Equilibrium

By Michael Murray

Copyright © 2020 by Michael Murray

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the author. For television performance rights and further information,
please contact - info@mindfx.co.uk
Equilibrium

Introduction:
Back in 2019, I was on the phone to my good friend, Mick Wilson. It wasn’t
long before our conversation turned to a recently released idea from our mutual
friend, John Carey (which he had demonstrated during his Alakazam equivoque
workshop, that had been held the night before). After Mick had outlined how he
would approach the same plot from a methodological point of view, I began to
consider how I would handle this, too.

In John’s original effect, he removed three pairs of items from his pocket, these
were; two cards, two coins and two dice (each of these items differed in colour
and value). The participant was then asked to choose one item from each pair,
and via a combination of three different equivocal procedures, John was able to
predict the outcome, in advance.

With the inspirational seed firmly planted in my mind, I began a long but
exciting journey to create my solution to this very same plot….

Opening Thoughts:
Before you read through the history and development of this system, I wish to
highlight that whilst this system may appear to be quite complex in writing,
this is only due to the level of detail that I have included within this write-up.
I wanted you, the reader, to be fully aware of both how and why this system
works. Once you have digested this information, you will see that this system
is very simple to perform and takes a mere sixty seconds to execute (routine
dependant).

It really is as simple as saying choose any three objects and pull them towards

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yourself at random . Now make a conscious choice as to which items you would
like to switch and make that switch accordingly.

The Foundations of the System:

The first step in developing my approach to this effect was to consider how it
would look if I were able to predict the outcome for real. Assuming that we were
able to do this, we would simply have the participant select any three objects
(one from each pair) and then our prediction would be revealed.

In an attempt to keep this as close to real as possible, I decided that in my

approach, I would begin by having the participant making a completely free
selection from each pair. So far, so good, but how could I then predict the
outcome after that, after all, there are so many different choices that could be
made…or are there…

If we forget for a moment about all of the physical outcomes that can be generated
(of which there are eight), and instead, consider the outcomes in terms of how
successful the participant has been in selecting the items that we want, then we
will find that this number instantly halves -

The participants can either -

• Take none of the three items that we want them to take

• Take one of the three items that we want them to take
• Take two of the three items that we want them to take
• Take all of the three items that we want them to take

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Removing the Ownership:

Finally realising that I was on to something, I then began to consider that if we’re
simply to have the participant divide the six objects into two groups of three
(without taking ownership of either group), then there could only ever be two
possible outcomes -

• Situation One: All three ‘hot’ items end up in one group

• Situation Two: Two of the ‘hot’ items end up in one group, leaving one in
the other

Note: The label ‘hot’ item, refers to an item that we wish for the participant to
take.

Having digested the above, I then considered that if I needed all three ‘hot’ items
to be in the same group, then I would only ever need to make a change fifty
percent of the time ie. only when the ‘hot’ items were split between two groups.

Adding the Logic:

The next part of the puzzle to solve was to provide a logical reason why the
participant should be swapping any of the items after making their initial choice.

I very quickly came to the idea that I could suggest in advance that the participant
was going to make two choices, one being a conscious choice and the other
would be a subconscious choice. It made perfect sense that if the participant’s
initial choice was made subconsciously (without thought) then we could later
allow them to change the items via a conscious decision.

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Contemplating the Changes:

There were now two big questions in my mind. The first was how to cover those
instances where no change was needed, and the second was how to offer the
spectator a seemingly free choice when I must control the outcome of the choice
that is being made. The answers to these questions came after much deliberation.

To address my first question, I reasoned that even if the participant’s original

choices brought all of the ‘hot’ items into the same group, I could still give them
the honest choice as to whether they wished to keep their original selections or
swap ALL of the items they had for the ones that were on the table. By doing this,
it would not matter at all if the spectator stuck with their original items or not,
either way, all of the ‘hot’ items would remain together.

Next, I had to cover how I would handle the situation where all of the ‘hot’
items didn’t end up in the same group after the initial selection. In this instance,
there could either be one or two ‘hot’ items in the participant’s group (see image
below, for two such instances).

Fig 1.

Fig 2.

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In figure one, the participant’s group contains one ‘hot’ item. In figure two, the
participant’s group contains two ‘hot’ items. I reasoned that both of the above
situations were simply the mirror opposite of each other (ie. mathematically
speaking, there could only ever be two ‘hot items in one group and one in
another no matter where that odd item may reside), and as a result, I figured
that I could still offer the participant a valid choice and yet could still control the
outcome of their actions.

