Dive into the origins of mentalism
The age-old art of magic has seen one of its branches particularly develop in recent decades: that of mentalism. Mentalism, or "mental magic", encompasses a whole host of fields such as telekinesis, telepathy and so on. It goes without saying that each of these is an experiment in showmanship, and by no means a paranormal phenomenon!
While it's difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint a single founder of mentalism, we can nonetheless mention a few great names from different eras: Alfred de Caston in the 19th century, Alexander, Corinda (author of the bible The thirteen steps to mentalism), Robert Cassidy, or closer to home, Banacheck.
If presentation is essential in a magic trick, it's even more so in a mentalism act. Indeed, in most cases, a simple magic trick will rely on a visual effect, whereas a mentalism act will take place essentially "in the mind". You'll need to use your imagination to ensure that your spectator, and the audience as a whole, enjoy the experience.
But if you're here, you're probably wondering how to get started in mentalism? We'll get to that...
Guess your audience's thoughts
Now that you know what mentalism is, you're probably wondering where you can learn mentalist techniques.
Various sources are available, one of the reference books being Corinda's The thirteen steps to mentalism, reprinted several times. But if you want to get started with turnkey mentalism effects, we think we've got just what you need!
Code: an innovation award-winning tour
Imagine an effect where the spectator creates his or her own prediction... that's the challenge we took up with Code and won the innovation prize. Spectators are invited to design a QR-code by sticking on black and white stickers at will. Meanwhile, cards of monuments are presented to another person, and one of these monuments is chosen. All bets are off: a QR-code has just been created, a monument is chosen: the magician doesn't touch anything, especially not the QR-code, and asks the audience to scan the QR-code with their own phones: all spectators land on the Wikipedia page of the Colosseum... the chosen monument.
This powerful mental magic effect requires no complex manipulation, and above all, it can be fully customized. Would you like to replace the monuments with classic cards? No problem! Would you like the audience to choose a film and see the trailer? That's possible too!
It's an effect with infinite possibilities, and one that offers a high degree of interaction with spectators (we can assure you that people rediscover their childlike souls as they stick stickers!), who see the miracle take place in their hands.
Note: this trick is also available in a stage version, where a large QR-code is presented, which the spectators modify using magnets. A powerful effect that gets the whole audience on their phones!
Constellations: a mentalism technique for guessing people's astrological signs
A pure mentalism effect... a card is chosen from a deck of 12 cards, each representing the 12 signs of the zodiac. The mentalist instantly knows which card has been chosen, and no, the method isn't what you're thinking of... yet it's very easy to perform. If you're looking for a way to get started in mentalism, this is the trick for you!
No rosary, no forcing, no memorization, just 12 magnificent cards that do the work for you, and allow you to discover the chosen signs. This effect is a hit at every convention where we present it, both for the beauty of the cards and the ingenuity of the method!
Carta Incognita: the holy grail of mentalism with a simple deck of cards
Imagine a real method that allows you to use a simple deck and a freely announced card to make a prediction that's right on the money. The effect is even more powerful when the deck is constantly in the spectator's hands, and you never touch the prediction either! No props are required, and this effect can be performed impromptu.
This book contains all the secrets of this magical effect. Step-by-step, the method is easy to learn, and all you need is a simple deck of cards to learn what is version 2.0 of the holy grail of mentalism: the ACAAN. This very powerful effect will nevertheless require a little more work than the first two.
