awards, a very exhausted business class audience is ready for something exciting. Suddenly almost out of nowhere, a powerful voice comes over the PA announcing the arrival of a special guest presenter, ready to bring this night to a conclusion. With that out pops a finely dressed lad with so much energy and enthusiasm that the audience can't help but wake up from their hypnotic states of boredom. The performer begins with talking about the difference between coincidence and luck, offering a demonstration of luck is created rather than simply being coincidence. The performer presents to everyone three envelopes, each containing an apparent "prediction" of the random events that are about to take place. Three chosen helpers are selected, invited to participate and each are given an envelope randomly. The performer produces his IPhone (obviously from his pocket, not thin air...unless that's your swag) then opens the calculator. After clearing it multiple times before holding it screen down for the three participants to dial the numbers on the calculator three times each at random sight unseen. Finally the phone is dropped into the last participant's hands after his three numbers have been randomly chosen and he confirms whether or not they have successfully been able to each generate a three digit number to build a larger nine digit number. Each person looks inside their envelopes to find a stack of sticky notes which have each one of their numbers in order inside! The whole nine digit number created at random is predicted! The audience is visibly stunned as the performer, looking even more intrigued, grabs his pad and writes something down. The performer asks if the nine digit number or the three digit numbers that make it up have any relevance to anyone in the room, which is met (generally) by

































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The audience reacts even louder this time and as they settle down, the performer then begins to have a flash of something in his eyes. When the final sum number is closer examined, it is found to actually be the days date! Now for the explanation... This is a really fun three phase piece of mentalism to perform, the best thing is that if you're doing this table hopping, strolling or simply out and about (which you easily can) then you are INSTANTLY RESET to repeat it yet again! How? The first as well as the last chunk relies on the traditional methodology to Jack London's Almost Real Prediction then the middle chunk relies on a discovery that I made about the current IPhone Calculator based on an old idea from Kenton Knepper that I originally saw in Peter Turner's first book Devious Realities called Kenton's Calculation to force the first set of numbers as hands off as possible. First thing is you're going to need to come up with a series of numbers that add up to that days date (should that be the extra kicker you're looking for) or any number you wish to predict. This is done by coming up with a sum made up of three 3 digit numbers that equal your desired total without using zero. Here is an example for the current day’s prediction: IE: 573 + 381 348 1302 (February 13th) These numbers are going to be typed onto your calculator ON

































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DON'T COPY AND PASTE ANYTHING ELSE ON YOUR PHONE UNTIL YOU NO LONGER NEED THE NUMBER! This will save you some embarrassing moments that I had when originally performing and crafting this lovely numbers piece. Next, grab yourself some sticky notes and write out one number of the nine digit number on each one, forming them into three packets front to back in order (IE: 5-3-3 top to bottom then 7-8-4 and finally 3-18). These will be our first prediction as well as easily facilitate the rearrangement of the numbers later on to create the final reveal. These can be put into marked envelopes to be used in performance as well as keep them organized. Why are the envelopes marked? Because you need to have them go the appropriate person in performance or you'll have a real cluster fuck from square one (something else I also found out through experience). With that minimal prep, you can now perform this miracle for the day (or continuously should you change the ending to something else that remains constant). Let's dive into the performance and execution of this set... To start, I have found this works very well as an opener because you can actually go out into your audience and have them do the number selection process quickly, but should you desire, you can also have them come onto stage like above. To start, present the envelopes and as you mix them, make sure you keep them in 1-2-3 order. You will now appear to give everyone a free choice of envelope, but really hand them each out in 1-2-3 order! How? This is an old chair test ruse, but you really do just say:



































