The Connoisseur’s Compendium No part of this publication may be duplicated or transmitted in any form without written permission from the authors. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2017
Content PREFACE by Tom Wong.................................... Wong................................................. ........................ ............. 3 CLOSE CALL by Simon Caine.......................... Caine....................................... ........................... .............. 5 DO YOU NEED TO ASK? by Simon Caine.................................9 D!ER"ENT by C#aig Logan........................... Logan......................................... ........................ ............ $% E&TRAORDNARY PERCEPTON by An'#e(...........................)) NO LUCK NEEDED by E*e# E+i,a+'e........................................3TE EYES OF TE SEER by Pa(+ !oo'ini...............................// NU01ER STEAL 0ND READN" by Ni2o ein#i2..............4$ 0NE0ORPN" by Ni2o ein#i2..........................................4/
PREFACE by Tom Wong ello and welcome to this e!clusive" free taster eboo#$ %ithin these pages lies simple" direct" impactful" published and unpublished mentalism material written by a selection of authors who are considered" by many" as e!perts in their respective fields. &hese authors each have their own style' their own outloo# on the art form and so" in theory" there should be at least something for everyone contained here. (lease ta#e your time to read each piece thoroughly" practice and put in the effort and you will most definitely reap the reward. &he pieces" presentations and plots that follow are not to be simply disregarded' while the cost of this collection is )ero" the same cannot be said for its value. %hy* +f the information" encompassed in this compendium is so elegant' so beautiful" why give it away* ,imple. -y love for this art immensely e!ceeds any desired monetary gain. -entalism and its community has provided me with so much" opened so many doors and fulfilled so
much of my own personal meaning. +t is about time + began returning the favor' all with the help of my ama)ing team at AZMentalism. -y hope is that you" the reader" will ta#e the most from this as you possibly can. A hope that you will flourish and thrive" both ensuing and becoming what you dream to be. /ead between the lines" using what is taught here wisely. +t is with great pleasure and humility that + now pass you on to our first author. ntil ne!t time" &om %ong November 2017
3
CLOSE CALL by Simon Caine THE PRINCIPLE Close Call is a method by which you can determine a number thought of by a participant" even after they potentially change their mind. &his number is never said aloud and can be a completely free choice. &here are" of course" some compromises need to be made. Close Call does re4uire the use of a dec#
of
cards.
5ssentially"
the
participant
generate two numbers" one through a free choice" and the other through cutting a small pac#et of cards" which can be easily discovered. &hen" by covertly comparing the two numbers" the first number is found$
THE METHOD &o begin" you need a pin#y brea# below 20 cards. &his get be done live in performance" but given that you are li#ely to do this before your 6
performance
proper
begins"
you
can
ta#e
advantage of the cards being in a prepared state. (lace a reversed breather crimped card at the 20th position. %hen coming to perform" lift up at the breather and get your brea#. + generally prefer breathers over other gaffs" but similar ends can be achieved with thic# or short cards. 5!plain to the participant that you are going to pit his conscious and subconscious mind against each other. As# them to thin# of a number between 1 and 20. nce they have a number" invite them to reach to the dec#" and without thin#ing too much cut off some cards. &hey should either cut directly at your brea#" in which case you #now they are holding 20 cards. -ore often" they will cut above your brea#" and be holding less than 20 cards. As# them to secretly count these cards" demonstrating by pushing off and #eeping trac# of the number of cards above your brea#. ,ubtracting this number from 20 will tell how many cards the participant has removed. 5.g. +f you have 8 cards remaining" the participant is holding 13.
8
As# the participant" 9:id you get to the number you were thin#ing of*; ccasionally" they will say confirm they are. udging by the answers to these 4uestions" and your #nowledge of the number of cards they have" you can easily wor# out their thought of number. 5.g. +f they had 13 cards" and commenting that they were too low" you #now they are thin#ing of 17. 7
,o" there?s some difference" but that?s fine. %hat we?re about to do needs you to focus on one of these" so do you want to stic# with your original thought" or use this new randomly generated one* owever they respond" you are prepared to use that number in your ne!t routine.
use
this
number
or
the
new
number.
/emember these responses. 5ngineer a moment to run through the dec# during your routine" and simply count the number of cards that appear before your #ey card. +f they chose to use the new number" this is it. +f they chose to use their original thought of number" apply their answers to this in order to find the original number.
DO YOU EED TO AS!" by Simon Caine At the time of writing" my day @ob is teaching in a high school. As you can surely imagine or recall" teenagers can be very comple! to manage effectively" and a large part of training is learning how to deal with and avoid common Bconflicts? that can arise day to day. ne of the first things you learn is that if you want a specific response from someone" you should not as# 4uestions. or e!ample" if a room of students needs to get their boo#s out" the worst thing to say is 9Can you get your boo#s out*; Duestions invite speculation and as# the recipient to compare all the possible outcomes. &hey could say no. +f our hypothetical teacher wants the students to get their boo#s out" he should @ust say" not as#" 9Eet your boo#s out.; Now they have to do what you as# or not" as is the whim of teenagers. Consider the two following 4ueries that you may F
have G in one form or another G as#ed your audience in order to see# confirmation of the fairness of your lessGthanGfair actions. 9And that was a completely free choice" right*; 9,o
there
is
no
way
+
could
#now
the
cardHnumberHword you are thin#ing of right now*; +f the @ob has been done correctly" and the forceHpee# etc. performed deftly enough" the audience will of course believe their choice to be free and their information to be secret. &hat fact should be appear clear to the audience without discussion. =y further as#ing for agreement" + believe we are instead arousing suspicion and doubt. or e!ample" ta#e a standard boo# test. &he participant loo#s at a word" remembers it" and you say" 9Could anyone else #now the word you are thin#ing of right now*; +magine the potential internal monologue for our participantI 10
1. + thin# my information is mine alone. 2. +f he wanted me @ust to thin# of a word" why did he as# me to stop him riffling through the boo#* e could?ve @ust as#ed me to thin# of a word. ,ee alsoI %hy did he as# me to write my secret thought down on paper and then hand it to him" only for him to rip it up* . -aybe he stopped at a specific page. 3. %ell" he did say we could do it again if + wasn?t happy" maybe not. -aybe he @ust #nows all the words on the tops of each page* 6. &here was that moment where maybe he could have seen into the boo#. %hy couldn?t + handle the boo# myself* ,ee alsoI + put the card bac# where he wanted" not where + wanted 8. &here are a few ways he could #now what word +?m thin#ing of.
