The Golden Phoenix

Introduction
This presentation is heavily based on a Korean story, called “The Golden
Phoenix”, by Yi Mun-yol.

Also, if you have my effect “Black Flame” (available here on Penguin), you can
incorporate that same method for a similar reveal, such that you slightly burn one
side of the paper, and the writing appears within the scorch mark.

Presentation
(You display a small square of paper, which is shown to be blank on both sides)

You: “Several years ago, I read a story about a Korean artist – he was so obsessed
with his work, that it took over every facet of his life. There was something he
sought after, something he would dedicate every waking moment to, something
called… „fame‟. This fame came in the form of recognition by his peers – he so
desperately wanted to be famous as an artist.

(Spread a deck of cards face-down on the table.)

You: When he was young, a mentor had told him: “Your artwork should hold the
beauty and wonder of the golden phoenix, as it soars over the mountains. Once
your art reflects this level of majesty, you will be successful.”

Well, our artist wanted nothing more than to be praised and wealthy, and so he
became dead-set on creating grand works.

(Say: “If you could, please give the cards a mix.” Collect the cards, and continue)

You: He re-organized his daily schedule, so that every opportunity of spare time
was filled with creating the perfect painting, down to the finest detail, after all, if it
wasn‟t perfect, he wouldn‟t be famous.

(Give the cards a couple cuts and shuffles as you speak)

You: Day after day, month after month, he spent trying to create something his
teachers and peers and gallery owners would lust after, but since he was creating
with money and fame in mind, his work only reflected those.

(Say: “Could you please cut the cards, and place one of the piles back into the
box? Excellent.”)

You: His paintings began to pile high in his home, and when art critics would visit
his gallery, they only saw a man who wanted to be famous.

(Say: “Could you cut the cards again, and put one pile back into the box?” “
Thank you.”)

You: Late one night, he had a few ideas that popped into his mind. He made
partial sketches of each one, and shuffled them around before choosing which to
pursue. He was so tired, that he decided to forget about the goal of getting
recognized, and just paint. He only finished one, and tossed it onto the pile of
finished works before going to bed.

(Say: “Please touch one card on the back.” You then take that card out of the pile
and set it off to the side, and put the rest of the cards into the box.)

You: The next day, a gallery owner came to his home and was looking through
some of his finished works. One stood out among the others, but the owner didn‟t
say anything to the artist. After all, if the artist knew how good it was, the price
would increase… The owner made a quick sketch of it – in order to find it easier
in future visits – and left.

By this point, the artist had spent the bulk of his life creating art, with his only
success being the sheer number of failed pieces. He became angry with his
teachers, his peers, the critics and galleries, and gathered all his paintings that
hadn‟t already been trashed or given away or sold, and took them outside. He
piled them in the empty lot behind his home and set fire to them.

(Light a candle and remove the deck from the box and spread it face-up on the
table)

You: He sat there, watching his life burn away. And then it hit him – the reason
he never reached success is because he wanted the money and the fame – if he had
painted for the sake of creating wonder, then he would have reached the pinnacle
long ago. But he had spent his life chasing a goal, which ultimately meant nothing
to him. He created this one, that one, these others, and those, all with the intention
of becoming famous.

(As you say “He created this one, that one, these others, and those, all with the
intention of becoming famous.”, you are pointing to random cards in the deck)

You: Once this realization dawned on him, he looked deeper into the flames, and
thought he saw part of a painting that was done from the heart. It quickly was
consumed by the fire, and blackened.

(Hold the paper in front of the flame, and the words “Ace of Hearts” appears on
the paper, before the paper begins to burn.)

You: And from the flames, a great gold phoenix rose to the sky, spread its wings,
and soared into the sunset.

(Turn the selected card over, and it too, is the Ace of Hearts)

Method
This “storytelling” style isn‟t for everyone, but the method can be easily adapted to
fit your needs.

Take a small slip of white paper, and using a pen or pencil, write a card (let‟s say
the Ace of Hearts) in reverse on one side of it. So it will read: “straeH fo ecA”,
where the letters are reversed as well.

Place the paper writing-side-down on the table.

Take out the card you want to force, and keep it in your lap. You don‟t need to use
the “progressive force”, as I did in the presentation, you can use any force you like.

The card you remove will be added to the packet at the end.
When you “show the paper blank on both sides”, you are actually doing the paddle
move – so you show the same side twice, while acting as though you are turning
the paper over. This tells the audience that there is no writing anywhere on the
paper.

As they cut and eliminate cards, all they are doing is making the pile smaller. The
card they will eventually „select‟ is in your lap.

At the end, you add the card from your lap, to the stack as you scoop the remaining
cards off the table. The card goes on the top of the packet, and once they select a
card, you use a top-change to switch the selection for the force card.

The Reveal
The revelation of the writing on the paper is done by holding the paper (blank side
facing them) in front of the flame. The rest of the paper is illuminated from
behind, as the writing slowly becomes visible, as you move the flame closer to the
paper. It now appears as though words are manifesting on the paper, due to the
words being written backwards on the other side. Once the audience has seen the
words, allow the paper to catch fire, and burn completely. When they turn over the
card, it is shown that the card matches the words on the paper.

You can choose to reveal the card first, or the writing first. It‟s up to you.

Notes
You will need to use a writing utensil which won‟t bleed through the paper, which
is why I recommend pencil or pen.

The paper also needs to be thin enough (regular A4 works well) to allow the light
from the flame to be made visible when lit from behind.

Conclusion
I came across this several years ago, in a dusty book in the library. When you‟re in
need of presentation ideas, fiction books are a great place to look for inspiration.
You can use the same method structure, and change the story/premise, and the
audience won‟t notice that you used the same thing twice. This is the advantage of
“story magic” – the story becomes the focus, and the magic becomes the
illustration. Thus, the audience remembers the story and the reveal, and you get to
do the same thing twice (change the type of reveal), preventing you from needing
to remember multiple methods.

Tom Phoenix