Inventing Magic

Creating magic illusions is an increadibly satisfying aspect of magic that many magicians overlook. It leaves you with a unique trick that the audience will hopefully remember you by. However, there are many reasons why most magicians use off-the-shelf tricks. This article will explain some of the reasons for and against making illusions, and give some guidance.

Uniqueness
Creating a illusion will guarantee that nobody can say "I've seen that before". Creating stage illusions is the most satisfying as it will look unique, feel unique and perform uniquely, however, they take the most work as they are typically physically large. Creating card effects (or similar) can be done anywhere with nothing but imagination.

Branding
If you are creating a stage illusion, you can easily incorporate your branding, whether that's the colours from your website and flyers, or simply your stage name, photo or contact details designed on it, it will be positive advertising - especially if you allow photos in your performances. This can be applied in a similar way to close-up effects - why not print your own logo onto the gimmick.

Suitability
In the unlikely event that you can't find any off-the-shelf tricks that'll be the perfect climax to your routine, then you will often find that with a little thought, you can create the perfect illusion.

Risks
Creating illusions is not easy, especially if it means constructing gimmicks. It is essential to check, check and check again that everything works smoothly as expected. A guillotine with a special mechanism that may rust unnoticed over time could even be lethal. Think of the worse possible scenario while designing the illusion to ensure that nothing dangerous, in this case, can happen. Typically the worst that can happen is you make a fool out of yourself, but with stage illusions, you can trap unwilling guests in your contraptions or even just give them a splinter! Either way you could find yourself at the wrong end of a legal case with nobody to blame but yourself.

Is it really unique?
Before you start creating the illusion, make sure you are really the inventor of it, especially if you are hoping to sell it in the future. Depending on how much you value your time, it may be cheaper to buy an illusion that will be guaranteed to work (hopefully) without errors.

When starting to think of an illusion, there are several factors you must consider, including -

Stage, street, close-up or for children - what situation will you be in when performing

Short, medium or long effect - how long will it take to perform

Comedy, silent or story-based - will it fit into your routine

Target audience demographic - nothing scary or rude for the young/old

Transportation - can you transport the illusion - does it need a van or a pocket?

To conclude, inventing magic is a satisfying way to expand your routine, but beware of the pitfalls that you may fall into. Sometimes using ready-made effects will do the job perfectly in a tried and tested manner!

Magic Tricks

Black art is an old form of magic that is rarely used today in its original form.  The effect black art produces is fantastic, it is as close to trick photography as you can get without a camera!

A magician practising black art will find a stage and dim the lights.  While he and his assistants are wearing white, the audience can see them.  The performers then command items to appear and move around.  Versions of 'sawing a woman in half' are performed and you can see the two halves moving round the stage, only to be melted back together, or just vanish.  The possibilities are endless, and all leave the audience feeling mystified.

The theory behind black art is that everything in black won't be seen against a black background.  This means at the start of the performance, there can be many items on the stage covered in a black cloth and they won't be seen.  The magician simply removes the cloth and voila, an item has appeared.  Disembodied bodies can move around by wearing black trousers, or a black jumper.  Assistants dressed completely in black can make objects, including people, fly around the stage.

This form of magic really allows the imagination to go wild.  Many things are possible with a bit of creativity and a pot of black paint!  Black art is truly the cleverest and easiest magic to perform.

Black art is often performed in silence as it is a mystical event to watch, however do not be afraid to talk - your voice will be very powerful coming from the darkness, heightening the illusion.

Although to you, the performer, nothing will seem like magic, to the audience, the whole performance will blow their minds away.  It is highly recommended to make a video of the performance so you can see the show from the other side of the stage.  From your side of the stage, everything is visible - you can see the props and assistants.

To improve the illusion, some artists have lights above, below and to the side of the stage gently shining at the audience to further reduce the amount they can see.  In complete darkness, however, a very eerie performance can be achieved.  Another option is to use 'black-light' (i.e. UV light), which makes white and several other colours come to life, leaving black in darkness.

To end the performance, the magician has many possibilities ranging from floating off the stage, to gradually being engulfed by darkness (to do this, use a large piece of black cloth that starts on the floor and is slowly lifted up by two assistants to block you from view).

In a nutshell, your imagination and creativity is the only limit to this fine art.

Obama Hidden Hypnosis

THE EVIDENCE IS HERE: This document contains over 60 pages of evidence and analysis proving Barack Obama’s use of a little-known and highly deceptive and manipulative form of “hack” hypnosis on millions of unaware Americans, and reveals what only a few psychologists and hypnosis/NLP experts know.

Barack Obama’s speeches contain the hypnosis techniques of Dr. Milton Erickson, M.D. who developed a form of “conversational” hypnosis that could be hidden in seemingly normal speech and used on patients without their knowledge for therapy purposes.

Obama’s speeches intentionally contain:

Trance Inductions
Hypnotic Anchoring
Pacing and Leading
Pacing, Distraction and Utilization
Critical Factor Bypass
Stacking Language Patterns
Preprogrammed Response Adaptation
Linking Statements/ Causality Bridges
Secondary Hidden Meanings/Imbedded Suggestions
Emotion Transfer
Non-Dominant Hemisphere Programming

Astrological predictions

Opinions about astrological prediction are generally divided. In fact, both views are based on a misunderstanding of the nature of how astrology really works.

