“HAND BLUFFS PLUS MORE STUFF” © 2009 Dale A. Hildebrandt All rights reserved.
All marketing rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this material, the publisher and/or author assumes no responsibilities for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.
First Edition 2009
Website: http://www.mirrorname.com/ Blog: http://devilstilldeals.blogspot.com/ Lincoln, NE
WARNING: PLEASE NOTE: THE AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, EDITOR, SELLER, AND/OR ANYONE ELSE CONNECTED TO THIS BOOK IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, MANNER, OR FORM, SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR USE OR MISUSE OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK! THIS LEAVES YOU, AND ONLY YOU, AS THE SOLE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR USE OR
MISUSE OF THE MATERIAL IN THIS BOOK! YOU AGREE TO CHECK LOCAL LAWS—AND TO OBEY SAID LAWS AT ALL TIMES--BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THIS MATERIAL! THIS BOOK IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE OR AS HYPNOTHERAPY ADVICE! THIS BOOK IS ONLY FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
PREFACE
Dale Hildebrandt is a soft spoken, gentle, creative man and performer… Though I've yet to meet him face to face, I've known for years that I'd like to shake this man's hand. After reading 'Hand Bluffs and More Stuff' I may have to re-think my desire! Who knows what will happen?
In all seriousness, what Dale has laid out in this humble and thought provoking
paperback is at once both extremely useable and very effective. As performer's we hob-knob and shake hands with people, volunteer's, spectators and audience members on a regular basis; even booking our shows and solidifying our contracts over a hand shake. In the everyday world shaking hands is one of the first things individuals do upon meeting each other...what could be more basic or simple?
There is something simple and poetic about shaking hands...there's also something very deep and useful when it comes to doing it properly, consciously or with magical intent.
Think about it!
The fate of entire Nations have hung in the balance, waiting eagerly for a committed embrace before declarations of peace and cease fires have been signed. Soldiers have grasped the hands of their President or Royalty or met their wives with an initial handshake. Secret Societies have known their brethren through mystical gestures and tokens imparted through the grasping of their hands. Others are given the keys to the city or multi-million dollar business loans over a handshake. Personal and professional exchanges, business promises, contracts, loans, liberties, freedoms, commitments, romantic dates and moral support can all be nestled and made or broken by a simple shaking of hands. Do not underestimate this Universal act of connection, communication and sealing...Dale certainly hasn't!
There is a lot you can tell from a person based on their handshake. Is it firm or soft, gentle or intimidating? Is the pressure too much or is it like shaking a dead fish? Are the hands warm, moist, dry or calloused? Is the handshake brief or long and connected? What do we tell others non-verbally about ourselves when shaking hands? What might we learn about others and what changes or effects might we facilitate as a result of the exchange?
These things and more have been explored by Dale in the book you're now holding. Your hands have grasped and shook hands with thousands of people in your lifetime...for the first time, with the tools to follow, you'll learn how and why to shake hands, and how to use the action, embrace, anchor and symbol for a variety of stunning, magical, hypnotic and psychic effects.
Dale's teaching style and material is a pleasure to read, deep, thought-provoking and remarkable. I loved a number of suggestions made in this tome and have incorporated them in my own work with great results.
It's my opinion that to be the best performer's, entertainers, conscious human beings and engineer's of altered states and realities we must look closely at the smallest details and fine points of our work, exchanges and interactions. 'Hand Bluffs' will allow you to do just that and provide you with much food for thought, tools and techniques with which to make a greater impact in the world, your performances and daily interactions. I would go so far as saying that ANYONE who shakes hands with people can and will benefit from this unique piece of work, especially being a performer and Purveyor of Mysteries!
"Thar's gold in them thar hills!' Grab your mental pick and shovel in preparation to mine the gold from these pages. There's plenty of it and I know you'll be well rewarded.
Shaking, Jerome Finley
FOREWORD
Here Lies the Truth –
Functional Fictions and the Power of Pretending
By Michael Weber
Some 4,000 years ago, Phoenician sailors accomplished navigation utilizing primitive charts and observations of the Sun and stars to determine direction. Current wisdom suggests that many of their star maps were, to a large degree, wrong and yet most of their ships managed to find the way.
While the maps may have been wrong, they were still useful. The errors were extant, but functional.
Today, you can drive along Sunset Boulevard and see vendors selling "Maps to the Stars Homes" and while some of those celebrities do live in those homes, many more of the designations are either out of date or just plain wrong - those Stars were never in those houses. The people who buy these maps drive around simply to look at the outside of a big house and imagine who and what are inside. And in this way these modern faulty Star maps are functional as well – the tourists who buy the meretricious maps have exactly the same emotional experience as if the information was perfect.
These examples serve as an analogy my current personal opinions about NLP as a tested and reliable scientific practice. I do not, personally, find the entire NLP approach to be 100% accurate, believable or in line with my own experience and understanding of the ways the world works and people think, act and respond. And yet, there are many "techniques" which seem to have emerged from or become a part of NLP practice which may serve as useful maps to help us get to where we want to go.
Dale has offered up another collection of his interesting observations and odd ideas which create the chance for us to navigate our way to thoughts that might have otherwise never been.
Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922. He was renowned for modeling the internal structure of an atom and announced that he never believed in superstitions and pseudo scientific beliefs. Niels closed most of his public speeches with a particular story to end on a humorous note that further drove his point home: "One of our neighbors in Tisvilde once fixed a horseshoe over the door to his
house. When common friends asked him, `But are you really superstitious? Do you honestly believe that this horseshoe will bring you luck?' he replied, "Of course not; but they say it works even if you don't believe in it."
If you have a magical power, perhaps you weaken it by naming it, or allowing others to define its limits and applications. Perhaps magic works regardless of your belief. What is
the functional difference between a suspension of our old disbelief and the imposition of a new belief?
I toast our lack of real understanding –Here is to Superstition and Religion, Supposition and Science, Belief and Truth - Power to the Placebo!
Michael Weber January 2009
HANDSHAKE INTUITION
The following are 15 things relating to shaking hands (handshakes), and touching hands, that produce astonishing results. Some of these are accomplished through the use of mere suggestion while others rely on a combination of trickery and suggestion, and still others are purely trickery. I will first list the 15 things and then after the list of the basic presentation, I will give the modus operandi for each item as well as the result(s) that can happen by using each idea. As you read this list, I want you to reflect, really reflect, on the power of these ideas to enhance your reputation and to create effects in their own right. I want you to imagine that these things actually happen to you when you meet someone and the effect this would have on you if you had no ideas about possible
methods. For a moment, please attempt to reflect on these things as a layperson would on first encountering them. This will prove to be a valuable exercise. For a second valuable exercise, after you have reflected on these things as a layperson might, go back before reading the methods and see what ideas you come up with on your own. The third exercise I shall give is the most valuable one: go out and do these things multiple times with different people.
