Lee Earle - Syzygy - The First Five Volumes (1)

134 Editor’s Note: This is a delightful utilization of resources which would probably never occur to most of us. While not a full-time performer, Mona tapped her background in advertising and mass media in a way which should be the envy of professional Mentalists and will delight a cold-reader’s heart. During her first few days in a new employment situation, Mona sought a way to build a rapport with her associates in an office environment which seemed built to prevent it. Each staffer had his or her own private cubicle, computer, telephone, etc., separate and apart from every other employee, effectively isolating each staffer from the others. “I consider myself a good judge of people and their choices,” she said one day to a co-worker, “and it’s clear that you are someone who is very much in tune with environmental issues. In fact, you probably drive a safe, imported car and prefer wine with your meals. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a vegetarian.” It took her fellow employee some time to recover from the shock of this highly accurate mini-reading. With one associate after another, Mona managed to get ‘hit’ after ‘hit’ with tailored cold reading lines so precisely targeted that other employees were awestruck. The source of her information is surprisingly mundane. As she moved throughout the office complex, she heard the quiet murmur of broadcast radio music. In fact, most of the office employees had radios playing softly in their subdivided office spaces, some tuned to easy listening stations, others to progressive jazz, soft rock, or all-news & talk. It was this information which she finessed into those killer cold readings. Market research is conducted to determine what type of person listens to each radio format. These surveys are quite specific, detailing household income range, disposable income, political attitudes & voting preferences, age, and many, many other factors for every radio station and broadcast format in any advertising market. Mona is quite knowledgeable about these radio station demographics and used them to spectacular advantage. For the rest of us, there is a publication produced by the Standard Rate and Data Service (in the reference section of most public libraries) which lists all the radio stations in a particular geographical area and the demographic categories to which their broadcasts appeal. Once Mona heard a station’s call letters (and, sometimes, just the broadcast itself), she could make some amazing generalizations regarding her associates. Mona Santow KOLD Radio Readings 53 60 80 100 130 160 88 92 96 100 104 108

and events. ❑ Sensitiveness: Readiness to feel a hurt or slight. ❑ Vanity: Overestimation of self. analysis) of your handwriting gives you the most obvious traits as revealed through Graphoanalysis, the scientific system of handwriting analysis. A detailed Graphoanalysis or telephone consultation may be obtained from the Certified Master Graphoanalyst whos name appears on this form. Prepared for Name Date Prepared by CERTIFIED MASTER GRAPHOANALYST Comments This brochure is used by “legitimate” handwriting analysts as a tic sheet. The other side is on the following page. Learn from it.

Continued from other side of flap ❑ Pride: Personal standard of conduct and achievement. ❑ Procrastination: Habit of putting off something until a future time. ❑ Resentment: Indignant displeasure from a sense of being injured or offended. ❑ Responsibility, desire for: Wish for greater opportunity or trust. ❑ Sarcasm: Use of cutting and caustic remarks. ❑ Secretiveness: Tendency to conceal facts from others; keeping of confidences. ❑ Self-consciousness: Unduly aware of self. ❑ Self-deception: Tendency to form opinions from insufficient evidence. ❑ Sense of Humor: Ability to discover the incongruous in ideas, situations, andeventsPsychologists consider handwriting a movement that reveals your innermost characteristics – an expressive movement. No matter how hard you try, it is virtually impossible to conceal or disguise your personality traits by intentionally altering your handwriting. Graphoanalysis is a valuable aid in any area where a keen knowledge of human behavior is important. It is widely used in the home, education, guidance counseling, personnel and employment work, business management, police work, and suspect document cases. It goes without saying that nearly everyone can be happier and more effective in his relations with others if he has a better understanding of human nature. Graphoanalysis can bring you this better understanding of people. For Information, Contact: ...character assessment as revealed by your handwriting This brief analysis (or candid shot li)fhdiii

How You React to Emotional Experiences or Situations ❑ You are usually very reserved and unresponsive. This may be a result of self-interest. ❑ You appear calm and collected; under most circumstances you tend to act objectively. ❑ You will react with consideration and empathy, modified with common sense. ❑ You are warm and responsive – but seldom to extremes. ❑ You are very responsive and inclined to react immediately. ❑ Others may find it difficult to know how you will react, for you may react in several of the above ways depending upon the circumstances. How Emotional Experiences Affect You Your Goals ❑ You like to plan for the future. Your goals may or may not become realities depending upon other influencing traits. ❑ Your goals are more practical and within your reach since you like to have assurances of success. ❑ You underestimate your capabilities, satisfying yourself with less than your best. How You Achieve Your Goals Will Power: Ability to direct yourself toward a goal. ❑ Weak to moderate ❑ Moderate ❑ Moderate to strong Determination: Ability to finish assigned task. Other Important Characteristics The personality characteristics listed below are neither “good” nor “bad” in themselves. Each characteristic becomes meaningful only when carefully evaluated with all others present in a personality. ❑ Acquisitiveness: Wish to acquire. ❑ Aggressiveness: Ability to invade new fields of activity. ❑ Broad Mindedness: Willingness to tolerate the ideas of others. ❑ Details, attention to: Care in regard to details. ❑ Dignity: Quality of being worthy of esteem. ❑ Diplomacy: Tactfulness in dealing with people. ❑ Domineering: Tendency to be overbearing and authoritarian. ❑ Enthusiasm: Ardent inner force that creates interest and action. ❑Flidit:Abilittothinksmoothl

pff❑ Experiences are felt at the time, but they do not leave a lasting impression. ❑ Emotional experiences remain for a period of time but are moderate and in time will fade. ❑ Emotional experiences are felt deeply and leave lasting impressions. Your Thinking Processes ❑ Analytical: You are capable of sorting ideas and facts to determine their value. ❑ Exploratory: Available information does not satisfy you. You feel you must investigate for yourself. ❑ Comprehensive: You are quick to understand and often do not require detailed explanations. ❑ Cumulative: By slowly accumulating information, you are capable of reaching more accurate conclusions. ❑ Weak to moderate ❑ Moderate ❑ Moderate to strong Your Imagination You have the ability to create mental images that are apart from the material or practical, including the understanding of ideas, theories, philosophies. ❑ Restricted ❑ Moderate ❑ Active You have the ability to picture something existing but not actually present. ❑ Restricted ❑ Moderate ❑ Active General Aptitudes – Cultural Trends ❑ Artistic ❑ Manual Dexterity ❑ Creative ❑ Showmanship ❑ Literary ❑ Fluidity: Ability to think smoothly. ❑ Frankness: Honesty or candidness in speech. ❑ Generosity: Willing to give or share. ❑ Independent Thinking: Setting one's standard of behavior regardless of custom. ❑ Initiative: Aptitude for instigating ideas and actions. ❑ Irritability: Easily annoyed. ❑ Jealousy: Fear of rivalry. ❑ Loyalty: Steadfastness to what one thinks is right. ❑ Narrow Mindedness: Inability to appreciate or accept another's point of view. ❑ Organizational Ability: Aptitude for putting ideas or things in order. ❑ Persistence: Aptitude to continue steadfastly. Continued on other side of flap

137 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 29 Volume 2, Number 11 Christopher Caldwell Th-Th-Th-That’s All Folks! “At one of those shopping mall movie studio theme stores,” explains the Mentalist, “I found this...” A small bag, marked with the Warner Brothers studio logo, is deposited on the table and a pack of “Looney Tunes” playing cards is removed from it. The performer continues, “All my life I have enjoyed the colorful antics of these cartoon characters.” He withdraws several cards from the pack and places them, face up, in a pile on the table. “Here’s Wiley Coyote, Acme company’s best customer,” the Mentalist goes on, “the carrot crunching Bugs Bunny...” He removes and descibes several more individual cards from the pack disclosing, “These are my ‘Top Ten’ personal favorites.” “Among these zany ‘toons’ is the one with which I identify most,” confesses the Mentalist, “and it’s very hard for me to conceal that crazy affection. You’ve seen all of them, so give me a number from one to ten and let’s see if you’ve discovered my little secret.” A participant says, for example, “Five.” The performer replies, “Please take the packet and count down to the fifth card.” That card turns out to be the Sylvester the Cat character. “I reminded you that one of these is my favorite. And when I was in the store, I purchased something else with that same face on it.” The Mentalist pulls up his sleeve to show his wristwatch. Filling the face is a very colorful portrait of Sylvester. Actually, eleven cards are removed from the deck to be used in the packet, but no one counts. As the face up pile of cards on the table builds, just make sure the Tweety card is the seventh card dealt and the Sylvester card is the ninth. That puts Sylvester and Tweety, respectively, third and fifth from the face of the packet. Pick up the packet and hold the cards edgewise so that the face of the packet is vertical. Ask your participant for a number between one and ten. If the number is greater than six, place the cards in his hand face down; otherwise hand them to him face up. For any odd number, have your helper count to the card at that number. If an even number is used, your participant transfers, one at a time, that many cards from the top of the packet to the bottom. You’ll use the next card. Please turn to TOONS, page 140 Christopher uses this presentation when his close-up work brings him to a table with children. But it’s the adults who really respond.

138 The rubber-gloved Mentalist slowly and methodically pours a careful measure of concentrated battery acid into one of three identical cocktail glasses sitting on a round serving tray, and confesses, “It’s amazing the extremes a genuine sensitive will go to, in order to prove a point!” He carefully wipes the last droplet of acid from the lip of the reagent bottle with a small gauze pad and gently replace the bottle in its padded shipping container. Continuing, the performer explains, “It’s equally amazing how much effort the same person will expend for a tax-exempt martini!” With that comment, he withdraws a bottle of Stolichnaya vodka from a brown paper bag and fills the remaining two glasses to a level equal with the first. “Two comparitively benign ‘control’ elements to accompany one rather caustic alternative,” remarks the performer, “and all because I’m bored with bending spoons. Besides, the element of risk heightens the inner senses to a level which makes a demonstration like this possible.” A member of the audience is asked to come forward for a moment and is handed a laboratory apron to put on, followed by a pair of thick, black rubber gloves, and a clear face shield. The Mentalist advises, “While there is little chance that you would come into contact with the acid, my attorney insists on these little precautions. And I know you’ll be more comfortable as well.” Pointing to the tray on the table, the performer asks, “Once you’ve donned the hazardous materials gear, carefully move all three glasses to different positions on the tray and bring the tray to me. Be mindful of how you handle the glasses; you can’t tell them apart. The rearrangement of the glasses on the tray ensures that I, as well, will have no clue as to which glass contains the fleshconsuming acid, because I won’t look as you re-arrange them.” “Answer me truthfully,” asks the Mentalist, “have you any idea which two drinks are safe to consume? No? Very well, I’ll take the tray and you may remove the protective gear to the sound of applause from the audience. We thank you for your assistance.” With his free hand, the performer removes a wooden clothespin from his breast pocket and clamps it over his nose. “I think you’ll agree with me,” he says to the now-seated helper, “that the aroma of the acid can be overwhelming.” The participant nods in agreement. “Now that a sniff is impossible, only intuition guides my hand,” remarks the dare-devil performer. He reaches for one glass, then another, finally muttering to himself, “...always go with the first choice...” He picks up one glass, raises it in a toast, and downs its contents in a single gulp. Please turn to MARTINI, page 140 It isn’t so much the novelty of the premise which makes this piece appealing (it’s an old idea) as it is the attitude of the presentation. Mark Edward The Two Martini Hunch

139 Robert is a member of Arizona’s Mentalism thinktank, the exclusive and fabled Six and One-Half. Robert Waller Wanderlust Wanderlust,” the Mentalist begins, “is a uniquely human trait. It is the desire to travel – to one’s ancestral homeland, an exotic tropic isle, or just to gain a new perspective – it is a universal and undeniable drive.” While thumbing through a selection of thirty picture postcards, the performer continues, “Many people collect postcards as souvenirs of their wanderings. My wife asks me to bring more home every time I travel. I suspect she’s not really collecting the postcards; she just wants proof that I went where I claimed I did.” Addressing a willing audience participant, the Mentalist asks her name and continues, “Maria, tonight you will help us plan an imaginary trip. We’ll select our final destination using these postcards. Would you mix them to change their order, please?” After the participant shuffles the postcards, the performer takes them in hand, gives them an additional shuffle, and says, “You will decide where our wanderings will take us, depending on how you answer a few questions. For a twist, you may choose to answer each question truthfully or your answer can be, as they say when referring to certain political figures, ‘at variance with the truth’.” “Before we begin this trip, please say what your preferred mode of transportation will be. Ocean liner? My, how extravagant! Please take the stack of postcards and deal one of them onto my hand for each letter. O-C-E-A-N-L-I-N-E-R.” She deals 10 cards. The performer continues, “Since you’ve chosen to travel by sea, would you rather visit Japan or Brazil? Spell out that choice, too.” She spells B-R-A-Z-I-L, dealing one postcard for each letter. Once again, the performer offers a question, “For a second stop, let’s visit a third world country; will it be Iraq or Yemen?” That choice (e.g: I-R-A-Q) is spelled, letter by letter and card by card. “Let’s see,” remarks the Mentalist, “where our travels have taken us. What is the next postcard? Paris, France. Marvelous. I visited Paris recently and, after a strange dream, even mailed a postcard home. That one. Would you turn it over and read it aloud please?” She reads, “Paris is an expensive city but it’s quite beautiful. The baked goods are even more delicious than I imagined. I predict that you will soon be able to visit the Eiffel tower in person, Maria.” The Paris postcard is shorter and narrower than the 29 others. When you take back the pack to shuffle, cut the Paris card to the top of the picture-side-down pack. Shuffle 9 other postcards onto it. When the pack is pictures-side-up, Paris will be the 21st card. Prior to the performance, quietly learn the name of one woman near the front row and write her name in the message on the Paris card. The chart on page 140 provides your spelling selections. Paste a copy of it to the back of one of those all-black joke postcards such as “Berlin at night.” Remove that card from the stack before the shuffles, remark on it, and put it where you can glimpse the cues.

