CR Mastery Course

Cold Reading Mastery Course
Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade. All rights reserved.

Photograph of crystal ball by Eva K.
You do NOT have resell rights to this book.
Unauthorized duplication of this material in any form is prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored an a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without prior
written permission from the publisher/author. The authors, publishers, and distributors of this product assume no
responsibility for the use or misuse of this product, or for any injury, damage, and/or financial loss sustained to persons or
property as a result of using this information. While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information
within, the liability, negligence, use, abuse, or misuse of using any of this information contained within remains the sole
responsibility of the reader.
Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

2
Cold Reading Quick and Easy
Table of Contents
Cold Reading Quick and Easy...................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 5
1. An Easier Way to Cold Read..................................................................................................................... 8
Learning a Divination System............................................................................................................................8
Memorizing Lines...............................................................................................................................................9
Talk About the Reader's Life in the Second Person.........................................................................................10
Talk in Generalities..........................................................................................................................................12
2. The Oracle Method ..................................................................................................................................14
Know Thyself...................................................................................................................................................15
Why The Oracle Method Works.......................................................................................................................17
3. The Main Areas.........................................................................................................................................19
4. The Webster--Sambrook System............................................................................................................21
The Peg...........................................................................................................................................................22
5. Getting Started......................................................................................................................................... 24
First Impressions.............................................................................................................................................24
Not 100% Accurate..........................................................................................................................................24
6. Personal Characteristics ........................................................................................................................ 26
Better Than Average........................................................................................................................................27
The Name Method ..........................................................................................................................................27
The Animal Method..........................................................................................................................................28
Like Someone You Know................................................................................................................................28
Additional Personal Characteristics.................................................................................................................29
7. Talking about the Present....................................................................................................................... 30
Themes............................................................................................................................................................30
Everyday Concerns.........................................................................................................................................31
8. Talking about The Past ...........................................................................................................................33
Universal Past Experiences.............................................................................................................................33
It's Your Life.....................................................................................................................................................34
Planting Memories...........................................................................................................................................35
9. The Future.................................................................................................................................................37
Answering Questions.......................................................................................................................................37
Giving Advice...................................................................................................................................................38
Likely Events....................................................................................................................................................39
Leaving Them Happy With a Happy Future.....................................................................................................40
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies.................................................................................................................................40
Greetings From MARS....................................................................................................................................40
I See You Looking at a Hand...........................................................................................................................40
10. Various Techniques to Perfect Your Cold Reading Skills................................................................. 41
Immediate Bonding..........................................................................................................................................41
Handling Misses..............................................................................................................................................42
Extrapolating and Expanding Your Statements...............................................................................................43
The Reasons People Leave Unhappy with Their Reading..............................................................................45
11. Advanced Cold Reading Techniques...................................................................................................47
Creating Emotional States in Your Clients.......................................................................................................47
How to Anchor.................................................................................................................................................47
"The Flip".........................................................................................................................................................48
Pacing and Leading.........................................................................................................................................49

3
NLP Language Patterns..................................................................................................................................49

The Fakir Method (How to Force a Claim).......................................................................................................50
Identity Install...................................................................................................................................................51
Subconscious Social Proof..............................................................................................................................53
Post Hypnotic Suggestions..............................................................................................................................54
12. Giving Readings..................................................................................................................................... 55
Short Readings................................................................................................................................................55
Longer Readings.............................................................................................................................................55
Here's a Trick: Reverse Cold Reading - Have People Think They are Projecting Thoughts into Your Own
Mind.................................................................................................................................................................56
Getting Repeat Clients.....................................................................................................................................57
13. Talking to the Dead................................................................................................................................ 59
Séances...........................................................................................................................................................61
14. Getting Practice......................................................................................................................................63
Go Through a Deck of Cards...........................................................................................................................63
Privately in Public............................................................................................................................................64
Role Play.........................................................................................................................................................64
15. Your Identity as a Psychic Entertainer................................................................................................ 66
Recoding Your Mind: Making Your Actions Automatic as if You Have Been Cold Reading for Years.............66
16. Divination Systems Quickly.................................................................................................................. 71
Psychometry....................................................................................................................................................71
Palmistry..........................................................................................................................................................74
Chinese Numerology ......................................................................................................................................76
Tarot Card Reading ........................................................................................................................................79
Astrology .........................................................................................................................................................80
BONUS: How to Guess a Person's Zodiac Sign by Just Looking at Them............................................................80
Rune Stones....................................................................................................................................................82
Devising your own system...............................................................................................................................83
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................84

4
Introduction
The most crucial component in giving a

psychic reading is confidence – to look
like you know exactly what you're
doing. If you're new to cold reading,
you probably won't have this
confidence that will make your readings
flawless.
And you can't get this self-assurance if

you don't have the practice. Pure
Catch-22. That's where this course
comes in. By following this guide, you'll
be able to give confident, accurate
readings anytime, anywhere under any
conditions.
Here's what you'll find in this guide:
In Chapter One, I'll show you the

methods psychic entertainers have
used to master cold reading. If you
have time, you can still learn cold
reading this way. But nowadays there
are quicker and more effective ways of
giving
Chapter Two describes in detail the

Oracle Method – a method few people
have heard of, but every successful
psychic reader uses.
In Chapter Three, we'll discuss the

areas which EVERYONE is interested in.
If you stick to these areas, you're more
than halfway there.
After you have read Chapter Four,

5
you will have a secret system for giving any length of readings at any time to any
amount of people.
In Chapter Five you set the stage and make whatever comes out of your mouth
during the reading more incredible...and credible.
Personal characteristics are the main component in every reading. Chapter Six
shows you a simple system that is easy to master. One of the funny things about
doing a personal characteristic reading in front of other people is that you'll
amaze listeners too as you hit the sitter's personality right on.
And once you discover how to use personal characteristics, you can apply it to
any divination system.
Chapter Seven will explain how to create the impression that you know what's
going on in a person's life at the moment. Most people who visit readers often do
so because of a problem in their lives that's causing them distress. If you're not
giving readings for entertainment only, here's your chance to help a person at
least talk about their problems.
We talk about the past in Chapter Eight. If you give the appearance that you can
peer into a person's past, about specific circumstances, you'll have them in awe
and they will not only believe you have mysterious powers, but whatever you say
after (especially predicting their future) will be accepted as truth.
Here is what everyone wants to know about. In Chapter Nine we'll talk about how
to predict a person's future. After you read this chapter, fortune cookies will have
nothing on you!
Chapter Ten shows you various ways to improve your cold reading, how to extend
your readings, how to gain rapport, how to handle misses, how to give readings
automatically without strain.
When you read Chapter Eleven, you'll be getting advanced cold reading
techniques. These are the methods that professional, highy-paid readers use to
dazzle their clients, audiences, and the media.
In Chapter Twelve we'll explain how to give various readings from short readings
of a few minutes to longer one or two hour readings. In this chapter you'll even
be shown a method where your client will actually think she is influencing you
telepathically!

6
Chapter Thirteen will tell you everything you need to know about convincing
people you can communicate with their dead relatives and friends.
No matter how you cut it, you'll need to practice your cold reading skills before
you go public. Chapter Fourteen will show you some quick and easy ways to get
the practice you need and at the same time polishing your act.
In Chapter Fifteen we talk about your identity as a cold reader/psychic

entertainer with psychological techniques to "implant" and speed up the whole
learning process.
In order to look like a pro you need to know at least one divination system.
Chapter Sixteen shows you how you can master any of the main divination
systems like Tarot Cards, Palmistry, Numerology, Playing Card Reading... even
creating your own system to beat out any sort of competition.
So the question now is: why do you want to learn cold reading? Is it to entertain
people, make some money, help people, impress others. Whatever your needs
are, you'll be able to find it in this course. Good luck and have fun.
Nolan Brade

7
1. An Easier Way to Cold Read

What cold readers have done in the past
There are many ways to master the art of cold reading. For hundreds, maybe
thousands of years eyes-shut psychics (people who actually think they have
psychic powers), eyes-open psychics (people who know they don't have psychic
powers but are using cold reading to defraud others), and psychic entertainers
have used the various methods that follow to convince sitters (people who get
readings) they can read minds, see the past, get a glimpse into the future, and
talk to the dead. Let's take a look at some of the most common methods – and
some of the pros and cons of each.
Learning a Divination System

From Tarot cards to tea leaf reading to studying slaughtered-animal entrails and
the bumps on people's heads, there are hundreds of ways to do a reading.
Several prominent psychic entertainers suggest all you really need to give a good
reading is pick a divination system (or two), devote some time to master it, and
start using it.
To use a divination system would really depend on why you're learning cold
reading in the first place. If you're just doing some light entertainment or picking
up someone in a bar then learning a system isn't really necessary. On the other
hand, if you're setting up shop as a psychic reader it might be a good idea to
study a system in order to look like you know what you're talking about.
Here are the pros of learning a divination system: Once you learn a system like

8
palmistry or numerology you don't really need to learn anything else in terms of
the various cold reading skills.
And as I mentioned before, master a system and you will actually look like you
know what you're doing. Many sitters who come in for a reading are often familiar
with the system and will feel more confidence in your abilities.
Now the cons: Pick up any book (or course) on any system and take a look at
their interpretations: they will always be filled with the same vague descriptions
that fill the newspaper horoscopes. When learning any system, there will be an
awful lot to memorize – are you up for a task like this? In the tarot, you have to
know what each card means and what they mean in relation to each other. The
“science” of astrology can take years to master.
My main problem with learning a system is that when you pick up a couple of
books on one system the information in each book is often contradictory.
Luckily mastering the basics of a divination system isn't that difficult and Chapter
Thirteen will show you a quick way of picking up the basics of several of the most
popular systems so you can convince your sitters that you have spent years
studying. This chapter also shows you how to create your own system so you'll
never be wrong!
Memorizing Lines
Practically every psychic reader and psychic entertainer has had to memorize
lines to feed to the sitter, especially at the beginning of a reading when they're
trying to get a feel for the person. There are all sorts of lines a reader can use,
from the Barnum Statements -”You often find it difficult to reach your goals” to
lines from Gail Sheehy's Passages - “You're afraid you're becoming more like
your parents.”
What all of these lines have in common is that they can pretty much apply to
everyone and yet they seem so accurate to the sitter. And there are plenty of
lines for various demographic groups: For men - “People see you as a problem
solver.” And for women - “You're very sensitive to other people's feelings.” And
the lines can get specific for specific groups of people: Here's a line for a white
collar male - “You have excellent leadership skills and can often see the big
picture while others just focus on the details.” And for a middle-aged Caucasian
woman - “You're writing, or thinking of writing, a book about your life.”

9
As you can imagine, a sitter wouldn't realize that these traits would apply to
almost everyone in that demographic and would be absolutely stunned that the
reader can see into the very depths of their soul – something their spouse might
not know about.
Here are some of the pros of memorizing lines: If you have enough lines, you
can give a reading anywhere, anytime without have to do any real cold reading.
And by focusing on a demographic you would be able to give reading that would
be amazingly accurate.
The cons: The first problem is the sheer amount of lines you would have to
memorize. The more accurate you want to be, the more you'd have to memorize
for each demographic. There are cold reading books on the market that have
lines you can give a gay black male living on the east coast! (OK, I'm
exaggerating – but not by much!)
If you don't want to tax your memory with such a burden, you can stick with just
memorizing general lines (like Barnum Statements), but if you want to give in
depth readings, spewing out a bunch of generalized statements isn't convincing
enough.
Let me let you on a little secret of mine – I tend to focus on giving readings to
women (most sitters are female anyway). So I have a whole bunch of lines
engraved on my brain: lines for single women under 30, lines for married women,
etc. You couldn't go too wrong if you do memorize some lines for the type of
people you'd be giving reading to. But it isn't really necessary.
Talk About the Reader's Life in the Second Person

Another useful cold reading technique is to apply what has happened in your life –
your experiences, your feelings, your outcomes and apply it to the sitter.
Basically what you're doing here is changing first person (“I, me, my, mine”) to
second person (you, your, yours).
The reason this works is that although we think our lives as being this unique,
individual experience, in actuality, our lives are more similar to each others than
we are led to believe.
Read this brief story from Monster Midway – A Book about Circus Life and
Side-Shows that illustrates this technique:

10
There was nothing distinctive about the party except that it was held in a penthouse. The
entertainment consisted of one tall, spare, soft-voiced man wearing a dinner jacket and dark
circles under his eyes. He sat in an alcove behind a small table, reading palms. One by one the
ladies took their places before him; he examined the lines of their hands carefully with a small
lens, and then began to speak in a tone so low that the sitter leaned forward to catch his words:
“We must not think that the hand is a static, dead thing. True, its general outlines
never change from the cradle to the grave, but the problems, the stresses, the hopes
and fears of daily living are printed there as clearly as if your hands were the pages
of a book. For instance, I can see that there is a difficulty in your life at the present
time which has caused you some anxiety and worry.
Something is frustrating you and while at times you seem to be making progress,
there are other times when you seem to slip back; there are confusions, delays
and disappointments. Now let us look at this problem in the light of what your
hands tell us of your character and your past life; for the shuttle of life weaves
the future on the threads of the past, isn’t that so?”
At the close of the evening the ladies forgathered in the kitchen and began to take down their
back hair:“My dear, he is simply marvelous! Honestly, I just sat there and never opened my
mouth, and he told me things I’ve never confided in anybody. But anybody. He’s uncanny. Of
course, I don’t believe in palmistry, but how did he know that George promised me a trip to
Miami this winter? And how did he know that my grandmother had one of these old-fashioned
phonographs with a horn and I got spanked once for trying to play it by myself and scratching
the records?”
The palmist, eavesdropping in the butler’s pantry whence he had gone in search of an
unguarded bottle of Scotch, soaked all this in with amazement. He had talked steadily for three
hours. And aside from a few details and decorations he had told every one of the ladies exactly
the same thing!
That was my first introduction to the science of cold reading, for I was that palmist. The dark
circles under the eyes were eye shadow, bought in the five-and-ten. I put on a little too much
and it looked as if someone had hung a mouse under each eye, but it didn’t seem to slow me
down any. I had agreed with the hostess to play the part of psychic for her party when a
professional disappointed her.
I studied a ten cent book on palmistry for a few minutes to learn the nomenclature and for the
rest of the reading I took my own life and its problems, friends, enemies, hopes and
despairs, and dished it out as applying to one sitter after another.
I had thought that the guests would soon realize I was pulling a gag. When I found that they
took it seriously my viewpoint shifted suddenly and I found myself inside the skin of a