1) “Sometimes when people shake my hand, they may get a flash of intuition that helps them,” says the mystery entertainer, before shaking hands with the participant. 2) At another event, the mystery entertainer says “Sometimes people get flashes of intuition because of shaking hands with me.”
3) At a different time and place, the mystery entertainer is introduced by a friend. The friend says, “When Dale shakes hands with people, they sometimes feel a weird vibration or a tingle.”
4) At a party, I am introduced to a contact and the person giving the introduction says, “His hands are often either ice cold or extremely warm when you shake hands with him.”
5) In a very stuffy, hot room, my handshake proves to induce chills. 6) In an icy cold room, my handshake proves inexplicably warm.
7) “Some people go into a trance immediately when I shake their hands, others go into trance after a few more minutes,” I say.
8) I tell the participants at a group exercise, “Before we start the visualizations, I’d like you to each hold hands in a circle. You may feel a weird vibe of energy emanating through my hands and throughout the circle.”
9) “I often find myself getting flashes of intuition which produce an electrical charge in my hands,” says the mystery entertainer. Sometimes the entertainer says this before lighting up a light bulb or causing sparks to appear.
10) “It’s the strangest thing because I get flashes of intuition when I shake hands with people and they seem to connect into my psychic world…sometimes for a few seconds and, at other times, for a few hours.”
11) “Some people get so nervous around my energy that their palms inexplicably begin to sweat more than normal. However, they soon calm down.”
12) “Some people see a bright flash of light when they shake my hand.”
13) “Sometimes I need no oracles. I simply get psychic information through the touch of a hand.”
14) “Some people feel a tingle or vibration when he shakes hands with them.” 15) “The last person who shook my hand felt a surge of energy.”
The Modus Operandi List:
You should only read this list after you have reflected on the above items. Remember, first reflect on how you would feel and react if and when these things happened to you. Attempt to see this from the perspective of a layperson that has no idea or clue that there is any trickery involved in any of these things. You may even want to just say these things and attempt them in the real world before you even read the ideas and suggestions behind the above list of items. Next, reflect on how you would do each one and how you would enhance each one for yourself. Then, go out and attempt them on multiple people. This exercise is important in understanding the underlying nature of humans as well as being able to see the impact of a few simple words.
So, now you are probably wondering how I cause each item to happen and the intended result(s) that are produced from each item. Some of them you may think you have figured out by now, and others you may not have a clue about as of yet. This will soon change.
What follows is the theory behind what I say, how I say it, the intended result(s) of saying it, and—when appropriate—the trickery behind the idea. I say “when
appropriate” because some of the ideas are merely suggestions that enhance what you do. There is no real trickery to it. In fact, one of the ideas may even BE REAL, but that is for you to decide upon. Some of these ideas got their start with Luke Jermay’s book
“Building Blocks” and Jerome Finley’s “The Crimson Wall of Lictalon” from his ebook “Random Acts of Kindness”. Others are credited below as appropriate.
1) “Sometimes when people shake my hand, they may get a flash of intuition that helps them,” says the mystery entertainer, before shaking hands with the participant. Modus Operandi: This is a linguistic trick and a suggestion all wrapped up together in
one nice package. I give people a reason for a flash of intuition to happen in their minds. The reason is that they have shaken my hand. People get flashes of intuition all the time, all throughout the day. So, I figure, why not take credit for a couple of them. Since this is a naturally occurring thing throughout people’s days, I might as well tell them that when they shake my hand, they may get a flash of intuition. Notice I say “Sometimes” and “may”. When the few people who do get a flash of intuition before, during, or right after shaking hands with me, tell this story to others it will set up a belief of expectancy. Other people who hear about this amazing thing happening will also get flashes of intuition because they have been put in a suggestible state by the words and feelings of their friends and peers. Other people will have no flash of intuition, but you have to remember that this is not a 100 percent guaranteed thing. This is a simple risk I am willing to take. I shake hands with people and some get a flash of intuition. Others become more in rapport with me as I give them their psychic reading and simply do not bring up the handshake idea again. HOWEVER, you may find them shaking your hand after the reading and then get a flash of intuition (or you may set things up that way), wherein the accuracy of the reading acts a convincer for the handshake to cause the flash of intuition. This is latter idea is an expansion on “Kentonism” by Kenton Knepper and is heavily influenced by Docc Hilford’s “Ball and Tube” booklet.
2) “Sometimes people get flashes of intuition because of shaking hands with me.” Modus Operandi: This is based on the same principles as Item 1, but there is a small
linguistic difference that can make quite a difference here. The idea is to connect “flashes of intuition” with “shaking hands”. This is done through the use of the word “because”. “Because” is a linking word that shows cause and effect. Of course, the whole idea behind this is that you are totally making up the cause in order to get an effect. However, the way you have worded things allows for people to reason that A must happen because of B. So when B happens, they allow A to happen. In this case, they think, at least on an unconscious level, that shaking hands causes flashes of intuition. You give yourself some “wriggle” room with the word “Sometimes”, but you also
reinforce this happening at times by using the word “Sometimes”. “Sometimes” implies that his happens at least part of the time. The link “Because” gives a reason for this to happen “Sometimes”. This is a powerful strategy that relies on nothing more than conviction and linguistics.
3) At a different time and place, the mystery entertainer is introduced by a friend. The friend says, “When Dale shakes hands with people, they sometimes feel a weird vibration or a tingle.”
Modus Operandi: This result depends upon one major thing. It depends on having
someone who believes in you to introduce you to the person who you want to have the result upon. This adds “Social Proof” to the mix. Since someone else is making the
claim, and this someone else has met you before, then it adds more credence to the claim. Just as we trust things from respected sources more so than from new sources, this helps to add credibility. The person who introduces you has previously experienced one of your mystical handshakes. This method solely relies on social proof, but is tied into Item 14 which relies on trickery. Performing Item 14 sets you up to later perform Item 3 with pure social proof as the method! I put Item 14 on the bottom of the list because I wanted to go through some of the more “pure” ideas in the first few sections of the list. Once you read the trickery behind Item 14 you will see how this all ties together.
4) At a party, I am introduced to a contact and the person giving the introduction says, “His hands are often either ice cold or extremely warm when you shake hands with
him.”
Modus Operandi: This is simply a different version of the Social Proof principle. See
the next two items for ways to accomplish these things through trickery. The important thing here is to get the person to use the word “often” whenever possible. This implies that it happens more than not and so you will tend to get more results because of the suggestion implanted into people’s minds that this happens a lot around you.
5) In a very stuffy, hot room, my handshake proves to induce chills.
Modus Operandi: Based on a simple Annemann idea, that is made more practical by
modern technology. You simply have a small ice bag hidden upon your person which allows you to have a very cold handshake.
6) In an icy cold room, my handshake proves inexplicably warm.
Modus Operandi: Just the opposite of the above Annemann idea, this one was inspired
by Liam Montier and Andi Gladwin who use it for a different effect. I have a “hand warmer” inside a jacket pocket. These are little devices that are miniature heat packs that can be adapted to fit in your pocket.
