BY: PeTer Marucci\yTRODUCTION What is bizarre magic? There are probably as many definitions as there are magicians performing it — magic with an occult flair, magic with strange props; magic with a spooky story line; and so on But most of all, it is magic that leaves an element of doubt in the spectator’s mind: Maybe it's really done with supernatural forces! ‘The most important thing about bizarre magic is: You must touch the spectator on a new and higher emotional level. Without emotional involvement, bizarre magic is just another bunch of tricks done with strange stories or strange props. When you watch a horror movie, you know the blood isn't real, the monster is a fake, and the supernatural is supplied with special effects. You know this on an intellectual level ‘And yet, on an emotional level, you are frightened, shocked, awestruck — if only for a second or two. So it is with bizarre magic; the spectator must — if only for a brief time — be so caught up in the magic that he or she believes — if only for a second or two — that some other forces are at work, besides the magician’s skill. But the best way to describe bizarre magic is to demonstrate, And so, come in to the Inner Sanctum and prepare yourself for — well, who knows. what?Effect: The magician shows a piece of paper with the picture of a gargoyle on it. He holds it near a candle, where it suddenly burst into flame, vanishes, and is replaced with the figurine of a gargoyle. Working and presentation You'll need a candle, matches, a piece of flash paper about two inches square on which you have drawn a picture of a gargoyle, and a figurine of a gargoyle (which you can probably pick up at a hobby and craft shop). The paper is on the table, the gargoyle is finger-palmed in your right hand, and the candle is lit Pick up the paper with your clearly empty left hand and show the picture to those on your left. The right hand comes across your body to take the paper; as it does 0, it dumps the gargoyle into the left hand, covered by the curled fingers of the left hand, as it takes the piece of paper. The left hand turns palm down with fingers slightly curled and rests on the table; this is a natural position. The right hand shows the picture to those on the right then hands it back to the left hand. The left hand, with fingers still curled to conceal the gargoyle, takes the paper and waves it near the flame. It suddenly ignites with a flash.3 As the paper ignites, open the left hand to reveal the gargoyle, suddenly born in a flash of light Story: In the realm of the occult, it is believed that "as above so below and as below so. above.” This means that the forces of nature - those above — can be controlled by actions here on earth — below — and vice versa. To show you what the ancients believed, here is a picture of a gargoyle, 2 grotesque creature used to decorate the great stone cathedrals of the middle ages. But the ancients also believed that gargoyles could be made real, given the right circumstances. Ancient alchemy was based on the belief that everything was made of four elements — air, earth, water, and fire. The fire — in this case, the candle’s flame — can be used to purify and raise a baser substance — in this case, a picture of a gargoyle — into a higher form. tf | hold this picture near the flame (the paper bursts into a flash and the gargoyle figure is seen), it ceases to be a mere picture of a gargoyle but instead becomes the real thing, We have merely trifled with the secrets of old. However, the ancients believed that, if this were taken to a greater degree and used with humans, they could actually raise those humans to supernatural powers. But we don't intend to do that here; | leave those secrets to be buried with the ancients.THe TALE Or THe Monkey's Paw Effect {The magician has a card selected and then relates the classic horror story The Monkey's Paw, by W. W. Jacobs. At the end, the paw of the monkey is turned over to reveal the chosen card Working and preparation: You'll need a deck of cards, set up to force one card — in this example the Ace of Hearts (AH); an antique deck or a European deck would be best. You'll also need a box or bag to contain the mummified or skeletal paw, and you'll need the paw (for this, | used a skeleton hand about two inches long from a Hallowe'en skeleton) and a miniature card to match the force card; it should be small enough to be glued to the palm of the monkey's paw without it showing when the paw is Palm down. To force the card, this is the ideal time to use the criss-cross force, since the time delay between cutting to the card and revealing it is very long, far longer than is needed for the spectator to forget which half of the deck was which, (The force: The force card is on top of the deck; have the spectator cut the cards about halfway down and put the top half to one side. You pick up the bottom half and lay it crossways over the top half, saying: “This is where you cut the cards and we'll mark it like that.” After telling the story, pick up the (now) top half of the deck ~ ‘where you cut the cards * — and ask the spectator to look at the card at the cut. This is, of course, the top card of the original deck ~ the force card.Presentation: Many things have been used to work magic over the centuries, from ancient crystals to modern decks of cards. Here is an old deck and, with it, perhaps we may demonstrate the working of magic in a modern setting, but taken from the past. Would you please cut the deck at any spot? (The spectator