140 Editor’s Desk Sad late news: Punx (Ludwig Hanemann) died February 11th, of complications following a stroke. He was 88. SYZYGY’s BEST! lecture dates: Pittsburgh, on March 7* (Mark Zajicek, 412 793-8070); Detroit, March 9* (Al Ulman, 313 874-2591); and Columbus on March 11 (David Blevins, 614 224-2929). The * denotes openings available at intensive workshops scheduled for the following night, reservations required. Mark Edward’s Psychic Revival Network informercial (with celebrities Nell Carter & Eric Estrada) is being aired nationwide. Not Much Room For News... TOONS, continued Should your helper combatively choose 1 or 10, you can always spell, “O-N-E or T-E-N” with the deck face up to get to the 3rd card. In the bag is a stuffed Tweety plush toy, which is your ‘out’ for any number over 6. Should your residual magician’s guilt betray you after the Sylvester watch face disclosure and someone asks, “What’s in the bag?” you reply, “Sylvester’s lunch!” Show the stuffed Tweety. For another great gag, cover the face of one card with a white self-adhesive label. Deal this one on the pile and say, “That’s the voice of all the characters – Mel Blanc! MARTINI, continued His eyes go wide, a painful grimace covers his face, and he shakes his head like a dog emerging from the rain. Then he says, “That’s good booze – but it needs an olive!” Whereupon he produces from his pocket a small jar of cocktail olives, opens it, and eats one. “Now for the final choice,” the Mentalist remarks. “It’s easier with that liquid courage beginning to have its effect.” Taking another olive out of the jar, he holds it over one of the glasses, and says, “This one is next.” In quick steps, he drops the olive into the liquid, brings the glass to his lips, and downs the drink. Removing one last olive from the jar, he holds it over the final glass asking, “Cocktail, anyone?” The olive is dropped into the acid and immediately begins a bubbling and sizzling decomposition. Both the vodka and acid bottles are filled with water (or the clear beverage of your choice). The third olive is plastic, obtained from a joke store. It is hollowed out and filled with a crushed AlkaSeltzer tablet. That’s what supplies the reaction in the final glass of ‘acid.’ The small gauze patch which is used to wipe the lip of the acid bottle is liberally doused beforehand with a few drops of concentrated Acetic acid (extra-strong vinegar, essentially). It is left on the center of the tray and supplies the unmistakable acid fumes which the helper is bound to notice. His non-verbal reactions alone are worth the effort of this small step.

141 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 30 Volume 2, Number 12 Alain Nu Witch-Fork “For years,” begins the Mentalist, “dowsers have claimed the ability to locate underground water using a forked twig from a sapling. They say the moisture in the green wood ‘seeks’ any subterranean aquifers. “Many of these ‘water- witchers’ also claim to be able to find buried precious metals or gemstones as well. Claiming that ‘like finds like,’ they often ‘sensitize’ their dowsing instrument by rubbing it with a sample of the substance for which they are probing. Others will draw or carve ancient and mystic symbols, representing the elements they seek, on their divining tools.” Taking an eating utensil from the table, the Mentalist continues, “Let’s test that theory. Lacking a forked twig, perhaps this dinner fork will serve. Which ancient symbol would you like to use: earth, air, fire, or water? I’ll draw it on the handle of the fork to set the target.” The performer reaches into his pocket, withdraws some coins, and says, “Here is a handful of quarters – would you please duplicate the mark I made onto one of the coins?” The participant copies the fork’s mark onto a single coin after which the performer scoops up all of the coins and drops them into a straight sided coffee mug. Next, he places the fork in the cup, business end down, and stirs the coins just a bit. When a participant removes the utensil from the cup, the marked coin is now seen to be impaled between the tines of the fork! Alain’s M.O. is quite simple. While the participant is looking at the handle end of the fork to duplicate the symbol you’ve drawn there, you are busy bending the two inside tines of the fork to slide over the coin. Since his attention is on drawing the symbol, the misdirection is perfect. When you drop the coins into the coffee mug, the last coin (which happens to be the marked one) is actually dropped so it rests against the straight side of the mug with its edge on the mug’s bottom. Thus, it’s quite easy to ‘stab’ the on-edge coin with the split tines of the fork. Be sure to really jam the coin tightly into the fork. Everything else is presentation. Carry a fine-tip marking pen and a few coins and you’re ready to perform this delightful “impromptu” routine.

142 “People in personal relationships,” begins the Mentalist, “often develop a peculiar sense about their significant others. Would any two people in the audience who are a ‘couple’ please raise your hands?” One pair of volunteers joins the performer on stage. The performer takes a snapshot of the couple, using a Polaroid™ camera. While the photo is developing, a package of opaque envelopes is opened and emptied onto the table. The performer shows four photos taken previously, each of an attractive couple smiling for the camera. “Please take each of the snapshots,” illustrates the Mentalist with one photo, “and seal it in an envelope, like this. When you’re through, all five photos will be hidden within randomly selected envelopes.” “Please gather the envelopes and mix them a bit,” instructs the performer, “so no clue remains as to which is which.” He takes the shuffled stack of envelopes and deals them on the table in a row. Speaking to one of the pair, the Mentalist directs, “Hold your partner’s hand and move your free hand over the row of sealed photos until you feel your hand compelled to drop on one of them.” When the participant does so, the performer explains, “Stories abound about lovers, siblings, or friends who have a mysterious connection. I know of no other explanation.” He opens the envelope and shows the photo. It is the snapshot of the very same couple! The working is simple and direct. After you’ve obtained a Polaroid™ camera, take 4 photos of couples. Buy a small package of stainless steel double edged razor blades, a Radio Shack Catalog Number 64-1895 rare earth magnet (3/16" diameter, 1/16" thick), and some 1" x 3" adhesive labels. Test that the magnet will attract the blades. Carefully break two blades in half, lengthwise, to get 4 thin, magnetic shims. Conceal each shim behind an adhesive label. Attach the shimmed labels to the center back of the photos, aligned vertically. Stack the photos face up and attach the magnet to the back of the bottom photo. It’s this one with which you demonstrate how to insert & seal. As you place the photo in the envelope, slide the magnet off the shim and allow it to drop into the corner of the envelope. When you are given the stack of envelopes, find the magnet by feel and move that one to the bottom of the stack. Turn the stack so the magnet is in the outer, right corner. As you deal the envelopes onto the table, draw the center of each one over the magnet. The only envelope which doesn’t attract the magnet is your target. Place it second from your helper’s left in the row of five. Just before he begins to move his hand over the row, adjust the position of the envelope second from the right. He will almost always drop his hand on the target envelope. If not, equivoque (verbal control) will help you guide him to success. See “Payday” in issue #24 for an example of this strategy. Jack knows that it’s always a good idea to let the participant feel responsible for his success onstage. Jack Dean Affinity

143 Think “Word Test” instead of the term “Book Test.” That puts the inferred focus on the target, not the device. Lee Earle Korano Blanco Asked to picture a playing card,” begins the Mentalist, “it is probable that you would think of either the Ace of Spades or the Queen of Hearts. Those are the two most commonly chosen. “Should you be requested to think of a piece of furniture, more often than not a chair would be your first mental image. “Likewise, when queried for a vegetable most people answer, ‘Carrot’ and for a flower, ‘Rose’ is the usual reply.” Picking up a dust-jacketed hard cover novel, the performer continues, “It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that if one were asked for a single word, there may be a reply which seems random but in fact is quite predictable. That’s the reason for using a book.” The Mentalist hands the volume to a nearby member of the audience and asks, “Do you read well in English? Fine. Open the book to any page and satisfy first yourself and then the septics - pardon me, skeptics - that all the words on the page are different. With the possible exception of those words with fewer than four letters, of course.” Paging through the book, the participant agrees that the text is not prepared, as is truly the case. “By the way,” continues the performer, “about how many words are on a page? Two hundred, you say? And how many pages in the book? Three hundred and sixty? So how many words is that, all together? About seventy thousand or so, yes?” Going on, the Mentalist suggests, “Then certainly you can page through and find a random word. Hopefully one which will present a challenge. Have you found one yet? Good!” He pulls the top sheet of a Post-It note pad and attaches it to the cover of the dust jacket and says, “Just in case, please print the word in block letters. That way, you’ll be able to put the book down and just concentrate on the word.” Given a ball-point pen, the participant writes his word on the yellow square of paper. The performer retrieves the book and holds it with the Post-It paper facing the floor, “I don’t want to see what you’ve written, so take this dust jacket to act as a screen.” Slipping the dust jacket from the book, the performer hands it, still note side down, to the helper, as he places the book aside. “Concentrate on your word, letter by letter,” commands the Mentalist. I sense the letters G, N, I, Z, A, M, and A. No, wait! I have that backwards. The word is ‘AMAZING!’” Obtain a hard cover book which has a smooth, dark surface. A light colored dust jacket is helpful - it must be white on the inside. With a container of underarm antiperspirant which lists Aluminum Chlorhydroxide as an ingredient, spray the inside front cover of the dust jacket to give it a white coating of the antiperspirant. The coating will transfer just like carbon paper to the dark cover of the book. On a smooth cover, it wipes off with a thumb stroke.

