Some time back there was a mentalism thread in this forum but it was subsequently moved to the restricted areas for various reasons.
The thread contained quite a lot of what I thought are very useful information and advice for the beginning mentalist, and I felt that it was really a shame that this information had to move out of the eyes of the public too since it is going to be most useful to beginners who probably do not have access to the restricted areas yet.
Luckily I managed to save what information I could before the thread was moved and so thought of re-posting the relevant bits in a new thread for everyone to learn from and discuss. I have also credited the original users who have made the posts. Edits made for clarity are within square brackets. Without further ado...
Craig Browning wrote:I'd stay away from Steve [Banachek]'s stuff until you get some solid footing under yourself... his material is what I'd call "Second Year" material in that you not only need to read about, but you need to work with the BASICS for a while before moving down the road so quickly and much of what Steve puts out is certainly top of the line material
SUGGESTED TIME TABLE FOR THE BASICS:
*Corinda & Annemann for the first six months
*Anagrams & Force Techniques (psychological & otherwise) the next 3 months.
*At Least two legitimate Divination Systems over the next 4-6 months (I always suggest Palmistry & Numerology up front in that they are the most practical followed by Graphology, Asian Face Reading, the Tarot, Runes and Ogham or I Ching)
* A serious review of the following materials during this same 4-6 month interval; Ron Martin's TAROT READER'S NOTEBOOK (he also has the Palmists Notebook and a few other similar tomes... all are excellent); ALL OF Richard Webster's books on Cold Reading/Aura Reading & Psychometry. The Bob Cassidy dissertation on Cold Reading.
If you actually invest just two hours a day working this particular schedual as a student and another two hours a day actually applying what you learn in real life experiences, you will discover that you need little else than what this 18 month course of action extends to you. The rest is "refinement" and learning more about theory and delivery that encompasses the craft.
I will clarify one thing in this list... I state that you should learn two "legitimate" Divination systems and basically ignore the idea of "Cold Reading". There is a very important reason for this; If you learn how to use the "shut-eye" techniques first and actually learn how to do a Reading using nothing but the formulas and meanings given to you in the books on your chosen topics then you will be able to more readily see the difference between this and what is termed "Cold Reading" in today's world... If you attempt to learn how to do Readings with a head full of Ian Rowland and all the magic sputem that's out there, you will fail! If you only follow one thing I have shared with you, I hope it will be this single suggestion in that it will empower you as both, a performer and a human being.
I recommend Martin, Cassidy & Webster as part of your second year study in association with this skill becasue they teach the old school methods of being a Reader and learning to be a real Mentalist. You will have plenty of time down the road to study Rowland, TRADECRAFT and the Henderson materials but their are more important and far more "accurate" materials you need to learn first if you honestly want to be one of the "best".
I have suggested Numerology in this list for one important reason; it is one of the most versatile of the diviner's sciences and as you get into the works of Richard Webster adn even my own stuff, you will see how knowing numerology and Richard's Psychometery from A-Z that you can sit down just about anywhere and start raking in the cash...
What About the Second & Third Year Areas of Study?" You ask...(what the heck, I'm on a roll...)
MENTALISM STUDY GUIDE YEARS TWO & THREE
By this point in time you should have more or less found your footing, so to speak, as to the kind of character and abilities you are going to work with. For this reason the latter half of your second year and moving into the third, should focus mostly on the cultivation of that image more than anything else. One side of this effort centers on learning the business side of the craft, something far too many people either ignore or overlook or worse, dont' believe they need to pay attention to. Too, due to a gross amount of misinformation that's floating around these forums, people approach selling their mentalism shows and image in the same way they would sell a traditional magic show, completely selling themselves short when it comes to the psychological build-up and acts of deliberate exploitation we low-life psychic entertainers love to play with... dont' take my word for it, take a look at some of Stephan Minch's material from the 70s and 80s.
Learning a legit Divination System or two is, in my experience, the single most important next step anyone can take. Find one that works with your vision and image. If you are going to play Derren Brown then doing Tarot Readings or Runes may not be practical but there are more "analytically styled" Reading systems you can work with including, Hand Writing Analysis, Numerology, and believe it or not Kenton Knepper's S.A.R. system is killer (and it's really not a "trick")... I've even used Zenner Cards (ESP Cards) in settings where the more esoteric oracles were not "proper" to the client's needs.
Readings are the bread & butter of the Psychic Entertainer's world and the key skill you need for booking Home Parties... Home Parties translate into other opportunities including private Readings, Workshops and Study Groups which, when you are ready to start doing some local shows, delivers to you one heck of a mailing list of proven fans/patrons... I hope you understand what's being said here... if not, get a copy of the Compiled Psychic Technologies when it comes out this fall for a more specific "map".
Now, maybe it's my own paranoia, but I am suspicious in that so many in today's world like to poo poo on the idea of doing Readings, not realizing that this is akin to slashing your wrists when you are a Mentalist working in the real world. But my supposition is that the encouragement to not do Readings from within "the establishment" of magic, is simply a means by which to level the proverbial playing field and take from teh Psychic Entertainer the domino advantages we have over the traditional magician... like I said, it could just be my suspicious mind, but I can't understand for the life of me why so many of the old timers (well into the late 1980s) praised the idea of doing Home Shows, Workshops, etc. and then, with the advent of this "New Mentalism" of the 21st century, it's suddenly become taboo... it's something to think about.
The other reason I stress a second year focus in learning about Reading work is the simple fact that the strongest thing we can do as Mentalists is "connect" with our audience on a personable level. A look at the success of Medium John Edward offers you a very valuable lesson in what I'm saying... he does only a Q&A act and he pulls in millions of dollars a year. It does not matter whether you think he's real or not, he's accomplishing what most of us dream of and he does this via the very same tool used by Oprah, Dr. Phil, Dick Clark and a plethora of others... he connects with his public and makes them feel "apart of" the event.
This is why the Q&A is seen as the single most powerful routine any Mentalist can master and set into his/her show. It is also why most shows close with it.
Finally, the more you practice your abilities as a Reader, the more prepared you are going to be when it comes to situations of "challenge"... where you need to demonstrate your abilities at the drop of a hat. Being able to size up people and understand how to communicate with them is one of the most potent "life tools" one can have going for his/her self. Reading skills are an amazing tool so from your second year forward it should be the one area your invest a greater portion of your time into cultivating and perfecting.
I could go into other details but that would stray into areas of personal bias based on what I do in my act with my character and not practical to the direction you may wish to move with your vision in short, it wouldn't be fair. But I hope what I've share helps.