11
&his is" of course the e!treme response. owever" by as#ing the 4uestion" we are allowing our audience the opportunity to entertain these thoughts" and even if any of their assertions about how you spied their information are false" the mere fact that they #now it might be possible may be enough to derail the illusion. %e can #eep these moments to give ourselves small chec#points" but when scripting our effects we can @ust change them from 4uestions to statements and shift the responsibility over to the audience. &here are a number of ways to avoid this issue. +ndeed" we could e!amine our method and address each concern with an ad@ustment to the wor#ings of the effect. se a more subtle pee#" use a borrowed dec# etc. +ndeed" we should always endeavor to use the strongest" most covert methods for any effect. (erhaps there isn?t much room for ad@ustment here" and any further change to the method may compromise the effect" inviting more complications.
12
Assuming you are already using the strongest version of the method available to you Note that in the discussion below" + am not suggesting using a transparent method and trying to bruteG force agreement from your audience that it is fooling" there is an alternative solutionI ,ay what you mean and if you wantHneed confirmation" change the 4uestion to something they cannot disagree with. + believe that a lot of these confirmation 4uestions come from an effort to fill time whilst our brains process what needs to happen ne!t to conclude
the
effect
successfully.
&hey
add
nothing to the routine other than to give ourselves breathing space. + don?t feel that for the ma@ority of cases" we really want to #now that the audience feel fairly treated" we @ust as# out of habit because it?s a &hing %e ,ay 9+?ll @ust give these a shuffle;. &hat is not to say their presence is a bad thing" but often their contents could be better. Consider the first e!ample of the teacher and his 1
disruptive students. &he 4uestion 9Can you get your boo#s out*; doesn?t force the students to ta#e any action" and doesn?t say what the teacher intends. e means to say 9Eet our boo#s out"; which gives the students a clear action to ta#e and puts responsibility on them. %e can leverage this same techni4ue to still have everything we do appear fair and above board" without the troublesome matter of our audience pic#ing at loose ends. %hen you as# if anyone else can #now the participants secret information" you probably mean 9Jeep this information secret even though + probably already #now what it is.; ,o say what you mean. 9Ereat" @ust #eep it loc#ed in your mind alone.; 9-a#e sure you #eep it secret" don?t show anyone else.; 9-a#e sure noGone can see what you write.; &hese are direct commands that a willing participant will not 4uestion. =est of all" we can 13
append a 4uestion to this action. 9ave you done that*; &hey AK5 to agree. +mplicit in this agreement is the confirmation that your process is fair and beyond suspicion" without the opportunity for the audience to consider other outcomes" because they are e!amining what they have done" rather than what you could have done. 9+s
there
any
way
+
could
#now
the
cardHnumberHword you are thin#ing of right now*; &he responsibility in this 4uestion is on you. &hey don?t #now you or what you could do" so they are forced to speculate" 9%hat has this mindreader guy done that + haven?t seen* -aybe he #nows what +?m thin#ing of already.; 9-a#e sure you #eep it secret" don?t show anyone else. ave you done that*; &he responsibility in this 4uestion is on them. &hey will #now what they have done" so can
16
answer absolutely" without need for deeper thought" 9ave + done what +?m supposed to*
and
the
impossibility
of
anything
untoward" but one invites much much less suspicion. ,o" in short" consider the 4uestions you as# of your audience. +f there is a chance that your 4uestion could cause them to ma#e assumptions about your method even if the assumptions are false" change the 4uestion.
18
D#$ER%ET by Craig Logan EFFECT &he performer introduces the idea of divergent thin#ing. e then remar#s the most common 9test; of divergent thin#ing is the paperclip test. &he spectator thin#s of any unorthodo! use for a paperclip aside from holding papers together and the performer is able to" after as#ing several unrelated 4uestions" tell the participant what he is thin#ing.
PRESENTATION 9Are you familiar with divergent thin#ing* +t is the idea that by e!hausting as many solutions as possible to a particular problem" the best ideas are
generated.
&he
most
popular
test
of
divergent thin#ing is #nown as the paperclip test. &he person is sat down with a piece of paper" a pen" and a paperclip. &heir tas# is to write down as many uses for a paperclip as possible. rom clipping paper to pic#ing loc#s" the participant 17
would write as many uses as possible in a particular time frame. +f you don?t mind" +?d li#e you to ta#e part in this little test. =ut don?t worry" + will only as# you to thin# of one 9divergent; use for a paperclip.; &he performer produces a pac#et of business cards held together by a paperclip. e removes the paperclip and hands the participant a business card from the small stac# along with a pen. 9&a#e a moment and thin# about a use for a paperclip' other than clipping paper of course. (lease print one use for a paperclip.
or
simplicity" try to distill the use to maybe one or two words.; nce the participant does this" the performer as#s them to place the card face down in the stac# of business cards. &he performer then paperclips the cards together and continues" 9Now" to gauge how you approach problems and hopefully understand a bit of how you thin#" +?ll as# a couple of 4uestions if + may. %hat is your 1
favorite color* Ereen... &hat?s very interesting. ,o" you might be a calculated person.
necessary"
but
you
prefer
a
solid
foundation. ne more 4uestion' do you consider yourself an introvert or an e!travert* ,o" you en@oy other?s company" but you need personal time to recharge your battery* + get that. -ore importantly" + get you' at least + believe + do.; ,hifting attention bac# to the paperclip test" the performer states" 9(eople solve problems and approach solutions very differently from one another. &hat is why there?s so much value in having people wor# together.
1F
METHOD &he method is boring and unimportant. +f you must #now" however" the effect ma#es use of a windowed business card. &he bottom card of the stac# has a large window cut out of it. &herefore" if someone were to place a business card with a word written on it second from the bottom" the word or words could be easily read through the hole cut out of the business card. &he
paperclip
also
provides
the
perfect
@ustification for loo#ing at the cards. After all" you need to loo# at them to secure the paperclip. +n that brief moment" you simply glance at the word written in the window. &he theatrical dressing of as#ing a couple of unrelated 4uestions is designed to not only engage with the participant and" if it fits your style" give them a brief 9reading; but also gives you an opportunity to ma#e the premise more plausible. +n these 4uestions" you?re loo#ing into how they thin#. &his information is supposedly cluing you in to how they would answer the initial 4uestion of a uni4ue use of a paperclip. 20
CREDIT &he catalyst for this routine was -a! -aven?s 9Ehostwriter.; is concept of having a windowed business card paperclipped to legitimate cards was in fact the genesis for this routine. + wanted a reason for the paperclip" and thus the script for 9:ivergent; was born. As -a! -aven mentions in his (enguin Live lecture" his inspiration was >. E. &hompson?s 9=?tween.; &he 9window; has e!isted in many forms and on many props from an envelope made by Annemann" to a dec# bo! &heodore :eland?s 9MG/ay :ec#;.
