Psychic Secrets

Dr. Crow’s
Psychic Secrets
All contents copyright ©2002 by Robert E Cassidy
All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for use by the original purchaser only.
It may not be copied or resold in any form. The original purchaser, however, is
authorized to print a copy for his or her personal use.
Appearance is the greatest illusion.
Hermes Trismegistus
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................... 2
The Zener Effect ............................................................................................................... 5
The Black Book of Light & Dr. Crow’s Post Box Prediction......................................... 9
The Medium’s “Office Switch”..................................................................................... 19
The Juice.......................................................................................................................... 23
Dr. Crow’s Billet Routine .............................................................................................. 25
Special Notice ................................................................................................................. 32
Introduction
From The Billet Book Files:
The Zener Effect
This effect was inspired by a creation of Dr. Spencer Thornton called “Direction of Thought,”
which appeared in his excellent booklet Secrets of Mental Magic, published by Ed Mellon in
1958. Thornton’s effect was done with business cards. Dr. Crow’s version uses a standard pack
of ESP cards and a completely different handling. It’s a very convincing routine, as you will
discover when you try it for yourself.
EFFECT:
The mentalist exhibits a
pack of ESP cards and
explains their origin and
use. He removes five
cards from the pack – a
circle, a cross, wavy
lines, a square, and a star
– and gives them to the
person who has agreed to
participate in the test.
She is requested to mix
the symbols thoroughly
and to deal them face
down onto the table. The
mentalist then gives the
participant a small sheet
of round stickers and
asks her to affix one to
the back of each card in the center. (See photo on left.)
The mentalist spreads through the remaining cards explaining that there are five of each
design. He shows the spectator a card bearing a star and asks that she point to the card on the
table that she believes to be the star. The mentalist draws a star on the label affixed to the card
she indicates. He now shows the volunteer a card bearing the wavy lines and asks that she point
to the tabled card which she believes to be the wavy lines. He draws the wavy lines on the label
attached to her selection. The same procedure is followed until only one card remains unmarked.
. “It must be the square,” he
remarks. He allows the spectator,
herself, to draw the square on the
remaining card.
The participant is directed to turn the
cards over. All five design cards have
been correctly identified.
THE SETUP:
The stickers used in this effect are Avery Removable labels as shown in the first
photograph on this page. There are twenty-eight labels per sheet. They may be stored neatly in
your wallet or pocket secretary.
The cards are standard Rhine cards obtainable from Haines House of Cards or from
Royal Magic. (The Royal cards, shown in the photos, are cleverly marked, which makes them
useable for other interesting routines. No markings, however, are necessary for this effect.
Unfortunately, the Royal cards do not come in a case. The case you see in the photograph was
constructed from index card stock and printed and cut from a template I made on my computer.)
An ESP, or Zener, pack consists of twenty-five cards, five of each design. To prepare for
the effect, remove the five ‘square’ cards from the pack and place them aside for a moment. Now
remove a star, a wavy lines, a cross and a circle from the pack. Affix a sticker to the back of each
one and draw its corresponding symbol on the sticker as in the following photos. Use the same
writing instrument that you will use during the performance.
Backs of the previously prepared cards.
Note that the stickers are centered as closely as
possible.
Faces of the previously prepared cards.
You now have three sets of cards in front of you – a packet of five squares, the four
prepared cards, and the sixteen cards that comprise the remainder of the pack. Assemble them as
follows:
From the top of the pack down – The sixteen indifferent cards are followed by the five
‘square’ cards and then come the four prepared cards in the following order: circle, cross, wavy
lines, and star. The star should be at the face of the deck. If all is not clear, refer to the following
picture:
Sixteen ‘indifferent’ cards - Five ‘square’ cards -
The four prepared
cards
(stickers on backs with
designs pre-drawn)
Put the cards into the case and you are ready to begin.
HANDLING AND PRESENTATION:
Remove the cards from the case and hold them face up in your left hand. [I am presuming
you are right handed. If not, just reverse these instructions as necessary.] Spread through the
cards as you explain their origins and how they were used in the early days of parapsychological
research. Get a little finger break under the last square card – the ninth card from the face of the
pack. (If you want to make the effect almost entirely self-working, you can make the tenth card
from the face – one of the indifferent cards – a short card, thus enabling you to riffle to the short
to obtain the break.)