144 Editor’s Desk As I write this on my now-obsolete Macintosh PowerBook 100, I’m sitting on the edge of my bed at the Holiday Inn, North Haven, CT, at the NEMCON (New England Magicians CONvention). I seldom work magic conventions, but this one was an exception and I’m glad for it. The folks here at the Tom Prete Assembly #127 put on a hellova oneday event. Haven’t had so much fun in ages. The ever-eclectic John Riggs has yet another book in print, this time published by Jerry Mentzer. Magic from the Ambient Domain is 81/2 x 11 inches in size, perfect bound, and contains 94 numbered pages of material with a disparate appeal. How else could I describe a book which illustrates both balloon animals and PK with a fork? The fork thing, by the way, is a perfect companion for Alain Nu’s piece, in this issue. It won’t be long before the subscription renewals go in the mail, so start reviewing the presentations published since issue #15 (the cutoff issue for last year’s feedback) to supply your nominations for next year’s SYZYGY’s BEST! If the little number to the right of your name on each issue’s envelope is greater than 36, you probably won’t get a renewal notice, but your input is still important. Reaction to Fred Rosenbaum’s Chinese Menu piece in issue #25 was so positive that we made arrangements to go commercial with it as the first SYZYGY Exclusive Release (yes, there will be others to come). Szechuan Sampler is available now for $50.00 plus $5.00 postage. You must see these fabulous menus to appreciate their quality. They are virtually indistinguishable from legitimate restaurant menus. There’s even a take-out menu among the set. The gift certificates, featuring a Chinese dragon in red and black wrapped around the page, are gorgeous! You get three of them, each imprinted with a different price, for repeat shows. The total is changed depending upon which four menus are used (you actually get six menus). More lecture dates: Omaha, Nebraska hosts SYZYGY’s BEST! on Friday, March 22nd. Phone Phil “Digger” Hardiman, at (712) 527-5241, to save your seat at the 7:00 p.m. event. The next morning (11:00 a.m.) finds me presenting at Twin Cities Magic, (612) 227-7888, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Portland, Oregon is the city where we’ll put SYZYGY’s BEST! on video tape. David Fredric Ashton, III will be behind the camera and in the editing suite. The combined lecture & shoot is Thursday March 28. David is promoting the lecture himself, so if you want to be part of the fun and in on the action, reserve your place now by calling him at (503) 727-2654. And since, transcontinentally speaking, I’ll be in the neighborhood, the lecture will be presented in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, March 31, at 2:00 p.m. Ed Loveland is your contact for that event, at (204) 631-7516. NEMCON Greetings

145 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 31 Volume 2, Number 13 Paul Pacific Greeked! “People often ask me,” confesses the Mentalist, “‘If you’re so clever, why don’t you just pick next week’s Lotto numbers and then retire?’ That question deserves an honest answer, and here it is: I’ve tried – and failed! It’s not difficult to get images of the little balls dropping into the chute, but making out the numbers on them is something else altogether. How does one correct the vision of the mind’s eye? “What I can see,” he continues, “often turns out to be interesting, at least in retrospect. And it does seem that the more one has at stake in the outcome, the more accurate the preview becomes. That’s why, when I mailed my impressions of a future event to your company representative, I included a well-stocked wallet. If my forecast is inaccurate, the cash will be donated to your group’s favorite charity. Talk about incentive! “Will the holder of the stakes join me on stage? Please verify that, several weeks ago, you were sent a sealed envelope containing a bulky object and that this is the very same item sealed in this envelope? If you will tear open the envelope, you will find my wallet inside, which contains a significant amount of cash, yes? In addition, there is a sealed manila coin envelope which you should now tear open in order to remove and display the contents.” As the performer holds up the front page of the daily newspaper, the participant unfolds a thin sheet of tracing paper which bears an unmistakable similarity to the newspaper’s layout, complete with a sketched image of each photograph! The mailed wallet is one of the Himber switching type. Inside one section is a manila coin envelope containing a blank sheet of tracing paper. Before the show, meet with the recipient and ask him to tear open the envelope and remove the wallet. From a duplicate envelope you remove a handful of currency which you will place in the wallet. Your excuse is, of course, that you didn’t feel comfortable sending cash in the mail. Concealed beneath the currency is a second coin envelope containing a rough sketch of the newspaper’s front page, complete with your renderings of the photos. When you open the wallet to Please turn to GREEKED!, page 148 In desktop publishing, ‘greeking’ means turning detail too small to read into graphic elements.

146 Gary Ward PSImpathy “There is often a strange, almost magical bond between lovers,” begins the Mentalist, “one which manifests itself in the most unusual of ways. Are there any lovers here?” A young man and woman near the front cautiously raise their hands. “Step over here,” instructs the performer, “and we’ll demonstrate your compatibility. Each of you should take one of these ‘testing templates’ and hold it in front of you, like a tray.” Positioning the participants so they face away from one another, the performer steps between them and says, “From this point forward, your thoughts and actions will not be subject to any visual influence from your partner. “Notice that there are six circles on each template,” informs the Mentalist, “designated with the letters ‘A’ through ‘F,’ and six coins, a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and silver dollar. Place your coins, in a random order, so each circle is occupied, like this (the performer illustrates for each participant). By the way, the odds are over 700 to 1 against your initial lineups being identical.” “These directions,” reminds the Mentalist, picking up a preprinted instruction card, “will tell you to switch or remove coins. Pay close attention as I read them.” The performer reads from the instruction card: 1. Switch the positions of the dime and the quarter; 2. Switch the positions of the dollar and the penny; 3. Remove the coin on circle ‘F’; 4. Locate the lowest valued coin and switch it with the coin directly next to it on either side; 5. If there is a coin on circle ‘A’, remove it; 6. Locate the two highest value coins and switch their positions; 7. If the penny is still on your template, switch it with the coin directly next to it on either side; 8. If there is a coin on circle ‘B’, remove it; 9. Switch a silver colored coin for a copper colored coin if two of them are directly next to each other; 10. If there are coins on circles ‘C’ and ‘E’, remove them; 11. Note which coin remains and what circle it occupies. “Let’s see if your minds are para-sympathetic,” the Mentalist suggests. What coin or coins remain, and where are they to be found?” Both subjects have, in the same lettered circle, the penny! Attach photocopies of page 147 to two pieces of stiff poster board to make a solid panel which will serve as a tray. Place an assortment of six coins on each and your preparation is complete. When you illustrate how to place the coins, push each tray’s silver dollar onto one of the “A - C - E” circles, after which each participant places the remaining coins in a random order. This is a charming compabatibility test. With one simple subterfuge the outcome is preordained.

ABCDEF

Para-Sympathetic Testing Template This template is to be used in the Rhine Para-Sympathetic testing series to correlate the responses between two individuals or a small group of individuals (t<=4). Ideal testing conditions should be obtained with (t=2). A delta coefficient of less than 0.05 within group variance is considered relevant for the test performed. Copyright ©1978 by Para-Psi Testing, Inc., Houston, TX Form 2397PS

148 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: This page may appear a little odd; I omitted the usual headline, gaining three extra lines of text. The change will be permanent. Thanks to John Riggs for the idea of using a greeked layout for the newspaper prediction in Paul Pacific’s piece in this issue. Some subscribers received a mailing, with address labels from SYZYGY, for Ted Karmilovich’s Mother Of All Booktests. Occasionally and irregularly, you may receive other product mailings. The dealer supplies the stuffed, sealed, and pre-stamped envelopes and I apply labels and mail the envelopes. Subscribers get the benefit of receiving product updates while knowing that SYZYGY’s subscriber list is never released. Look for some killer material from Ted in future issues. John Gardner (James Bond author, P.E.A. member, and SYZYGY subscriber) will undergo periodic maintenance to clean out an artery or two this month. He’ll be back in circulation soon. While on the subject of things surgical, Robert Bluemle (Dr. Juris) finally let his M.D. take an arthroscopic snip or two on his gimpy knee. The prognosis is excellent and he’s looking forward to globe-trotting over to Africa this December. Most one-year subscriptions come due soon. This will be the final opportunity for charter subscribers to extend (for up to three years) at the original rate. It would be very helpful if renewals were mailed in before May 15th. That makes planning for the next year much simpler. All remaining Volume One back issues (#1 through #18) have been assembled into a final 50 sets of Volume One Complete. There will be no more when these are gone, although a scattered selection of individual issues will be on hand for a while longer. GREEKED!, continued display the dummy envelope inside, the open wallet is supported by your hand holding the cash. That’s when your fingers beneath the wallet push the duplicate envelope into the opposite side of the wallet. The illustration explains it. When you mailed the wallet, you placed the coin envelope under one of the pocket-flaps. Ease it out now so it merely rests on the face of the open wallet. Close the wallet for a moment, to get a pen from your pocket. When you re-open the wallet, you access the other side, the one with the newly inserted prediction envelope. Ask your participant to write the total of the cash on the envelope, place the currency on top of it so the bills overlap the end of the wallet, and flip the wallet closed. The protruding currency provides a perfect marker to indicate which side of the wallet to open on stage. Slip the wallet inside the now-empty cash envelope and seal it. Return the entire package to your participant to keep and bring on stage during your program.

149 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 32 Volume 2, Number 14 Ted Karmilovich Bold & Beautiful Prophecy The performer points to a frontrow member of the audience who is sitting to his extreme left and asks, “Please name a simple geometric design...a triangle? Thank you.” He indicates a second person – front row, center – and asks, “Would you mind stating aloud you choice of any major city in the United States? Let me give you a hint,” the performer pauses, “that leaves out Highland Park.” (When he plays another small town, he’ll use that town’s name. It always gets him a good laugh.) “Newark?” confirms the performer, “Even better.” “To complete the triad,” continues the Mentalist, directing his comments to a third individual seated in the front row to the performer’s far right, “you must name any well-known celebrity whose reputation will be known to everyone here. Cher? Perfect!” Reaching into his pocket, the entertainer informs, “Previously, my impressions were recorded on the backs of my business cards. Here they are.” He withdraws three business cards from his pocket and removes the paper clip which holds the cards together. He fans the cards, printed sides toward the audience. “On the back of one,” he explains, “I recorded a geometric design.” He pulls a card from the fan. “A second card bears the name of a city,” he says as another card is withdrawn from the fan. “The third card records the name of an actress,” says the performer, as the fan’s final card is taken in the other hand. The Mentalist asks each of the participants to stand. He hands one of the cards to each person, then says, “Please read, silently, what is written on the backs of your cards. As I recall, the choices were Cher, Newark, and a Triangle, correct? If the prediction you are holding is 100 percent accurate, please be seated and lead the applause.” All three participants take their seats and begin clapping! The working is simplicity in itself; each business card bears the same prediction: “One of the choices will be a TRIANGLE.” Re-read the presentation to appreciate the doublespeak which makes this piece work. As far as the participants are concerned, the cards just got mixed up when you distributed them. Please turn to BOLD & BEAUTIFUL, page 152 Ted is the creator of “The Mother Of All Booktests” which is destined to become a classic of Mentalism.

150 George Kirkendall Four on a Date “Numerology,” begins the Mentalist, “is the art, some would say science, of using numbers to determine one’s aptitudes, capabilities, and options. Each of us is said to have a unique number to which our personality ‘vibrates’.” Tearing a no longer needed page from a wall calendar, the performer suggests, “Let’s find your personal number for this month. Please outline a square of numbers which is four dates wide and four dates deep. The result will be a group of sixteen numbers, four on a side.” The performer writes something on a piece of paper which he places, writing side down, to one side saying, “I’ve written my educated guess as to what your number might be. We’ll see later if that estimate is correct.” Handing the participant four coins, the Mentalist instructs, “Place one coin on any date within that square. Good. Here’s a pencil. Please draw a line through every date in the same row as that coin. And while you’re at it, draw a line through every date which is in the same column as the coin.” Once the lines are drawn, the performer continues, “Deposit a second coin on any unmarked date and repeat the procedure of marking out dates in the same row and colum.” The participant does so. In a final instruction, the entertainer requests, “Now do the same with the final two coins, making sure no coin goes on a marked date.” The Mentalist concludes, “Your random placement of those coins has guaranteed a selection of four numbers unique to your mood at this moment. Please remove the coins and calculate the total of those four numbers which they covered.” The participant adds the four figures and reaches a total. “You’ll remember that, before you even began randomly choosing numbers, I made a notation which was placed aside? Would you read it now, please?” The number, written on the paper, is exactly the same as the total calculated by the participant! George has been doing this stunt for years and it’s always one which people talk about. The method is quite simple. Once the participant has outlined a 4x4 square of dates, mentally add the dates in the four corners of the square and write that total on your prediction paper. The rest of the handling is automatic. George has taken an ancient principle and has crafted a delightful presentation. Try it!