21
E&TRAORD#ARY PERCEPT#O by Andreu &he mentalist shows up a set of 5,( symbols. e allows the spectator to mi! them freely to ma#e sure they aren?t ordered in any way. Now" the performer starts ma#ing several random piles. &he participant is as#ed to discard several of them" leaving only one of them on the table. &hese decisions are 100 hands off and made by the spectator. &he spectator is as#ed to loo# at the card below the final pileO the mentalist reads his mind" divining the e!act 5,( symbol$
SECRET or this effect you will ma#e use of a mar#ed 5,( dec# with 20 cards 6 5,( symbols repeated four times. As# the spectator to shuffle them until he or she 22
is satisfied. &a#e the cards bac# and deal four piles. 9+ will start dealing randomly" please bear with me for some seconds.; &he spectator should see this as a random process" but in fact you will use the mar#ings of the cards. 1 As soon as you deal the first card face down" notice the mar#ing and notice how many cards you need to complete 6. Now" deal this number of cards on top of the card you @ust dealt. Let?s ta#e a closer loo# at this. ollow the usual number correspondence for 5,( CardsI
2
or e!ample" if you deal the circle first" you will see its corresponding mar#ing 1. &his means" you need to deal 3 more cards on top of it" as four is the number needed to complete 6 cards in total. &his forms up one of the piles" and you need to repeat this process until you get 3 piles in total. As another e!ample" if you deal the wavy lines first" then you need to lay 2 more cards on top of it" as you need to complete 6 for each of the piles to be complete. (roceed to deal the rest of the cards in the same way to form the piles. + li#e to ma#e 3 piles as it ma#es the effect really simple to do. nce you finish
dealing
them"
put
the
remaining
discarded cards inside your poc#et.
IMPORTANT TIPS Take your time to deal the piles slowly.
,etup a slow" calm pace. +f you put more or less
23
cards on top of the initial card of either one of your piles" the effect won?t wor#$ Avoid making piles of only 2 cards (or less!).
&ry to ma#e piles with at least cards. Less cards may loo# odd. +f it?s @ust one pile of 2 cards" it?s fine though. ou cant make a pile with "ust a star# and it can never $e on the $ottom of any pile.
+f the symbol is a star 6" the pile of five is already 9complete;" so you can?t really deal @ust this card as it would loo# strange you said you were forming piles$. +n case you see the mar#ing of the star" #eep passing cards from one hand to the other and loo# at the mar#ing of the ne!t one. +f you notice it?s at least the mar#ing of a three G wavy lines " then place this card on the table" then put the star you saw G as well as any other random card G on top of the wavy lines$ &his will guarantee that you have at least cards on this pile and that you used that star successfully. 26
+f you see that the ne!t mar#ing is a Circle 1 or a Cross 2" even better.
Let?s say you?re feeling adventurous and trying to ma#e 8 piles + personally li#e to #eep things simple with @ust 3 piles" but you?re free to e!periment. ,o" let?s pretend you only have three remaining cards to deal" and then you deal a Circle 1. &his implies that you now need 3 more cards to deal on top to get to five and you don?t have enough left. +n this case" @ust discard all four cards and say out loudI 9# + thin# we have enough" we don?t 28
need to use all of them;. Now that you?re a master at dealing cards" let?s proceed with the ne!t step. 2 As# the spectator to place the hand on top of any pile. 5!plain that this pile will be discarded. Loo# away while you do this and say you will count to three to let the spectator decide. &his will actually give you time to secretly count with your thumb the cards that were discarded in your poc#etI memori)e this number. &o count them" + @ust feel one by one as + slide them with my thumbI practice this$ &urn to face the spectator again and instruct him or her to hand you the pile which he discarded. nce you ta#e it" pretend you?re aligning the pac#et before placing it in your poc#etI pee# at the bottom card. /emember the following 9inverse; e4uivalence and sum the corresponding value to that one you countedI
27
&hese values are obtained by subtracting 8 from each original value. ,o" you can memori)e these inverse values" or" every time you see a symbol" count how many units you need to get to si!. 5.g.
2
one you initially calculated number of discarded cards. +f you?re not following me here yet" don?t worry. +t will all be e!plained in the following e!ample.
EXAMPLE &he performer finishes dealing several 9random; piles and counts 8 discarded cards inside his poc#et. Now" the spectator freely discards a pile and hands it to the performer" who glances at the bottom card before placing it inside his poc#et. +t?s the s4uare.
2F
or showmanship purposes" the mindreader now displays the cards in a triangular layout as shown belowI
inally" the spectator is as#ed to turn face up two of the piles.
0
e proceeds to turn face up the two bottom piles. &his is the situation after such eventI
&he mindreader proceeds to ma#e a drawing that will hopefully match the entire display$ %hat figure should the performer draw on his 1
board* :on?t read any further" try to thin# of the correct answer$ O +f you thought of the '&'*" congratulations$
2
+ (&nside ,ocket) - 2 (/uare) 0 1 (Total of discarded cards)
Now" get the second value" by adding 2 to the face up cardsI 2 ('onstant) - (%avy ines) - 2 ('ross) 0 3
inally" subtract the second value from the first oneI 1 4 3 0 5 ('ircle)
CLOSING THOUGHTS & CREDITS &his effect has been ta#en from my +ntimum ,acrarium boo#" which + released as a limited edition on 2018. 5!traordinary (erception is a superb effect that can be played out as telepathy anytime and anywhere. After you tell the spectator to loo# at the card below the final pile" proceed to read their minds$ After + saw =rian =ushwood used a similar
concept with playing cards" + thought that 5,( symbols would ma#e everything more convincing" powerful and mysterious.
IF YOU DECIDE TO USE 25 CARDS ... :eal 6 piles" or more. As e!plained before" every time you get a discarded pile" add the 9inverse; corresponding value of the bottom card to the number of discarded cards" and finally add 7 to the two faceGup cards. &hen" do the subtraction and it will wor#$
IF YOU WANT TO PERFORM IT COMPLETELY IMPROMPTU ...
better" overhand shuffle casually until this bottom card gets to the top" #eep dealing piles while you shuffle O voilP$ &his is a very direct and entirely selfGwor#ing effect. + have fooled very #nowledgeable fullQtime performers with it" so @ust imagine how good are the reactions from laymen. :o not underestimate its power" if you sell this as @ust being one in five" then you?re falling into what a great performer once categori)ed asI 9magician?s thin#ing;. =onne chance$
6
O LUC! EEDED by E'er E(i)a(de EFFECT &he magician as#s his participant to name three random words and then focus on one of those three
words.
&he
magician shows
that
he
predicted that word.
METHOD ollow the ne!t instructions. &a#e one of your business cards" hold it in portrait orientation and fold it in half. &he printed side of the business card should be in the inside. Now you have a folded business card which is blan# on both sides. pen the business card bac# up and" on the blan# side" write the following messageI
8
&he lower half of the business card is left blan# for the time being. After you have done this" fold the card bac# in half @ust as you did before. &he printed side of the business card should in the inside and what you?ve written should be facing away from you.
