talkmagic.co.uk

Having spent a lot of this Summer going over any pendulum material I can find I thought I'd summarise the options available. I did contribute something small towards one of the ebooks, but will try to avoid too much bias. I've not discussed all of them. The two pages in Scarne I gave a miss. Docc Hilford's excellent take on the crystal locket (I will review the vault at some point, but want to watch again). Kenton Knepper's work on pendulums I haven't read (radar crystal pendulum puts me off a bit). Koran's work comes up in others, so I've left for now and same for a few others. There has been a lot of material put out on pendulums recently and really you could read all of these and still barely scratch the nuances of pendulums, but there are a good start. If it's a subject that interests you get as many as you can get your hands on.

George Anderson-The magic pendulum (1980)
Selling for about £5

George explains his introduction to the pendulum through the farmers traditions of using the pendulum as a sex detector for chicken eggs. It gives a very basic explanation of how to use the pendulum. The booklet then gives 14 routines. Several location tricks, esp, playing cards, a number prediction, a discussion of the ouija board and pendulums,a reworking of the crystal locket by Dr Jaks and a serial number divination. The number prediction contains a beautifully simple number force.

Advantages

Cheap, contains a good number of effects

Disadvantages

Doesn't go into much detail of ideomotor motion and how to use the pendulum in spectators hands.


Freddie Valentine-the pendulum book
http://www.lybrary.com/pendulum-book-p-114269.html" target="_blank" target="_blank
Selling for $21

Freddie's book is primarily aimed at the bizzarre and occult magic market, but will work as a good intro on pendulum work. It gives details about pendulums, where to buy, types. It gives a good explanation of how to use a pendulum. It then covers the use a pendulum chart. There is information on using the pendulum for divining objects. There is an article by me on how to make a pendulum, then Dale Shrimpton's excellent séance piece. It details the use of the pendulum for a séance glass then a few final words.

Advantages
It's one of the cheapest, contains a good explanation of how to use the pendulum, it's giving you the info to work out your own effects.

Disadvantages
It is aimed at the bizarre market, so two of the effects are intended for seances, they could be adapted still.


Richard Webster-Pendulum power for the psychic entertainer
http://www.deceptionary.com/webster.html" target="_blank" target="_blank
Selling for $35

Richard Webster's gives a bit of background information of the history of pendulums. He gives an outline of a basic routine which explains the use of the pendulum. There are a few experiments to try with the pendulum. These are good primers before going into an extended pendulum routine. It then contains a good number of tricks to perform. The tricks are all very simple and nice ideas. The book finishes with an extensive list of other sources of information on the pendulum.

Advantages

Good explanation of how to use the pendulum, nice experiments to do with participants and several solid routines to get everyone involved.

Disadvantages

It's one of the most expensive. It isn't the best made book.



Banachek-psyhophysiological though reading
Price varies I got it for £5, but goes up to £50 in a double edition with H.J. Burlingame how to read peoples minds

This is Banachek's book on muscle reading. I'm just going to discuss the chapter on pendulums.

It contains a bit of background on the history. It then discusses the build of the pendulum. It gives an ideal length, which I don't agree with. Different spectators respond differently. Heavier weights and shorter lengths give different reactions. I find one of my shorter heavier pendulums better with less responsive participants. There isn't an exact length that is suited to everyone. He gives details of a few items for impromptu pendulums. There are details of pendulums use in private readings, finding lost objects and then tricks. It has a horoscope routine, which could be nice, but I feel is a bit long in the reveal as it stands.

Advantages

The books contains more than just pendulum use giving one of the best works on muscle reading, it has a good explanation of muscle reading.

Disadvantages

I'm not very keen on any of the tricks.


Bob Cassidy-Pendulum of fate
http://www.lybrary.com/pendulum-fate-p-583.html" target="_blank" target="_blank
Selling for $25

Bob gives some of the best background information to pendulums of any publication. It has an interesting idea for a horizontal pendulum; a different build for a pendulum. This idea allows you to use a pendulum with you and a spectator, which I've found too be a bit more engaging than the performer using it. The tricks give a colour prediction, number prediction and a locator trick.

Advantages
It details some of the best background on pendulums. The historical use of pendulums should spark a few ideas. The horizontal pendulum is a nice way of engaging you and a participant in a routine. It gives good details for you to come up with your own ideas.

Disadvantages
The tricks are requiring you to buy extra props. One of the routines could cost up to £60 to get the necessary props for a very simple routine that can be achieved in cheaper ways. I'd say your unlikely to use the routines as they are written.


