Orestium

By Perna
Copyright © 2023 by Perna

All rights reserved. No Part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the author. For television performance rights
and further information, please email: pernamentalism@gmail.com
For Mom and Dad
Foreword by Fraser Parker
I will keep this foreword short and sweet as I am sure you want to get to the good stuff
and what Perna is sharing in his latest release.

Perna is not only a personal student and a great sound board for my own ideas. He is a
wonderful friend and someone I am truly grateful for having him with me on this
journey as we explore the artform together.

He listens, reflects, and ponders on what is possible which leads to some great thinking
all on his own.

As I have often said, when certain people show up in my life to share ideas as well as
learn from what I have done previously; they understand the artform and I will 100%
say that “He gets it!”.

When he first showed me his Thought-of Card effect, ‘Contra’, I knew I had to instantly
secure the rights to be allowed to sell it on my website for a limited release. Luckily for
you, this is the first effect included in this book with certain updates added for the first
time.

I feel this is a wonderful approach to the Thought-of Card premise and illustrates how
Perna can take a seed of an idea or basic concept and create an effect with a unique and
different method.

Another stand out for me in this book is his work using ‘The Hoy Principle’. I
remember smiling to myself when I read his clean-up for this, which happens alongside
the effect, ‘Synchro’.

He is still young and at the start of his career in the magical arts as a creator; but from
what I have seen so far in this book… I’m sure there will be more creations to come,
and I predict we will hear his name more in the future as he continues to explore all
that is possible.

-Fraser Parker, 2022

Foreword by Ross Bartels
I’ll take you back 2 years ago, when we were locked inside our homes

When we were sworn to not perform and feeling bored was just the norm.

I went inside a magic server and met a guy who they called Perna!

For days we’d talk, and vent and listen - about our lives and mentalism

Then over months and through the years, we jammed on loads of cool ideas,
And before long, we formed a bond – a friendship forged across the pond.

And though he’s now a published author, accomplished name, and slick performer
He’s confident but not conceited. Competent but not demeaning.

A repertoire that keeps advancing. A mind that’s sharp but keeps enhancing.
And in this book that you have bought, you’ll get a look inside his thoughts,
See how he reviews a classic, weaves it with a newer tactic

To update an old routine or make something that’s not been seen

The thinking’s sneaky but easy to do,

I’m sure you’ll agree and as you’re reading it through.

I’ve read it myself and I love the effects,

So enjoy what you read as you await what’s next!

- Ross Bartels, 2022

Introduction
Once upon a time, I saw Banachek reveal details on a stranger’s driving license whilst
blindfolded. That was it! The moment I was bitten by the metaphorical mentalism bug.
For a decade now, I have been performing mentalism and immersing myself in the art.
I could never have imagined, however, what this would end up offering me and where it
would lead me.

Firstly, I have made some great friends within the mentalism field and have talked with
numerous individuals around the world. I have also had the privilege of contributing to
some of my closest friend’s creations that have been released to the mentalism
community.

Secondly, I went on to release my own creations. Contra was my first ever contribution
to the community, which was followed by Bottoms Up. I had always wanted to release
my own material and now that I have, it has been amazing. It has provided me with a
new sense of confidence and pride, as well as a desire to continue offering more
engaging and useable material to the community.

I am constantly thinking, writing, note-taking, and playing around with common

concepts within the realm of mentalism, all with the aim of discovering a new method
or effect. When I stumble upon a stand-out idea or rediscover one in my notebook, I
often consult my friends to see if I have something special or not. The genus of this
tradition can be traced back to my very first jam session, which was with Lance Sinclair
(thank you Lance for introducing me to the idea of a “jam session”).

Since then, my social circle has grown, enabling more jams and more opportunities to
learn. I am happy to say that my friends have seen value in my ideas and have watched
them evolve over time. As mentioned, two of my ideas developed into marketed
releases. However, each one focused on a specific effect. Therefore, I wanted my next
book to contain a series of different routines, methods, and plots.

This leads us to the present moment. My new book! Unlike my previous releases, I have
chosen to keep this series of mentalism pieces hidden away. If you ask many of my
friends, they will tell you that I am very secretive about my creations. The reason why I
am like this is that I liken my way of creating to the way this art form originally
operated… in secret.

I will admit that I have previously revealed some of my thinking to various fans of my
work. However, I soon found it better to keep my ideas a secret so that I could refine,
test, perform, update, and finalize them. I also, as I mentioned, sometimes show an
idea to my closest and trusted friends in order to gain useful feedback or gain help
expanding on an idea. Only once an effect or principle has been through this process
will I showcase it to the public eye in a written format.
The ideas and concepts in this book have been somewhat of a surprise to me because of
how spontaneously they emerged in my mind, whether it was during a peaceful walk or
a back-and-forth jam session. The number of written ideas in my notebooks, voice
recordings on my phone from late-night rambles, and typed-up documents illustrate
how creativity can just come out from you at the right time.

While writing this book, I faced several obstacles ranging from life changes to creativity
and writer’s block. I feel like an athlete or Olympian who has had to leap over a series
of metaphorical hurdles.

I will admit, these hurdles completely stopped the writing of this book at one point.
However, I managed to get up, hop over the hurdles, make myself better, refurbish my
ideas, and finish the write up. Therefore, I have called this book Orestium after my
favorite story in Greek mythology, Orestes and the Furies.

With all that said, I am ecstatic to be sharing this array of creations and contributions
with you as there is everything for anybody ranging from hypnotism, close-up, and
parlor/stage style effect.

They are fun and have served me well over the past few years. And the reactions I have
received from these effects have led to many memories and stories that I will remember
for a very long time. I hope you find something you like and will use, or that inspires
you to create your own effects.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes, I want to give a big thank you to the people
whom I have shared these ideas with, as well as the people who have made me the
person I am today. Their names will be brought up at the end of this book.

I also want to give a thank you to Orion Magic Productions for putting this piece of
work out to the community. And finally, I want to thank you - the reader - for
supporting my work and purchasing this book!

Now, without further ado, I welcome you to the world of Orestium!

Perna, 2023
‘Contra’
In The Hands Thought-of Card Effect
For the first effect, I thought I would include the very first effect that I presented to the
mentalism world - Contra. This effect was initially released with my great friend,
Fraser Parker, through his company ‘Intuition Publishing’. The reason why I am
including it in this book is twofold. First, it showcases how my thinking has changed
since creating Contra. Second, I have made some improvements and added in some
new handlings along with never-before-seen ideas which are included in this part of the
book.

Here’s the text from the original manuscript:

Playing cards have always been a staple aspect of my Mentalism repertoire.

They have a wonderful backstory that can be used to justify their use. Also, they are so
familiar and instantly recognizable to an audience, making them easy to introduce into
a Mentalism set.

A deck of cards contains 52 different combinations of numbers, values, and symbols,

meaning they are an extremely useful tool when it comes to divining the thoughts of
your audience members (from a methodological perspective, as well as a theatrical
one). Perhaps this will become less and less the case as we move further into the
modern era, as Playing Cards are falling more out of use. For the time being, though,
Playing Cards remain an integral part of my Mentalism set. But one particular card
effect has remained an obsession of mine. I’m referring to the “Thought of Card” effect.

Throughout my journey, I have always dreamt of the perfect “Thought of Card” routine.
I endlessly wondered if it was possible for a spectator to simply think of a card from out
of a spread and the performer simply knows what it is. I know that others have tried to
solve this problem and have various ways to do it. However, every solution I came
across fell short of my ideal and the ultimate vision I had.
Of note, however, are John Kennedy’s “Mind Power Deck” and “Quadruplication” from
Corinda’s ‘13 Steps to Mentalism.’ Although these are great methods, I wanted to be
able to perform something similar but with an ordinary deck that could be held by the
spectator. At least I had the basic idea in my mind. However, it was accompanied by a
major looming question. That is:

“How the hell can I accomplish this?”

Crucially, I wanted there to be the sense of a free choice for the spectator but without
them feeling like a “stooge” or “in on the trick” in any way.
 “This had to be possible!”, I thought.

I almost completely gave up on finding a solution until one night I was sitting on the
sofa watching TV, shuffling a deck of cards when it dawned on me. For some reason, I
looked down at the state of the deck after one of the many shuffles I was performing
subconsciously. I’m not sure if it was luck or if there was something more intuitive
going on but, as soon as I looked at the cards spread face up in front of me, I realized I
was looking at the answer to the problem.

My conscious focus on the problem coupled with my playing around with the deck in a
relaxed state of mind had helped my subconscious to recognize a pattern found in the
arrangement of card faces. This ultimately led me to the solution. From this, I created
the basic method behind my ‘thought-of-card’ routine. I showed this early version to
Fraser in a jam session, and he very kindly shared some of his thinking with me and
how he would perform the effect.

I’m pleased to say that this jam session led to various refinements of my basic idea until
a definitive version was formed. This version allows you to know a thought-of-card in a
quicker and more streamlined manner than I had ever thought possible. So, let’s get
into the inner workings of “Contra”.

Description
The participant is instructed to shuffle a deck of cards and then lift the deck towards
themselves (being careful not to show anyone the faces of the cards). They are then
instructed to slowly spread the deck towards themselves and think of a card from
somewhere in the middle of the spread, whilst the performer turns away. Once this has
been completed, the participant is instructed to close the spread and immediately
shuffle the deck.

The performer can now turn back around and reveal the spectator's thought-of card
without ever needing to touch the deck again. You can either reveal the spectator’s card
verbally or take the spectator’s thought-of card out of the deck. The spectator’s
thought-of card can even be predicted ahead of time.

It’s that clean and impossible!

Fraser regards this as one of the cleanest “thought-of-card” effects because the
spectator shuffles the deck themselves both BEFORE and AFTER they have freely
selected a card mentally, with seemingly NO restriction on their choice. Furthermore,
the deck is out of the hands of the performer the entire time.
There appears to be no way for the performer to know the participant’s thought of a
card, let alone which card they would choose before they have even had the chance to
shuffle and spread through the deck to make their selection. It’s obvious to the
spectator, and everyone else watching, that no manipulation of the cards or control of
the selection by the performer would be possible. This is because of the close-to-perfect
“test conditions” inherent in the effect.

The deck can be borrowed, as the effect can be set up on the fly. It can also be set up in
between effects or during an “offbeat” when the participant and the rest of the audience
members are not paying close attention to what you are doing. If you go down this
route, then make sure you perform a false shuffle (keeping the required cards in order)
to nullify any notion the deck could be set up.

Also, the participant is NOT an ‘instant stooge’ and will not feel like they’re ‘in on the
effect’ in any way. This is because their choice remains largely subconscious and
because they choose a card from a deck that they have shuffled themselves.
I will show you how the effect works, go through different presentations that you can
do, a talk about a recovery technique by my good friend Peter Turner, and will go
through other safety nets conjured up by friends of mine during jams.

I think you will love this method as it takes its inspiration from areas outside of Magic
and Mentalism. Also, the effect is not solely achieved via a nifty ‘move’. Rather, it is the
script itself that makes this effect work.

Breakdown
First, we will go over the setup of the deck. It is very minimal and, as stated, can be
done mid-performance.

The set-up involves a stack of 11 cards; 9 indifferent black cards with 2 red cards placed
evenly throughout the stack (i.e., one odd red card and one even red card).

The stack is as follows (from the top of the deck down):

3 indifferent Black Cards

Red Card (ODD value) * 3 of Hearts

3 indifferent Black Cards

Red Card (EVEN value) * 8 Diamonds

3 indifferent Black Cards

These cards can easily be culled to the back of the deck as you spread through the card
faces toward yourself. You will be able to do this easily because the black cards can all
be indifferent and will typically already be gathered together in. small blocks in a
standard, shuffled deck of cards. I advise you to avoid using black picture cards
throughout your spread as they tend to stand out to spectators during the selection
procedure (due to the fact they are often considered different from the more common
number cards found in a deck).

To set this up on the fly, all you need to do is cull the cards to the back of the deck as
per the above ‘Contra stack’. This process can be done whilst searching for and taking
out the Jokers from the deck. Once you’re done with the set-up, ensure the stack is on
the top of the face-down deck. You are now ready to perform.
Another way to do the setup is to spread through the card faces (towards yourself) and
see what state the deck is in. There will often be naturally occurring banks of black
cards that have two or three red cards isolated and sandwiched between them. In this
situation, you can simply memorize these red cards that have naturally ended up within
the block of black cards. You can then calibrate which card they will think of in real-
time later in the routine. However, I prefer to always pre-select and control the two red
cards utilized in the stack. This ensures there is no additional work required to narrow
down on their exact thought-of-card. It also allows me to predict their thought-of card
in advance if preferred.

Choreography
The first thing we do (once the deck has been secretly set up) is introduce the routine. I
do this by addressing the group with the following question:

“Is there anyone here who plays cards?”

This allows me to locate someone competent at overhand shuffling. Alternatively, if,

during a previous effect, you notice that someone is good at overhand shuffling, you
can

forgo this line of scripting and simply choose them. Either way, you want to select a
person who can shuffle competently for use in this current demonstration. These are
safeguards I typically use whenever performing an effect that requires the spectator to
perform a specific shuffle. It ensures that the effect doesn’t fail before it’s begun.

I then say the following line as I give the deck a false overhand shuffle:

“You know how to shuffle a deck of cards, right? I want you to take half of the deck
and shuffle these on top, like this”.
Here, I match my actions with my words and demonstrate physically what it is I want
the spectator to do in a moment. I perform a false overhand shuffle during this
procedure by lifting half of the cards from the bottom of the face-down deck and
shuffling these on top of the cards that remain in my other hand. I simply run and jog
the first card from this block of cards and then genuinely shuffle the rest of the cards on
top of this jogged card. I then cut the rest of the cards below the jog back on top of the
deck. This means that the Contra stack will stay intact and be placed back on top of the
deck (where they need to be for the effect to work) before the cards are handed to the
spectator to shuffle.

I always preface such instructions with a rhetorical question to create the impression
that I am simply recapping something that I assume is obvious to the spectator. This
helps soften the directness of the instructions being given. It also stops it from looking
as if I need to give these directions for the effect to work. It should look and feel as if I
am casually reminding the spectator how to correctly shuffle a deck of cards to ensure
fairness.
The spectator will follow your words and copy the actions of your shuffle. They will
typically only shuffle the cards once and will not add in the cut at the end due to the
fact your instructions and actions only included the shuffle part. Your prior words and
action also imply that they are to do this action once. You will also interrupt the
spectator and begin to give your next instructions before they have a chance to shuffle
any further or cut the deck.
If you are worried about them cutting the deck, you can shorten the top card of the
stack. This way, they can cut the deck afterward a few times until you can see the stack
has been brought back to the top of the deck. I suggest marking the back of the top card
of the stack so you can see when the cards are brought back into position.

Continuing with my instructions, I add on the line:

“... DO this face down”.

This is said as I cut the deck and hand the cards to the spectator. This distracts the
spectator away from the cutting of the deck enough to ensure it is not registered as
something you want them to do. They will be focusing on the fact, that you intend for
them to shuffle with the deck in a face-down position.

They will now take the deck and shuffle about half of the cards from the bottom of the
deck onto the top of the deck. If you notice that they start to take a different amount,
simply remind them. However, they will usually take about half of the deck as they are
following along with your instructions. So far, I’ve not had an issue with them following
along correctly whilst performing this effect.
In case you’re wondering - yes, the participant shuffles the deck. But if you were to
follow along with your deck in hand, you will see that the stack doesn’t change order. It
will now be 15-20 cards from the face of the deck. All the shuffle does is place the stack
near the middle of the deck in a predictable position from its face.

Now that the shuffle has been explained, it is time to move into the mental selection of
a playing card.

First, we say the following line to the spectator:

“I want to not see the faces of the cards, so hold the deck up towards yourself”.

These instructions help reinforce the idea that everything is above and beyond fair. I
often guide the spectator’s hand holding the deck higher up so that the cards face
towards their eye line, especially if they are holding the deck too low or at an angle that
exposes the faces of the cards.

I now say the most important line of scripting. This line facilitates the selection of the
card:
“... AND as you start to slowly spread through the cards [pause]... just allow one card
to stand out intuitively to you now [snap fingers]”.
The spectator will now begin to slowly spread through the cards. Here, you will turn
your head away slightly so that everyone watching knows you are not peeking at
anything. You can still see the cards in your peripheral vision from their backs as they
are spread slowly by the spectator. This is important, as you will now need to count as
they spread through the cards individually. However, as soon the spectator begins to
spread through the cards in your stack, you can begin to estimate.

This is because we know the stack begins around 15-20 cards from the face of the deck.
Therefore, when the spectator spreads from the face of the deck, we can use estimation
and timing. If we think of the cards on the face of the deck as existing in blocks of 5
cards and if we can gauge roughly how long it takes to slowly spread 5 cards, then we
can count each block as one beat. This allows us to time it out in our heads. We will be
able to see how quickly the spectator spreads through the first five cards before turning
away. We then simply continue this count of evenly paced beats secretly in our minds.

This is the reason for the pause in the above script. We just count 3 beats in our head
before continuing with the script:

“... just allow one card to stand out intuitively to you now [snap fingers]”.

Employing the use of timing means we will begin to say the above line at exactly the
right moment (i.e., just as the spectator begins to spread through the cards within the
stack). The script will, in turn, cause the spectator to think of one of the red cards
placed amongst the block of black cards.

This isn’t as hard to accomplish as it sounds. It is easy to do. It is only in writing that it
appears complicated.
It may take a little bit of practice to get the timing down. You may find you have to
begin the second part of your script either slightly before the third beat, or closer to the
fourth beat. The important thing is you are in sync with whatever pace the spectator
sets for themselves. This is the reason we instruct the spectator to spread through the
cards “slowly” to ensure that they do so at an even and methodical pace.

If you’re not confident using this timing method, you can look at the backs of the cards
and simply estimate when the spectator has spread to 15 cards (still counting in
estimates of 5 card blocks as opposed to trying to count each card individually).