151 Pierre Barry Blow Out the Candles Addressing the table of diners, the Mentalist asks, “Is anyone here celebrating a birthday? No? Is anyone about to? No? Has anyone recently celebrated one? Yes? Good, I was running out of options!” The performer quickly sketches something on an index card, lays his pencil on the table, and asks the person who spoke up, “Imagine that you are celebrating your birthday today. Before you on the table is a large birthday cake, adorned with the appropriate number of candles. Can you see that picture in your mind?” When the participant acknowledges that the image is in place, the Mentalist continues, “It’s customary for the birthday celebrant, after making a secret wish, to blow out the candles on the cake. If all the candles are extinguished in one breath, then the wish will come true.” Continuing, the performer says, “I can’t guarantee any results like that, but I have recorded, on this card, my impressions of future events. In your mind make a wish and then blow out most, but not all, of the candles. How many are still burning? Six? That’s interesting. In your mind remove all the extinguished candles, leaving only the burning ones on the cake.” Handing the index card, drawing side down, to the participant, the Mentalist says, “Once again, remind us how many candles still burn on that birthday cake in your mind?” The participant says, “Six.” “Please turn that card over,” instructs the performer, “and read aloud what’s written there.” He reads, “Your wish will come true if you leave 6 candles burning.” Above the text is an illustration of a birthday cake with six candles! What a novel presentation using our old friend, the swami gimmick. Or nail writer, boon writer, etc. Pre-write the prediction statement near the bottom of the card, leaving a space for the numeral to be filled in. Near the top of the card, as in the illustration, make a sketch of a birthday cake. It’s no trouble at all to add the appropriate digit in the empty space, once the participant announces the number of candles still burning. As he is mentally removing the other candles, turn the card sideways and stroke the number of candles onto the cake. Don’t move your thumb, just place the point of the lead on the cake and pull the card straight to one side, lifting the point from the paper for a moment to create the space between candle and ‘flame’. Repeat for each candle. A challenging aspect of Mentalism involves finding new presentations for old methods. Like this one, for example.

152 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: Boy am I red-faced! It shouldn’t have happened and proofreading should have caught it, but the piece in issue #31, page 146, did not have the contributor’s name at the head of the page. For the record, PSImpathy is the brainchild of Gary Ward of Spring, TX. Sorry, Gary. SYZYGY has just transitioned from an older computer typesetting program to a newer and (of course) more complicated one. In the confusion, I let the mistake slip by. Congratulation to Docc Hilford for landing a lucrative contract with Jose Cuervo Tequila – 28 one-day promo events. John Riggs reports that his new book, The Even Compleater Fortune Teller is now ready to ship. Eighty pages and chapters on Blindfold Q & A and Historical Q & A. It’s $35.00 postpaid from John at: 1004 Craig Road, Knoxville, TN 37919, or call him at: 423 521-6705. I haven’t seen the book yet, but I like everything else John has produced, so it’s a good bet. Portland, Oregon was a superb host city for the videotaping of SYZYGY’s BEST! David Fredric Ashton, III was behind the camera for this live-audience shoot. The following evening David and I sat in the editing suite of Diligent Productions, adding titles and close-ups where necessary, producing a video exactly 1:59:37 long. If you missed the lecture, here’s your chance to see these fabulous presentations in performance, complete with all the handling tips & techniques that come after over 50 lectures. The full two-hour video is $35.00 in US-VHS and US$45.00 in PAL-VHS (non-US) format. The tapes will be ready in plenty of time for the Psychic Entertainers Association’s Meeting Of The Minds in Valley Forge, PA this June 13-16. By the way, the final U.S. venue for SYZYGY’s BEST! is the Magic Castle, on May 19. As you read this, I am presenting the lecture in France, England, Scotland, and Ireland through May 12. After a final swing through Australia and New Zealand (and perhaps Honolulu if we can work it out), the current lecture will be retired, to be replaced with selections from Volume Two. So, if you haven’t sent in your ballot (enclosed with issue #31) for the new SYZYGY’s BEST!, do it now. The results will be tallied in June. BOLD & BEAUTIFUL, continued Make up several sets of cards, substituting SQUARE, CIRCLE, and RECTANGLE. Place each set in a different pocket, building a body index. You don’t need to wait until the end of the presentation to bring out the packet. Just as soon as you learn the geometric figure you can casually bring out the appropriate packet and keep it in view, using it as a pointer when addressing your participants. When you fan the cards with the writing toward youself to recount the three choices, you must appear to read the writing on the backs of the cards before you pull them out of your hand. This little ‘sell’ makes all the difference.

153 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Lee Earle The Secret Circuit This article is excerpted from the author’s new book, tentatively entitled, “Golden Highways” Performers, especially Mentalists, are always on the lookout for a place to perform where they can polish their new material without jeopardizing their reputation with current clients. Back in 1978-1981, I discovered a brand-new, untouched market of audiences eager (if not desperate) for entertainment. These venues provided a fantastic opportunity to work the kinks out of my routines and be to paid handsomely as well. As far as I know, it was the first time anyone linked all of these individual locations into one national circuit. There are still few, if any, entertainers who are taking advantage of this huge potential. In only the second year I worked this circuit, albeit as an unknown magicomedian with a one-hour show, I managed to book 65 one-night dates over 84 days, across the “sun belt” of the southern United States. Enterprising Mentalists can do much better, now. It was late 1977 when longtime friend, Chris Allen of Mesa, AZ, suggested that I was missing a good bet, figuratively right in my own backyard. For years, the city of Mesa, AZ (suburb of Phoenix) has been a haven for retired, middle-class folks from those northern U.S. states where the snow piles up deeply every winter. These ‘snowbirds’ come south in mammoth homes-on-wheels otherwise known as a Recreational Vehicles (or RVs) to enjoy the more comfortable weather which Arizona offers. They flock together in mammoth facilities which offer, in addition to electrical, telephone, water, and sewer hookups for their motor homes, every feature one could imagine. Most of these mini-communities offer swimming pools, spas, shuffleboard and tennis courts. They often boast very luxurious recreational centers where hobbies and crafts are available. Many are equipped with nice multiuse rooms with platforms or stages for residents to enjoy square dances, bingo games, church services, and entertainment.

154 At one time the only entertainment might have been a new square dance caller or a pot & pan novelty band from a nearby sister RV resort. These were attractive options for folks who spent all winter playing shuffleboard and watching grass grow. Today’s RV resorts offer a greater variety of entertainment alternatives but are still fertile fields for new ideas and presentations. Back in 1980, outside entertainment was so rare that the Activities Directors at the RV parks were hungry for something novel. The problem existed, however, that they also had no budget for bringing in performers. It was like pulling teeth to get them to pay a decent fee. Only after I adapted a technique suggested to me by none other than Harry Anderson did the money begin flowing in. I’ll disclose his method, as well as others, later in this report. The good news is that these RV resorts are not limited to Arizona. California, Texas, and Florida have large concentrations of seasonal citizens. In Texas they are referred to as “winter Texans.” Most states have small clusters of RV parks and mobile home communities which will serve your purposes. By the way, these audiences come from a generation which grew up enjoying the live variety entertainment offered by vaudeville and burlesque; they are very responsive to good, clean programs. Don’t even think about doing “blue” or risqué material. In the intervening years since I worked the circuit, the number of RV parks has almost doubled, with the largest of these putting up to 1,500 people in their auditoriums. Today, the Activities Directors of the RV resorts in some areas form loose alliances and pass the word to one another as to which performers offer good value and which ones should be given the cold shoulder. The local Arizona RV resorts introduced the practice of holding entertainment auditions (showcases) with many of the Activities Directors previewing acts for their resorts. This is good for both the entertainer and the RV resorts because any opportunistic local performers who may eventually try to undercut your prices must show their stuff instead of merely talking their way into those dates. This practice also allows a certain economy of scale on the part of the performer, reducing the initial need for individual contact with each separate Activities Director. You are pretty much on your own when it comes to setting fees, but it’s a good idea to never charge less a dollar per person based on the anticipated size of the audience. You shouldn’t be too apprehensive regarding fees anyway, because you are about to learn the real secret to maximizing your “take” at these events.

155 You don’t need to charge a fee. That’s right – in many instances you will be happy to perform for free. Provided you are afforded the opportunity to “pass the hat” following your show. I know this sounds crazy. That’s exactly what I thought when the idea was presented to me by Harry Anderson. He, of course, had plenty of experience as a street entertainer and felt comfortable working for tips. They didn’t call him “Harry the Hat” (a moniker he later used on the “Cheers” television series) for nothing. Once I got over my shock and surprise at the idea, it began to make sense. The most delightful thing about working for gratuities is that there is no upper limit on what you can make. The Activities Directors have a fund from which they must pay for everything from bingo cards to hobby supplies. It stands to reason that they are reluctant to spend large amounts from this account. On the other hand, if you offer to add to that account, by rebating a percentage of your take as a “rental fee” for the auditorium, they see your presentation as an opportunity to augment their meager activities fund. Some RV resorts have a similar policy in place already. You must resist the temptation of looking at this percentage as a “kickback” or “payola.” Instead, consider how little you would make if you didn’t book the show. It’s a good idea to put a limit on how much you will be expected to pay. After a little experience on the circuit, you may even be willing to guarantee an amount. You should prefer a fixed figure, even a high one, to a percentage, because with a percentage deal the Activities Director wants to collect and count the money first. It’s your money and you don’t necessarily want someone else counting it for you. Besides, once they find out how well you are doing, they may ask for a larger cut. When setting up a show at which you pass the hat, avoid using the same receptacles which “everyone else uses.” Coffee cans are common, as are baskets. The reason for this is simple - you are interrupting a habit pattern. If audiences are accustomed to putting in pocket change when the can comes around, that’s all you’ll get. If, on the other hand, you employ your own more elegant and somewhat larger containers, your “take” will snowball; first because of the fact that it’s not the same old thing to put the money in and second because it never looks full. Early on, I developed a great pitch for the end of the show and the small baskets filled up before they reached all of the audience. This is not a good thing. People figured that I had made enough money already and didn’t feel guilty about not contributing. When I switched to a large container (a large Mad Hatter chapeau over 18 inches tall - several of them, actually) the “take” increased enormously. One sneaky thing I did when in south Texas was to have constructed (in nearby Mexico) a number of baskets woven

156 Find out more about printing and selling your own personalized pitch items from publications by Richard Webster, 22 Mariott Road, Pakauranga, Auckland, New Zealand. “Golden Highways” contains a step by step marketing plan which shows you how to set up your own tour, finding and booking the most profitable RV Resorts from coast to coast. especially for taking the collection. The interesting thing was that the open weave of each basket was such that coins would fall through the holes. When I made my closing pitch I would point out this novelty of construction, always with the wink of an eye so that the audience knew that I knew that they got the message. As the baskets were being passed, I went into an “encore” effect as a “thank you” for the audience’s generosity. Most of the time it was something fast, visual, and funny. Never allow the collection to be made before the performance. Unless you are willing to accept the habitual dropping of a quarter or two into the can at the start of the show simply because that’s what the audience is used to doing. Tell the Activities Director that you prefer to wait until the audience has seen the show before you ask them to donate. After all, that’s only fair. Why should they pay for what they haven’t seen? (We know they will like it, but that’s the rationale.) One direct benefit about passing the hat is that you are seldom tempted to “phone in” your show. Because what shows up in the hat at the conclusion of your performance is in direct proportion to how well the audience feels they have been entertained, you are always reminded to be at your best. Likewise, the “take” is a direct measure of your effectiveness as a performer. Instant feedback. And that’s not your only source of income. You can easily supplement your fee by offering short personal readings following your show. Provide a free palm, tarot, or signature reading with the purchase of every $10.00 pitch book. It takes just one hour of your time to deliver ten 5-minute readings; you do the math. Make sure you aren’t violating any local ordinances – you don’t want the sheriff paying an unwelcome visit. Memory loss is a valid concern among senior citizens and a combination “Total Recall” program and workshop will find an eager audience. Harry Lorayne’s Magic Square memory demo, George Sands’ Sandsational ESP, and my own Memory Stunt from First Impressions are all workable material. The performance is an in-person infomercial for your inexpensive books & audio tapes as well as for your workshops in which you teach mnemonic technique. A Question & Answer act is also right on target. Expect lots of queries like, “How safe is our house back in Iowa?” or “Are the kids and grandkids doing well?” or “Is the diagnosis correct?” or “Should I sell now?” Remember to use caution, discretion, and common sense. Save all the billets from your shows and index them for reference later. It’s solid gold information. Use your performance as a vehicle to promote and book Psi Parties among the residents. Schedule them for the open days between show dates. The possibilities are endless. Whether you are young and unattached, retired and willing to travel, or just anxious to find more venues in which to practice your craft, The Secret Circuit is ready and waiting for the enterprising performer. Your fortune awaits.