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It's now that take the phone between our left index finger and thumb in a pinch like position with your index finger holding down the ‘equals’ key. You will extend the facedown phone to each person, having them randomly touch the phone three times sight unseen each then simply let the phone fall into the hands of the final person. It's very hands off appearing and it seems like you have no control over anything when really you have just rang in a completely new different number! I should stop and say how important it is to ask once we hand the phone off: "Did we make up a nine digit number on the first try or did we accidently hit another key, which means we have to try again?" Ask this with genuine uncertainty and this will sell to everyone that they really did just randomly generate those numbers. It's also important to again point out that you must hold down the equals sign with the index finger the entire time, which negates their touches from registering on the phone. Now we simply have the number listed off as each person confirms number by number that the prediction is correct and take our applause! Now, we are going to be moving into the next section, which is actually going to reverse the work we originally did and get everyone involved in the end revelation. So we now write down our final prediction (in the case we've



































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piece of information to predict. This could be a page and word in a dictionary, book or how I intend on using it...A NEWSPAPER! This is a really fun easy self-worker that keeps your mind focused on the presentation vs having to do any difficult math or methodology. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this tome on creative mentalism by dearest of dear friends Robert Watkins! Your Friend, -Jacob Smith Columbus, Ohio February 13th, 2017



































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“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength” -Marcus Aurelius



































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Watkins + Introduction

Ideas are the most powerful force in the world. An idea written in a book can change the world a thousand years in the future- for better or worse. Some great examples being the ancient Holy Bible and the more modern, “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx. Simple words written on paper have changed and influenced the lives of millions of people all over the globe. And will potentially carry its weight all around the universe in the very distant future, provided our ideas are good. Philosophy is probably the single most important topic in human history and if you look over the course of the world over time, you will see just how influential ideas really are. Ideas Matter. Ideas should be captured and written down immediately after they occur to you. This is because an idea is like a cloud of smoke in the mind. Even if your ideas are wonderful and extremely revolutionary, they have a tendency to vanish from your mind- never to return. The process I described in my previous book, “Jhana” is just one piece of advice that has dramatically increased my creativity and I recommend you give it a try. Give this exercise the chance for at least one week before giving it up. You will be amazed at the creative capacity of your own mind. As long as you have an imagination- you can create: I take the first hour of my day, every day, to sit and think about





































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Watkins The Concept of +/-

I want to give you an explanation of what this book actually represents, and how I came up with this concept. The book is split in two halves: A “Positive” side, and a “Negative” side. The Positive half of the book includes effects that are of an uplifting nature. These routines are routines you can do to give your participant an amazing positive experience with a beautiful message. I pride myself on the fact that each effect in this entire book has a very original and unique premise that I am sure will set up your own creative energy. The Negative portion contains routines that exist on the borderline of morality. These effects are meant to be on the verge of the unethical. They are to be used at your own risk. This is a disclaimer to let you reach your own conclusions about whether or not these are things you don’t mind performing for people. They have a dark feel to them, and





































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form of his art would make something like this, whether people like it or not. This made me start thinking about how this thi s philosophy applies to Mentalism. If mind reading were really possible, what would humanity do with it? I would imagine that some would use it for good (hence the “Positive” side of this book) but others would undoubtedly use this power for evil. So in order to retain artistic integrity, and remain philosophically pure I thought it would be a great exercise to create effects with the intention of making them somewhat immoral. I am not saying that the methods are immoral, but the premise of the routines themselves are controversial. This means that you can read these effects and learn the method and use them for something else, if you wish. It is a sad fact though that sometimes the darkest presentations bring the most powerful reactions. That is the dilemma of the Mentalist. Constantly being pulled towards darker things, while simultaneously remembering that the Mentalist is an entertainer. Some of us give in to the desire and become mediums, charlatans and conmen.





