does so.) And we will mark where you cut the deck by putting this half crossways over that half, (Set up the deck with the former top half on the bottom and the former bottom half on top and at right angles to the other half.) Nothing magical here so far; you cut a deck of cards at a place of your choosing; all quite normal. But, then, some of the most ordinary things are sometimes seen to have the most extraordinary powers. Supernatural, one might even say. But that is understandable because the belief in the supernatural has a long history among humankind, from the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians to modern times. One of the great, classic stories of the supernatural was written in the last century by W. W. Jacobs and is titled The Monkey's Paw. In it, Jacobs relates the supernatural power of a monkey's paw, very much like this one. (Take the paw out and lay it on the table palm down, so the miniature of the force card is not seen.) In brief, the story relates how an elderly coupfe are visited by an old friend, fresh from the Far East. The friend tells the couple of a mummified monkey's paw that he came upon out there. It was said to have strange powers, among which was the ability to grant three wishes to whomever held the paw. But, the visitor warmed, the wishes came at an awful cost. The visitor said he learned this by experience, having had his three wishes, and now had to give the paw away. He then left it with the old couple and left The couple thought about what their friend had said and, being in poor circumstances, decided to test the paw by wishing for a sum of money — in this, case, 300 pounds ~ a fortune to the old couple. Nothing happened. Nothing happened for three days. Then, on the third night, a delegation arrived at the couple's door. The men were from the mill where the couple's son worked. They said they were the bearers of bad news: The son had been mangled in a mill accident and had died. However, as some sort of consolation, the management and employees of the mill had taken up a collection for the old couple and the delegation gave them the money = 300 pounds. The couple were stunned; they could not believe that it was the doing of the paw. But, as time passed, the old woman became obsessed with the power of the paw and, weeks later, seized the paw one night and said she was going to wish her son back The old man tried to stop her, pointing out that their son had been buried for weeks; but to no avail. The old woman took the paw and wished her son’s retum. Nothing happened. Nothing happened for three hours.6 And then there came a hard, slow knocking at the couple's door. The woman was ecstatic; she knew her son had returned, She started for the door but the old man tried to stop her, saying she could not know hat horrible thing was on the other side of the door. The hard, slow knocking continued. Finding superhuman strength, the old woman pushed the man aside and reached for the door latch. As she did so, the old man grabbed the paw — and wished his long-dead son back in his grave, where he might find peace. At that instant the knocking stopped. The old woman pulled open the door and looked around. But there was nothing there. Nothing for a mite in every direction. Nothing but the moon, the stars, and the night. Nothing at all. Now, we know that this is just a story and nothing like that could really happen Or could it? This paw has been lying on the table all this time and, over here, is the deck of cards that you cut earlier. Here is where you cut the cards it could have been anywhere in the deck. (Pick up the top half of the deck and point to the top card of the lower half — the force card.) Would you look at that card, please? (The spectator looks at the card and then is asked to lay it face up on the table.) Out of an entire deck of cards, you have selected one — the Ace of Hearts. ‘And would you please turn the monkey's paw palm up. (The spectator does so, revealing the miniature matching card.) The paw, too, holds the Ace of Hearts. Some would say it is just coincidence But others, remembering the story, might say it is something more.Messace F OM THE TITANIC Effect: An old key is shown with a tag attached, similar to a cabin key from the Titanic, the magus says. The spectator puts the key under an inverted glass, in plain sight, with the cabin-number side down. It is never touched again until the effect is over. The spectator freely deals a number of cards on the table and she turns over three cards. When the spectator turns over the key, the numbers on it match those of the three cards! Working and presentation: You will need an old-fashioned key and a key tag with three numbers on it, similar to a room key or a ship's cabin key. Note the three numbers on the key tag, Set up those numbers, using the value of the cards, on top of the deck. For ‘example, if the number on the key tag is 234, then put a 2, a3, and a 4 on top of the deck. Show the key and tag, keeping the numbers out of view. “When the great ship Titanic sank in 1912, there were very few things ever recovered from it. Among those that were salvaged were cabin keys, since they were often in the pockets of passengers, The keys were similar to this one.” Place the key on the table and cover it with a clear glass, isolating it. “The key will not be touched again until we are finished with our experiment.”8 Bring out the cards and, if you wish, false shuffle or false cut the deck. Give the deck to the spectator. “In any