Square the pack, maintaining the little finger break. Spread the first four cards from the
face of the pack as you explain, “There are five of each design in the pack. The designs are the
star, the wavy lines, the cross, the circle and the square.” (You don’t spread past the first ‘square’
card. It remains ‘squared’ on the face of the pack.
Square the cards and cut to the break, bringing the bottom nine cards to the top of the
pack. Turn the pack face down and deal five cards face down onto the table. Just before you deal
the fifth card, tilt the top of the pack towards yourself. This way you will not expose the sticker
on the back of the sixth. (Be careful, though, not to flash the face of the fifth card as you deal it
to the table.) Place the remainder of the pack face up to your left. You have apparently dealt five
different designs onto the table. DO NOT attempt to make a ‘move’ out of this. It is all done very
casually.
Pick up the five cards you just dealt and mix them around in your hands. Be careful not to
expose their faces. Hand them face down to your participant as you say, “Here, I want you to
mix these up so that you do not know which is which. Be sure to keep them face down – I don’t
want you to peek! When you are finished, please deal the cards face down in a row in front of
you.” (There is no need to be nervous about handing five duplicate cards to the spectator for
mixing. You may, of course, mix and deal yourself if it makes you feel more secure.)
Remove the sheet of labels from your wallet or pocket secretary and place them, along
with the writing implement, in front of the spectator. Peel one label from the sheet and affix it to
the center of one of the face down cards.
“I would like you to put a sticker on the center of each of the cards, just like this. Try to
center the labels the best you can so that the cards all look pretty much the same.” [Your real
reason for this last line, of course, is to insure that the stickers are placed the same way as on
your previously prepared set.]
As the spectator is finishing up attaching the stickers, pick up the remaining cards and
hold them face up in your left hand. Spread through them until you find a star and say, “Look at
this star. One of the cards lying face down in front of you is also a star. Focus your attention on
the cards and direct your thoughts to the one you think is the star. When you have decided which
one you think is the star just point to it.”
The spectator points to one of the cards. Pick it up, being careful not to flash its face, and
place it face down onto the face up pack in your left hand. Pick up the writing instrument and
draw a star on the sticker. (Try to draw it the same way as you did on the prepared set!)
Spread through the cards again (the spectator’s first selection remains face down on the
face of the pack) until you come to a wavy lines card. Show it to the spectator and say, “Now see
if you can find the wavy lines. Just point to the one you feel is the wavy lines.”
Repeat the same procedure as before. Pick up the card she indicates and put it face down
onto her previous selection. (On the face of the pack in your left hand.) Draw the wavy lines.
Repeat this procedure for the cross and the circle, in that order. You will now have a face
down card with a circle drawn on its sticker on top of the pack in your left hand. One face down
card remains on the table. “Obviously,” you point out, if you have been correct so far, the last
card should be a square. Why don’t you draw a square on the sticker yourself?”
Hand her the pen with your right hand and AT THE SAME TIME point to the sticker on
the remaining card with your left forefinger, naturally turning the pack over in the process. You
have just invisibly switched the four duplicate cards for the four prepared cards on the other side
of the pack! The misdirection is perfect and the move is undetectable. When she is finished
drawing the square, slowly deal the top five cards face down onto the table.
Your work is done. All that remains is the build up and the revelation that the participant
has correctly named all five designs.
You may have noticed one minor inconsistency in the handling. If everything were above
board, a face up card would be showing on the top of the pack in your left hand after you deal the
fourth card to the table. The spectator does not notice this because her attention is drawn to the
cards that have been dealt. In any event, though, it is a good idea to give the cards a slight tilt
towards yourself as you deal the fourth card, thus removing the top and bottom of the remaining
cards from the spectator’s line of vision. Casually replace the cards in their case as the spectator
turns over the tabled cards.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Black Book of Light & Dr. Crow’s Post Box Prediction
In days gone by, the most common methods of reading the contents of sealed envelopes, other
than the “one ahead” method, involved the use of impression devices and the principle of
transparency. The latter involved either rendering the face of the envelople transparent with
carbon tetrachloride or other similar chemical, or “x- raying” the envelope with a strong light.