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“Editions of You” “Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings- always darker, emptier and simpler” -Friedrich Nietzsche EFFECT: The Performer hands a participant a stack of cards with different emotions written on the faces. The participant is asked to cut the pack continuously until they want to stop. After the participant has stopped cutting the pack, they are instructed to peek at the top card they cut to, remember the emotion they have chosen, and mix it back into the pack. The Performer instructs the participant to close their eyes and experience the emotion completely, and to remember a time they felt the emotion very vividly. After some time the Performer explains that the





































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Watkins Rough/Smooth Stack

Start by taking 24 blank business cards and write the names of different emotions on 12 of them. Here is a list of the emotions I write on mine: Anger Jealousy Pride Happiness Anxiety Worry Euphoria Kindness





































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Watkins Forcing the Emotion

This process I am going to discuss is something somethin g I don’t believe b elieve a lot of people are taking advantage of as far as Rough/Smooth stacks are concerned. This may be too bold for some, but this is how I force a card completely “hands off”. Start by showing your participant the faces of all the cards, explaining what they are (in reality they are only seeing the different emotions, thanks to the rough/smooth principle). I always throw this cheeky line as I show my participant the different emotion cards: “These cards have different Emotional States written on them. There are about 40 of them here.” This line is a total bluff but trust me when I tell you that no n o one will call you out on it. Because when you say there are 40 cards in the stack and you square them up, showing the thickness of the pack, it looks like a lot more cards than there actually are anyway. This implies an







































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Watkins Timing Force/ Emotional Emotional Shift

Ask your participant to close their eyes and experience this emotion fully. Ask them to go back to a time in their life where they experienced this emotion. Once they have confirmed that they are doing this explain the following: “Now I want to show you that it is possible to change your emotional state at any moment you wish. So at some point I want to change from the emotion you are on now to the complete opposite of this







































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may have changed earlier because they don’t want to experience the emotion of “Hate” any longer anyway. The other aspect that I believe contributes to their agreeing that you are correct is the fact that you don’t ‘over play’ this aspect of the routine from the start. In giving the instruction to change “at some point”, you have to say this in a relatively half-hearted manner. If you play it up too much, you are giving your participant the opportunity to try and mess you up. Don’t set it up as a challenge. Only make it seem like a miracle AFTER they say you are correct. That is the point where you can emphasize the effect.







































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“ Ambivalence” “The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.” -Sigmund Freud EFFECT: The Mentalist is performing for a group. He asks one participant to write the name of someone present on a piece of paper as







































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I use 2 coin envelopes in the preparation process. One is unprepared and I place a blank billet inside. I then take another envelope and cut a window out using an exacto knife. One tip that I can give you is that it is better to make the ‘window’ towards the bottom of the envelope so as to not “flash” the window in the act of having your participant place the billet inside later on. The further away you cut out the ‘window’ from the actual opening of the envelope- the better. This next thing I am going to tell you may sound ridiculous and paranoid, but it is something I habitually do with these duplicate envelopes.







































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Watkins Performance

The first thing I do when I approach a group is ask everyone’s name. This is not only good manners, but it is also part of the method we will be using. A trick I learned in bartending is to repeat back a person’s name when they tell you. The act of verbalizing their name out loud, while looking at them should help your memory in case you are prone to forgetfulness. Once you know the names of everyone in the group you are









































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stay still and concentrate on this information. This is to insure that they do not lift their hand up and reveal the secret window! I then explain this to the participant as he is holding onto the envelope:









































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billet aloud, then have everyone BUT the target participant turn their cards over, then I finally have the target turn their card over last so you end on the big reveal.









































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“The Strangest Secret”









































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Watkins The Strange Secret













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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We our responsible for how we decide to use this negative side of the book – if we do decide to. I would not be comfortable using any of these darker effects but I know it can still be a worthwhile thought exercise to consider how we can use our abilities in this way, even if it is only to discover what we would never do. -Fraser, 2017































