Plot : Somewhere, every thought that you will ever possess is waiting to be brought into the world. I ask you to think of something - a word will do - in a manner that requires some conscious effort on your part. That gives me time to project my astral body to the waiting place for your unborn thoughts. Your conscious effort removes a thought and brings it into being on our earth. As I am on the spot, by psychic vision I see that thought removed, and can tell, upon coming out of my trance, what is on your…
TO THE WIVES AND SWEETHEARTS OF MAGI Every time my husband and I saw a two-person mindreading act we'd hurry home, locate all the transmission systems in our library, decide finally upon one we must learn and then begin the torture due a wife, to the tune of Lohengrin, says, "I do", to the magically conscious man beside her. We must have tried them all, good and bad, and after mastering a particularly good-written code during the month we'd then forget it before we had a chance to show off our prowess. Counting, breathing, and other silent ideas made the…
This is a mental coin effect based on a mathematical system. On the table are three small coin envelopes labeled respectively: Office Boy, Janitor, President. Also there are five different coins: a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and half dollar. Three spectators are asked to participate and each is given a small typewritten sheet or card called a "Salary Schedule". While the performer's back is turned, one of the three men picks up the three employee envelopes, mixes them well, selects any one for himself, and passes the other two on to a second man. This person mixes the two remaining…
The performer introduces a pocket dictionary. The spectator looks through it -- has a free choice of any one of the many printed words. The word is written by him on a card and it is inserted momentarily in the dictionary. After a moment of concentration, the spectator pockets the card and hands the dictionary to the performer who immediately opens it and reads aloud the word chosen together with its definition. If this were a dealer's item, I might emphasize the following points: Absolutely no force -- no carbons -- no mirrors -- no loose page inserts - comes…
Those nomads of Normandy with their descendants upon descendants can keep the secrets of Romany chiv unto themselves. It isn't given to our races ever to fully understand the words and thoughts of that ever-traveling tribe. Superstition has it that these people possess powers of unlimited value. Modern gullibility keeps that legend alive. Wanderers, yes. Soothsayers in reality, no. However, who are we to fly in the face of opinion? As we cannot defy such a person on this spot and at this moment we can but try to outdo him or her by presenting a means for the answering…
Picture this: The performer stands with his back to the person holding a book or dictionary, preferably the latter. The man opens the book and thinks of one of the words. The word is not forced, the performer does not know what word will be selected, he cannot see the spectator or the book, but he, the performer, tells the spectator the word of which he is thinking --- and it's a one man test which does not use confederates. The quite simple method is based, as bold as brass and as subtle as Satan, upon the forcing of homonyms,…
Most magical effects could stand enough of a "change of pace" during their execution (That last word is very fitting in too many cases. Ed.) to make them really seem different from the usual "here it is" followed by "now it's there," remarks. Of course, combining a number of separate tricks can produce some bad preponderosities. But there are exceptions, and I have thought the answer might be found by putting a strong finish effect with an otherwise mediocre and too standard start, together with a good starting trick of the mental type which so often begins well only to…
Here is one of those "what you make them think you do" ideas that carries its potential wallop in the presentation. It is impromptu and simple. "For ages the mind and its little known capabilities have been investigated by delvers into the mental and psychic field. I would like to show you one of these strange mind perceptions." A card is chosen, noted and returned to the deck. After a shuffle the performer explains that he wants someone to take the cards and retire to a far corner where he is to fan them slowly before his eyes. This is…
I was trying to be so busy with stenographic scribblings and photo records of the weirdest conclave in the annals of magic that my own contribution has suffered a bit from lack of originality, that is, if one considers what I have offered before in the line of billet reading effects and routines. Most of such routines have depended upon the assistance of several or more spectators, and there is a need for "reading" tricks wherein only one person is used throughout. I used to find occasions when it would have been very good for business could I have done…
One of the cleverest single die and cup effects I've ever seen was shown to me by a gambler several years ago. The secret of this truly impossible trick has been closely guarded. It is impromptu and uses only one die and a regular dice cup or a paper cup. The onlooker shakes the die in the cup and then turns the mouth of the cup downward upon the table. The seer takes hold of the cup without lifting it, shakes it a bit back and forth upon the table, and then announces the top number on the cube. He…