7
Ne!t" ta#e a stac# of around 10 of your business cards and wrap a rubber band around them. Li#e thisI
And write the following message in the lower half of the top business card of the stac# the one that is facing you" li#e in the above image
Now" insert the folded business card the one you prepared before under the rubber band" li#e thisI
As you can see" stac# loo#s completely normal but now we have the prepared business card folded and ready to be used. ,tart the routine by as#ing your participant to name three random words. Let?s say" for the sa#e of e!planation" that the words are Cheese" ouse and ,hoe.
upper
half
of
the
business card" li#e thisI ,how it to your participant.
F
Now" pretend to write thisI 9/andom %ords; on the lower half of the business card. +n reality" you will write the second word mentioned by your participant" in this case" the word 9ouse;. &a#e
out
the
second
business card the one where you wrote the list of words and give it to your participant. 5verything loo#s e!actly as it should.
30
Now" on the stac# you have this. %hich is a business card that" when unfolded" will loo# li#e this.
At this point your participant is holding the card with the random words he named. (ut the stac# of business cards in your poc#et the folded prediction still there And call attention to the list of random words your participant is holding. ,ayI 9+s there any reason why you thought of those words* &hey
@ust popped into your
+nteresting.;
31
mind*
32
As you can see" no matter what the number is. As long as it?s an even number" it will always force the word in the middle$ Now you?ve successfully forced the word 9ouse; and you have in your poc#et a stac# of business card with a folded and accurate prediction. >ust put your hand in your poc#et and palm off the prediction. Now you can produce it from a wallet or @ust from your poc#et. &his routine has got me boo#ed a lot of times$ ave fun with this and use it wisely.
3
T*E EYES OF T*E SEER by Pau( $oodini INTRODUCTION =y the 170?s" the phenomena that was Kictorian ,piritualism was in full swing. &he general public had" since the 160?s" been awed by the li#es of the o! ,isters" the :avenport brothers" :. :. ome" -adame =lavats#y" and lorence Coo#. +t would be a mista#e to believe that the combined populations of the ,A and the J believed en masse in the truth of ,piritualism. As today" the thought of spirit communication and discourse controversy
with with
the
dead
supporters
caused and
much
opponents
attac#ing each other in the strongest terms. owever for the general public" the sub@ect of ,piritualism was seen as little more than a fascinating sideGshow. A gaudy yet mesmerising form of entertainment. And" in truth" who could fail to be entertained by such phenomena as the o! ,isters? rappings" the
33
:avenports?
spirit
cabinet"
:.
:.
ome?s
levitations" and lorence Coo#?s overtly se!ual for Kictorian sensibilities spirit manifestations* 5ach of these mediums and psychics had their own specialities Q a signature routine as it were. ,uch specialities were important to mar# one out from
the
crowds
of
other
mediums"
each
desperate for their own time in the limelight. ne of the J?s lesser #nown mediums of the 1Fth Century was 5mma -eyers. ,he wor#ed primarily in small London theatres and displayed more psychic based abilities than many of her contemporaries. &hat is to say" she did not communicate with the dead but rather sensed the feelings" emotions" and most importantly the memories of those in her audience. ,he did not claim that this information came from the spirit realm" but rather that it was her own heightened sense of intuition that brought forth these images and this information.
36
Emma Meyers circa 1900
Little is #nown of -iss -eyers bac#ground. ,he seems to have almost appeared on the London circuit as a fully formed performer" wor#ing at small to medium sic si)ed theatres as the headline act without the years of struggle that other up and coming performers had to endure. Certainly
5mma
-eyers
was
an
attractive
woman" and perhaps she was luc#y enough to have garnered influential patronage that enabled her to go from un#nown to headline act almost overGnight. =ut such ideas are mere supposition" and we can only guess at the truth. &he only fact that we can be certain of is that we shall never #now$
38
THE ACT &he year is 1F00. ,piritualism is somewhat in decline"
although
new
mediums
and
new
psychics with new RgiftsR to demonstrate can still e!pect a full house. ,uch a fullG house has gathered at the Alhambra theatre in London" eager
to
witness
the
powers
of
=ritish
,piritualism?s latest bright star" -iss 5mma -eyers. &he house lights dim and the audience are hushed. An e!pectant silence falls on the theatre. &he stage is bare e!cept for a simple wooden chair located in the centre. =y the chair is a small table upon which is placed a single glass of water. rom stage left two females appear" wal#ing slowly
and carefully
across
the stage and
towards the chair. ne female is dressed in red with flowers in her hair. &he second is dressed in mourning blac# and is blindfolded. &he more gaily attired female supports the arm of her blindfolded associate" leading her carefully to the 37
chair into which she tentatively sits. &he woman in blac# is 5mma -eyers. 5ven though a heavy blac# blindfold is cruelly twisted around her eyes" it is obvious that she is young and attractive. ,he seems unsure of herself and trembles slightly. nsighted" she fumbles for the glass of water and almost #noc#s it over. &he audience gasp. er friend ta#es -iss -eyer?s hand gently and #indly places the glass of water into her grip. &he hearts of the audience melt' they are struc# by both shame at voyeuristically watching this woman?s obvious discomfort" and intrigue as to where this fascinating display will lead. -iss -eyer?s red dressed assistant leaves the stage and wal#s out into the audience. 9Are we ready" >ane*; 5mma -eyer as#s her assistant who is standing midGway along the middle aisle. 9%e are" -iss -eyers"; replies >ane" the strength and clarity of her voice belying her small stature. 9Ladies and gentlemen" in a few moments -iss 3
-eye -e yers rs will will enter ter her her re rev ver erie ie.; .; &he audi audie ence crane their nec#s to catch a glimpse of >ane as she spea#s. 9%hen this happens +?m afraid that + must insist of absolute silence. nless you are directed to spea#" please be hushed. Any sudden loud loud nois noises es or shou shouts ts can can be very very dang danger erou ouss while -iss -eyers is in her altered state of mind. As ladies and gentlemen" + trust that + can e!pect such a small re4uest be observed*; -utterings of agreement rumble gently through the audience. 9
in
this
audience.