7) “Some people go into a trance immediately when I shake their hands, others go into trance after a few more minutes,” I say.
Modus Operandi: This is pure suggestion to get people to become comfortable going
into a trance. Those skilled in NLP and hypnosis will notice that this is a double
suggestion, and a kind of bind. They will go into trance immediately…or in a few more minutes. They can do it now or they can do it later. However, they will do it because they are shaking my hand. I have given them the reason that their mind is searching for so that they do not become analytical about it, and instead accept one of the two
suggestions offered for them to simply go into trance…either now or in a few minutes. This is based on the works of Milton H. Erickson, M.D.
8) I tell the participants at a group exercise, “Before we start the visualizations, I’d
like you to each hold hands in a circle. You may feel a weird vibe of energy emanating through my hands and throughout the circle.”
Modus Operandi: This is based on an old theatre game I came across, combined with
ideomotor responses and suggestion. I suggest that they may feel a weird vibe of energy emanating through my hands. This will often cause one or both people holding my hands to squeeze or loosen their grip, which often causes a chain reaction in the rest of the circle as each person adjusts to the other people’s grips. The theatre game was to squeeze only when the squeeze was directed to you, yet inevitably the game ended because there were squeezes emanating from “nowhere”. Take full advantage of this simple idea and you will be heartily surprised and well rewarded.
9) “I often find myself getting flashes of intuition which produce an electrical charge in my hands,” says the mystery entertainer. Sometimes the entertainer says this before
lighting up a light bulb or causing sparks to appear.
Modus Operandi: This is pure trickery. You use common conjuring methods that are
commercially available for the lighting bulb or to cause sparks to appear. The value of this approach is that it enhances the suggestion approaches by allowing you to do things “on demand” and can be used in a “challenge” situation in which you have set yourself up for success. There are many ways to induce these “challenge” situations and when you produce the challenge you will be able to produce the result as well!
10) “It’s the strangest thing because I get flashes of intuition when I shake hands with people and they seem to connect into my psychic world…sometimes for a few seconds and, at other times, for a few hours.”
Modus Operandi: This is a pure suggestion technique. It also is a bit of a trance
inducing technique. You are telling them that YOU get flashes of intuition but you are also giving a reason for how they will connect into YOUR psychic world. This can form a very strong rapport with some people, and they will feel as if they are entering your world and you are entering their world in agreed upon and mutually beneficial terms. This is similar to the trance induction mentioned in Item 7, as you give them a choice to connect psychically for a few seconds or for a few hours, but there is not a choice to NOT connect! This is a very interesting approach to use with people.
11) “Some people get so nervous around my energy that their palms inexplicably begin to sweat more than normal. However, they soon calm down.”
Modus Operandi: This is an interesting approach because it relies on the actual
physiology of the human body. If someone is coming to see a psychic entertainer or psychic reader, they sometimes will have something on their mind that will make them a tad bit reluctant or nervous. You turn this bodily reaction into a sign that your energy is affecting them on a physical basis. Also, just by the mere mentioning of sweating of the palms, you can often cause the palms of the more suggestible people to start sweating.
People who are coming for a psychic reading can often be in a certain suggestible state, and so you can use this tactic to help them feel better, because you add in the line “However, they soon calm down”. This negates the feeling of nervousness without negating the reality of the sweating palms. This also helps people who are genuinely nervous at meeting you to calm down and helps both of you gain rapport with each other. 12) “Some people see a bright flash of light when they shake my hand.”
Modus Operandi: I have two methods for accomplishing this one. The first method is a
gimmick sold in magic trick stores known as a D’Lite. I prefer the yellow or red colored ones. This item lets you produce a light at your fingertips. I shake hands using my right hand and position my left hand so it is in a peripheral part of the other person’s vision. The left hand’s thumb wears the D’Lite and sets it off when appropriate. The second method is to simply say the words and see if the person follows along! I will often throw this suggestion out to see how suggestible the participant is and to see if I should use trickery to accomplish a more defined result or go with a more suggestion based route to entertaining them.
13) “Sometimes I need no oracles; I simply get psychic information through the touch of a hand.”
Modus Operandi: This is nothing other than truth. Sometimes you need no oracles for
one of two reasons: You get genuine intuitions about the person in front of you that prove correct, or you get information given to you during the touch of the hand that proves to help you with your readings. Such information which proves helpful with readings would be things such as the color of their nail polish, fingernails that have been bitten, calluses on the hands, and so on.
14) I knew some of you would skip down to here from Item 3. “Some people feel a tingle or vibration when he shakes hands with them.”
Modus Operandi: The vibration is based on pure linguistics… I thought long and hard
about using a novelty item known as a “hand-buzzer” which you wind up and then it produces a vibration. The “hand-buzzer” is too bulky to be easily concealed and ditching it would prove to be difficult in an intimate setting or uncontrolled environment.
However, the tingle is based on pure trickery. Go down to a pharmacy or similar store and buy the liquid version of a product whose brand name is “ICY-HOT”. “ICY-HOT” first produces a cold feeling and then a hot feeling, and can be interpreted as a “tingling sensation”. Have just a bit on one finger and you will be able to produce a tingling sensation. You can dab some into a button on your shirt and have it ready to use
throughout the day, or you can use it simply once at the beginning of the day and let the legend spread and use linguistics to create the effect over and over again with new people throughout the day, especially those people who talked to the first person who felt your “tingling” handshake!
Modus Operandi: This is a way to use the principle of social proof without having
another person present. You tell the participant that something has happened in the past, and they have no real reason to doubt you. The above statement is also ambiguous. It has been made ambiguous on purpose. Do I mean that the last person who shook my hand felt a surge of psychic energy or physical energy or both? The type and intensity of the energy is left to the mind of the participant to interpret and act upon accordingly. Secret 16) The Firm, Yet Polite Handshake
Modus Operandi: This item has the result of producing respect and inducing rapport. I
did not list it with the rest of the ideas because I thought I would just put it here at the end and also I figured that not very many people would really understand the impact. The impact of this item can be just as powerful as the other 15 items, when done correctly! When you shake someone’s hand, you want to have a firm handshake, but you do not want to crush their hand. You are a mystery entertainer who works all the time with your hands, so you should have a firm handshake. If you want to increase the strength of your handshake they sell hand-grippers that you squeeze throughout the day to build up the muscles. You slowly increase to harder and harder to use hand-grippers. This is great if you want to break someone’s hand, but no so great if you want to induce trust, comfort, and rapport. So, when you shake someone’s hand make sure that you match the pressure of their handshake with the pressure of your own handshake. This is really about real-time biofeedback. If they give you a wimpy handshake, this is not a signal to crush their hand. Still be firm, yet relaxed. If they try to crush your hand, do not try to overpower them with your own strength. Instead, try to match the power of their handshake. This takes a lot of skill, practice, and rehearsal. However, once you know how to shake hands with anyone you will become aware of so many opportunities that present themselves. Shaking hands and/or touching hands provides you with many useful tools, including ways to increase your legend, gain rapport, deepen astonishment, start trances, gain compliance, and lead people to your way of thinking and to make people truly wonder and think about you and your powers.