To do this, we will simply identify the single odd item that exists within the
participant’s group and offer them the opportunity to either; a) swap this single
item for the matching item, which rests in the opposite group or b) swap the
other two items from their group with the two matching items, that rest in the
opposite group.

If we re-examine figure one we will realise that to correct the situation we could
offer the participant to swap either just third item OR the both of the other two
items (the first and second ones) for those items that rest opposite.

If we re-examine figure two we will realise that to correct the situation we could
offer the participant to swap either just the middle item OR the both of the other
two items (the first and third ones) for those items that rest opposite.

Re-Cap:
If all of the ‘hot’ items are together in the same group, we will offer the participant
the opportunity to swap ALL of their selected items for ALL of the ones on the
table. In this instance, the spectator is given the free choice of either swapping or
keeping all of the items they originally selected (a genuinely free choice).

If however, we notice a mismatched group, we will quickly identify the odd

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object that rests in the spectator’s group and offer them the opportunity to either
swap that particular item for its mate (which will rest in the opposite group) or
swap the other two items from their chosen group for the other two matching
items, that rest in the opposite group. In this instance, they have to choose one
or the other, but still get a genuinely free choice none the less.

A Sprinkle of Motivation:
The final part of the puzzle was to give a motivation for naming the single odd
object when you are required to swap specific objects between the two groups.
Thankfully, I managed to solve this issue too, thus putting the finishing touches
to the ‘Equilibrium System’. To help you appreciate this final step, I offer the
following example script which will help to highlight the elegant simplicity of
the ‘Equilibrium System’.

Once you have fully digested this script, I will then discuss how we can employ
the use of this system to seemingly predict, in advance, which specific group
of objects the participant will be left with after the routine. Then, to further
illustrate the versatility of this system, I will offer some insights into how I use
this technique in impromptu situations, and will further suggest ways in which
you can use it for such routines as ‘Bank Night’ and even a ‘Lottery Prediction’
effect.

An Example Script:
“In a moment, I am going to have you make two distinctly different choices.
The first of these choices will be a subconscious choice and this will result in you
sliding three of these objects towards yourself, at random. The second choice will
be a conscious choice, during which, you will be allowed to switch the items that

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you have taken for those that you have left behind.

It is my job to attempt to influence both of these choices, to control the specific

actions that you will make. So, in a moment, I will snap my fingers and the
moment that I do this, I want you to slide one object from each group towards
yourself. You mustn’t hesitate for a single second as you do this, just let your
unconscious mind do its job. Ready?”

You will now snap your fingers, allowing the participant to complete these
actions. Now that the participant has made their first choice, you will be able to
see if the ‘hot’ items are all located within the same group. How you proceed will
be dictated by the outcome of the spectator’s specific choices, and each of the
two situations will be handled as follows -

Assuming that all of the ‘hot’ items are contained within the same group:

If all of the ‘hot’ items end up within the same group, you will then suggest -

“Now that your subconscious choice has been made, I did inform you that you
would be given the opportunity to swap all of the items that you have taken,
for the ones that you left behind. I want this decision to be made consciously,
so please take a few moments to think about what you want to do. If you want
to keep the items you have, that is fine. If you decide to swap them for the other
ones, please act accordingly.”

You will now allow the participant to make their final choice, which will always
leave all of the ‘hot’ items within one group.

Assuming that the ‘hot’ items end up split between the two groups:

If the ‘hot’ items end up split between the two groups, then you will suggest -

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“Now that your subconscious choice has been made, I did inform you that
you would now be asked to make a conscious choice which will afford you the
opportunity to switch the items that you hold, for the ones that are on the table.

So, before we go any further, I would like you to simply think of any one of the
groups of objects. You may choose to think about the cards, the coins or the dice.
Please take a moment of two to make your decision, as this must be a conscious
choice on your part.

You can let me know when this decision has been made, but please don’t say
what item you are thinking of…”

The participant will then inform you when their decision has been made. You
will now point at the single odd object from within the participant’s group (it
does not matter if this is a ‘hot’ object or not). You will now suggest -

“If you were thinking of the X (where X is the name of the type of object that you
are pointing to (such as dice, cards, coins)) then I would like you to swap the X
from your group with the other one. However, if you weren’t thinking of the X,
please swap the other two items instead”.

As discussed earlier, it does not matter if the participant swaps the single odd
object for the other one or the two matching objects for the opposite pair of
objects. Either of these actions will result in all of the ‘hot’ items being brought
together in one group.