3F
+t
is
of
utmost
impo import rtan ance ce that that if you you unde unders rsta tand nd what what -iss -iss -eye -e yers rs is tal#i al#ing ng abou about" t" if her her thoug oughts hts and and images and emotions ma#e sense to you" if you feel that the person she is intuitively connecting with is you" that you raise your hand and let me #now. +f you thin# the person being described is you" raise your hand and + will approach you. (lease bear in mind that for -iss -eyers this is a procedure that is not without danger. &herefore it would be doing her a great discourtesy if you #new she was addressing you but you did not ac#nowledge understand
this. the
+
implore
message
being
you"
if
passed
you on"
ac#nowledge as much. ,imply raise your hand. +t is not too much to as#" is it* And as this is now understood" + thin# we may begin -iss -eyers.; All eyes return to the stage. 5mma -eyers sits silently" hands placed upturned into her lap. After a few moments she sighs deeply and her head lolls forwards. ,he sighs again" and then a low moan moan eman emanat ates es from from her her mout mouth. h. Anot Anothe herr few few moments pass" and then -iss -eyers ta#es a deep breath inwards and her head is lifted up
60
again. &here now follows a full transcript of the first 16 minutes of the 80 minute show. -iss -eyers her voice faint and almost childli#eI +?m in a school playground. + can hear laughter. Children playing and shouting. &here seems to be a lot of @oy" + can sense it all around me. =ut + am not happy. + feel on the outside of this @oy. + am not even really in the playground. + appear to be hiding almost" around a wall or behind a building. + #now that + should be in the playground" + should be with the other children" and that + will be punished if + am found s#ul#ing away down here. =ut + simply can?t bear to be with them all. + want to be alone. +?m desperately sad and + don?t want to mi! with the other children. &he fear of being caught hiding here by the teacher is nothing compared to my desire to simply get away from them all. +f + could hide here for the rest of my life" + thin# + would.; >ane
calling
our
from
the
middle
of
the
audienceI ow old are you -iss -eyers* %hat
61
age are you sensing* -iss -eyersI h +?m young. + feel that +?m perhaps 8 or 7. No" perhaps a little older" or F even. =ut there?s a desperate sense of being on the outside" of not being a part of the school" of wanting to escape. And +?m hiding" definitely hiding" behind a wall or around the bac# of a building. ,omewhere + shouldn?t be. &he person who this memory belongs to will remember this" particularly the feeling of being alone and of wanting to hide from the rest of the school. + do hope they will remember... &o the right of the auditorium a woman?s hand is lifted aloft. >ane" who has been scouring the audience for any movement" notices the raised hand. >aneI
%e
have
somebody"
-iss
-eyers.
,omebody has #indly raised their hand. >ane ma#es her way along the aisles to be as close to the raised hand as possible. >ane to the volunteerI %ould you be #ind enough to stand up for me* &han# you. And 62
what is your name please* KolunteerI -ary. >aneI >aneI &han# &han# you -ary. And you understand understand what -iss -iss -e -eye yers rs is tal# tal#in ing g abou about* t*
6
thought of it that way before re"" but yes. -iss -eyersI And do you still thin# about those days" -ary* KolunteerI ccasionally" yes. ,ometimes. -iss -iss -e -eye yers rsII aneI ,he?s still here -iss -eyers. -iss -eyersI -ary" you had a friend during this period didn?t you* =ut it was a friend who was a little odd. + thin# that the other children shunned her* ,he may have been a little slow" not as intelligent intelligent perhaps as everyone else" but for some reason you became friends with her. +t was li#e the two of you didn?t belong" or felt li#e you didn?t belong" and so you became firm friends. :oes that ma#e sense* KolunteerI
63
feel that years later" when hen you were feeling happier about yourself and your life" you ended the friendship. Not in an awful way" + don?t thin#" not bluntly. =ut you @ust let the friendship die. ane instigates a round of applause for both -iss -eyers and her volunteer. ollowing the applause" >ane continues... >aneI And so again + must as# for silence as we allow -iss -eyers to once again enter her reverie. &he audience are hushed and -iss -eyers enters her altered state of mind.
66
-iss -eyersI A child again but this time a boy. + believe + am F or 10 years old. + am in the family home. +t is night time. -y sister" younger than me" is close by. %e are alone. ,o very dreadfully alone. %e are worried. -y younger sister is crying and there is a #not of fear in the pit of my stomach. ur parents are out of the home. &hey went out what feels li#e many hours ago. &hey said they wouldn?t be long" they said they?d be bac# shortly and we were to go to sleep and not to worry. =ut that has been so long ago and now my sister and + are so worried. %e are loo#ing out of our bedroom window and staring at every person who wal#s by" every carriage that passes by" hoping that it is our parents. h" where are they* %here are they* Eingerly a man?s hand is raised in the centre of the auditorium. >ane calls over to him. >aneI &han# you sir for raising your hand. -iss -eyers"
we
have
a
man
who
has
#indly
ac#nowledged your words. Could you please stand for me" sir*
68
&he man stands" loo#ing a little embarrassed. >aneI ,ir" would you mind telling us your name* KolunteerI /eginald" /eginald =lac#stone. >aneI &han# you sir. And the words that -iss -eyers spo#e" do you recognise them. KolunteerI
my stomach. &han# you for sharing. >ane once more instigates applause for both the volunteer and -iss -eyers" and the show continues. 0 minutes and several demonstrations of her psychic ability later" 5mma -eyers removes her blindfold to rapturous applause. (erhaps it is the houseGlights or perhaps it is the strain of having the blindfold pressing upon her eyes for close to an hour" but she appears to be crying. =ut if these be tears" then they are tears of happiness as she smiles broadly and than#s the audience for their time and their indulgence. ,everal usherettes appear among the aisles and begin to hand out red roses. A red rose is passed to each lady in the audience" a gift" 5mma -eyers e!plains" to signify the love and compassion e!perienced that evening in the theatre. -iss -eyer?s associate" >ane" hands out roses along the theatre?s central aisle. %ith the show over" the audience streams bac# out onto the cobbleGstoned streets of Kictorian
6
London" the ladies clinging to their red roses" e!cited chatter passing amongst the crowd. orseGdrawn carriages ma#e their way steadily along roads illuminated by gasGlamps. A roast chestnut seller haw#s his trade on a street corner as a thin fog begins to roll in from the &hames. A bill poster on a nearGby wall announces the imminent arrival in the 5mpire?s capital of arry oudini" direct from the ,A. &onight" in the year 1F00" the residents of London can rest assured that magic still hangs in the air. =ut war is coming. +n 13 short years" shots will be fired in far off ,ara@evo that will mar# the beginnings of the Ereat %ar. A war that will claim the lives of forty million men" women and children and will change the world forever. %ither then the magic*
HOW IT WORKS ne of the most important tenets of the s#ill #nown rather crudely as Rcold readingR is the #nowledge that all human beings share similar e!periences" situations" and emotions in their 6F
lives. &his is a tenet that is often overloo#ed in favour of other techni4ues. uman beings tend to thin# of themselves as true individuals. Living a life that is completely different from the lives lived by others. &he rather humbling truth is that as a species and +?m spea#ing here to a %estern audience obviously" we are more ali#e than we are different. %hat + have e!perienced in my life" you will have e!perienced also. &here will be small" subtle differences of course" but in general we will all have shared e!periences. %e will all have shared similar @oys" sadness" happiness" sorrows" successes and failures. %e have all e!perienced the same ups and downs in all aspects of our lives Q love" family" friends" wor#" money" ambitions" health and hopes. And these shared e!periences e!press themselves in our memories. +f we tap into our own memories and recount those
details
concentrating
in
a
more
nicely on 80
vague
emotions
fashion" than
on
concrete facts" we can be sure that our own e!periences will be shared by most if not all of the population around us. Let us consider the two e!amples used by 5mma -eyers in the above story. + was 4uite impressed to realise that despite the fact that over a century separates us" + could empathise with both e!periences that she recounted. irstly the child feeling lost and alone at school" hiding from schoolmates" not wanting to be involved" and feeling very sad. Around the age of or F" + e!perienced this for myself. + also made friends with a boy in class who was shunned by everyone else because he wasn?t RnormalR. +f this story
had
been
recounted
to
me
as
a
demonstration of intuitive ability" + would have been impressed. Could this story fit with you* +?m sure that most of us" to a greater or smaller degree"
could
thin#
of
some
schoolGyard
e!perience that was similar to the one described. Li#ewise with the story of the 2 children being left home alone while the parents went out. +?m sure
81
that things have changed a lot since Kictorian times and perhaps now in the 21st Century most parents wouldn?t leave their children at home in an evening while they went out to a dinner party or similar. =ut those feelings of worry about parents disappearing or not returning when they said they would must be fairly universal. + can thin# of two e!amples in my own life when my parents left and didn?t return as 4uic#ly as they had promised to. r perhaps they were @ust trying to get rid of me$$ +t did ma#e me smile that the gentleman in the e!ample cited in the story had to ta#e refuge with the family?s house#eeper$ e wasn?t really Rhome aloneR Q he had staff to loo# after him$ + only wish +?d had a house#eeper to run to$ ,o what was 5mma -eyers? great power* +t was the #nowledge that e!periences from her own life" recounted in a vague and general manner but laced with very specific emotions" will 9hit; with a large percentage of the population" particularly in a theatre setting where there would be 100 Q 200 members of the audience.