157 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 33 Volume 2, Number 15 Boris Korvo Technicolor Trio The Mentalist displays a ‘memo cube,’ a stack of several hundred separate square papers enclosed in a clear plastic container. The first dozen sheets are red, the next twelve are all yellow sheets, and the following twelve sheets are green. Addressing a member of his audience, the Mentalist instructs, “Please take this pen and draw, sketch, or doodle something on the top sheet of this stack of square papers. Artistic skill doesn’t count, only participation. So be creative.” When the participant is done, the performer scrunches the paper into a small ball and drops it into a mesh bag of the type used to keep small items together in a washing machine. Maintaining a lively commentary, he approaches eleven other participants, obtaining a quick sketch from each and subsequently rolling each paper into a ball to be deposited in the mesh bag. The Mentalist continues, “The yellow sheets require any number between one hundred and one thousand, as long as all three digits are different.” One after another, participants are requested to write their numbers until all the yellow papers have been written upon, balled up, and dropped in with the others. “Finally,” says the performer, “when presented a green paper, you must write a single word. It will help if the word is descriptive of something easily visualized.” As before, audience participants are encouraged to write on the green pages which, rolled into marble-sized pellets, join the red & yellow ones in the bag. “By now,” the mentalist teases, “you must be wondering the purpose of gathering these random words, numbers, and drawings.” Handing a marking pen and three large pieces of colored posterboard to the person holding the papers, he goes on, “Please take one paper of each color from the bag and reproduce their contents on a larger scale on a matching colored posterboard. I’ll face away from you to give you some privacy.” When the participant has finished reproducing the selected targets, the performer takes duplicate colored panels in hand and asks, “Focus, please, on each item. First the red – yes!” He draws something on his red panel. Please turn to TECHNICOLOR, page 160 Boris Korvo wants to make sure that full credit for this idea goes to the legendary Robert Nelson.

158 Leo Boudreau Picture Show “It was reported recently,” announces the Mentalist, “that the Pentagon has funded research in remote viewing. The ability to perceive distant targets by clairvoyant means would have obvious advantages on the battlefield. “In fact, this ability exists in all of us, to one degree or another. University researchers will ask volunteers to visit local landmarks such as museums, airports, and the like, chosen at random by the volunteers themselves. A test subject remains behind in the laboratory to record his impressions of the places visited by the volunteers.” Choosing three participants from the audience, the performer continues, “You will visit some of my favorite places, not in person, but in your imaginations.” He picks up a large photo album which contains over 60 pages of postcards mounted three to a page, and flips through the pages showing that no scene is duplicated. The group of three is asked to page through the book to decide for themselves a page focus upon. One of the helpers is directed to concentrate on the top postcard, another on the middle scene on the page, and the third volunteer focuses on the bottom view. “The chances are,” says the Mentalist, “that at least one of you will be able to project a clear image of your target.” Slowly the performer begins to relate the impressions he receives, “An image is coming to mind...reflections...a body of water...flowing. Does that make sense to you? It does? And I also see giant redwood trees...a tall, delicate waterfall...a building with a prominent dome.” The Mentalist goes on to describe in accurate detail each of the images being viewed by the three participants. It would appear that there is an unlimited selection from among the postcards in the album. In fact, there are only seven different pages, each of which bears one set of three postcards. These seven pages are repeated three times to make a total of 21 pages in the album. When an image is repeated on a subsequent set of pages, a postcard of the same subject taken from a different perspective or in a horizontal format instead of vertical is used. In order to determine which of the seven pages is the one the participants are focusing upon, the performer makes only the one statement about reflections, water, etc. The combination of participants who acknowledge that there is water in their image provides the only clue needed. Here’s how it works: Since the first participant looks only at the Top image, let’s call him Tom. The Center postcard belongs to Cathy, and the Bottom picture is Bill’s. There are seven Leo credits Simon Aronson for the multiple participant pumping technique.

159 combinations of positive responses which are possible when the group of three is queried: 1) Tom only; 2) Cathy only; 3) Bill only; 4) Tom and Cathy; 5) Tom and Bill; 6) Cathy and Bill, or; 7) Tom, Cathy, and Bill. So when Cathy and Bill acknowledge the presence of water in their images (Center and Bottom postcards), then you know that group 6 has been selected and you can proceed accordingly. If only Tom confirms water, then you are dealing with group 1. In this sample crib sheet, each boldfaced subject is reflected in a pond, has a fountain, or is adjacent a large body of water: Page Top Center Bottom One Seattle’s Space Pike’s Place Mount Needle Market Rainier Two San Francisco’s Alcatraz Prison Univ. of Cal. Chinatown at Berkeley Three The steam clock US-Canada Totem pole in in Vancouver Friendship Arch Vancouver, BC Four Long Beach S.S. Queen Mary Disneyland skyline at Long Beach Park Five Coronado San Diego Zoo Veterans bridge Cemetery Six Sequoia A waterfall at Diablo Canyon Forest Yosemite Park Nuclear Plant Seven Aerial View of The fountain at Point Loma Coronado Beach a resort hotel Lighthouse Editor’s Note: Each page’s postcards are from the same geographical area which allows an easy association of images. If you wish to have all the postcards different, you can build additional, totally different 7-page sets which conform to the same overall descriptions, but are from a different part of the world (for example the western U.S., eastern U.S., and Europe). The Space Needle (towerlike structure, panoramic view) is replaced in subsequent sets by the Washington Monument (Eastern U.S.) and the Eiffel Tower (Europe); Rikers Island in New York and the Tower of London are prisons surrounded by water (or a moat), just like Alcatraz. After learning which generic page within a set the participants are viewing, you describe the target scenes in abstract terms , “I see a building with a dome... (Nuclear plant, U.S. Capitol, St. Paul’s Cathedral).” A glance over your shoulder allows you to see which set of 7 pages is being used. Just observe which section of the scrapbook is open (Western U.S: first 7 pages, Eastern U.S: middle 7 pages, Europe: last 7 pages). With that information you can now fully describe the images in their minds.

160 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: After five weeks touring the lecture through France, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, I’m exhausted. It’s great to be back. The hospitality offered at every stop was second to none. Here are a few random memories: French host Daniel Rhod navigating at full speed through Parisian traffic...the delicious home-cooked meal prepared by Doreen Knott...Glasgow’s Douglas Cameron’s gift bottle of Deanston single malt whiskey...the guest inn in Clwyd where Shakespeare stayed...running into Terry Seabrooke on the train platform at Preston and spending the next 2 hours talking with him as we returned to London...Balti cuisine after the Wolverhampton lecture with Peter Jefferies...trading ‘war stories’ with Tony Griffith at Bath... John Budden’s handsome tuxedo...the memorial service for Peter Warlock at London’s St. Martin’s in the Fields church... Ali Bongo and Teller (of Penn & Teller) at the Magic Circle...the tasty buffet laid on at the Upminster venue, supervised by the lovely Barbara Budden...the impact of the ‘lost bag’ impromptu lecture at Ilford...yet another delicious Indian meal with Colin Peters following the Leatherhead lecture...meeting actor Dennis Franz at The Ivy restaurant in London...all the shades of green around Ireland’s Newgrange neolithic burial mound...the photo opportunity with Dublin’s Lord Mayor...and Guiness Stout! Extra thanks go to Morley Budden for producing the tour and to Quentin Reynolds for hosting us during our stay in Dublin. The ‘us’ being me and my wife Dawn Earle. She flew over to the U.K. for a weekend of overdosing on musical theatre (Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Starlight Express, and Sunset Boulevard) before trekking with me to Eire. Technicolor, continued “Say the numbers on the yellow sheet over and over in your mind – of course!” He pens something on his yellow panel. “Visualize the green card’s word – I think I have it!” The Mentalist writes on his green panel. “Let’s compare our results,” suggests the performer to the participant, “Turn your colored panels around so we all can see them and I’ll do the same.” Of course all three items are a perfect match. How? The doodles, numbers, and words written by the participants vanish shortly thereafter because the pen uses disappearing ink! These pens, which have a purple colored ink, are found in fabric stores. Seamstresses use them to temporarily mark fabric prior to stitching. Using a duplicate color of ink, the three force items are previously written on the undersides of the appropriate colored papers. The mesh bag allows a free flow of air around the crumpled papers to accelerate the ink fading – a plastic bag would not.

161 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 34 Volume 2, Number 16 Raj Madhok Melts in Your Mind “There has been a lot of publicity,” begins the Mentalist, “surrounding the new color of M&M’s candy. A national contest was held, with blue being selected as the next color for the hard shell surrounding the milk chocolate. “There were originally five colors available; red, yellow, orange, green, and brown,” continues the performer. He writes on a small, square Post-It note pad, quarter folds the paper, and sticks it to the back cover of a paperback book. The book is turned sticky-note-sidedown, and he continues, “Imagine, if you will, that this book is a tray with one M&M’s candy of each color, all in a line. Can you see them? You can? And they call me crazy!” The Mentalist goes on, pointing to each imaginary candy as he names it, “I’ve arranged them rainbow color order. There’s the red one on the end, the orange one is right next to it. The yellow candy is in the very center. The next piece is green and the last candy in the row is the brown one. Asking the participant for his help, the performer says, “Reach out and pretend to pick up one of the candies in each hand. Which colors did you select? Brown and red? Hold them for just a moment. I promise they won’t melt in your hand. We should allow some of the others to indulge their imaginary sweet tooth, too.” The remaining pretend-candies are distributed among other onlookers. Maintaining the pretense, the Mentalist asks, “Since you hold the brown and red M&M’s candies, which one will you share with me? Red? I’ll hold it while you go ahead and eat the one you’re holding so you can tell me one last thing: Is this one a plain or peanut M&M? Peanut?” The book is turned over and the Post-It note is removed. It reads, “I sense the last imaginary candy will be a red, peanut M&M.” Besides using equivoque to select the color, a second pre-prepared and folded Post-It note is previously attached to the book’s back cover. Its message is, “I sense the last candy will be a red, plain chocolate M&M.” Because the notes are quarterfolded, it’s a simple matter to cover one or the other when removing the proper one at the end of the presentation. Please turn to M&M, page 164 This issue happens to feature three pieces from the group known as the Minnesota Mind Psi.

162 Earl Keyser The “IQ” Chart “An optometrist,” begins the Mentalist, “can easily determine your visual acuity using a simple eye chart. To measure what takes place in your mind’s eye takes a different approach entirely.” The performer hands a printed list to a participant and says, “From among this specially selected set of words, please mentally select one of them to keep in your mind. Some are easily visualized like ‘radio’ and ‘flame’ while others are extremely difficult to picture like ‘exist’ and ‘lowly.’ You may choose either type to test your projective imagination. “Sometimes it helps, when tackling a difficult task, to break it down into smaller components. Think of only the first letter of the word in your mind. Here,” offers the Mentalist, handing an eyechart to his helper, “find that letter and focus your eyes on it. You may have to search on both sides of the chart.” The performer continues, “Good! Do the same with the next letter - and the next letter. Visualize the fourth letter, locate it on the chart, and focus on it. Now repeat with the final letter. “Having concentrated on the shape of each letter in the word,” continues the Mentalist, “now visualize the word as a whole - all five letters. Fantastic! Shift your gaze to my eyes and see the word spelled in your mind. There is only one word which could fit your eye movement pattern and it is ‘marsh.’ Correct?” The working is in two parts. First the word list, with cues: QQQQQ WORTH QIQQQ KNOCK IQQQQ JOKER IIQQQ SLOTH QQQQI GROWN QIQQI HURRY IQQQI APRIL IIQQI QUEEN QQQIQ OZONE QIQIQ EXIST IQQIQ SWEAT IIQIQ MARSH QQQII ITEMS QIQII CLIMB IQQII LOWLY IIQII BUILD QQIQQ PEACH QIIQQ RADIO IQIQQ MOUTH IIIQQ UNDER QQIQI HOURS QIIQI GNAWS IQIQI FOLKS IIIQI NASTY QQIIQ THUMP QIIIQ TABLE IQIIQ YOUNG IIIIQ FLAME QQIII VENUS QIIII PLUMB IQIII BRAND IIIII LANDS The “Q&I” cues are for your eyes only. Make up a larger, duplicate list for the participant. Construct enlarged versions of the eye charts shown at the right and paste them back to back. When the participant finds each letter in his word on the eye chart, the top letter on the side which faces you supplies your cue. Five successive cues locate, on your chart, the word in his mind. In this example, the participant thinks of the word ‘marsh.’ He gazes at his first letter and you see an ‘I’. That locates his word on the right half of the above list. Looking at his second letter also shows an ‘I’ which places you on the fourth column. The third letter gives you a ‘Q’ cue, locating the word in the top half of the 4th column. The final ‘I’ and ‘Q’ narrow the selection to ‘marsh’. There’s a bonnie bit of Becker and a byte of Boudreau in this clever presentation.

