It’s been a month since my last post and for me it’s been mostly about preparing some new material for the forthcoming summer season. I have been mulling over the ideas about Magic and Meaning, so wonderfully expressed in Bob Neal and Eugene Burgers book of the same title and together with some of the more psychic entertainer style gigs I’ve been doing recently it’s becoming more and more of a question for me – and perhaps a mission!

That mission – to reclaim some of the history and relevance of The Magician in society.

The emotional impact magic can have on an individual is profound.

Now I’m NOT talking about using our skills to create illusions in which encourage audiences to believe in the paranormal or withdraw form critical thinking – BUT a moment of wonder and amazement can inspire creativity as well as criticism; awe as well as questions …

My recent work with a self-professed medium in which I counter his mediumistic demonstrations with psychological (intuitive) ‘readings’ has proven to be very popular. Such events allow for entertainment, questioning and ‘magic’ as well as satisfying my particular philosophy of Rational Mysticism.

So, a repeating question…

What are you doing to bring more than  a wry smile when you perform your magic ?

How are you reclaiming the power of the magician?

The Victorian Seance Recreations I’m working on at the moment are planned to be entertaining, informative (based as they are on historical records), challenging and thought provoking.

Alan

I hope those who have subscribed to my newsletter have received the last one ok and that there was some food for thought in it.

I’ve been thinking about the various aspects of the things I do and trying to explore just how I have let the word ‘magician’ slip from my day to day vocabulary.

My friend Jeff McBride for me is the epitome of a magician – he is never ‘on’ he is just always being a magician. If you’re a professional magician and you’ve not seen Jeff’s booklet “Magician 24/7″ then I would high;y recommend it.

Jeff is always ready to be the magician that he is… his ‘on stage’ persona is simply a large portrait  of who he is when off stage.

And here’s the point …

Most ‘magicians’ act the part of being a magician because they accept that they’re illusions are illusions and hence their magic is not real’. With such an attitude being the ‘inner mindset’ of the ‘magical performer’ then there is the clear need to ‘get into character’ and ‘be someone else’ when performing.

But is that it?

Have we reduced magic to a performance which exists only in the frame of the cabaret floor or theatre stage?

I must admit that it is this thinking that had led me to drop the word ‘magician’ when describing myself. I, like many, have opted for titles that we deem to be more ‘marketable’ – Enigmatist, Paranormalist, Mind Reader, Unusualist, Psychological Illusionist and so on.

I have conspired with the general pubic to relegate the word ‘magician’ to presenter of ‘cheap tricks’ and ‘petty distractions’ – or to a mythical being whose only value is to amuse children and the ill-informed.

Magicians-turned-Skeptics who police the world for paranormal fraud have further confounded the pubic perception of ‘magic’…

Now let’s be clear hear.

I am not for one minute supporting those who use the tools of the magicians craft to ‘con’ others into believing in some fairy-tale reality wherein they, the all-powerful-wizard, possess the secrets of health,  wealth and spiritual connection (should that indeed be part of your metaphysical mind-set) have the sole ability to ‘connect’ you with your destiny –  and then make you pay heavily for that connection.

Nor am I suggesting that we need to encourage people to engage in pre-scientific, medieval thinking.

Magic, as defined by the mystics, is the ‘art and science of bringing about change in accordance with will’. So putting aside the lengthy discussion about what ‘will’ really is, we can see real magic all around and we engage in magic ritual every day.

I seek to communicate with the ‘other side’.. my ‘will’ is to converse with an entity who has passed over…

So I consult my grimoire of magical numbers and associations..

I find the correct sequence of numbers to chant over my wand…

And I am connected long-distance to a friend in the USA.

My magical grimoire is my phone book… My wand my voice activated iPhone….

OK, so not wishing to push the analogy too far, I think you get the point…

The act of living and communicating and simply be-ing is magical.

Gazing at the night sky and seeing stars, galaxies and the endless possibilities within the cosmos is awesomely magical.

How the individual chooses to make sense of their personal experiences is where some of the dogmatism and hence challenges lie.

Ok. So what has this got to do with card tricks?

Absolutely nothing..

What have card tricks to do with magic?

In the strictest sense – absolutely nothing…

They are ‘tricks’ – they are not pieces of magic.

