The Spa Lover's Guide to Europe - Marc Lemezma

Скачать книгу

now you have chosen your moment, you begin to speak to your audience and, in particular, your chosen friend.

      You hand over the envelope containing your prediction, ask him not to read it yet as you need him to choose a card. Take out your cards and begin to shuffle – this is optional, and a sneaky false shuffle, which keeps your force card on top, is explained later in the book (see page 37). Lay the cards in front of him and ask him to cut them. Then place the top half of the deck to one side and sit the bottom half on top of it at right angles. Your force is now set up.

illustration

      Next comes the misdirection. Until now, all the attention has been on you and the cards, but that is about to change. You ask your friend to open the envelope and read the letter out loud. The attention shifts to him for a minute or two. When you finally draw your audience’s attention back to the cards and lift off the upper section of the deck, they will have completely forgotten which half is which. They will accept without question that this was the card your helper cut to, and will be astounded when they see it matches your prediction.

       FINAL THOUGHTS

      Although the method used for this trick is very simple, it is extremely powerful if delivered correctly. Remember: timing is everything. I also think this trick illustrates a lot of basic principles that can be used to enhance your mind magic, so it is an excellent starting point.

      You can, of course, be creative in your presentation by choosing interesting combinations of audience, venue and card. I don’t know your friends – you do – so give it a little thought.

      ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ RING-A-RING ARISES ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

      Many people might make the assumption that mind magic is simply about reading thoughts, foretelling the future, or perhaps controlling someone’s behaviour. While these are all undoubtedly important aspects, there is another perspective to the art – the effect of the mind on inanimate objects. This is the dimension we are about to explore, a strange place where things move mysteriously and apparently unaided by any normal means. This is the power of telekinesis.

      You will need

illustration

      • A ring.

      • A rubber band.

      • A group of friends.

      • A smattering of magic.

      THE TRICK

      As the murmurs die down following the shock of your prediction for Michael, his girlfriend Amanda removes a tissue from her bag and begins to mop up the puddle of beer he spilt on the table in front of everybody. You gaze for a moment at her hand and touch it lightly. ‘My word, that’s an attractive ring you’re wearing. May I take a closer look?’ After a small struggle with her finger, she removes the ring and places it in the palm of your hand.

      ‘Very nice indeed. This is quite an old ring, I believe. Did it once belong to a relative now deceased?’

      Amanda nods and explains how it was left to her by Joan, her late grandmother.

      ‘Perhaps you have felt something of your departed grandmother’s spirit in this ring. I can certainly feel it, and it seems to want to rejoin her now…

illustration

      ‘If only the ring had enough energy, it would, I feel, surely wish to find its way back to its original owner, wherever she may be. What we need to help it on its way is to make a path of minimal resistance. I have an idea!’

      You remove a small packet of envelopes from your pocket, which are held together with a rubber band. You take off the band and stretch it back and forth a few times, examining it intently. ‘This should do nicely. Please watch carefully and quietly – and concentrate with me.’

      You thread Amanda’s ring on to the band, then stretch it out between your hands. Your left hand is lower than your right, making a definite incline between the two. The ring sits a little less than one-third of the way up the band.

      ‘Amanda, will you please describe you grandmother to us?’

      Everyone listens intently as Amanda paints a vivid picture of Joan: ‘She was quite tall and very elegant, always well dressed. She had deep blue eyes and a warm smile…’

      ‘That’s very good, Amanda,’ you say. ‘I want everyone here now to fix that picture of Joan in their mind – beautiful, warm and elegant – and I want you to see her wearing this ring. Amanda, please would you share with us some more memories you might have of her.’

      Amanda begins to recall distant thoughts of summer holidays at her grandmother’s home in the country, of high teas and bedtime stories. At first the memories come thick and fast, but then she begins to slow a little and stutter as the ring begins to quiver gently and starts to make its way along and upwards on the outstretched band. ‘I think Joan’s ring shares those memories. It seems to want to climb to heaven so that it can be with her again.’

      As the ring reaches three-quarters of the way up the rubber band, you glance at Amanda. You see she’s becoming quite emotional, touched by this strange experience. You pause, smile and hand the ring back. ‘I think this ring belongs here with you, Amanda. Thank you for sharing your memories of Joan. Cherish them always, won’t you?’

      BEHIND THE SCENES

      This can be an amazing experience, yet it almost works itself as it is part physics and part optical illusion. In fact, the ring never moves – not one millimetre. It is the rubber band that moves, under your control of course. Given a little practice in front of a mirror, you can create the appearance of motion and make the experience feel quite eerie.

      In general, whatever objects you perform mind magic with, it is important that they look perfectly ordinary, so start by choosing a rubber band of the right colour, length and thickness for the job. Bright colours, such as blue or red, are not ideal, but good old brown rubber bands are perfect. Try to find some that will comfortably stretch to about 60 cm (2 ft) long. Width is not critical, but anything wider than about 3 mm (⅛ in) would be a little unwieldy.

      For the rest of the explanation I will assume you are right-handed. If you are left-handed, you simply need to swap hands while you undertake the ring rise.

      Thread the rubber band through a ring and pinch one end of the band between your right thumb and forefinger. Make sure you grip this end very firmly. With your left thumb and forefinger, pinch the band tightly about halfway along its length, leaving the remainder of the band resting in your left hand. The ring should be positioned on the section of band between your two hands.

      Now stretch the band out between your hands as far as it will go, at the same time raising your right hand a few centimetres higher than your left so as to make a definite incline. Make sure you keep a tight grip with both hands. Gently shake the band to adjust the position of the ring so that it sits perhaps a quarter of the way along, nearest to your left hand.

      Now comes the secret moves, which, when combined, produce the effect of movement. The first of these is ‘slipping’.

      Gently release the pressure between your left thumb and forefinger, thus allowing the band remaining inside your hand to slowly slip through. The section of band stretched between your hands will become longer, but more importantly, the ring will appear to be moving away from your left hand and upwards along the band.

      The second secret move is called ‘slacking’. Grip tighter again with your

Скачать книгу