82
Let me reiterate that Q memories recounted in a vague manner but laced with very specific emotions. &he specific emotions are universal love" hate" fear" @oy" but they help to ma#e a vague recollection sound specific. Kague facts S specific emotions T a story that sounds specific. 5motions trump facts" and if the emotions are specific then the whole story sounds specific. Let me reiterate that these are N& =arnum statements.
&hese
are
actual
memories"
recounted and retold. &o produce similar results yourself" you do not need to learn anything or be able to recount lists of Rshared e!periencesR. All you need to do is remember your own life and the events that have shaped you and that influence you still. + decided to ma#e a list of events that + could remember from being a child and a teenager. 5vents that for whatever reason stic# in my mind and
that
+
seem
to
have
attached
great
emotional importance to. + did not want to purely concentrate on sad emotions" so + included many happy and @oyful ones as well. &he Kictorians may
8
have been a dar#ly Eothic bunch" but there?s no law these days against smiling$ ere is my list. ,ee how many could apply to you even if you need to Rtwea#R them a little bit. Aged around 12" being madly in love with a girl at school but being too embarrassed to do anything about it. &he first time + properly #issed a girl and messing it up completely$ +n fact" due to incorrect face positioning on my behalf" + thin# she actually #issed my nose more than my mouth. =rea#ing a bone as a #id while playing football and going to hospital. 5!periencing a power cut and having to crawl on my hands and #nees to find my way from my bedroom to my parents? bedroom. As a ten year old + found the e!perience 4uite traumatic" although my parents were 4uite nonchalant about the whole thing. Aged around 12" shop lifting something stupid
83
and
ine!pensive.
=eing
caught
and
being
terrified" andHor not being able to en@oy whatever it was that was stolen because of the fear of being found out. +n fact" throwing the stolen item away in panic$ A sporting disappointment. Not achieving what + felt was my potential" and feeling hurt and cheated and as though + had been overGloo#ed by those who selected a certain sporting team at school. + need to point out right now that the above list was compiled as + wrote them. No foreGthought went into their selection. &hey were @ust the first memories that popped into my head as + wrote. Another day" another time" and a totally different list would have popped into my head. And this" as you will see" is an e!tremely important point...
THE REAL SECRET &he real power in this techni4ue is to trust your own instinct" intuition" and subconscious.
86
%hoa$ &hat may be a pretty tall order for some magicians and mentalists to ta#e onG board" particularly those who may not have come across my wor# before. + guess +?d better e!plain. ,o here goes... %ith this techni4ue + do not advocate the use of a set list of memories to be trotted out at each performance in a similar way to how some may use =arnum ,tatements. &he real strength of this particular techni4ue is the fact that you are relying on your own memories.
seem
to
some
a
daunting
prospect.
(ersonally + find it e!hilarating and + en@oy wor#ing without a safety net. =ut it goes deeper
88
than that. %ith a techni4ue li#e this" and many of the techni4ues + outline in my previous (:s" there is no secret to be spotted by eagleGeyed members of the audience" no impression devices to fail" no nail writers to fall off at @ust the wrong moment" no electronic gi)mos to screw up. &here is @ust you" the audience" and your memories. +f you can get over the fear of being RwrongR whatever that may be and overcome the belief that it is gimmic#s and gadgets that create the wonder when the wonder is really you" then a whole new breathGta#ing vista opens up for you as a performer. -y previous (:s have outlined many different techni4ues for this propless Rna#edR mentalism. &he use of memories outlined here is @ust one of many na#ed routines + have released over the past few years. %or#ing na#ed metaphorically of course$ is nowhere near as daunting or fraught with perils as you may believe. %ith regard to this memory techni4ue" the real secret is that in an audience
87
of 60" 100" or more you are guaranteed a hit with each of your statements. /emember" we are all more ali#e than we are different.
-eyers
shortly"
but
from
my
own
standpoint + engage the audience and win them over by appearing to be both interesting but also
8
very down to earth. +f we consider stage mediums such as >ohn 5dward in the ,A and Colin ry in the J" we will notice two things. irstly they are interesting characters whatever
who your
display thoughts
ama)ing may
be
talents about
mediumship" and we?ll discuss this shortly. =ut secondly" and perhaps most importantly" they portray themselves as an 9everyman;. &hey are @ust li#e you and +. &hey have no inflated egos" they?re success hasn?t gone to their heads" they are still downGtoGearth guys who have @ust been blessed with this ama)ing gift. &he public can identify with them and empathise with them. >ohn 5dward does not set himself apart as some #ind of superGman. e portrays himself as being from e!actly the same stoc# as his audience. &his means that his audience want him to succeed. &he audience has no desire to see him fail. Compare this with the images portrayed by the old school mindGreaders of the vaudevillian era.