163 “Our purchase decisions,” claims the Mentalist, “are influenced at the subconscious, subliminal level by the size, color, and shape of the package as well as its placement on the store shelf. “Likewise, when we deal with a salesperson, we are influenced by what that person says as well as how it is said.” The performer continues, picking up a packet of 30 or so postcards, “A visual choice made from this stack of postcards would involve looking at each photograph to take in color, subject, and so forth. You might prefer this scene of Minnesota’s lakes, or this one of downtown St. Paul. Perhaps your eyes are drawn to a shot of a giant cherry & spoon or to this nighttime photo of a Vikings game.” With a twinkle in his eye, the Mentalist goes on, “But if you are shown only the backs of the postcards, at a distance where you cannot read the captions, your prime influence will be verbal; the sound of my voice, the speed at which I speak, and my choice of emphasis. You will choose one, knowing that your choice is a free one. And you will be wrong. I’ve made a notation on the back of my business card as to your final choice. Let’s test. “As I hold up each postcard with its back to you, I’ll ask the same question in a different way. When you feel the impulse to stop, just say ‘yes’ otherwise, say ‘no’ instead. “Do you want this postcard? Do you want this postcard? Do you want this postcard? Do you want this postcard? Do you want this postcard?” Each time, when the helper decides to reject a postcard being displayed, the Mentalist turns its picture side toward the audience to show that it is yet another different scene, and then places it on the bottom of his stack of postcards. Sooner or later, the participant responds, “Yes.” “What influenced your decision?” asks the Mentalist. “My tone? Emphasis on one word? You’ll be surprised at the outcome. Please read what is written on my business card.” “The Mall of America,” replies the helper. “Indeed,” beams the performer as he turns around the card he’s holding. “Still think you’re immune to verbal influence?” The postcard at which the participant stopped is the only one bearing an overhead view of the Mall of America! Your stack of postcards is a version of the pop-eyed popper deck familiar to magicians - there are 15 different cards and 15 duplicates, all trimmed to exactly the same size. Each of the duplicates is attached to the back of one of the different cards with dabs of wax, creating a double card which can be comfortably handled as an ordinary postcard. When one is selected, return it momentarily to the top of the stack as you ask a question, split the two cards apart, and take the top, force card back into your hand for your revelation. Chuck Hickok Verbal Influence Chuck is the current President of the Psychic Entertainers Association.

Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: Two weeks ago, following a presentation of the SYZYGY’s BEST! lecture at the Magic Castle, Paul Green came by to say hello. He is marketing a clever new (everything old is new again) take on the Mentalist’s DateBook routine called, “The Fortuneteller’s Book of Days.” In essence, the participant’s lucky playing card is found to have been entered in the DateBook on the participant’s birthday! There is even a short cold-reading paragraph for each of the 366 days of the year. The price is right, $20.00. You can phone Paul at: 818.368.135, or write him at: 11559 Viking Avenue, Northridge, CA 91326. Only saw a part of the Lance Burton television special, the buried-alive segment, which bore a strong resemblance to a presentation on video sent to me last year by Steve Shaw. Steve mentioned that, unknown to Burton, a third party was responsible for the unintended exchange of ideas and that Lance was a real gentleman about the mix-up. Both men are class acts. Mark Strivings squeezed in a couple of lectures just before the Psychic Entertainers Association’s Meeting Of The Minds, in Philadelphia on June 10 and in Baltimore on June 11. The early reviews are good. His Mobile Mentalism book/audio tape package on walk-around mind reading is now available for $40.00 postpaid to US addresses. Canadian & Mexican purchasers need to add an extra $3.00 for postage; those living elsewhere should add $4.00. Mark’s address is 3309 N. Grandview, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, and his telephone number is 520 774-0804. Docc Hilford’s always surprising Weerd Weekend is set for September 19-22, not far from balmy Palm Beach, Florida. Write for information to: Docc Co., P.O. Box 2293, Stuart, FL. 34995. M&M, continued Here are the alternate handlings: If he pantomimes handing you the non-red, pretend to pop it in your mouth and ask, “Are these plain or peanut M&M’s? Plain? So your final, unconsumed candy is a red, plain M&M?” Should the first two candies imaginarily selected not include the red one, proceed as follows: “Even though they’re different colors, they should be equally delicious; go ahead and savor their taste. Before you eat the rest of them, would you share one with me?” If it’s red say, “While you’re finishing the last two, answer one more question: are these plain or peanut M&M’s?” If you were told it was non-red, ‘eat’ it and then say, “That was tasty. Of the two remaining, red and (for example) brown, one is plain and one is peanut. Which is which? And which one do you prefer?” Should he indicate, by either filling or color, the non-red one, then say, “By all means, go ahead and eat your favorite.” However, if he indicates the red candy, then say, “Well, keep your finger on it, because I’d like another.” And ‘eat’ the non-red candy. Wise Words: In every show, make at least one participant ‘psychic.’ Norm Van Tubergen

165 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 35 Volume 2, Number 17 Allen Zingg The Shape of Things As the Mentalist sketches different symbols on the backs of five business cards, he comments, “Anthropologist Angeles Arrien, in her book Signs of Life, suggests that there are five universal shapes found across all cultures and eras.” He places the five cards, symbol side up, in front of the participant. “In addition,” informs the performer, “the author notes that people’s preferences for these shapes is reflective of their current inner, subjective states. I have a copy of those interpretations here.” He produces a folded card, opens it to make a private notation on the inside, and places it face down to one side. “We’ll refer to that information later, but first, please arrange the five symbols in your order of preference, from your left to your right.” The participant does so. Looking at the newly ordered row of symbols between the him and the participant, and after he confirms the order of preference, the Mentalist picks up the printed card and delivers an accurate interpretation of the participant’s personality and mindset. Then he says, “I had a hunch about you, and I’ve learned to follow those hunches. You’ll recall that before you rearranged the symbols, I made some notations on this prompter card? I think you’ll find them interesting.” Marked on the card is the exact order of the participant’s symbol preferences. Both a reading method and a mental effect, this should be in every Mentalist’s repertoire. The notations on the prompter card, which is reproduced on the following page for you to photocopy and utilize, are simply tic marks made with a nail writer which matches the pen with which you draw the symbols. But as in psychometry, it’s the reading which offers the one-on-one entertainment. The notations simply validate the reading. Please turn to, SHAPE OF THINGS, page 166 Use Allen’s references to the book and author to lend credibility to this very compelling reading method.

166 Where You Think You Are. This position signals the process that has your attention. It does not indicate where you actually are right now; it shows only where you think you are or want to be. Your Strengths. This is an inherent strength in you at this time, whether you know it or not. You demonstrate this strength to others without effort. The shape at this position indicates areas of your nature that are currently strong and resourceful. Where You Are. This is the most significant choice, showing your true current growth process; what's really going on. It indicates where your gifts can be used most advantageously. Your Motivation. This position points to past challenges, tests, and circumstances that have motivated your current process of change. It shows where you have been and gives an indication of why you are attending to the work that the shape in position 3 indicates. Unfinished Business. This position identifies a process you have outgrown or one that you dislike, still resist, or are judging. It relates to unresolved issues you may wish to put aside but to which you will most likely return and reclaim or reintegrate later. Circle: Unity. You engage in a search for wholeness and aspire to independence and uniqueness. You need room and avoid situations which restrict you. Triangle: Goals. You have an innate sense of vision and are intensely focused on identifying and pursuing a goal. Your greatest need is to follow your dreams; your worst fear is having none to pursue. Cross: Relationships. This represents a coupling, integrating, and balancing process. You have a strong need for connection to a person, group, or project. You seek supportive relationships while fearing abandonment, loss, and isolation. Square: Stability. You are ready to implement a plan and manifest ideas and have a strong need for consistency, accountability, and completion. You want results and fear than nothing will be accomplished, wasting your time. Spiral: Growth. Coming to the same point again and again but at different levels so that things are viewed in a new light. You gain new perspectives and exhibit a desire for variety. Very creative, you often initiate projects but have difficulty on follow-through. You fear the routine. 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 This is camera ready art for your printer. The top two panels are folded inside the card; the bottom panel is the cover.

167 The beautiful female ‘sensitive’ sits, blindfolded, in a chair placed at center stage. Her partner reaches into a bowl of folded papers, opens one, and reads aloud only the name of the person who wrote the question thereon. Hesitating only a brief moment, the lovely medium proceeds to deliver an extremely accurate reading to the questioner and concludes by answering the question. At no time does her partner say anything other than the person’s name. Required reading for all Mentalists is the book, “The Mental Mysteries and other Writings of William Larsen, Sr.” In it, there is a chapter entitled Tarot Telepathy in which the approximate age and gender of an audience participant are encoded and verbally transmitted to the blindfolded medium. Simply by prefixing the term “lady” or “gentleman” with “a nice...” or “a very nice...” you encode middle age or old age. No modifier added means the questioner is a young adult. This allows for a reading, specific to that age group and gender, to be delivered and is the first of two methods used by John and his partner in this presentation. John has discovered that almost all questions fall into a few known categories such as Love, Health, Career, Travel, Money, and Happiness. If the subject matter is known, a generic answer can be delivered which, given the circumstances, is quite stunning. The illustration tells everything you need to know. Even though she is blindfolded, the medium can still see well enough to discern her partner’s hand as he holds the question card. Each corner of the opened question card is designated to represent two general topics. The partner holds the card by the appropriate corner to transmit the subject, one finger representing the first subject and two fingers denoting the second. Please note that there is a corner bearing the designations “pass” and “gag.” This corner cues the medium when a trick question is encountered or when an extremely sensitive topic has been addressed. Likewise, three or four fingers holding the paper can be visual cues for “hot” or “cold” when the answer is being delivered. Editor’s Note: For a full review of Larsen’s presentation and access to some wonderful readings, refer to the book. If you need a copy, call GENII Magazine at 213 935-2848 or write to P.O. Box 36068, Los Angeles, CA, 90036. It’s the best $35.00 you’ll spend. John Riggs Tarot Telepathy 2000 This piece was taken from John’s seventh book, “The Even Compleater FortuneTeller”.

