talkmagic.co.uk

ok, this is an interesting thread.

firstly, the book of toth is essential - the real trick in tarot is being able to pull out the cards you require. if someone says, i see the chariot as a card that represents me, then have a stacked deck and pull out all the cards you require. it is probably better to do this with angel cards.

tarot cards are too difficult to shuffle, but black heart once recommneded using marked tarot, which he sells - to predict a card before turning it over

however, my favourite tarot trick is a shimmed tarot card and pro PK. I had an idea for this, that John Milner, along with james milner, sat down and developed into a routine so strong, i feel unable to use it with my clients.

don't forget, however, tarot reading is the purest form of mind reading - it can wipe the floor with lots of prop driven mind reading.

hope this helps

with love

darrin

abecedarianmind wrote:tarot cards are too difficult to shuffle,

Haymow or Charlier shuffle is perfect for tarot cards.
Plus, the Blitz move is perfect with tarot cards (Blitz is the subject of: International Magic Studio - Chelman Lecture 1994 dvd) and has been published in French in Legendes Urbaines.

thnks for advice

i made a wrong assumption

any references?

The size of tarot cards can make the difficult to shuffle if you're not used to them but once you get used to them, pretty much any shuffle is doable. I just use an ordinary, overhand shuffle.

As it happens, I was doing tarot reading before I started card magic and because of that, found the smaller playing cards really fiddly to shuffle. Tarot cards seemed so much easier to me.

I would strongly advise against shuffling your tarot deck in front of a spectator,One does not shuffle the tarot deck - one cut's the tarot deck instead.

Tarot readers never shuffle the cards,it makes the tarot look just like another deck of cards to the spectators eye and subconsciously they will associate it with a magic trick rather than something more profound & esoteric.

If you do need to mix them perhaps use a Charlier/Haymow or even a criss cross force.

I got a DVD called Esoteric for Christmas, by Gerard Bakner, which features a collection of tricks using rune stones and tarot cards. I've only watched a bit of it so far, but initial impressions are not that good to be honest. I'll post a full review of this in the reviews section as soon as I get a moment.

caffa wrote:Tarot readers never shuffle the cards,it makes the tarot look just like another deck of cards to the spectators eye and subconsciously they will associate it with a magic trick rather than something more profound & esoteric.

I'm sorry but I do have to totally disagree with that, if you're performing a serious reading then the sitter is never going to associate what you're doing with a magic trick because you're a reader and not a magician. If you're a magician doing a little tarot on the side then perhaps there is a danger of this if you're not careful how you present yourself (a very good reason why you should never use tarot cards in trick if you're going to be giving readings as well).

There's nothing wrong or taboo with shuffling a tarot deck and I know many readers who do shuffle in front of the sitter and none that are against it. Many use either the overhand shuffle, riffle shuffle or cowie shuffle (which is a shuffle designed to be used with tarot cards).

Having worked as a professional tarot card reader for many years, and after witnessing probably hundreds of other readers at work, let me assure you that tarot cards do indeed need shuffling. Otherwise everyone would get the same reading in a kind of loop.

Most readers will do a normal over-hand shuffle and then ask the sitter to do likewise, some may lay them on the table and ask the sitter to "mix them up". After shuffling a lot of readers will then get the sitter to cut the cards - into 3 piles being traditional which are then assembled into one pile. Personally I think that's a lot of faff, and just get the sitter to shuffle as they see appropriate.

It's all supposed to be about the "energy" they put into the cards anyway.

As for shuffling being difficult with the tarot - don't be silly. Any cards can be shuffled quite sucessfully with a bit of practice.

Paul this is kinda like the one I came up with, well my handling of it anyway. 4 specs chose a Tarot card and seal in an envelope which are then mixed. I then take one card at a time from envelope and talk about card and what type of person would pick it hand it back to right person. Last card left in envelope and give reading for person and tell them which card they would be drawn to

Reverend Tristan wrote:Paul this is kinda like the one I came up with, well my handling of it anyway. 4 specs chose a Tarot card and seal in an envelope which are then mixed. I then take one card at a time from envelope and talk about card and what type of person would pick it hand it back to right person. Last card left in envelope and give reading for person and tell them which card they would be drawn to

Sounds good. I'm a huge fan of combining a "trick" with a genuine reading. I think it works so well in the right hands.

pcwells wrote:Card On The Ceiling would just be plain silly (and expensive in the long term).

Magician throws the Tarot deck on the ceiling. One card is stuck: the Tower. The ceiling and the building collapse...

the Curator wrote:Magician throws the Tarot deck on the ceiling. One card is stuck: the Tower. The ceiling and the building collapse...

Along with their life's work and ambitions, due to their arrogance and hubris?

That's.... beautiful.

Now, where did I leave that C4 and my radio detonator?

I used to do a tarot effect which was just a version of a trick called "Sleight of Mind" - it's a self working effect found in Karl Fulves book "Self Working Mental Miracles".

It's a relativley nice trick, but to be honest it lasted a bit long, and was somewhat drawn out when having to to perform it for about 5 spectators as the book recommends.

This was solved simply by substituting a regular deck for a tarot deck. They get to do all the shuffling and cutting, you never touch the cards once, yet you always know which theirs is. Throw in a little cold reading, blind guess work and some of Barnham's B.S for each spectator, and you've got yourself a a fairly decent mentalism piece.

Reverend Tristan wrote:4 specs chose a Tarot card and seal in an envelope which are then mixed. I then take one card at a time from envelope and talk about card and what type of person would pick it hand it back to right person...

That's the origin of psychometry, if I'm not mistaken, before it turned into the "stone tape" idea.

I thought the origin of psychometry was to do with objects?