If you prefer, you can skip the spectator’s shuffle and simply false shuffle the deck
yourself, cutting the Contra stack into the middle of the deck. You then spread the faces
of the cards towards the spectator and time your script so that, when you instruct them
to think of a card, they can only choose from the cards visible to them (i.e., those within
the Contra stack). In this case, you can simply use the word “now” to get them to make
their selection. Alternatively, you can say:
“... choose a card that stands out to you intuitively from the middle of the deck”.
Of course, the instruction for the spectator to think of a card that stands out to them
and the emphasis on doing so when you snap your fingers (or say the word “now”)
means they only have a choice of two cards. Naturally, the cards that will stand out will
be the only red cards within the spread of indifferent black cards. The reason why they
choose a red card will typically be a subconscious decision.

But even if someone does consciously realize why the card stood out from the rest, it
doesn’t matter. This is because the deck is (seemingly) shuffled fairly, to begin with,
negating any backtracking or notion that you could have known the card they would
choose.

The language about the card selection plays like direct instruction. However, it’s
important to note that it will appear and (more importantly) feel fair to the spectator
and everyone else watching. It will seem as though you are simply requesting for the
spectator to think of a card from somewhere in the middle of the deck; one that stands
out to them on an intuitive level.

Snapping your fingers or hurrying them along with the use of the word “now” ensures
that they don’t spread through all the cards without having mentally selected one. It
won’t feel like a restriction in the slightest if done so casually. Rather, it will simply look
like an instruction for them to think of a card.
If the spectator misses the first red card in the spread (or your timing is slightly off),
they will continue to spread further. In this instance, they will think of the second red
card in the stack.
This raises the question of how we know which of the two cards they are thinking of.
The answer is simple. The participant has only two possible force cards that they can
think of. As mentioned in the Contra stack set-up, one of the red cards is odd and the
other is even. Thus, we can narrow down their choice almost effortlessly by utilizing
one simple hanging statement. We’ll return to this later.

The line “allow one card to just stand out intuitively ...” nudges the participant to
choose a red card within the black bank.

This language works by taking advantage of an attribute we all possess as humans;

namely, the attentional bias to stimuli that stand out. In this case, it is the use of
contrasting or complementary colors. This is something that is often used in the world
of visual art. Having fewer instances of one color that is brighter than its background
creates a situation where that color “pops” out on a subconscious level (as well as a
conscious level if we are made aware of it).

The best way to explain where the inspiration for this method came from is to compare
it to a painting. If you were to see the painting of a greenfield that has one pink flower
within the scene, you are likely to notice the flower first. This is because it is brighter
and stands out against the muted tone of the green background. In psychology, this is
known as the ‘pop-out effect’. Therefore, when a few red cards are observed within a
much larger bank of black cards, the contrasting effect comes into play. However, this
doesn’t appear as anything out of the ordinary as a genuinely shuffled deck would be
expected to have such a grouping of different colored cards. This helps keep the use of
this principle hidden from the spectator’s conscious awareness. The red is a much more
vivid color compared to the darker black tone. This makes the red cards stand or ‘pop’
out. As a result, a spectator will almost automatically choose one of the red cards,
especially when they feel slightly pressured to do so.

This pressure can come from the snapping of fingers or the use of the word “now”. This
word also implies that they are to make their selection from somewhere within the
middle of the deck. However, it ensures they do not spread past the force cards. This is
done casually and is subtle enough not to feel like a restriction. Once it is implied that
they are to think of a card at this specific moment in the spread (with a snap of the
fingers and the use of the word “now”), they can make their selection and you are
golden.

A way of checking if you have hit the stack with your timing is to notice whether the
spectator gives you a nod as confirmation that they have made their choice. You will
also be able to check from your peripheral vision whether they are in the desired
portion of the deck during the spreading of the cards, as well as whether this aligns
with your sense of timing.

Remember, you are giving yourself two chances for them to think of one of the force
cards. Even if the participant were to miss the first red card in the stack, they are highly
likely to think of the second one. This becomes your safety net.
I always try to first hit on an aspect of the second card, as I have found this is the most
likely chosen red card out of the two. This brings us nicely to how we reveal their
thought-of-card.

Before doing so, we instruct the spectator to continue spreading through the rest of the
deck, before directing them to give the deck another shuffle. We then turn back around
for the reveal.

We must give the spectator a few seconds to think of a card before continuing with the
following script:

“... AND just spread through the rest of the deck THEN give them another shuffle”.

Revelation
To recap, the participant is thinking of one of two red cards from within the Contra
stack. These two cards are already known to the performer and can be force cards of
your choosing.

I purposefully set up the stack with an ODD red card followed by an EVEN red card,
with black cards placed in-between these force cards (from the top of the deck down).
This way, when the spectator spreads through the deck in their hands from the face, the
first possible choice of a card is the EVEN red force card, followed by the ODD red force
card.

Because the spectator is much more likely to be thinking of the second force card, I first
verbally throw out a statement about this card being ODD.

This is done as part of a hanging statement. This gives me the chance of hitting on the
card right away, without having to complete the hanging statement.
First, I say the following line of scripting:

“So, just focus on your card... focus on the value and the suit”.

Then I look at the participant and say:

“So this is an ODD card... [pause]”

The slight pause after saying this line gives the spectator a chance to register the
preceding line. This way, if their card is an ODD value, they will react to these words as
if it is a statement about their card. They will assume you were divining the
ODD/EVEN value of their card and, because you appear to be correct, they will give
you a reaction that indicates you were, indeed, correct. You can simply take the hit here
and move on with your script.
If, however, they don’t react to the first part of the hanging statement, you simply
continue with your scripting. You will now appear to be completing the full line you
were going to say all along.

“...OR an EVEN card. DON’T give it away, BUT keep focusing on this card”.

It will look as if you are just making a general statement about the value of their card
and have not attempted to guess anything just yet.

This use of the hanging statement and the wrap-up of the language on the back end to
make it appear you were not guessing anything is something Peter Turner has made
popular in his various releases about the propless divination of a card. Thus, credit for
this must go to Pete.
This is a way of “fishing” or “pumping” for the information you need to narrow down
on their card, without it seeming like you are asking for confirmation or checking your
impressions.

Even if you get a “No” response from your spectator, it will seem to be such a small
piece of information that is given away in the context of this routine. Thus, the
subsequent reveal of their exact thought-of-card will still blow their minds.

Since we know it will be a red card, we can get a small hit for free.

“This is a RED card”.

But even if you don’t want to generate a smaller hit out of the color of the card, we can
now discern which of the two force cards the spectator is thinking of based on the ODD
or EVEN hanging statement.
This allows us to reveal their thought-of card in any way we wish. We can reveal other
details of the card (such as the suit) or go right to a verbal reveal of the entire card. You
could also remove their thought of a card from the deck and ask the spectator to
verbalize their card. This allows us to build suspense before turning the card around to
show everyone we have taken the correct card out of the deck.

It’s up to you how you go about revealing their thought-of card. Be creative!

Eliminating The Outs

I prefer to reveal the card verbally. However, I am aware that some performers prefer
to play up the reveal. During one of our jam sessions, my good friend Ross Bartels
shared a way of revealing the card.

He suggested taking the two red force cards out of the deck, along with one odd and
one even black card (facing away from the spectator and those watching).
You then hold the two ODD cards in one hand and the two EVEN cards in your other
hand and apply the following closed question (asked in the negative).

“Just focus on the value and the suit of your card. Ah, you didn’t go for an ODD card,
did you?”

Here, you act as if you already knew the answer they would give to this question,
implying that you were simply checking your impressions as you narrow down on the
card you feel they are thinking of.

Of course, depending on their answer, you will now know whether they are thinking of
the ODD or EVEN red force card and can ditch the cards you deem irrelevant.

So, if the spectator responds with a “No” to the closed question about the card being
ODD, you can say “I DIDN’T think so” while discarding the red ODD force card along
with the ODD black card. Simply place them on the table or the deck. As you do so, add
the following “...as I was getting nothing from these two cards”. The spectator will
believe you have discarded two ODD cards.
If the spectator responds with a “Yes” then you simply change your response by saying
“Yeah, I thought so”. Then discard the EVEN red force card along with the EVEN black
card. As above, you can also say “...because I am getting nothing from these two
cards.”
It will look as if you are checking your impressions and discarding cards in order to
narrow down on their exact card from the few you feel they may have gone for. You
now have two cards left in one of your hands. One is their chosen red card, and the
other is a black card. You then get the spectator to focus on the color of their card. You
can now divine the color of their card while discarding the black card (showing its face
to be black). You could also assertively say: “I know this isn’t your card” - showing the
face of the black card as you discard it.
Either approach creates the illusion that you are refining your mind-reading process by
picking up on smaller aspects of their card. The fact you’re able to definitively guess the
color (or openly discard the black card) helps cancel out any notion that you didn’t
know the ODD or EVEN aspect of the card previously. The fact the final discarded
black card is ODD/EVEN (depending on the situation) helps reinforce this. It will seem
as if you knew both pieces of information, which is how you were able to narrow it
down to the correct card. To close, ask the spectator to verbalize their selection, before
turning the final card over to show it matches perfectly!
The important thing to remember when revealing information is that you provide the
spectator with a pseudo-process. This could involve holding hands with the spectator,
instructing them to open their mouth as they say the information in their mind,
pretending to say an aspect of the card (such as the suit), or picking up on impressions
or cues from the spectator. This will make what you do appear more realistic from a
theatrical point of view and will also provide a different explanation for how you can
divine their thoughts. This helps misdirect their attention away from the actual
method.

These smaller pieces of the presentation will keep the spectator on the edge of their
seat and in suspense to see if you can pick up on these aspects of the more general
thought. It also provides you with seeming additional hits along the way.

The mind-reading process should look difficult to the spectator because, if it was easy,
they would be able to do it. Play up the mind-reading and milk the moment because,
once the revelation comes, the participant’s mind will be blown.

Prediction
I mentioned that it is possible to use the Contra method for a prediction effect. This is a
simple case of utilizing a two-way envelope. All you need to do is place the two red force
cards (with different back designs to the deck in use) on either side of the prediction
envelope. You then take out the correct one once you’ve narrowed down on whether
their thought-of-card is ODD or EVEN. It will seem as if you are just quickly checking
your impressions before revealing that you have managed to predict the card they
would freely choose from a shuffled deck.

Recovery
If you happen to completely fail or guess the wrong card, don’t worry. There is a
beautiful way to get out of this situation. The following ruse is something Fraser first
witnessed Peter Turner do on the fly in a situation where he didn’t know the exact card
the spectator was thinking of. Fraser tells me that he was fooled badly the first time he
saw Peter pull this off.
Pete knew roughly where someone’s card had ended up in the deck after a shuffle but
wasn’t sure of the exact card. This is because the card force had failed at some point in
the effect. However, instead of becoming flustered, Peter did what all the greats seem
able to do - he thought on his feet. This resulted in Peter spreading the card faces in
front of the participant and when he thought he was in the rough area where their card
resides, he simply said the following line with a wry smile:

“That’s your card, isn’t it?!”

Because Pete had already proved his skills in previous effects, the spectator nodded,
believing that Peter had once again found their card. Peter was not being specific.
Instead, he was showing them 5-6 cards together in the spread. Because they could see
their card in there, and because Peter confidently delivered this seeming revelation, the
spectator reacted, giving him credit for revealing their card. They had assumed he knew
which card they were thinking of in the spread.

Try this yourself - as you spread through the cards, the thumb of your left hand (the
one doing the spreading) will naturally rest at the bottom of the spread of 5-6 target
cards and this will imply indirectly that you are pointing to their exact card, whilst
remaining non-specific. If you move the deck slightly towards the spectator as you state
that the card(s) you are showing them is in fact their card, it will appear as though you
are simply showing the spectator for clarification.

The illusion is perfect!

It’s a beautiful ruse that can get you out of trouble at a moment’s notice, as long as you
are confident and believe in what you are doing. Ergo, it can also be used as a failsafe if
ever the current effect goes wrong. All you need to do is get the spectator to focus on
their card again, but even more intently. Then boldly move into this backup revelation.

“Okay, focus on your card again for me ... really imagine this as if it is in front of you
brightly and vividly”.
I pause for a few seconds as I stare into the spectator’s eyes. Then I act as if I now
definitely know it. I spread the card faces toward the spectator and look out for the first
red force card that appears in the spread. Then, ensuring most of the cards in the stack
are visible, I move the spread closer to the spectator and say:
“That’s your card, isn’t it?!”

I then close the spread and move on to something else, leaving the impression that I
definitively knew their card.
It is bold and sometimes the spectator’s second shuffle will move their thought of the
card from the general area you think it should be. However, if you simply move on and
act as if you have the correct card, you will typically get away with this ruse.

Additional Ideas & Presentation Ideas

Marking The Cards
Before Fraser suggested using the timing approach (counting in blocks of 5) to know
when the spectator reached the stack after having shuffled the deck, I originally marked
the first card of the stack to ensure I knew when they were looking at the stack. The
marking, which was a dot made in a marker that matched the color of the back design
of the deck, was placed in the top left corners of the first card (near the ink on the back
of the card).
This meant I could turn my head away and perform confidently using my peripheral
vision, as opposed to looking for a mark on the back of one card.

Fraser Parker also suggested replacing the first card of the stack with a card that has a
different back design but a matching color to the rest of the deck. This is something he
has played around with before as a way to find the position of a key card from the back
as the spectator spreads through the deck.

An alternative way I have considered is signing the back of a playing card so that the
marker goes over the long white borders of the card and using that as a distinguishing
mark.

In either instance, these ways of marking out where the first card of the stack resides in
the deck after the shuffle helps ensure you can visually check when the spectator begins
to spread through the stack of cards if needs be.
This leads me to an interesting notion that was inspired by reading “Azlan” - Fraser’s
card-at-any-number effect.

ACAAN
I wondered if you could also know the position of their thought-of card. I mentioned
this in a jam session with Fraser, which led him to suggest only leaving one of the
Jokers in the deck and performing the thought of a card with the Joker placed next to
the last card in the stack (after this card).

If doing so, I suggest telling the spectator (before beginning the effect) to ignore any
Jokers to ensure they don’t select it due to the fact it is a strange card that could be
thought of as one that stands out. I always suggest you get the spectator to ignore the
Jokers or even take them out of the deck completely when performing this effect
(unless you decide to use this ruse).

Now you can instruct the spectator to think of a card from the middle of the deck as
usual (without the spectator shuffling a second time) and seemingly (as an
afterthought) instruct the spectator to spread through the cards again and cut the Joker
to the face of the deck.

“I think I left a Joker in the deck ... just spread through the cards again and cut it to
the face”.

Now you seem to change your mind about removing the Joker.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you know that there’s no way I could know your card”.

We now take the deck from the spectator and perform a false overhand shuffle
retaining top stock as already taught. Of course, you can take the Joker out of the deck
if you prefer and forgo the above scripting, as the justification for having the spectator
cut it to the face of the deck.

Now we can use the hanging statement as we false shuffle the deck to know if their card
is ODD or EVEN. Doing so will lead us to know the exact position that their thought-of-
card resides (from the top of the deck). Of course, if we know they are thinking of an
ODD card then we will also know it is in the 4th position from the top of the deck after
the false shuffle. Whereas, if they are thinking of an EVEN card, we will know it has to
be in the 8th position from the top of the deck.

Then, during a false shuffle, we can run cards on top of the deck and effectively place
their thought of card at any number we wish, within a suitable range. Of course, we
wouldn’t want to have to run too many cards and if we want to run more than 4 or 5
cards then we can do this across multiple overhand false shuffles.
If you feel running cards are a little too cumbersome or will look too obvious, you can
false overhand shuffle the deck and then spread through the cards towards yourself as
if looking for the second Joker (which you secretly know is not in the deck). As you do
so, count from the face the number of cards you wish to add on top of the deck, note the
card that will need to be cut to the face of the deck, and hold it from the back with your
index finger, as you continue to spread through the rest of the cards. Then cut the deck
at this position before placing the deck face down on the table, satisfied there are no
other Jokers in the deck.

Naturally, the second shuffle by the spectator is now replaced by the performer
shuffling the deck. However, I still feel that this is very fooling if the false shuffle is
performed casually and convincingly. I feel there is a lot we can do with just these basic
sleights on their own. They should be deceptive when performed correctly and with the
right attitude. In this instance, it should look as if we are simply shuffling the deck
some more to ensure their thought-of card is completely lost in the deck.
Now that you know the number the spectator’s thought-of card resides, you have many
options for how to utilize this information. For instance, you could now force this
number on someone else and have them count down to the spectator’s thought-of card.
You could also ask a second spectator to say a number and get them to change it a few
times if needs be until it falls into a suitable range where you can then either run
several cards on top of the jog during multiple false overhand shuffles or use the ruse of
looking for a second Joker to place the thought of card at that position in the deck.
‘Contra’ Extended
In this part of the book; I will be going over new additions using the ‘Contra’ stack.
These are ideas and handlings that I have not shared with many people since the first
release of ‘Contra’ until now. So, without a further ado, here the new applications using
the ‘Contra’ stack.

Table Spread Handling: Version One

First, you will have your participant run through the same shuffle procedure as before;
then the participant will be asked to spread the deck on the table face up.
You will ask your participant to place their hand on top, hovering over the pack about 2
inches from it starting at the face card of the deck.
You will ask your participant in a moment to move their hand at a slow pace which you
will demonstrate; the pace should be a slow enough speed so that you are able to count
in 5’s (talked about in the original handling) to have your participant end up at the
Contra stack.
I like to fully turn my body at this moment but if you are not as bold and worried that
you won’t hit the stack, you can simply do the peripheral technique talked about before
in the Choreography section.
Once you are ready, you will ask your participant to start moving their hand across the
pack.

As they do this, you will modify your script by saying the following:

“...Start to slowly move your hand across the spread [pause]...now STOP where you
are AND look down at the GROUP of cards your hand is hovering over… now just
allow one card to stand out intuitively to you now from that GROUP [snap fingers]”.

This will allow the participant to follow your directions to look at Contra Stack in the
face up spread.

Once they have ingrained a card in their mind, you will give the following line:

“Now, I want you to pick up the deck, shuffle it, and let me know when it is OK to turn
around.”