HINTS & TIPS: The following are some “Hints & Tips” for applying these techniques.
The Lately Ploy: This is useful for practicing the previous techniques with current friends and acquaintances. Here is one simple example: instead of saying “Sometimes
when people shake my hand, they may get a flash of intuition that helps them,” (as in
Item 1), you choose to say “Lately, when people shake my hand, they may get a flash of
intuition that helps them.” This implies that these things have just started happening to
you and changes the expectations for people who already know you. The people who already know you have most likely NOT had these experiences with you, so you use the word “Lately” to imply that this power of yours has just started.
Invading Space: This is a refinement which you can use with all of the above handshake techniques. I learned this while rehearsing some of the above handshake techniques.
You want to slightly invade the space of the person who you offer your hand to for the handshake. As Adam White put it to me, “You want to cross over their 40 yard line or more.” You want to offer your hand and have it accepted. You increase the chances of this happening when you reach your hand out to the person in a friendly gesture, and move your hand towards their body. This also leads into the next tip.
A Small Pattern Interrupt: When using these handshake techniques, either with a new contact or an old friend, you can shake hands WHILE you tell them what happens when people shake your hand. This will act as a slight pattern interrupt, and at the same time disarms any suspicion on the part of the participant. Suspicions may be particularly strong when using these techniques with old friends, who may suspect a prank such as a joy buzzer or other such things. You will be shaking their hand for at least three beats longer than they are used to, which will cause a small pattern interrupt and make your suggestion(s) more likely to bypass the critical factor which will increase the success rate of said suggestions.
AN ERICKSONIAN READER’S OPENING
This is an approach to beginning a psychic reading that is heavily influenced by the work of Milton H. Erickson. Usually when someone wants a psychic reading, they have something they want help with in their life, whether it is to make a decision or improve in some way, or any other number of things. Getting people to open up to you during the reading can sometimes be difficult. The following scripting allows people to feel like they can tell you everything while keeping back other things, yet they will open up to you and tell you everything that is truly important for you to know during the psychic reading. What follows is the simple script that will get people to treat you as a trusted advisor: “There are a number of things you don’t want me to know about, that you don’t want to tell me. There are a lot of things about yourself that you don’t want to discuss.
Therefore, let’s discuss those things that you feel free to discuss, and be sure that you don’t discuss those that you are unwilling to discuss.”—Milton H. Erickson1
The above quote from Milton H. Erickson is very, very effective to get people to open up to you about anything and everything. As Erickson explained in “Conversations with Milton H. Erickson, M.D.: Volume One”, the client feels free to discuss things because they can always hold things back, but before they know it, the client has shared
everything that is relevant! This is because the sharing process is made into a safe process. The client feels that they can use the permission to withhold for more important matters. You are forcing the client to respond to the ideas of both withholding and communication at the same time. Erickson mentioned that this was a particularly effective approach to people with body image defects. I have found the pattern that Erickson used is useful to get anyone to open up about anything. This is a very powerful technique. The client may shuffle around the things they tell you, and it may not be in a linear fashion, but the client will tell you everything that is relevant to your session. Erickson also mentions how a woman who may have had several affairs will open up about three of five affairs, giving you all the information you really need without you needing to know about the two “secret” affairs.
By using the above pattern from Milton H. Erickson, you will also help create a lot of good rapport. You will be seen as someone who is interested, but not nosy, as well as someone who wants to help but does not want to interfere. This approach also works better than simply saying “Tell me everything.”
You can use an Ericksonian Language Pattern to get people to truly open up to you while they feel they can still keep certain things secret, yet you influence them to share
everything that is truly relevant, and they feel as if the idea to share was their own choice.
1 This quote is from pp. 5-6 of “Conversations With Milton H. Erickson, M.D.: Volume One” edited by Jay
THE BACK SLAP ANCHOR
This is a concept I first explored after reading a Carlos Castaneda book. The book was titled “The Fire From Within”. In this book, Castaneda talks about how he began to realize that before anything magickal or psychedelic happened, Don Juan de Matos (Castaneda’s supposed mentor and teacher), slapped him on the back between the shoulder blades. Whether or not this really happened, and whether or not Don Juan existed is not the point.
What is important is learning how we can use something similar in our own
performances. Anchors are associations that have been created between two or more things through some sort of relation process. One common anchor amongst many people is hearing a certain song, which reminds them of a certain person. Thus, the song is an anchor that causes the memory of a certain person to come to the forefront of the mind. How can we use anchoring to enhance our performances? In this chapter I will discuss one method to anchor the experience of magic for one person over a series of days and different performances. This chapter is meant to explore anchoring for one individual, and exploring how to use such anchoring over a series of different events.
For this demonstration, we will call our participant Jake. We will show Jake a minor miracle of mind reading or pseudo-hypnosis. However, before we do so, we will explain that the body has certain “Activation Points” that allow people to shift consciousness and energy (or chi or life force) to a greater point of being and realization. We will then tell Jake that one of the major “Activation Points” is between the shoulder blades on the back. Before we show Jake any magic, we will ask permission to engage the “Activation Point”. When we get such permission, we will lightly slap Jake on the back, between the shoulder blades. We will then demonstrate a minor effect for Jake. By minor effect, I mean something which is amazing, but not your top-of-the-line work. This is an introductory phase.
A few days later, we will meet with Jake again. Jake will most likely ask to be shown something. Engage the “Activation Point” again and perform a stronger piece of mind reading this time. Jake will be impressed, your magic will have seem to have become stronger, and you will now have Jake associating the “Activation Point” with magic happening after engagement of said “Activation Point”.
A few more days later, you run into Jake again. You ask him if he wants to experience something again. He agrees. You engage the “Activation Point” by giving him a slight tap on the back between the shoulder blades. You show him one of your strongest pieces. He is thoroughly impressed.
After a few weeks, you and Jake attend the same party. You ask Jake if he wants to experience something really wild. You slap him lightly on the back at the “Activation Point”. You can now perform any demonstration you want. In fact, by this point, you may be able to get a magical experience out of Jake by simply engaging the “Activation
Point”. When he is tapped on the back, he will associate this tapping with magic happening. Now you can go in for the kill, and do a cold reading which will be considered more accurate than if you did not use this elaborate set-up. You can also perform some hot reading, and other pieces to engage Jake in the process.
Jake now has an anchor set on him that is associated with magic. You tell him some things about himself, and he will automatically consider it magic because of the anchor that has been set. This will enhance the perceived accuracy of your cold reading. The cold reading will also be associated with being mystical and magical; thanks to the anchor you have set on Jake.
