This is a fabulous collection of effects all featuring cards performed with a VISUAL impact.
Best-seller, ZOOM is featured along with Ben's popular rendition of Oil & Water with it's glorious three phase routining.
Learn to perform a version of Daryl's famous Ultimate Ambition with ANY DECK. Also featured is the odd and visual Madman's Card to Pocket and a full
work out with the world-famous Super-Flip Move.
Contents:
Zoom
Madman's Card To Pocket
Anytime Ultimate Ambition
Oil & Water Deluxe
Coming Together Again
Super-Flip
Super-Flip Ambitious
Super-Flip Four Ace Explosion
ANESTHESIA is a revolutionary set of cell phone effects like NOTHING BEFORE! Only three people in the world have been privy to these effects (and two of them you KNOW from T.V.) Note: these effects are not apps. You can use ALMOST any phone, any brand, any time! YOU NEVER - EVER - HAVE TO TOUCH the phones. This method and the effects combine to create high-level mentalism that makes you look like a true miracle-worker - moving effortlessly through the digital world, controlling it! Please understand that this is NOT material for beginners. You need to be an experienced performer in order to extract the maximum impact. Also, the performance of these effects is ILLEGAL (see below) IN MOST COUNTRIES! ANESTHESIA is a booklet containing TWO cell phone effects and the outline of an amazing "scam-in-waiting." It is to be printed to the very highest (and self-indulgent standards) by an award-winning commercial printer. This is the first in an annual series of "GOLDEN MOMENT PUBLICATIONS." Each annual publication will be limited to 100 units (signed and numbered), never to be reprinted. Each annual publication will be VERY special in regards the content. Strictly for Ben Harris fans and priced to keep the secrets exclusive! The series begins in 2012 with "Anesthesia."
Effects included:
1. Anesthesia. This is the flagship effect. One where you make a stranger completely vanish. They count backwards from ten to one and, zappo, they are gone! Audience member chooses who is to be made to vanish. Devious and subtle. Reputation-making material. Perform it in a formal paid show, or any time on the streets as a casual piece of AMAZING! (Warning: See terms and conditions, below).
2. The Healing. Any time, anywhere, you notice someone having trouble making a connection on their cell phone. Maybe it's a blind spot with no reception, or maybe their phone is simply playing up. Whatever the reason, this person is a little distressed. You walk up and offer assistance. With no more than a coin and the knowledge of "true north" you magically ESTABLISH CONNECTION for the spectator. You do this without ever touching their cell phone. This is a REPUTATION-MAKER that gives the genuine impression of amazing powers! (Warning: See terms and conditions, below).
3. Cell-Phone Sock Scam. Here's a scam that could make someone millions. That is, unless I beat ya to it! It's published here to establish paternity. So dirty, so filthy, so subtle, so damned cool. This is worth it's weight in gold! The "out of the box" thinking in ANESTHESIA will no doubt spurn much creativity on the purchaser's part. All of the effects can either be performed seemingly impromptu, or as a part of a proper, planned set. (The Cell-Phone Sock Scam can simply be "hatched"). This is a whole new approach to cell phone magic, getting well away from the silly, toy-like apps. This is an exercise in creative thinking that crosses the line! As such, it is supplied as INFORMATION ONLY.
YOU ARE PERFORMING GENUINELY ASTOUNDING AND HANDS-OFF FEATS THAT DEFY ANY LOGICAL EXPLANATION!
Join the EXCLUSIVE FEW today!
Legalities (terms and conditions):
A. The effects and methods described in the book ANESTHESIA are illegal to perform in most countries*. You may not be able to ascertain your country's suitability until AFTER you have purchased the book. It is safe to assume that it WILL BE ILLEGAL to perform these effects in your country.
B. You agree that you are purchasing INFORMATION ONLY and that the publisher does not sanction or encourage any illegal performances or use of the information revealed.
C. You agree to indemnify Ben Harris and Wowbound.com from any claim, legal or civil that may result from any illegal use of the information by you.
D. You understand that due to the value and exclusivity of the information that NO REFUNDS will be given.
E. You understand that the publication date for ANESTHESIA is March 28, 2012 or when the edition sells out. Whichever comes first.
F. The book will be posted to you (by AIRMAIL AT OUR EXPENSE) within two weeks of the above date.
How to Secure Your EXCLUSIVE copy of ANESTHESIA:
If you accept the terms and conditions, please click the button below to order. The cost for a limited edition copy of ANESTHESIA (a signed and numbered edition of 100, never to be reprinted) is US$89.00 which includes airmail delivery to anywhere in the world. You will receive a receipt and we shall keep you informed of progress as the publication date nears.
I've been chipping away at this in my mind for a couple of decades now. Rarely does a month go by when I'm not advising someone, or responding to requests, regarding the marketing of a magic product. There is a desire to get it right, but you don't often see the correct approaches applied. We live in a magic world with a handful of "new effects" being released and FORGOTTEN each week! You need to make sure that YOUR PRODUCT OUTLIVES THIS ONE WEEK window. Be it for artistic or financial reasons you want YOUR PRODUCT TO BE SUCCESSFUL!
This guide is an attempt at giving back the little tricks and bits of business that help ensure YOUR MAGIC PRODUCT is a success. I've been marketing my own magic since 1979. That's a long time. I've had some amazingly successful products, created a classic that will outlive me, altered a couple of genres, AND HAD MY BOMBS, TOO! There is NO 100% GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS. However, by paying careful attention to the details you can improve YOUR ODDS greatly! Much goes into the process to ensure a successful product. Fine tuning the machine (from product conception to after-sales support is what makes the difference between another piece of "internet shite" or a stellar piece of magic that truly appeals across the board and alters our art for the better. Get everything right and you'll be giving yourself and your products the BEST CHANCE they can have to outshine the competition.
Some of the subjects explored:
1. So What's So Special About Your Idea?
2. What are your MOTIVATIONS - ART OR PROFIT
3. Doing it for the LOVE of our Art.
4. Doing it for profit, then do IT RIGHT!
5. The MAGIC NUMBER that ties it all together.
6. So how many do you want to sell, 50. 100, 500, 1000, 10,000, 1,000,000?
7. Get Real.
8. Bringing The Project Home on BUDGET
9. Direct sales?
10. Dealers?
11. Distributors?
12. Doing the DEAL.
13. Going it ALONE.
Etc.
WINNING PRODUCTS - A GUIDE is filled with the sort of detail that will allow the market place to embrace you and your product with enthusiasm. (And that's half the battle. Look at all the one night stands out there now! Gold today GONE tomorrow) You'll learn how to make it all easy by ensuring the correct pricing and distribution, by advertising in the correct manner, while promoting and building a reputation as someone who cares about the details of getting it right! Then you'll be embraced, loved and SOLD! Available March 28, 2012 for US$49.95.
Inspired by a recent internet challenge, Ben Harris has "Le Pauled" the regular baggie! This creates a clever and practical alternative to the traditional Card In Wallet plot. With Sweet Spot, a card, a coin, a borrowed ring or a credit card is made to vanish only to appear seconds later IN THE MIDDLE of the contents of a sealed baggie. This can be filled with sand, candies, stamps, money, oregano, or whatever you want. The presentation angles are up to you. We give you a few to start with like the "Magic Sands of the Sahara," "Mr Blonds Revenge," "The Stamp Collector," "My Favorite Coin Collection" and more. The gimmicked bag is made in seconds and can be created in any size you like. The possibilities really are endless. So, explore this fun alternative route for the classic Card To Wallet effect TODAY.
Here is a unique chance to grab the entire SILENT RUNNING TRILOGY, that's all THREE volumes for a great bundle price. In well over 300 pages you'll explore the birth and devlopment of this unique and mind-blowing technique. The finer details are taught with further lessons from Steve Shufton. Then there's the dozens of routines and handlings. You'll explore pure metalism, card effects, a card stab and DOZENS more items from world famous performers. Stage and close-up is well represented.
Please scoll down the page and you'll find full and detailed descriptions of the contents as well as endoresements from some of the world's leading mentalists and magicians.
"This is so much more than just an effect. It is a powerful subtlety that is a must have for your mentalist toolbox."
-- Banachek (USA)
Aqua~imp is one powerful piece of “incidental” magic. It appears almost impromptu. This illusion of spontaneity actually enhances the mystery—for it is at this magical (and supposedly offhanded moment) you give your spectators a thought-provoking, gentle, and fun glimpse at an un-imagined world of possibility.