8F
&he classic image of the mindGreader is the dar#ly brooding man in top hat and cape" with an arrogant selfGimportant manner" who ga)es out upon these ants #nown as Rman#indR and reads their minds as easily as if he were reading a page upon a boo#. &he Ereat Ereebo #nows all" sees all" tells all$ +mmediately a barrier has been put up between the performer and the audience. &he performer has pro@ected himself as being greater than the common man" and therefore the common man has no wish to see the Ereat Ereebo succeed. +n fact" the common man will cheer heartily when the Ereat Ereebo gets it wrong$ And furthermore the common man may even conspire to ensure the Ereat Ereebo fails$$ &here is a reason >ohn 5dward and his il# pro@ect the
9everyman;
audience
want
image. them
to
+t?s
to
ensure
succeed
and
the will
endeavour to ensure that they do succeed. ,o when >ohn 5dward starts to pass on a message" the audience want to ma#e the pieces fit and will happily put their hand up in the air and say 9
70
-y opening script when starting a show goes a little li#e thisI 9%elcome ladies and gentlemen" it?s really great to see you all here tonight. -y name is (aul and + would describe myself as an RintuitiveR. ,ome people call me RpsychicR" but + wouldn?t be so bold or so vain as to describe myself that way. &o me" using a word such as RpsychicR is a little too bold and sounds a little too much li#e a challenge. + far prefer the word RintuitiveR. And + believe that we are all a little bit intuitive" ladies and gentlemen" %e can all do what + do" to a greater or lesser degree. +?m @ust luc#y that + seem to have been blessed with 4uite a large amount of intuition and +?ve also been very luc#y to have had the opportunity to develop this intuition until it is fairly well honed. 9=ut we all have a degree of intuition inside us. +?m sure many of you here tonight have stories of the telephone ringing and #nowing who it is before you pic# up the receiver" or #nowing something was going to happen before it did. (erhaps some of
71
you have seen ghosts or heard weird noises in the night G that would also be an e!pression of your innate intuitive ability. 9,ome people of course are slightly sceptical of the whole intuitiveHpsychic thing. &hey thin# it is all rubbish" and that?s fine. =ut they will happily tell you about a friend who always wins at the casino" or the fact that they have a good gut instinct" or that some people are @ust born luc#y. =ut it?s all the same thing$ owever you dress it up" psychic" intuitive" gut instinct" luc#y guesses" it?s all the same thing. And we can all do it" ladies and gentlemen" all of us. 9,o what + need from you tonight is lots of energy. + need you to be upbeat and to want things to wor# tonight. %ithout your energy and your input + will fail. &here is no doubt about that. + am only human. &onight is all about teamwor#" about us all wor#ing together to create an evening of wonder. ,o whether you believe in the psychic" whether you?re on the fence" or whether you are a sceptic" + as# you now to put all of those thoughts to one side and @ust en@oy the
72
ne!t F0 minutes for the entertainment it is meant to be. +f + get an intuitive flash and you thin# + may be tal#ing about you" put your hand in the air. Let me see you" and let?s wor# together to ma#e this happen$ Let?s have some fun" let me show you how you too can be intuitive" and let?s read some minds$ #ay* Let?s do it$; %hat my opening spiel does is to establish that + am @ust li#e my audience" that they can do what + do" that the evening will re4uire their input" and that if things go wrong" well it?s probably their fault. +?ve enthused the audience to become involved" but +?ve also made them want me to succeed. +?m a nice guy. %hy would they want me to fail*
ON MEDIUMSHIP + am not a medium. + do not tal# to dead people e!cept when + visit the inGlaws. + do not promote or sell myself as a medium. -y stage persona is RintuitiveR" and the reason + use that word is because + genuinely believe that intuition is a tool that we as humans use all the time. + do not have 7
the space or the time to delve into this too deeply in this (:" but + @ust wanted to put that out there so you #now where +?m coming from. -orally + have no 4ualms about using the word intuition because + believe in it. +?m fully aware that others may have a different standGpoint" and that?s fine. -entalism is a large house with many rooms. + li#e going to see mediums at wor# and reading about the techni4ues of old mediums. &he reason + li#e this is not because + have any interest or belief in the Rtal#ing to the deadR bit. + don?t. &he reason + li#e seeing mediums at wor# and reading about their e!ploits is because + am fascinated by the fact that they can wal# out in front of an audience of hundreds" with no gimmic#s" no props" @ust themselves" their voice" and their audience" and provide a full show of Rmystery entertainmentR for want of a better phrase. + en@oy ta#ing the techni4ues used by mediums" stripping out the Rtal#ing to the deadR bits" and seeing how these techni4ues can be utilised and employed by mentalists. %ith 5mma -eyers this was easy as she made no claims to mediumship. Although surrounded by the cloa#
73
of ,piritualism a sign perhaps of her times" her act was essentially that of a mindGreader.
THE SUBTLETIES OF EMMA MEYERS +n the account of 5mma -eyers? show outlined at the start of this (:" we can see a few subtleties employed by her and her assistant. 1. ,he is young and attractive" thereby ma#ing it easier for her to gain the interest of the male members of the audience. 2. ,he is blindGfolded. &he blindfold is there purely to ma#e her seem more vulnerable and helpless" despite the esoteric e!planation used by -iss -eyers? assistant. &he use of the blindfold also provides an underlying se!ual tension. . ,he trembles and re4uires assistance to pic# up a glass of water" again reinforcing her vulnerability. ,he is getting the audience on her side. &hey want her to succeed. +t would be a cold hearted bastard who would want to see this attractive" vulnerable young woman fail.
76
3. >ane is employed as her eyes and ears amongst the audience. &he assistant is ready to spot trouble" to encourage involvement from the audience" and generally to steer the proceedings in the correct direction. 6. &he ladies in the audience are handed roses at the end of the show. &his ends the performance on a real high" with everyone feeling good about themselves and about the show. +t is accepted #nowledge that a show should end with the performer?s best Rtric#R. &he roses tric# is a simple way to buy the love and good will of the audience.
%ho
isn?t
going
to
leave
the
auditorium without a smile on their face* nless they?re allergic to roses of course. + saw a similar tactic employed by a medium once. After each RmessageR that he passed on to members of the audience" they were invited onto stage and handed a red rose as a memento of the love the spirits had passed on to them. %ith all the roses being handed out and the sha#ing of hands and hugging" the whole performance became one big loveGin. &here was barely any time for any actual mediumship$
78
WAYS OF PRESENTING THIS ROUTINE Although the routine outlined here made up the entirety of 5mma -eyers? show" + personally would see this routine as ma#ing up @ust one element of a larger show. (erhaps the routine outlined here would form around 20 minutes of an hour or F0 minute show. &he way you would present this routine would of course have to be totally congruent with the rest of the show and tie in with your stage persona. + do see this routine as being very fle!ible in the way it can be presented. Although its roots are very definitely in the esoteric" there is no reason why it has to stay there. &he three main presentation angles that spring to mind for me are as follows and of course you are positively encouraged to come up with your own anglesI 1.
A
display
of
psychicHintuitive
ability.
=y
standing or sitting in front of an audience" the 77
energy of the people in the room cause images" ideas" thoughts" and emotions to flash into your mind. 2. A display of commonality amongst human beings. ow we all share the same hopes" fears" dreams" and even memories. . ,traight out" good old fashioned mindGreading. ow does he do it*
IN CONCLUSION &his is a very simple routine.