Pablo Amira-Ideas vol.1 pendulums
http://ideaspendulums.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank
Selling at $40

One of the biggest works on the topic. It gives a solid introduction to how to use the pendulum, ideomotor response and yes/no exercise, programming the pendulum. It gives good hints on how to make sure it works in the spectators hands. The first effects Pablo covers are time based effects. He discusses using the pendulum to enhance time effects. I'd say you'll get the most out of this if you already have a few time effects or at least knowledge of the main methods for stopping watches, changing time, etc. You would still be able to manage effects, but a bit of foreknowledge will help.

Pablo explains how to use pendulums to enhance several PK effects, most of these are suing other props. However they are all fairly common magic items, which you are likely to have or else could get easily if one of the ideas takes your fancy. There are then various effects listed including a few using a witness (chambered) pendulum. The section on Pablo's suggestion force isn't as well written as the rest of the ebook. It took a few reads to understand a little bit of what he was getting at. The remaining effects are largely locating objects/predictions. They are detailed and Pablo references inspirations.

Advantages

An awful lot of ideas, some good food for thought, a good initial explanation of how to use the pendulum and how to have the spectator use it.

Disadvantages

It is the most expensive. The odd bit I had to reread to get the meaning, not very often though. A few of the effects require more than just a pendulum, either knowledge of other effects or props. Most of these aren't expensive props.


Pendulum magic-David Thiel
http://www.magicpendulums.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank
Selling $19.95 currently but I think it's going up.

David is very entertaining as a writer. His introduction had be grinning like a fool. Rick Hennessey gives a quick introduction to the history of the pendulum and his interest and his shop mentalcraft. The first routine is pendulum plus by Richard Osterlind. He gives some helpful tips before going into the routine. The routine involves using a pendulum in the spectators hands to predicts a number. I was frankly a bit disappointed with this routine from someone so well respected. The use of a pendulum for a number prediction in this way seems a bit of a frivolous use of such a powerful tool. I'm sure it'll get ok reactions, but it's not for me.

The next routine comes from Vic Nadata, known for his work with outlaw effects. This is a nice routine invoking memories of grandparents. This strikes me as being a very powerful routine. I won't be using it myself in it's current form (I have a complicated history with grandparents), which I expect may be the case for many readers. But is has certainly got my imagination going. Mauricio Jaramillo routine do as I do has nothing to do with the card trick of same name. It predicts the number of matchsticks out of a choice of several boxes. It's a nice routine, gives several methods, but lacks an emotional hook that I look for in a pendulum routine. David's own routine “a way to a woman's heart” is one of my favourites in this document. It is funny, engaging and I'm sure will entertain. Love it. TC Tahoe's routine talks about improvising and gives a Christmas themed routine. Paul Prater's routine El Brujo is a great storytelling effect. Paul's trademark certainly has to be strong stories and this didn't disappoint.

Advantages
Several good engaging routines, the book is part of a wider projects (check site)

Disadvantages
A few routines require specific decks that will cost extra money (alternatives are given for some routines)

I thought I would post a quick note to explain that, ring out your dead, my effect in Freddies book, can be used in other enviroments. Indeed, believe it or not, ive done it table hopping. OK, it was a psychic evening in a resterant that ended with a seance, but the table hopping section of the evening was realy no different to any other table hopping.

I also intend to perform a variation on the effect, that Ive been working on, at the upcomming Variety show at the Vaxhall Tavern in october.

And that's going to be about as far removed from seance as you can get.

Routines for mystery performers

http://www.magicpendulums.com/our-newes ... -book.html

This is more aimed at people who have a bit of experience with pendulums than the previous release. It has an impressive list of contributors and some solid ideas. Bob Cassidy's routine is a very simple method for a card revelation, but then combines with a second element to make it something stronger. I personally don't like doing card revelations with pendulums, but if I did this would be a top quality way to do it. Bill Cushman offers a very detailed key bend/pendulum combo. It has lots of additional tips, advice. A lot of thought has gone into it. Its a worker. Paul Voodini's contribution is extremely creepy. As I started reading it I was drawn into the story. A very dark engaging piece. Mauricio Jaramillo details methods for a bottle pendulum. Its a method I have seen before, but contains good advice on it and hints at some of the ways you can take it further. TC Tahoe offers a lovely tarot piece as an intro to a reading. Simple, but strong. Paul Praters offers us a good yarn. Its a nice personal story that places the pendulum in the hands of the spectator to good effect.

The routines are good, but I'm unlikely to actually perform many of the these as they are. However within each routine there are lots of extra details I can take to other routines. Bill's advice on involving many audience members will be useful. Paul Voodini's piece is very dark, but could be adapted to other themes easily should you want to. TC Tahoe's has a good logic to the method that I can use elsewhere. I feel this book is likely to inspire changes to existing routines or else develop new routines rather than performing out of the box. And to me that's positive. Its giving you tools that go beyond their original intentions.