Here’s what Aqua~imp looks like: You join friends or clients at a social or office environment where there happen to be bottles of drinking water being consumed. This can be at a bar, outdoor event, sporting occasion, party, anywhere. Bottles of drinking water are ubiquitous these days. Commenting on someone’s particular brand of bottled water, the performer states: “You know this (insert brand) bottled water really does have amazing properties. The ions in the water can transcend to pure helium, making the entire bottle lighter, almost blimp-like... Let me show you. May I have your bottle?”
The performer takes the spectator’s almost empty bottle of water, uncaps it, and spills a little on his outstretched palm. He now smells the water, breathing in deeply and commenting: “Yes, this is the real stuff... amazing. Here, you smell. Can you detect the faint scent of ‘jasmine?’ Upon ionization the water gives off that scent!”
The spectator looks a bit puzzled, being able to detect nothing, but the performer continues and provides proof... The bottle is re-capped and the placed on the table so it is lying down flat. Several other bottles are also laid down flat on the table. The performer now rolls the spectator’s bottle under his palm, back and forth across the table. He then allows the spectator to do the same. “Just roll it back and forth, the remaining water will transcend to a higher state and the bottle will become lighter. It will make the bottle want to float off the table. It’s a bit too heavy to actually do that, but you should see it try darned hard!” After rolling the bottle flat on the table for a few seconds, the spectator lifts her hand and the bottom of the bottle rises up, off the table, following her hand. “It almost does look like a blimp trying to take flight! Push it down flat again. Now release it. Look it really has become lighter!”
The sight of the bottle bobbing up and down is quite freaky. Especially as the other bottles have remained flat on the table throughout. Remember this can be the spectator’s bottle. Commenting that, “The transcended air is too dangerous to leave floating around,” the performer offers to: “...re-compress the molecules, removing all evidence of the ionization.” He instructs the spectator to once again press the bottle flat to the table, but to roll it in an East-West direction. This she does. Upon completion she lifts her hand and the bottle now remains lying flat on the table. The molecules inside the bottle now having returned to their normal state. Further, the bottle is now uncapped and a little of the water tipped out onto your palm. Everyone can now smell the scent of jasmine! Even the spectator’s water bottle will smell like jasmine all day long!
The bottle bobbing upwards looks quite stange indeed. Clearly, gravity is being over-thrown, if just by a little! You'll make this up, ready to go for 20c, literally! Even use a borrowed bottle under the right circumstances. There are many ways you can theme this. Is it a "Genie in A Bottle?"... is it "Heavy Water?" ...how about a "Lie Detector" test??? Adult performers could use it as a "Compatability Test."
The Madman’s Card To Pocket was designed in order to produce a “smack in the face” moment for my day-to-day performances and media interviews. It’s something direct, to the point and utterly impossible in appearance. The effect is all over in a matter of seconds, but this directness—which seems to eliminate the possibility that you could have cheated or manipulated the moment in any way—is what makes this so powerful.
EFFECT: I’ll be as brief, direct and to the point, as the effect itself:
A card is selected (free choice), signed and returned to the deck.
The deck is IMMEDIATELY handed to a spectator— the performer’s hands being otherwise empty (really).
IMMEDIATELY, and with a truly empty hand, the performer removes the just signed card from his jacket’s inner breast pocket.
As per the warning on the front over, a minor clothing modification is required. Once done, it’s invisible and does not affect the apparel’s wear-ability in any way. I’ve had the mod made in most of my jackets and suits, including a two thousand dollar Versace suit. This is direct and powerful magic. As an alternative, yu can also present this as an INSTANT "Card To Sealed Envelope" routine.
IONIC is a ranging force, applied with the fingers, in order to arrive at an apparently random (or unknown number). Such forces—performed on the fingers—have been used for decades. Karrel Fox and Max Maven are both famous for their applications of the approach. For the record, Ray Hyman is credited with FIRST applying the idea to the use of the fingers. (See The Linking Ring, October, 1953). Ray’s application was for a book test called “It’s In The Book.”
Here’s how it usually works: Imagine asking a spectator to hold up any number of fingers on her left hand, and any number of fingers on her right hand. We’ll say she holds up TWO fingers and THREE fingers respectively. The performer would take these two numbers (two and three) and reference them to a page number: “So that’s page 23...” in this example. Sometimes, the range would appear to be larger as the performer would offer the CHOICE of reversing the number like this: “So that’s page 23... or would you like to reverse the digits and call it page 32?” (This subtlety is credited to Sandy Marshall).
The IONIC process however, allows you to limit the result to just six possible outcomes!This can be further compressed to allow JUST THREE OUTCOMES, if you desire!
Clever performers will find dozens of innovative routines to use this with. Harris discusses applications with Book Tests, the ACAAN plot, and some very direct "mind-reading" styled reveals. Andrew Brown has given permission to include his AMAZING "Invisible Card" routine which first apperaed in SR3. Find it here with ALL THE DETAILS.
(Please note, if you have SR3, you already have the material described in this pdf. SR3 is NOT REQUIRED in order to understand and apply the IONIC concept. This is a stand-alone forcing procedure.
Compiled and written by Ben Harris
Silent Running 3 picks up where the second volume, "Run Silent, Run Deep", left off: That is, it is brimming full of novel APPLICATIONS of both the CrossRoads and Silent Running principles. You NEED to be familiar with these procedures (as taught fully in the first two volumes of the trilogy).
Part One of this finale jumps in at the deep end with some stunning and clever contributions. Novel ideas including making an “X” appear on the back of any “thought-of card”* or applying the SR principle to GOSPEL magic or Ten Pin Bowling. OR: How about making a the name of a “thought-of”* card appear in the steam from a spectator’s breath, or mind-reading a word written on the back of a card! This first section of the book also addresses new ways of both selecting a number and a suit during the Silent Running procedure. Lots of food for thought - great ideas and tweaks that you will apply.
Part Two is a full and in-depth essay on the CrossRoads/Silent Running principles from a thoughtful and deep-thinking friend, Mark Trudinger. Mark approaches SR from a disciplined “Marshall arts” background and explores previously unseen nuances. His quest is to give full control to the spectator, and that includes exactly what will happen with the "thought-of card"*. Prepare for a roller coaster ride and to learn several wonderful handlings/effects along the way.
Part Three presents a new force application (IONIC) based on Ray Hyman’s original finger force from 1953. This quirky little adjustment has made the approach fit CrossRoads/Silent Running like a glove. Some hard-hitting applications are taught including “SILENT WITNESS” which is a solution to the “Golden Moment” as originally proposed in the CrossRoads book. (In effect, a card is placed face down upon the table. A spectator creates a card in his mind. No one else knows what it is. This card MATCHES the card placed on the table at the beginning of the effect). No card switches. It’s a clever and VERY FAIR solution that we're sure will become one of your most requested pieces. Ideal for close-up, stage or anywhere. Special template to print out the “secret something” is supplied.
"RAZOR" is another standout in this suite of stunning effects. Imagine a spectator "thinking-of"* a card and then having HIM cut to his THOUGH-OF* CARD WITHOUT YOU ever touching the deck! You don't even need to know what card he thought-of* - it's AUTOMATIC! This WILL go into your "A" List!
Contributors include: Greg Arce, Steve Shufton, Paul Smith, Andrew Brown, Kyle MacNeill, Michael Daniels, Josh Zandman and Ben Harris.
WHAT THE PROFESSIONALS HAD TO SAY ABOUT SILENT RUNNING:
"This is so much more than just an effect. It is a powerful subtlety that is a must have for your mentalist toolbox." -- Banachek (USA)
"Crystal clear and absolutely mindblowing!" -- Martin Adams (UK)
"If you are seeking the holy grail of truly prop-less mentalism then you NEED to get this routine. Ben's thinking has always been unique and here he excels himself!" --Marc Paul (UK)
"Silent Running describes a very clever principle that enables the performer to almost instantly ascertain the identity of a card merely thought of. The Card Stabbing routine made possible by the principle is the most powerful I have ever seen. I highly recommend Silent Running to serious students of the art as well as to professional workers."--Bob Cassidy (USA)
"F*#%ing Brilliant!" -- Nathan Kranzo (USA)
"The Silent Running approach takes things into the realms of real mind reading. I love the newspaper card stab as it has the perfect combination of drama and impossibilty. Great stuff."--Peter Duffie (Scotland)
"This is going to become the best effect of 2010 and possibly of the decade...The genius magic engineer Ben Harris has done it again." --Chris Wasshuber (Lybrary.com)
"The perfect effect for those times when someone says,'Do Something,' and you have nothing with you. With this effect, you need only your mind."--Devin Knight (USA)
"I'll definitely be working this, Amazing stuff." -- Dee Christopher (UK)
"Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!" -- Marc Spelmann
Run Silent, Run Deep is the highly anticipated sequel to the controversial book, Silent Running (which created such a storm of interest in early 2010). This clever approach to the “Think of a Card” plot gained immediate acceptance with mentalists around the world (being translated into Japanese, Spanish and German editions), yet seemingly baffled some magicians who were not used to the subtleties used in performing "mind" magic. Professional mentalists like Bob Cassidy, Marc Spelmann, Jerome Finley, Marc Paul, Devin Knight, Paolo Cavalli, Looch, Francesco Tesei and Banachek saw the potential, many adding Silent Running routines to their acts. Conversely, a handful of magicians failed to see the potential. Why was this the case? Why do mentalists quickly "get it" while some magicians struggle with the concept? I believe the polarization of opinion boils down to two things: The difference between how magicians and mentalists approach their material and performances, and, therefore, my reluctance to provide every bit of minutia in the initial description of the Silent Running procedure. I assumed magicians would perceive and comprehend the details and nuances as readily as mentalists. In retrospect, I can see how that was a misguided decision!