Once the participant has started shuffling the pack and has told you to turn around,
you can now go into the same revelation process as talked about before.
Table Spread Handling: Version Two
In this second handling, you are going to mark some of the cards in the Contra stack.

The cards that you will mark are the backs of the first card and the last card of the
Contra stack in the top left corners of both sides of the cards.

This means that the set up will be the following:

Black Indifferent Card *marked on the back*

Black Indifferent Card

Black Indifferent Card

Red Card (ODD value) * 3 of Hearts

Black Indifferent Card

Black Indifferent Card

Black Indifferent Card

Red Card (EVEN value) * 8 Diamonds

Black Indifferent Card

Black Indifferent Card

Black Indifferent Card *marked on the back*

The reason for marking them in this manner is so it can be easily located in facedown
spread.

This stack will go on top of the deck facedown and now you are ready to begin.

You again will go through the same shuffling procedure but instead of having the
participant spread the pack face up; you will ask them to spread the deck facedown.
You will now have the participant hover their hand over the pack as talked about before
in the first tabled handling, starting at the bottom of the deck.

You can do one of two techniques here, so the participant ends up at the stack.
First Technique: Stop Force

Firstly, you can do a stop force technique say the following script:

“Start moving across the spread slowly... (Once the spectator starts moving continue
the script) … AND stop whenever you want...”
This will allow the participant once you finish the script that after the three beats, the
participant will end up hovering over the Contra stack.
Second Technique: Script in the First Tabled Handling

If you do not like using the stop force technique, then you can use the script and
handling as talked about before in the First Table Handling except it is little different.

You will say the following to your participant:

“...Start to slowly move your hand across the spread [pause]...now STOP where you
are AND place your hand down on the group of cards your hand is hovering over…”

Now your participant will be right over the ‘Contra’ stack and you can now continue.

Table Spread Handling 2 Continued

Once the participant has their hand over the Contra Stack, you will ask them to place
their hand down where their hand has stopped and take out the group of cards their
hand is on top of.
You will ask the participant to think of card from the group that is in their hand.

The participant will more than likely take out the full Contra stack which gives them an
easier opportunity to easily think of one of the two force cards.

If they pull out cards from the left and right of the Contra stack, then you will simply
give the following script:

“Now take a look at the group of cards that you have and just allow one card to stand
out to you intuitively from the MIDDLE now [snap your fingers]”
This idea was presented to me by Peter Turner during a jam that we had, so with his
permission, I used his idea to make this tabled version possible.

Now that the card has been thought of, that group of cards can be thrown into the
middle of the pack, shuffled in, and the card can then be immediately revealed.
Matching Mates Check - Peter Turner
During a jam session that I had with Peter Turner, he presented a way to check to see if
the participant is thinking of a card from the Contra stack.

You will perform the same effect as written above but with a marked deck (the reason
for this will make sense later in this section) once the process has been done and the
participant is thinking of a card, you will say the following line:

“Now whilst you were thinking of a card, I was also thinking of a card as well and I
am curious to see if each of our cards are mates of each other.”

If your participant doesn’t understand the concept of mates, then you can always the
next line of the script just to make sure they understand:

“Meaning that our cards are the same color, same value, but different suits so for
example, the Ace of Spades’ mate would be the Ace of Clubs, does that make sense?”
Once your participant has understood the concept of mates, you will then go straight
into your ‘check’ to see if they picked the right card by saying the following:

“Focus on the value of your card… Is the value of your card odd or even?”
Instead of the hanging statement, you are explicitly asking your participant whether the
value of their card was odd or even. Once they have answered then you will know which
of the two cards they are thinking of (let’s say in this example their card is an odd
value).

Once they have told you whether the card was odd or even, the next line you will say is
the following:

“No way! that is the same as mine!... The card I’m thinking of is red, what was the
color of your card?”

I suggest that you say this line with an expression, smiling like you are so positive that
the participant and you have the mates of each other’s card in mind. This line will let
you know if they have thought of one of the two cards from the stack. If they say that
their card is red then you know that their card is the 3 of Hearts because as you
remember, this example is if they said their card was odd. This is of course vice versa
with an even value. (Later I will go into what to do if they say their card is not red)

Once the participant has said that their card is red, you will say the following:

“You know what?... On the count of three let’s say our cards at the same time...
3..2..1…”

After you have counted backward, since you know in this example that they are
thinking of the 3 of Hearts, you will say the opposite card which would be the 3 of
Diamonds. Now if you know that they are thinking of the 8 of Diamonds from the
stack, then you will say the 8 of Hearts.

Now, what if the participant says that they thought of a black card?... Well, then this is
where your marked deck will come in. If the participant says that their card is black,
then you will say the following line:

“Wow I thought we had the same card, but I guess we don’t… I might have to try this
a different way. Please go through the deck, pull out the card you are thinking of and
keep it face down on the table so that I don’t see it.”

The marked deck is your safety net in this situation. All you need to do is just peek at
the marking on the back of the card as the participant is taking it out and putting it on
the table. Once you know the identity, you will reveal the card little by little to the
participant.

Spectator-as-Mind Reader Effect- Peter Turner

This is a new way of doing a spectator as mind reader which was conjured up during
the jam that Peter Turner and I had so thanks must go for to Peter for bringing this
idea to my attention.

For this effect, you will set up the Contra stack on top of the deck facedown. Place the
deck face down on a flat service and say the following:

“Now before we begin, I would like to shuffle the deck thoroughly…”

You will now reach over and cut about half the cards on the table and continue your
script:

“So please take that packet of cards and shuffle it.”

Now that you have the Contra packet in your hand, you will take and shuffle 7 cards
from the face of the deck to the top. This will then place the Contra stack in the middle
of the packet in your hands. Once you have done this, you can do any false shuffle that
retains the entire order of the packet.

Once you have done this, you will switch packets with the participant and say the
following:

“Now we are both going to do the exact same motions, I want you to hold up the
packet with the faces facing toward you and spread them out in front of you… and
just allow one card from the middle to stand out to you intuitively [snap fingers]
…Once you have one, square up the packet up, take my packet as well, and shuffle all
of the cards together.”

During this process, you will copy exactly what the participant is doing (i.e., spread the
packet, and look down and “think” of one). I say “think” because you are not going to
think of a card, you are only going to pretend to think of card from the middle.

As your participant fans the cards towards themself, they will automatically open to the
middle where your ‘Contra’ stack is. This is an easier way for them to get to the bank to
think of one of the two force cards because they only have half of the pack in their
hand.

Once your participant is done shuffling you will say the following:
“Now we know two things, first we are both thinking of a card from a shuffled deck
and we both don’t know what card the other person is thinking of.”
This script is just to reiterate to the participant what has happened prior to deck begin
all shuffled together.
Once you have said this, you then continue by saying the following:
However, I know something about your card that you are thinking of… I know that
the value of your card is EVEN…or ODD, I know that it is Red or Black, and I know
that it is a Picture Card or a Number Card. So, using this information I must try to
figure out what your card is.”
This is the same script brought up in the Eliminating the Outs section using a
hanging statement to know which of the cards the participant is think of. Let’s say in
this case, the participant is thinking of the 3 of Hearts.

You will now continue by saying:

“But you also have to use this information to because I am also thinking of a playing
card, and I believe that you can figure out what card I am thinking of.”
This script is used to remind the participant that you are thinking of card and that they
are going to try and read your mind. You can now run them through any process to get
them into a different mindset or the transfer the powers over to them. I like to have the
participant close their eyes and take a deep breath and just let their mind go blank and
just image that only themselves and the performer (i.e., myself) are alone in this
moment.

Once you have done this, you will now say the following:

“Now that you are in this state of mind, I want you to just start building a card in
your mind. So first think of a color…now a suit…now a value from Ace to King…do
you have a card in mind that you believe I am thinking of… (wait for participant to
 respond then continue) …Perfect! Now just so that I am not agreeing with you I will
put my card face down on the table just so I can’t just be agreeing with you…”

Once you had gotten a confirmation by your participant that they are thinking of card,
you will run through and pull out the 3 of Hearts thus commencing a One Ahead here.

The One Ahead Principle was first created by Grandin in the revised and expanded
1723 book ‘Récréations mathématiques et physiques’ by Jacques Ozanam. It was used
in a three-card divination and since then, it has been refined down to just two
divinations, instead of three.

Once you put the card, you will continue the script by saying:

“Now before you say the card out loud, I am not going to react because I want to save
this for the end so that there is a little bit of suspense here… So, for the first time, say
the card that you believe I am thinking of.”

This line here just gives suspense for the effect itself because the spectator will not
know whether they got the card right or wrong. I first saw Justin Higham give this
instruction that he was not going to react to the answers of the participants in his
“Triple Anchor Prediction” on Christian Grace’s Magic Monthly which can be found on
Gumroad.

Once they say a card out loud, (in this case let’s say the card is the Jack of Clubs) I
suggest asking them why they believe you, the performer, are thinking of that card. I
have found this very interesting, and it shows everyone watching on to the performance
what the spectator went through. Once the participant has given their explanation, you
will now continue by saying:

“Perfect! I am going to try what you just did and try to pluck out the exact card that
you are thinking of.”

You will now look at the participant and pretend to read their mind through any
choreography that you use now (i.e., having them say the card over and over in their
head, saying a different card than the one they chose, etc.).

You will pick up the deck and pull out the card that they participant thinks that you are
thinking of, in this case the Jack of Clubs, and place it face down on the table.

You will place the deck away to the side, keep the focus only on the two cards on the
table, you will now commence a One Ahead switch so that you are able to show the
participant’s thought of card first with the facing towards them. Once you have done
this, you will ask your participant to name their card out loud and once they do you will
turn over their card thus making them react.

But you will cut this short and bring more attention on the other card by saying:
 “Now this is crazy but what is crazier is that I thought of card and placed my card
down first before you even said a word on what you thought my card was… Now you
thought I was thinking of the [insert card here] correct... (wait for participant to
respond then continue) …Well, you were spot on [turn the card over and receive your
reaction].”

Here you want to put all the emphasis on them being able to get your card which takes
all the credits off you and puts more credit onto them. This what I believe makes a
spectator-as-mind reader effect perfect because it makes it more impossible and shows
more credit to them on being able to do something

Now you can take this effect out there and slay your audiences.

Crediting
The thought of card plot first appeared in Reginald Scot’s The Discovery of Witchcraft
which was published in 1584.

The first known iteration of doing a thought of card like this where the participant sees
a card pop out to them can be found in 202 Methods of Forcing by Ted Annemann,
however, mine can be done with any shuffled deck and is different methodologically.

David Berglas also had some thinking on the concept of having the spectator spread the
cards in their hand and think of one. This can be found in “The Mind and Magic of
David Berglas” by David Britland published in 2002.

The “Slug” was first published in 1988 by Burton William’s “Erotica”. Then, in 1991,
“Cheat Sheet” by Karl Fulves and Ken Uston came out, in which Ken Uston talked
about the workings of a ‘Slug’ or ‘smaller stack’ in a section entitled “Uston on Slugs”.
The workings of the card bank and how it can be used to your advantage can also be
found in some of work of Joe Barry and Justin Higham.

I first discovered the overhand shuffle as a blind or false shuffle in a book entitled
“Expert at the Card Table” by Erdnase. It can also be found in the “Encyclopaedia of
Card Tricks” and “The Royal Road to Card Magic” by Jean Hugard and Frederick
Braue.

The inner workings of the timing method (used when the spectator is spreading the
cards) is reminiscent of Jean Hugard’s “Stop force” and Eddie Fetchers’ “Drop Force”.
The idea of counting cards in blocks to facilitate the timing method comes from the
mind of Luke Jermay.
Concluding Thoughts
If you are worried a spectator may simply choose a favorite card and, thus, negate the
method from working then the line I suggest you use to ensure this doesn’t become a
problem is as follows:

“I don’t want you to just pick your favorite card. Instead, you are going to use your
intuition...”.

You can always set up your deck in a pre-show situation. This would involve you
placing your stack on top of the deck or someone else’s deck before beginning the
performance. If performing for magicians, you can stack the deck of another magician,
false shuffle it, and then tell them to place the cards away in their box and not take
them out again until you ask for a deck of cards later. This beautiful idea is something
Peter Turner utilizes an effect within his first Penguin Lecture. I suggest watching this
lecture for all of the details for making this deceptive and fooling the hell out of
magicians.

If you ever miss the playing card, don’t fret. Simply move on to something else. As
explained, the process of mind reading should appear difficult. Failure will not be a big
deal since the effect happens so quickly. It is not a great loss if you miss, so long as you
do so within a set of other surefire effects. A miss will help breed credibility to what it is
you do if presented within the correct theatrical context. If you were just performing
tricks, then they would be expected to work every time.
I hope that you have enjoyed this first effect that put my name into the mentalism
community. But my journey for a thought-of-card routine did not stop here as you will
next.
The Game of Charlatans
A Propless Thought-of-Card Effect

The Game of Charlatans is my newest creation pertaining to the thought-0f-card plot.

Since developing ‘Contra’, I have searched for other ways to achieve this sort of effect.
The biggest goal of mine was to find a way to do it completely propless. Through many
trial runs, refinements, and inspirations, The Game of Charlatans is what I eventually
created. This will be the first time I have shared it, as it’s been under lock and key until
now. So, let’s get right into it!

Description
A participant is asked to imagine playing a game of poker. They are instructed toto
build up a poker hand in their mind and then think of a card from that hand. The
performer is now able to verbally reveal the card or have the participant take it out of
an actual deck of playing cards and then reveal it. Nothing is said to the performer, and
it can be done anywhere at a moment’s notice.

Breakdown
To start with, you need to find an individual who is knowledgeable about cards and
card games. I have found that this makes for a much smoother routine due to the
psychology of how this effect works.

Depending on the situation that you are in, the following scripts will help you choose
the right participant:

One on one with someone: “Are you familiar with playing cards or poker?”

In a group situation: “Who here is familiar with playing cards or poker?”

To me, it is better to ask this question to a group rather than one person because you
will have a higher chance of finding someone who knows poker very well. Of course,
this question can be asked when you are one on one with somebody. If they say they
don’t know much about playing cards or poker, then you simply do not perform the
effect. Instead, go into a routine based on the concept of “keeping a poker face” because
this will keep your set flowing into the next routine that you have in store. Once you
have found a knowledgeable poker fanatic, you can continue with the following script:

“Poker has always been something I have been interested in, especially the cheating
side such as knowing the exact cards someone is holding by reading tells. This is
 something I have always been envious about because, if I was able to know what
cards you have, I could win the game. With that being said, I would like to show you
what this skill might look like.”

This script conveys your interest in the darker side of poker (i.e., cheating, reading
people or tells, etc.).

With the participant now intrigued to see this skill, instruct them to build up a poker
hand in their mind. Use the following script to do this:

“Perfect! So, let’s imagine we are playing a game of 5 card draw. For this game, you
want some good cards and some bad ones to work with. Picture me sitting across
from you. Your objective is to beat me in this game. To build your poker hand, I want
you to focus on just the values for now, not the suits. So, start thinking of 4 values that
would be really good to start with [wait for your participant to respond that they have
four values in mind].

This allows for higher valued cards to form in the mind of the participant, rather than
the lower valued cards. This occurs because you explicitly told the participant that their
objective is to try and beat you in this imaginary game. But now they need to complete
their hand.

To get them to complete their hand with the final card, say the following script:

“For your fifth card, let’s do something interesting. Keeping the other four values that
you have in mind, I want you to now think of a card that would not be good for this
hand. This card is known as a burner card, which you would use to get better cards.
So, think of what this value would be and tell me when you have this card in mind…”

This makes your participant think of a lower value (i.e., 2, 3, 4, 5) without you needing
to explicitly say it out loud. This is an example of what Luke Jermay calls an "Invisible
Restriction” (in 3510). It’s also an example of Peter Turner’s “Restricting without
Seeming Restrictive” principle.

The fifth card is what they will now think of. But remember, they are only focusing on
values right now - not the suits. Therefore, you need to force a suit to the cards. To do
this, use the following script:

“You now have a full poker hand. However, it’s not quite complete because you don’t
have suits for the cards. Also, I want to give a slight advantage in this imaginary
game. So bring to mind the last card that you just thought of and tell me when you’ve
done this… (wait for the participant to respond then go on with the script). If that card
is a 2, 3, 4, or 5, then your whole poker hand will be in Hearts. However, if that card
is a 6, 7, 8, or 9, then your whole will be in Spades. If that card is a 10, Jack, Queen, or
King, then your whole hand will be in Diamonds. And finally, if that last card is an
Ace, then your whole hand will be in Clubs. Let me know when you have put a suit to
your poker hand”

This way of forcing the desired suit is achieved by using Michael Murray’s ‘Universal
Forcing Technique’. I was directed towards this technique by my friend, Ross Bartels,
in a jam session we had. Through further research, I found out that this technique was
also used by Jerome Finley as well as Silent Running by Ben Harris.

Once the participant has added a suit to their hand, you will continue with the rest of
the script:

"Now you have fully completed your poker hand. Let me ask you - could I know
anything about the cards in your hand at this very moment? (Wait for your
participant to answer with a ‘No’). Exactly! The only thing I know is that your whole
hand is in one suit. But I don’t which suit that is! I want you to now focus on the
lowest card in your hand and think of what that card is. I am going to try and see if I
can get this card from your mind because the lower cards are harder to get right
compared to the higher ones. If I can extract this card from your mind, it will show
you that I could know what the rest of your hand is if I wanted to.”

When you ask the participant to think of the “lowest” card in their hand, they will be
focusing on the fifth card that they thought of. You also up the ante by telling them that
this card is a lot harder to get right compared to the higher ones.

Now that the participant has the lowest card in mind, you need to reveal it. The next
section will explain the process of narrowing down the identity of said card. I will be
teaching you two ways; one that is propless ending in verbal reveal, and the one that
utilizes a deck of playing cards.

Narrowing Down the Identity of the Card

(a) The Propless Route

You know the participant has a low value in mind. So, you need to distinguish whether
the value of the card is a 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Since the bank of possible cards contains two odd-numbered values and two even-
numbered values, you can easily eliminate two of the cards to get you down to two
options. To do this, say the following line:
 “So, focus on the card you have in your mind… Focus on its color… now the value…
OK this card’s value is ODD…[Pause] …because you may have been confused as to
whether an Ace was a high card or a low card. Did you think of an Ace?”