These ‘tricks’ can be transformed into magic by the way in which they are performed; by the meaning we as the magician give to the act of the performance.

Jeff’s Magician 24/7 is not about being ready with the a ‘trick’, but about being able to share an experience…. wherein lies the magic.

Sharing and experience, a kind word, a smile can be considered as a magical act. We all know how easy it is to transform moods and bring about changes within the minds of others by the way we treat them – this, my dear reader, is part of being magical.

I write these words as a spell to affirm what I have been thinking; this in turn reminds me of my own changing ideas – which in turn, now shared, may prompt changes within you.

So I am a magician and the various worlds which I have inhabited; my multiple personalities defined by my apparent need to market my services, are in collision.

My Rational Mystic website has always been about walking between worlds…

Now my Psycho-therapeutic and Motivational work  is merging with the magician which is me.

A Neuromancer engaged in Transforming Minds by bringing  gifts of amusement and amazement;; by encouraging reflection and challenging perception – by being me 24/7.

I can be the Trixter – the coyote, Loki – the one who inspires merriment and mirth and playful discord

I can be the Sorceror – the magus, the connection between will, thought and action

I can be the Oracle – the seer, the ‘reader’ with insights that can challenge and provoke

I can be the Sage – the wise-fool who learns from his students and discovers that truth is transitory

I all I can be poet, artist, creator, thinker, teacher, learner – Rational Mystic

I can be the medium through which insights are communicated

I can be the guru who holds a signpost for fellow travellers

I can be the magician seeking to manifest change within and without

I can gift something of my art, my craft, my well wishing, my consideration, my fragmentary understanding to all I meet.

This is the life cycle of the magician; the path of the fool …

So the next time you are asked to show someone a ‘trick’ you can be like Gandalf..

Stand tall, gaze intently at the person asking you to ‘entertain them’ and state “I am not merely a conjuror of cheap tricks’ and then BE MAGICAL.

Notice the moments of wonder you can create and treasure them.

Image via Wikipedia

“Magic has lost all its magic. These days, it feels more like a sleekly packaged act of illusion engineering. The eye-popping, jaw-dropping, awe-inducing wonderment that used to accompany the abracadabra has mysteriously vanished into thin air. All one gets to hear now is the incredulous catcalls of killjoys screaming: “Haven’t we seen this on YouTube before?” Things were much better in the pre-internet era. The worldwide brotherhood of magicians went to great lengths to create an aura of mystique around their tricks. No one ever wrote ‘sleight-of-hand’ manuals or shot ‘Magic for Beginners’ videos explaining the elaborate deceptions. Part of the charm flowed from the larger-than-life persona projected in the public eye.”

source : IBNlive

Surely such comments should cause all magicians to stop and reflect.

What value do we give our art?

How do we recapture the magic and present the mystique ?

How do we encourage our audiences to value our work if we see  no value in it.

Related articles

• Magic 4 Learning (alanjonesradio.com)

I guess this will now set me thinking – who are the 10 Ten Card-Magicians of all time?

Your responses welcomed ….

Alan

Dynamo represents what can be called the ‘new generation’ of guerilla magicians who ‘strike’ with force, passion and energy and ‘kill’ their audiences with their magical skills and powerful illusions.

Of course, magic for me is not about ‘killing’ or ‘knocking out’ my audiences but I know that this approach is part of the ‘new wave’ of magical performers.

So what about humility..

Well in Dynamo’s own words…

“I want to be as famous as Paul Daniels.”

This is surely a recognition of the high regard and esteem most magicians have for this British icon and, despite an impressive TV series and more than one or two ‘water cooler moments’, Dynamo’s own realization that he still has a way to go.

Source Article: The Sun 

Image via Wikipedia

Related articles

• Magic ??? (mindalignment.com)

The plot seems to be a simple one. After the loss of his longtime stage partner, a famous but jaded Vegas magician fights for relevance when a new, “hip” street magician appears on the scene.

Reports from the set comment on Steve Carrol’s, who plays Wonderstone, focus noting that he stays ‘in character’ whilst on the set… ‘he is arrogant and self-centred’ … I am assuming that’s Wonderstone and not Carroll.

The pictures of Carroll as Wonderstone show him as velvet-jacketed and 80′s mullet haired – very reminiscent of Siegfried and Roy whose style and flamboyance was their own.