It is telling that the contributors to the sequel are almost all mentalists. It also speaks volumes that the small smattering of critics of the approach are almost all magicians. I think that proves that there is indeed a chasm between how both groups approach their presentations. Magicians "shuffle" cards, while mentalists "mix" them. Mentalists know that an occasional failure builds credibility, while magicians shun the thought. And, I'm convinced, therein lies the answer: both groups approach performing from entirely DIFFERENT angles.
Run Silent, Run Deep has been written with two very clear goals in mind.
Firstly, it is intended to make the “basic procedure” CRYSTAL CLEAR so that a wider audience of performers will be able to grasp and utilize the procedure, and thus have access to the exciting material that uses it. After all, most of my readers ARE magicians, so this is a very important consideration. To address this, my very good friend Steve Shufton, (who is a talented magician AND mentalist), has distilled his thoughts on the matter into written form. Steve's detailed approach is a thing of beauty. His script and insight of the subject bristles with detail and leaves the spectator with an unequivocal impression that they have had a free choice of ANY OF 52 CARDS IN THE DECK, and that NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY KNOW THE SECRETLY THOUGHT OF CARD. I am indebted to Steve for taking the time to think this through in such depth, and for conveying the process with such clarity, to my readers. I honestly believe that if you really study what Steve has to say, then you too will “see the light,” and then feel empowered by the "Silent Running procedure".
The second intent of the sequel is to bring you some truly STUNNING performance material. Several of the items included could have easily been sold as separate effects for the same price you have paid for this entire collection. Here are some of the highlights:
A COMPLETE LIST OF THE CONTENTS:
Steve Shufton
A Force In The Shadows:
A critical examination of the Silent Running Procedure with the intention of providing the nuance and understanding to ensure a convincing execution.
Script Distilled
The bare guts of the script with commentary removed. Learn this!
Hands Off: Silent But Deadly
Steve’s treatment of the Brainwave effect allowing the entire routine to carried out in the spectator’s own hands. The performer NEVER touches the deck.
Speechless: Left Unsaid
Picking up where “Speechless” left off, Steve teases out extra nuances and proposes multi-key sets for simultaneous use.
Jamie Badman & Colin Miller (The Underground Collective)
Silent Killer
A charming effect, complete with printable photos to add to your wallet. One of Jamie and Colin’s classics, given the Silent Running Treatment. Complete with photo templates so you can make the aged photos to carry in your wallet.
Silent Assassin
Clever gimmicks allow mind-numbing mental transpositions of cards mentally selected from the CrossRoads Set.
Silent Ninja
Combining Silent Running with Greg Rostami’s iforce has never been this sweet. You deserve an iphone, just so you can perform this!
Richard Busch
SIR Richard Busch’s Think-A-Card
Richard takes us on a different journey, one with a “nod to the dodge” and a different brand of "digital" finesse.
Ben Harris
Silent Travelers
Two “thought-of” cards appear in an isolated packet. A full-on routine worthy of stage or formal presentation. Explores the use of an "Osborn inspired" count procedure.
Small Packet Concepts
Taking advantage of “small packets” and their inherent particulars—in combination with the CrossRoads Set—to create new effects.
Vanishing Thought
Continuing to explore “packet concepts” the author details further applications and ideas, this time, with the Elmsley Count at the heart of matters.
The Deck At The Other End (DATOE)
The polar opposite of the CrossRoads Deck. Instead of any card in the CrossRoads Set being absent, to the count of 51—with this deck—there’s always a duplicate of the “thought-of” card, and a count of 53!
Easy Transposition
Another “feature” routine that plays wonderfully on stage, formally, or under casual performing circumstances. Possibly one of the easiest and most convincing transpositions of a “thought-of” card (this side of the CrossRoads).
Headway
A wonderful property of the Deck At The Other End is revealed and it’s uses pondered. Imagine having a duplicate of ANY “thought-of” card, immediately at hand. Well that’s what this is all about—that kind of POWER.
R.E.M.
The Headway principle is applied to create a formal and powerful “simulation” of the acclaimed “Berglas effect.” A card is “thought-of” and any number between one and fifty-two is named. You don’t need me to tell you happens next...
Neuro-Pathway
This is a new tactic for Direct Mind Reading (Silent Running, 2010). It eliminates what some considered an “iffy” bit, and leads you directly to the specifically “thought-of” card for a full-on “neuro-blast” of a finish.
Claude Imperiale
Silent Dice
An expanded CrossRoads Set to match the numeric options offered by two imaginary dice. Play along...
Silent Faro
An impromptu method for setting any borrowed deck for a lovely demonstration of pure thought reading. Using Faro shuffles, of course.
Isaac Louie
Silence of the lambs
Having your entire audience turn their cell phones OFF (as part of a routine) is sheer genius. And, that’s just the beginning! Crazy and effective magic!
Jason Messina
Waking Dreams
Months, days, and events (lucid dreams) collide in this wonderful application of Silent Running Principle to the “Diary Effect.” So many possibilities revealed here!
Ran Pink
The White Room
Just you and the spectator, sitting in an “all white room”. She is asked to imagine the walls of the room changing color...
ICAINU
“Imagined Card at Imagined Number Unspoken”. The title says it all. This turns The White Room into a physical entity, with cards in hand.
Christopher Taylor
Silent Solstice #1
Mentalist and electronics wizard, Christopher Taylor saw a perfect match of his Solstice Wallet to Silent Running. Here’s the application and related ideas.
Bill Fritz
Silent Solstice #2
Quite independently of Christopher Taylor (see above) Bill concocted his own exciting mix of Silent/Solstice. From an entirely different angle, and sweet as can be.
Bernardo Rodriguez
Numb-blur
I have no idea what sparked this, but Bernardo decided to number the backs of his cards with pen, and to apply Silent Running. Great result!
Hiro Sakai
Notes on Silent Running
Hiro-san notes the language barrier with Japanese audiences and povides a well thought out solution and in depth routine.
Matthew Shepherd
Screaming Walking
Matthew has a certain way of going about things. A certain attitude. Here’s how he and the ideas in Silent Running meshed.
Robert Smith
Pulse
Voodoo Finger, Edgework, Impromptu Invisible Deck, The Sharpie Principle, and more await you in this edgy and inspired BSmith section.
Francesco Tesei
Silent Running For Stage
Italy’s Francesco Tesei takes us behind the scenes with his full blown stage presentation. Lots of wonderful ideas here.
Mario Unger
Thought-of Card To Wallet
A direct way to ensure your CrossRoads Set always falls into a “cop-able” position. Ideal for “Card To Wallet” workers.
Silent Frixion
The clever use of a FRIXION pen assures you have a magical “out” no matter which of the CrossRoads “pair” a spectator has chosen.
BONUS SECTION
Starman (Ben Harris)
Silent Running applied to the solar system, galactic events, and the special star maps of Dr Elmer William Bishop. Complete with “Star Deck” (mono) templates so you can print this out on your home/office printer.
APPENDIX
Silent Past Photo Templates
Star Deck Templates
Run Silent, Run Deep is a MASSIVE tome, the final page count, well over 200 pages!