The light, of course had to be well concealed for this method to be effective. (Ironically, though,
one of the cleverest approaches utilized bright foot lights. Any regular envelope held at waist
level by a mindreader standing on a theatrical stage, could be “x-rayed” by bright light emitted
by white “foots”. From the audience’s side of the lights the envelope would appear completely
opaque. If you think about it, though, this method actually is well concealed and effective. The
same principle, in fact, is used in many modern day illusions.)
Years ago, the Tenyo Company of Japan release a very clever plastic business card case
which acted as an “x-ray”device. And John Cornelius has made excellent use of the principle in
his commercially available “Thought Transmitter” effect. The use of the light principle to read
through sealed envelopes, though, is rarely used nowadays, for lack of a foolproof method
suitable for today’s performing conditions. All too often, otherwise clever devices “leaked” light
at the critical moment, or created an uncanny glow around the performer’s face.
Despite these problems, though, I’d always remained fascinated with the principle and
sought to find an innocent and foolproof application that involved no props other that what I
might normally have on my person. My quest for the perfect “x-ray” device ended when Dr.
Crow showed me his famous “Black Book.” Or, should I say, his famous “Black Books,” for he
actually has two of them. One is perfectly normal in every respect and the other is the best “xray” device I have ever seen.
I have the good Doctor’s permission to share his secret with you and to describe the
details of his “Black Book’s” construction. It is easily constructed with readily available
materials.
Following is a series of photographs showing Dr. Crow’s Black Book and its workings.
The Black Books of Dr. Crow
Dr. Crow’s Black Books are made from “Moleskine” journals manufactured by Modo et
Modo, an Italian company which maintains a website at www.modoemodo.com. Their journals
are available at Barnes and Noble Bookstores and at finer stationers. They measure 3 ½ inches
by 5 ½ inches and are approximately ½ inch thick. They are held shut by a permanently mounted
cloth elastic and have a cloth ribbon book mark attached to the top of the spine.
The precise make and model of the journal, however, is secondary. If you can’t find or
otherwise obtain the “Moleskine” type, there are any number of other journals that you will find
just as suitable.
One of the journals, as I’ve noted, is unprepared. Dr. Crow has filled in its pages with
astrological notes and other quasi-metaphysical data. My own journal is filled in with the entries
necessary to perform the remote viewing routine I described in Theories and Methods for the
Practical Psychic, Part One. You can fill your journals with whatever information suits you, but
be sure to keep a few #3 Kraft Manila coin envelopes inside the cover, each of which should
contain a blank business card. The best business cards to use are the cheapest blank cards you
can find that are designed for printing on an inkjet computer printer. You don’t want them too
thick. If you can’t locate sufficiently thin cards, you can make do by cutting blank index card
stock to business card size.
The envelopes are another matter. They MUST be opaque, that is why I have specified
Kraft Manila envelopes. (If you can see through the envelope in the first place, the effect is really
rather pointless.)
The handling of the effect is largely up to you. Basically, you remove an envelope from
the book and remove the business card..Hand the spectator an ultra fine Sharpie Marker and have
him or her print a word or question on one side of the card. Tell him to turn the card face down
and slide it into the envelope and then to seal the flap. Take the envelope from him, open the
book, drop the envelope in the middle somewhere and close the journal, snapping the elastic
strap into place.
It seems that you have merely placed the envelope in a safe place where it cannot be tampered
with. In reality you have x-rayed its contents and are prepared to give a very psychic looking
reading.
The gimmicked journal is shown
opened. The first several pages in the
book are unprepared and should be filled
in with the same information as is
contained in your ungimmicked
duplicate.
If you look carefully at the right hand
page of the gimmicked book, you may
be able to make out a small black dot
just below center. The pages following
that page are hollowed out and glued
together. The page with the dot is glued
to the top of the gimmicked block. Only one thickness of paper covers the light hidden beneath
this page. The little dot indicates the position of a pressure switch. When the page is pressed at
this spot a very bright light beams up through the page. NEVER squeeze or press the opened
book at this spot UNLESS a manila coin envelope containing a blank business card is covering
the entire central area of the page. If you do, the whole audience will see your face magically
light up!