Important Note: We are using playing cards, coins and dice purely as an
example, this technique works equally as well with any group of objects. Three
pairs of coloured envelopes, three pairs of matching coloured coins, the list is
endless!

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Re-Introducing the Ownership:

Now that you understand how to control the three ‘hot’ items so that they will
always end up together within the same group, the actual routine that you use
this technique for, will dictate how you conclude the effect. Below, I offer a
couple of suggestions on how this can be achieved, but it will also be self-evident
that almost any two way out technique can be applied here to bring the routine
home. One of my personal favourite techniques to use here is Deddy Corbuziers
amazing ‘Free Will’ principle (which is sadly not mine to reveal here).

Although I have included some suggestions on how I use this system below, I
will also be populating the following link with some bonus videos to give you
some further insights into some other applications for its use -

https://bit.ly/2Sj1tUB

The Lottery Idea:

I have personally had great fun with the following idea and know already that
you will too.

To begin this effect, you must purchase a lottery ticket which purposefully
contains six, two-digit numbers, ensuring that each of the two-digit numbers
selected ends with an odd digit.

For example, you could choose (51, 33, 45, 27, 49 and 13).

You will now take six business cards and write two of those odd numbers on
each of the first three cards. You will then place a small pencil dot in the bottom
left and top right corners of the backs of each of these cards. On the other three

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cards, you will once again write two, two-digit numbers. However, this time you
will ensure that each of these numbers is even.

Note: In actuality, any six numbers will suffice for this routine, however, the
odd-even nature of the spilt makes this far easier to remember on the fly.

You will now suggest that people often ask you if it is possible to use your skills
to win the lottery. You further comment, that whilst it is impossible to control
a machine, you would be able to influence the chosen numbers if they were
selected by an actual person.

To prove this claim, you will remove the business cards from your pocket and
will place each of the three odd numbers in a row across the tabletop, followed
by placing an even-numbered card on top of each. These numbers must be
placed face down, sight unseen. Finally, you will remove the lottery ticket from
your wallet and will place that onto the table, ensuring that the numbers on the
ticket are also hidden from view.

Note: Providing you have access to a lottery ticket and six business cards, this
can easily be set up on the fly.

To perform the routine, you will have the participant first draw three cards
towards themselves (one from each pair). As they do this, you must take careful
note as to which cards they choose via the marking system.

If you find yourself in the situation where you need to change a single card from
each group, you will casually flip the single odd cards face up in each group as
you suggest that the participant may compare the visible numbers on each of the
cards. They can then decide if they wish to switch either the two cards with the
visible numbers or the other two sight unseen cards from each group.

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If you find yourself in a situation where all three marked cards are contained
within the same group, you can flip all of the cards face up and give the
participant the option to change all of the numbers they selected, for those that
they left behind.

In either instance, all of the odd-numbered cards will end up in the same group.
If this group happens to be the group that the participant selected, you can reveal
the ticket proving that you knew which numbers they would take. If on the other
hand, you are left with the winning number, you can suggest that you controlled
the participant’s actions causing them to give you the winning numbers.

Either way, this makes total sense.

Basic Impromptu Demonstration:

A beautiful way of employing this technique within impromptu situations is to
simply take a marker pen and draw a big black ‘X’ on the back of three coins.
Here in the UK, I prefer to mark a 1p coin, a 10p coin and a £1.00 coin. Since
each of these coins contains a 1 in its value, it makes it very easy for me to
remember which coins I have marked.

I then take a 2p coin and pair it up with the 1p coin (since they are both copper),
I pair a 20p coin with the 10p coin (since they are both silver) and I pair a £2.00
coin with the £1.00 coin (since they both contain a gold colour).

Placing these coins on the table with the X’s hidden, I then instruct the participant
for their first choice to slide a copper, silver and a gold coin towards themselves.
I then allow them to swap the coins around as per the ‘Equilibrium System’ and
can now reveal the results in one of two ways.

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If the participant has all of the coins with X’s on them, I reveal that I knew that
they would choose those coins, and to prove it, I drew a big fat ‘X’ on the back of
each. The participant can now flip over the coins to prove I was indeed correct.
They will then rush to turn the other coins over and will find no visible markings
on them.

Should the participant leave you with all of the coins which have X’s on their
backs, you can suggest that you knew in advance that they wouldn’t end up with
those coins, and that is why you drew a big fat X across the back of them.