FOREWORD BY INNOVATIVE UK MENTALIST - LOOCH
WHAT THE PROFESSIONALS ARE SAYING:
"This is so much more than just an effect. It is a powerful subtlety that is a must have for your mentalist toolbox." -- Banachek (USA)
"Crystal clear and absolutely mindblowing!" -- Martin Adams (UK)
"If you are seeking the holy grail of truly prop-less mentalism then you NEED to get this routine. Ben's thinking has always been unique and here he excels himself!" --Marc Paul (UK)
"Silent Running describes a very clever principle that enables the performer to almost instantly ascertain the identity of a card merely thought of. The Card Stabbing routine made possible by the principle is the most powerful I have ever seen. I highly recommend Silent Running to serious students of the art as well as to professional workers."--Bob Cassidy (USA)
"F*#%ing Brilliant!" -- Nathan Kranzo (USA)
"The Silent Running approach takes things into the realms of real mind reading. I love the newspaper card stab as it has the perfect combination of drama and impossibilty. Great stuff."--Peter Duffie (Scotland)
"This is going to become the best effect of 2010 and possibly of the decade...The genius magic engineer Ben Harris has done it again." --Chris Wasshuber (Lybrary.com)
"The perfect effect for those times when someone says,'Do Something,' and you have nothing with you. With this effect, you need only your mind."--Devin Knight (USA)
"I'll definitely be working this, Amazing stuff." -- Dee Christopher (UK)
"Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!" -- Marc Spelmann
So, what is SILENT RUNNING?
Briefly, it's a "Think Of A Card" concept that requires no props at all. You don't even need a deck of cards. A spectator is asked to merely THINK of a number from 1-10 and to NOT TELL YOU. Once she has done this, she is asked to think of a suit and again to NOT TELL YOU. Then, ENTIRELY IN HER MIND she combines the suit to the number to create a visual image of a playing card. Again, SHE SAYS NOTHING! Once she has confirmed that she is thinking of a card that NO ONE CAN KNOW, you then proceed to reveal the card in any number of ways. THREE ROUTINES ARE INCLUDED:
DIRECT MIND READ
THE DISSOLVING CARD
You discuss cold war exepriments in which psychics were tested to see if they could make enemy maps become blank and useless. The spectator is handed a deck of cards BEFORE YOU BEGIN. She is NOW asked to think of a card WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. When she has confirmed that she has a card in her mind, you ask her to imagine it "fading way" slowly. When she confirms that her mental image is gone, she is asked to take the deck and to remove her thought-of card. She attempts to do this, and counts the cards. However,there are ONLY 51 cards and her though-of card IS NOT THERE! The amazing thing about this is that she NEVER REVEALS THE IDENTITY OF HER CARD AT ANY TIME!
SPIRITED CARD STAB
This is my favourite handling and what I'm using to CLOSE my professional shows. A deck is shuffled face up and face down by a spectator, spread upon the table and covered with a sheet of newspaper. A knife is introduced and the spectator is asked to THINK OF A CARD. Once she has done this, she is asked to imagine the spirit of the card flowing down her arms, through her wrists, into her hands and finally into the knife. AT NO TIME DOES SHE REVEAL HER THOUGHT OF CARD. The performer now takes the knife and lunges it through the newspaper. It stands proud for all to see. Now, for the FIRST TIME, the spectator announces her thought-of card to the audience. The knife is ripped from the newspaper and is seen to be IMPALING THE VERY SAME CARD. There are no switches, the thought-of card is genuinely stabbed, each time.
PLEASE NOTE:
Nothing is EVER written down -- this is strictly a verbal procedure There is NO dual reality. The spectator and audience of ANY SIZE experience the same effect There are NO GIMMICKS used at all, no nail writers, electronics -- NOTHING No muscle-reading is used. The effect is EASILY learned Perform for a single spectator or a thousand
TO BE PUBLISHED MARCH 30, 2010, this incredible concept will be presented as a beautifully produced book of 60 pages. It is being produced on the finest quality acid free paper, and professionally bound in a full color cover.
Two versions of the printed book will be available, the REGULAR EDITION ($39.95) will be available from all dealers during the first two weeks of April. A digital EBOOK ($39.95) will be available as of March 30 direct from this website and Lybrary.com
In addition, there will be a LIMITED EDITION (SOLD OUT) ($49.95) of 100 copies with a special delux cover, parchment end pages with numbering, signature and author's photo. (50 have been allocated to dealers, 50 ONLY will be available direct from me). Both the printed editins will ship first week of April, and the Ebook edition will be emailed on March 30.
SILENT RUNNING $39.95 (Ebook Edition) Now with Lybrary.com Forum Files
Order The PHYSICAL BOOK (Regular Edition only) FROM YOUR DEALER
"Extremely clever thinking, and a timely effect, given the interest in Texas Hold-Em."
-- Tom Baxter
"I love it! A brilliant twist on an old secret. Would've never thought of it in a million years!”
-- Jason Messina
"What a great routine. I think you have discovered new hidden properties of the @#%*!, and you have created something special."
-- Peter Duffie
"What I LOVE about this is, it’s as fair as the description. You have no manipulation over the deck at all AND it’s a normal, standard deck of cards.
The book is incredibly in depth and the routine is absolute gold. This could fit in from close up/ walk around to parlor or stage.
It’s a strong routine which really looks about as fair as you could make it."
-- Jamie Daws
"PSI Poker is a fantastic idea. The game itself is very popular.The handling is so natural. I like everything about it."
-- Steve Dusheck
PSI-POKER is the latest creation from Ben Harris (co-creator of 2010’s hit “X-RAY”).
This new effect is TOTALLY SELF-WORKING, requiring no skill or gaffs. The secret is ancient, but it’s NEVER been used in this manner before. Magic’s leading historians and card experts have confirmed this claim.
So, what is PSI-POKER?
The effect is a MULTIPLE PREDICTION of how a game of “Texas Hold ‘em” will play out from a shuffled deck. You hand a prediction to a spectator for safe-keeping BEFORE you introduce a deck of cards. The prediction is NEVER again touched by the performer. The deck is shuffled, and another spectator is asked to DECIDE WHERE the cards should be dealt from. He cuts the deck to do this, OR HE CAN SIMPLY POINT TO ANY SPOT IN THE DECK. His choice is FREE. It is emphasized that HIS DECISION will ultimately decide the fate of the game.
Now, two hands are dealt: one for the spectator, and one for the performer. The game plays out in an exciting manner. Ultimately, it is a very close game. The spectator ALMOST forms a winning straight but JUST MISSES by ONE PESKY CARD.
The prediction is now read and it SUCCESSFULLY predicts:
1. Who will win the game and how.
2. That the spectator will ALMOST form a straight.
3. The EXACT CARD that the spectator was looking for to complete his straight.
It’s a triple prediction which describes HOW THE GAME played out AND THE EXACT CARD that the spectator was looking for! It’s quite an impossible moment. Remember, the spectator could have decided to deal the cards from ANY POSITION in the deck!
IMPORTANT POINTS:
1. The result is DIFFERENT each time. This means that PSI-POKER can be used in situations like walk-around, table-hopping, or on the streets.
2. There are NO GAFFS OF ANY KIND. This uses a SINGLE deck of playing cards and a SINGLE prediction ONLY!
3. NO POKER KNOWLEDGE is required. This has been designed to play for ANY audience. It will be fully understood and comprehended by poker players and NON players. If poker is your thing, then you can ENHANCE the procedure with appropriate terminology. It’s all up to you.
4. The prediction is not tampered with in any way. You hand it out BEFORE you begin and you NEVER touch it again. The spectator opens and reads the prediction.5. The spectators DEAL the cards at all times. Once the effect has begun you NEED NOT TOUCH THE CARDS AT ALL.
When I was young, my uncle Peter fooled me badly with a simple X-Ray Vision stunt. It played serious havoc with my developing mind. Pete had been using his X-Ray Vision to “see through” the table top in order to identify how many fingers I was holding aloft. He hit it time and time again. I was later crushed, when dad explained that he’d simply been coding the information, to my uncle, via surreptitious foot tapping. In due course it was I who was performing the demonstration, and I’ve been fascinated with the X-Ray Vision plot ever since. My one man show, HELLucinations, is my core act— the one I fall back upon for all of my highly paid professional work. Purporting to replicate the demonstrations of the legendary Dr. Elmer William Bishop, the show commences with some direct and perplexing “card reading” and then quickly moves through a series of unbelievable-looking demonstrations of supposed X-Ray Vision. These, among other demonstrations, include “seeing through” a heavy iron box to reveal which card a spectator has reversed in the deck, AND IT’S EXACT POSITION in said deck. It is a demonstration repeated over and over, the conditions becoming more stringent every time. The show, presented in all seriousness, can play for thirty minutes or an hour and a half. It leaves the audience completely convinced that I have the powers of X-Ray Vision—even with a full disclaimer. This, my friends, is real bread and butter stuff. Secretly, I have always wanted a “casual” demonstration of these supposed powers—something that could be performed with any deck of cards, at any time!