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Introduction

We come from a long history of con artists, frauds, and charlatans who pushed ethical boundaries and discovered amazing principles along the way. A lot of what we know now in Mentalism came from psychics and mediums. Sometimes thinking about the negative can bring about great positives. As Johnny Rotten once said, “Sometimes the most positive thing you can be in a boring society is absolutely negative.” I am not recommending that you become a fraud, or even that you start behaving unethically. I am simply hoping for you to enjoy a point of view that I enjoy. The following routines where designed to be on the ‘Dark Side’ of Mentalism. Not that the methods employed are done in an immoral fashion, but that the presentations themselves are disturbing, or imply a controversial premise. Here you will find the secrets to stealing a person’s bank account information, cause a ‘Near Death Experience’, predict the date of an individual’s death, and contact the dead. Please use caution and care with this information. I do not condone the unethical performance of the following routines. Enjoy…































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Watkins Creativity

Before we get into the material, I want to take a few paragraphs to give you some more advice on creativity and how you can come up with your own unique presentations. One principle I have discovered while creating things in the field of Mentalism was that new premise equals new methods. I say this because we always hear from creators that they put ‘effect first’ and don’t worry about method. I tend to agree with this but b ut I have an addition that I’d like to add to this statement. I have found that by thinking of new presentations, you will more often than not find new principles and methods indirectly. Some very good examples of this are the effects in this book called “The Strangest Secret” and “Thanatos”. You will find that the methods are completely unique. Think about premise and you will find new methods, or a new way to use an old method. Another good piece of advice that has helped me immensely is to get inspiration from art outside of our field. I think of my effects as mini ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes that take place in reality. This is because I am very inspired by the show and it i t helps me think of new stories that I want to impress on my audience. The main inspiration for most of the routines in this book comes from my favorite TV show, “Neon Genesis: Evangelion” which, if you haven’t seen I highly recommend. Always look for inspiration outside of your field. Philosophy is another great source for inspiring creativity. You would be impressed at the depth of thought the ancients had in both the East and West. As shown in my previous book I find the Zen traditions of China and Japan a wonderfully vast area of ideas for mentalism just waiting to really be explored. This is because these ancient philosophers were so focused on the Mind, they had time to come up with really interesting ideas. Go read some Zen Koans to see what I mean. Keep in a positive state of mind while writing your ideas down. As David Lynch said: Negativity is the enemy of creativity. It seems counterintuitive, seeing as how this half of the book is all about the Negative. I should clarify that I am discussing attitude. You must remain in a positive attitude while you generate ideas. Here’s a good way to get yourself into a positive state of mind while trying to generate ideas. id eas. Tell yourself that for the next hour you will temporarily remove any mental hindrance and it can be put off until later.































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them until the hour is over, you are giving yourself a break and still allowing them permission to come back once you are done. This sort of psychological exercise makes dealing with negative emotions a lot easier. It is almost like telling a child who wants a piece of candy that they can have it when they remain silent for an hour. It may not completely eradicate all negativity, but it will definitely help! Take in the good, and start writing your ideas down tomorrow. I’ll be excited to hear what you come up with. -Watkins 2017































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Classic vs Avant Garde

It has become apparent over the last few years that there seems to be a small divide amongst the mentalism community. It looks as though there are some on one side of the debate that believe all mentalism ought to be fool proof, 100% sure-fire methods. This is good reasoning for the corporate performer who makes a living on their ‘hits’. No one could possibly blame this mentalist for wanting things to work all the time. On the other side of the debate are the bold performers who don’t mind utilizing methods such as Dual Reality, Preshow, and other ‘Avant Garde’ approaches. Once again, there is no reason to blame this performer for wanting to think outside the box, and it could be said that this mentalist is the driving force behind bringing our art into the future. There may have been a time when a Billet was considered ‘bold’. I’d like to make the case for both sides, as I love all mentalism in all of its approaches. I find myself performing in many different environments: corporate events, bars and comedy clubs, video, and even busk from time to time. In some cases I may prefer a bold approach and in others, a more sure-fire angle. It all depends on the context and situation you are performing in. When I go to a corporate event, I am doing very basic and classic material, and I have a great time doing it. I see it as a time to practice presentation in a safe and easy way. When I perform for a comedy club I will usually do some very bold stuff. I look at these environments as an opportunity for experimentation of new methods (much of the material in this book was tested in this kind of environment). In the end, I recommend following both sides and learning as much as you can. We are the only industry where you buy a product and not know what it is until you buy it. Of course, it must be this way or there would be no industry. So instead of deciding you don’t like something because it is “too sure-fire” or “too bold”, I suggest trying to find an environment you can use it in and see it as an opportunity for growth. I hope and wish for my material to suit both parties and present a mixture of the two.

