Note: This idea was heavily inspired by the work of Paul Brook, please be sure
to check out his routine ‘One in the Hand’ which would also work perfectly
alongside this effect -

https://www.heknows.co.uk/shop/one-in-the-hand/

Two-Player Impromptu Demonstration:

Using the same coins that are mentioned above, you will fill out two business
cards with the following predictions -

• The first card will read - You will have the £1.00 coin, the 1p and the 10
pence piece.
• The second card reads - You will have the £2.00 coin, the 2p and the 20
pence piece.

Placing both prediction cards face down onto the table (the first on top of the
second) you will then have two participants join in the experiment. Removing
the aforementioned group of coins from your pocket (no need for the X’s this
time), you will inform both participants that they will each get to make a choice.

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The first participant is asked to merely think of the word copper, silver or gold
as the second participant slides one copper, one silver and one gold coin towards
themselves.

Now, depending upon the resulting situation, you will continue in one of the
following two ways -

Assuming that all of the coins written on the first prediction card are in the
same group, you will suggest that if the participant is thinking of the word silver
(here you can name any of the three metal types) then you would like them to
swap all of the coins that they have been left with, for all the coins that the other
participant took. If they aren’t thinking of the word silver, then they can keep the
coins that they have been left with.

In either instance, we will then slide each of the appropriate prediction cards to
the relevant participant to read aloud.

If, on the other hand, the predicted coins end up mixed, we will instead single
out the one that needs to change and suggest that if they were thinking of X
(where X matches the metal type of the odd coin in their group) they are to
switch those coins. If they weren’t thinking of that metal type, then they are to
switch the other two instead.

You can then conclude, by sliding the relevant prediction card towards each
participant to read in turn.

When using this idea, I like to suggest to both participants that for my predictions
to be successful, I must have first known which particular three coins the second
participant would choose and which particular metal type the second was
thinking of in order for them to make the required changes.

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Further Thoughts:

Reflecting on the Participant’s Choices:

After the participant has made their decisions, it is always wise to highlight that
any other choices made at either stage would have resulted in the two sets of
objects being in a completely different order.

Alternative Presentational Approach:

Another presentational approach that I have had great fun with in the past, is to
suggest at the beginning of the routine -

“I am about to influence your choices twice in a row, I am not going to explain

how I am doing this, but the proof of my success will be in that envelope over
there (here we are assuming that you are using this system for a prediction
routine). Here comes the first influence, please pull any three of those objects
towards you, one from each group…”

After the first choice has been made, we will then point to the odd item as we
suggest -

“Now, this is the item that I influenced you to pick. If you believe me, then you
may want to swap it out for the other one. However, if you don’t believe me,
you may want to keep it and swap the other two. I would like you now to decide
in your mind if you believe me or not and then make the appropriate actions
accordingly.”

When the participant has completed these actions, you will remark -

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“Perfect, just as I thought, you have been successfully influenced twice in a row…”

You can now move on with the revelation process accordingly.

Note: Naturally, if all of the ‘hot’ items end up together, then you can simply
suggest that you influenced them to take those three objects. If they believe you,
they may want to swap them all, if they don’t believe you, they can keep things
exactly as they are.

Doubling Up:
You may want to employ the use of two participants during this routine. This
way, you can have one participant make the first choice and the other participant
makes the second. In this fashion, you will seemingly be able to predict the
actions of both participants.

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BONUS ROUTINE

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Strike it Lucky:
One of the things that we must always remember is that mentalism is a very
unique performance art. At the conclusion of our demonstrations, we are leaving
our audience with a unique story to tell, however, it is important to note that this
story (as you tell it) is very malleable.

When we think about stories in the general sense, we tend to think about the type
of stories that are either read from a book, listened to in an audio form, watched
in a theatre, perhaps on TV, or even at the movies. What makes mentalism so
different is that we can change our story as it unfolds.

Our stories need not have a singular predetermined beginning, middle or end,
but instead can have multiple interchangeable beginnings, middles and ends. We
can monitor the spectator’s response to what we are doing and change direction
where required, thus reframing the entire experience within the mind of the
audience.

When you can comprehend this, you will suddenly realise that there is no such
thing as a failure and those routines that you were once afraid to try (because
of any element of risk) suddenly become viable, your confidence grows, you
become a better performer and you start enjoying the jazz nature of these effects.

Please read on to learn more…

So, let us assume that we wish to try and guess the spectator’s star-sign (you will
soon discover how versatile this is). To do this, you will simply write one of the
more commonly known star signs on a billet (I usually go for Taurus) and hand
it to the participant.

You will now suggest -

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“I would like you to take hold of this card, but please do not open it just yet,
please be open and honest, do you have any idea what has been written on it?”