And, that's exactly what we have here, in THE XRAY DECK. Steve has done a wonderful job, completely solving the problem—creating a practical, perform anywhere solution for the effect. He’s then gone on to clearly and concisely detail every nuance of his clever and direct method. Once you fully understand Steve’s approach, you’ll be able to perform The X-Ray Deck anywhere.
Here's what some professional mentalists and scholars have said about THE XRAY DECK:
"Great idea, great routine and great thinking! Another winner!" -- Greg Arce
"Waaa?!?! That is fucking AWESOME!" -- Jeremy Weiss
"X-RAY is one of the most fantastic effects I have come across. I like simple, easy-to-perform effects that require subtlety and sleight of mind rather than sleight of hand. This is an effect that Al Koran would have been proud to have invented. I can not wait to perform it and I know it is going to become a magical classic." -- Martin Breese
"A wonderfully clear cut plot. This is very powerful and appears utterly impossible." -- Marc Paul
"X-RAY is an amazing effect that also ENTERTAINS the audience. I know the professional performers, with dynamic personalities, will love X-RAY. However, I know X-ray will be a miracle, even when performed by average magicians, just for their friends." -- Steve Dusheck
"Not only did I immediately absorb every last detail and nuance employed in the development of the X-RAY routine, I was blown away by the number of well known and respected names I encountered that had a collaborative role in its construction. X-RAY is an extremely powerful and entertaining effect. Watching Steve Shufton and Ben Harris concoct a recipe for a satisfying and delicious mental effect is as sweet as the frosting on my cake. Do I like it? You bet I do. Highly recommended." -- Larry Becker
Imagine: You’ve just performed several stages in your “Ambitious Card” routine. For one final time you place the “magic card” in the middle of the deck. The deck is placed face-down in the middle of the table. You show your hands empty. With a snap of your fingers you gesture toward the deck. Now, by simply riffling upward gently on the tabled deck’s edges—and dribbling the cards back to the table—the signed selection instantly and visibly appears face-up, atop the deck!
You accept your well earned applause and feel cool that you’ve done this by mastering a simple and clever move, rather than having to fiddle with the faddish flap cards and rubbing springy gaffs that are so prevalent.
You simply used SUPER-FLIP.
This lovely concept was originally published in 1985 and it’s “Ambitious Card” application caught favor with the card world of the mid 1980’s. Since that time, the SFUC principle has grown making all sorts of effects possible with SUPER-FLIP. It is now possible to use the technique for:
A) Card Appearances
B) Card Vanishes
C) Visual Card Changes
D) Multiple Card Appearances (4 aces)
This 18 page PDF with clear illustrations teaches you the core handling so you can learn Super-Flip the CORRECT way. Forget those kiddie-tutorials on YOUTUBE. They are all WRONG. You can ONLY learn the “real work” right here. So, throw away the silly gaffs and use your skills and ANY deck!
This is an “underground handling” for Click Click Click—a routine that originally appeared in my 1989 Lecture Notes and in the book, Mad Fax & Other Mysteries (1990). It, in turn, was the outgrowth of Foto, from Out Of His Mind (1988). The never before published handling—revealed here—adds to the over-all impact by eliminating any need to ”return to the deck” prior to the magical printing of the third card. This was a procedural requirement in the previous versions. As per the originals, only three blank cards and a regular deck are required. You are clean and consistent at all the vital spots, including the all-important end. What you are about to read has only been shared with four or five performers in the past.
I am grateful to my friend Mark Trudinger who was keeping copious notes for me during the period in question. The manuscript your hold has been reconstructed from these notes.
EFFECT:
A small packet of blank ”Digital Photo Cards” (in reality—just blank-faced cards) is displayed and tabled. Three cards are selected from the deck, remembered and then returned to different positions in the spread. The deck is tabled to one side, and is not touched again.
The packet of blanks is displayed (a card at a time) and is shown to consist of six cards. The performer establishes himself as a nice guy with the accompanying comment, ”Something this exciting... I’ve just got to share around!” With this, the spectator is gifted with one of the ”high-tech photographic cards.” He places it in his pocket. Two of the remaining blanks are displayed and then tabled face-down, one-a-top-the-other. They form a ”magic camera.”
The remaining three blanks are displayed and also tabled, face-down to one side, in a neat row. These blanks are the ”film-packs” to be used with the camera.
The first blank ”film card” is taken and placed face-up between the two face-down ”camera cards.” With a snap, this middle card VISUALLY prints to replicate the first selection. It’s a perfect copy. This card is tabled face-up. The second ”film card” is taken and again placed face-up between the ”camera cards.” With another snap this card changes VISUALLY into the second chosen card.
The two ”camera cards” can now be handed to a nearby spectator. He is requested to examine them—to marvel at their high-tech wonderfulness. This he does, before handing the cards back to you.
It is noticed that the third “film card” is slightly soiled. Not wishing to tarnish his performance, the performer requests that he may instead use the spare ”film card” given to the spectator before the trick commenced. The spectator removes this blank from his pocket, ensures that it is “clean and free from defects” and then hands it to you. Without this blank ”film card” ever leaving the audience’s sight, it is placed partially between the ”camera cards” and is then VISUALLY printed to perfectly replicate the third selected card! The two blank ”camera cards” are dropped to the table and everything can be examined.
Young Kyle MacNeill has been forging a reputation for himself as a clever and enthusiastic card magician. At just 14 years of age, his approach and dedication to our art is so heart-warming. Here is a young man who cares about the details, the history, and the integrity of our art. I was amazed to receive this application of Fandango from Kyle. It firmly displays an understanding of our craft far beyond his meager years. With people like Kyle, the future is in good hands.
EFFECT: A spectator initials a business card and then writes ANY WORD on it. The card is left face down, the performer not knowing the “thought-of” word. From a deck of playing cards, a card is FREELY selected and signed. It is then left in the middle of the deck. The performer takes an indifferent card and draws a “Thought Bubble” on its back. This card is left face down on the table. Two queens are removed from the deck and the “Thought Bubble” card is sandwiched between them. With a gentle shake, the word that the spectator secretly wrote on the business card appears WITHIN THE THOUGHT BUBBLE. It just APPEARS OUT OF THE BLUE! It’s a stunning moment, and so unexpected. But, there’s more. Two more climaxes follow:
1. The secretly written word is shown to have now VANISHED from the initialed business card.
2. The “Bubble Card” that now contains the signed word is turned over and is found to be the spectators signed, selected, card!
Based on Luke Dancy’s GRAB, my own FANDANGO and THROUGH THE UNIVERSE BACKWARDS, this effect is a killer. A brief description of FANDANGO is included so you have EVERYTHING you need to perform this right away.
In 1989, this direct and powerful effect was shared with only a handful of magic's elite: Marlo, Busby, Harkey and Sankey. It has been carefully guarded since then. We are proud to release this as part of the BackStory Project.
The effect is that of a card transposition with a COLOR CHANGING DECK finale. Because all attention is on the transposition of cards, the "color change" element comes as a COMPLETE SHOCK. All that you require is a full deck of BLUE backed cards and a SINGLE RED backed card.
Requires moderate card skills.
Shortly following the release of SOLID GOLD EASY ACTION, Ben radically improved the envelope design. The refined envelope assembly allows the chosen card to be secretly loaded into the envelope from a FANNED DECK. Thus, the handling appears much fairer. In addition, the new envelope design also allows cards to be SWITCHED in and out of the envelope at will.
If you'd like to fully explore the options available with the SGEA technology, then this bundle deal is the way to go. You receive both manuscripts with all the details needed to construct EITHER envelope design.
This is a stand-alone version from the book, RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP. Complete with full assembly instructions and FULL PEFORMANCE instructions. Simply print out the glorious COLOR templates to create your own STAR DECK.
This effect DOES NOT require the use of SILENT RUNNING (although it can be enhanced with it). So, you do not need SR, or RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP. This is completely self-contained. The clever deck does ALL the work for you.
It's a lovely effect where your spectator predicts an amazing moment in human history. That is, the moment of FIRST CONTACT with alien beings. Your audience member will predict the year, the month and the planet for this monumental event!
This is one of Ben Harris's favorite effects. Released in 1987, it featured heavily in his lectures across the '87-89 period and was a total sell-out at the major magic conventions, or whenever demonstrated.
In effect, a small envelope is shown, signed on BOTH sides by a spectator, and then left IN FULL VIEW upon the table. A card is now FREELY selected from the deck, and also signed. The spectator pushes his card squarely into the deck and then counts the cards. Mysteriously, his card has vanished. There are now just 51 cards in the deck.
The envelope, which has been in FULL VIEW the entire time, is now opened with EMPTY HANDS and the signed card removed from within.