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“Entheon” “I knew that someday I was going to die. And before I died, two things would happen to me. That number one: I would regret my entire life. And number two: I would want to live my life over again” -Hubert Selby Jr. EFFECT: The Mentalist induces a ‘Near Death Experience’ in his participant, and reveals a name from beyond the grave. METHOD: This routine may be too controversial for most performers but I have fallen in love with the concept and have performed this on special occasions and have received amazing feedback from the audiences that have witnessed this effect. This is a very surreal presentation and one that I am sure has never been done before. Even if you don’t like the presentation I am sure you will take something away from this. The inspiration for this routine came from reading stories about NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) reported by individuals who have either died, or have come close to death only to come back to tell amazing stories of going to heaven and seeing brilliant white lights at the end of a tunnel. Some report meeting with dead relatives, Jesus Christ, Aliens, and Angels. It is even more mo re amazing that some of these th ese cases are from people that were pronounced dead for an entire 9 minutes, and in some reported cases even longer! As a Mentalist, how could you not be inspired by such an occurrence? As far as I am concerned- this phenomenon is fair game for the Mystery Entertainer, so long as it is done in an ethical way by creating an illusion that an NDE has occurred, without actually bringing up

































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above and creates an entirely original concept that I believe will inspire your own creativity. The Main Idea

To begin, I recommend that you only perform this in special circumstances where the time feels right with the right participant. You wouldn’t perform something like this for an individual that may be offended easily. This is for a more open minded person that believes in your credibility as a Mentalist. The basic idea of the method is this: To everyone watching, it will appear as though the participant is put into a trance and has just reached the borderline between Life and Death and is experiencing an NDE. The Performer then reveals a name of a relative the participant sees ‘on the other side’. To the participant, they are experiencing a kind of ‘guided meditation’ and the effect is the name reveal. That is the key that makes this effect work, and I believe it is a new principle that we can use in other routines to make a participant do exactly what we want them to do. Think about it this way, if you are a real Mentalist and you have an insight into the nature of the human mind, wouldn’t you do a guided mediation with someone? If a person sees you as credible, this would make all kinds of logical sense! The revelation of the name will be done with a Swami device, but I have a handling that I will describe to you later on that will make even those who hate Nail Writers want to try this. So now that you understand the general idea of the method, let me describe the specifics in a step-by-step manner.

































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You are also suggesting to them that if they do exactly what you tell them to, they will get something out of it in the end. This type of routine is something that can only work once you have really built up your credibility. No one would follow your every instruction unless they believe in what you are doing. If they have already seen you do some amazing things, everything you do will seem to make sense to them even if they don’t fully understand it in the moment. Continue explaining to the participant: “If you don’t mind, give me your hands and listen to me very carefully. I am about to say the word ‘Now’. When I do, you are going to close your eyes and bow your head all the way forward for me. 1…2…3…Now.” This is a Pseudo Induction technique I use a lot. It is basically giving the participant direct instructions, and when they follow them it will appear as though they were put into a trance (and for all intents and purposes they may be!). After telling them exactly what is going to happen, simply take their hands and after counting to ‘3’, you will lightly tug on their hands causing them to bow their head immediately. This light tug enhances the effect in the audience’s mind. Now that they are standing like a person who has just been hypnotized, you will say the following: “Now I am going to whisper a very light suggestion in your ear. If you follow this instruction to the best of your imaginative ability we should be able to make something incredible happen. I am going to guide you through this meditative exercise.” You are then going to lean in and whisper these exact instructions. This is the heart and soul of this method. This specific script will allow us to create a completely original effect. Something I promise your audience has never witnessed before. Here is the script: “In a moment I am going to snap my fingers. When I do, I want you to show your trust in me and begin to fall forward, I will catch you.

































