talkmagic.co.uk

Not long ago I had a couple of friends staying with me I had not seen in ages. They had been in “ domestic “ mode on the Saturday night. So after they had simmered down a bit I decided to lighten things up a bit. I had an “ ID " under my computer table so I thought. Hey, why not. The spiel I give is about influencing people, and I got them to generate a card. By this I mean asking them in turn to choose a colour, then a suit etc. Finishing with their randomly generated card. I also add that, as I bring out the deck for the first time, that as I am now committing myself, I want them to commit themselves. I then offered them to keep the card they generated or to choose any other card they wished instead…anyway you know the ending.

Well, my buddy is quite impressed, oldies but goodies I think. Then his girlfriend pipes up “ It’s just a bloody system, once you’ve learned it you can just do it, blah, blah “. Well, there is no pleasing everyone, thinks I.

So, later on in the evening said girlfriend spies a pack of tarot cards on the table. “ Ooh, what are those “, Tarot cards I reply . “ Really, ooh, can you really read them, would you read them for me please, aw go on, please “.

I was sorely tempted to do a reading, just to say “ Oh dear, it appears you are going to die from burning “…Or “ I see you and at tall, dark Northern man and the letters B.J. but the B.J. is not someone’s name, rather something that's destined to happen soon. Does that make any sense to you ? “, but I was a good boy and did not.

It just goes to show, show someone the old pasteboards and it’s a trick, show someone tarot cards and all common sense goes out the window.

One simple word springs to mind here Bruce- Women!!!

i used to love doing psychic evenings a bit of magic predictions etc which was pleasing but trickeryto the audience. then came the fun bit a reading for the birthday boy or girl were all the dirt was dished out from my crib sheets suplied by the booker, now the'd just had an evening of being shall we say cheated for entertainment yet 9 times out of ten i'd get asked by several members who were in on it for suplimentry readings at a later date.

you could say thease people are stupid but thats the power of the occult and the nead to belive in a higher power be it god, tarrow, runes or the great chocolate teapot people can't help themselves.

Ah...but the thing is, the reason I have a few sets of tarot cards is that once upon a time I read them for real. Yup, I actually was someone who believed.

It was the Loch Ness Monster that sorted me out. Seriously, I’d been to Loch Ness a few times for a bit ( well, a lot really ) of monster watching. I suppose it was after my last trip I had a road to Damascus revelation at a place called Kingussie. I thinks to my self, “ Hey you do realise after looking at all the evidence, after all these years, that Nessie does not exist “ and pooof ! I no longer believed…and that’s when I gave up on god, tarot etc.

Well, if the Loch Ness Monster, with all that evidence, doesn’t exist…

Mind you. I still hold some bizarre beliefs. I think at the beginning of every football season that Liverpool are going to win the league.

Wow that is bizzare if not on impossible if you believe Liverpool are going to win the league

Im just kidding by the way I support a far worser {is that a word} team
crystal palace

What seems even more bizarre or impossible Lindz is that I watched Barnsley pick up their 1st 3 premiership points away at Palace ( wee wifey is a Barnsley fan )

There's a taxi driver around here who likes people to think he's psychic. He's not. He's also the worst spectator in the world. if I show him anything and he can't find a way of deliberately screwing it up, he will spend the rest of the journey telling me how it's done... badly.

Last Wednesday night it was my misfortune to get him off the rank after a birthday party. He said "okay I've written something down. Now think of a 2-digit number." What was I supposed to do? He didn't know enough to force it and had clearly just written the obvious down. Torn between screwing it up for him and playing along, I said "No, I'm going to read your mind and tell you it's 37."

His reaction? "Oh, you know it then."

I finally flipped. Over the course of the journey, I slowly went on to tell him that he trained as a teacher but had left the profession early without taking up a proper teaching post, has recently had trouble with his digestion leading to a short stay in hospital and, to put the tin lid on it, that though he doesn't like reality TV as a rule, for reasons of deep rooted misogyny he likes Wife Swap but only when it ends in a big row.

"Yeah, well," he said. "I must be giving off obvious vibes".

Vibes? I've heard some justifications in my time, but vibes?

Then again Tomo, the opposite is true. The justification people give to an effect you do.

I used my stealth assassin ( I did something two fazed and got one part wrong but it did seem to add to the authenticity ) on one of the barmen at my local boozer. The next time I see him he say’s “ I know what you did, but I’ll find out how you did it “ ( What ! ). He thought and now permanantly thinks that I force things on him psychologically.

Who am I to dissuade him other wise.

simple answer. "its on the house then"
"what is"
"my next pint"...."oh and a packet of crisps you know what flavour"

"have you done your chores?"
"what chores?"
"a pint and a bag of dry roasted please..."

You seem to asume that people would be "impressed" to see you perform the ID??

Why should they be impressed?? Also she was essentially right that there is not much to it! It looks like you almost are blaming her for essentially telling the truth!

Performed like you describe in isolation, the ID create at most a puzzle. To bring it to the next level where is create a peice of magic normally require a skilled magician. To take it to the highest level where the effect becomes a special defing moment that goes under the skin of people, takes..... Well, I wish I know....

not everyone will be impressed by magic, you're always going to come across spectators like that. The real trick is in the presentation, you have to draw them in and make them believe in what you're doing.

Nope, I was not trying to “ impress “, hopefully amuse or at best intrigue, given the situation and presentation. After all the ID is hardly likely to bring gasps and have people rubbing their eyes in amazement and disbelief, unless you are a superb showman or woman, that is.

To most folk, cards equal tricks, after all they are not every day items. Her response is essentially true.

Rather, it was the contrast of her reaction as soon as she sees a Tarot deck that floored me..." Hey ! tell me my future ! ", With a larger format version of the old pasteboards ? Now that really would be a superb trick ! ( Which indeed it is ).

What flabbered my gast was after a nice, logical, hard nosed view of what I had just done, I was then met with her total credulity regarding the Tarot cards.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing in the long run. Séance boy, here, has her as top of my list on my invites of sitters.

But generally, at Easter wee wifey, the couple mentioned and some other friends are going away for a games weekend ( NO ! Nice normal games, Scrabble etc ). Now that hopefully will be a different story. I intend to take a big deep breath and perform for the group, after all I'm only a hobbyist. It's a routine with 3 parts and I've been spending hours alone trying to perfect the 3 seperate parts. Again I'm not expecting people to be amazed, the 3 parts are ” games “ themed, but hope I do hope to engage and amuse my buddies. Even delight would be nice. If they are impressed, part will be because of the presentation as much as the three specific pieces of magic. What I have selected to do is more light-hearted. And, more importantly, give me a little more confidence and experience.