THREE KNUCKLE SWISH
This is a very interesting technique that explores the use of both anchoring and rapport. I first found this idea in “An Insider’s Guide to Submodalities” by Richard Bandler and Will MacDonald. For those just starting out in anchoring, this process will prove both easy and fruitful.
Before we go further, I want to mention a little-discussed technique to make sure that wherever you set an anchor, you will trigger the anchor at the same place. For example, a beginner might set an anchor along the arm, but when they go to fire the anchor they forget exactly where on the arm that particular anchor is set. In order to fire off the correct anchor, simply use some chalk. Put the chalk on your fingers, and as you anchor the person on the arm, the chalk will transfer to the area you are anchoring. In order to fire the anchor, just find the chalk mark. If you want to set several different anchors, which you sometimes need to do for various purposes, you may want to use several different colors of chalk—one color of chalk for each anchor.
A Swish Pattern is when we take two or more anchors and replace one anchor with a different anchor. In the Three Knuckle Swish, we will anchor three different things to the first three knuckles of the participant’s right hand. The first thing we will anchor is a negative feeling the participant has over something. We will touch the first knuckle as they describe this experience. Next, we will have them think of something neutral, that they don’t feel one way or another about. We will touch the second knuckle to anchor this experience. Finally, we will have them think of a time when they were feeling positive and resourceful and everything was going their way. If they cannot remember a time like this, for whatever reason, then have them imagine a time in the future like this. Now we will perform a Swish Pattern. This Swish Pattern is known as the Three
Knuckle Swish. You take the fingers you used to anchor each experience on the knuckles, and brush them across all three knuckles at once, starting with the negative anchor, going to the neutral anchor, and ending on the positive anchor. The person will now be experiencing a resourceful, positive state of being, and will usually find a way within to deal with the negative aspects. This is not therapy! This is a simple positive, self-affirmation, and guided visualization.
When you first start with anchoring, you may want to use chalk on your fingertips to mark anchors you have set. We can cause a person to have a positive, self-affirming experience of their own worth through the use of the “Three Knuckle Swish” pattern. This is a valuable use of anchoring, both for a participant and for your own self.
THE DEEPER TAROT
Effect: First, the Tarot Reader has the client cut off about a third of the deck; saying that
this will represent the Past. The Tarot reader holds their hand over the cut portion of the deck and says “I sense a man, something to do with romance.” The portion of the deck that has been cut off is then turned face up, and put on top of the rest of the face-down Tarot Deck, and it reveals, for example, the Lovers card has been cut to by the client. “Now, cut even deeper than before this time, and this card will represent the Present!” The client cuts even deeper and before they turn over the packet, the Tarot reader says “I sense something to do with sleep, and dreams.” The card is then shown to be the Nine of Swords. “Now, spread to the first face down card and that will be your Future Card! Of course, what kind of psychic would I be, if I did not know the Future in advance? I sense Travel, either it will be spiritual, mental, or physical, but there will be a moving or move of some kind. Please turn over the Chariot card.” The Future card is then revealed to be The Chariot Card.
Method: This combines a sleight of hand move known as The Balducci Cut-Deeper
Force with a ruse I came up with called the Ambiguous Tarot.
Balducci Cut Deeper Force: Have the Force Card on top of the deck. Next, have
someone cut about a third of the deck and turn it face up and place it in that condition back on to the top of the deck. That will get your Past Card. Have them cut even deeper this time—hence the name of the force—and turn over that whole packet and place that packet back on top of the deck. That gets you the Present Card. Now have them spread the face up cards until they get to the first face down card. This forces the Top Card from the original order of the deck—in this case The Chariot Tarot Card.
Ambiguous Tarot: This is an idea wherein you tell people properties of a Tarot Card
with no memorized deck work and no marked cards. You simply have to relate whatever you say to the cards that show up in the first two parts of the Cut Deeper force. Since Tarot Cards are generally ambiguous to begin with, and can be interpreted in many different ways, you will have an easy time connecting whatever general statements you make to the Tarot cards and to the person in front of you. Some Cold Reading practice comes in handy as well, because then you can relate the card with even greater ease to the information you get from the Cold Reading aspect of the session. For really ambiguous language phrases, you should check out the works of Milton H. Erickson, M.D., and also
look into the Milton Model developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, which is discussed in several Neurolinguistic Programming books.
False Memories: Some people will give you credit for knowing ahead of time what each
of the three cards were when you combine the Cut Deeper Force with the Ambiguous Tarot ploy. You can even lead them to this faulty conclusion with a statement such as, “I was able to divine meanings of cards before you even turned them over, and I was even able to tell you the Future before anyone else knew!” This will cause some to forget the exact details of what happened. If they do not forget, you still have something
impressive on your hands because you divined meanings and then you divined in very specific terms what the Future card was that they selected!
Credits: “Quick To Tell” by Robert E. Neale, in the book “The Magic Mirror”, employs
the Cut Deeper Force to force the third playing card in a fortune telling routine. The method first appeared in Neale’s May 1996 “Tricks of the Imagination” Column in “The Linking Ring” Vol. 75, No. 5, p. 73. Jeff McBride then applied the Cut Deeper Force to Tarot cards in his two-volume video set, “The Magic of Jeff McBride”. In October of 1995, Mike Maxwell had a similar idea published in “The Minotaur” periodical, Vol.7, No. 2, p. 6. What I have added to this is an idea that allows you to apparently, and ambiguously, know all three cards ahead of time. The addition I have made allows the ability to predict (albeit vaguely) the first two cards.
Liam Montier shared the following with me: There is an old force that you could
apply here, so you would have a direct hit on the first and last cards, leaving just the middle one to be bluffed. You would basically begin with the Lovers on top, and the Chariot underneath.
Slip cut the top card into the pack, about a third of the way down, but keep a little finger break below it as it lands, before replacing the rest of the cards on top.
Now offer the cards to be cut, and the moment the spectator grabs the outside edge of the deck, you simply move away with everything below the break, leaving them holding the cards above it, with the Lovers card lowermost. You can now continue as described. However, if you still wanted to keep the element of risk, you could crimp the Chariot card; put it about a third of the way down, and go for it.
HINTS & TIPS:
On Ambiguity: Here is a list of a few ambiguous subjects to bring up for use with the first two Tarot Card selections: Change, Relationships, Love, Decisions, Wealth, Health, Knowledge, Work, Play, Cycles, Excitement, Power, Fear, Conflict, and Emotions. There are plenty others you can choose from, and a good Thesaurus will be helpful. You want to have a good supply of these ambiguous subjects or subjects which cover a broad range of things so that you do not end up repeating the same two or four subjects for the first two Tarot Card revelations. If you end up reciting the same thing each time, people
will talk to each other and find out that their reading was not very special. This is even more important if you are going to be performing for people who interact with each other, and who will compare notes.