11
professional psychic faker and enjoying it.
(Emphasis mine.)
The pros for this technique are that you will never run out of things to say and
seeing the look of amazement on your sitter's face as you reel off fact after fact
about their lives and feelings. The strange thing about this technique is that even
when you have told people that you are cold reading and demonstrate it - they
still believe you have psychic powers!
There are two cons for using this technique: the first one is that you can't state
obvious things like “when you were seven years old you took a trip to the beach
with your parents.” People will see right through that one (then again maybe
not). A better one would be “you had a fight with your brother over a possession
and that you stopped talking to each other for a week.” The other con is that you
can't get too gender specific when you are giving a reading to a sitter of the
opposite sex. Things like puberty and first girlfriends or boyfriends can be a bit
tough to talk about if you don't experience them first hand.
Talk in Generalities
This method ties in somewhat with memorizing lines in that most of the lines, like
Barnum Statements, speak in general terms about a person's life. But with this
method no memorization is needed, just the realization that the vast majority of
people are concerned with just three areas in their lives: relationships, money,
and health. And that most people who go to a psychic are often concerned about
one or more of those areas.
Just think about your life. Isn't it true that you are having difficulty or going
through changes in one or more of those areas on some level?
And even, on those rare occasions where you're not having a concern with those
areas at the moment, you certainly had in the past and no doubt the future.
One interesting way of using this method is that if you do get a miss and the
person disagrees with you you can often twist and blend what you've just said
into a hit.
READER: I'm sensing a problem with your relationships...

12
SITTER: Uhm, I can't think of anything wrong with any of my relationships

right now.
READER: But you realize there are other types of relationships other than
people in your life... I'm sensing a problem with your relationship with
money.
SITTER: Now, that's for sure.
For a full explanation of using this method check out Completely Cold by Kenton
Kneppler.
Pros: You don't need to memorize anything using this method. You could use this
method anytime, anywhere. You can also use it to enhance or add to other
methods.
Cons: You're quite limited in what you can say... and for how long: you wouldn't
be able to give readings of more than 10 or 15 minutes with this method. The
other problem is that people who get readings often want specifics – the who, the
when, the how, the where. This method just doesn't satisfy those needs.
Well, there you have it, four methods that cold readers and psychics have used
for hundreds of years to convince people they can read minds and glimpse into
the sitters' lives. It wouldn't hurt to incorporate these techniques into your
routines.
What comes next is a method that has never been discussed before and yet all
good readers (and especially closed-eye psychics) use intuitively. And when you
use it, you will amaze all the people you give readings to. They will truly wonder
how you can know their lives so intimately. Let's move on to...

13
2. The Oracle Method

A new method of giving a reading that allows you to read a person like an open book
Wouldn't it be amazing if, at a drop of a hat, you could read someone anytime
and anyplace without memorization or anything that resembles work? And you
could give readings to whole groups of people without worrying about repeating
yourself. Indeed, people could actually discuss their readings with each other and
each one would be completely different.
Some of the best psychics use this technique all the time and their clients think
they are absolutely amazing.
The method I'm talking about is the Oracle Method.
In ancient times, people who needed guidance would consult an oracle. This
would be a person (or shrine) considered to be the source of hidden knowledge,
wise advice, and predictions of the future. It was usually believed that a spiritual
deity spoke through these persons. What the oracle said would often be in the
forms of metaphor and left to the seekers to figure out for themselves.
“Don't worry about the vase.” -- Oracle (from The Matrix)
The key component in the Oracle Method is the use of metaphor, analogies, and
cryptic responses. A metaphor is a word or phrase suggesting one kind of object

14
or idea is used in place of another because of a likeness between them.

Metaphors are used everyday in various figures of speech. But they have a
powerful effect in therapy, persuasion, and for our purposes – cold reading.
“The wooden wall will protect you and your children.”

-- The Oracle of Delphi (in response to the Greeks asking what action they should take
against the oncoming Persians)
Know Thyself
The reason metaphors work so well in explaining, persuading, and cold reading is
what is called a “transderivational search.” When a metaphor is used the person
will search through his or her personal history until there is a match. Then the
penny will drop with an “Aha!” moment.
The I-Ching (pronounced “ee-jing”) and the Tarot are often considered oracles –
their vague and ambiguous answers to specific questions forces the persons
asking the question to create connections that fits for them.
“Today is favorable to cross great rivers.” Huan – I Ching
Richard Webster in his Commercial Cold Reading tells of an article he read in

Playboy magazine about an astrological conference and the lesson in it on why
you should give a personalized reading instead of using canned lines. I'm giving
Richard's comments on it here to show you how powerful using metaphors will be
in YOUR readings.
"The journalist was sent there to do a profile on the conference and while there he had
a reading from one of America's top astrologers. He was extremely impressed by the
reading. As the learned astrologer told him, "I can hear the grass grow." A couple of
days later, still at the conference, the journalist mentions this to someone else, only to
learn that THEY had been told the same thing also. Subsequent investigation showed
that EVERYONE at the conference, who had a reading from this astrologer, had been
told the they could hear the grass grow."
So, basically you use the Oracle Method by giving the sitter some very visual,
ambiguous metaphors related to their past, present situation, or future and
letting them sort it out by way of transderivational search.
It's also a useful way to say something “meaningful” when you can't think of
something to say.

15
The Oracle Method can be used with any divination system. The Tarot cards lend
themselves well to this system with each picture on the cards symbolizing
something else. Hobron, in his Money Making Cold Reading bases his whole
approach on making up stories as to what the pictures on the cards mean to the
sitter.
It's best to use the Oracle Method after you have a bit of credibility with your
sitter. You can do this by making a specific comment on something that has gone
on or is going on in their lives right now. Once you've gotten a couple of hits with
a couple of specifics (and by specifics I mean the generalized statements that can
apply to almost everyone, i.e., “You had longer hair when you were young.”)
You can start using the Oracle Method by just suggesting the first image that
comes into your head as you're giving the reading. These first images are often
the best in that they are coming up from your intuitive mind. As you are giving a
reading your subconscious is helping you along in ways that will make things
more effortless – and more accurate. As Jack Kerouac once said, “First thought,
best thought.” Go with what your intuition tells you. This is what all the eyes-
closed psychics like Edward Van Praagh and Sylvia Browne do.
On the other hand, you just can't sit around waiting for your intuition to come to
your rescue. As you get more practice giving readings, you can more easily rely
on your intuition. In the meantime, try these steps.
1. Use images like these:

a. Geographical (mountain, hill, ocean, forest, a specific country, path, etc)
b) “Acts of God” (floods, storms, etc
b. Animals (tiger, bear, dog, cat, etc)
c. House (door, window, key, street, bad, etc.)
d. Transportation (car, boat, plane, etc.)
e. Use Plurals and Mass Nouns for better results (flock of birds, bouquet of
flowers, grass)
f. Use Action words (battle, storm, burning, ripping)
g. Use present continuous verbs. “I see you laughing...” “I see you crying...”
2. Try saying: "I'm getting an (image)." What does that mean to you (or
another way of asking)?"
...if a hit, move on or elaborate

...if a miss, push, ask for relevance with someone she knows, or suggest it's a
symbol (metaphor) for something, someone, or an activity in her life. Or get the

16
image to start doing something. “I see the mountain blocking the path you're on.”
"I'm getting you as a little girl with lots of smoke around you.”
...NOTHING...
"I'm seeing smoke coming from several lit cigarettes. And the smoke is
starting to bother you."
Start pushing by asking if she's sure she doesn't remember, start asking if
anyone in her family or neighbor smokes, keep stretching and pushing.
Often she'll make the connection and think of you as some sort of genius. If
she still doesn't make a connection just tell her that the cards (or whatever)
are rarely wrong and that she probably as suppressed the memory and that
it will come back to her at a later time (preferably later in the reading).
One way to increase your credibility with this method is to negate the first hit and
push for something more “meaningful and deep.”
"I'm seeing the ocean."

"My husband and I went to the beach last summer."
"No, that could happen to anybody. It must be a symbol for something
more meaningful."
...if you're still pushing and they aren't coming up with anything, try using the
first letter of the object. Then ask them if anyone close to him or her has the
same first letter in their name.
“The first letter of “mountain” is 'M.' This is significant. Who do you know
whose first name begins with M?”
3. Make the image do something unusual. (“the grass whispers,” "the clouds
are shouting," "the house is saying something.")
4. Place the client somewhere generic. “You are/were on/in/surrounded by...”
Why The Oracle Method Works

The mind has the ability to apply and link to almost any random number, letter,
word, phrase, date, and especially pictures. As in other cold reading techniques,

17
when you throw out a seemingly random letter, word, or picture, the sitter fills in
the meaning with her own experiences.
Exercises (to increase your skills)
Think about your own life. Make a list of all the things that made an impression
on you. For me, there were bridges, forests, the Atlantic ocean. As you'll notice,
these were large things.....
Go online to a search engine like Google and type in "random word generator."
When you get to one that seems interesting, play around with it. If it has an
option for nouns, go with that.
Randomly choose a noun (the less abstract and more concrete the better, so
"ship" would be better than "judgment"). Think about the word, and see how
easily your mind connects it to something that has happened in your life or
something that you've been thinking about lately.
Of course, you can also use a regular dictionary for this exercise. Just randomly
open a dictionary and, without looking, poke your finger down on the page. Find
the nearest noun or adjective and see how your mind makes meanings.
Now Your Turn (Role-Play)

If you're just starting out in cold reading, it would ideal to have a partner to
practice these techniques. And if you do have someone to practice with, great!
Try them out on him or her. Have them try the techniques on you, too.
But if you don't have someone, you can do all the practice in your head. Just use
your imagination. One way is to lay out a spread of Tarot cards or any other
divination system you want to you. And pretend giving a reading, out loud if
possible.
In your imagination, take the role of both the reader and the sitter. Make it tough
on yourself. (More will be said on getting practice for your cold reading skills in
Chapter 11.)

18
3. The Main Areas

How to Talk about Things that Matter to a Person
If you have done any reading on the subject of psychic readings or other sources
of cold reading information. You'll see that most people are interested in only a
small number of topics.
 Relationships (this can mean with their families, partners, or at work)

 Money (who doesn't think about this topic?)
 Health (the sitter's health if he or she is elderly or sickly looking or if the
sitter is young and healthy looking, someone in their family, normally an
older relative)
 Travel (mainly predictions on where they will travel to or how the trip will
go)
 Education (for a person in their late teens, or early twenties they want to
know if they'll be accepted in an institution or whether they will graduate)
Your clients want to know all variations on the above, especially what lies ahead
for them in those areas. ALWAYS leave it positive: the relationship with their
spouse, partner, or kids will turn out great. They will be coming into money in the
near future. They will live to a ripe old age. They'll travel the world. They or their
kids will graduate from college and get a great job.

19
3 Can't Lose Topics

Do you want a way to give a reading in just a few seconds from now? You'll tap into the
human experience and, at the same time, tap into their inner being. You'll discuss things
with them that in all probability they haven't talked to anybody about (probably because
the people they want to talk to are experiencing the same things. Talk about these in a
gentle, understanding way, and you'll be a hero.
PAIN
LOSS
FEAR
Yes, they are negative. But as you know, being human, everyone experiences these three on
a regular basis. You bring them up during a reading, and it's your job to end on a positive
note.
PAIN can be a physical injury or sickness. It can be internal distress like depression or
grief. If the person to whom you're giving the reading doesn't seem like he or she is
experiencing any pain (especially if they are young and cheerful) then the pain could also
be happening to another person, like a friend or family member.
LOSS can be of pretty much anything: a favorite pet dying, losing a bet, a wallet, a best
friend, a bet, a family member passing away or even moving away.
FEAR might be a phobia nobody knows about. A typical fear that everyone thinks of from
time to time (like death), fear of the unknown, fear of success, fear of failure. You can even
tie in fear with the above two negatives: fear of pain or discomfort and fear of loss.
So bring these three negatives up, especially if you want some fast hits, but remember to
always make the outcome positive and cheery. Things always work out!