Jim Carrey plays the new ‘hip’ magician in town. I can only assume that we’re going to be in for more of the comedians rubber-face antics.

I’m particularly looking forward to see Steve Buscemi who is playing a character called Anton Lovecraft.

Olivia Wilde plays the female lead, so one can imagine some kind of ‘love triangle’  featuring in the story.

I believe this is the first feature film for director, Don Scardino. He has worked on the TV series Law and Order, The West Wing, 30 Rock – to name a few.

The screenplay comes from John Francis Daley and Jonathan M Goldstein. whose credits include “Bones” and “My Dad Says” so a sharp, witty script seems to be on the cards.

Alan

Related articles

• Jim Carrey to join Steve Carell in BURT WONDERSTONE (geektyrant.com)
• Steve Carell Channels Siegfried And Roy for ‘Burt Wonderstone’ (inquisitr.com)
• Jim Carrey Gets Hairy (justjared.buzznet.com)
• Olivia Wilde and Steve Buscemi Reportedly Negotiating for ‘Burt Wonderstone’ (moviefone.com)
• Jim Carrey Looks Familiar in BURT WONDERSTONE Set Photos (collider.com)

Barry & Stuart and Pete Firman were very familiar to me and I love these guys for their quirky sense of humour. Never had the pleasure of meeting Pete, but I was lucky enough to spend a couple of evenings with Barry and Stuart with Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger and Kenny Roberts in Cornwall (it was during the last McBride Masterclass sessions in Cornwall).

Latimar was new to me. Not as a name, but in terms of seeing a performance…. liked his style.

In all I enjoyed the magic, although for some reason the pace of the show as a whole seemed rather tedious (maybe that’s more of a reflection of my tiredness than the production itself) but I will reserve judgement on that until I’ve seen the next show….

For me the issue remains as to the reason for the format…

The ‘Celebrity’ get me stuck-into-this or out-of-that in a house-forest-jungle-lake-outback-wilderness doing magic ‘tricks‘ format is actually boring.

The Magicians are more than capable of presenting top quality entertainment without the ‘celebrity’ additions or ‘audience votes’….

The constant reference to ‘TRICK’ also annoyed me…

Barry & Stuart, Pete Firman I know to be witty, clever, ‘viewer worthy’ performers and Latimer strikes me as being equally capable of carrying a show without the intrusion of a celebrity ‘I loved magic when I was kid and always wanted t…..’  Soap, Strictly or Outnumbered ‘stars’.

We ask why variety is dead?

It isn’t dead it’s just morphed into audience participation shows where ‘phone in votes and the supporting compere induced drama (and in second place we haveeeeeeeeee – followed by interminable pauses which rather than add tension become laughable) are de rigueur.

Hey Ho…

To  the Magicians – keep on doing your stuff and amazing folks

To the Show Producers – lets see some creativity!

Alan

Related articles

• Could it be magic? Yes, live on Beeb (thesun.co.uk)
• Thinking About Magic (mindwatching.com)
• Magic ??? (mindalignment.com)

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Just received a couple of video testimonials.

Like many performers I try to get feedback from those who come to my shows and like many professionals have  a folder full of ‘nice words’…. it’s kinda like my ego-book and let’s be honest here ALL performers have an ego they like to massage every now and then.

But I’m really recognizing the value of inviting folks to put those comments onto video. I mean so many of the folk who are coming to see your shows are really internet savvy.

So my promotional mission is to try to use the camera on my iphone more so that the next time someone tells me about my show I can say – hang-on – talk to the ‘phone….

Well what’s wrong with a little ego massage ?

As part of the New Year clear out I  have unsubscribed the 3000 + inactive users on this blog.

So If I deleted you in error I apologise..

But do not despair you will notice that there is a NEW SUBSCRIPTION box on the right side of this BLOG which will subscribe you to my new Magic and Mentalism Newsletter.

I intend to publish this once a month and it will have content which has not been posted on this blog. Aimed at magicians (professional, amateur and hobbyist) it will contain reviews, thoughts and comment which I hope will be of interest.

The January Newsletter as a comment or two about show BUSINESS, the new IMS DVD series, Magic 4 Learning and Paul Silk (aka Mr Tickles a local children’s entertainer)