The Journalist’s Quest: This is a way to get people to open up even further to you and to relate the first two Tarot Card selections as being congruent with your precognitive, yet ambiguous, predictions. Journalists are taught to generally ask questions which will not give a simple “Yes” or “No” answer. So, instead of saying something to the sitter such as “Can you relate to this card?” you will ask them a question such as “How does this card relate to your life currently?” for a card that represents the present. Combined with “An Ericksonian Reader’s Opening” this type of question will get people to connect with you and the cards, as well as giving you more information for your Cold/Warm/Hot reading. You want to ask questions that begin with the words used most often by
journalists. These words are: How, Why, What, Where, When, and Who. For example, let’s say you get The Death card for the Past. You’ve declared before the card was turned over that it had something to do with relationships. You now give a reading about The Death card and relate it to a change in a relationship. Now, you will ask, “Who did you have a change with relationships in the past?” Nearly everybody has had the status or style of a relationship change in their past. This gets the sitter to open up without totally realizing they are giving you information. You are just discussing the Tarot cards and their meanings with them, and involving them even more. Adam White brought my attention to asking the question “How does this card relate to you?” and this jogged my memory of the questions asked by journalists. Now, when you perform “The Deeper Tarot” in combination with “An Ericksonian Reader’s Opening” you will tend to get a deeper connection with the sitter. This is a good thing.
Another Small Pattern Interrupt: This is another way to interrupt someone’s pattern and make the suggestion of predicting the first cards even stronger. This was developed with the help of Adam White. When you ask the person to cut off the first third of the deck, you DO NOT have them complete the cut. You instead use the “Ambiguous Tarot” technique and say something such as “This card relates to knowledge.” You then have them turn over the packet. This interrupts a process that they are in the middle of doing, and makes the suggestions later on in the routine stick better in the mind of the
participant. After they turn over the card, you relate the card to the topic of “knowledge”, and then you proceed with the same procedure of having them cut deeper, but do not let them immediately turn over the cards. Instead, you will have the participant hold the cards while you again use the “Ambiguous Tarot” method to relate a generalized topic to the card. You will then have them turn over the packet of cards. This helps blur the line even farther for the participant, and helps to confuse them as to when you said what about which card. Later, many participants will report that you told them the meanings of cards before the participant turned over the card.
CAPTAIN PENNY, THE PSYCHIC PIRATE
Old Presentation: The magician brings out a small treasure chest. “This is what is left
from the treasure of an eccentric known as Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate!” exclaims the magician.
“What’s a pirate’s favorite letter in the alphabet?” asks the magician, who then immediately says “Arrr!”
“What’s a pirate’s favorite state?” asks the magician, who then immediately says, “Arrrrrkansas!”
Finally the magician says “Do you know why pirate jokes are funny?” and then continues, “They just Arrrr!”
The treasure chest is opened up. “As you can see, only a few tokens are left from Captain Penny, the Psychic Pirate’s treasure.” The fake gold tokens are dumped on to the table. “Now, Captain Penny had a crew of misfits, outcasts, and thieves. Tonight you will play one of those thieving marauders, and I will play the part of Captain Penny, the Psychic Pirate!” As the magician explains the roles, the magician then puts on a fake eye patch, the type you can get from costume stores and are readily available during the Halloween season in the USA.
The magician turns around. “Captain Penny’s favorite numbers were two through nine. He would take between two and nine coins and bury them in a remote island. Do you have an island on you?” This will invariably lead to some weird, and hopefully
humorous, replies. “Well, a pocket will work just as well. Take between two and nine tokens and put them into your pocket.” The magician waits for this to happen. “You can jingle the tokens around so you don’t think I’m using some sort of weird powers of hearing. Please inform me when the treasure has been buried in your pocket.”
The spectator informs when the tokens are now in the spectator’s pocket. “Now count the remaining tokens.” The magician pauses and then says “I believe you have a two digit number.” The spectator replies that they do, indeed, have a two digit number. “Add the two digits of that number to get a second number, a number even you were not
thinking of, one that is truly random.” The spectator informs when they have done this task. “Now take that many tokens and bury those in your pocket with the first part of the treasure. Jingle them around if you want so I can’t figure it out by sound.”
The spectator informs the magician when the tokens are in his pocket. “Great. Now you’ll play the role of the thieving marauder. Take as many tokens as you want from the remaining coins on the table and put those in your hand, but leave at least one to make it difficult for me. Tell me when you’re done.” The spectator replies they are done.
The magician turns around and says “Arrr, you’ll play the role of the thieving landlubber and I’ll be Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate. I’m afraid I’ll have to make you walk the plank, for you’ve stolen three coins and put them in your hand. Arrrr!” The spectator opens his hand and he does, indeed, have three coins. The spectator dumps the coins form their pocket back on the table and the magician picks up all the coins and puts the coins back into the treasure chest.
“Arrr, matey! I’d like to give you this treasure for being such a good sport, and playing along with Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate!” The treasure chest is given to the audience member. The spectator can examine everything and take everything home. They will never figure out what truly happened.
Method: You have 20 tokens in the treasure chest. Have a person take between 2 and 9
tokens and put that amount in their pocket. You could have them take one token, but I find it helps to hide the method of the trick by restricting them to between 2 and 9 tokens. Next, have the person count the remaining tokens. It will always be a two-digit number. So you get your first hit when you say they have a two-digit number.
Have the person add the two digits of the two-digit number to get a new “random” number. Have the person take as many coins as the new “random” number and put those in their pocket. Now have them put as many coins as they want in their hand, but tell them to leave at least one to make it difficult for you—this is just a smoke screen that keeps them from realizing how many total tokens are in play.
When you turn around, look at the remaining number of tokens on the table. Whatever number of tokens are on the table, subtract that number from the number nine. So, in the above example in the Presentation, there were six coins left on the table. The magician subtracted six from nine and got the total of three which meant three coins were in the spectator’s hand.
As you turn around, you put both your hands into both your pockets. You palm off three more tokens. When the tokens are dumped back on to the table, you add the palmed tokens into the pile and put everything back into the treasure chest. If the person challenges you on how many tokens are in their pocket, you can reply—without the slightest hesitation—that they have 11 tokens in their pocket. This is because they will ALWAYS have 11 tokens in their pocket at the conclusion of the routine. Since you added more tokens into the mix and did not bring attention to the number of tokens during the routine, it will be nearly impossible to reconstruct the effect.
Discussion: If you use a cheap enough, and small enough, treasure chest, then you can now give away the treasure chest. You can find cheap wooden pirate style treasure chests at many hobby and crafts stores. The total price of giving away the treasure chest and tokens can be as low as $3.25 per performance. That price includes the treasure chest and the tokens.
Plus, you have left the spectator with a nice souvenir. You could have your business card in the treasure chest as well, with a personal note to the spectator written on the back of the card. The pirate jokes, the pirate theme, and the pirate play help to hide the
mathematical nature of this effect.