great disaster, there are strong emotions sent out and, some believe, inanimate objects -- like this key -- can pick up and retain the psychic waves of those emotions. Let us see if such a thing is possible. Imagine that this key was recovered from one of the passengers in one of the Titanic’s lifeboats. Please deal, face down on the table, any number of cards to represent the number of people in the lifeboat.” (When she does so, the three force cards are now on the bottom of the pile.) “Now take those cards and deal them into three piles, representing the first-class, second-class and steerage passengers.” When she had done this, you continue: “Let us recap: You dealt a number of cards on the table — a number unknown to anyone else only a few seconds before. Then you divided that number into three piles. In no way did | influence your choice of number at any time, is that correct? In fact, | did not even touch the cards. And I have not touched the key since this experiment started. Now, would you please turn over the top card on each of those piles."? The spectator does so. “You have chosen the numbers two, three and four (for example); does the number 234 — or 342, or 423, or any combination like that - have any meaning to you?" (Usually the spectator will say ‘no’ but if she says ‘yes’ comment on her psychic ability.) "Now, for the first time, will you please remove the glass that is isolating the key, turn the tag over and read the numbers." She does so — and they match the numbers of the cards she turned up! Note: if the number of cards the spectator deals off the deck in the first place is not divisible by three, the three cards will not be in their original order when they are tumed over at the end. This does not matter; that is why several combinations of the three numbers are given and asked if they have any significance for the spectator. if the cards come up in order, the same as thd key tag, that's a bonus — but it’s not necessary to try for that. In fact, it’s probably better that they do not come up in order; it makes it look less like a “trick.”Tue Finger Or Fate Effect: The magician lays six cards in a horizontal row and gives the spectator a green, gnarled finger, which the magician describes as the “Finger of Fate.” A rolted-up piece of paper protrudes from the base of the finger. The magician explains that the paper contains a prediction — and no matter what the spectator decides, fate has already determined what will happen in the future. The spectator is asked to name a number between one and six and she does so. The magician says she can change her mind if she wishes. When the number has been determined, the magician counts to that number and slides that card out of the row. The spectator now opens the predictions — which has never been out of her hands -- and reads aloud what is written on the paper —- the only thing in the finger. The prediction of the card is correct. Working: The prediction in the finger says “Fate will lead you to the RED card.” There are six cards -- four black faces with blue backs, one black face with a red back, and one red face with a blue back. The spectator is given the prediction and the cards are laid out face-up from left black (blue back), red (blue back), black (red back), and three blacks with blue backs. The spectator is asked for a number between one and six (this eliminates one and six). if she calf out “two” or “three,” count from the left to either the red-faced or the red-backed card. If she says “four” or “five,” count from the right to one of the same two cards. If her choice brings her to the red-faced card, slide it out of the tow and ask her if she notices anything that makes it different from all the other cards. She will probably say it is red; if not, prompt her until she does. Ask her to take the message out of the finger, unroll it and read it aloud, It predicts the red card. If her choice brings her to the red-backed card, slide it out of the row, turn all the other cards over, showing the blue backs, then have her read the prediction of the red card, and tun over the chosen card, showing it is the only one with a red back, In either case, put the cards away immediately so you don't tip the secret10 THe Wircr OF GLASTONBUF Effect: in relating a story of an accused witch who lived in 16" century England, the magician shows three ancient Tarot cards ~ two the same (the Wheel of Fortune) and one different (Death) The magician says that the accused witch was tested by the local magistrate, who asked that she tell his fortune. She showed him the three cards — two Wheel of Fortune and one Death, and then mixed them up. When the magistrate chose a card for his fortune, it was the Death card. He chose a different card — and it, too, was the Death card. Finally, he chose the last card ~ and it was also the Death card. The magistrate considered this proof of witchcraft and ordered the woman executed. The magician turns over the cards one at a time: “The magistrate believed that if he was looking for the Wheel of Fortune card (that card is turned up) and all he found was Death (that card is turned up) then it had to be the work of the Devil (the final card is turned face up and it is the Devil card.) Preparation: Three Tarot cards are needed — the Wheel of Fortune, Death, and the Devil. (see illustration on next page.)