168 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: What a weekend! Just returned from the Psychic Entertainers Association’s Meeting Of The Minds, this time in Valley Forge, PA. The strongest memories are of performances - Bob Cassidy introduced a new term and style to the art: Jazz Mentalism; Tim Conover showed why he will never be successfully imitated, no matter how they might try; Anton Zellman’s out-of-venue infotainment flowed silky smooth; Pascal du Clairmont was so...so...French!; John Riggs redefined the term “Southern Gentleman”; and Ken Weber, professionally (and pricelessly) dissected the Friday night show. Lecturers left their marks, too, Joe Marino first among them. His presentation was first class; a shame he had to compress a half-day event into just 90 minutes. In a late night workshop which ran over into the early hours Satori revealed some fabulous muscle reading techniques. A treasure’s been unearthed in Charlie Buckner, who has the inside stuff on Dunninger. Only bits & pieces of the remaining events come to mind - my fault, not theirs. Too many friends, too little time. Bill Myers and his crew organized an excellent event. No fair scooping Roy Miller on everything, so read about the award winners and new officers in VIBRATIONS. You can infer an unqualified recommendation when yours truly actually buys something. This time it’s a series by Bob Cassidy entitled Principia Mentalia - Elements of Mentalism. Subtitled Fire, Earth, and Air, this trilogy (soon to be expanded by one with the publication this August of Water), is $20.00 per book, each over 50 pages, 51/2 x 81/2 inches, saddle stapled. Order directly from Bob at 2211 So. Star Lake Road 13-106, Federal Way, WA 98003. John Riggs gets one more tip o’ the hat for his new book, The Even Compleater Fortune-Teller. Eighty, 81/2 x 11 inch, comb bound pages long, the book is an eye-opening delight to read. Order from John at (423) 588-9598 or send $35.00 (plus $3.00 for priority mail) to 1004 Craig Rd., Knoxville, KY 37919. Subscription renewals are due now. If you don’t want to miss any issues, your renewal should be in the mail soon. Also, remember to cast your vote for your favorite item from the past year’s issues. It’s from among the top vote-getters that the material for next year’s SYZYGY’s BEST! will be chosen. Speaking of that, the 2-hour lecture video is now available. If you missed the lecture and are interested to know how well this material plays, you’ll want to get the video. It’s $34.95 plus $3.00 postage to U.S. addresses. Add $5.00 postage to Canada. The PAL version for all other countries is $39.95 plus $7.00 airmail postage. By the way, if you would like to own a complete set of original issues and began your subscription after the first year, you’d better act fast. Fewer than 30 complete sets remain. Volume One, Complete (with the 3-ring collectors binder) is still $49.95. Wise Words: Fan the flames, don’t flame the fans. Marcello Truzzi

169 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Issue # 36 Volume 2, Number 18 Banachek “Many years ago,” begins the Mentalist, “Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ described a Buddhist priest who could crack a human skull with the powers of thought alone. How interesting! “We need a volunteer,” continues the performer, pausing for the inevitable reaction, “not for cranial crunching, but for something much more subtle. And I promise to neither harm nor embarrass my helper in any way. In fact, that person will be able to manifest an amazing capability.” After selecting his participant and learning his name, the Mentalist instructs, “Hold your arms directly out in front of you. Close your fists with your index fingers pointing straight ahead. You follow instructions well! Bend your elbows so that your finger tips now touch each other about six inches in front of your mouth.” Checking to see that the directions have been precisely followed, the performer continues, “Next, spread your elbows so you separate your fingers by about two inches. Close your eyes so you will not be visually influenced in any way. In order to achieve success in this demonstration, you must allow yourself to become intellectually inert; think of yourself as a spoon about to be bent or as a book cover about to be levitated. In other words, put your mind in neutral.” The participant complies. “The audience and I will concentrate on your left hand and arm, willing your finger to rise. If you are as receptive as I judge you to be, your entire left arm will elevate.” The performer addresses the audience as he applies a light pressure under the participant’s left arm for a moment, “Think with me, ‘rise...lighter...float...’ and send those thoughts directly into John’s left arm. Begin.” As the audience concentrates with him, the Mentalist says, “We are now focusing on John’s left arm, seeing it in our minds as rising, getting higher. We visualize it as clearly as if it were happening. There it goes, higher and higher! John, open your eyes!” The participant will be awestruck when he sees the distance his arm has risen. How? Suggestion and ideomotor response. The presentation sets up the participant for success. Touching his left arm as you instruct is important since it avoids confusion and imparts its own nonverbal message. Formerly known as Steve Shaw, Banachek is one of the world’s most active psychic entertainers. Mind Over Body

170 Peter Stammers Einstein’s Tarot The Mentalist-Tarot Reader begins, “The genius physicist Albert Einstein interpreted space and time as akin to a blanket, which could be folded to bring distant points directly adjacent one another. “Likewise, the layout of Tarot cards during a reading can be folded to bring otherwise invisible associations into sharp focus.” Showing a small packet of Tarot cards, the performer explains, “We’ll use only these first nine cards of the Major Arcana, just to keep things simple. Although it may not be a perfect match, with which of these nine do you most closely identify? The Moon? Make a wish on it now.” The cards are given to the participant. “Don’t shuffle them, that’s for card games;” instructs the Mentalist, “gently mix the nine cards, then cut them once and turn the packet face down.” Taking the cards and laying out 3 rows of 3 cards each, the performer states, “The three columns signify past, present, and future; the three rows denote body, mind, and spirit. Since the corner cards in the layout represent the cornerstones of your life, we’ll turn those face up for the initial interpretation.” The meaning of each of the four corner Tarot cards is explained, in context, by the Mentalist. “Remember when I spoke of folding the universe?” asks the performer. “Imagine these nine cards as if they were printed on a pocket handkerchief; the spaces between the cards are the fold lines. Fold the imaginary handkerchief, turning over either a row or a column of three cards onto or under an adjacent set of three.” The participant does as instructed. Continuing, the Mentalist says, “It’s significant that you chose to fold your body row onto your mind row. That means an inner desire for unity of mind & body, something which has eluded you for some time. Once again, fold the imaginary handkerchief.” When the fold is complete, the performer remarks, “This time, you combined past and present, indicating a healthy attitude toward your personal history. Fold two more times; that will bring all the cards into one packet. Cut that packet one time. If necessary, turn the packet over so a face down card is on top.” The instructions are followed. “This assembly,” reminds the Mentalist, “corresponds to your personal space-time continuum. Those Tarot cards which remain face up represent realization of goals or implementation of ideals.” When the packet of nine cards is spread, the only face up card is the ‘wish’ card, in this case, The Moon! Please turn to EINSTEIN, page 172 This adaptation of a routine from Peter Stammers’ book, “A Mind of My Own” has a nice ‘kicker’ for a Tarot reading.

171 While attending a social event in a friend’s home, the Mentalist is asked to demonstrate the mind’s unique abilities. He asks, “Is there a dictionary or other large book in the house that we might use?” The hostess brings a recent copy of a dictionary. “In order that we use words with no personal bias involved in choosing them, as the pages are flipping past, will someone in the audience will call out, ‘stop’?” The Mentalist riffles the pages slowly from the back toward the front of the dictionary and halts at a page when he hears someone ask him to stop. “The index word on this page is ‘xenophobic’,” remarks the performer, showing the entry to a participant near the front, “Is that how it’s pronounced? Let’s get a few more and when you hear one which you can both understand and spell, keep it in your mind. Do nothing to indicate which word might be your choice; we’ll find a dozen from which you might choose.” The Mentalist continues to riffle through the dictionary, giving the index word on the page each time he is stopped, rejecting the occasional word due to its length or definition. After ten or twelve selections have been read, he says to the initial participant, “From among that group of words, you have one of them in mind, yes?” Handing his helper a pencil and pad, the performer asks, “Please print the word you are visualizing on the pad in block capital letters. This will enhance your concentration.” The participant does as instructed while the performer looks away. “Concentrate,” continues the Mentalist, “not on the word as a whole, but on the letters which make up the word. As I receive your thoughts, letter by letter but probably not in order, please cross off each letter that I correctly name.” The performer names a letter and the participant crosses it off his list. Then another letter is called out, and another, and another. “Any Scrabble players in the group?” asks the Mentalist. “Surely we can construct a word with those letters. Wait a minute, is ‘housework’ the word in your mind?” The participant agrees! All the words (except the first one) which you ‘read’ from the dictionary are miscalled, recited from a memorized list. Ty uses the progressive anagram list from Sam Swartz’s, “The Hidden Force” book test. (Each time the participant doesn’t cross off a letter is the same as his saying, “No.”) Absent a similar source, memorize a list of words with different third letters and pump for those. To avoid mnemonics, build a bookmark crib, see left. Time your riffling to ensure that you are initially stopped in the very last pages of the dictionary. Asking for help with the word shows that you are, indeed, stopping when requested and reading the words from the index corner of the dictionary. Remember that word, just in case your helper wants to be playful. Ty Kralin Whenever - Anywhere Perform this piece once and you’ll have an impromptu stunner in your repertoire forever!

172 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: Wise Words: Gaffer’s tape - it’s a toolkit on a roll! Marc DeSouza EINSTEIN, continued When you build the layout, the ‘wish’ card must go in the center spot, thus the cards are marked. After the cut, deal the top card on the table. If it is the ‘wish’ card, position the remaining cards around it to form the 3 x 3 layout. If not, continue dealing. If the second card is the ‘wish’ card, place it next to the tabled card and deal the following card to place the ‘wish’ card in the center of the row. Complete the layout by dealing the remaining cards in rows above & below. If the second card is not the ‘wish’ card, deal it onto the table in a row with the first card, but leave room between them for another card. Should the third card be the ‘wish’ card, place it between the first two, otherwise it becomes the top card in the center column. If the ‘wish’ card shows up as either of the next two, its placement in the center of the layout is logical as you fill in the center column. If not, continue by dealing the remaining cards in the corners. When the ‘wish’ card comes up, place it in the center as you move symmetrically across the layout. When the participant ‘folds’ the layout, offer suitable remarks pertaining to past, present, & future; body, mind, & spirit. Some nits to pick - we often allow our presentations to become diminished through the use of inappropriate, empty verbiage; habitual phrases which send the wrong message to our audience. “I’m going to ask you to...” or “I’m going to have you...” Don’t tell us what you are going to do. Wait until you need something done and then give appropriate instructions. If you must alert someone to future actions, use a phrase like, “Erase all thoughts from your mind, because you will soon have the opportunity to...” Here’s another: “I want you to hold the item in full view...” or “I want you to stand over there...” The audience doesn’t care what you want. Instead, say, “Everyone must see the item, so hold it high...” One more: “I need to use someone from the audience...” Please remember, we don’t use people. How about, “This process requires an alert participant. You look attentive. Please stand up and tell me your name.” Did you notice the common use of the personal pronoun, “I” in each of the above examples? Enough said? With this issue, Volume Two is complete. As was the case for Volume One, Volume Two will be available in a SYZYGY 3-ring Collectors Binder, for $49.95, plus shipping. By the way, there remain fewer than 20 complete sets of Volume One, same price. Marc Salem, the opening performer on the P.E.A.’s Saturday night tour de force last month, faxed to confirm that his unique concept of post-show work will soon be featured in SYZYGY. When this seasoned professional speaks, we should all listen.

173 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1997 All rights reserved. SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: [email protected] World Wide Web http://www.Lee-Earle.com Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Single issues: $2.50 Lee Earle Postcard Promo At the recent Psychic Entertainers Association convention, it was my pleasure to present a lecture on using desktop publishing in promoting one’s career. Following the lecture, a number of people asked for copies of a postcard layout I used illustrate one promotion technique. SYZYGY’s subscribers will find those graphics useful, too. On the following page are reproduced four different postcard formats (printers call this “4-up”). The graphics are positioned so you can easily convert them into personalized camera-ready art. The punched holes penetrate areas of all black, all white, or my photo (which you will replace with your own halftoned photos). Your print shop can copy and reduce your promotional photo to fit, halftoning it (at 85 lines per inch) into tiny dots for mechanical reproduction. Affix the new photo directly over the existing one. The copy (text message) is arranged to allow easy overlay of your own name, telephone number and message. The type is set in an industry-wide standard font called Helvetica which will be very easy for your printer to match. Avoid the temptation to use additional type faces. Generally, more than two different fonts on one layout can make it seem busy, hard to read, and muddied. Just because you can put multiple fonts on a document doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. Rather than use my sample copy verbatim, your copy will be more effective when it is written with your prospect and your product in mind. If your computer database software permits, you can simplify the addressing process by creating a layout which imprints the address information onto the non-printed side of the 4-up postcards. Cutting the cards apart after they are addressed saves a lot of time which would be otherwise be spent in manually affixing individual address labels. With these cards, you can put your name under each prospect’s eyes four times before they see the same message repeated, something advertisers call multiple impressions. Wise advertisers test their mailing pieces to determine which of several different formats or approaches works best. If you have a sizable list, more than 1,000 names, mail cards to ten percent of your list, recording which card or message goes to each address. The variation which generates the best response is the one you send to the remaining prospects on your list. Please turn to POSTCARDS, page 180 A postcard is an efficient way to deliver a powerful message which doesn’t have to be opened to be read.