Credits: I was first introduced to the mathematical coin-in-hand trick in a write-up titled
“Coin Caper” on page 64-65 of Raymond Blum’s book “Math Tricks, Puzzles, & Games”. I added in the pirate theme to help distance the mathematical nature of the effect in the presentation. I also added in the idea of palming extra tokens and putting them into the mix to help hide the math that is used in the effect, and to throw off any mathematically oriented spectators who might try to reconstruct the effect.
I also added in the idea of giving away the treasure chest and tokens (if you go the small chest route), along with a business card, for promotional purposes. Finally, you may want to consider aging the treasure chest, but I find it funnier to simply add in a line such as, “Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate, liked keeping his treasure clean!”
Notes: Some of you may be tempted to use pennies or other coins, but it is actually
better to buy some fake, plastic “gold” coins. You can get them very cheap, and many crafts and hobby stores have them for sale. This way, the total of the coins does not get mixed up with the value of the coins, so the mathematical part is never messed up by the participant.
My Current Presentation: What follows is my current presentation, which is suitable
for parlor, and not readily handy for close-up, as I doubt the restaurant worker wants to carry this many props for one effect, inside a medium-sized treasure chest!
I bring out a nice sized treasure chest, which has not been aged. I also bring out an aged-looking map. The following dialogue then ensues:
“This map led me to this treasure chest! This is what is left from the treasure of an eccentric known as Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate!” exclaims the magician. “Captain Penny once went into a bar. The bartender said, ‘How’d you get a peg leg, Captain Penny?’ and Captain Penny responded, ‘Arrrr, a crocodile bit off me leg when I was at sea!’ The bartender said, “hmmm, that’s interesting, but how did you get the hook?’” At this point, the magician pulls out a fake, plastic hook from the treasure chest. “Captain Penny said, “Arrrr, I got into a duel with another captain and he shot off me hand!’ The bartender pondered this for a moment and said, ‘That’s amazing, Captain Penny, but how did you get the eye patch?’” At this point the magician pulls out an eye patch from the treasure chest. “Captain Penny said, ‘Arrr a bird pooped in me eye!’ The bartender looked a bit perplexed and said, ‘How’d that cause you to lose an eye?’” Now the magician picks up the hook and makes a swiping motion over his eyes, BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH HIS OWN FACE AT ALL, and says “Captain Penny responded, ‘Arrrrr, it was the day after I got me hook!’”
Next, the magician says “Now, let’s get to the important part of the treasure! The loot!” The magician takes out a plastic bag that has a pirate logo printed on it and dumps out a bunch of fake golden tokens/coins.
“Now, Captain Penny had a crew of misfits, outcasts, and thieves. Tonight you will play one of those thieving marauders, and I will play the part of Captain Penny, the Psychic Pirate!” says the magician.
The magician turns around. “Captain Penny’s favorite numbers were two through nine. He would take between two and nine coins and bury them in a remote island. Do you have an island on you?” This will invariably lead to some weird, and hopefully
humorous, replies. “Well, a pocket will work just as well. Take between two and nine tokens and put them into your pocket.” The magician waits for this to happen. “You can jingle the tokens around so you don’t think I’m using some sort of weird powers of hearing. Please inform me when the treasure has been buried in your pocket.”
As this is being done, the magician makes another pirate joke: “What’s a pirate’s favorite state?” asks the magician, who then immediately says, “Arrrrrkansas!”
The spectator informs when the tokens are now in the spectator’s pocket. The magician says, “Now count the remaining tokens.” The magician pauses and then says “I believe you have a two digit number.” The spectator replies that they do, indeed, have a two digit number. “Add the two digits of that number to get a second number, a number even you were not thinking of, one that is truly random.” The spectator informs when they have done this task. “Now take that many tokens and bury those in your pocket with the first part of the treasure. Jingle them around if you want so I can’t figure it out by sound.”
As this task is being carried out, it is time for another pirate joke: “What’s a pirate’s favorite letter in the alphabet?” asks the magician, who then immediately says “Arrr!”
The spectator informs the magician when the tokens are in his pocket. “Great. Now you’ll play the role of the thieving marauder. Take as many tokens as you want from the remaining coins on the table and put those in your hand, but leave at least one to make it difficult for me. Tell me when you’re done.”
As the spectator carries out this task, you give another pirate joke: “What’s the pirate’s favorite branch of the military? The ARRRRRRRmy!”
The spectator replies they are done.
The magician turns around and says “Arrr, you’ll play the role of the thieving landlubber and I’ll be Captain Penny, The Psychic Pirate. I’m afraid I’ll have to make you walk the plank, for you’ve stolen three coins and put them in your hand. Arrrr!” The spectator opens his hand and he does, indeed, have three coins. The spectator dumps the coins
form their pocket back on the table and the magician picks up all the coins and puts the coins back into the treasure chest.
“Do you know why pirate jokes are so funny?” asks the magician, who immediately— and I mean immediately—follows up with saying, “They just ARRRRRRR!”
Everything method-wise is accomplished as before. It’s the pacing of the jokes and the intertwining of them along with the really great punch-line at the end of the presentation that sells this even better. The pirate treasure chest that I use is suitable for parlor sized performances or closer. Everything that is in the treasure chest was bought from a hobby and craft store; as was the chest itself. I bought a bunch of different pirate props and put them all into the treasure chest. Then I took a plastic bag with a pirate logo on it and put the required amount of tokens in it for the trick to work. The three extra tokens are in my right pocket. When I turn around in the routine, I bring my hands up to my temples, and then as the routine progresses, I put my hands into my pockets. At this point, I palm the extra three tokens.
I then take my hands out of my pockets as I turn around. As the spectator dumps the coins back on to the table, I load the extra coins while under the guise of picking up the coins to put them back in the bag. The reason the tokens are in a separate plastic pirate bag is so that they are easy to get to during the routine. I simply have to look for the bag, which is twisted shut, and take the bag out of the chest. I then dump the “loot”—the tokens—on the table. This also makes for a rather easy reset because all you have to do is take three coins out of the plastic bag and put them back into your pocket. When performing with the larger sized chest, I prefer not to give it away. However, there are plenty of props inside the chest which could be easily handed out and given to a spectator or spectators with your business card attached. The aged map introduced at the
beginning of the routine was acquired in the same hobby and craft store as everything else.
The Map Touch: Michael Weber suggested the following touch for this routine. In
Michael’s own words: The fact that you KNOW the spectator will have 11 coins in his
pocket at the end of the procedure could allow you to prepare a treasure map that obtusely includes that information without suggesting a force.
WITCH FINGERS
Here is an approach to using the Pea Can for mentalism that I think you will enjoy. In this approach, we talk about dowsing, and then have a spectator demonstrate the ability.
Effect: The magician brings out four metal tubes and shows that the tubes are empty.