The participant will say “No”.

“There is no way that you could. However, I am going to tell you what is written
on it, it is the name of a star sign. You are familiar with the star signs, yes?”

The spectator should agree.

“What is your star sign?”

Should the participant name the star sign that is written on the folded card, we
can simply have them open up the card and read aloud what is written on it. In
this instance, the participant will walk away with the impression that we have
successfully predicted their star sign in the cleanest way possible.

However, should the spectator name any other sign, then you will quickly
continue by suggesting -

“and you know the others, too?”

The spectator should agree.

“However, the one thing that you do not know is what my star sign is, true?”

The participant will agree.

“Unless of course, you have the potential to harness the power of intuition. If I
asked you to just look me in the eye and tell me what my star sign is, what would

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you say?”

If the spectator now names the star sign that is written on the card, you will
immediately suggest -

“Fantastic, now please take a look at the card and show everyone how well you
did. This just goes to illustrate that we all have the potential to do amazing
things when we learn to put full trust in our own intuitive abilities. I would now
like to show you just how far we can take this when we really put our minds to
the test…”

In this instance, the spectator has managed to guess OUR star sign in the most
direct way possible. Not only is this an amazing experience for our participant,
but it also offers us a perfect gateway into further demonstrations whilst
breathing credibility into what we are about to do.

Should the participant fail to guess correctly on their first attempt, then you will
continue as follows -

“But I am sure that you will appreciate that that was nothing more than a guess,
yes?”

The spectator will agree.

“The reason being, that you simply called out the first thing that popped into
your mind. For true intuition to take place, you first have to clear your thoughts
and only then will you allow an idea to slowly manifest itself in your mind.
Please try that for me now, first clear your mind and then slowly allow the name
of my star sign to appear. Once you have done that, I would like you to look at
me and tell me what my star sign is.”
Should the spectator guess correctly this time then you will suggest -

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“Now, I want you to take a moment to appreciate the difference between

guesswork and intuition. That second time felt different, yes?”

The spectator will agree.

“Fantastic, now please take a look at the card and show everyone how well you
did. This just goes to illustrate that we each have the potential to tap into our
own intuitive abilities, and with practice, it can become second nature. Allow me
now to illustrate just how far we can push this…”

Just as above (in the instance where the spectator guessed correctly the first time
around) the spectator once again has experienced something incredible, and
credibility has been established for any subsequent demonstration you may offer.

Should the spectator fail to name the star sign the third time around, then you
will simply suggest -

“Regrettably, you are still wrong. I am in fact, a Taurus, but that is not what is
important here (here your will gesture for the spectator to open the card so that
they can check), I only had you go through that exercise to illustrate just how
difficult these things really are, and whilst we all possess intuitive abilities to a
varying degree, to correctly intuit someone’s thoughts takes years of practice.
Let me now show you what can be achieved when we really learn to focus our
thoughts”.

In this latter instance, the entire process becomes nothing more than an
illustrative exercise to highlight the difficulty of any subsequent demonstration
(and thus help to garner you an even bigger reaction as a result).

If you decided to follow this with something like the MOABT, then you may

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wish to highlight how you are now moving from a one in twelve, to one in tens
of thousands!

I am sure that you will appreciate that you have absolutely nothing to lose by
using this approach, but, have everything to gain. By using the more popular
star signs as mentioned earlier, you will have a success rate of over 25% by using
this approach.

The interesting thing to note is that every time I have performed this to date
(where we have reached the third guess) the spectator has always called out a
different star sign each time. If you are using playing cards for this, then you
also have the option to make the reveal at any point where the spectator is close
(perhaps getting the right suit, but close to the value). Likewise, you may wish to
exploit the use of the most popular (psychologically favourable) countries etc, in
the same way, i.e. the first time the spectator will name their favourite, and then
will have two attempts to guess yours.

This process offers near limitless routining possibilities, and for something that
could be perceived as bold, I am sure you will agree that the safety net is large
enough to guarantee us an out if required.

As an additional thought, you may wish to employ the use of Doug Dyment’s
wonderful method for having two outs on one card to increase the possible hit
rate further, with the small sacrifice that you would have to open the billet at the
end (see by Doug Dyment for the method for this).

Alternatively (if you have memorised an anagram) you could perhaps suggest
that it helps to allow the letters to manifest one at a time and progress that way.
No matter which routine you decide to use as a back up for this effect, it is always
worth taking a chance on this idea first because when it hits, it hits them hard!

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