‘The cards are stripped: The Wheel of Fortune Card is tapered at the top; the Death Card is also tapered at the top; the Devil card is tapered at the bottom The cards are stacked, face down from the top: Death, Devil, Wheel To show two cards the same and one different, the cards are held in the right hand, from above, in a Biddle grip, with the palm down. The right hand turns palm up to show the Wheel on the bottom; the hand is then turn palm down again and the Wheel card is (apparently) drawn off face down. In fact, the left hand, palm up and approaching the cards from undemeath in sort of a reverse Biddle grip (with the thumb on the one inside edge and the fingers on the other) pulls ut the middle, Death card (due to the fact that it is wider at the top than the other two). The right hand turns up again to show the second (apparently) Wheel card then turns down again and the left hand repeats the process, this time actually taking the Wheel card. The right hand turns up again showing the last card, the Death card. It is added to the top of the two face-down cards in the left hand. The stack in the left hand is, from the top and face down: Death, Wheel, Devil The cards are then (apparently) mixed, by moving the top card to the bottom four times, The situation now is, from the top and face down: Wheel, Devil, Death. The cards are again taken in a right-hand Biddle grip; the bottom Death card is shown and the hand is turned down. The left hand again draws off the (apparently) Death card, referring to it as the bottom card (In fact, the Devil card is drawn off). The right hand turns up and shows the “second” Death card,12 referring to it as the top card. The two (apparently one) cards are added to the top in the left hand and fanned faced down. The middle card is withdrawn and shown; it, too, is the Death card and referred to as the middle card. It is replaced in the middle, face down So far you have apparently shown two cards the same and one different, then mixed the cards and show all three alike — the Death card. The cards are then turned up one at a time, starting at the top: First, the Wheel; second, Death; third - the Devil appears! Presentation: In a small village near Glastonbury in England in the 16" century, there lived a woman named Rebecca Carstairs. She lived alone and kept to herself and was much disliked by the other women of the village, for her refusal to join them in local gossip. Eventually, rumors — started by this dislike — began to spread, At first, she was simply described as “odd.” But, eventually, the other women of the village began to talk of her as if she were a witch. Eventually, they began accusing her of witchoraft — not to her face, of course; but to their husbands. Finally, the local magistrate, one Robert Miller, who was by coincidence also the village miller, was called in and he took it upon himself to investigate. He visited Rebecca one day and, after much pleasantry, told her that there was a large change coming in his life and asked her if she knew of any way of foretelling what the outcome would be. Rebecca, in all innocence and only wanting to help such an important man, brought out some Tarot cards. She showed Magistrate Miller the three cards, two of them the same — the Wheel of Fortune — and one of them different — Death (Bring out the cards and show them as mentioned.) She explained to the magistrate that fate offers us much but there is no escaping the final end of Death for all of us. The only question is whether Fortune will smile upon us before Death visits us. Rebecca asked the magistrate to choose one of the cards, to determine his fate. ‘The magistrate chose the bottom card (show it) but it was the Death card. So the changed his mind and said he wanted to top card (show it). But it, too, was Death. Finally, the magistrate — thinking he had been mistaken about the cards, knew the Wheel of Fortune card must be in the middle, so he asked for the middle card (show it). But it, too, turned out to be the Death card ‘The magistrate turned pale and left quickly. He hastily summoned the town elders to a meeting where, after he told his story, Rebecca Carstairs was declared a witch. The elders went to her house and seized her. The very next day she was taken out to the village square and burned as a witch — all on rumor and the word of the magistrate. For Robert Miller honestly believed that, if he was looking for Fortune (turn up the Wheel card) and found Death at every turn (turn up the Death card) then it was truly the work of the Devil (turn up the Devil card). Leave the cards face up on the table and stand back, allowing the spectators a full and clear view of all the cards.13 Bett, Boox, AND CANDLE Effect: The wizard gives an ancient scroll to a spectator and then puts three items on the table: a tiny bell, a tiny book, and a tiny candle in a candlestick. The spectator has an absolutely free choice of any of the items and yet, after the choice is made, when she unrolls the scroll, it confirms her choice. Working and Presentation: Even more so than most bizarre magic, the props here are critical so you'll need a miniature bell, book, and candle. | got a tiny brass bell in a curio shop, the book and candlestick at a shop that sells doll-house miniatures. The important thing is that they should look “real” and not like toys. The scroll is about an inch or two wide and three or four inches long, parchment paper, burned on all edges to give the appearance of age. On it is written, in calligraphic-type script, the words: “Ye shall choose the candle.” Giving the rolled-up{scroll to the spectator, you say: “In the 16” century, a wave of witch hysteria swept Europe. In