talkmagic.co.uk

Ok thanks.

I certainly understand Craig's point, but... As magicians, we ARE a fraud. We LIE to the audience in order to entertain them. Did I really read their mind? No, the item was psychologically forced. Did I really levitate that condom? No, I used IT. Did I really hypnotize that lady? idem...

Frederick Rogers wrote:Ok thanks.

I certainly understand Craig's point, but... As magicians, we ARE a fraud. We LIE to the audience in order to entertain them. Did I really read their mind? No, the item was psychologically forced. Did I really levitate that condom? No, I used IT. Did I really hypnotize that lady? idem...

I think that Craig's point (and a point of view I support whole-heartedly) is that most magicians throw their hands up in horror at the thought of a magician bs-ing an audience into thinking he has psychic or clairvoyant powers, but feel perfectly happy to bs an audience that they're using NLP, hypnotisim, body language etc. It just smacks of double standards.

As an active psychic however I am above such petty trifles. Or sponge cakes.

themagicwand wrote:

Frederick Rogers wrote:Ok thanks.

I certainly understand Craig's point, but... As magicians, we ARE a fraud. We LIE to the audience in order to entertain them. Did I really read their mind? No, the item was psychologically forced. Did I really levitate that condom? No, I used IT. Did I really hypnotize that lady? idem...

I think that Craig's point (and a point of view I support whole-heartedly) is that most magicians throw their hands up in horror at the thought of a magician bs-ing an audience into thinking he has psychic or clairvoyant powers, but feel perfectly happy to bs an audience that they're using NLP, hypnotisim, body language etc. It just smacks of double standards.

As an active psychic however I am above such petty trifles. Or sponge cakes.

GIVE THAT MAN A LOLLIPOP!

You are 100% on the mark Paul!


Well, let's make that 95% on the mark... there are other reasons why I said what I said but that's covered in another thread around here that refers to this thread and the selfishness projected within the topic (and even the admitted antics of the poster). It's as I said there, just because you own a guitar and been paid to play it once or twice doesn't mean you can fill in for Eddie VanHalen or Jimmy Hindrex... and that's the logic folks are trying to impose around filling the bill when an agent asks for Hypnosis and we offer some "tricks" that "look like" hypnosis vs. being able to pull off an entertaining HYP ACT (that usually runs between 90 minutes and 3 hours in most cases... even the bad ones book for over $1,200.00 a shot)

Very interesting food for thought... Some magicians feel it is perfectly OK to BS an audience into thinking they are real psychics, because in any case real psychics don't exist (?). On the other hand, we should feel guilty in BS an audience into thinking we are real hypnotists, because real hypnotherapy does exist (again, "?")

This said, I got a famility to feed and bills to pay, so I'll be whatever you want me to be, and perform whatever you wish. BTW Craig you wrote:

"we offer some "tricks" that "look like" hypnosis vs. being able to pull off an entertaining HYP ACT (that usually runs between 90 minutes and 3 hours in most cases... even the bad ones book for over $1,200.00 a shot)"

Well if I could be paid that kind of money, I would definitely reconsider the idea of taking a hypnosis course!!!!!

That kind of money is the low end for a solid Hyp-Act.

Look up Jerry Valley on line and chat with him on this topic, he's one of the best and the "successor" of sorts to Ormond McGill.

As to the legitimacy of our claims or "implications" as it were (being Psychic, Having Photographic Recall, Hypnotism, NLP, etc.) it is not, nor has it ever been our obligation to tell the audience/public one way or the other, if something is or isn't true. You will find people standing with "facts" on either side of each [i]fence[i] so it really comes down to being a matter of how one's brain works; we know scientifically that those with more of a particular chemical or hormone in their system tend to have a stronger sense of belief in the etheric and surreal than those having less of the same. We know that some are born as logic oriented thinkers while others (most) are die-hard romantics, artists & poets.

I has nothing to do with what is or isn't, it's all an Illusion; illusions made real based on our own individual perceptions, experiences, and investigations. I personally don't believe in Heaven or Hell but no one would ever convince my mother of that point of view, nor will you ever get her to see that the Big Bang isn't only how it all happened, but it's exactly what Genesis describes if you look at the tale logically.. even Darwin said that Evolution is only had "God" made it all happen, I don't think he ever discounted the idea that something "greater" exists... at least in implication such as Einstein did.

When I work I come from a place of honesty, as best I'm able. The public knows that I'm offering them "Interactive Theater" e.g. they know that some of what happens is in fact "special effects". I'm not making outrageous claims but rather teaching them to redefine and see that being "Psychic" isn't some kind of fantastical phenomena or "power" as some would refer to it... it's real, it's natural and we all use it daily we just understand it all from a more educated point of view than our ancestors had e.g. we can demystify it... should we choose to.

Personally I encourage folks to enjoy the little illusions life has to offer us so long as we don't allow the mirage to envelope us and lead us astray.