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“I have just whispered a small suggestion to (Participant’s Name). This instruction should put her into a relaxed state of mind. I have always been fascinated by the idea of life after death and the phenomenon of Near Death experiences. Some people come back with the most amazing stories you will ever here. Let’s see what (Participant’s Name) comes back with” As soon as you say that last line, snap your fingers next to the participant’s ear. They will immediately start to fall forward and you will catch them. This looks so great theatrically. It looks to your audience as though you can cause someone to fall into the cusp between Life and Death with the snap of a finger! This is just a little subtlety that goes a long way in the audience’s mind. It goes to show how, with just a little bit of extra scripting, you can create an extremely enigmatic moment. Now you have caught them. Straighten them back out and begin asking them questions: “You’re doing great, just relax and tell us exactly what you are seeing in your mind right now.” Usually the answer to this question will be something like the typical “Light at the end of a tunnel” situations. Sometimes it will be different but that just depends on the participant’s own imagination and beliefs about their vision of the afterlife. You will have to work around whatever answers they give you. The trick is to ask Leading Questions. This was inspired by the fact that a lot of psychologists psychol ogists in the th e 80’s would ask certain leading questions to influence kids to believe that they were part of a Satanic Cult. The same principle applies to so-called “UFO Abduction Memories” brought up in Hypnotherapy sessions. These are false memories implanted into a person’s mind by asking questions. You can lead someone to imagine seeing Angels, and God if you so choose. Let’s assume that the participant does describe seeing a light at the end of a tunnel. Here is a great example of a leading question that you can ask:

































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the ‘wake up’ as if your participant is truly hypnotized. This will involve “counting up from ‘0 - 3’”, giving suggestions that “they are feeling more energy and becoming more aware of their environment” etc… But before we wrap this up, here is how we can create a revelation of a dead relative’s name before waking the participant up from the trance (therefore, giving the participant an effect as well). The Revelation

After asking the leading question to get the participant to claim they see their dead relatives, immediately reach into your pocket and pull out a pad and pencil. I usually hold one of my hands next to the participant’s head and give the impression that I am ‘picking up on thoughts’, the participant is not aware of this. I tell the audience that I am going to be taking notes. Pretend to write something down, hand the pencil to an audience member and ask the participant for the name of one of the relatives. You are going to Swami the name as soon as they verbalize it. Here is the trick, after you have Swami’d the name on the pad, ask the participant some more leading questions (such as ‘what else are you feeling?’) and then casually hand the pad face-down to an audience member. Make no big deal about it. The audience just assumes you were taking notes, as you stated. So they have no idea that the name will have been written on the pad, and the heat is off of the actual writing because you are asking the participant questions! Furthermore, the participant himself can’t see what you are doing because their eyes are closed. This is a very safe way to use a Swami. I have always hated when a Nail Writer was used after asking someone to name a number. The heat is immediately drawn to the pad, the last place you want your audience to look at that moment! I feel this routine has a proper misdirection for a Nail Writer.



































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Watkins

holding onto the pad was holding it at the time the participant said the name as well! Think about that. I hope you find this routine as fascinating as I do. I hope it sparks a drive in you to think outside the box and create new premises for yourself.



































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Watkins

“Thanatos” “God judges above the starry firmament as we have judged” -Excerpt from ‘Ode to Joy’ EFFECT: The participant asks the Performer to tell her the date on which she will die. The Performer writes down a date and explains that a person will get a strange feeling once they see their ‘Death Date’ and they will know it is correct. The participant reads the date the Performer wrote down and visibly reacts. She knows this date is correct… METHOD: This is probably the most controversial effect I have created so far. Use this with caution and care. If this presentation is too extreme for you, read the method for knowledge purposes only, unless you are willing to step into the dark side of mentalism and gamble with morality. The method can be used for other effects, to be sure (for example, predicting the date a person will get married). However, it is rather unfortunate that it plays best with the presentation of revealing the day and month of someone’s death, at least in my opinion. It will take a creative Mentalist to conjure up a presentation that surpasses this one in power and positivity, yet uses this method I am about to explain.



