This is a stunning and clever method. NO PALMING and the card is GENUINELY inside the envelope. And remember, this is a signed envelope! Do not confuse this with a popular effect called "Consignment." Solid Gold Easy Action predates this by over 20 years and requires NO PALMING.
SLINK was first published in 1992 and supplied with a heavy silver ring-set. In 2001 it was re-published as a printed book.
SLINK is a sleight of hand LINKING FINGER ROUTINE that is easily constructed by modifying any Russian Wedding Band. You can find these at your local markets or trinket store. This type of ring has THREE bands, linked together. You need to purchase one of them. It is suggested you start with the cheapest unit you can find, and then once familiar with the handling, you can purchase a heavier set in silver or gold.
In effect, you display two silver rings. These are held at the fingertips, and then with a magical shake, they LINK together. They may now be EXAMINED before they are caused to magically UNLINK. The effect may be repeated. Several linking and unlinking phases are included. These all occur at the fingertips and look truly magical.
The ULTIMATE FLOATING DECK or UFD was first published in 1984. Since then it has spurned many variations. The current manuscript has been REFINED and re-written. This brings the effect right up to date by cutting out the superfluous "1980's handlings". Consider this some serious "house cleaning" after twenty six years! Now, the structure is linear and smooth--from the selection to the levitation. Clean, smooth, direct.
A card is selected and returned to the deck. It is given a quick all-around-square-up, and then placed on the palm. On command, the top half of the deck FLOATS. First a little, and then a WHOLE LOT! The card below the floating section is removed. It is waved back and forth between the blocks, showing the ABSENCE of support.
After a few seconds, the floating half of the deck settles back down, and the single card turned over to reveal that it is the SELECTED card!
The motion of the FLOATING "half deck" looks lovely and smooth. "Cloud-like" in many ways. And, a lovely subtlety, now included, allows you to SHOW UNDER THE FLOATING BLOCK--WITHOUT REVEALING ANYTHING!
THE UFD (specifications):
Use ANY deck of cards
Requires NO EXTERNAL GAFFS
Can be used for MULTIPLE reveals
Allows you TO SHOW NOTHING between floating block and cards beneath
2002 and a small lecture tour. Harris needed an oddity that would contrast his card work. Some visual and aural distraction. TacTics was the answer. 150 units were assembled, fingers burned, and instructions written. The item was quite popular and did end up in an issue of Genii. Here is the original manuscript, re-edited and with clear photos. Ideas with color-changes, sound-based illusion and the "Milk Pitcher" application allowing you to vanish tictacs, half a container at a time, till they're ALL GONE!
The 5th Corner by Ben Harris $6.95
A flash back to 1987 and a "long lost" manuscript, seen by only ten: Jerry Andrus, David Britland, Jeff Busby, Dave Faulkner, David Harkey, Ed Marlo, Dan McArthy, Harvey Rosenthal, Jay Sankey and Mark Trudinger, made it's brief, and only appearance... then, it was gone!
So what is the 5th Corner? It's a splash of ideas and techniques with a single playing card and it's ripped corners. You are both "one ahead" and "two behind" at the SAME TIME. This charming but annoying attribute is what probably led to the stony silence heard by the author in 1987. Can YOU make head-way with this strange and bizarre single-card oddity? Why not give it a go, STRETCH you mind and explore.
What exciting times these were. The MASTERS like Marlo, Andrus, and Lorayne where at the top of their game and the NEW FACES like Sankey, Sanders and Harkey were just emerging. And, NEW DIRECTIONS captured a lovely slice of these changing times. We've even got Mike Gallo's ORIGINAL NO GAFF REVERSE MATRIX! Do you remember the excitement and torrent of creativity that spurned? Exciting CARD, COIN and DICE magic awaits you inside. Full routines, flourishes and handlings across a whole range of interests! Contributors include: Jerry Andrus, Ian Baxter, Sixten Beme, Steve Dusheck, Mike Gallo, Ron Hadley, David Harkey, Harry Lorayne, Ed Marlo, Jon Racherbaumer, Jay Sankey, Richard Sanders and more!
A bundle of EARLY Jay Sankey items ( 4 effects, 2 essays)
A stunning item from (the then) new kid on the block: David Harkey
Mike Gallo's Original No Gaff Reverse Matrix
Creative card material from Lorayne, Marlo, and Racherbaumer
Novel and creative magic from Sixten Beme and Steve Dusheck
Illustrated with both original illustrations and new photographs.
Includes rare performer photographs of many contributors.
JERRY ANDRUS
Bizarre Shuffle
A very strange shuffling procedure that is both mystifying and very funny. In Jerry’s hands this was liquid and smooth.
IAN BAXTER
CrackerJack Stack
A multi-phase die-stacking routine with a mentalism twist and a striking vanish of FIVE dice!
SIXTEN BEME
Clean Guillotine
A method for chopping off the tip of the finger that will fool anyone, magicians included.
STEVE DUSHECK
Quandary
Is it a silver coin or a copper coin? Neither, it’s pure gold! A real worker’s routine that Steve has been using for decades!
MIKE GALLO
Original, No Gaff, Reverse Matrix
Mike Gallo’s now famous version of the Reverse Matrix. Inspired by Gertner’s classic, Mike eliminated any extras. Seriously, JUST 4 coins, and four cards are used. This is a lesson in direct and powerful coin work.
RON HADLEY
Flipping Triumph
Ron cleverly applies a Looy Simonoff move to the Triumph Plot resulting in a stunningly tight routine. Neat and sweet.
Matchbox Load
A beautiful approach to secretly loading a coin (or folded card) into a matchbox. This is straight from Ron’s pro performances from the mid 1980s.
Two Quick Routines
Two approaches allowing you to put Ron’s wonderful loading technique to use.
Spread-action Palm
Ron applies some “Marlo-esque” thought to Harry Lorayne’s take on Le Paul’s Spread Pass.
DAVID HARKEY
Heat Vision
In 1987 David was a new kid on the block and I was thrilled to be able to publish his revolutionary material in both New Directions, and later, Simplicities. Here is his amazing “Heat Vision” Routine!
HARRY LORAYNE
Simple Lie Detector
A special treat here. I was to contributed to Harry’s magazine and books over the years, and to have him return the favor with a contribution to my little magazine was a thrill indeed. This is a simple, but effective, Lie Detector Routine. Presented, of course, in Harry’s own words.
ED MARLO
Olram’s Hallucination
The origin of the ’effect’ per se, can be found in The Jinx No 1, October 1934. It was an EDDIE CLEVER concept. The method to be described here eliminates the Second Deal and the Palm. A modified gimmick is used, and the deck is encased by elastic bands. Also, the three selected cards are produced from different pockets. Five NON-GAFFED handlings then follow.
The Upward Kick
Ed takes on Ben’s notoriously tricky “SuperFlip” flourish and makes it a whole lot easier. Not to stop there, Ed then teaches 3 effects with the move!
Flexible Bottom Lift
A flexible multiple lift technique that works off the BOTTOM of the deck.
DANIEL McCARTHY
Spectator Cuts The Aces
Based on Marlo’s “A Problem Posed” (36th method, New Tops, March 1962) this lovely handling convincingly allows four GENUINE cuts.
Dr. BILL NAGLER
Ultimate Aces
Bill describes an easy and effective Ace Cutting Routine with a surprise finish. The method is novel—it uses a Devano Deck.
JON RACHERBAUMER
Shaded Cards To Pockets
A novel look at this plot taking cues from Duffie and Marlo. Two cards repeatedly fly to two different pockets.
JAY SANKEY
Back Spin Special
This created a massive amount of interest when originally published in 1986. A coin is “back-spun” across the table and it magically cuts the deck—locating a previous selection.
JAY SANKEY/BEN HARRIS
De-Crease
This startling Torn & Restored Card handling grew out of a week-long session at a magic convention in Nashville. Highly visual, crease free, and with a great “sound”.
JAY SANKEY
Geller Card
The precursor to Ben’s gaffed card version (1988). This non-gimmicked card bending “moment” is completely hands free, and requires careful “timing” more than any great skill.
JAY SANKEY/RICHARD SANDERS
One For Fifty One
An ENTIRE DECK and a single card magically transpose under the most-visually compelling conditions. Mind-boggling, and a sign of what was to come from the young Sankey/Sanders team.
Finn Jon
Magic/Photogrphy/Chess
Jay Sankey
A Look At The Willing Suspension of Disbelief
The Value of Material Fiction
Craige McComb Snader., Jr
Miracle Workers Unite
My goodness, this little effect created a shit-storm when it was released in 2000! I don’t think the attacks had been so brutal since “Cosmosis” (in the mid 1980s). Anyway, this simple and effective idea was loved by some (see, for example, Richard Kaufman in Genii Magazine), and HATED by others (see, for example, Michael Close in MAGIC Magazine). I relish dividing opinion, and Alida certainly did that.