This photograph shows the “dotted”
sheet pulled away from the stack.
(Normally it is rubber cemented over the
gimmick.) The light gimmick is mounted
on a piece of aluminum foil sandwiched
between two thick pieces of cardboard.
The uppermost piece of cardboard has a window cut it it.
The device in the book on the left was actually taken from a Cornelius “Thought Transmitter.” It
is excellent for the purpose and will last for hundreds of performances. Similar bulbs, pressure
switches and suitable watch batteries are obtainable very cheaply at Radio Shack, should you
wish to construct your own light gimmick. The aluminum foil is very important as it diffuses the
light produced by the very bright, yet very small, bulb.
In this photo the gimmick is once again
hidden by the covering page which has
been reglued into place. The envelope
has just been retrieved from the spectator
and placed into the book. Squeeze the
pressure switch AS YOU CLOSE THE
BOOK and you will get a perfect view of
the spectator’s sealed thought.
Using the “Thought Transmitter”
gimmick, I was able to manufacture this
device in less than an hour using only an
Exacto knife and a jar of rubber cement.
If you are interested in making such a
device and want to make things as easy
as possible, do yourself (and John
Cornelius) a favor by ordering his
“Thought Transmitter” effect from your favorite dealer along with a couple of refill gimmicks.
That should set you up for a lifetime of performances. (Unless you live way too long, of course,
in which case you may need to get another refill light eventually.)
Dr. Crow’s Post Box Prediction
WARNING ! !
FOR REASONS THAT WILL BECOME OBVIOUS AS YOU READ THE
FOLLOWING LETTER FROM DOCTOR CROW, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THE
METHOD USED IN THIS OTHERWISE INCREDIBLE EFFECT. IF YOU DECIDE
TO PERFORM IT ANYWAY AND SHOULD FIND YOURSELF UNDER ARREST
OR INDICTMENT, NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR DOCTOR CROW WILL
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS. YOU ARE, AFTER ALL, A
GROWN ADULT AND WE MUST PRESUME THAT YOU WON’T DO
SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE WE DO IT. YOUR MOTHER TAUGHT YOU
BETTER THAN THAT.
The following letter was written in 1968 and, until today, its contents have remained secret.
The secret is now revealed to the elite few who have been able to obtain this document. It’s
value lies in its exclusivity. Please keep it secret – It is FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.
(The typing is all Doctor Crow’s. I was going to edit it for him, but that would detract from the
authenticity of the document.)
__________________________________________________________
The Medium’s “Office Switch”
Most present day mentalists first became aquainted with the subject of billet switching through
Annemann’s Practical Mental Effects or Corinda’s 13 Steps to Mentalism. Dozens of practical
switches have been described in such diverse works as The Tarbell Course in Magic, Al Baker’s
Mental Magic, T.A. Waters’ Mind, Myth, and Magic, the innumerable (literally, because no one
knows for sure how many books he wrote) works of Al Mann, C.L.Boarde’s Mainly Mental,
Volume One, my own The Art of Mentalism, Principia Mentalia, and Theories and Methods for
the Practical Psychic, Larry Becker’s World of Super Mentalism, and numerous other works.
Virtually nowhere in print, however, is an accurate description of the classic “office switch”, also
known as “the medium’s billet switch.” For many years the secret was sold by magic and mental
dealers as a one or two sheet manuscript which described only the basic concept. A rudimentary
yet somewhat confusing description appeared in J.G. Thompson’s classic My Best in 1945.
One thing, though, is clear. The “Office Switch” was not invented by a magician. It, or its
immediate ancestor was most likely devised by the Spiritualist medium Charles Foster in the mid
19th century, who is credited with having invented the so-called “Billet Test.” (It is interesting to
note that another basic device of modern mentalism, the nail writer or “Swami gimmick”, is also
attributable to the mediums. In his The Medium’s Book, 19th century French Spiritualist, Allen
Kardec, wrote:
Direct writing is still more easy to imitate than are the raps; not to speak of
sympathetic inks, mediums have sometimes been caught in the act of writing with a particle
of black lead, or slate-pencil, hidden
under one of their nails.