20
4. The Webster--Sambrook System

A Cold Reading System So Easy
I'm going to start off by giving you a divination system that is so easy to master,
you might not want to finish the rest of this book. It will take you a few minutes
to learn and once you do learn it, you can apply it to other divination systems and
use it for reading to talk about the past, the present, and/or the future.
It's a system psychic entertainer Richard Webster uses quite a bit. And with this
system, he gives palm readings, card readings, and numerology readings at a
drop of a hat.
I've taken the system he uses, simplified it, and created a method where it will be
committed to your memory in just a few minutes.
To begin, you'll need a regular deck of playing cards. Each card in the deck
represents some aspect of your client's life. That's 52 aspects of someone's life.
But don't worry, you won't have to memorize 52 different lines.
To make it easier, we will refer to the Aces as "ones"
1 = Startings, New, Leadership, Independent

2 = Relationships. Partnerships, Friendliness, Tactfulness, Empathy
3 = Creativity, Self expression,
4 = Hard work, Order, Routine, Job, Goals, Responsibilities

21
5 = Variety, Travel, Change

6 = Home, Family, Health
7 = Learning, Spirituality, Inner Wisdom, Philosophical
8 = Money, Finances, Wealth
9 = Helping, charity, teaching
10 = Accomplishments/Attainment/Endings
Jack = Young Person (Male or Female)
Queen = Older Lady
King = Older Man
Diamonds = Financial, money

Clubs = Opportunities
Hearts = Love, emotion, relationships
Spades = Changes, starts, warnings
The Peg
Now, in order to master this system quickly, you need another quick little system
that uses mnemonics to embed it into your mind and call it up quickly, whenever
you need it.
The first thing you'll notice is that the peg words rhyme with the numbers,
making them easier to remember. Fix the pictures in your mind and you will only
need to do this once. I find when I use cartoonish-type images, I remember them
better.
1. Gun. When a gun goes off it usually the start of a race or competition.
Also picture a great leader with a huge gun in his or her hand.
2. Shoe. Imagine two shoes forming a partnership, becoming friends.
3. Tree. Picture a tree with an easel, tubes of paint, and a palette painting
a landscape, being very creative.
4. Door. See a door going off to the factory, off to work, joining the rat
race.
5. Hive. Picture a bee hive getting on a plane and taking a 'round-the-world
trip, doing a variety of activities.
6. Sticks. In your mind's eye see a family of sticks, they're a healthy family
of sticks sitting in the living room watching TV.
7. Heaven. The number seven has to do with spirituality, you can't get to
much closer to spirituality than with Heaven. Seven also has to do with

22
learning. So imagine a classroom just inside the Pearly Gates.

8. Gate. See a gate made of all sorts of money and gold. Need a hundred
bucks, just go up to the gate and pull it off.
9. Vine. Nine is associated with helping and humanity. You might want to
see a vine in a doctor's or nurse's uniform helping out in a hospital.
10. Hen. Imagine a hen accomplishing its goals. Money in the bank, great
car.
Once you've gotten the numbers and their meanings in your head, it's time to
practice.
Go through a deck of cards and quickly come up with meanings. So, if you come
up with a Six of Clubs, you might think of an opportunity (clubs) arising with a
family member (six) or an opportunity to get involved in the health field (six
again). If you pulled a Six of Diamonds, you could say "I see the possibility of
making money with a family member or a family member getting you a job."
If you drew an Eight of Diamonds (both mean "money"), that would be double
good luck. If the Eight of Diamonds comes up in a past reading (and the person
you to whom you are giving a reading doesn't look wealthy), you can say that
something or someone you knew in the past will bring you a great fortune in the
future. An Eight of Spades is a warning about finances or a new beginning, like
starting a new job or changing banks. Whatever you feel matches your sitter.

23
5. Getting Started
Getting Meetings off to a great start
First Impressions
There are two schools of thought on beginning a reading: one says that you
should take a look at a person when you first meet and make a note of their sex,
race, what they're wearing, their neighborhood and house (if you're going a
reading in the person's residence) and incorporate what you've noticed into your
reading.
The problem with this method is not that you'll get caught out by stating the
obvious, in fact, many people go through life so unaware of their surroundings –
even the surroundings they themselves have created – that they will be amazed
at your insights into how you know they love roses.
No, the real problem (and anyone who has done cold reading can attest to this) is
sometimes a client will deliberately try to trick a reader by leaving or eliminating
false clues. Things like removing a wedding band when they're married, putting a
wedding band on if they're not, wearing blue collar clothes to hide their white
collar jobs and plenty of other red-herrings to throw a reader off.
If a reader falls for one of these tricks, all credibility is lost. You could handle it
like you'd handle other types of misses, but it's not worth it.
Not 100% Accurate

Don't panic if you get a miss. Clients will be trying to fit the things you say into

24
their lives. You don't have to be correct all the time. Just take a look at the
television psychics like Sylvia Browne and John Van Praagh. Watch and listen.
Notice how they can miss and miss again and still convince the listeners of their
psychic powers. Watch and learn.
What they do is ignore any sort of hesitation on the part of the listener (a sure
sign of a miss or a transderivational search - a search through their personal
history to see if what the reader says matches their experience) and keep plowing
through with statements and questions.

25
6. Personal Characteristics
How to make it appear you know a sitter's personality intimately - better than their own
family!
In any reading, whether it's a short reading at a carnival or a longer one in a new
age bookshop usually begins with telling something about the sitter's personality:
their moods, their quirks, their hidden thoughts.
The great thing about starting a reading with a sitter's personality is that it's so
easy to do, and being right sets the stage for accepting what you say about their
past and (especially) the future as more likely and without question.
If you take a look at the daily horoscope under the section usually called
something like, “Your Birthday Today” or “Birthday Baby,” you'll see great
examples of describing someone's personal characteristics.
Here's an example from today's paper:
“You are very eager to do what's right...You are a true friend

to anyone living by the same values as you do. You are dedicated
and relentless in pursuing what you want”.
Doesn't that describe you? Doesn't that describe anybody? Lines like these fit in
to pretty much everyone's personality at one time or another. When you say one
to sitters, they will search their past experiences to match what you just said.
And agree with you.
What's useful about this in your readings is that, if you're so inclined, you can
collect a couple of dozen of these lines from past newspapers (at the library, in
your home, or online), memorize them, and then sprinkle them in your readings,

26
especially early on in the reading.
With the above firmly in mind, you will be able to give a reading anytime,
anywhere using any divination system.
Better Than Average

Here's a psychological principle that will serve you well in your readings: it's
called the “Self Serving Bias.” Use it and you'll never go wrong.
The basic idea behind the Self Serving Bias is that when people think of socially
accepted traits, such as generosity, open-mindedness, intelligence, intuition they
often think that they are better in those traits than the average person.
For example:
“You are more generous than most people.”
“You have better communication skills than the people that you work with.”
“You are a better driver than most people on the road.”
“You are healthier than the people you live and work with.”
You are more ____________ than __________.

You have more ___________ than __________.
The Name Method

I got this one from cold-reader Herb Dewey. A good way to start this is to list, going down the
left side of the paper, the letters A-Z. Once you've done that, start listing personal
characteristics that begin with those letters (I'd say at least three for each one is good). So for
the letter "A" I might write, "attractive, alert, amiable; for B I'd write bashful, boastful, brash,
etc.
Of course you can use a dictionary if you get stuck for some words.
When you give a reading, get your client's full name (you'd might like to write it down) and
start telling her the various personal characteristics that make up her name.
Say your client's first name is Jane. You might give a reading like this:
"I get a sense that you have a jealous streak at times, isn't that right? And you've
found that it can be. . . You tend to be more alert than others and they have told you

27
this. . . You also tend to be too nice when people ask you to do things you'd rather not
do. . . You have a strong sense of empathy, especially with animals in distress. . .etc."
Now you don't have to tell your clients what you're doing. Just use their names as a guide. It's
especially useful to use the Name Method when you get stuck during some other aspect of a
reading, say when you are checking out her palm. Just go through his or her name and off
you go...
There are already prepared lists like this. But I found it was better to create a list of my own
since it was easier to memorize and easier to use during a reading.
Get some practice now by thinking of celebrities and people you know, go through the letters
that make up their names.
The Animal Method

When first meeting a client, take a good look at her and think of what animal she
reminds you of. Then start thinking of the positive characteristics of that animal.
If she reminds you of a lion you can tell her that she can be fierce at times. .
.especially when she's hungry. If the client reminds you of a gazelle, you can say
that she is graceful and alert at any sign of danger.
Even if the animal has a somewhat negative connotation, you can still find the
positive characteristics and spin them into a good reading. So, say the client
reminds you of a manatee, you can say, "You are graceful in water. You are
happiest in your own element." If you look at a new client and you think he looks
like a frog, you can say, "You are quick with your tongue, especially when you
want something."
Of course, there is no reason to tell your clients what you are doing.
Like Someone You Know

This is a classic. Many professional cold readers use this method. It's very similar
to the Animal Method. On first meeting, think of whom this person reminds you.
It could be someone you know, like a friend or family member. Could be a
famous person. Maybe an actor. Maybe a politician. Could even be a cartoon
character.
Whoever it is, just start describing the known person to your client as if you are
describing her: "You're a natural leader. You have a way with words, etc."
With this technique, if you are describing someone famous, you could tell your
client what you are doing. As long as the known person is generally thought of in

28
a positive light. "You're a lot like Saddam Hussein. You tend to bully people to get
what you want." I don't think so!
Additional Personal Characteristics

The above will keep you busy for some time to come. In some ways, you really
don't need anything else, especially for a short reading.
The following chart applies to pretty much everyone. In the first two columns
you'll see characteristics that are on the positive side. Most people see
themselves in this positive light - even if they don't appear that way to other
people.
The third column is a bit more negative. Most people if they're honest, will at
least agree that they are sometimes apt to act like this. In your reading you can
incorporate both: “You tend to be friendly and many people like you, but at other
times you can be quite distant and unfriendly, especially to people you don't
know very well.”
You are... | You tend to be... | People find you a to be... | Others think you are...
● friendly ● a good friend to have ● distant

● stable ● a solid person ● neurotic
● open minded ● a problem solver ● conservative
● orderly ● a good leader ● spontaneous
● hard-working ● a good employee ● somewhat lazy
● reliable ● a “people person” ● unreliable
● flexible and adaptable ● talented ● rigid
● generous ● a philanthropist ● cheap

29
7. Talking about the Present

Talk about what's going on in the sitters lives at the moment – as if they
were complaining to their best friend
After telling a person about their personal characteristics you can then move on
to what's going on in their lives now. This is also good for short readings.
Themes
Most clients will want to know about the main areas discussed in Chapter Three:
Main Areas. I've found the best way to discuss what is going on in your clients'
lives right now is to talk about the main concerns in terms of dissatisfaction and
frustration.
Think about it, practically everyone everywhere is dissatisfied or frustrated with

their current situation. We wouldn't be human if we weren't. You'll look like gold if
you bring this up because your clients might want to talk about the situation and
get it off their chests.
YOU: The cards are telling me that you are dissatisfied with a relationship you are in.
That makes sense to you, right?
CLIENT: Yeah, with my boss.
YOU: You're being frustrated at work.
CLIENT: Right. My boss is starting to give everyone in the office a hard time....
So, bring up the main areas in terms of being dissatisfied by or frustrated with
any of them and you'll quickly get a string of powerful hits.
To get practice with talking about the present. Run through your own life. What
are you frustrated or dissatisfied about?

30
Now what about the people in your life? What are their frustrations and
dissatisfactions? Keep these in mind as you give your readings.
Everyday Concerns
Some of the typical current concerns of your clients will be the welfare of a
relative or friend, if their spouse is cheating on them, the possibility of getting a
job or a promotion at their job, how their investments will go (or advice on what
investments to make).
Make sure you know how to answer these concerns. This falls under how to talk
about the future.
How to answer client's questions can be found in Chapter 7: The Future.
Be careful if you are asked for advice on what to do with medical conditions or
legal advice. Here's my advice to you: DON'T GIVE MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.
You don't have to tell them you don't give advice. Just skirt around the issue by
telling them that you see them making a wise decision.
CLIENT: Should I stop taking my Luvox?

YOU: Luvox has been causing you some problems?
CLIENT: Yeah, it's making me sleepy and dizzy. Sometimes I can't even think straight.
YOU: The fork in your Life Line is telling me that you will talk to other medical
professionals who will guide you to a better treatment.
...or...
YOU: The fork in your Life Line is telling me that you will do more research and bring
up your finding with your doctor.
That should end it right there, but if it doesn't...
CLIENT: You didn't answer my question.

YOU: I'm not a doctor. I can't give medical advice. I could lose my "psychic's license."
CLIENT: Some psychic you turned out to be. Give me back my money.
If it comes to that, and in my experience, it rarely will, end the reading and let it
go. You can't please everyone. And the legal hassles of dispensing legal or
medical advice just isn't worth it.
One thing you should do though, is bone up on the latest prescription drugs and

31
medical treatments. That way if a client talks about a drug, you will know what
problems they could be experiencing.

32
8. Talking about The Past

How to make it look like you have a direct line to their younger years
Talking in depth and accurately about a person's past is about the most powerful
thing you can do whilst giving a reading. Talking accurately about a person's
personal characteristics and what's going on in their lives right now is pretty
amazing, but once you start talking about stuff that happened to them years ago
is jaw-dropping stuff.
And luckily, talking about a person's past is one of the easiest things to do. In my
opinion it's even easier than talking about personal characteristics.
Universal Past Experiences

1. Serious illness or accident (with very concerned parents)
2. Trouble with authority figures
3. Intense interest in a subject, sport, hobby but no longer interested
4. Getting first job in an unusual way
5. Being laughed at/picked on
6. Feeling misunderstood, an outsider
7. Being blamed for something you didn't do
8. Being left out
9. Extreme sadness at the death of a pet

33
10. Longer hair

11. Forced religion
12. Fantasies/Daydreams of greatness, fame, or power
13. Loss of something or someone meaningful
14. Less self confidence then
15. Loss of control
It's Your Life

A great way to tell people about their past is to tell them about your past.
Remember, the reason cold reading works so well is that we all like to believe
what happens to us is unique, but in actuality, the things that have happened to
us have happened to most people; they just don't realize it.
Fill in the blanks with what happened in your life as a kid:
What/Who was the _________?
For example:
• “What was the name of the person you got into a fight with?”
• “What was that song you used to love to sing?”
• “Who was that strange and creepy person that lived in your neighborhood?”
• “Who was that generous old lady who gave you sweets?”
• “Who was that teacher who you thought didn't like you?
Here's another one you can try:

Something you ________ / Something about _______. Maybe....
For example:
• “Something you lost...something important.
• “Something about an animal. Maybe a fear or loss.
• “Something you wrote. Maybe a poem.
And another:
A time when you _______. . .
For example:
• “I'm getting a time when you were embarrassed...”