However, it was also a genuine stepping stone in the thought processes that would eventually lead to “Enlightenment: The Ultimate Floating Card”—which is way superior. So, controversial or not, I hesitate to dismiss Alida as we digitize the BackStory Project.
While the physical product is no longer available on dealer’s shelves, (”Enlightenment” made it obsolete), we are very happy to supply a digital version for you to explore. And, there should be no complaints at this price point!
You can easily construct the gimmick at home. And if you work on the “Squeeze-Play” clean-up, you will have a real winner. Try it and see! YOU be the judge.
This detailed ebook looks at expanding the CrossRoads REVELATIONS phase in a variety of ways. "Compression" is what the author calls it, and here he squeezes the "outs" into Double Faced and "multi-index" configurations.
The FULL INSTRUCTIONS for the commercially available D/F SET and DEVIL'S PEEK SET are included, along with additional photographs. By fully exploring the possibilities in print, with this ebook, you can then decide if the special card sets would be worthwhile additions to your tool box.
Further chapters explore the possibilities with WALLETS, BUDDHA PAPERS,and more. Guest contribution from Steve Shufton and Bernardo Rodriguez. A breadth and depth of material is presented that should keep you busy exploring the CrossRoads for a very long time.
You can read all about these individual manuscripts on this page. YOU KNOW that CROSSROADS has carved a solid reputation as an amazing and EASY to perform piece of magic.
We are thrilled to include Jamie D. Grant's BASIC E Manuscript and then top it off with the ALL NEW CROSSROADS REVELATIONS.
If you have not yet taken the "crossroads", this is a great way to get the FULL PICTURE!
Ever wanted to take a peek at one of Ben Harris' DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. Well, now is your chance, FOR FREE. Ben has placed two effects from the recent BANDS OF GOLD and SINGAPORE LECTURE NOTES between this set of covers, just for you. Download and enjoy.
The opening trick in this gorgeous book is just cool. A mini bet in which 2 bands are shown around the card case width ways. One will win the spectator $100 and the other one will win the magician $100. One is selected by the spectator without equivoque. Of course it’s just a normal band. The other is removed and there is a $100 bill attached. Such a mini trick but so hard hitting. The best thing? It’s brilliantly clever. Very simple and uses some very old methods in band magic but in a completely new way.
A couple of effects follow suit and indeed use the same sort of principle. Sleight of Band. Another stunning effect and really can be imagined as a one trick download on one of these new polished sites. It’s just wicked. A band that’s wrapped around the deck lengthways rises up and down them deck. It begins wrapped around the whole deck. With a wave, it’s seen to jump up through the deck and now be wrapped around just half of the deck. It continues to jump up and down the deck in an incredible way. It really is an awesome trick. Rising card plots have been on the increase in recent years. But what better way to do it then with the elastic band. It’s fast growing to take over my normal rising card trick.
The final is one of he best in the book. A card visually slices through a rubber band and restores. It looks mad. Another one for the download generation. A great stand alone effect or in a routine. Of course every single one of the effects can be used as part of a routine and Ben gives credits and additional thoughts all the way through his book. As with every Ben Harris eBook of wonder, it’s beautifully laid out with lots of photos to help you along. (excerpt from Jamie's Review at The Magic Cafe).
Harris teaches effects from his professional mentalism A-LIST. Learn to use the PSI SHARPIE without appearing to use the pen! Also learn how to apparently transfer the PSI SHARPIE powers to ANOTHER sharpie! Use your powers to make pieces of paper fall over and even to create the sound of an old telephone.
This is serious performance material for serious performers of mentalism.
In effect, three spectators each look at the top card of the deck, one at a time. The performer comments about how people often have problems recalling details, and how various descriptions of the SAME EVENT can vary dramatically. He offers to prove his point.
Climax 1: The spectators each name their cards and they are ALL DIFFERENT!
Climax 2: Without any moves the top card is flipped over, IT IS A JOKER!
Climax 3: Without any moves, the three cards are withdrawn from the performer’s pockets!
Based on an effect from Jinx #1 (1934), Ed reworked the Eddie Cleaver concept eliminating the “second deal” and “palm”. Ed’s wonderful gimmicked and non-gimmicked versions originally appeared in New Directions Magazine in 1985. The handlings were spread over several issues, and the distribution was only in the low hundreds.
It is an absolute pleasure to bring all the handlings together under one cover and to present them to a broader and modern audience. The language of the era is preserved, and Ed’s famous attention to detail is evident throughout.
In effect, a signed card INSTANTLY appears between two Jokers. Classic “Sandwich Plot”, but the method is what differentiates this. FANDANGO allows you to PROPEL the selected card into position BETWEEN the Jokers.
It’s INSTANT and VISUAL. Both the original GIMMICKED and NON-GIMMICKED handlings are explained and illustrated.The author then brings the concept RIGHT UP TO DATE by streamlining the get-ready to within inches of it’s life. Two handlings are described. FANDAZZLE and DIRECTor’s Cut. Card magic does not get much more visual or direct than this!
A spectator is handed a cased deck with the promise that the performer will not touch it!
The performer also places his wallet on the table, “This is my money trick...” he explains*. Two spectators are asked to assist. Together, they decide upon what appears to be a “freely chosen card.” In this instance, we’ll assume they decide upon the “Seven of Hearts.” The performer now invokes his magic, and the selected card is brought under his spell—from a distance—by these magical passes and incantations.Reminding the audience that he has not once touched the cards, the spectator holding the cased deck is instructed to remove the cards from the case and to count them “OUT LOUD, one at a time, FACE DOWN.” He does so and counts only 51 cards to the table! In other words, one card is missing! You can hear a penny drop—“my goodness, could it be...?” Before that thought—and the resulting implications are allowed to fully form—the spectator is asked to turn the cards FACE UP. He is now instructed to specifically locate and remove the SELECTED card. Even with those standing nearby assisting him, he cannot locate the card—it has COMPLETELY VANISHED from the deck!
This amazing disappearance is accomplished remotely—and automatically—without you having to touch the cards. Only ONE DECK is used and it is given to the spectator BEFORE the card is selected. Again, reminding the audience that he’d previously declared this his “money trick” the performer gestures towards—but does not actually touch—his wallet. It’s been on the table since before the card was selected. A spectator is invited to rummage around within. Inside she finds ONE SINGLE CARD. This is the SELECTED CARD!
Note: The performer is free to re-produce the selected (and just vanished) card from a variety of amazing places: inside his wallet, inside his shoe, under his hat, or even a spectator’s own pocket! It’s really up to you. Again, it’s FULLY AUTOMATIC
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
”I’ve been exploring versions since the mid-1970s and enjoyed your thinking on this.”- Max Maven
”This is going to FRY a lot of people...”- Richard Kaufman
“This is potentially a very strong impression to leave with any audience. The ”Crossroads Technique” alone, which we really like, will be seen as food for thought by many. As mentalists, our variation would be to use no deck at all. Just a single, thought-of card in the pocket. The solution will dawn on you after reading the text.”- Richard Busch & Larry Becker
”This is so devious - created with an incredibly sharp magic scalpel - that I predict this to become an instant classic.”- Chris Wasshuber (Lybrary.com)
With the release of Crossroads, it has become apparent that the current generation of younger magicians is either not aware of the process of "equivoque" or is unable to confidently pull it off. A truly scary situation if you ask me! How can such wonderful technique find itself being slowly forgotten?
Jamie D. Grant, author of the wonderful Magic Friday series, offered to jump in and supply a basic script to help everyone along. This is a lovely gesture, and we PAID Jamie for his kindness. The manuscript, BASIC E, only runs a few pages, but it should be enough to get you on your way. Jamie also suggests some further reading which you should look into.
Please note, you receive this FREE when your order Crossroads.
These notes have been re-written and re-photographed. The material is bright, crisp and hard-hitting. Mostly cards, including a wonderful multi-phase OIL AND WATER routine that's a joy to perform. PYRAMID CARDS is an easy and visual stunt revelation that as originally created by Jay Sankey. Here are a couple of cool variations. If you pop into our VIDEO LOUNGE you'll find a clip of COMING TOGETHER AGAIN. This is a real killer item based on a Sadowitz piece from Almanac.
The real highlight is the CLOSER Ben used on BOTH NIGHTS in Singapore. This is his IMPROMPTU DARYL. It's a no-gaffed-feck handling of ULTIMATE AMBITION. You know the effect: the deck is wrapped in rope yet STILL the Ambitious Card RISES to the top. Here Harris teaches you how to simulate the effect on the spur of the moment. Use any deck!