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believes in your credibility so much that they ask you to tell them the date of their death… Presentation

The participant asks the Mentalist Mentalis t to reveal her ‘Death Date’. The Mentalist explains: “So you want to know when your life will end. That is something I can do. However, I just warn you that what is seen cannot be unseen. By hearing your date of death you will watch yourself more carefully on that promised day… and that, in itself could be your undoing. I must tell you that I can only give you so much information. I can only tell you the day and month of your passing-but not the year. Are you sure you still want to know?” The participant says ‘Yes’. The method is about to begin. Hand a pre-folded billet to your participant. This is a billet that you are prepared to perform a Centre Tear with. The reason it must be a Centre Tear is because I feel it goes best with the presentation I am about to explain to you. Feel free to use whatever billet peek you like. “There is a process to determine a future event like this. I need you to focus on your birthdate for me. Just the day and month. Write it down on the paper I just handed to you. Then I want you to fold it up and let me know when you are finished”



































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Watkins

Now you are going to take out a piece of paper and write down a date that is exactly one month and 2 days after their Birth Date you just peeked. “Remember I cannot tell you the year, only the day and month. I am getting a strong impression that you will die exactly 1 month and 2 days after your Birthday. I have written a date on this paper. Most people who view the day and month of their Death will usually get a strange feeling and have an intuition that this date is correct. Take this paper and read it to yourself.” Now you can probably see where this is going. The participant will see that you have in fact written a date d ate down d own that t hat is exactly 1 month and 2 days away from their Birthday. This creates a reaction just based on that fact alone (it is just as astonishing as guessing their Birthday). In reality you have only guessed their Birthday in an indirect way. But the Confirmation Principle will tell the participant’s subconscious that if the date was correct as far as it’s relation to the Birth Date was, then the Date must ALSO be correct as far as the Death Date is concerned. If one amazing thing is true, then it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe the other amazing feat is true. These principles go together so well for this that I felt it had to be shared with the world of Mentalism. Even if you see this routine as unethical, it is still a worthwhile endeavor to teach it as far as I’m concerned. People are naturally going to ask you this question at one point or



































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Watkins

“Another Version of the Truth” “Nothing exists except Atoms and Empty Space. Everything else is opinion” -Democritus The previous description of the method was a simple way to perform the main effect. Its purpose was to help you understand the basic idea behind the ‘Death Date’ revelation using a simple Centre Tear. Now that you understand that, I would like to share with you a more subtle and deceptive way to perform this premise. In my last release, “Jhana” I shared an effect of mine called “Divine Moment of Truth”. In that routine, I described my own personal way of getting an additional piece of info i nfo and stashing it in the back of my mind for later use. The technique I use is based on Michael Murray’s





































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Watkins

METHOD: This routine is very easy to accomplish and it looks so clean and fair. Part of the reason is because all of the work is done well in advance, in earlier routines. When I first approach a group and I feel that I want to perform this effect, I will start by doing a simple demonstration to build rapport and so the audience understands what it is that I do. After my opener is finished, I will eventually hand one of the audience members an impression device (I use the Psypher in my deck of cards but you can use any impression device you are comfortable with) and asking them to write down two thoughts: 1. A name of someone close to them 2. Their date of birth I then explain the following to them: “We are only going to go for one piece of information so what I would like you to do is focus on these two thoughts and choose one of the thoughts you would like to transmit to me, and forget about the other





