34
• “A time when you felt rejected...”

• “A time when you couldn't accomplish what you wanted.”
Remember, you can always pull out the Oracle Method if you need something
profound to say.
Planting Memories
It's actually easier to plant false memories than you might think. Remember
when you got someone to believe an incident happened, at first they seem
puzzled but then you added more details, then BINGO! they remembered. Then
YOU realized it was a different person it happened to, not the person you're
talking to.
Unfortunately, planting memories is quite prevalent in law enforcement and
psychiatry. The cops will plant a false memory in a witness and an innocent
person goes to prison.
And it happens in psychiatry, the doctor convinces the patient that he or she was
molested when they were a child. Result? Another innocent person is sent to
prison.
It also happens with alien abduction cases where people are fed details about the
abduction and they believe it happened to them. Remember that UFO you saw
when you were a kid?
The human memory is malleable and somewhat fallible. You can use this memory
distortion in your psychic reading routine:
You make a claim or create a story: "Remember that beautiful day at the
amusement park where you hugged Bugs Bunny?"
Your client doesn't seem to think that's true. Then you ask/suggest if it could
have happened but they just don't remember it.
Go on in with a lot of details about what you "see." Add lots of "Yes, I can see...
and I can also see you..." Give many specifics.
Ask questions that presuppose an event actually happening: "How did you react
when you cut your hand on the toy?"
If they can't remember it, let it go. Nine times out of ten, usually within a few
minutes, they'll "remember" the incident often giving you fascinating details
about it.
You need to look confident in order to do technique. Any sign of uncertainty, and

35
you could blow it.

36
9. The Future
What they really want to know – and how to give it to them
The average person is fascinated with the possibility of knowing what lies in the
future. Any demonstration on your part of having telepathic powers implies that
you also have the ability to see into your clients future. And let's face it, that's the
real reason they've come to see a psychic reader - to tell them what excitement
and change lies in their future. And you're not going to disappoint, either.
Answering Questions
Unless you are just entertaining, one of the main reasons people go to psychics is
to "have their fortune told." And it's your job to point your clients to a bright
future.
In teacher training, the instructors tell the trainees that they should never ask a
class, "Do you have any questions?" Because nine times out of ten the students
will say "no."* If you want to limit the number of questions asked, you should ask
the clients if they have any questions.
Of course that won't stop the questions and you shouldn't have to. You just need
a way to handle questions and the first rule to remember is that their outcome is
always favorable but since nothing is written in stone, the client is going to have
* The proper technique teachers should use is to ask "open" questions (Who, What, Why, etc.) to test the students
understanding of the lesson. Another questions teachers should never ask is, "Do you understand?" because nine times out
of ten, the students will say, "Yes," even though they don't.

37
to take some sort of action to bring about that favorable outcome.
Giving Advice
"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
~ Erica Jong
A great way to dispense advice is use what the psychic readers use: clichés,
proverbs, and quotations from famous people:
"It's always darkest before the storm..."
"Every cloud has a silver lining..."
The general rule is to think of your client's situation, and then throw out the first
cliche or proverb that comes into your head because a problem shared is a
problem halved. It's that easy. And you'll be able to do this quickly because he
who hesitates is lost...
Another useful way to give advice is to get your client's subconscious mind
working for you. One method of doing this is by using a pendulum.
You might have some experience with this when you were a kid. All you have to
do is get a piece of string or thread and attach a weight like a big paperclip to it. I
recommend, for the showmanship side of this, to buy a pendulum strictly
designed for this purpose. They are very attractive with a thin gold chain with a
small, colored crystal ball attached on one end.
To use this is easy. First try it with yourself to get used to the technique.
1. Have your client rest her elbow on the table holding the string or thread
at one end with her thumb and index finger, letting the weight on the other
end hang freely.
2. Establish a baseline for answers. Yes/No questions are asked when using
the pendulum. So ask questions with which you both know the answers.
Obvious questions like, "Is your name...?" "Do you work in a ...?"
(Typically, the pendulum will swing in the same manner as the person's
head does when answering a yes/no question. In the west, it's up-and-
down for yes and side-to-side for "no." Other cultures sometimes use
different movements.)
Once you get the baseline for "yes," start asking questions where you both
know the answer is "no." "Is it raining outside?" "Is you name Tiny Tim?",
etc.
3. Now have your client frame her quest for advice as yes/no questions.

38
Likely Events
Create a list of events that happen every so often. Just take a piece of paper and
write down things that occur in people's lives every once and a while. I'll give you
some ideas to get you started:
✔ breaking glass
✔ old friend, who you haven't heard from in years,
contacting you
✔ getting stopped by the police
✔ new neighbor with a barking dog
✔ an ambulance driving down your street
✔ getting a pay raise at work
✔ etc.....
Now you have a list of future predictions for your clients. I had you create this list
because it will be easier to recall and use some of the items whenever you give a
future reading.
As you probably have noticed, your list will contain a mix of positive, negative,
and neutral events. Personally, I would remove the hard core negatives (like
getting into an accident) from the list as the whole idea of the types of readings
you are giving is to have the client leave in a good mood with positive feelings
about you and your reading.
Then when you are giving a future reading, just tell your client a few of the items
on your list:
"Within a week (or month or two months) you'll be going on a trip. There will be a minor
inconvenience but you will be resourceful enough to handle it."
"In September, you'll meet a friendly stranger with glasses."
The great thing about this technique is that in the unlikely possibility the stated
event doesn't happen, the client will not even remember. But if the event does
happen, well, you'll look like gold.

39
Leaving Them Happy With a Happy Future

Tell them what they want to hear. As mentioned above, you always want your
clients to leave you happy and in a good mood. An excellent way to do this is to
pepper your readings with optimistic, cheerful words and compliments.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Tell them how their personality will change. Has your client expressed an interest
in a certain area and would like to know how to proceed? Here's a way to give
advice without actually giving advice.
Say your client would like to meet the right person and get married. Think
quickly, what kind of personality and what sort of actions are needed? Maybe you
come up with "needs to be more cheerful and more forward." You can then
incorporate these thoughts into your reading:
"In the coming weeks and months, I see you having a happier outlook on life. Things just
seem to be getting better for you. You look forward to meeting people and you will start
feeling more comfortable approaching new, attractive people..."
In effect, this becomes a post-hypnotic suggestion leading to a self-fulfilling
prophecy. (And of course, if the event you predict does happen...well, you'll be a
hero!)
Greetings From MARS...

I got this great routine from Herb Dewey. At the end of your reading, hand over
your business card and write the letters "MAR" on it. Tell your client to be on the
look out for those three letters coming into his or her life soon.
It's a brilliant idea! Because the letters MAR can come up in so many different
ways: Mark, Mary, Maria, marriage, marijuana, March, Mars, stock market, etc.
If you are giving a reading to someone else right after you've given the MAR line,
you can use the letters "EX". This combination comes up a lot as well: ex-
boyfriend, ex-wife, sex, exams, Fed-Ex, etc.
I See You Looking at a Hand...

Of course, if all else fails, you can use the Oracle Method when describing
something for your clients to watch out for in their future.

40
10. Various Techniques to Perfect Your Cold Reading Skills
Immediate Bonding
The quickest way to make a reading go well is to create an immediate bond with
your clients. The best psychic readers do this. The ones that end up having no
customers and eventually closing are the ones who resent their clients (or appear
to resent their clients).
The rules for bonding are simple and you probably know them already because
they are really common sense. It's pure Golden Rule. Treat your clients like you
would like to be treated. But there are some quick psychologically tested methods
of gaining rapport that top sales people, politicians, and rich psychic readers use.
MATCHING AND MIRRORING. As you know, we like people who are like
ourselves. The best way to bring that feeling on quickly is to match your posture,
your breathing, and your tone of voice with that of your client. If she speaks
quickly, you speak quickly. If she breathes slowly, you breathe slowly (you can
often see the speed someone is breathing by watching their shoulders go up and
down, match your breathing with that speed).
You can also use "cross-over" matching. If your client has some sort of nervous
tic or gesture, say for example she keeps touching her nose. You cross-over
match by touching your ear every time (or most times) she touches her nose.

41
DIRECT GAZE. Make direct eye contact when you first meet your client. Do not
let your gaze stray. Let your client look away first. Eventually, she will meet your
gaze again. HOLD YOUR EYE CONTACT for a little while longer, especially when
talking. This will cement the bond and you can have normal eye contact as the
reading continues.
COMPLIMENTING. This can be a straight out compliment about something the
client is wearing, his or her job, etc.
YOU: That's a beautiful ring. You got it at Bloomingdales, didn't you?
CLIENT: No. Macy's.
YOU: I thought so. (It was New York City, if pressed.)
And of course, you give compliments, especially on client's personality
characteristics, throughout the reading. Everybody loves to receive compliments
and it's a great way to bond with your clients.
Handling Misses
Usually, when you are giving a reading, most of what you say will be general and
flattering enough that the person receiving the reading won't be likely to disagree
with what you say. But as you get more specific with your readings, you'll
eventually say something that will be totally off the mark. Either the client will tell
you straight out that you are wrong, or there will be a change in physiology
(frowning, shaking head, leaning back, dumb-looking stare, etc.) How do you
handle these misses?
When you are first starting out, it's easy to get flustered by getting a miss. Don't
be. Remain calm. In Chapter 15 I'll be showing you some techniques where you'll
be able to maintain your composure automatically, even with the least co-
operative clients.
There are two things to keep in mind and why you shouldn't really worry to much
about misses. The first is that people getting a reading want you to be right. The
second is that most misses are soon forgotten and, especially, predictions about
the client's future that don't come true are rarely remembered, but if your
predictions do come to fruition, you will be thought of a psychic genius.
One way to soften the blow of misses before they happen is to tell your client that
you don't always get everything one hundred percent correct all the time, even
John Edward does this.
But what if you say something and the person signals something is amiss or
states flat out that you are wrong. Here's some things you can say:

42
"The impression I'm getting is quite clear (or the cards never lie). Let us move on
and you'll make the connection later on."
"You might have forgotten/repressed it."
"Maybe he/she didn't tell you. Maybe he/she doesn't want you to know."
"He/She hasn't told anybody about this."
"OK, you didn't..., but you wanted to/ but it happened to someone close to you."
"Not your sister, but someone like a sister to you/someone close to you."
"OK, it didn't happen yet, but it will happen soon."
"The cards/numbers/tea leaves are rarely wrong, maybe I just interpreted them
incorrectly.'
Extrapolating and Expanding Your Statements

A mark of a good psychic (cold reader) is the ability to expand, extrapolate, and
extemporize on any given statement. Not only does adding these extensions
sound more believable, they can also expand a reading from a few minutes to an
hour. As you can see, this is a valuable skill to have.
Say you come up with a line and your client just sits there without saying
anything. How do you stretch out what you've just said?
You can't just give a string of sentences and expect that to be a good reading
(although it would to some clients).
I use a simple system to expand on any statement I give to a client.
1. Chunk Up. You convert your statement into some generalities about it.
2. Chunk Down. You give specific examples of the statement you made.
3. Ups & Downs. You describe both the good and bad of your statement
4. Qualities. You can also add the qualities and characteristics of the type
of person you are describing.
Say I'm using numerology and I get a "1" which often means leadership and
starting something. I can begin by saying,
"You're a natural leader." (I would keep an eye on my client to see what his or
her reaction. If it seems positive, I'd use the system:

43
1. Chunk Up (Ask yourself, "What is this an example of?"): A leader is an

example of good communication and good people skills.
I would start like this:
"I see you have a "one" in your chart/the cards. This means you're a
natural leader. You have excellent communication skills and are very good
with people..." (You can continue to Chunk Up from here if you wanted.)
Next step:
2. Chunk Down (Ask yourself, "What is an example of this?" or "What are
some examples of this?"): A leader can organize groups of people around a
common goal. A leader can get people to do things and even change their minds.
The reading would go like this:
"I see you have a "one" in your chart/the cards. This means you're a
natural leader. You have excellent communication skills and are very good
with people. I see you with a group of people - possibly at work, possibly at
home, organizing them, rallying them. Some of them don't seem very
enthusiastic, but you change their minds quite quickly..." (Depending on the
type of reading you are giving, this can be something that happened in the
past or something that will happen.)
Third step:
3. Ups & Downs (Ask yourself, "What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this? What can go exceedingly well and what could fail
miserably?"): A leader can be very lonely, can have a mutinous crowd, etc. A
leader can use his or her skills in other areas of life. Can have a forceful
personality, etc.
A more complete reading from just one element can go something like this:
I see you have a "one" in your chart/the cards. This means you're a natural
leader. You have excellent communication skills and are very good with
people. I see you with a group of people - possibly at work, possibly at
home, organizing them, rallying them. Some of them don't seem very
enthusiastic, but you change their minds quite quickly. As you know, there
are many benefits to being a leader. You have the ability to excel in many
areas of your life. You can get things done quickly if you put your mind to
it. On the down side, you are sometimes lonely and feel that people aren't
listening to you. But those feelings don't really last that long. And you're
back on feet, feeling strong again.