This variant of the “hanging statement” technique (which my friend Ross Bartels came
up with) helps you to determine the value of the card. The idea of calling something
strange was thought of by creators such as Fraser Parker and Michael Murray. The
slight pause in the line gives the participant a chance to register the preceding line (see
below):
“So, focus on the card you have in your mind… Focus on its color… now the value…
OK this card’s value is ODD…[Pause]”

If their card is an ODD value, they will positively react to these words, as if it is a direct
statement about their card. They will assume you were divining the ODD/EVEN value
of their card. And because you appear to be correct, they will give you a reaction. You
can then smoothly continue with the rest of your script.

If, however, their card is not ODD, they will not react to this first part of the hanging
statement. This will, of course, mean that the card is EVEN. However, you must
continue smoothly with your scripting so that you now appear to be completing the full
line that you were going to say all along: ‘

“…because you might have been confused whether an Ace was a high card or a low
card. Did you think of an Ace?

When your participant says “No”, you can say the following response:

“No?... Wow, I’m miles off. You’re a lot harder to read than I expected. Look at
me…Really focus on your card.” (Really play up the mind-reading process here).

You now know what group of cards to focus on for your reveal (i.e., the ODD or the
EVEN cards). Let’s imagine your participant reacted on the ODD value line. You now
know they are thinking of either the 3 of Hearts or the 5 of Hearts.

To determine which card it is, I have found that the best way is to use Michael Murray’s
‘Cloaking Technique’ from his excellent thought-of-card routine Isolation. With
Michael’s kind permission, I will now go over this technique.

“I want you to imagine I have a deck of cards here. Please hold out your hand, like
this (Mime holding out your hand ready to receive some cards). Imagine that I am
going to go through the cards in an attempt to isolate the exact card you are thinking
of... (Mime fanning the cards and act as though you’re looking over the cards. Then,
very slowly mime the removal of a single card from the deck before placing it upon the
spectator’s palm) ...I would place the X on your hand…” (X being one of the two
remaining possibilities).
If the spectator reacts here, then you have seemingly identified the very card they were
thinking of, thus, bringing the effect to a successful conclusion. However, if the
spectator doesn’t react, you will now know which card the spectator is thinking of. If
this happens, you seamlessly continue with the script as follows:
“…followed by the W, and the X, and the Y, and the Z, followed by all of the remaining
values until there is only one value remaining and then only one card… (Here, you will
replace the W, X, Y, and Z with several other cards, taking care not to name the
spectator’s actual card).
...I would like you now to imagine that the single card that I am holding is the very
card that you are thinking of. In a moment, I will mime turning this card around to
face you. The very moment I do this, I would like you, as crystal clear as you can, to
imagine that you see the card you are thinking of, in my hand.
I should be able to intercept that thought the moment you create it and so will be able
to tell you the exact card you are thinking of. Ready?... Three... Two...One. (You now
mime turning a single card to face the participant. And the moment you do this, you
must name the remaining card from the two final possibilities).”

I want to thank Michael Murray for allowing me to teach this technique here. I also
must insist that you go and check out all his work and thinking in the realm of
mentalism, including Isolation.
I will now cover a way of determining the participant’s card. It uses a deck of cards,
thereby, providing an alternative option if the propless route is not for you.

Knowing the Value with a Deck of Cards

To set up the deck, simply take out the 2, 3, 4, and 5 of a particular suit (which is
Hearts in this case). Then, from the face of the deck, place the cards as follows:

From the face of the deck, 7 cards down will be the 2 of Hearts
10 cards down from there will be the 3 of Hearts
14 cards down from there will be the 4 of Hearts
17 cards down from there will be the 5 of Hearts
Then the rest of the deck
This set-up can be done on the fly, or you have can have it already set up before the
performance. Either way, now that you have the deck set up, you will be ready to
perform this variant of the effect. Leave the deck on the table.
You will now go through the whole script detailed earlier. Once they have the “lowest
card” in mind, you will act as if you are struggling to get it.
To solve this, say to your participant that they need to look at the card in its physical
form. This offers a good justification for the deck to come into play.
Instruct them to pick up the deck, spread through it, and pull out their card. Once they
start spreading the deck, you will be able see which card they are pulling out. For
example, if the card is pulled out from the very front of the deck, you will know that it is
the 2 of Hearts. If they pull out a card that is further in the spread towards the front,
you know that is the 3 of Hearts. If they pull out a card deeper in the spread, but not
towards the back, you know it is the 4 of Hearts. Finally, if the card is pulled out of the
back of the deck, you know that is the 5 of Hearts.
You can causally watch them to see where they pull the card out from. Alternatively,
you can peek out of your peripheral view and then, once you’ve seen the location in the
deck, you can fully turn away. This will create the illusion that you are not looking at
the cards.
I first saw the idea of seeing where a card is pulled out from a deck of cards in the work
of Ryan Schlutz. Later, I heard Peter Turner talking about using this idea for multiple
outs in various video projects, such as Mind Games (with Mark Lemon) and Mentalism
Rambles: Playing Cards (with Fraser Parker).
Once you see where (within the deck) they pull the card out from, you will be able to
reveal their card. I do it in increments starting with the suit, then the value, and finally
the whole card. All without looking at them!
I know the question that you’re asking! “What if, while doing this effect, your
participant is not thinking of 2, 3, 4, or 5?” Well, don’t worry! I have provided a safety
net for you in case this ever happens.

Safety Net
Simply carry your favorite marked deck with you. Therefore, if either the propless route
or the deck route goes awry, you can resort to using your marked deck. Let’s say that,
during the propless route, the participant says “No” when you say one of the two
possible cards. Without flinching, say the following line:
“Hmm. Maybe it’s easier for you to see this card physically (this is where you will take
out your marked deck). Run through this deck and pull out the one card that you have
formed in your mind.”
This will enable you to see the marking on the back of the card so that you tell them the
card that they have in mind.
Now let’s say you are taking the route that uses a deck of cards. Here, you will have set
up a marked deck that enables you to employ the safety net if needed. As explained
earlier, you will look out of your peripheral to see where the participant has pulled the
card out from, before fully turning away. Let’s say you saw them pulled out the 4 of
Hearts. While fully turned away, ask them to focus on the card. Then start revealing it
in increments. I suggest starting with the value because this will cue you into whether
they have pulled out a different card:
“Focus on the card… Did you think of a (insert the value)?…”
Insert into your script the value corresponding to the area you saw them draw the card
from. If they say “Yes”, you can simply continue by saying:
“Good! I can tell because you are visualizing this clearly… Keep staring at it”
You can now go on and reveal the whole card. However, if they say “No” to your
question, you can say the following alternative script:
“Good, because everyone goes for that value. But you think differently. Look at me…
(You will now turn around to look at the participant). Just imagine that you are
screaming this card to me” (Whilst you are saying this, look at the marking on the back
of the card).
Once you have seen the marking and know the actual card they are thinking of, you can
now reveal it however you like.

Concluding Comments
This routine was inspired by Bob Farmer’s ‘Tsunami’ and Kenton Knepper’s ‘K.E.N.T.’
However, the idea to do it proplessly was inspired by Sean Water’s ‘(K?NT)’ found in
‘Ponderings’ and ‘Bold O’ by Ross Tayler and Fraser Parker (which I read in ‘Book of
the Fallen’ by Fraser).
My journey of exploring this plot has led me to this point. I thank all those who I tried
it out on, as it enabled me to refine it into what it is today.
Hypnos
A One-Phase Pseudo-Hypnosis Playing Card Routine

In late 2020, I was messing around with the idea of using playing cards for either a
pseudo hypnosis or ‘amnesia effect’. My inspiration for this came from Patrick
Redford’s Glemme and his 1st Penguin Live lecture where he performed “Drac
Suoitibma”, which uses his ‘Forgotten Ploy’ to create a nice hypnosis or amnesia-style
effect.

After watching it, my mind went in many different directions, trying to find a different
way of creating the same result. Then, one day, my friend Ross Bartels brought up two
interesting phenomena. One of them is called ‘bleaching’ (or ‘light adaptation’), which
is when you move from a very dark room to a bright one. For a moment, all you can see
is whiteness as your eyes adjust to the new environment.

The other is called ‘whiteout’. This is when the horizon, contours, and landmarks of a
snow-covered area become indistinguishable and shadowless due to severe snow
conditions. It was upon hearing about these two concepts that an idea hit me, leading
me to create the following one-phase hypnotic effect.

In this part of the book, you will learn my personal single-phase pseudo hypnosis
routine with playing cards, which have been the most worked-on creation in this book.
Without further ado, let’s get into Hypnos!

Description
The performer presents a deck of cards to convey the idea of hypnosis to his audience.
He then asks for help from a participant. The performer asks the participant to name a
card out loud (let’s say it is the Jack of Clubs).

The performer then takes the named card and puts it face down on the table. The
participant is then put through a (pseudo) hypnotic induction. The performer explains
that, in a moment, the participant will pick up and look at the card but will see nothing
but white, as if their card has vanished in front of their eyes. The participant is then
‘awoken’ and picks up the card. Based on the participant’s reaction, the audience will
believe that that the card has, indeed, vanished in front eyes of the participant who is
(apparently) under hypnosis.

The participant is then put into another (apparent) sleep state. The performer suggests
to them that the card is going to come back into view for them to see. They are ‘awoken’
0nce again and pick up the card once more. As they look at it, they see that the named
card is not blank anymore. Both the participant and the audience experience a baffling
effect, making this a tremendous ending for such little work. In my view, it makes for a
beautiful opener to a hypnosis set.

What You Need to Know

**DISCLAIMER** A sleight of hand move is required in this routine.

All that you need for routine is a deck of cards and a single blank face card with the
exact same back design as the deck you are using. The set-up is as follows.

From the top of the deck to the bottom of the deck facedown:

Blank Face Card

Queen of Hearts
Ace of Spades
The rest of the deck

The reason for this will be covered later when explaining the selection process. As well
as this, you need to know how to do a top change. The top change was first published in
1876 and found in a publication entitled “Modern Magic” by an unknown name.
However, the first person to talk about it was Friedrich W. Conradi-Horster in 1896 in
a publication entitled “Der moderne Kartenkünstler”. Many other publications after
this (such as “Expert at the Card Table”) have talked about this move. Also, creators
such as David Williamson have presented their thoughts on the sleight for the modern-
day audience.

Once you have set up the deck as described, you will be ready to perform Hypnos!

Breakdown
First, introduce the effect to your participant by saying the following script:

“I want to show you how easy it is to be influence. We will start small by using a deck
of cards. But first, I have to ask, who would like to be hypnotized?”

This is a nice opening line for the participant as it puts them in suspense about what is
in store. It also allows anyone to nominate themselves to be hypnotized, even though
they will not be going into an actual hypnotic trance.
Once you have introduced the deck of cards and found your participant, you will take
the deck out of the box and place the case on its narrow side. The reason for this is
important for later in the routine when you are about to start.

You will ask your participant to name a card out loud for everyone to hear. The reason
why the Queen of Hearts and Ace of Spade are at the back of the deck is so that they
won’t name obvious choices. It also keeps you from flashing the blank face card at the
back of the deck when you go through to find their card. To make sure that they don’t
name the Queen of Hearts or the Ace of Spades, you can say not to go for obvious cards,
using those two cards as examples.

Once they have named a card, go through the deck, pull out the card, and place it on
the table. Turn the rest of the deck in your other hand facedown.

With the deck in your non-dominant, pick up the named card and hold it between the
thumb and index finger of your dominant hand facedown. Once you have done this,
move toward the box on the table with this hand.

As you do this, perform a piece of misdirection choreography that used by Dai Vernon
when he performed the top change. This was talked about in a download on the top
change by David Williamson, which can be found on Dan & Dave. The piece of
choreography is as follows. As you move towards the box, instead of placing the card on
top of it, your middle finger will hit the box making it fall.

Once the box falls, your audience’s eyes will be drawn to it. You now execute the top
change, switching the named card for the blank one on top of the deck.

With the top change done, reach over with the hand holding the deck, pick up the box,
and place the switched card face down on top of the box. Now ask the participant to
pick up the card, ensuring they look at you the whole time. Instruct them to hold the
card towards their chest for a moment.

You will now go straight into any pseudo-induction from here to make them “go
under”. Many performers, such as Peter Turner, Watkins, and Milton Erikson, have
created some great pseudo inductions that you can find in their works.

After your pseudo-induction, say the following script to the participant:

“In a moment, I will ask you to look at the card that is against your chest. And as you
look at it, you will see it start to fade out into whiteness. You will not be able to see the
card’s face. It will just fade away. You are the only person who will see this happen.
Nod if you understand?... [Wait for the participant to nod]. Good! I am going to count
backward from three to one. And when I get to one, you will be wide awake and
aware of everything around you… Three… Two… One… (snap fingers). Wide awake!
This piece of scripting explains to the participant what they are about to do. It also lets
the audience know what they are going to witness.

Once the participant is “awake”, ask them to keep the card close to them and then look
at the card whilst keeping a poker face.

You will then say the following:

“As you are looking at the card, you will find that a smile will start to appear on your
face … You’ll see the face of the card just turn whiter (snap your fingers) and whiter
(snap your fingers). And as this happens, your smile begins to get bigger and bigger...
Give me a clear ‘Yes’ when you just cannot see anything on the face of that card.”

This creates a visual reference for the audience, as they are seeing the face of the
participant (who they believe is “under” hypnosis) smiling. This engrain, in the minds
of the audience, that the participant is hypnotized and witnessing the card vanish in
real-time. This idea of creating a smile was inspired by Lewis Le Val’s pendulum
routine entitled ETHNOS.

Once you have been given a clear “Yes” by your participant, you will be ready to move
on to the final part of the effect. Specifically, you will take the card away from the
participant and say to them “Weird, right?”. This line reinstalls the suggestion that the
hypnosis has worked, reinforcing the impression (to the rest of the audience) that what
you are doing is ‘real’.

Once you have taken the card away from the participant (with the back facing towards
the audience), you will execute another top change. This will switch the blank faced
card for the actual named card.

After doing the change, say this line to the audience as an afterthought:

“Oh… (show the card’s face to the audience), I should show everyone what you were
just looking at.”

This piece of choreography implies to the audience that the participant was looking at
their named card the whole time, even though had not been during the ‘hypnosis’. After
showing the card to the audience, instruct the participant to hold it against their chest
again. Just as before, ask them to look at you as they do this. This helps to make sure
that your participant doesn’t look at the switched card. Once they have been placed on
their chest, say the following line of script:

“I am now going to take you out of the state that you are in because I don’t want you
to be confused as to what to do when you stop at a stoplight during your drive home
tonight.”
This joke helps to relieve the tension that everyone may be experiencing in the room
(because of how powerful this can look to an audience). Once this has been done, say
the following script:

“In a moment, that card will start to change back to how it originally was. All the
colors will come into focus, and you will see the card clearly. Even though you may
want to go crazy and get up from your chair, you will stay rooted to the chair and
witness the change happen in front of your eyes.”

This piece of scripting leads up to the change of the blank faced card back into the
named card. After you have said this, go right into the finale of the effect. Tell the
participant to, once more, keep a poker face and look at the card. As they do, say the
same script as before but with a few modifications so that it makes sense. The scripting
would look something like this:

“As you are looking at the card, that smile is going to appear again as the card starts
to come into view… You’ll see the color (snap your fingers), the suit (snap your fingers),
and the value start to reappear. And as this happens, your smile will begin to get
bigger and bigger. Once again, give me a clear ‘Yes’ when you can see that card come
back into view.”

Again, this creates a visual reference point for the audience, as they will be seeing the
participant witness the changing of the card (indicated by their smile). Once the
participant confirms that they can now see the card, instruct them to turn it around
and show to the audience. The card can now be placed on top of the deck. And to fully
clean up, put the participants back ‘under’ using the same pseudo-induction you used
earlier. Once you’ve done this, say the following:

“In a moment, I am going to count backward from three to one, and when I do, you
will be taken out of this state that you are in and be conscious of everything around
you. So, back to room and wide awake in Three… Two… One… Wide awake (snap
your fingers)”

The participant will seemingly come back to the room, concluding the effect wherein
everyone has had an experience that they can all share.
Concluding Thoughts
Similar routines to Hypnos! include Luke Jermay’s ‘Reverse Gestalt Moment’, which
can be found in his Skullduggery DVD, Casper’s video download call ‘Hy-Pe’, which was
originally released through ‘13 Souls’, and Thaddius Barker’s ‘Placebo Effect’ and Keith
Barry’s ‘I Don’t Remember’ which can be found in Peter Turner’s Masterclass Vol. 11-
Hypno Effects.

Credit also needs to go to Kenton Knepper for the creation of his Kentonism Decks
which create a hypnotic feeling as well.

The very first seed of inspiration for this routine, however, was from an effect called
“Amnesia” by my friend Nathan Lindley. This can be found on his Abraxas Video
Project via his website.

To conclude this effect, even though it involves a simple card change, the little
subtleties that have been added help to create a beautiful piece of apparent hypnosis for
your audience. I hope you slay audiences with this piece on stage.
Cupidity
If you met Perna when he was first doing mentalism and you asked him to show you an effect,
the first thing he would show was ‘Free Will’.

This effect was made popular in 2004 by Deddy Corbuzier and when this stepped into the
spotlight of the mentalism community, many people went mad!

In recent years, many creators have presented their versions of this effect. Mark Chandaue, in
particular, released a book called ‘Totally Free Will’ which presents many versions of Free
Will from some of the top names in mentalism and I highly recommend getting it!

It wasn’t until I read a contribution of this classic effect by John Carey titled ‘Free Willing’
which can be found in Mark Chandaue’s ‘Harpacrown Too’. This rendition from John sparked
my creative process to conjure my rendition of the classic plot and it puts a smile on my face
every time I perform it because it is self-working with the principles utilized.

With that being said, let’s get into ‘Cupidity’!