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Watkins

Since I usually use an impression device in my deck of cards, I will get a peek of the name as I take the t he cards out of the box and instruct the participant to take a card that reminds them of this person. I can then go into the revelation of the card and the name and I will leave that to your discretion as we are interested in what we do next. The important thing to recognize about this first routine is that it will be seen as a single effect in your participant’s mind. They will completely detach the Date of Birth aspect and see it as irrelevant. They will see the t he effect as “This guy told me to think of a name of a friend and he guessed it!” and that is what they will remember. So meanwhile on the off-beat and after the revelation of the name, I will get a peek of the Birthday as I put the cards back into the box. This is covered so well because everyone will be freaking out about the Name Guess. Now we are in a beautiful situation that any Mentalist should love to be in. We now know the participant’s Birthday and they don’t know that we know it, and will actively disassociate the Date from the routine we just performed simply because we instructed them to! This routine





































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for later use, they will still not know how I knew they would choose a card that has anything to do with their birthday! For all they know, their friend could have chosen a Challenge Card that asks for a PIN code or Memory. This is just one more little piece that diverges everyone away from the method because they: 1. Do not know that I know their Birthday 2. May not even remember the writing down of the Birthday 3. That I forced a card that has anything to do with Dates at all It’s all the pieces put together to create a moment of impossibility. But now we have another technique to even further separate method from effect: The Thanatos principle itself. On top of everything else have already established the audience will still not know that we have metaphysically linked the participant’s date of birth to their supposed date of death. That is because we deliver the previously explained link via a whisper. Once I have performed something for each participant in the





































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So now all you have to do is use whatever force you feel most comfortable with. I use a Riffle Force myself but that is up to you. After I have forced the particular Challenge Card on the participant, I will use this script to finally deliver the revelation of a Death Date: “So focus now on your Challenge and imagine actually giving me this Challenge as a skeptic. Now remember I have no idea what the question is, never mind how I am going to answer… I am getting a dark impression as this has something to do with a matter that some may not want to talk or think about. So I am going to give you the option to back out of this if you want to. You want to continue? Okay just so everyone here is on the same page, she is asking me to tell her the date of her death. Now I will not be able to give you the year but I can give you the day and month. Let me ask you something first. Have you ever got the sudden ‘chills’ for no reason at all? When that used to happen to me when I was young, my Grandfather used to say “That is someone walking over your grave”. As if somehow I could ‘feel’ the moment a person walks







































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Additional Ideas

Fraser Parker gave me a really great idea for this where instead of telling the participant a death date that takes place after their birth date, you could tell them their death date will take place a few days before their birthday so that every birthday they have is an even bigger celebration of life and a reminder to be grateful for every year! This creates a more positive ending to a negative effect.







































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as a goal to work on. I find that writing it down helps me to focus on and achieve goals much easier than just having them as a thought in my mind. Feel free to use this as a segue into something else, as it is written down (!) as well as change the scripting to suit your needs. I use this beautiful technique in my readings all the time and it is killer. - Warren Thackeray







































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Forcing the Question

There are a number of ways to get into performing this routine, however one of the troubles is that it could be seen as inconsiderate and even rude to offer to reveal someone’s death date. The question becomes a matter of forcing the participant to ask YOU to reveal the date. Here are a few options:







































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Watkins In Conclusion

Imagine you were sitting in a bar with your friends. Picture yourself as someone who has never seen magic or mentalism and you have no knowledge about it whatsoever. Now Imagine a complete stranger walks up to you and says “You are going to die two days before your birthday” and proceeds to tell you a date that IS two days before your birthday. Imagine how that feels. That is exactly what your







































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“Moth Man”









































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Getting the Questions









































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there is too much information to get both in one glimpse- and we have no need to get both of them at the current moment. Here is how we force them to think of the question we peek, justify the use of playing cards,









































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Watkins

and A with if you can use their phone. Once it is unlocked and handed to you, immediately go to the ‘Contacts’ list and peek their number while acting like you are looking for the calculator app. Yes, it is a lot of









































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Robert Watkins - Positive Negative

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