44
But wait, there's more:

4. Qualities (Ask yourself, "Who do I know is like this? What qualities and
characteristics do they have?): Abraham Lincoln was an excellent leader with
a way with words and a strong determination to succeed. He often had his
doubts, but he always persevered.
There are two ways you can use Qualities:
a) With the name.
"In some ways you are like Abraham Lincoln. You have a way with words and a
strong determination to succeed..."
b) Without the name, just use the characteristics.
"As a leader, you have a way with words and a strong determination to succeed.
You have your doubts of course but you often persevere."
The Reasons People Leave Unhappy with Their Reading

Many clients will give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their reading.
If you project confidence and look like you know what you're doing, you will do
fine.
As we've seen, misses aren't a problem as many people who start out in cold
reading think. Misses tend to be forgotten while hits will morph from the
memories of your clients into how amazing you truly are.
However, if you get flustered by misses, that might steal some of your credibility.
As you have seen, there are easy ways to handle misses and still remain
confident.
In my experience, there are two areas, that if stay on too long, will have your
client unhappy with their readings.
1. Too negative.
There is never any reason to dwell on the negative, even if you are giving a
reading on the client's past. Mention the accident or the sickness they
experienced as a child, give some details...then move on...of course telling them
how much stronger they have become because of that experience.
You might have a client talk to you about something that is going on in their lives

45
at the moment that is weighing them down. Point out to them that everything will
get better.
And always paint a rosy picture of their future.
2. Not enough focus on areas they are interested in.

Many times people will want you to focus on certain areas of their lives. Some will
tell you or ask you questions about certain topics. And as you know, these will
often involve relationships, money, health, travel, or education.
Unless they tell you straight out what they want, you'll have to find out for
yourself. Hey, you're the psychic! If they don't tell you, just give a reading on all
areas (relationships, money, etc.) and pay attention to the body language of your
client. If he or she shows more interest, stay on that topic.
It's common sense really, but by focusing on what they are interested in, you'll
have a lot more satisfied clients who will seek you out in the future. (And since I
can see your future, I know it will be filled with interesting, well-paying clients
who will support the lifestyle you truly desire.)

46
11. Advanced Cold Reading Techniques

The Techniques Professional Psychic Entertainers Don't Want You To Know
Creating Emotional States in Your Clients

Anchoring positive emotions in others is one of the most important skills you can
acquire. And that doesn't just go for cold reading/psychic entertaining, eliciting
and anchoring positive states is vital in all areas of life.
Just think of a depressing, negative person. This guy (or gal) can walk into a
room and put everyone in a bad mood—without even talking to anyone.
Anchoring happens all the time. You hear a song when you first fell in love years
ago and now when you hear it, the song brings you back to that happy time.
Many bosses have their employees anchored to them when they walk into a
room. Go to an office where the staff are joking around and then the boss walks
in and you can actually watch a dramatic change in their physiology.
Watch videos of Derren Brown; he anchors people all the time. He'll elicit a state
of ... and then he'll touch their upper arm as if he's just being friendly and
making a point. He'll touch the same area over and over to reinforce the anchor.
He also does it with his voice. He elicit a state and then he will change the sound
of his voice, usually making it more commanding: “Be honest!” It accomplishes
the same thing as the touching anchor.
How to Anchor
Deliberately anchoring emotional states is quite easy. All you have to do is have

47
your client relive an emotional state and then use a unique touch, or unique tone
of voice, or even a word to anchor that emotion into them.
Say you have brought up a past experience where your client was very happy.
You will be able to see the changes in her face and body while she is reliving that
experience. Right at the height of that experience, you anchor. For example, you
might say "okaaaay" or say "YES!" in a different tonality in your voice. You could
touch the underside of her hand if you are giving a palm reading.
A few minutes later, when she "breaks state" (leaves that emotional state that
you anchored), test the anchor by repeating it. If she goes into that pleasant
emotional state, the anchor is fixed.
Now you can use that anchor if she goes into a negative state like worry. Just fire
that anchor to bring her out of that negative state. You can also use that anchor
to fix an emotion to YOU. So every time she sees you she will experience that
emotion. All you have to do here is to wait until she is looking at you and then
fire the anchor. If you get it right, every time she looks at you she will experience
a positive feeling.
"The Flip"
A vital aspect of NLP—and some practitioners believe it's the ONLY one—is the
ability of changing someone's state of mind, to go from a negative present state
(like worry) to a positive desired state (like satisfaction).
You can accomplish this quite easily in your readings. When you are talking about
personal characteristics, you start of with a negative characteristic (like
shyness) and flip it to a positive characteristic (like boldness). Then you tell
them about a time they experienced that positive state in the past. So it would
go something like this:
"There are times when you feel unsure of yourself, when you can't decide
what action you should take, but there are times, sometimes quite briefly,
when you feel strong and powerful and are forceful with what you want, like
that time at work when you stood up for what you believed in and your co-
workers were so proud of you. Remember that."
You want your client to actually go back through his or her experiences and find
that episode. Then you want them to relive it in their minds. When you say
"remember that", you aren't asking them, you're telling them.
You will be able to tell when they are in the positive state by their reactions:
smiling, slow and deep breaths.

48
Pacing and Leading

An interesting aspect of the human mind is that if you state several facts or
observations in a row (PACING), the last thing you say will be accepted as a fact
as well (LEADING). This makes it an excellent way to implant suggestions.
"Okay, you came to my booth...told me you wanted a thirty minute reading...now we're
looking at the cards...this reading will go smoothly for the both of us..."
"You've given me your hand...I'm sitting here holding it...we're both looking at it...and
you're going to be absolutely fascinated by what I have to say..."
When pacing, make sure that you don't make any assumptions about what the
client might be feeling or thinking: "And you're thinking, 'can he really read my
future'" It may be true, but you don't know. By guessing what they are thinking
and getting it wrong, you'll lose out on the benefits of pacing. Just stick with
what's going on in the environment and you'll have them thinking what YOU want
them to think.
NLP Language Patterns

The use of language that Neuro-Linguistic Programming developed from top
psychiatrists, hypnotists, and sale professionals can do wonders for your reading.
Most contemporary psychic entertainers use some form of NLP language in their
reading. It's that powerful.
"One of the things you're going to like about this reading is how
much better you will feel about your future."
(Not only does this language pattern give a suggestion you want them to believe,
it also presupposes that there will be MORE than one thing about the reading your
clients will like.)
"If you didn't think I can read your mind/tell the future/help you,
you wouldn't be here/talking to me/looking at the cards now."
(This pattern uses contrary-to-fact statement that if they agree with it, they will
subconsciously agree with your suggestion (the first part of the pattern).)
"You may have already started to become aware of how accurate

49
my reading are/how comfortable you have become/[ANY

SUGGESTION YOU WANT]."
(The great thing about this pattern is that the suggestion you make will start AND
continue, even if they weren't thinking of it before.)
"You may notice [WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO THINK OR FEEL] as

you [WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW]."
("You may notice how relaxed you feel as you are looking at the cards." "You may
noticed the bond between us increasing as I look at the Rune stones.")
"Isn't it nice to know [WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW, FEEL, OR

THINK]?"
("Isn't it nice to know you can come here anytime for a reading?" "Isn't it nice to
know you can control your destiny?"
"There's no need for you to [DO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO]?"

(Even though you are telling your client there is no need to do something, they
will automatically imagine it because they way the language is constructed.
"There's no need for you to listen to everything I say." "There's no need to come
here every week for a reading.")
There are plenty of more NLP language patterns you can use in your readings.
Check out books on or about Milton Erickson, Richard Bandler, and John Grinder.
You can also get NLP Language Patterns to increase the effectiveness of your
advertising. Check that out here: www.nlp-techniques.com if you are interested
in this fascinating subject.
The Fakir Method (How to Force a Claim)

Here's a method to get a client to believe ANYTHING that you say happened to
them.
1. State claim: "You studied at med school last year." Now you can use the
system I told you about in the Expanding your statements section, it works well
here.

50
2. Chunk Up: Think, "What is this an example of?" ANSWER: Learning how to
help someone.
3. Chunk Down: "What is an example of this?" ANSWER: Reading an article on
CPR."
4. The Divination System sometimes doesn't/can't make distinctions, especially
when emotions are involved.
5. Add a movie. You can also suggest that maybe they saw your description in a
movie or on television and that they "internalized it" and created a strong
memory about it.
Identity Install
Please use this next technique ethically.
Why would you want to change someone's identity? What would be the use of
this mini-brainwashing technique?
Here's an example, while you are giving a personal characteristic reading, you get
a miss. You say, "At times I see you as confident..." And your client cuts you off,
"Actually, I'm a bit of a coward..."
What do you do? You can use the standard formulas for misses. Or you could use
this technique to subtly change their identity. If you sense that this person would
benefit from what you are suggesting (like confidence), you might want to go
ahead and do an identity change.
Start by telling her, "You really know what it means to be [POSITVE

CHARACTERISTIC YOU ARE TRYING TO INSTALL]. Like the time you
[GENERIC EXAMPLE OF CHARACTERISTIC MOST PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
LIKELY EXPERIENCED."
Some examples:
* "You really know what it means to be confident. Like the time when you were a
teenager and stood up to an adult."
* "You really know what it means to be generous. Like the time you gave that
panhandler money."

51
* "You really know what it means to be outgoing. Like the time you approached
that group of strangers and started talking to them."
You can then reinforce by saying this: "You are NOT the type of person who
[OPPOSITE EXAMPLE OF IDENTITY], right?" or "..., isn't that so?"
Continuing from the above examples:
* "You are NOT the type of person to shy away from a challenge, right?"
* "You are NOT the type of person to refuse money when the situation warrants
it, isn't that so?"
* "You are NOT the type of person who would not be interested in meeting new
people, right?"
Move on to this: "Don't you think that people who are [CHARACTERISTIC]
are [SOMETHING NEGATIVE, POSSIBLY INSULTING]?"
If the client agrees with this statement, it will create cognitive dissonance, an
imbalance in her thinking that will have to be sorted out by either thinking she's
the insult or, easier, becoming the characteristic.
To continue:
* "Don't you think that people who lack confidence are missing out on life?"
* "Don't you think that people who are cheapskates are jerks?"
* "Don't you think that people who aren't outgoing are going to die lonely and
sad?"
You need to get agreement for this last pattern to work. If they say, "No, not
really," try to give a real life example.
Here's a full example of a reader trying to change the identity from someone who
is mildly skeptical into someone who is more open-minded:
"You really know what it means to be open-minded. Like the time you first heard about
UFOs and were completely memorized, 'Can there really be life on other planets?'
You're not the type of person to dismiss something you don't understand, right? I
mean, don't you think that people who are closed-minded are boring and tedious?"

52
Subconscious Social Proof

There are some subtle ways to increase the likelihood of people believing you are
a genuine psychic. And that you are popular. Here are a few of these:
● Photos of you giving readings. Every time you give a reading, try to get
a photo of it. Of course you can start the ball rolling by getting someone to
take a photo of you reading for friends and members of your family.
Needless to say, make sure your props are in the picture. You reading Tarot
cards sitting across the client. You looking at some Rune Stones on the
table. You holding someone's hand, staring into their palm. When you have
a good selection, you can put them in a small photo album that you carry
around with you or leave out in the open where you do readings, you can
hang some up in your booth if you are at a psychic fair, even turn a few
good ones into a poster or flyer to distribute.
● Hint at how popular you are. Pepper your beginning conversations with
brief examples of recent past readings:
• "Last night I had to give readings to about 20 people at a party."

• "A corporate client just called me, they want me to come back again
and give Rune stone readings to their top executives."
• "The third time I gave a reading to Julia Roberts, she..."
● Create a book of testimonials. I saw the wandering psychics in India use

this technique with great effect. Always carry a little notebook around with
you. After you give a reading, ask the client if he or she would do you a
favor. Could they please give a positive testimonial about why they liked
the reading and then sign it. Once you've collected a bunch, you can then
show them off to prospective clients. You can also combine them with the
photos of you giving a reading. And let's not forget about putting them in
your advertising.
● Take a position that's unfavorable to you. This is an old sales

professional trick. Never mock the competition. On the contrary, tell your
client some good things about your rivals. It makes you come out smelling
like a rose (especially since other psychic entertainers WILL mock others in
the field). And it increases your credibility, making you look more honest.
"Yes, that James van Praagh is absolutely amazing. I wish I had his ability
to communicate with those who have passed to the other side."