Please forward to your events planner. Please forward to your events planner. Assure the success of your upcoming holiday event! Lee Earle shows how to use the other 90% of your brain, in a fresh & funny program. Everyone in the audience will energize a “sixth sense” to read minds & perceive unspoken thoughts. It’s possible that Lee Earle will change your mind! For information regarding this unique presentation, call (602) 247-7323 Please forward to your events planner. Assure the success of your upcoming holiday event! Lee Earle shows how to use the other 90% of your brain, in a fresh & funny program. Everyone in the audience will energize a “sixth sense” to read minds & perceive unspoken thoughts. It’s possible that Lee Earle will change your mind! For information regarding this unique presentation, call (602) 247-7323 Please forward to your events planner. Assure the success of your upcoming holiday event! Lee Earle shows how to use the other 90% of your brain, in a fresh & funny program. Everyone in the audience will energize a “sixth sense” to read minds & perceive unspoken thoughts. It’s possible that Lee Earle will change your mind! For information regarding this unique presentation, call (602) 247-7323 Assure the success of your upcoming holiday event! Lee Earle shows how to use the other 90% of your brain, in a fresh & funny program. Everyone in the audience will energize a “sixth sense” to read minds & perceive unspoken thoughts. It’s possible that Lee Earle will change your mind! For information regarding this unique presentation, call (602) 247-7323

176 POSTCARDS, continued Here’s another labor-saving tip: As long as you’re running those 4-ups through your computer’s printer to put the addresses on the cards, you have a wonderful opportunity to use the left half of the card for an additional, personalized sales message. Of course, you can vary this message as well, to test the “pull” of different appeals. Be careful. Don’t mail more than one set of variables at a time; four messages or four layouts - not both. When you print your sales copy on the address side of the card, a serif font such as Palatino, New Century Schoolbook (used to set this text), or Bookman makes the information easier to read. Your mailings will give you the best return when you focus on either clubs & associations or companies with more than 100 employees. Your local Chamber of Commerce or a commerical list broker (found in the Yellow Pages under Mailing Lists) can supply these lists. Be prepared to pay for the information you need, as little as $40.00 per thousand names to as much as a dollar per name, depending on the exclusivity of the list. You will also pay an additional premium to have the list delivered on computer disk instead in printed form. It’s worth paying for; typing or scanning thousands of listings into your computer is not fun. A list broker can extract a list of prospects from his database using an amazing varitey of qualifying criteria. Ask these professionals for assistance whenever you can; they want you to be a satisfied, return customer. One thing which will not make you a welcome customer is cheating your list broker. Depending on the price you pay, the list provided by a broker may not be yours to use as you wish. If the list is “rented” rather than sold, you may only be purchasing the right to mail to the list one time. Ask before you pay. How does the broker know if you try to squeeze in repeat mailings or sell the list to someone else? The clever ones include several entries in the mailing list which appear to be normal but are really addresses which they monitor for arriving mail. The really sneaky brokers encode your customer identity in those dummy entries, hidden in the addressee’s department number for instance. If you employ the list again, the broker gets multiple copies of your mailing at each phony address, and you’ll get a new invoice in your mail. Better to play it straight or pay the extra and buy the list. Once you get a response from a listed prospect, however, that name belongs to you. Quite often, mailing lists come with telephone numbers as well. Call each prospect and inquire as to whether the card was received, addressed correctly, etc. It not only transforms you from a face on a postcard into a personality with whom your prospect has spoken but also gives you an additional sales opportunity and the chance to establish a professional relationship. That’s it. This material works. Now work it.

177 Edited by: Lee Earle Copyright©1996 SYZYGY 2901 N. 55th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85031-3301 Telephone: 602 / 247-7323 voice 602 / 247-4665 fax & data E-Mail: America On Line - LeeE7 Internet - [email protected] Subscription rates: $38.00 per year Canada: US$48.00 per year Overseas (airmail): US$55.00 per year Reprints: $2.50 per issue Andy Leviss Deli Delight “In my younger days,” begins the Mentalist, “when I had to work for a living, one of my employers was a convenience market chain. It’s not the most challenging occupation, so to keep my mind active, I would play a game with myself. Whenever a customer opened the glass door where the ready-made sandwiches were displayed, I would make an instant guess about which type of sandwich the customer would choose. “The funny thing is that, after a while, those guesses became more and more accurate. Perhaps it was a subconscious association between the fellow in the Birkenstock sandals and his choice of the vegetarian special, or the big guy in the rodeo hat and the barbecue beef on a bun which he purchased. Holding up a small paper sack, the performer informs, “I’ve brought a sandwich with me today, straight from the corner market. Let’s find someone who is likely to enjoy this selection. To a man near an aisle, the Mentalist says, “Sir, what is your occupation? Engineer? I’m sure you are an excellent one, but you don’t fit the profile I’m looking for. How about this gentleman - what do you do for a living? You’re a carpenter? That’s better. “The refrigerated sandwiches are made with various kinds of bread. Which would you prefer; white, wheat, rye, sourdough, or whole grain?” The participant announces his preference. “How about the contents?” asks the performer, “You have your choice of roast beef, salami, tuna salad, egg salad, barbecue beef, or assorted sprouts.” Again, the participant names his choice. “Any lettuce, tomato, onion, or watercress?” the performer inquires. The helper states his wishes. The Mentalist goes on, “You can have your sandwich with American cheese, Swiss cheese, or cheddar cheese. Does one of those sound appetizing?” One does. “Finally,” the performer concludes, “what condiment or sauce would you prefer: ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayonnaise, or BBQ sauce?” One is chosen by the audience participant. “Let’s recap - you have selected tuna on rye, with lettuce and Swiss cheese. And you want that with ketchup, correct? “Would you please step up to the microphone, take the sandwich out of the bag, and tell us what kind of sandwich it is?” Please turn to SANDWICH, page 180 Issue # 37 Volume 3, Number 1 This scenario was originally a “howwould-you-do-this?” e-mail challenge. Turns out it plays very well. Try it.

178 Eddie Burke Number-voyance England’s Eddie Burke worked out this idea after reading a Walter Webb contribution in “Magick.” “Clairvoyance,” instructs the Mentalist, “is defined as the power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by the physical senses. In laboratory experiments, researchers will conceal objects or drawings in sealed containers and then invite those being tested to record their impressions of the contents. “While it’s impossible to achieve scientific perfection in an entertainment venue, we can come close. You’ll be amazed at what we can accomplish when we combine our energies in the attempt.” The performer holds up a large manila envelope and states, “Inside this package is your target. I’ll give you a hint; it’s a 3- digit number and two of the digits are even numbers. For this experiment, we use this set of nine round cardboard discs, each bearing a different single digit number.” The four inch diameter discs are given to a front-row participant. “Would you please mix these number counters? Keep them number side down so no one can peek. Thank you. Let’s get more folks involved.” The Mentalist distributes the shuffled discs to two more members of the audience. Each person gets three numbers. “Do all of you have an assortment of both odd and even numbers? Good. Please do this,” he says to the first helper, “Use your imagination to visualize the contents of this envelope. Then, without showing your numbers to anyone else, from among them pick the even number which stands out in your mind, hold on to it, and give the others to me.” The second participant is asked to retain an odd digit and the third is requested to withhold an even numbered disc. The Mentalist pulls a sheet of posterboard from the envelope bearing the number 498. “Please reveal to the rest of the audience your digit choices.” The participants hold up their discs bearing the digits 4, 9, and 8! This handling is a twist on an old 9-digit number force. Although the shuffle is honest, the distribution of the discs is not. The discs numbered 2, 6, & 9 are exactly 4 inches across. The discs bearing the numbers 5, 4, & 7 are slightly larger in diameter; the remaining discs are slightly less than 4 inches across. The differing diameters make the discs into a ‘stripper’ deck. After the shuffle, you simply appear to be giving the stack of discs a cut. In fact, your fingers grip the stack of discs by their opposite edges and strip the three larger diameter discs out, giving them to the first helper. A second stripping delivers the proper three to the second helper, with the remainder going to the third person. All that remains is to ask for digits in even-odd-even order. Each participant has no choice; only one disc in each set satisfies the even-odd-even criteria.

179 “Psychometry,” states the Mentalist, “is defined as, ‘...the ability or art of divining information about people or events associated with an object solely by touching or being near to it.’ It is an intuitive skill and can be easily demonstrated.” He opens a small jewelry box and takes out three rings; one with a cameo, a second with a yellow stone, and another with a cluster of pearls. All of the pieces appear to be old, perhaps antique. The final item taken from the jewelry box is a manila coin envelope from which is removed a photo of an elderly woman. “My great aunt Hazel owned one of these items and wore it almost every day. This is her photo;” the performer chuckles, “when she divorced Edgar she snipped off his side of the snapshot.” “Pick up the rings, one at a time,” instructs the Mentalist, “and hold each of them over the photo. Sense what your intuition tells you. Perhaps you’ll imagine one ring getting heavy, or warm. Or your intuition might sound a little bell in your inner mind. If one ring seems to be drawn to the photo, place it near the photograph.” After holding each of the rings, the participant places one - the cluster of pearls - next to the photograph on the table. “Amazing,” remarks the performer, “it seems to happen every time. Here, see what I mean...” He opens the manila envelope and dumps out onto the table the other half of the photo. When the halves are matched together, the ring on Hazel’s hand is the one with the clustered pearls! The hardest part is finding an elderly couple to pose for the photos. After you’ve obtained three antique looking rings, put your camera on a tripod and arrange your models into a pose which shows her hand to good advantage. Take several photos, one with each ring on her hand, moving her hand as little as possible. When the photos are developed, cut one of them in half, right down the middle between the two people. Use the woman’s half of the photo as a guide for trimming the other two so her hand lines up with her arm in every shot. Then trim each assembled combination to the same size. Using a Larry Becker idea, cut two other manila envelopes to make panels which will fit into the third one, dividing it into three compartments. The first panel is about 1/4" shorter than the length of the envelope and the second one is 1/2" shorter. Thus you can insert your fingers into the envelope and easily direct them into the appropriate compartment containing the photo half which matches the participant’s choice. Squeeze the envelope by the sides to keep it open to the compartment you wish and empty the contents onto the table. The photos in the other compartments remain trapped in the envelope. Doug Slater Spiritual Attraction Doug says that he drew his inspiration from a James Delman piece, “Grave Decision.”

180 Lee Earle at the Editor’s Desk: SANDWICH, continued He says, “Tuna on rye with lettuce and Swiss cheese.” “Wait a moment,” the performer adds, “you didn’t say anything about the condiment. It was ketchup, wasn’t it? Look in the bag.” He pulls out a single serving packet of ketchup! Buy a convenience store sandwich which is packaged in one of those triangular plastic containers with the clear plastic panel which allows the customer to see the food inside. Replace the sandwich with something of similar weight & bulk and cover the opening with a piece of mirrored mylar plastic (trimmed from a potato chip bag, the inside of which is the silvery mylar) so the “sandwich” can no longer be seen. Then attach a label printed as per the example in the illustration. It is sized to fit the Avery 5163, 2 x 4 inch label format. All it takes is a swami gimmick (boldly employed as you display the packaged sandwich before dropping it back into the bag bearing the convenience market’s logo) to check off or circle the participant’s choices on the sandwich label. The condiment packets are bodyindexed (mayo in your left trouser pocket, mustard in your right trouser pocket, etc.) so you can covertly withdraw the appropriate condiment hidden in your hand to deposit in the sack. Rather than sending the participant back to his seat with the now unrefrigerated “sandwich,” give him an envelope containing gift certificates (two one-dollar bills) good at any participating convenience market for the sandwich of his choice. White Wheat Rye Sourdough Whole Grain Roast Beef BBQ Tuna Salad Veggie Egg Salad Salami Lettuce Tomato Onion Watercress American Cheddar Swiss Yes, I now know that QS#8 bears incorrect page numbers. Wise Words were harvested at the recent P.E.A. conclave. Each respondant was asked, “What single piece of advice would you give to an emerging performer?” Your words of wisdom are welcome, too! John Gardner was surprised following his recent major surgery with the view in his bathroom mirror, claiming, “I look as if I’ve been autopsied!” He’s back at the typewriter, prognosis: excellent! John thanks everyone for the good thoughts & prayers. Received a nice press release from Harrison Smith, featuring updates on his E.S.P. and Hypnotism shows. He’s doing a good job (and good business) keeping in touch with clients and prospects. David Winston writes, “The QS#8 postcard supplement is so nice. For the sales impaired it’s an easy way to get started with very little effort and expense. For the sales enhanced it’s a great addition to their marketing efforts. I always write ‘Call for a free reading’ and then do a ‘Meet and Mindread’ for the entire office staff.” I’m still pitching David to contribute a supplement on marketing and promotion. He’s one of the best. I need back issues of M-U-M: 9/93, 2/94 through 11/94, 1/95, & 2/95. Please get in touch if you can part with your copies. Wise Words: Arrive an hour early and reconfirm all details. Bill Tadlock