Description
Decisions are made every single day, the route that you are going to take to work, the item you
will buy off of Amazon, or the coffee that a white girl from Venice Beach will get. But it is
impossible to know decisions that would be made before they occur… or is it?

You meet Chuck in a bar, buy a round of drinks and say Bottoms Up! together *wink* wink*.

You write something down and say that this will be important for the decisions that Chuck
will make in a moment.

You reach into your pocket and pull out an array of coins; a gold dollar coin, a quarter, a dime,
and a penny.

You hand those to Chuck, and you turn around. You ask Chuck to choose one coin to be placed
on the table underneath his hand, one in his pocket, one to give to you, and the final coin to be
left in his hand.

Once you turn around, you turn over the prediction and it is read out the exact choices made!
Chuck goes wild and you make a new friend because you just did a miracle, and you are
awesome!
Breakdown
For this effect you need 4 coins; two colored and two silver coins. This is highly inspired by
John Carey’s version. I have used bills for this effect, but I found that coins are easier to hold
in your hand.

British coins, Spanish coins, and Chinese coins just to name a few are perfect for this because
they have two sets of different colored coins. However, if your country does not have this in
your currency, I highly recommend collecting the coins and or ordering some online!

Once you have the coins, you now just need a stack of business cards and a pen and are ready
to perform!

Start the routine by saying the following line:

“We make decisions every day, but I believe that they can be predicted by just
knowing someone. Would you agree?”

This sparks a conversation and is a very good introduction to the concept of influence and or
making a prediction.

Once the participant has answered, you will show that it might be possible. You will reach into
your pocket, take the coins out, place them on the table, and take a business card and a pen
and write down the following:

You will be left with the Quarter; I

will be holding the Dime; The Gold
coin will be under your hand; Finally,
the Penny will be in your pocket!

We will be going over this wordplay in a moment but once you write this on the business card
you will say the following:
“This will be important for you [point at your participant] in a moment, I believe that
after getting to know you, that I have written down the decisions you are about to
make.”

As you say this script, I show another person who I am next to as a little convincer that this
billet will not be switched. This is a little subtly that was inspired by Patrick Redford’s
‘Advantageous’ which has this piece of choreography that was given to him by Brendan Wolfe.

The card will now be placed down on the table, and you will now present the coins. You will
now put the coins in the participant’s hand but as you do this, you will place the Gold Coin on
top of the stack (the reason for this will be apparent in a moment) and have them close their
hand.

Deliver the following script:

“I will turn around and I am going to give some instructions to make some choices but
I don’t want to see what you choose to do…”

You will now turn around and say the following:

“I now want you to open your hand and think of the FIRST coin you see…that stands
out to you. I feel like you have a couple of coins that you are thinking of so think of the
first coin you thought of. I want you to pick up this coin and place it underneath your
other hand.

Now if THAT coin was a copper coin that you placed underneath your hand, I want
you to place the other copper coin in your pocket, and vice versa if you chose a silver
coin.

You now should have two coins left in your hand [place your hand out while your
back is turned] I want you to place one of those coins in my hand and the other coin in
your free hand… Let me know when it is safe for me to turn around.”

I know that was a lot to take in but essentially this script allows for the outcome to be correct
on the prediction. So, let's break down this script!

The first part of the script:

“I now want you to open your hand and think of the FIRST coin you see…that stands
out to you. I feel like you have a couple of coins that you are thinking of so think of the
first coin you thought of.”
This part is a variation of Ross Tayler’s ‘Kings Force’ and Michael Murray’s ‘First Letter Ploy’.
It allows the participant to be forced to think of the first coin that they see. The language here
though makes it feel like they could’ve thought of any coin. It is very much self-working, and I
smile every time I use this principle.

Now the next part of the script is:

“Now if that coin was a copper coin, I want you to place the other copper coin in your
pocket and vice versa if you chose a silver coin.”

This here allows you to place the coin, in this example the Penny, in the place where it needs
to be. However, this makes it look very random, and keep in mind nobody knows that you are
guiding them to place the coin where it needs to be!

The final part of the script is:

“You now should have two coins left in your hand [place your hand out while your
back is turned] I want you to place one of those coins in my hand and the other coin in
your free hand and close your hand around it… Let me know when it is safe for me to
turn around.”

Now you will be down to two silver coins, and they can now give you whatever coin they want.

You just will need to know what coin you are given so that you know whether you or the
participant is reading the billet (more on this in the next section). Now once all the coins have
been placed, you are ready to reveal the prediction!

Reading the Prediction

Now as the participant hands you one of the last two coins, you will be able to feel which one
of the coins you have. In this case, if you feel a small coin then it is the dime and if it is bigger,
it is the Quarter.

If you get handed the Dime, then you will be reading the prediction. If you get handed the
Quarter, the participant will be reading the prediction.

The reason why this can be done is because of the wording of the prediction which means that
it can be read differently.

Let’s go into how we have the prediction read. If you need to read it, you will pick up the
prediction and say the following:
 “Now I told you at the beginning that this will predict the exact choices that you
would make. FIRST what I would have, what YOU would have, etc. [Look at another
participant and continue the script] I want you to keep me completely honest when I
read this out loud.”

The script helps to illustrate what would be read in the exact order that you need it to be and
you can now read the prediction thus ending one outcome of this effect.

If you know that the other participant needs to read the prediction, then you will reiterate the
script by saying:

“Now I told you at the beginning that I was trying to predict the exact choices you
would make from what YOU would be left with, what would be in the pocket, etc.
Also, this was meant for YOU, so in a clear loud voice, please read out what it says.”

Now the participant can pick up the prediction and read it to show that it was correct thus
ending the effect on a high note!

Concluding Comments
Now if you want a little subtly to add to this prediction, I highly recommend looking at ‘The
Mental Mysteries of Hector Chadwick’ thus making it cleaner at the end when the participant
reads the prediction.

Anything can be used for this so you don’t have to rely on coins however I believe that it is
easier to use things that can be easily held in the hand. Unless you find a Jolly Giant that is the
color Orange then you can use a Car or an Elephant!
Closet of Tombstones
I always wanted to have a participant roll a die, think of the number that they landed on, and
be able to reveal that number.

While Tony Anverdi created his famous Mental Die in 1976, I didn’t want to always rely on
electronics as a method.

It wasn’t until I came across a principle that we all know and have used before as well as the
use of framing to allow the participant to roll a die and for you to guess the number. Lo and
behold, this impromptu Mental Die was born.

This is a very bold effect but once you perform it, it allows you to transition into other effects
using numbers. So, without further ado! Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of ‘Closet of
Tombstones’!

Breakdown

Firstly, you will have the participant roll the die in their hand, look at a number, close their
hand, and let you know when it is safe to turn around.

You will now say the following:

“Now you rolled the die in your hand and ended up on a number.”

When you say the line, “and ended up on a number.”, you will hit the participant’s hand and
mime the action of opening up their hand. This then makes the participant open their hand up
even though you didn’t say it explicitly. This was inspired by something I saw Peter Turner do
in the 2nd Episode of Royal Road to Mentalism presented by him and Mark Lemon.

Since the participant has no clue where you are going, they will not be hesitant to not do the
action.

Once they have opened up their hand and you see the top number, you will turn around
quickly and follow up by saying:
 “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to see the number so let’s do this. COMPLETELY TURN
the die over AND look at THAT number that is staring at you in the face… Now you
could be THINKING of any one of those numbers, but you have one in mind yes?... Put
the die in your pocket and let me know when it is safe to turn around.

Now every opposite side of the dice adds up to 7 and this is what we are using here to guess a
number. I first saw this in a magic context in ‘202 Methods of Forcing’ by Theodore
Annemann which is on page 28.

I remember Ross Bartels telling me that he saw this as a dice stacking effect where you peek at
the top number of a four dice stack, have them add up the top and bottom, and then by
subtracting the number that you saw on the top die from 28 you know the number they are
thinking of!

Now when you say the script, you want to make it clear that they could’ve thought of any
number by saying the following:

Now you could be THINKING of any one of those numbers, but you have one in mind
yes?

This makes the audience and the participant involved feel like they could have done anything.

I find this very cheeky and cute when performing it because of the deviousness and simplicity
involved!
Once the number has been thought of, you can turn around and use that number in any way
that you want. I love to also reframe by saying the following line:

“Now you have one of those numbers in mind and so this shows you how random this
is.”
Concluding Comments
I highly recommend that you use this as a one-phased effect, but you can use this as a phase in
any routine

One example was brought to my attention by my friend Ross Bartels who talked about doing
your favorite ‘Which Hand’ effect before doing the revelation of the number.

Ross and I also talked about many other things that you can do such as transitioning into a
PIN reveal or using that number to springboard from using Michael Murray’s ‘Springboard
Principle’ which can be found in his book ‘A Piece of My Mind’.

The main thing to take away from this is that this tool that can be used for any of your favorite
effects that you have in your repertoire around the concept of numbers. The boldness of this
may scare you but being bold only makes you more confident to take risks in your mentalism
performance!
EMMM Force
Ross Bartels and I were talking about an effect that was about to be on a market and
the specific way that you needed to force one of two items out of a group of five things
to start off the effect itself.

This was based on an idea from (insert Bob Hummer and Jackie Eights Idea) and when
Ross and I sat down, we thought of ways that it could be done. Through many
alternative handlings, we ended up on a way to do it that is organic and fun to do.

So, without a further ado! I would like to introduce you to the ‘EMM Force’!

Breakdown
This force involves with a lineup of 5 items and will have the participant end up on
either the second or fourth item in a line up.

So now that you know basically how this works, it’s time for me to reveal how this
works and when I say it, you will be like “Wow, that is so obvious!”

EMMM stands for Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, which is used to select people for games…
so why not use it for a force and this is exactly what Ross and I thought.

The following rhyme is what you will use for the force:

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”

So now let’s go into how to do the force.

The Mechanics of the Force:

The force is broken down as follows:
“Now to select one of these at random we are going to do a game that we all played as
kids which is Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. So, we will label each one of your fingers
something and commence the game. To choose one, you will start on your thumb and
move from finger to finger as you are reciting the poem. You can move backwards
and forwards, but the only rules are that you cannot jump fingers and cannot jump
from your pinky back to your thumb. Does that make sense?”

This allows for the participant to end up on either the second or fourth position. If the
participant needs help understanding, then you can demonstrate using your hand
whilst you say the script.

Labeling things on the hand has been done before in the past, especially in the older
work of Fraser Parker. But this must be used for labeling things just on the hand.

Keep the Cogs Turning

You can add this to many more things such as having the participant pull out five
items, placing them down on the table in a line, and noting the objects at positions 2
and 4.

You can have a line of people on stage and have someone be chosen at random then
play a game of Guess Who.

I am saying these ideas but not going detail of them because I want you, the reader, to
dive into these ideas and see where you take them. This is what I wish I had in my
mentalism books because this is what helps to get my creativity flowing so I hope you
can get yours flowing as well.
Concluding Comments
I believe that you shouldn’t see this as just a force but a tool that you can have in your
mind to remember because you don’t know when this tool will be good for you
depending on the situation you are in.

This is a very fun way to look at this concept as it might have been obvious of a way to
do it and it seems very natural to do when choosing something

I hope that you take this tool out there and apply it to many other effects in your
arsenal to slay your audiences.
Somni: Collection of Reverse Star
Signs

Delos
Reverse Star Sign

There are some occasions when indulging yourself in an idea found within a book that
makes you want to try and see where your mind can take it. This happened to me when
I read ‘Pigs Might Fly’ from Fraser Parker’s limited book, ‘Book of Angels’.

The basic idea was a reverse star sign where the participant would be able to home in
on what the performer’s star sign is. This iteration was influenced by an idea brought
up by Peter Turner who first suggested attributing two-star signs to a specific color.

He would get the spectator to think of a color utilizing the classic psychological color
force—red or blue—and then eliminate one of these with scripting, ultimately forcing
the spectator to think of one of two signs.

His presentation revolved around aura colors and spectators intuitively picked up on
the correct aura color after making a snap judgment based on the appearance of the
performer. This is how the use of a psychological force came into play.

Fraser took this basic unfinished idea of Peter’s and refined it to the point where the
spectator can now (most of the time) successfully divine the actual star sign of the
performer, as opposed to the performer’s star sign having to be miscalled to match
whatever we secretly know the spectator thinks it is.

I decided to take my approach to this and create three versions; One that introduces a
new principle; One that is a quick way of having the pSo, without further ado, let’s get
into ‘Delos’!

Breakdown
To perform, you will write down your actual star sign sight unseen on a blank billet or
business card and place it writing side down on the table.
**Note To Reader** You will be writing down your actual star sign and you
will have to modify the script so that the participant ends up guessing your
star sign**

In this case, my star sign is Cancer. I start this effect by saying the following:

[Write whatever your actual star sign is and modify the rest of the script to fit your star
sign].

“I want you to use your intuition to attempt to divine my star sign. So, just say the
first-star sign that instinctively pops into your head now [snap fingers].”

If they say the star sign that is written down, then great! We can simply have the
spectator turn over the billet and BOOM! They will freak out!

If they say a different sign, then you will simply re-frame with the following script:
“Okay, that was just a guess. Now this time this needs to be instinctive so go with the
FIRST option that enters your head. Do you feel I was born in the Second or First
half of the year?”
This line allows for the participant to subconsciously go for the first choice, which in
this case is the Second half of the year. I haven’t seen this method used before
excepting in Silent Poet by Fraser Parker however it was a different method with a
different effect. If the participant says the first option, then you will say the following:

“Perfect! I was born in the Second Half of the Year so let’s continue!”

If the participant says the other option, you will say the following:

“Now I will be honest, I was born in the Second half of the year but that is OK, just
take a deep breath and focus on the next part so you can hone in on my sign.”

Now we will go straight into the principle that will make this all work so that the
participant will end up on the right Star Sign.

Introduction of the Secondary Principle

The following is based on the classic psychological force of the colors red and blue
which was first found in Psychological Subtleties by Banachek. What I have done here
is change it to have the color force be Purple utilizing the right language. Here is the
following script to accomplish that:

“This next part is all about focusing on your subconscious so when dealing with the
subconscious, the PRIMARY colors tell us a lot about our lives.
 So, with this in mind, I want you to allow THESE colors to enter your subconscious,
think of a couple of colors, and mix them to create a new color.”

This script helps the participant think of the color PURPLE, which is what will be used
later to associate it with two-star signs. I wouldn’t have been able to get here without
the help of my friend, Ross Bartels

Once you have forced PURPLE on the participant, you will say the following:

“Now there is a belief that each of the star signs relates to specific aura colors that
everyone carries around with them based on their sign and you have created your
own based on the subconscious. You thought of the FIRST colors that came to mind
and then created a new color.”

This helps to introduce the topic of aura colors for the effect, and it also helps reframe
the wording to make the spectator believe that they could’ve thought of the FIRST
colors that came into their head because you said the word PRIMARY in the script
prior.

You will now say the following:

“I’m going to list each of the star signs which relate to each of the main aura colors,
and I want you to focus on whichever sign you feel belongs to me that corresponds to
the color you are now focusing on.”

“You already know I am not a [name whichever sign they called out as wrong
before].”

This last line may not be needed but I added it for safety to ensure the spectator ignores
the sign they have already called out as wrong (which in turn will allow them to be left
with only a one-star sign—the force sign or your actual star sign, already written down.

I now list signs from whichever half of the year they have already successfully divined I
was born in, with the following adjustment:
This is important to note that I list my star sign [the sign written down]—and whatever
sign they guessed at the start of the routine and got wrong— when I say the color
PURPLE.
For example, since my sign is in the second half of the year then the scripting would be
as follows:
“So, just focus on whatever color you created.”

“The signs, Virgo and Scorpio relate to the color orange; Libra and Sagittarius relate
to the color indigo; and [The sign that they said previously] and Cancer relate to the
color purple”
As you see above, all you must do is ensure that you place your actual star sign and the
one they guessed wrong within the color grouping you secretly know they are thinking
of, to ensure they must now think of the correct star sign (which is written down).

Once they feel like they have homed in on your sign and confirmed it, you will continue
by saying:

“So, you now have a star sign you feel belongs to me?... Now say what sign you
believe is mine…”

You will now turn over the card on the table and show that they got it right. This will
work most of the time due to the psychological force of the colors red and blue hidden
within the script.
I would name the star signs out of order and usually state the signs and their
corresponding thought-of color first, followed by the rest of the signs, to help hide any
inconsistency.

If they look confused or unsure at this point, then that will mean they are thinking of a
color that has not been listed. When this happens, simply say:
“As a matter of fact, change your mind a few times and just settle on whichever one of
those signs feels correct.”

This will give you another chance to get the star sign to hit.
If it doesn’t work, don’t worry. This is the spectator trying to use their intuition. Simply
explain how difficult it is and move on to guessing their sign using your favorite
method by saying the following:
“I’m a Cancer. Don’t worry. This shows you just how difficult it is to walk up to a
stranger and be able to trust your intuition to perfectly divine their star sign. So, with
your permission, I would like to try this with you and guess your star sign.”

Naturally, there may be a slight inconsistency every time you perform this effect.
Namely, if you are listing the signs belonging to whichever half of the year, they believe
you were born in and your star sign doesn’t fit, it will stand out to those who know
about such things as star signs and the months they each occupy.
Also, you may need to name a sign which doesn’t fit whichever half of the year you are
working with whenever the sign they guess wrong at the start is from a different half of
the year.

I feel these inconsistencies will fly past most spectators you perform for. However,
since we are in a society where star signs are seemingly becoming popular, and
someone does notice and when it comes to revealing your sign, they say something
along the lines of:
 “But that sign isn’t in the Second half of the year.”

All you must do is say:

“Sorry, my mistake; but even with me telling you the wrong half of the year, you were
still able to just trust your intuition and correctly divine my sign. Well done! That is
the difference between overthinking and trusting your feelings, and you did
perfectly!”

They will not want to take away from their success and so everything will tie up
perfectly whenever this could become a potential problem.

Most people don’t know the order of the star signs and which signs fit in which half of
the year, anyway; so, most of the time you will be golden.
If you are performing for those knowledgeable in such areas, such as psychics or those
into astrology, then simply use a different method.