53
Post Hypnotic Suggestions

Occasionally, you might like to give your clients some suggestions that will take
place in the future. This is actually easy to do since a client is in a mild hypnotic
trance while you are giving the reading.
That being the case, all you have to do is give your suggestion sometime during
the middle of the reading or towards the end, before you wrap up the reading.
Here is one type of suggestion frame:
"For the next [PERIOD OF TIME], every time [EXTERNAL CUE], you will
[SUGGESTION]."
Examples:
-- "For the next seven days, every time you see a flower, you will feel
cheerful."
-- "For the next month, every time you look at your calendar, you will think
of this reading."
-- "For the next two weeks, every time you receive a phone call, you will be
confident."
During a reading, you can also give your clients "things to do" or "things to look
out for" after the reading. These can be framed as predictions.
Examples:
-- "Within a month, you'll pick up a book on how to increase your

confidence, read it through, and follow its advice."
-- "Next week you'll go to the library and ask the librarian for books on how
to start your own home business."
-- "By next September, you will start taking Yoga classes." (if the client
show interest in the subject during the reading)

54
12. Giving Readings

How to master short and long readings
To sum up, this is how to do a reading quickly with NO need to memorize

anything:
1. The Past. Your life as a kid

2. Personal Characteristics. What animal does this person remind you of? Who
do you know that this person reminds you of?
3. The Present. Use the universal problems all people have: Relationships.
Money and Job. Health.
4. The Future. Paint any problems you client has with relationships, money,
health coming to a positive conclusion.
Short Readings
1. Personal Characteristics and/or The Present
2. The Future
Longer Readings
1. The Past
2. Personal Characteristics
3. The Present
4. The Future

55
To wrap up a reading ask your client:

"Have I covered everything you wanted to know about? or Did I answer all of
your questions?"
Here's a Trick: Reverse Cold Reading - Have People Think They are
Projecting Thoughts into Your Own Mind
Showing that there is a telepathic connection between you and your client is a
great way to increase the bonding and rapport with them. Here are a few
mentalist routines you can do before you give a reading to create that powerful
bond. If you use one or all of them, make sure to tell them that these are just
tests or experiments, not proof of anything.
Guessing Number 7. If you ask a person to choose a number from one to ten,
the vast majority will choose seven for some reason. You can use this fact by
telling your client to mentally project a number from one to ten to you. Write the
number 7 on a piece of paper (without letting your client see what you've
written), fold it, and hand it to them. When ready, tell the client to open the piece
of paper. If she said she was thinking of 6 or 8, you can always say, "Very close
to seven."
Stiff Finger Guess. This works well before doing a palm reading, but you can
use it before any type of reading. Just ask your client to hold out her hand and
say, "project a chosen finger into my mind." You take your index finger and
lightly press on each one of her fingers on her outstretched hand. The one she is
thinking of will give slight resistance. (Although, I've never tried it, I read that
this DOESN'T work if you do it with a family member.)
Three Coin Force. This is a classic. Various forms have been used by magicians
and mentalists for centuries. You need four coins: three different ones and one
that matches one of the first three. For an example, let's use the American coins:
a nickel, a dime, and a quarter. Let's say you want to force the dime, so you need
another dime. Here's how you do this classic trick:
Hold the dime in your your clenched fist. Do not tell your client what it is and do
not let them see it. Say, "In this hand I've made a prediction on what coin you
will choose..." Now place the three coins on the table (it doesn't matter which
order).
Tell her to pick up two of the coins. If she leaves the dime on the table, tell her to

56
put the other two coins aside. And ask her, "Is there a reason you chose to leave
the dime on the table?" Open your hand and show her the dime. The trick ends
there.
If she picks up one coin and the dime, tell her to hand you one of the coins. If she
hands you the other coin (nickel or quarter), ask her, "Is there a reason why you
chose to keep the dime?" Open your hand to show her the dime. The trick ends
there.
If she hands you the dime instead, ask her, "Is there a reason you chose to hand
me the dime?" Open your other hand to show her the dime. The trick ends there.
This trick tends to really baffle people. Of course, you can only do it once. If you
do it with the same person again or to another person who was watching, you will
give the trick away.
This force can also be used in reverse as a way of your client projecting thoughts
into your mind. If you don't have coins, you can also use pretty much any other
objects (Tarot cards work well). Just write your "prediction" on a piece of paper
before you do the force. Fold it and place it under a cup or glass.
Aside from the Three Coin Force which will always work, if the outcome turns out
wrong, don't sweat it. Just tell your client that some people have stronger wills
than others.
Getting Repeat Clients

Like getting repeat customers for any business, you need to anchor to yourself
certain positive attributes. What makes you go back to businesses you have
chosen? Convenience? Warmth? Comforting? Cheap? Add whatever you can to
your psychic business. But the following are what the top readers use to get the
top-paying, satisfied repeat customers:
1. Make them feel good throughout the reading. And the best way to
do that is compliment, compliment, compliment. You don't have to say
compliments like, "That's a lovely dress" every few minutes. But you can,
while giving your reading, to compliment her on her positive attributes. And
you can even attribute them to other people: "Your co-workers think you
have great taste in clothes."
Sporadically pepper your readings with compliments and praise and your
readings will become like crack cocaine to an addict. Most people are
starved for appreciation and approval. So give it to them, in abundance,
and you'll start triggering off their pleasure centers in their brains.

57
2. Use a self-fulfilling prophecy to show you on your next visit.

Another thing you want to do is imply that there will be future readings. If
you are giving readings over the phone or in a New Age bookshop, repeat
business are the life blood of any successful company.
So sprinkle your readings (especially readings about the future) with
predictions of coming back for further readings: "The next time you come
here for a reading, you'll tell me all the things that came true for you."
3. Use embedded commands during a reading. This is the language
hypnotists who are skilled at waking (or covert) hypnosis use. The process
is simple. First, make a list of some of the things you would like your clients
to do in the future. These are commands. For example,
• make another appointment
• ask for me
• refer a friend to me
• have a more comprehensive reading next time
• etc...
Once you know what you'd like clients to do, simply "embed" the command
into a larger sentence or question. Like so:
• "I had an client make another appointment the other day because
he was delighted with what I told him about his boss."
• "I'm wondering if you will ask for me the next time you come in?"
• "Last week I had a client refer a friend to me..."
Then what you do is change the tonality of the command. Make it stand out
from the rest of the statement or question by raising your voice,
exaggerating the command, slowing down your voice at the command,
even pausing for a split second before you say the command. This won't
register with the conscious mind of your client. He or she might think you're
being funny (or you have some gas). But more than likely, they won't even
notice.
Those are just some of the ways you can get repeat clients. I'm sure you will
develop your own style to make your readings so addicting that clients will come
back to you again and again.

58
13. Talking to the Dead

Make it appear you can communicate with the deceased
Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen... John Edward. [applause. John enters the set and steps on
stage]
John Edward:Thank you, thank you. Alright let's get started. [meditates a minute, then points to his
right]... It's coming from over here.... Does the name 'Mike' mean anything to anybody? [no
reaction] I'm getting um... I'm getting M-mike? Definitely an M, uhmm...maybe Matt? Mike? Matt?
Mi-mmm, Mi-Mike, m-Mary?
Man: Mary was my mother!
John Edward: Okay okay, and and she, she - she died?
Man: [begins to sob. A woman comforts him] Yes. Yeah-yes she did.
John Edward: Okay, and she's telling me there's something about... the money. That the, the
money is safe? Is that making sense? [the man and woman look up]
Man: M-mm-m. Not really.
John Edward: Must be from somewhere else in the audience, then. Uh, uh, money? Is someone
else...
Stan: Uh, over here please?
Kyle: We have a dead friend.
John Edward: Umm, quiet down boys. It doesn't work that way. Uh, okay, I... I'm getting
...someone now whose name is G-, a T-. It's an L, it's a M-, it's K-.
Cartman: Kenny!

59
John Edward: Kenny says “hi.”
Audience members: Whoa! [applause] wow!...
John Edward: Okay, now I'm getting that Kenny ...died?
Stan: We told you that.
John Edward: And, and this wasn't... this wasn't a good death. It was like a... it was a sad death. It
was like a... it was like a death that made people sad. Does that make sense?
Kyle: Yee-yeah?
Audience members: [applause] Oh, wow, that's incredible! Wow!
-----------------
John Edward: Okay now Harry. He's telling me... oh well, he's saying that you two used to... do
things.
Woman: [sobs and nods vigorously] Mmm-hmm.
John Edward: And that those things involved... stuff?
Woman: The things did involve stuff, yes!
(South Park episode 615 “The Biggest Douche in the Universe”)
I hesitated to put this section in. But decided to include it for completeness.
Telling people that you can communicate with the dead really messes with their
minds. Houdini spent a better part of his life trying to disprove the mediums who
suckered desperate people into believing they were communicating with deceased
family members or friends.
The basic procedure for communicating with the dead are the typical cold reading
methods – except you're doing it in the the 3rd person. So instead of saying,
“You're quite stubborn at times,” you'd say, “Uncle Jim was quite stubborn at
times.” It's as simple as that.
Here's a list of items you can try if you really want to do this method:
* The deceased loved one's personality

* The way the deceased died (no pain)
* The deceased describing the sitter's personality
* The deceased mentioning something in the sitter's home (broken appliance,

60
piece of jewelry from the deceased, expired medicine, etc)

* The deceased admonishing the sitter for not doing something
* The deceased giving advice to the sitter
* The idea of forgiveness, either given or received
TO A WIDOW:
“Your husband saw you kissing his photo.”
“Your husband liked to work with his hands.”
“Your husband saw you holding is stuff.”
“Your husband (or name) knows you were crying.”
The one thing you MUST keep in mind is that the person ISN'T DEAD. He or she is
alive and well in the spirit world on the other side.
Séances
Seances are a natural for communicating
with the dead.
There are several types of seances, but the
one I'll cover here are called "Leader Assisted
Seances. This type of seance ties in with the
general principles of this course.
With a Leader Assisted Seance, the leader
(you) becomes a medium through which
spirits communicate (channel) to the other
participants.
Props
To create the proper atmosphere, you will
need a table, chairs, candles, and (optional)
incense.
Steps
1. Have the participants decide on the
questions to be asked. You might want to
have them write the questions down. That
way, there won't be a free-for-all when the
deaceased start channeling through you.
2. Dim the lights and light the candles. (This is up to your style, but in some
seances each of the participants holds a candle.)

61
3. Everyone sit around the table and join hands (unless you opt with everyone
holding candles).
4. After a few minutes where everybody is getting into a meditative and
anticipatory state of mind, state, "Oh, [NAME], we ask you to communicate with
us and through us." Have one of the participants ask the first question.
6. This is where your acting abilities come in. You are now mildy possessed.
Answer the questions with a slightly changed tone of voice. You can take the role
of the deceased—or the role of someone on the "other side" who knows the
deceased. Use your cold reading skills to answer.
7. The Oracle Method from Chapter Two works well in seances. Use it often.
8. Closing the seance. When the questions have been answered, wrap up the
seance by thanking the spirit for his or her co-operation.
Exercises
Think of someone who has passed away in your family. This will often be one or
more of your grandparents, sometimes an elder aunt or uncle. Describe their
personalities. What sort of advice would they give you? What did they used to
wear? What were some of their annoying habits? What stories did they used to
tell? What twists in language or dated slang did they use to say?

62
14. Getting Practice
Go Through a Deck of Cards

You'll need to learn the Webster-Sambrook Method from Chapter Four. If you
haven't yet, I'd go back an master it, with the Peg System, it's very easy and you
will be able to give complete readings from five minutes to over an hour if you
have to.
When you want to practice by yourself, take a normal deck of cards, shuffle it,
and start taking drawing one card at a time. What does that card tell you?
For example, suppose the first card you draw is the Two of Diamonds, I realize
the number 2 means partnership, dependence, diplomacy; and diamonds mean
money and finance.
So if I wanted to practice past readings, I might say something like, "When you
were younger, you formed a partnership with someone you know to make some
money." Or, "When you were in your teens or early twenties, you thought about
forming a partnership with a friend to start a business."
(And that was actually true for me: in my early teens a friend and I would go around the
neighborhood after a snowstorm with snow shovels offering to remove the snow from the
neighbors' walks and driveways. Made a killing!)
If I wanted to practice future readings, I would adjust the tenses: "Within two
years, you and a friend or co-worker are going to go into business for
yourselves."

63
Okay, say the next card you draw is the Four of Clubs. Four means hard work,
goals, routines; and clubs mean opportunities. I'd practice by saying something
like, "You had to work hard to get the opportunities you have now." For a future
reading, I might say, "You are going to have new opportunities coming up to
reach your goals."
Of course, you'll probably come up with something different in your practice runs.
I'll let you in on a little secret: these days when giving a reading, I almost always
rely on this method. Whether I am looking at someone's palms, a Tarot spread,
holding someone's pen (Psychometry), I think of a Poker hand and start giving a
reading from that.
Whatever comes to mind. But something varied. Not a Straight Flush (all suits the
same). Say a Straight (a sequence of cards but with different suits). In my mind's
eye I see a Five of Clubs, a Four of Diamonds, a Three of Spades, a Two of
Hearts, and an Ace of Hearts. My quick reading might go like this:
"When you were younger you had an opportunity to travel (5♣) and I see it affected
you strongly... You've had to work hard for your money (4♦), but I see things will get
easier for you in the future... I am getting the impression that you tried some sort of
creative endeavor, but it didn't turn out very well (3♠)... I also know that soon you are
going to meet your soul mate (both 2♥ and A♥)..."
Give this method of practice a try. You'll love it.
Privately in Public
Here's a way you can practice everyday. When you go out about your day to day
business—taking public transportation, sitting in your car at a stop light, eating in
a restaurant, hanging out in a park, etc.— take a look at the people around you,
choose someone, and in your mind, give a reading for that person based on what
you see.
What are they wearing? What does that tell you about their jobs or their lives?
How do they hold themselves? What does that tell you about their personalities?
Take a look at their shoes. What does that tell you about their money situation?
By practicing like this several times a day, you'll be able to size someone up
quickly, and unconsciously and use that info in your readings.
Role Play
A classic way to master a skill is to role play. You can do this in several ways:

64
 With a friend or family member. No need to tell them you are becoming
a psychic or psychic entertainer. Just tell them you've become interested in
Numerology, Palmistry, Astrology, or whatever. Take out your props (if
necessary) and give a reading.
 With a fellow psychic entertainer. Of course there are a lot of others

studying how to do cold reading. You can find them online in the various
blogs and forums devoted to magic. If you leave close to one another, you
can meet up in a cafe or bar. You can do readings over Skype even. You
can try to throw each other to see how you can handle misses in real time.
And you can learn all sorts of various techniques.
 On paper. This is a simple one with the advantage of not having to have
anyone around to help you. Take out a piece of paper and start writing an
imaginery dialogue between you and a client. You can even choose the type
of clients with whom you want to have a dialogue. Like this,
ME: Let me take a look at your left hand... Your Heart Line and Life Line are
separated at the beginning here. This means you were rebellious when you
were young.
TEEN: Yeah, that's true. What does this line mean?
ME: Oh, that's your Heart Line. It tells me about your emotions. It also tells me
that you are afraid you will be just like your parents when you get older.
TEEN: That's sick.
 In your head. And of course you can do this anytime, anywhere. Just
imagine you are having a conversation with a client in your head. You can
run through five minute readings or longer. Bear in mind that the mind
tends to drift so I'd stick with just a few minutes of practice at a time of
doing this. You might want to focus on areas that you would like more
practice (handling misses, talking about the client's past, etc. )

65
15. Your Identity as a Psychic Entertainer

Shortcuts to Unconscious Competence in Cold Reading
Recoding Your Mind: Making Your Actions Automatic as if You Have Been
Cold Reading for Years
Even if this were the only book on cold reading you've ever read, you would have
all the information you need to give remarkable cold readings. But in all
probability, and if you have sufficient interest in psychic entertaining, this book
isn't your first taste of cold reading.
You might have lots of experience either directly (going to a psychic reader at a
fair, for instance) or indirectly (reading books on psychics, seeing psychics on
television, listening to a call-in radio program, etc.) with psychic readings.
And you have probably read other books and articles on cold reading, mentalism,
and hypnosis.
So you have much first-hand and second-hand experiences with cold reading.
However, a major problem many people who want to master this skill is that they
don't know how to access and act on the information in real time, while they are
giving a reading.
This is where the following techniques will help. They allow you to access, in real
time, your subconscious resources. So you can behave in a manner you choose
-without having to conscious think about it!