England, seeing a golden opportunity, one Matthew Hopkins set him seff up as a self-styled Witchfinder-General. He would go from town to town, village to village, seeking alleged witches and proving them to be just that - or blameless. There were very few who were found to be blameless. Hopkins used the traditional tools of exorcism in his rituals ~ a bell, a book — usually the Bible — and a candle. (Put the three items on the table.) “To our modern minds, such simple things would seem unlikely to have any power. But, to show you the inherent magic in these three items, | would like you to pick up one and give it to me. (if the spectator chooses the candle, ask her to unroll the scroll and read it aloud. The routine is over at this point. If, however, she chooses one of the others, continue:)14 “Now | would like you to pick up one of the remaining two items (she does so — if it is the candle, continue as follows) and hold it yourself. | will now eliminate the book. So what has happened here? You chose the bell (if that was the first choice) for me, you chose the candle for yourself, and you eliminated the book. Now please unroll the scroll and read it. (She does and it names her choice.) (If the spectator chooses, from the two remaining, the piece that is not the candle, continue as follows:) “... and give it to me as well. You may now pick up the candlestick, since you have eliminated the other two items. Now, unroll the scroll and read it aloud.” The spectator will, of course, read “Ye shall choose the candle.” Note: This is 99 per cent presentation; the props should be as authentic as you can make them ~ calligraphic, aged scroll; brass or gold bell, miniature Bible, brass candlestick with tiny candle. Please do not use a Christmas bell, a paperback book and a birthday candle. You want to take the heat off the method and put it on the innocent props. But most important of all is the wording. it must sound to the spectator that she is making all the decisions.15, X Sarem's Lor Effect: The magician relates the tale of mankind's ong history of harassment of those who were considered witches or wizards, the fate ‘of the victims, and the methods of the witch hunters. ‘is 2 modern example, the magician has a card freely selected from a shuffled Gack. The spectator notes the card, replaces it in the deck and then cuts it several times. Saying that this is a test of guilt or innocence of supernatural power, the magician spreads the deck and one ~ just one ~ card bears the word “guilty” on its back. When the card is turned over, itis seen to be the selected card ‘And, when itis tuned back down, the word “guilty” has vanished. Working and presentation: Youll need a deck of cards and a double-backed card to match. On one side of the double-backer, the word guilty is written in red ‘and in a “spooky” hand. The veuble-backer goes to the bottom of the deck, with the guilty side face up. The magician says: ‘Throughout history, those who tried to probe the supernatural — or even those whom others thought were trying to probe the supernatural — were hounded, Often to death, by the forces of established power16 Eccentric widows were burned at the stake on the word of merely suspicious neighbors; innocent people around the world — in Salem, Massachusetts, for ‘example — were hanged on the baseless evidence of hysterical young gir's. Throughout the ages, those who had — or were suspected of having — any form of supernatural power or interest faced the most extreme measures. As an example of how simple it is to find someone guilty of consorting with forces beyond our ken, consider this simple deck of modern playing cards. Even today, they are called by some the “Devil's playthings.” Please select a card and | will demonstrate how this can be carried beyond the bounds of reason. (A card is selected and remembered. Cut the deck and have the card placed on the top of the top section. Then put the bottom section on top of that. You now have the selected card in the middle of the deck and the double-backer, guilty side up, immediately above it. The deck can now be cut one or two times and the order will not be changed. Just be sure the “guilty” card isn’t exposed too soon.) You selected one of these Devil's playthings and, in another place and another time, you could be convicted of witchcraft and face a most unpleasant future — what there was of it, Sounds impossible? Then note this: | spread the deck and we have alll the back of the cards the same — except one (Break the deck at the guilty card, so that it is on top of the lower half of the deck. Put the upper half to the bottom. You now have a full deck of cards, with the double-backer on top.) This card would be considered proof, a few hundred years ago, that someone was clearly guilty of witchcraft. And who might that someone be? Could it be you? (Point to the spectator who selected the card.) What was the name of the card that you selected? (When she gives you the name of the card, do a double-lift and turn both top cards over on top of the deck. The chosen card is now face-up on top of the deck.) In another time, this would be proof of your consorting with the forces of evil. However, we live in a much more enlightened age, now, and we all know that that sort of thing no longer exists. And that would mean that you are not guilty of anything (tum the card over ‘showing the back is “back to normal") other than choosing a playing card Harmless? Today, yes. But a few hundred years ago... | shudder to think.