Alternative Handling
If you do not want to label the force color with your actual sign and the sign, they
guessed wrong before then you can do the following.

In this case with Cancer, I would place a sign like Leo alongside it as I list the signs and
the colors they coordinate with. So instead, the listing script would be the following:

“So, just focus on whatever color you created.”

“The signs, Virgo and Scorpio relate to the color red; Libra and Sagittarius relate to
the color orange; and Leo and Cancer to the color Purple”

“Now think of the two signs that associate with your aura color and choose the one
that you feel is mine… [wait until the participant confirms then continue] ... Now that
you have a sign in mind, I want you to take this card and pen and write it down so
that you aren’t just agreeing with me.”

This is a beautiful way to reveal at the end an effect that was brought up by Ross Bartels
during a jam with me and Fraser. I love this way because it is just like how you might
do when performing mind reading feat yourself and they have committed to their guess
in writing. Not only that, when the performer reveals their sign, the reaction will play
much bigger as there is a point of reference.

Now as they are writing, you will use a technique known as Sound Reading which was
first taught in 13 Steps to Mentalism to identify ESP symbols. But instead, you must
just hear whether the participant writes a C first or an L.

This may seem scary but if you write down both letters on a pad right now, you might
notice that there is a softer sound writing the C than writing an L. Another thing that
you can do is pencil read as they write down the sign. For more information on both
topics, I do suggest looking into 13 Steps to Mentalism, and Mind Games by Peter
Turner and Mark Lemon.

If the participant writes down a C, then you know that they are thinking of your sign so
thus you can have them continue and not say anything.
However, if they write an L first you will say the following:

“As a matter of fact, cross out what you have written down so far and change your
mind to the other sign because I think you might surprise yourself.”
Now they will write down your actual sign and place the card facedown. This was an
idea that was brought up in Mind Games by Peter Turner and Mark Lemon when they
talk in-depth about sound and pencil reading.
You can show your card with what your sign is and get your reaction from your
participant to show that they thought of the same star sign with their card as proof.
Delos 2.0
Quick Reverse Star Sign
This version of the reverse star sign uses then concept of using the four elements.
However, I am not the first to think of using the elements in a star sign effect
proplessly. Peter Turner in his Bonus Star Sign Reveal called Eye to Eye which can be
found in his book Star Goes Supernova and Ross Tayler Reverse Star Sign Knowing
Stars which was published in his and Fraser Parker’s limited book, ‘Second Coming’.

These inspirations led to me to create the following which is the fastest way to get to the
result of having the participant guess your star sign!
So, with that being said, let’s get into ‘Delos 2.0’!

Breakdown
NOTE TO READER**You will again do the same introduction for writing
down your sign and having them guess first so please look again look
back at Delos for reference. ***

You will say the following:

“Now to have you be able to do this, you need to know some things about what the
thing you are trying to guess. So star signs are made up the elements which are (Your
Star Sign’s Element) and …. what are the others? (The spectator will say the other
element) …

Here you are telling them something which will help them get in tune for guessing your
star sign. You will start by saying what the elements are and say your element for your
star sign first (In this case, the element for my sign is water) and then have them say
the rest of the elements. I then have the elements repeated by the participant and they
will be forced in an order by placing your element first and then saying the rest. This
will be important for forcing this element as you will see later on. This technique of
forcing an order was inspired by Peter Turner’s Not Ed Marlo’s Snap Change, so credit
must go to him.
Now before we go any further, I just want to place here the four elements and the signs
that associate with them:

Fire Signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)

Earth Signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
Air Signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
Water Signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)

I would commit these to memory because this will help later when they end up of the
forced element that has your star sign. With that being said, let’s get into that!

Mental Selection of the Element

Now as you remember before, you placed your element in the first position so now you
will have them end up on that element.

You will do this by saying the following which will show the randomness happen in the
mind of the audience and the participant. The following is what you will say next:

“I want you to think of these elements.... Focus on the first element...one that stands
out to you. I think you have a couple of elements in mind, so just focus on the first
element that you started on.”

Here, it looks like you’re getting the person to do one thing, when really you sneakily
direct them to do another. In this case, they would be focusing on the element, Water

“I want you to think of these Elements... Focus on the FIRST element...”.

As you can see, the above line instructs them to think of the first element. Once you see
them do this, quickly say:

“...one that stands out to you...I think you have a couple of elements in your head so
focus on the first element that you started on...”.

This makes the participant follow your instruction so that, when you ask them to go
back to the first element, they will end back up on the water (i.e., the one that your star
sign associates with).

The language in the above script is similar to that used in the `Kings’ Force’ by Ross
Tayler, as well as the ‘First Letter Ploy’ by Michael Murray. So, credit must go to these
two brilliant thinkers.
Once you have now had the participant get on this element, you are now ready to have
them get to your star sign.

Placement of Your Sign

You will now place your star sign in that element, and you will do this by doing saying
your element with two of the signs that are in that element and then say the sign that
they guessed at the beginning that is wrong.

Therefore, I brought up memorizing the crib with the elements related to the signs
because one of two things will happen. If they say a sign that is not yours but is a part of
your element, then you don’t need to change around anything. But if say a sign that is
in a different element then you will switch one of the signs that are not yours with the
sign that they said.

I’ll give an example, if someone said Aries at the beginning, I know that Aries is a fire
sign so I will switch it for one of the other two in my element so for that I will say the
following (I will bold the two signs that are switched):

“So now that you have an element in mind, I will say that the elements and the signs
that are associated with each one. I want you to just listen for your thought of element
and the star signs that associate with it… The Fire Signs are Scorpio, Leo,
Sagittarius. The Water Signs are Cancer, Aries, and Pisces. The Air Signs are
Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Finally, The Earth Signs are Taurus, Virgo, and
Capricorn… So now you should have a couple of signs in mind based on the element
you thought of…”

This will allow the participant to think of your element that has your star sign and will
only leave them down to two which in this case are Pisces and Cancer. They will not go
for the one that they named before as brought up before in Delos.

Now you will go through the Sound Reading/Pencil Reading procedure which was
brought up in Delos

Once you have now had your participant on your star sign, in this case, Cancer, then
you can reveal that they got the star sign!
Concluding Comments
I suggest performing each of these reverse star sign guesses one on one with someone
and especially try to perform these in a different atmosphere performance-wise than
other effects that you perform because of it involving a star sign.

Just like as it was brought up in Delos, if this does fail, then you can go straight into
revealing their star sign and explain how hard mind reading is.

I need to thank Fraser Parker for inspiring me to create this reverse star sign guess and
presenting his suggestion and contribution for this book.

I hope you enjoyed reading the inner workings of this and I hope you use the ideas,
such as the Secondary Principle, in your own work.
Erebus
Pseudo Hypnosis Technique

As you read from the last effect, Hypnos, I have had a love for hypnosis. It has always
been a realm I have not delved into until early 2018. Now I have used it in many of my
stage acts since then, but it wasn’t until I went back into Peter Turner’s Bigger Fish
Files that I was reminded that there was a different world of hypnotism called pseudo
hypnosis. This made me want to create more pieces and techniques to thus show that a
participant is under hypnosis.

This then made me combine the following techniques to recreate hypnotic stunts that
anyone could only imagine of doing.

So, for the first time, I will be diving into my favorite way to put someone under
hypnosis in a stage format. Without a further ado, Let’s get into Erebus!

Description
The following is a technique to create a realistic effect of hypnotic abilities. It looks like
you just simply hypnotize your participant on stage and then ask them to do things that
look impossible.

The clean-up is perfect for this as well and nothing is whispered to the participant.

Breakdown
The secret behind this is that you will be creating an instant stooge on stage, and you
will tell them that they go through a stage that feels like hypnosis.

To start every one of my hypnotic pieces, I have them write down a piece of information
and then secretly peek it doing whatever peek you like. (There is a reason for this as
you will see later on)

This was inspired by Peter Turner’s hypnotic effects that he does.

Now that the participant has written something down, you will now put them under an
induction which you can find in many of the works of Robert Temple, Peter Turner,
and Anthony Jacquin.
Now once they are under, you will wave your hand over their face, and you will secretly
touch your participant in whatever manner that you wish on the back. I preferably use
Luke Jermay’s ‘Touching on Hoy’ technique.

Use your favorite pseudo induction to put your participant under and then say the
following script:

“Listen very carefully, I must be honest with you… sometimes when I put people under
hypnosis with a group… I can when some people are resisting the process. So, to solve
this, I would touch that person on the back and tell them to pretend to be hypnotized
and the more that they pretend the more they will be under the state of hypnosis. Nod
if you understand? (The participant will nod) ... I think you know what you need to do
from this point forward. Nod if you understand? (The participant will nod)”

Since your participant was secretly touched on the back, they will acknowledge what
you have said, and they will pretend to be hypnotized.

Now you can awake them from the induction and do any type of hypnosis stunts that
you would like to do such as making the participants forget their name, making their
hand stick on a table, or making them unable to read a word.

Once you have performed your hypnosis act, you will put your participant back under a
pseudo induction, have them come to, and then say the following line to clean it up:

“Now that you are awake and alert, I have to tell you… this wasn’t about me
hypnotizing you but it was actually about putting you into a different state of mind
because when you go back to your seat… if anyone asks you that you were hypnotized
you won’t believe because you actually put into a state that helped me be able to get
inside of your head to pluck out the one name that you were thinking of… (You will
pick up a pad and write down the peeked name that you saw) … For the first time, can
you please say out loud what the name was that you were thinking of?...”

This line of script helps to tell your participant that they were not hypnotized but it is
hidden in here where it feels to the rest of the audience that the participant on stage
has been. Once your participant says their thought of name out loud, you will show the
name that you wrote down on a pad and you will receive the audience’s reaction thus
ending the piece.
Concluding Thoughts
The reason for having the participant write something down is because they will get an
effect on stage and this, I first saw in Bigger Fish Files, and How to Control Minds by
Peter Turner when he talked about this topic.

This technique was mainly inspired by the work of Anthony Jacquin and Luke Jermay
and I need to thank those two creators for inspiring me to come up with this technique.

I hope that this effect can be a starter for some of you to get into this realm of pseudo-
hypnosis and even the use of actual hypnosis, (including the use of inductions) in your
mentalism performances.
Meian
Most mentalists are familiar with Max Maven’s excellent Kurotsuke routine. I am a big
fan of this routine and enjoy seeing other versions and iterations of it. One of my
favorites is by Morgan and West, which I saw them perform on their Penguin Live
Lecture.

It is entitled “Hopes & Fears” and involves the performer having to find the one ‘hope’
hidden amongst several ‘fears’. As they do so, they also reveal the fears that the
participants are thinking of.

The concept was great and looked nothing like the original Kurotsuke. Inspired by this
concept, I wanted to expand upon it and create a brand-new routine. After much work
and creative sessions, something eventually bloomed from that initial seed of an idea. I
hope you are ready to learn it!

Description
Five participants join the performer on stage and are asked to grab one ball out of a bag
that is filled with an array of white and black balls.

Once each participant has chosen a ball, the performer explains that, if they have a
black ball, they will think of a fear. However, if they have a white ball, they will think of
a hope in the form of a question for their future.

The performer now goes on to find who has a fear in mind and who has a hope in mind,
whilst also revealing relevant information that was not written down during the
performance.

Breakdown
Pt. 1: The Pre-Show
The method for this version of Kurotsuke starts before the show even begins. Yes… you
are pre-showing someone before the performance. However, it helps to achieve the
effect and enables you to end seamlessly.
You ask the pre-showed participant to think of something that they are afraid of (i.e., a
fear) AND to write down a question about their future (i.e., a hope). This can be done in
a multitude of ways, such as having them write it on a card and putting it in a Shaxon
Flap envelope or using an impression pad to gain the information.

I use the following lines to justify why I am getting them think of something before the
show:

“Hi! My name is (insert your name). Are you coming to the mind-reading show? [Wait
for their response]. Perfect! At some point during the show, I’m going to have a few
participants come up on stage, and I want to ask if you would like to help me out with
this?”

This gives them an option to go up on stage or not as I prefer for people to choose and
have fun on stage than be forced to come up. If the participant says ‘No’, then I move
on to another participant. Once you find someone who says ‘Yes’, you can deliver the
next pieces of the script:

“Great! So, I’m going to have you think of something now, rather than on stage. This
is because, when people are on stage, they usually go blank and are unable to think of
something in the moment. I want the show to go smoothly for everyone, so I am doing
this now before the show begins.”

You can then deliver this next piece of the scripting:

“So, what I am going to have you do is write down a fear - something that you are
afraid of like clowns or spiders. Then I want you to write down a hope in the form of a
question. Make this a question that you would like to be asked about your future, such
as a question about your family or your well-being. Take this pen and write it all
down here. Go ahead and do this for me now. Let me know when you are done.”

Once they’re done, ask them to take what they have written down and hide it (e.g., rip it
off the impression pad or put it in a Shaxon envelope). You will then say “a matter a
fact” line that will get rid of any evidence that the spectator’s thoughts were written
down. The line goes as follows:

“As a matter a fact, will you be able to remember these pieces of information later?”

Once the participant has given their answer, say the following:

“Perfect! [Rip up the evidence and throw it away in a trash can nearby]. Just remember
the hope and the fear that you have written down, because there will be a piece in the
show that is based on that theme. Throughout the show, I want you to keep saying
both the hope and the fear over and over in your mind so that you don’t forget them.
Once I bring you up on stage, you will be asked to think of one of them at random.
 When you know which one you will think of, bring that piece of information to the
forefront of you mind. Does this make sense?”

This gets rid of any information that was written down by your participant. It also gets
them to understand that it is important to keep both pieces of information in mind.

If your pre-showed participants need clarification, you can just repeat what you said to
them so that they understand what they need to do.

You can then finish by saying: “Thank you so much for doing this and I hope you have
a great time at the show! I will see you on stage!”

You’ve now successfully pre-showed a participant for the routine and have what they
wrote down in your possession. When you are backstage before the show starts, you
can peek at it and log the piece of information in mind.

You are now ready to perform the routine proper. However, before we get into it, I
would like to finish this section with some important notes.

Important Notes:
1. Make sure to ask the participant whether they’ll be at the show. This is important
because you don’t want to go out and grab people from the audience only to see
that your pre-showed person is gone. I also tell them when this part of the show
will take place, as you don’t want to go out in the audience and suddenly realize
that your pre showed participant has gone to the bathroom or something. You
can always prepare short back-up routines or stories that can be performed in
case this ever does happen. Once they’re back, you can then proceed.

2. I always ask where they will be sitting. Obviously, if you are in a parlor situation,
this is fine because of how intimate and small the room is. You will easily find
them. However, in a theater situation, you can look at their ticket to learn in
advance what section they will be sat in. I perform a routine or two before
performing Meian. This enables me to scan the audience and check whether my
pre-showed person is sat in the area that the ticket said they would be.

3. The most important thing that you need to know is never to ask their name
during the pre-show procedure. Do when they come on stage instead. This is
because you want it to seem like you have never met them before. Asking for their
name on stage solves this perfectly.
Some of these ideas regarding pre-show must be credited to Luke Jermay. To gain
further knowledge on this topic, I suggest looking at Premise & Premonitions by Luke
Jermay, Before We Begin by Asi Wind, and Peter Turner’s Penguin Live 2, which talk
about this subject in greater depth.

Now, with the person pre-showed, let’s examine the bag and balls.

Breakdown Pt. 2: The Bag with the Balls

The next aspect of the routine involves using Kurotsuke-related props. However, rather
than a ‘normal’ bag, you will need a two-way opaque forcing bag. Also, rather than four
white balls and one black ball, you will instead need 10 balls - 5 black and 5 white. Place
all the black balls in one side of the forcing bag and all the white balls into the other
side.

The idea of using more balls was brought up in a jam session with Ross Bartels. We
agreed that it would create a sense of randomness, as it would seem like the
participants could take any color ball.

The main thing to remember when handing out the balls is to have 3 white balls chosen
and 2 black balls chosen. One of the black balls must be chosen by the pre-showed
person. The reason will be explained in the next section.

Now that you have your bag ready and you know the pre-showed participant’s
information, you can now go on with the rest of the routine.

Choreography Pt. 1: Grabbing the Balls

Go into the audience and select your 5 participants, including your pre-showed
participant, and bring them up on stage.

Introduce yourself to each one participant and ask them to stand in a line facing the
audience. As you are directing where you want each person to stand, place your pre-
showed participant in the second position. This should look very nonchalant and
natural. Try not to appear robotic or unnatural. No attention should be drawn to this
aspect of the performance.

*NOTE TO THE READER* You could just observe where the pre-showed person
naturally stands. However, I like to position them myself into second spot as it helps
facilitate the revelation process.
Once you’ve positioned the participants, grab the bag containing the white and black
balls. Explain to the audience that there is a bunch of balls inside of it. Then open the
side containing the black balls and say: “Some of them are black”. As you say this,
pretend that you’re searching for the black colored balls. Then, pull out a bunch of
black balls and show everyone.

Once you’ve done this, drop them back into their respective side of the bag and secretly
open the other side. Then say: “And some of them are white” Pretend to be searching
for some white balls as you say this, then pick up a few white ones and show
them. Drop them back into their side once done.

Everyone will now believe that the bag contains an array of black and white balls. Next,
explain that you are going to walk down the line (from the 1st person down to the 5th
person) and, as you do, each participant must grab a ball from the bag without looking.
Tell them to hide the ball so that you and no one else can see what color it is.

Now shake the bag to make it seem like you’re mixing up the balls. Then open the side
with the white balls so that the first participant pulls out a white ball. Once they’ve
done this, close the bag up and give it another ‘mix’. As you do this, open the side with
the black balls. The 2nd participant (the one you pre-showed) will now take out a
black ball and hide it.

Close bag again, give it a shake, and open the side with the white balls so that the 3rd
participant pulls out a white ball. Do the same fake mixing procedure. However, this
time, leave the side of the bag with the white balls open for the 4th participant so that
they take out a white ball also.

Finally, do the same fake mixing procedure and then open the side of the bag with the
black balls, leading the 5th person to pull out a black ball.