66
1. Acting As If...
Are there any mentalists, performers, magicians, psychic readers you would like
to emulate? How about a composite of traits from several different people?
You can automatically integrate these traits into your performances by using the
As If method. Here's how:
1. How would you like to behave when giving a reading? Fully describe what you would
like to experience. Write down how you would look, how you would speak, how you
would feel.
2. If someone were watching you give a reading, what would they see? What would
they hear you say? How would THEY experience you?
3.Imagine yourself behaving that way. Actually step into that experience in your mind.
What would you say, think, see, and feel?
4. Give yourself permission to step into this role. What are all the benefits of behaving
this way? Act as if you have already achieved these new behaviors.
You will find that after you have done this a few times, you'll have an easier time
giving readings in the style or styles you want.
2. Automatic Responses
For many writers, looking at that blank piece of paper or that blank computer
screen draws a blank for them. They can't think of anything to say. And so it
sometimes is with psychic entertainers. They are looking at someone's palm or
looking at a Tarot spread...and they're looking...and they're looking. They can't
think of anything to say.
Well, not anymore. Here's a technique from NLP that eliminates that problem
AND adds many more subconscious resources. It's called "The Swish" pattern and
it works wonders on negative responses in yourself.
With the Swish Pattern you are actually installing a new program in yourself to
behave in a new and better way. It allows you to actually take a negative
response you have and AUTOMATICALLY direct it to a desirable response. Here
are the steps in this powerful process:
1. In your mind create a cue image. This image is the one that triggers your negative
state (such as being stuck or not knowing what to say during a reading). So it could be
looking at someone's palm, looking at Rune stones, whatever and wherever your

67
sticking point is. You want this image to be exactly as if it were happening to you now.
2. Create the perfect self-image, your future self. This is an image of you that doesn't
have that problem anymore. What would you look like? This image is an image of you.
It's as if you were looking at a life size picture of yourself...like you were looking into a
full body mirror. But it's a picture of how you would look with all these new resources.
This is your future self.
3. Link the two images. First experience the cue picture in your mind, it's big and in
front of you as if you were experiencing it right now. Somewhere in that cue picture, in
one of the corners put the future self, shrink it down though. Make your future self
image small and dark.
4. Swish it... Quickly now... have your future self image grow bigger, brighter, and
stronger until it covers your cue picture entirely. You must do this quickly. In less than a
second.
5. Open your eyes. Close them again and repeat steps 3 and 4 six more times.
6. Break state. Get up. Walk around the room for a couple of seconds.
7. Test it. In your imagination, think about the cue image. You'll notice that your
feelings about it have changed for the better. How will these new resources help your
future readings?
The Swish pattern is great for all areas of your life, not just enhancing your cold
readings. You can use it to stop bad habits, stop getting angry at the drop of a
hat. Anywhere you need additional resources in your life.
3. Feeling Confident/Unstoppable Confidence

In a previous chapter I told you about anchoring emtional states in people you
are giving a reading to. Anchoring is also a way for you to automatically feel
states whenever and wherever you want. What state of mind would you like to
feel while giving a reading? Confidence? Calm? Intense? Concentration? Make a
list of how the states like to feel.
You can experience any and all of these at any time - on order! All you have to do
is, in your imagination, go back to a time when you actually felt one of those
states, actually relive and re-experience it as if you were really back there.
Then you create a trigger. This could be squeezing your left wrist. It could be
pressing your right thumb. Doesn't matter. Just choose a trigger that is right for
you.
When you are experiencing the height of that emotional state, you press or
squeeze your trigger.

68
Wait a few minutes and then "fire" your trigger. If you've got it right, you'll re-
experience that feeling. (Practice a few more times if you don't.)
Now in your mind, imagine you are giving a reading. When you get to the point
where you want that resourceful state, fire the trigger.
What you are doing is associating a future happening to trigger your resourceful
state.
As an example, say I wanted more confidence when giving palm readings. I'd
close my eyes and go back in time when I felt incredibly confident. . . I'm a kid.
I'm playing an incredible football game with my friends. I'm on top of the world.
At the exact moment I feel those incredible feelings of confidence, I squeeze my
left thumb.
Now, I "break state." I get up walk around the room for a minute or so. Then I
squeeze my left thumb in the exact way I did while creating the anchor. I
experience those confident feelings again.
Next, I close my eyes again and picture myself giving a reading. I grab my
client's hand and look in her palm. I fire the anchor while I am imagining looking
at the palm. I hold it for a few seconds to make sure I'm really connecting the
experiences.
Finally, I test it. I break state again. Now I imagine looking at a client's palm. I
start feeling confident. It worked! It's ready to serve me in the future.
4. Putting Yourself on Autopilot

Here's how you can integrate many different desirable facets of psychic reading
and performing into your readings. What you will be doing is accessing
subconscious resources to manifest themselves—automatically—when you are
giving a reading.
There are two ways to do this. You can choose just one, or try both ways,
whichever you're comfortable with:
1. Stepping into a resourceful you
2. Stepping into a hero
Stepping Into a Resourceful You

1. The first step is to create an image of yourself containing all the positive attributes

69
you desire when giving a reading. These can be anything you can think of: confidence,
magnetism, hypnotic, etc. Make a list of desirable elements.
2. Now stand up. Visualize in front of you an image of yourself containing all the
positive attributes you desire. It's almost as if you were looking at a ghost image of
yourself. Notice how different you look. (If you feel your visualization ability isn't that
good, that's ok. Just act "as if" you could see yourself.)
3. Step into the image of your future self. Notice any changes in your attitude or
emotions, if any. . . sometimes these changes happen at a subconscious level.
4. (OPTIONAL) While in your future self, take a look at your present self and tell it what
additional things, if any, it needs to do to reach the desirable future self.
5. Step back into your present self. Notice any changes and also be aware of the fact
that many of the changes will happen at a subconscious level and that when you give a
reading, to your surprise and delight, you will automatically behave and think in that
desirable manner.
Stepping Into a Hero

1. Who would you like to emulate? What qualities does this person or do these people
have that you want?
2. Say you like the way a certain mentalist handles his subjects. Imagine watching him
on television. You are control of this television with a remote control, so you can pause,
reverse, fast forward, etc.
3. You are imagining this mentalist performing in a way that you admire. Just watch a
snippet of his act. This snippet (which can be a few seconds or minutes long) contains
the way you want to respond to a similar situation.
4. After you are through watching this mentalist perform, rewind the movie back to the
beginning of the snippet. Press PLAY and this time you "jump" into that person.
Experiencing everything he is experiencing, both internally and on the outside.
5. Play the role of this person until you come to the end of the snippet.
6. Jump out of the person (in your imagination of course) and back into yourself.
7. What learnings did you get from this? Many people who Step Into a Hero, realize
certain things that they wouldn't be able to experience any other way. How will what
you did here affect your readings in the future?
All of the above techniques utilize the way the brain learns and processes
information.

70
16. Divination Systems Quickly
There's no way around it, in order for yourself to pass as a true psychic reader,
you are going to have to show that you know at least one divination system.
Luckily, this isn't as difficult as it might first appear.
The most important thing for our purposes is that you know the various
definitions associated with the objects in that divination system. Since you are
cold reading, you don't really need to know what they are supposed to mean. You
are only learning the various symbols to show that you are knowledgeable about
the system and that you've been a student of it for years.
If you can tell your clients what things mean AND do it with confidence, half the
battle is won.
Psychometry
Here's how you can get started right away with cold reading, this method doesn't
need practice (although it helps). The term for this type of reading is called
Psychometry.
1. Get your subject to give you one of her personal items, like a ring, keys, pen,
etc.

71
2. Hold it in your outstretched hand and close your eyes
3. Let the first image that pops into your head be your start. Perhaps it's a white
door.
4. Tell your subject that you're getting a white door. Ask her what meaning it has.
Give her a couple of seconds to scan her memory for any meaning.
One of two things will happen: she'll say yes or she'll say no.
If she says yes, add on to what she says. For example, if she says that is the
color of the front door of her parent's house start talking about her parents in
generalities, use generalities that would apply to any person her age.
For a younger lady you could say, “You've had some ups and downs with your
relationship with your parents.”
For an older lady you could tell her that she is concerned about her parent's
health.
Take the generalities of someone you know in your own life (in the above
examples of a younger lady and an older lady, use your sister or your mother)
and apply them to your reading. If the person is like no one else in your life, take
the generalities in your life and use them.
These generalities work because we tend to take a positive generalization and

make it true for us – just like it's done in the daily horoscope.
What if they say no?

If the subject says no, a white door doesn't mean anything to them. Say that it
is a symbol for something that is important in their life. “I see the door and it's
closed. This means that for the time being what you are looking for life is not
available to you. You'll have to open the door yourself – find the key first.”
What if I don't get any images?

That's highly unlikely. The mind doesn't like a vacuum. Trust your intuition – it
works. But if it really is the case, you can just make up an image. Use something
that has lots of ambiguous meanings. Things like a piece of paper, a book, a tree,
a tall man can all have plenty of meanings attached to them, making you look like
a star when you start interpreting them.

72
“I'm seeing a piece of paper, in your possession. I can't make out what it says on
it...”
As I've said, people will fill in the blanks themselves but it makes you look like a
psychic genius.
If you do run out of things to say (but you won't by the time you finish this
guide), just tell them the object you are holding has gone cold and that you need
a different object or even a different person to do a reading on.
Try it yourself now....
“I see....
1. A big house.”
2. A knife.”
3. A dog.”
4. A phone book.”
5. A beach.”

73
Palmistry
This is the classic. Master the basics of Palmistry (and by that I mean knowing
what the lines "mean."), and you'll be the life of any party, any club. You will also
be able to make money pretty much anywhere, since various forms of palm
reading exist in every country.
I've used palmistry to get rounds of beer in pubs and restaurants around the
world. Most professional psychic readers and entertainers know palm reading. So
no matter what divination system you are really interested in, learn the basics of
this useful system.
General Principles
The one thing you must keep in mind, is that the shorter or weaker the lines, the
shorter or weaker the characteristics of that line. It's the same with the fingers,
the shorter or thinner they are, the weaker the characteristics of those fingers.
The Fingers
• The Index Finger = Jupiter = Leadership ability
• The Middle Finger = Saturn = Conformity
• The Ring Finger = The Sun = Healing (and also Creativity)
• The Little Finger = Mercury = Communication ability
• Thumb = Earth = Willpower
Just tell people what they want to hear: that they have a natural leadership
ability, that they don't like to conform, that they are considered therapeutic, they
are excellent communicators and they have a strong will, but sometimes it slips
on them, like when dieting.
When looking at someone's hands also make note of rings, callouses, length of
fingernails (are the really long? chewed?), scars, etc.
The chart on the next page will help you memorize the meanings of the lines by
using a mnemonic system.

74
LIFE LINE
L. = Longevity
I. = Identity (Who they are)
F. = Fitness
E. = Energy
S. = Self Control
HEAD LINE
H. = Honesty
E. = Expression (How someone expresses
themselves)
A. = Attention Span
D. = Dependence
S. = Smarts
HEART LINE
H. = Happiness factor
E. = Emotional Balance
A. = Attachments (to things and people)
R. = Romance/Relationships
T. = Taboo (forbidden things they do or think
about)
S. = Sex

75
Chinese Numerology
I love this one. It's quick and easy. It can be done anywhere, even on the back of
a napkin in a restaurant or bar. It's also great to build on to longer readings.
If you learned the Webster-Sambrook System from an earlier chapter of this
book, you'll find doing Chinese Numerology a breeze.
All you have to do is draw a 9x9 box. (Just draw a Tic-Tac-Toe or Naught's &
Crosses grid then draw a box around that.
Numbers are placed in the grid in this order (not all the numbers will be used, as
we'll see:
3 6 9
2 5 8
1 4 7
Then place the numbers from the person's birthday, month and full year in each
of the corresponding squares.
For example, if someone was born April 5, 1967, you would fill out the grid like
this:

76
6 9
1 4 7
If the same digit appears more than once, you add it to the same square. If the
birthdate has a zero, you don't add it. So if someone was born September 20,
1966, their Chinese Numerology Square would look like this:
66 99
To read the chart, all you have to do is tell your client what the numbers mean. If
they have more than one of the same digits in one square, it gets greater
emphasis. So a reading from the above Chinese Numerology Square with the
person's birthday in September would go something like this:
"You are an independent person (1) who makes friends easily (2). Family is incredibly
important to you (6,6) and they are the center of your life. You are considered a
humanitarian and are always helping others (9,9)..."
That's a bare-bones reading. And it could be good enough for a very short
reading (say you're trying to pick up a waitress or waiter or you're working a
group). You can embellish and elaborate on it as discussed earlier.
If you want to lengthen it a bit more, you can tell them what's missing in their
lives by telling them what about the empty squares:
"You tend to have a lack of variety in your life (-5) and you are having some money
problems (-8) and that's because you are not working as hard as you can to get what
you want (-4)..."
But that's not all you can do with Chinese Numerology Squares. There are
something called "Arrows" you can use to extend the reading even further.