He pours water into one of the tubes. “Have you heard of witching for water? It’s also known as dowsing. Tonight I propose an experiment in dowsing. Now, many would say you need a dowsing rod, but I think that is just a tool that is used to focus one’s own psychic powers. If you’ll turn around for a moment, I’ll mix up these tubes. Okay, the tubes are mixed up. Now, clasp your fingers together, and imagine a stream of white light entering through the crown of your head and flowing into your hands. You may even feel your hands start to get warmer, or you may feel a warm, tingling sensation through your spine. And now, point the first finger on each hand up and move your hands in this position over the tube. As you can see, your fingers are starting to attract to each other. Don’t resist it, the more your resist, the more your fingers will want to go together. And I see your fingers are now touching each other over container number three.” Water is poured out of the container, and the other containers are shown to be empty. The impromptu dowsing has, apparently, worked.
Method: This is a combination of two effects. The first effect is that of the two fingers
being attracted to each other. It is my understanding that this is an old body stunt and has been published in a couple of different places. It relies on both body mechanics and suggestion. A handling of it titled “Cathy’s Screwy Finger Bit” by Jim Ryan (written up by Phil Wilmarth) appeared on page 501 of “The Magic Menu Years Six Through Ten”. The other effect is the lowly Pea Can; given a new context here as a simple way to hold water for “test conditions”. Each Pea Can is loaded so that it can pour water, but appears empty when first shown. And there are a few suggestions that I have thrown into the routine to make bits more effective and to add to the drama of things. Of particular interest will be the line “the more you resist, the more your fingers will want to go together”. I stumbled upon using this suggestion when doing a demonstration of “Cathy’s Screwy Finger Bit” with an uncooperative participant. Immediately,
compliance was given to the suggestion which was quite useful as part of the finger bit relies on suggestion. As for the theme of dowsing, this was basically another gift that I received by listening to a spectator who commented after a performance of “Cathy’s Screwy Finger Bit” that it reminded them of witching for water!
Notes: This routine demonstrates how listening and paying attention to your audience
can bear ripe fruit. Without the reactions of the audiences I performed for, this routine would have never been inspired in me much less created and fleshed out. Those
spectators, even the uncooperative ones, helped to make this routine that much stronger.
Credits: Bob Cassidy was the first to use the theme of dowsing combined with Pea
Cans. Michael Weber suggested that any water production or vanish method could be combined with the dowsing theme.
BONUS ITEM (PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE):
HAUNTED HOUSE HALLOWEEN HORROR
Effect: The magician shows that a deck of formerly blank-faced cards has writing on
each card. On each card is a different word. The first few cards are each shown to have different words. Those cards are then displaced on to the bottom of the deck. The magician asks for a number between 1 and 52. Let’s say, for this example, that the chosen number is 20. The magician counts down twenty cards and pushes the 20th card towards the volunteer. The card before the chosen card is shown to have the word “Rollercoaster”. The card after the selection is shown to have the word “Bank”. The magician then explains, “Mind reading can be a very difficult process. I don’t always get the exact word, but I can usually get the theme of the word. For example, if you had chosen Rollercoaster then I might say Carnival. And if you chose Bank then I might say Money. So now I’d like you to please look at your card and concentrate on the word. I’m sensing costumes, and candy, orange and black decorations, I keep getting a holiday stuck in my head…does your card have something to do with Halloween?” The spectator confirms that the word DOES have to do with Halloween.
Suddenly, the spectator gets a bit demanding and says, “Oh yeah Mister Mentalist Dude, what’s the word on the card?” The magician then replies “Oh, well now that I’ve tuned in I can tell you the word is Bats!”
Method: The first bank of ten cards are all unrelated to Halloween. The ninth card is
marked with a black pen on four corners of the border design of the cards. The first nine cards are shown to be all different and then that bank of cards is displaced to the bottom. The bottom card is shown to have the word “Army Base” written on it. All the even numbers between 1 and 42 have Halloween themed items.
This means that when you get an even number from the volunteer you give them the card that falls on the even number. In the above example, you would have given them the 20th card. If they ask for the 21st card then you say “Okay, we’ll discard 21 cards,” and then you give them what is really the 22nd card! This principle has been used by many different magicians to force the same card that is repeated throughout a deck. For example, their force card may be the Nine of Diamonds. So every other card is the Nine of Diamonds.
What I did was to combine this principle of forcing a card with a presentation that is outlined in Jerome Finley’s ebook “Random Acts of Kindness”. His effect is titled “At
the Madhouse”. He uses a slightly different force from the one used here in order to force from a bank of cards that all have the same force item on them.
Then, what I did was to combine this with a principle that I have discussed with Liam Montier. I call this the Theme Force Principle. Every other card is related to a Theme; in this case the theme is Halloween. I’ve prepared a small little “cheat sheet” so you can construct your own deck if you so desire. You could also use this with the Theme of School, which is what I first came up with, but in order to make it a bit spookier and fit in for an October performance, I used the Theme of Halloween. Of course there are lots of other themes you could apply this principle to once you think about it for a while.
Now, I know you are probably asking, “But how did you get the exact word Bats?” Well, you only have to memorize 26 things because of the force we are using. You can restrict it even further by asking for a number between 1 and 22 because you say you don’t want to deal cards all day. Some of you may want to simply put each force card in
alphabetical order. This way, you know the last force card is Zombies and one of the first force cards is Bats! I also think if you want to be really dedicated to the effect you
should memorize every other card from the bank of cards that you displace to the bottom of the deck at the beginning of the effect.
When describing the scenes you are seeing, it helps if you really visualize those scenes yourself and you might even want to guide the visualization of the volunteer or the entire group and get everybody involved in thinking about this word that the person has chosen. Now, many times I will end with the revelation that the word has a Halloween theme. But, if I get challenged—say by a fellow magician or a more stubborn spectator—I have the bank of cards memorized and can say something to the effect of “This is really difficult. Don’t tell me the word. I did not plan on trying something so extremely hard tonight, but I might just be able to pull this off. I’m seeing caves and fangs. Your word is Bats, correct?”
What follows is the list of the nine card bank that you show to be all different at the beginning:
FIRST BANK OF NINE
1 Hospital 2 School 3 Airport 4 Coffee House 5 Hotel 6 Boat 7 Carnival 8 Zoo 9 Library
What follows next is the stack of cards you will have after displacing the first nine cards:
THE SET UP AFTER THE TRANSFER 1. Church 2. Vampire 3. Beach 4. Ghost 5. Europe 6. Ghoul 7. Car 8. Mummy 9. Ocean 10. Halloween 11. Sand 12. Haunting 13. Eyeglasses 14. Werewolf 15. Flowers 16. Frankenstein 17. Rabbit 18. Skull 19. Rollercoaster 20. Bats 21. Bank 22. Gargoyle 23. Cereal 24. Tombstone 25. Zebra 26. Spider Webs 27. Supermodel 28. Costumes 29. Spoon 30. Candy 31. Railroad 32. Trick Or Treat 33. Pilgrim 34. Pumpkin Carving 35. Pluto 36. Skeletons 37. Silverware 38. Zombies 39. Diner 40. Graveyard 41. Library