7
good as. &he real tric# is getting the audience on your side so that they are willing to put their hands in the air and claim ownership of the memory. =ut even that isn?t too difficult. >ust encourage them to li#e you. +t?s not roc#et science after all. + would encourage you in the strongest possible terms not to simply have a list of memories that you recite parrotGli#e at each performance. &rust your intuitionHsubconscious to allow real" genuine memories you have to float to the surface of your mind at each and every show. &his may sound a touch scary" but it?s not. >ust have a little faith. &rust your subconscious to show you the relevant memories each time you perform. + dare you$ A final word on this Q you wouldn?t" when providing a reading" employ a stac#ed dec# of tarot cards. At least + #ind of hope that you wouldn?t. ,o if you wouldn?t use a stac#ed dec# of tarot cards" why use a stac#ed dec# of memories in your mind* >ust let those memories float to the surface and see where they ta#e you.
7F
&he fact that they are genuinely your memories will add e!tra potency to your performance. &he audience will pic# up on the fact that you have an emotional investment in what you are saying" even if they only pic# up on it subconsciously. +t will be obvious that you aren?t @ust ma#ing this stuff up or reading from a preG prepared script. As you remember the memory" new details that you had long forgotten may begin to materialise in your mind. &hat ma#es your performance very potent" very emotional" and to all intents and purposes" very genuine.
0
U+,ER STEAL +#D READ#% by i-o *einri-h This
effect
MENTALISM
is
part
of
!hich
Nico’s is
ebook
PURE
a"ai#ab#e
at
a$me%ta#ism&com
&his thought revelation is @ust different. +t is not only
une!pected
but
clever"
flirty"
amusing"
memorable and fun to perform. Although it could be done on stage this is ideally suited for more casual settings. ,o imagine you?re in a bar seeing this beautiful woman.
rings. 9ey this is Vyour nameW" you?re wearing a blue dress with blac# shoes" you have shoulderGlength blond hair" your eyes are brown with a hint of green
and
your
favorite
drin#
is
...
a
Cosmopolitan.; &he great thing about this concept is you have lots of freedom G be playful and improvise$ f course" she doesn?t have to thin# of a drin# G it could be anything. ave a boo# handy* :o a word force. &he playing cards are always at your fingertips* orceHpee# a card. se whatever is around. +f you can?t find anything have her thin# of a pretty flower rose and if the force failsI fuc# it G you still got her number$ +f you own the Para'a##et by &-A, 5+N5 and /A+N5/ -55, (A/ALA=," there is a great way of pee#ing the information" using the concept @ust describedI ,tic# the monitor foil to the bac# of the file card with the number on it. %hile they are reading and typing you have plenty of time to pee#.
2
ere are some subtleties you should considerI %hen you tell them what to e!pect" play it up so it sounds totally impossible" but don?t lie to them by saying it?s 9a friend; of yours that they are going to call or something. &hey must generate the false e!pectations themselves and then reali)e they did. nly then it?s funny. Another subtlety is to mention their eye color last while describing
their
appearance"
so
you
automatically have eye contact when you reveal their thought. +f you want to perform this for people who already #now you can read minds" do the followingI &a#e three or even more file cards with a different phone number on each one and force yours. or three to five cards use e4uivo4ue G if you use a whole bunch of cards" do a riffle force for e!ample. ,o it seems even more impossible and they are less li#ely to e!pect you on the other end.
+E+ORP*#% by i-o *einri-h &his is a novel techni4ue for memori)ing lots of information.
+t
is
actually
a
very
different
mnemonic association method" which can be used alone or combined with other classic techni4ues. &he huge advantage of -N5-/(+NE is that you lin# the information" using the e!act same pattern every time.
&he basic idea of -N5-/(+NE came to me when + was only seven years old and it was released
twice
underground
since
then
reference
Q
wor#
in for
a
huge
memory
techni4ues by KLJ5/ :+&&-A/ and in my own Eerman boo# A Peek I%to My (ea). Nevertheless it is pretty much un#nown.
3
THE TECHNIQUE +magine being able to memori)e a long shopping list in order within a few seconds. +magine becoming invincible at 9+ (ac#ed -y ,uitcase;. +magine teaching those things to a random person within minutes. &he secret is to connect the information in your head" creating a chain. Let?s assume the first three things on your shopping list areI 1. apple 2. coffee mug . candle Actually" you can use whatever association method you li#e Q but for now we concentrate on the -N5-/(+NE method. +f you don?t #now already what 9morphing; is" you should google it. &here are tons of videos on the internet" illustrating this perfectly.
6
+n essence" it is a seamless transition from one ob@ectHshapeHimage into another. +mportant is that at some point of the 9metamorphosis; there is an image containing half of each ob@ect. &o
connect
and
thereby
memori)e
the
information on our shopping list" we simply morph through it. %e either begin with the first ob@ect apple or a favored initial ob@ect" we can?t forget. Let?s put we start with the apple though. &o lin# it to the coffee mug" you @ust have to visuali)e the apple becoming cylindrical and its leaf transforming into a handle. /eally see it changing in your mind$ +n the beginning" this visuali)ation process ta#es a few seconds" but with a little practice you will only need one second or even less. &o associate the mug with the candle repeat the procedure as described Q @ust imagine the mug changing into the candle this time$
+f you don?t believe me" try the whole listI 1. apple 2. coffee mug . candle 3. bread 6. wine glass 8. bicycle 7. fish . chair F. headphones 10.sunglasses 11.shoes 12.chocolate bar 1.@ac#et
7
13.teddy bear 16.toilet paper 18.soc#s 17.toothpaste 1.umbrella 1F.orange @uice 20.hat Now ta#e pen and paper and recreate the list. >ust thin# of the first ob@ect Q everything else will come to mind automatically. /emember that a chain is only as strong as its wea#est lin#. ,o don?t
rush
while
visuali)ing
the
morphing
process. &ry to become confident at it first Q then try to speed it up.
OTHER SENSES +f you are an earGminded person" you might li#e the idea of using sounds instead of images. f
course you cannot morph sounds li#e images" but you can create a sound that consists of the two you want to connect. Let?s use the apple again. +n your mind hear the sound of someone biting into it repeatedly. &hen imagine 9clin#; sounds of two coffee mugs banging together. Now hear the biting sounds fading" while the clin#ing sounds #ic# in to create a lin# between them. thers will prefer smells or tastes over sounds or imagery Q it wor#s almost the same way. owever" you don?t need to limit yourself to one option. /ather combine the senses to ma#e stronger lin#s and as a result a stronger chain.
HYPNOTIC MEMORY TEST +n order to perform this feat" you need to teach the -N5-/(+NE techni4ue to one of your spectators in advance preGshow wor#.
F