77
The Arrows are the rows, columns, and diagonals. And you use them if they are
entirely full or if they are empty.
Let's start with the rows:
The first row (numbers 3, 6, 9) is called the Arrow of Intelligence. If the
person's numerolgy sqaure contains a three, a six, and a nine; they are highly
intelligent and quick thinkers. If there are no numbers in those squares it
becomes the opposite of the Arrow of Intelligence and is called the Arrow of
Forgetfulness. This person is kind of dippy and not very bright. Fortunately, you
won't be meeting too many people with this arrow because practically everyone
you give a reading to will have a nine in their numerology square (born in 19--).
The second row (numbers 2, 5, 8) is called the Arrow of Emotion. If your
subject has a number in each of those squares, he or she is stable emotionally. If
he or she has no numbers in any of those squares in the second row, it becomes
the Arrow of Hypersensitivity. This means they can be easily hurt, are moody,
and can't take criticism.
The third row (numbers 1, 4, 7) is called the Arrow of the Pragmatic. They are
down to earth and good with their hands. If those spaces are empty, the arrow
becomes the Arrow of Frustrations and shows that the subject has difficulty
getting what he or she wants.
Here's an easy way to remember these arrows: You'll notice the arrows in the
rows correspond to the human body top row is the head (intelligence), the middle
row is the heart (emotion), and the bottom row the feet (pragmatism and
practicality - getting things done).
Let's do the columns now:
The first column, starting on the left (numbers 1, 2, 3), is called the Arrow of
Planning and it means that the subject is always planning for the future. If it's
empty (and not likely for anyone born in the twentieth century, it becomes the
Arrow of Impulse. And it means just the opposite of the Arrow of Planning.
The second column (4, 5, 6) is called the Arrow of Will Power. It tells us that
the person with these numbers has a strong will and is determined to get what
they want. Anyone who doesn't have these numbers in any of those squares has
the Arrow of Procrastination.
The third column (7, 8, 9) is called the Arrow of Action. This arrow means the
person is a person who gets things done. It's opposite is the Arrow of
Immobility.
Let's take a look at two more arrows:
The first diagonal (1, 5, 9) is called the Arrow of Determination and it means

78
what it says, the person is determined to get what he or she wants...and also
very persistent. They don't give up easily.
The second diagonal (numbers 3, 5, 7) is the Arrow of Spirituality and it means
the subject is a religious person or, if not religious, deeply philosophical about
life.
Tarot Card Reading

Keep in mind that a typical Tarot card set is divided into two sections, The Minor
Arcana and the Major Arcana.
The Minor Arcana closely resemble the cards in a standard deck of playing cards,
not only do they have numbers, they also have face cards. There are Kings and
Queens. But instead of Jacks, the Tarot has Knights. So read the knights as jacks.
The Tarot also has Page cards. If they come up during a reading the refer to
children.
• Kings = Older and/or powerful man affected/affects/will affect client's life
• Queens = Older and/or powerful woman affected/affects/will affect client's
life
• Jacks = Younger man or woman affected/affects/will affect client's life
• Page = a child/childredn affected/affects/will affect client's life
You can easily fit the number system from the Webster-Sanbrook Method into
a Tarot reading:
• Financial, money (Pentacles = Diamonds)
• Opportunities (Wands = Clubs)
• Love, emotion, relationships (Cups = Hearts)
• Change, starts, warnings (Swords = Spades)
• Dissatisfaction
When any of the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana come up in a spread,
something is really important. Use them at the face value for easy readings. If
the Magician card appears in the spread to fortell the future, tell your client that
someone is going to come into their lives who will bring them a little magic and
wonder. If any of the Major Arcana cards are upside-down, it means the opposite.
Always keep it positive, even with cards like Death and the Devil. You can say
that Death means the end of a part of their lives. You can say the Devil is their
hidden self. You'll come up with plenty of your own meanings. No need to study

79
any books on the subject since they all say pretty much different things anyway.
The spreads you use can be the traditional spreads like the Cross, the V-Shape,
or Three Rows (to represent the past, present, or future). Of course, you can
create your own spreads telling your clients that you've found your spreads to be
the most accurate.
Astrology
Most people, whether they believe in astrology and horoscopes or not, still know
what their star signs mean. A quick way to master the basics of astrology is to
think about all of the people in your life (including yourself). Now think about
their star signs. Match their personalities and especially their quirks with the star
signs. If you don't know anyone with a particular star sign, try using a celebrity's
birth sign and match his or her personality and quirks with your client.
BONUS: How to Guess a Person's Zodiac Sign by Just Looking at Them
As you can probably guess, unlike a LARGE portion of the population, I'm not a
big believer in the planets and the stars lining up and controlling someone's life.
But I am up for the possibility of a person being born or conceived at certain

times of year in certain geographical areas appearing a certain way.
I also believe in the likelihood of people, while they are young and impress-
ionable, to read what their horoscope says about their personality and then
actually taking on that personality, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Having said all that, let's take a look at how to guess someone's sign without
knowing the person at all:
The Reverse Force.

Your chances of guessing anybody's zodiac sign is one in twelve. Not very good.
Here's how we can reduce those odds:
As you know, and most people who know something about their horoscopes
know, the zodiac is divided into four elements (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth).
Three zodiac signs fall under each one of the elements:

80
Fire = Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Earth = Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Air = Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water = Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
So you can start by saying, "Your zodiac sign is either a Fire sign or a Water sign,
right?" By saying that, you've just upped your odds of success to fifty percent.
There's a good chance they will tell you the element, even if you got it wrong.
Once they do, just take a stab at which sign it is. You have a 33% chance of
getting it right.
What if you don't like those odds? Well, there is a way of increasing your chances
of success, but it's going to take some studying on your part.
Face and characteristics.

Instead of me giving you a list of what a Sagittarius looks like, try it on your own.
Get a piece of paper. Go to your favorite search engine and type in "Celebrities
who are [star sign]." Start at the beginning with Aries: "Celebrities who are
Aries" and work your way through the horoscope.
Find websites that have the celebrities photos grouped together so you can make
comparisons. I would give some sites, but since everything online changes so
fast, it would be best if you found your own celebrity websites.
Right now I'm looking at a site that has celebrities faces grouped together under
Aries. And what I'm noticing collectively as that both men and women often have
closed-set eyes and pointed chins. Looking at Capricorns, I see bigger teeth.
You might find other characteristics as you do your searching. Just write down the
characteristics that stick out most for you. Let your subconscious do the rest.
If all else fails and you get a miss. Just tell them they were that star sign in their
last life and it's drifting into this life. I mean if someone believes in horoscopes,
they'll believe anything.

81
Rune Stones
The Runes are a magical alphabet from the Vikings of Northern Europe.
Runestones come in sets with each character carved into stone, wood, or
ceramic. You can buy beautiful sets off eBay for less than $40.
You'll definitely stand out from the crowd of other readers by doing Rune Stone
readings, since most others are using Palmistry or Tarot cards (although that is
changing).
The main problem with Rune Stones is that, in order to look like you know what
you're talking about (i.e., if someone asks), you have to know what each stone
stands for. As you can see from the following graphic, that's quite a lot of
memorizing.
Your best bet if you want to give Rune Stone readings is to make up flashcards
using index cards. Draw the symbol on one side and its name and meaning on the
other. Keep testing yourself until you get them.

82
Devising your own system

One way to get more customers at psychic fairs AND not be told you're wrong if
you use the well-trodden path of the more common divination systems is to
devise your own system.
Coming up with your own system is relatively easy...and once you do, and work
with it, you'll be able to give accurate readings effortlessly, PLUS...you will be
able to stand out from the crowd.
Most divination systems rely on several dimensions consistently. Here are some
of the most important ones:
 The Name. (What the system is called)

 Time. (past, present, and/or future)
 Strength. (weak to bold, thin to thick, heavy to light)
 Size. (small to big)
 Icons. (that contain "meaning," things like cards, lines, gemstones, tea
leaves, shapes, etc.)
 Position. (proximity to one another, relation to one another, position from
a starting point)
 Meaning. (what all of the above actually mean - the definitions of the icons
if they are positive or negative, and how they relate to the subject's life)
 Persons Involved. (the subject and the people in his or her life, plus their
motivations)
 The Steps. (How you conduct the reading with the divination system: lay
out a spread of cards, look at the lines in someone's knee, drawing a
picture, etc.)
 The Story. (How the divination method came about)
To get started, decide on your icons. Are you going to use cards, figurines, coins,
candles, entrails. You are limited here by your imagination only.
Now come up with a plausible story of origination. What country did it come
from? What period? How did it come about?
Next, decide on the meanings of your icons. What do they mean? Are there any
meanings when they are in various relationships with each other, saying after a
throwing by the subject (like dice).
Finally, work out the steps and try it yourself a few times.

83
An example,
To show you how easy this is, I'll create a divination system right as I write this. I
call it the "Broken Grass" (NAME OF SYSTEM) method and it was used in
Scandanavia hundreds of years ago. The Norse people back then were amazed by
its accuracy (STORY).
You can use this outside, it's especially nice when you are having a picnic,
especially with a new romantic partner.
Here's how you do it (STEPS):
1. Have the person grab a handful of grass and yank it out.
2. Tell the person to separate the grass into three piles. (POSITION)
3. The three piles represent the past, present, and future (TIME DIMENSION). For
example, the pile on the left represents the past, the pile in the middle represents the
present circumstances, and the pile of grass blades on the right equals the future.
4. Say, "The pile with the most blades of grass is where you are spending most of your
time." So, if the pile that represents the past (Past Pile) is the biggest, you can say,
"You tend to live in the past." If the Present Pile is the biggest, you might suggest, "You
very often live in the here-and-now. You aren't very influenced by the past and you
don't really plan well for the future." Finally, if the Future Pile is the biggest you can tell
the person that they are living in the future, in a sort of fantasy land. (MEANING)
5. Now have the person take a number of blades of grass and place them above the
piles. For example, she would take three blades of grass and put them above the past
pile, four blades of grass above the present pile, and two blades of grass above the
future pile. You could then give a reading using the Webster-Sanbrook method, like
this,
"You were more creative (represented by the number 3) in the past than you are
now, you tend to work very hard these days and are having more
responsibilities, more than you would like (4). And I see you becoming partners
with your ideal person (2) quite soon, possibly this year." (MEANING)
Your divination system doesn't have to have all of the dimensions, but you will be
able to create a fuller system if you can include as many as possible.

84
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've come to the end of this course.
Hopefully by now you have begun to give powerful readings to the people you
know.
If you haven't yet, start with the practice chapter to give you an idea of where to
start and to hone your natural ability.
If you have a sticking point, want to give me a testimonial so I can include it on

the website (with a link to your website if you'd like), or have some ideas for
future editions of this course, drop me a line at nolanbrade@gmail.com.
I look forward to hearing from you and I know you are the type of person who
will do well with this material!

85

CR Mastery Course

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

CR Mastery Course

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cold Reading Mastery Course

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade. All rights reserved.

You do NOT have resell rights to this book.

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Cold Reading Quick and Easy

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

NLP Language Patterns..................................................................................................................................49

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

The most crucial component in giving a

And you can't get this self-assurance if

Here's what you'll find in this guide:

In Chapter One, I'll show you the

Chapter Two describes in detail the

In Chapter Three, we'll discuss the

After you have read Chapter Four,

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

In Chapter Fifteen we talk about your identity as a cold reader/psychic

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

1. An Easier Way to Cold Read

Learning a Divination System

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Talk About the Reader's Life in the Second Person

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

professional psychic faker and enjoying it.

READER: I'm sensing a problem with your relationships...

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

SITTER: Uhm, I can't think of anything wrong with any of my relationships

SITTER: Now, that's for sure.

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

2. The Oracle Method

“Don't worry about the vase.” -- Oracle (from The Matrix)

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

or idea is used in place of another because of a likeness between them.

“The wooden wall will protect you and your children.”

“Today is favorable to cross great rivers.” Huan – I Ching

Richard Webster in his Commercial Cold Reading tells of an article he read in

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

1. Use images like these:

...if a hit, move on or elaborate

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

"I'm seeing the ocean."

4. Place the client somewhere generic. “You are/were on/in/surrounded by...”

Why The Oracle Method Works

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

Now Your Turn (Role-Play)

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

3. The Main Areas

 Relationships (this can mean with their families, partners, or at work)

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

3 Can't Lose Topics

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

4. The Webster--Sambrook System

To make it easier, we will refer to the Aces as "ones"

1 = Startings, New, Leadership, Independent

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

5 = Variety, Travel, Change

Diamonds = Financial, money

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

learning. So imagine a classroom just inside the Pearly Gates.

Copyright © 2009 Nolan Brade

You are more __ than .