Once each participant has taken out a ball, put the bag off to one side and explain the
meaning of each ball.

Tell your participants to hold the ball in between their hands and take a small peek at
its color, while your back is turned. Once they have done this, say the following line:

“This is important! I don’t know what colored ball each of you has. But if you have a
black ball, I want you to think of YOUR fear. For those who are confused, this can be
something that you are afraid of, like clowns or heights. If, however, you have a white
ball, I want you to think of a Hope in the form of a question about your future. Does
this make sense? [wait for the acknowledgement]. Good! Hide your balls and we will
begin.”

The above line is delivered ambiguously so that the pre-showed participant thinks of
their fear. Deliver the script as you look up and down the line of participants. When you
hit the words “YOUR fear”, be sure to say them to the pre-showed participant. It should
appear nonchalant, as if it’s just part of your natural delivery.

Continue with the script, explaining what the people with the white balls need to think
of.

Important note: The reason why a bunch of black and white balls is used is because
the premise of this routine is not about finding one indifferent ball. Rather, it is about
finding the thoughts amongst the group.

As explained earlier, you had the pre-showed participant think of fear AND a hope. The
reason for this is because, if we had them only think of their fear and then choose a
black ball, it would seem suspicious and may lead the participant to (correctly) believe
that they were forced.

Also, as mentioned, with more balls in play, everything seems very random and fair. It
will seem as though the thoughts of the participants on stage could be in any
combination (e.g., all five thinking of a fear, all five thinking of a hope, 3 with a fear and
2 with a hope, and so on).

At this point in the routine, the participants will in the following order:

Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5

White Ball Black Ball White Ball White Ball Black Ball
(Hope) (Fear) (Hope) (Hope) (Fear)
Pre-showed

You are now ready to reveal the information in front of the audience.

Choreography Pt. 2: Revealing the Information

In my opinion, revealing the hopes and fears is the most important part of the routine.
I’ll now explain how I do this for each participant.

Revelation 1: The First Fear

For the first reveal, you are going to get rid of someone thinking of a fear from among
the group. Specifically, this will be participant #5.

Look up and down the line, explaining that you are trying to get small cues from each of
the participants. As you do, stop and stare at 5th participant for a moment, as if you just
saw them give something away. Ask them if they are OK and wait for their response.
Then tell them that you think they’ve had a change in character and ask for their arm.
Take their pulse and tell the audience that their heart rate is racing. Usually, when
people are on stage in front of a large group of people, they will be nervous. As a result,
their heart rate will be beating faster than normal. This helps sell the idea that they’re
thinking of a fear.

Once you have done this, ask participant #4 to also take the pulse of participant #5.
Ask them if they also feel the pulse racing. As you ask this, nod your head. It will cause
the participant to nod with you.

This idea is seen in the Spanish school of card magic by artists such as Dani DaOrtiz,
and Juan Tamariz. It was used to confirm something that hadn’t happened, such as
asking them whether a participant had shuffled a deck when they hadn’t. Because of
the pressure (and suggestion) implied by the nod, the participant will start nodding
along with you.

Having seemingly confirmed that the fifth participant’s heart is racing, say:

“I believe that you are focusing on a fear right now, yes? [Pause and wait for them to
respond]. Perfect! Show me your black ball!”

The participant will confirm that they are focusing on a fear and will pull out their
black ball. Show it to the audience, thank the participant for helping you out, and tell
them to take their seat.

Now you can move on to the next revelation.

Revelation 2: Two Hopes

The next revelation will get rid of two people at once. This will be two participants that
are thinking of hopes (i.e., the questions).

With the 5th participant removed, the order of participants will be:

Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person4

White Ball Black Ball White Ball White Ball
(Hope) (Fear) (Hope) (Hope)
Pre-showed

Look up and down the line again. Suddenly state that you’re getting an impression
from the 1st and 4th participants that will make sense to them.
Instruct them to step forward and think about whether they are focusing on a hope or a
fear. Here, you will add in a moment of dual reality, wherein it will look like you have
plucked their exact thoughts from their mind.

To do this, say to them the following:

“Now I don’t know why I am getting this, but I think both of you will understand these
impressions that I am receiving. So, I am going to write these thoughts down for both
of you to read to yourself.”

Take out a pen and two pieces of card and write the following on each one: “You are
thinking of a HOPE”.

Fold the cards up and hand one to each participant that has stepped forward. Deliver
the following line to help the dual reality come into effect:

“In a moment, I will ask you to read the message on the card. If it’s true, I want you to
take a bow. However, if it’s false, step back in line”

This informs the two participants about what they must do after they’ve read the card.
It also enables the audience to know whether you were correct with your impressions
or not.

After reading the cards, the two participants will bow. Follow up by saying:

“Perfect! So, I got YOURA HOPE, and I got YOURA HOPE. Fantastic! Hand me
your white balls… [pause as they hand them to you and display them to the audience]
…and go back to your seats. Thank you so much!”

This script makes it sound like you got an exact hit on what each person is thinking of.
The reality, however, is that you correctly divined the category (a Hope) but not the
exact details of the hope/question.

Not only is the wording important for making this work, so is the speed in which you
say it. It needs to be said fast so that it sounds (to the audience) like you’ve written
down their exact thought, whilst also sounding (to the two participants) like you’re
divining that they’re thinking of a Hope. You can also use the nod technique to nudge
them into nodding also.

It’s important to say this line quickly, especially when you say “YOURA”. The reason
why you say it in this manner is because if you pause while saying the line, there is a
possibility that can happen where they may say no.

However, what you are telling the participant is that they are a Hope. In the audience’s
eyes, they will believe that you have gotten the EXACT details of their hope.
Once you have taken their two white balls, ask them to take their seats. You’re now
ready to finish this routine on a high note!

Revelation 3: The Final Hope and Fear

You will now be left with two people on stage in the following order:

Person 2 Person 3
Black Ball White Ball
(Fear) (Hope)
Pre-showed

Having a pre-showed participant is perfect for this section of the routine because we
will seemingly confirm that we are, indeed, plucking the exact pieces of information out
of the participants’ heads without anything (apparently) being written down.

To execute the final revelations, you will simply employ the old but trusty One-Ahead
Principle. Grab two regular drawing pads to write your reveals on. Then look at both of
remaining participants and say:

“I want you to try and sum up this fear or hope into ONE WORD. So, if you are
thinking arachnophobia - the fear of spiders - you would just think of the word:
SPIDERS. If you thought of a question that has a theme to it, such as a question about
family, then simply think of the word: FAMILY… does that make sense? [Wait for
them to say “Yes”]. Perfect!”

Both participants will now sum up their fear and hope into one word. The main reason
for doing this is because, if the participant thinking of a Hope has a personal question
in mind, they may not want to share it with the audience. This would cause the routine
to fall flat.

Therefore, having them to sum up the question into one word solves this, as it feels
more comfortable to say a single word than recite the full question.

With both participants focusing on one word, you can now reveal the fears or hopes.
Holding the two pads and pen, explain that you will write down the word that sums up
the question of participant #3.

In reality, you write down the word that sums up the fear of the other person
(participant #2). Put the pad down and ask what their word is that sums up their
question.
Once you’ve done this, go into the one-ahead. Ask participant #2 (who is thinking of a
fear) to focus on their word. Pick up the other pad and write down the word that the
other participant just verbalized (i.e., the word that sums up their question). Put down
the pad, completing your one ahead.

*NOTE TO READER* You can play up these revelations in any way you wish or in a
way that fits your character. You could instruct them to answer ‘Yes or No’ questions,
or answer questions only in their head. You could also use cold reading or propless
Q&A methods.

At this point, you are ready to reveal the information to the audience. Pick up the two
pads with your back to the participants on stage. Show what you have written down to
the audience with each pad on their side respective side (i.e., hold the pad with the
fear on the side where the pre-showed person is, and hold the pad with
the hope on the side where the participant thinking of a hope is standing).

Now tell your participants what they are specifically thinking of, such as:

“Now be honest with me… You’re thinking of a Hope… [pointing to the person thinking
of a hope] …and you are thinking of a Fear [pointing to the pre-showed person
thinking of a fear), correct?”

Once you have received your reactions from the participants on stage and the audience,
follow up by saying:

“Now that’s good! But what is more important is whether I have received what your
exact Hope and Fear is…”

Ask both participants what word summed up their Fear/Hope. Once they do, turn the
pads around to show the audience and then the participants. Receive your worthy
round of applause because you are a legend!

Concluding Thoughts
This is a nice, alternative way of approaching the beautiful Kurotsuke routine, not only
in premise but also methodologically (e.g., by using pre-show, a forcing bag, and
multiple balls).

I know that pre-show can be scary to some, but I feel that it is justified and properly
used in this routine. It also allows for a great reaction from the participant. For the
audience, the reaction is even stronger as it seems as though nothing is written down
and that you’ve just plucked pieces of information out from the participants’ minds.
One final point concerns the thematic polarity. This can, of course, be changed if you
wish to do; it is not limited to Hopes and Fears. I am not going to give examples of
other alternative polarities because I want to see where your thought processes go now
that I have presented this routine concept to you. The only reason why I created this
routine with this polarity is that it is a perfect segue into a Q&A act.

I hope you take what you can from this routine to incorporate it into your
performances. Enjoy!
Synchro
In his 2nd Penguin Live Lecture, Peter Turner talked about a PK Touch routine
involving an elderly couple where, at the end, the two participants think of the same
word! This was a beautiful performance piece and has been ingrained in my mind ever
since.

In 2020, an idea (inspired by the above) popped into my head. It involved a participant
transmitting a thought to other participants who then can divine the word. I considered
several ways to do this. Then, one day, it hit me!

The resulting routine that I created is something that I am very proud of. It’s also my
favorite closer to do in a set with a group of people as it, hands down, gets the best
reactions.

So, let’s get straight into Synchro!

Description
The performer asks two people to join them on stage (preferably a couple).
One person from the couple (Person A) is asked to write down a word that symbolizes a
memory that they experienced together. Once written down, the piece of paper is
hidden away. Person A is then asked to send that word to three other spectators, who
are asked to write down the first word that comes to their mind.

The three cards are then collected and given to the other person in the couple (Person
B). Person B is asked to focus on the word that the group has agreed upon as being the
chosen thought of word. Once Person B has a word in mind, they are both instructed to
say, on the count of 3, the word they have in mind. Astoundingly, their words match!

Materials and Preparation

To perform this effect, you will need a stack of billets and a pen. You will also need to
take two billets and write two different words on them. On one billet, write a random
word. I use the word: TREE. On the other billet, write the word: NO. There is a reason
for this, as you will see later.

Place the two billets, face down, on top of the billet stack in this order:

Billet with TREE

Billet with NO

The rest of the stack

Now flip the stack over so that the pre-written billets are against the palm of your hand.
This sets you up to switch the billets in and out. (This idea originated in Modern Magic
by Professor Hoffmann, published in 1901, and was labelled as a ‘face-to-face deck’).

Finally, you will need employ your favorite billet peek in this routine. I use Acidus
Novus by Millard Longman, as it fits the choreography perfectly.

Once you have all these things ready, you’ll be set to perform the routine.

Breakdown
First, invite a couple up on stage and have the one of them write down a random word.
You can do this by saying the following lines of script:

“Before we begin, I would like you to write down, on this line, a word that sums up a
memory that you experienced with your partner. This can be a first date or something
funny that may have happened to the both of you. Once done, fold up the card and tap
me on the shoulder”.

This is where you will set up the billet so that you can perform Acidus Novus or any
other folded-billet peek.
Take the billet back and get your peek of the word they wrote down. Let’s say the word
was: ROSE. Now that you have peeked this word, ask the participant who wrote it to
place it in an empty pocket.

Now introduce the premise of the effect using the following question:
“Who here believes that you can have a total connection with a complete stranger and
not even know it?”

This question kicks the routine into high gear, as you will get to see many participants
think about their answer. Once you see a number of hands raised, continue by saying:

“I believe that we’re all be connected until we fully get to know each other… [Look at
the couple on stage and continue]...For example, you both had to find a true
connection with one another before you can count on the other person to be there for
you in desperate times…So with this in mind, this is what I want to try with the both
of you and the rest of the audience.”

The above scripting conveys to the audience that some of them will be playing a part in
the routine in a moment.

Double Memory (A Gag to Hide the Method)

You will now say the following line of scripting:

“Before we create a connection, I want to show you something fun.”

Take out the stack of billets with the two pre-written words facing towards your palm.
Grab two blank billets from the top and write down the peeked word on both of them
(which in this case is ROSE). I suggest writing the peeked word differently on both
cards (i.e., one sloppily and one neatly). It will now look like it’s been written by two
different people and, therefore, won’t receive any unwanted heat later.

Once you’ve written the word on both billets, place them face down on top of the stack.
Now look up, point to the person on your left and say: “Be honest, do you know if you
can read someone’s mind?”

They will obviously say ‘No’. You then turn your body and point to the person on your
right and say: “And do you?”. They will also say ‘No’.
With your body is turned and the stack out of sight of the audience, turn the stack over
in your hand. This will place the two pre-written cards on top, and the two cards with
the peeked word written on them facing your palm.

For clarity, the stack will now be in the following order:

Billet with TREE

Billet with NO

The rest of the stack

Billet with Peeked Word

Billet with Peeked Word

Now deal off the top two billets. The first one (with a random word on it) is dealt to the
person on your right, while the billet with ‘NO’ on it goes to the person on your left.
Once you’ve done this, say the following script:

“I have written down a word on both of these cards.”

Pick up the billet on your right and hold it with the word facing towards you. Point to
the person on your right and say the following:

“Think of the first word that just pops into your head, any random word.”

The participant will obviously say any word and will very likely be wrong. Turn the card
around (showing the random word you wrote) and say:

“That would have been amazing, right!?”

This is the first comedic moment for your audience. Everyone will laugh, releasing the
tension. Once the laughter diminishes, continue by saying:

“But, of course, I did not expect you to get this word correct”.

Turn to the person on your left, pick up the billet in front of them, and say:
“The same goes for you, [pointing to the person on the left]. Do you know what word
is written on the other side of this card?”

They will also say ‘No’. This time, however, act surprised and turn the billet around. As
you do, say: “Ladies and gentlemen…the word NO. Amazing!”

This second comedic moment will elicit another laugh from the audience. It is based on
a well-known joke found in Corinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism, that has been used many
times by stage performers. However, it’s being used here to also facilitate the method of
the overall routine.

Once the laughter has died down, continue by saying the following:

“All laughter aside, you both obviously would not have been able to guess what was
written on the cards because you had no connection with either of these words. This
will not work with everyone, but I want to show you how powerful a connection can
be.”

The above scripting provides the audience with an explanation for why the
demonstration (involving the random word) did not work.

Now put the two cards away in your pocket and move into the next (and main) part of
the routine; the part where you will cause both participants to think of the same word!

Connection Created
Make a call back to the peeked word by looking at the person who wrote it and say the
following:

“You have a word in mind, yes? [Wait for the participant to answer and then continue]
…Good! I want you to try and send this word to your partner. But since this is your
first time, I’ll give you a little bit of help, just so that this word can be successfully
transmitted to your partner.”

This provides a justification for why you will be using members of the audience.
Essentially, you’re implying that you do not want to embarrass the other partner if they
are not able to intuit the word.
You now need three random people from the audience. I find that it’s best to get the
person who wrote the word to randomly choose the people. Once they have been
chosen, give each of them a billet and a pen and ask them to stand up. Now say the
following script:

“The three of you out in the audience, I want you to look into (insert spectator’s name
here)’ s eyes. Imagine what they could be thinking of right now. Allow some images to
go through your mind. Once you have a received a word related to the memory they
are thinking of, write it down on your card and keep it face down between your
hands.”

This is a very intimate moment between the participants and audience. I love it because
I often feel the energy of the room becoming different through the audience and the
participants who are engaging in this aspect of the routine than the routines that came
before it.

Ringing in the Memory (the Switch of the Cards)

Once the three participants have written down a word, pick up the stack of billets. Hold
them in your non-dominant hand and ask the three participants to walk up and place
their billet face down on top of the stack.

Have them do this one at a time because, in a moment, you will switch two billets for
the ones with the peeked words written on them.
Specifically, once two of the participants have added their billets to the top of the stack,
point to the third person and ask them to come up. As they walk up on stage, turn the
stack over in your hands at the side of your body. The third billet will now be on top of
the two billets that have the peeked word on them.
With the switching move done, you can go into the final part of the effect

Choosing of the Word

Ask the other participant in the couple to reach down, pick up the three facedown
billets from the stack, and mix them up.

Instruct them to lift the billets up towards their face so that they can see the words.
Then say the following line to get them to choose the peeked word:
“Please look at those three words and think of which one you feel the group picked up
on [wait for them to say that they have a word] …and if you feel like they haven’t
homed in on the word, just think of any word you want. Now place the cards face
down in my hand and look into the eyes of your partner.”

This is the icing on the cake, as it guides the participant to choose the peeked word.
This is a new look at ‘The Hoy Principle’ made popular by David Hoy. I have not seen it
done before, nor have any of my close mentalist friends.

As you can see, everyone else will believe that the participant has complete freedom
over the word that they pick. However, thanks to the wording of the script, the
participant will be forced to pick the one word that the group appears to have agreed
upon. I have

For this reason, I have named this the ‘Concord Force’.

Now that the participant has the force (peeked) word in mind, we can nicely wrap up
the routine by saying the following:

“Now, there may have been three of the same word on each card or completely
different words. BUT it’s fair to say that you are thinking of a word that stood out to
you, correct?”

This helps to reframe what just happened, creating the notion (for the audience) that
the word was freely thought of and that no props were used.

The concept of the “reframe” was recently cemented in the literature by Ross Tayler in
his and Fraser’s joint work on their propless name guess “Ouija”. Other works that use
this same idea include Fraser Parker’s “eye close cues” and Peter Turner’s “NOT the Ed
Marlo snap change”. However, Ross was the first to purposively apply it in a very
specific and direct manner (and give it a name), so credit must go to him.