Though it may come as a surprise to the true believer many astrologers believe that   astrology cannot make precise predictions about your future although  astrology can indeed reveal the tendencies of your future.

    If an astrologer tells you that next Tuesday you will be walking down the street, and will accidentally trip and fall, breaking your left wrist as it cracks against a fire hydrant, that would be a pretty precise prediction, wouldn't it. But no astrologer ever makes predictions  like that. More likely, an astrologer would say: There is some danger of having an accident next Tuesday; try to be more careful than usual. This is of course not a precise prediction, but rather a statement, based on certain astrological techniques, about an increased probability of a certain type of event occurring. This is the true strength of astrology: not to tell you what is going to happen (since that is beyond its capabilities), but rather, to inform you about the probablilit9es of certain types of events occurring.

Astrology isn’t used to predict the future. It’s used to help you gain insight and understanding into the patterns and directions your life takes. It’s not an absolute, but it’s an indicator. If you don’t like what your astrological or natal charts tell you, it’s certainly within your power to change it. Astrology can give you insight into one potential destiny, but there are too many variables, including the decisions you make for yourself, to predict with any degree of accuracy what will happen in the future.

Chinese elements

Chinese Astrology is said by some scholars to be the oldest horoscope system in the world. However if you trace Western Astrology back to its Middle East roots, both types are likely to have been born in their current recognizable form around 3000 years BC, however they stem from entirely different beginnings as well as traditions and parts of the world.

The 12 animals are further flavored by the pervading element of that particular year (elements also revolve as a separate cycle). It is said that Buddha is responsible for the 12 animals as they were the only ones who came to bid him farewell into the next life.

Chinese Astrology is concerned with nature and its traits, the signs progress year by year, whereas Western Astrology cycles monthly. The consideration of Yin and Yang is a very great influence upon this subject, Yin being passive, female and receptive while Yang is aggressive, male and exploratory. The various permutations of these 2 essential forces in nature, places, organizations, events and humanity and the quest to achieve balance so that both operate together in harmony rather than opposing or canceling each other out are an essentially Oriental viewpoint and quest, they form the basis of many Far Eastern traditions and other influences in Chinese Society such as Feng Shui.

The 12 Animal Signs are : Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit (or Cat), Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The animal ruling year in which you were born has a profound influence on your life.

As the Chinese say, This is the animal that hides in your heart.
There are 5 elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, each adding a nuance of almost tactile character to the animal sign.Chinese0Astrology is based on the Chinese0calendar year of your birth or the year of an event. There are also many more nuances involving the month and day.

Chinese Lunar Calendar

Prior to adoption of the Western solar calendar system, China exclusively followed a lunar calendar in determining the times of planting, harvesting, and festival occasions. Though today people in China use the western calendar for most practical matters of daily life, the old system still serves as the basis for determining numerous seasonal holidays. This coexistence of two calendar systems has long been accepted by the people of China.
A lunar month is determined by the period required for the moon to complete its full cycle of 29 and a half days, a standard that makes the lunar year a full 11 days shorter than its solar counterpart. This difference is made up every 19 years by the addition of seven lunar months. The 12 lunar months are further divided into 24 solar divisions distinguished by the four seasons and times of heat and cold, all bearing close relationship to the yearly cycle of agricultural work.
The Chinese calendar - like the Hebrew - is a combined solar/lunar calendar in that it strives to have its years coincide with the tropical year and its months coincide with the synodic months. It is not surprising that a few similarities exist between the Chinese and the Hebrew calendar: An ordinary year has 12 months, a leap year has 13 months. An ordinary year has 353, 354, or 355 days, a leap year has 383, 384, or 385 days. When determining what a Chinese year looks like, one must make a number of astronomical calculations:
First, determine the dates for the new moons. Here, a new moon is the completely black moon (that is, when the moon is in conjunction with the sun), not the first visible crescent used in the Islamic and Hebrew calendars. The date of a new moon is the first day of a new month.

Ascendant sign

Technically speaking, your rising sign, or ascendant, reflects the zodiac sign that was ascending on the Eastern horizon at the moment you took your first breath in this world. This is why an exact birth time is so vital to finding your accurate rising sign. Located on the cusp of the first house of your astrological chart -- or at the nine o'clock position -- the rising sign can exert an influence almost as powerful as your Sun and Moon signs.

If you were to think of your Sun sign as your soul -- your inner personality and potential -- and your Moon sign as your heart -- your emotional core -- then you could say that your rising sign is your physical self or the face you present to the world. For example, though your Sun sign might be Taurus, your rising sign could very well be Gemini. While you're feeling laid-back, others will tend to see you as a ball of nervous energy and cerebral wit.

At times, your rising sign may act as a mask, hiding some aspect of your inner self you don't feel like revealing. Your Ascendant sign describes your temperament, your outward mannerisms and behavior, the personality you put on public display. It is the part of yourself you are most willing for other people to see in casual, impersonal situations. Changes here will explain why even people born on the same day as you will have very different personalities, different strengths and interests, and different life experiences.

The Ascendant is also called the Rising Sign of a person's chart. Astrologers use the two terms interchangeably. It is literally the sign that was rising on the Eastern horizon of the sky at the time you were born in the place where you were born. This is why it is essential to have both a birthplace and a birth time in order to cast a completely valid Natal Chart.