The routine uses four black cards, and four red cards. Interlaced three times, they always separate. The moves used are smooth and create a lovely illusion. It does not look like sleight of hand, it really looks quite convincing! Heavily based in Marlo's work.
Welcome. Here you can download the latest books manuscripts and individual effects created by Ben Harris. All are re-written, re-presented, and re-designed SPECIFICALLY for the digital
download medium. Our works are sef-contained and stylish.
They read with ease and are bristling with detail.
With PROJECT BACKSTORY under way (see blog), the range of available downloads will increase dramatically over the coming months.
Invented in 1986, and marketed as Cosmosis by Ben Harris, this effect has become a one of the most pirated close-up creations in magic's recent history. It truly has become a “classic.” Even today, twenty-three years after its debut, unscrupulous individuals and manufacturers in many countries market it without any due respect for its heritage or compensation for its creator. From street stalls in India and across Asia, to the high streets of London and Paris, you’ll find this effect ripped-off and offered to the casual purchaser. Simple ideas are often the best, and both the very simplicity of this concept and the apparent ease of construction (though most still get it wrong in their rush to produce a cheap product) have seduced the parasites. The original was marketed (1986) in a limited release of 500 units at $50 each with concise and detailed instructions that layed bare performance subtleties which were devious in their conception.
Ask any experienced performer and he will tell you that it is the “details” that make or break a good performance. Various "cancellation" techniques were taught that subliminally led the spectators down the garden path. With the original you prove that flexing the card has no impact on the match. This all important procedure meant that no attention was drawn to the slightly bent card during the floating stage. Juxtapose that against the “Place a match on the card and bend it” instructions supplied by the thieves. No subtlety, no detail. Just a quick grab for your cash with my idea!
On a happier note, Tenyo in Japan have released a version (with full permission) that uses a little broomstick. Gloriously produced, this appears as an entry in their “World’s Greatest Magic” series. The broomstick makes this a great Harry Potter tie-in. Steve Shufton also has a lovely version.This edition has been specially prepared as an “Authorized Download”. If you have never made a Cosmosis Card in the past, you should read the information on page 7, hand-in-hand with ”Jim Kleefeld's 12 Tips” (page 16). Combined, this information should have you up and running in no time. Information included:
You see so much information published about “Elastic Thread Magic” today—you’d think it all “brand new”. Alas, such is not the case. If you look hard, you’ll see much of today’s gold is really the silver of yesteryear.
This booklet was originally published in 1989. That’s twenty years ago. Some of the information within is still being presented by others as if it were original to them. “History is best ignored at your own peril” someone very wise once said. So, here’s a brief capsule of the REAL story of Elastic Thread, firmly established and supported by the printed record.
Michael Weber was the first magician to publish (and to establish in the written record) an elastic thread routine. His matchbox effect, utilizing the then unheard of magic-fibre, appeared in an issue of Genii Magazine. Michael credits his mother with having introduced him to the special thread.
Independently of this, (circa 1985) Finn Jon from Norway truly established the use of the thread within the magic fraternity. Finn is to be credited with the creation of a special application of elastic thread technology, ie: the Elastic Loop* Elastic thread, like any thread, is a fussy medium to work with. Finn Jon's creation of the Elastic Loop is profound in its practicality and applicability– it eliminated the pesky ends!
I personally obtained a set of Elastic Loops when working a convention in Bordeaux, France. The year was 1986, and I was impressed! It seemed incomprehensible that a thread so fine could stretch so far. My mind filled with ideas and I continued to work on, and perform elastic thread magic throughout 1986–1989. This led to the development of the original Premier Elastic Thread (the world’s first ever supply of BULK Elastic Thread, ‘87), and this booklet Premier Elastic Thread and Routines, (’89). This manuscript you hold contains original routines as well as important information that appeared in the original 1989 manuscript. Even the illustrations are the originals. Enjoy and impress...
HOLE IN THE HEAD created a furore when released to the general magic community. Originally worked up as a situational piece for a David Blaine TV special, the general market place would have nothing of something as esoteric. No, you had to be able to pull it out of a baggie and stumble through it for a street kid in 5 minutes—or it was crap! The cries “it’s too cloudy where I live...” still echo in my ears!
In the real world, we demand nature conform to our whim. However, she often says “#&*k-off” as she does here. You see YOU must wait for her—wait until the sun is in just the right spot in the sky—etc. So, it’s not for everyday use. It’s for special occasions when the circumstances are just right. Sometimes, simply having the KNOWLEDGE is having the “power”.
Create a beautiful moment—sometime later down the track. Yes, the day will come when you will stand back to the sun, open your "third eye" and pop a hole in your head!
“Mind expanding magic in every sense...” - Michael Ammar
HOODWINK is based on the author's own effect, "Prime Hole Card" from 1983. It became a best-seller when re-released in 1999. Everyone was concentrating so hard on complex quarter-at-a-time restorations, that Hoodwink seemed like a breath of fresh air.
The newly added "Flash Restoration sequence really compliments the streamlined handling with just the right visual jolt."
HOODWINK is not designed to replace, or to in any way compete with, the fine crop of "quarter by quarter" restorations that are making the rounds. Instead, it approaches the subject from a more oblique angle - choosing not to be "studied and detailed", but rather to be "off-handed and passing". You tear a card in half, and then restore it. Simple as that.
It is one of those effects that, at the correct moment in time, with just the right delivery, can be a reputation maker. Others may claim the idea behind Hoodwink!, but the written record speaks for itself.
Enlightenment is a revolutionary way of using magnets to create the illuson of levitating a playing card or a dollar note.
This 100 page book gives you all of the details. Learn the back history, how a simple advertsement in a catalog inspired the idea. Learn how to operate the gimmick, how to install it in a deck of cards, and how to use it to make a dollar bill float.You'll still need to purchase a gimmick in order to perform this, but if you've been teetering on the edge, wondering if ENLIGHTENMENT is right for, this fascinating read may hold the answers.
This and That was a big seller back in the mid 1980's when the "Oscar" and "Phil" craze were at their peaks.
A spectator names any card (free choice) and you display that your deck has marked backs. They are all marked like "THIS" you say as you display EVERY CARD in the deck as having the word "THIS" written on it's back. That's every card, but one. The selected card, on the other hand, has the word "THAT" written on it's back! Proving you know "this from that!"
Super aesy to make at home and VERY easy to perform.
Two coins are displayed. One is marked with a large cross and a spectator confirms that the cross will not rub off the coin. In full view, the marked coin and the plain coin transpose THROUGH THE BACK of a spectator's own hand.
Fully examinable, easy to do. The scientific principle makes it all work.
The famous and easy animated card that mysteriously moves AWAY from your fingers—zooming across the table. Examinable, before, during and after. One of the most devious uses of Elastic Thread ever created.
This effect is one of Ben Harris' most closely guarded secrets. Prior to releasing the idea to critical acclaim in 1999, Ben had been sitting on this for over ten years, using it privately for the most important occasions only. It is the perfect effect for Street Magic performances as it can be performed under the most stringent conditions–ANYWHERE! As you and the card can be examined at any time, it’s perfect for “controlled conditions” psychic-style presentations.
If you are familiar with Ben's previous writings, you will know that he has always insisted that the very strongest magical effects appear to violate natural law. As an example, "levitation" has always been one of the magician's most powerful effects because gravity appears to be overturned. Zoom certainly appears to violate the laws of nature. While, not a “levitation”, there is a moment when the stationary object “comes to life”— something intimate shared with the genre. Further to this, the effect appears perfectly natural and effortless at every stage of performance. The object to be animated is 100% examinable (even though it is cleverly gimmicked) and the lead-in and lead-out consist of perfectly normal actions in every way. The effect per se (between the lead-in and lead-out) looks exactly like real magic. In fact, nothing appears to be contrived at all.
Further more, the effect is tamper proof. It matters not if a testy spectator grabs your hands or the animated object at any point during performance. Nothing will be discovered and you can instantly pick up where you left off without any worries–isn't this just as it would be if you had real magical powers? These positive attributes make Zoom the almost perfect magical demonstration of supposed psychokinetic powers. Like all ideas that seem to actually end up having some merit, this one is—very simple. However, to meet all of the above criteria, Mr Harris has thought it all through in a thorough manner over the years. While nothing about Zoom is difficult, you do need to read these instructions very closely in order to absorb the details. Don't just read the secret and go off into the wild without really giving this a good work out in private. Learn the subtleties, understand the hows and whys before you take this into the public arena.