Now you will say the following:

“When I count backward from 3 to 1 and snap my fingers, you will both say the word
that you have in mind right now…. 3…2…1…” (snap fingers).
This wording (and instruction) was brought to my attention in a routine by Peter
Turner in the Royal Road to Mentalism Vol. 3, wherein both participants say the same
word at the same time.

Once you have snapped your fingers, both participants in the couple will say the exact
same word at the same time. When they do, tell your audience to give your participants
a big round of applause.

Concluding Thoughts
An alternative way of doing the reveal is to have the second participant write down the
word (forced on them via the Concord Force) on a pad. Then get the first participant
(who originally thought of and wrote down this word) to say it out loud. This approach
gives us a point of reference, which will make the reveal bigger because the audience
reacts first, followed by the first participant. This concept has been previously
recommended by other mentalists, such as Marc Paul and Peter Turner.

There is one more variant I didn’t touch upon, but I want to leave it here so that you,
the reader, can get your cogs turning on how you would do this. Suffice to say, drawing
upon the ideas used in Synchro, imagine being able to have one participant guess what
ESP symbol has been chosen, guess a playing card that someone is merely thinking of,
or make one participant reveal another participant’s star sign.

It’s also worth mentioning that this routine is great to do in a stage/parlor performance
environment because of the ‘hoy principle’. Thanks to our friend, the false memory, the
audience will recall that a couple were simply asked to independently think of word
(relating to a memory or some other theme) and they thought of the exact same word!

This is a workhorse of mine and I hope you see the power that it truly has, especially
when performing it with a couple.
Mirror Touch
by Ross Bartels
One day, I was sat in a coffee shop in the city of Lincoln where I live in the UK. For
some reason, I started thinking about the PK touch plot. There have been several
excellent PK touch releases over the years, with notable examples being Psychokinetic
Touches (by Banachek), Invisible Touches (by Lior Manor), Touched (by Morgan
Strebler), Use the Force (by Colin Mcleod), Staring Sensation (by Patrick Redford),
D'Angelo's Touch (by Rafael D'Angelo), Midas Touch (by Peter Turner), and My Touch
(by Guy Bavli). Although the method for each of these effects is distinct, they all involve
delivering a secret touch upon a participant in one way or another.

This got me wondering. Can a PK touch effect be done that does not involve needing to
touch a participant? This kickstarted a train of thought that ultimately led to this
routine called ‘Mirror Touch’. If delivered confidently and engagingly, you can create a
nice outwardly looking effect for both the participant and audience. The effect works
alone, as well as a lead into a more standard PK touch routine. It can be performed
both one-on-one and with other onlookers present.

I have since discovered that Jerome Finley released a PK Touch effect called Energetic
Touches, which is also purely psychological in nature. Upon contacting Jerome, he
confirmed that Mirror Touch is different enough from his effect to be published here.
So, a big thank you to Jerome for his kind feedback and his blessing for me to put this
in Perna’s book. It’s also important to credit Jerome for being the first to devise a non-
contact PK touch effect!

Description
The performer talks about human connection and how it’s a core aspect of our nature,
especially between close family or friends. They explain that ‘Vodou dolls’ were
originally used to connect people with loved ones that are either far away or passed
away. A participant is invited to take part in a demonstration based on this concept.
The performer first notes something on a billet, which is placed face down on the table.
The participant is asked to place their hand over the billet.

The participant is then instructed to close their eyes, relax, and engage their
imagination. They are told that, when asked to visually imagine something, they must
truly envision it in their mind’s eye. If they are asked to imagine a feeling, they must
truly feel it. The same with the other senses. Once the participant agrees to do this, they
are instructed to envision someone that they are close to standing in front of them.
They are told to imagine this person reaching forward and gently touching them. The
participant is informed to say ‘Now’ when they feel this touch. After they say ‘Now’, the
participant is asked to confirm that they “felt” the touch, which they do.

They are now asked to open their eyes. The performer asks the participant where they
felt the touch. They answer “arm” or “hand”. The performer reminds them (and the
audience) that they had a free choice over where they were touched. It could’ve been
the head, shoulder, knee, face, back, and so on. But they felt it on the hand/arm. But
was it a free choice? Could it have been imposed upon them? The participant is asked
to turn over the piece of card under their hand. They do so and see an X drawn on the
arm of a pictorial voodoo doll. The participant reacts and confirms that that is where
they felt the touch.

Breakdown
As you saw, this little routine combines the PK touch premise with a voodoo doll plot.
The PK touch element, however, does not involve a physical touch. It’s all imagined,
making this a ‘non-contact’ PK touch effect.

I’ve broken down the method into three main parts: (1) the opening script; (2) the
imagined touch; and (3) the voodoo doll reveal. The opening script, firstly, sets the
premise of the routine (the importance of human touch). You then take image of the
voodoo doll, either pre-drawn or drawn in real-time, covertly mark an X on it, and
place it facedown under their hand. Next comes the most important element of the
opening script; instructing the participant to whole-heartedly use their imagination. So,
if they’re asked to imagine seeing something, they must do so as if it were real.
Similarly, if they are asked to imagine feeling something, they must imagine truly
feeling it. You are essentially telling the participant to act as though what they are
imagining is so, causing the imagined to become reality. Fraser Parker, in True
Mysteries, refers to this as the ‘Power of Imagination’ principle. When they confirm
that they will truly imagine what you ask, you’re set to move on, safe in the knowledge
that, when you ask them if they truly felt the touch, they will affirm that they did.

Before then, however, you need to guide their imagination (part two). Here, you
instruct the participant to imagine someone they’re close to standing in front of them.
This tends to be a partner, family member, or a close friend. You then instruct the
participant to imagine that this person reaches forwards and touches them gently.
Now, given that the imagined person is facing the participant, they cannot imagine
them reaching forward and touching their back or their head. It is also strange for them
to imagine a touch below the waist. The same with the chest and abdomen. Thus, the
touch will almost always be on the hand or arm. Moreover, it is natural to imagine
someone emotionally close touching you gently on the hand or arm. Also, the
participant will be sat with their arm outstretched and resting on the table, covering the
voodoo doll billet. This will further nudge them to imagine the touch on their hand.
Once they say that they’ve imagined the touch, make sure you ask them whether they
“truly” felt it - which they will. The audience will now believe that the touch was truly
felt. It’ll also be the participant’s reality thanks to the ‘power of imagination’.

Now comes the final phase - revealing the voodoo doll prediction. This wraps
everything up, turning it into a ‘non-contact’ PK touch effect. This is because the X on
the drawn doll reinforces the idea that they were touched. The implication is that the
doll had a causal effect on where the tap was felt, as an X is shown on the same part of
the body (i.e., the hand or arm). The reason I say hand OR arm is because the voodoo
doll is drawn in such a way that the X could be seen as being on the arm or the hand
(see image below). We are basically taking advantage of the Confirmation Bias, wherein
people tend to perceive things in a way that aligns with their current beliefs or
viewpoint. In the current context, if the participant imagined feeling the touch on their
hand, they will perceive the X to be on the doll’s hand. Conversely, if they imagined
feeling the touch on their arm, they will perceive the X as being on the doll’s arm.

Remind everyone that you drew the X on the voodoo doll long before the participant
did anything, and that it was kept safe under their hand. They, therefore, empathically
felt the tap in the same place. If it’s not believed, you will have still predicted where
they felt it! If for some reason the prediction does not match, act surprised. Then say
that you need to use a real person for the voodoo conduit. Now you can move into
doing your favorite contact-based PK touch effects.

You can also tap a second participant, making it appear similar to a typical PK touch
effect. This simply involves using the ‘timing force’ or ‘stop force’. As explained, you
will tell the main participant to say ‘Now’ out loud when they imagine feeling the touch.
For this version, tell them to start imagining the scenario as soon as you say ‘Go’. Once
you do, they will begin to imagine the scenario. At that very moment, I also begin
counting to five in my head and move my hand above a second participant’s wrist.

When I reach the number five, I tap the 2nd participant on the back of their wrist. The
main participant will very likely say ‘Now’ at this point also, creating a nice
synchronous moment. You can then ask the main participant where they felt the tap,
which will be close to where the second spectator felt it. It will also be confirmed by the
voodoo doll prediction!
Lexiconic Duplication
by Perna and Ross Bartels
The one prop that has always caught my eye has been the ‘alphabet deck’. For some
weird reason, I was drawn to it the moment I learned of its existence. I also feel like it’s
the least explored prop within the mystery arts.

Creators, such as Ken Dyne, Pablo Amira, Fred Fletcher, Mark Chandaue, Max Maven
and Fraser Parker, have created great routines using the alphabet deck as their
inspiration. I wanted to dive deeper into its applications myself and discover something
yet to be found.

One day, Ross and I were jamming and discussing several ideas. Out of that jam, the
following piece of mentalism utilizing an alphabet deck was created. It’s a very
adaptable routine for both close-up and stage performances. So, without further ado, it
is mine and Ross’ pleasure to present - Lexiconic Duplication.

Description
Four participants are asked to come on stage to help the performer out. As they are
coming up, the performer presents an alphabet deck and begins shuffling it.

Once the deck is mixed, the performer starts cutting small packets to the table and asks
one of the participants to call out the word ‘Stop’ so that the deck is cut at a random
place. As soon as a participant does this, the performer takes the first four cards from
the stopped-at-location and gives one to each participant. The four participants are
then asked to mix the cards around to create a word.

Once a word has been generated (using the four alphabet cards), the performer gives
the participants some further instructions to generate a brand-new word. Once a new
word has been settled upon, the performer reveals exactly what it is!

Materials
The item needed for this effect is an Alphabet Deck. We recommend the DMC Alphas.
Once you have the required deck, take out the cards R, W, G, N and put them in that
order from the top down. Once you have done this, place this packet of four cards face
down on top of the deck (more on this in a moment).
Depending on the environment you are performing in, I suggest also having a point of
reference for the revelation (i.e., a billet or a pad on which to write down the word you
will reveal). This enables you generate a bigger reaction at the end of the routine. So,
with these materials ready, you are set to perform the routine!

Breakdown
To begin, force the four cards on top of your deck on the participants. I find that the
Eddie Thatcher Drop Force is best for this, although you can use any force you prefer.
You must ensure that the cards are handed out in a set order, starting with the first
participant on your right and going down the line from there. Once you’ve done this,
instruct your participants to look at their cards and, from left to right, create a word. I
do this by saying the following script:

“Look at the letter you have. And now, from left to right… and without saying a word
to me or the audience… create a word using the letters you all have”.

Now, let’s look at the letters in the order that they are in from left to right:

R, W, G, N
As you can see, a word cannot be created from this order of letters. So, as soon as you
see the confusion in your participants, say the next line of scripting:

“If you can think of a word, then how about we do this. You two switch your letters
[point at the first and second participants on your right] and you two switch your
letters [point at the third and fourth participants on your left]. Now see if you can
create a word from left to right using that order of letters. If you need to, you can add
in a letter to help you.”

By switching the letters around in the manner, they will now be in this order:

W, R, N, G
Now I’ll ask you - the reader – to create a word from these letters. What if you added in
a letter to help you, keeping the letters in this order? What word would you create? If
you thought of the word ‘WRONG’, you would (rather ironically) be correct! So, openly
pat yourself on the back in the room, coffee shop, or library that you’re currently sat in.
But how were you able to do this?

After learning to read, humans soon acquire the ability to recognize words almost
instantaneously (rather than having to always sound out words phonetically). This is
because words become whole representations in people’s mental lexicon. This means
that, when reading a word that has missing letters (especially vowels), people are still
able to ‘see’ (or read) the intended word, as if they were filling in the gaps of the word
without thinking about it. Based on this, it is no wonder that, after many trial runs and
performances, Ross and I have not had anyone be unable to think of the word WRONG
from the series of letters shown above. So, once the participants have stated that they
have created a word, you can continue with the effect.

*Note for the Reader* - The next lines of the scripting are based on ideas and
principles presented to me by Ross Bartels.

With the word WRONG in our participants’ minds, we can use this word to force a new
one. To do so, say the following lines of scripting:

“Now that you have a word in mind, let’s take this further but having you think of a
new word. If you can, think of what the exact opposite of this word might be. For
example, the opposite of ‘hot’ would be ‘cold’. [Wait to see when they do this]. If you
cannot think of its opposite, then think of any other word. Once you have a new word
in mind, give me a clear ‘Yes’!”

Here, we utilize a technique of Peter Turner’s that I first saw him use in the 2nd version
of ‘Book of the Fallen’ (found in Devil in Disguise 2). It involves having a participant
think of the exact opposite of the piece of information that was just forced on them
(which you apparently don’t know).

In this case, if you asked someone to think of the opposite word to WRONG, they would
automatically think of the word RIGHT.

Now that the participants have the word RIGHT in mind, you will get them to think of
another new word by saying the following:

“Let’s take it EVEN further. I want you to focus on the new word that you now have in
mind and think of a different way that you can spell it, but make sure it still sounds
the same if you were say it out loud.
Have you done that?”

Let the spectators confirm that they’ve done this. They will now have the word WRITE
in mind (a homophone of RIGHT). I first saw Peter Turner use this technique in an
effect on his ‘Escalators’ project, which was inspired by a silly joke found in ‘13 Steps to
Mentalism’ by Corinda.

Now that the participants have the word WRITE in mind, move into the final phase of
the forcing procedure. Simply say the following script:
 “Let’s go one FINAL step further! Think of this brand-new word and, as you do, think
of an object that everyone would easily associate with it.”

The participants will now think of a PEN or a PENCIL, as they are both objects that are
readily associated with the word WRITE.

Side note: You must use the phrase “brand-new word” in your script so that the
participants focus on the correct word for the forces to work. If you don’t, they’ll either
get confused, not follow the instruction, or end up with a totally different image.

Now that each participant has the image of a PEN or PENCIL in mind, choose the one
who you believe is the easiest to extract this word from. Ask the rest of the participants
to sit down.

With you and the selected participant together in front of the audience, you are ready to
reveal the image. I’ll suggest just a couple of ways to do this:

1. For a stage performance, you and your spectator can stand back-to-back and draw
your images on separate pads. Once you’re both done, turn around at the same time
and show each other (and the audience) that your drawings match.

2. On stage, draw the image of a pen on a pad and ask the spectator to verbalize what
they have in mind. There is no way anyone can be ‘playing along’. Show the audience
and the participant that you got it spot on.

3. If you’re performing in a close-up environment, you can do the same thing as in

Option 2 but draw the image on a billet instead of a large pad.

Double Checking:

In performances, the image of a PEN comes up a lot. Therefore, you can boldly draw a
pen and you’ll be correct a lot of the time. And you could take it as ‘near-hit’ if they
thought of a pencil. However, many people will want to nail on the exact image. There
is a simple way that you can check whether a participant has thought of a pen or a
pencil. To do so, say the following to your participant:

“Focus on your image as a word for me… Hmm. This isn’t as clear as I had expected. I
think this word is about 5 to 6 letters long. Is that correct?”
If they say ‘Yes’, you know they thought of a PENCIL. You then continue:

“Perfect! Now think of this object as an image. Ah, that’s much clearer. In fact, let me
draw what I think this is.”

Conversely, if the participant says ‘No’ (it’s not 5-6 letters long), you will know that they
are thinking of a PEN. You can then follow up by saying:

“That’s fine. You’re doing great. I’ll tell you what…Try picturing this object as an
image instead. Ah, that’s a lot clearer. Let me go for broke and draw what I think this
is.”

Whether you chose to double check or not, the revelation of the image will make your
audience go bananas, as it is so far removed from the original starting word.

Checking For Spelling:

Let’s say that you’re not feeling confident that a participant has thought of a PEN or a
PENCIL. What do you do? Well, I suggest two options.

a) If you can ‘pencil read’, give the participant a piece of card and ask them to draw
what they thought of on it. Tell them that it’s important to bring this image to the
forefront of their mind (or whatever justification works for you). Once they start
drawing, you can check if it’s a PEN/PENCIL, or something else. For more
information on ‘pencil reading’, I suggest getting 13 Steps to Mentalism by Corinda,
Escalators by Peter Turner, or Mind Games by Mark Lemon and Peter Turner.
They each provide a lot more depth on this topic.

b) Alternatively, you could take a billet from your stack and instruct the participant to
draw their image on it. Then have them put it back into the stack and peek at it
using your favorite full-billet peek. Now you can reveal it verbally in an interesting
way or you can take out a blank billet, duplicate the drawing on it, and then reveal it
to the audience and then the participant, creating the same ending.
Concluding Thoughts
There you have it! A way of using alphabet cards that incorporates an array of other
principles to create a beautiful and fun drawing duplication.

Also, you are not limited to using the word WRONG. There are many other words that
can be used. For example, COLD can force HOT (its opposite), which would then force
the associated image of FIRE or the SUN.

I need to thank Peter Turner for his blessing to share his techniques and principles that
enable this effect to be possible. I would also love to thank Ross Bartels because,
without his mastermind alongside mine, this effect wouldn’t have been conjured up
and put into this book
Final Thoughts (For Now)
To some, this is simply a book. But, for me, it’s much more as I went through the
toughest time in my life while writing it. I lost friends, my thoughts became conflicted,
and I started thinking that this art was my job.

I drowned in the luxury of this art form, which ironically took me down an unfortunate
path that stifled my creativity and passion for it. I took a break, but truly thought that I
would never come back to any of it again!

Surviving the struggles that I faced during this period of my life, I have now come to
terms with who I am! And this art form is a part of that. I realized that I should be
proud of it. If you cannot accept or determine who you are, you will never be able to be
your ‘true’ self.

I am grateful to have shared these ideas with you, even more so now given how very
tough it was to get them into your hands.

I hope you like the thinking. I hope you enjoy and perform the effects. And I hope the
concepts/ideas inspire you to create your own routines and effects.

If you have any questions or would like to share anything with me, you can contact me
at: pernamentalism@gmail.com

This is the end of Orestium - a period of hurdles to finding true love in life.

Until we meet again…

Perna
Thank You’s

Bran Crow

Ethan Watkins

Fraser Parker

Lance Sinclair

Leon Dominik

Leo Flores

Micah Smith

Nathan Lindley

Perseus Arkomanis

Peter Turner

Ross Bartels