Similarly, as I noted in The Principia Mentalia, the popular mental effect we call “The
Book Test” was also invented by the mediums and was a specialty of the famed Mrs. Piper.)
I believe that the original “Office Switch” remains one of the most effective switches
possible. It is a one-handed switch performed in the act of picking a billet up from the table. It is
very likely one of the switches used by Bert Reese, and it is probable that it goes back to the
early days of mediumship. As it is the switch used in “Dr. Crow’s Billet Routine”, described
elsewhere in this e-book, I shall describe it in detail here. It is best if you follow the description
with papers in hand. You will find the move remarkably easy to learn.
Those of you familiar with my previous writings know that I use billets made from index
card stock almost exclusively. While it is possible to do the “office switch” with card stock
billets, I shall describe it here as it is used with paper billets cut from newsprint or soft paper
made from natural wood pulp. (The latter is available in Wal-Mart, among other places, in three
by five pads.)
The billet is prefolded in the manner described by Annemann – once the short way and
twice the long way, as illustrated below:
Note that the billet is approximately 3 inches by 2 ½
inches.
Prior to the switch, the dummy billet is clipped
lengthwise between the first and second fingers. Be
careful that it is not visible from the back of your hand.
(If you have abnormally bony fingers with large spaces
between them, this might not be the ideal switch for
you!)
The billet to be switched out is
standing, tent fashion, on the table
before you. (You needn’t be seated to
perform the switch, but if you are
working standing up the table top
should be at about waist level.)
This photo offers an exposed view of the dummy billet properly palmed between the right
fingers. In practice, the hand is held back to the audience with the fingers naturally curved
slightly inwards.
Here is the beginning of the move.
The right hand moves to the billet on
the table and grasps it approximately
at the center between the thumb and
middle finger.
Note the naturally curved positions of
the right fingers.
As the billet is lifted from the table the right ring and little fingers begin to close and the
thumb moves out of the way, bringing the billet to a finger palm position at the base of the right
fingers. (While the next two pictures show my hand still resting on the table top, the move is
actually performed as the hand is moving upwards. For the sake of clarity, the thumb is moved
out of the way in the picture on the right. In performance it is actually just below the palmed
dummy, as should be clear in the third photograph below which shows the completion of the
switch.
This photograph shows the completion of the switch. It
should be clear to you now how the right thumb pushed
the palmed billet upward into the position shown. Also,
as I noted before, my hand is shown on the table for
clarity only.
In actual performance it is now at about sternum level,
several feet above the table top.
If you try these moves before a mirror, you will see
how completely invisible it is.
The billet seems to remain in full view at all times.
It is very important to note that the switch is performed at a natural pace. Practice picking a billet
up from the table a few times without doing the switch, just the way you would do it if you were
a normal person picking up a folded piece of paper. Fast moves only attract unwanted attention.
Nor should you move too slowly, as this, too, will draw attention to the billet. Once the tabled
billet is in position between your right thumb and middle finger, look at a member of the
audience and make a casual remark as you complete the switch. DO NOT LOOK AT YOUR
HANDS AFTER YOU HAVE GRASPED THE TABLED BILLET. THIS IS NOT A MAGIC
TRICK NOR A DEMONSTRATION OF ELEGANCE IN HANDLING. YOU ARE PICKING
UP A FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER. PERIOD. I AM SHOUTING, I KNOW, BUT THIS IS
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE HANDLING.
Unlike most other switches, the stolen billet is now completely and naturally concealed in
the closed fingers of the right hand. In “Dr. Crow’s Billet Routine,” described later in this ebook, either this switch, or any of the standard one or two handed switches may be used. (I
particularly favor my own “Crossover” billet switch described in “The Godfather of All Billet
Tests” in Volume Three of my Theories and Methods for the Practical Psychic. )
While the “Office Switch” is primarily a one-handed maneuver performed while a billet
is lifted from the table, it can, if necessary, be used as a two-handed switch. The dummy is
palmed in the same manner as described above. The billet to be switched out, however is held
horizontally by its extreme left end between the left forefinger and thumb. Alternatively, the
“real” billet can be standing tent-wise on the outstretched, palm up, left hand – just as if it was
resting on a table.
Dr. Crow’s bold method of “peeking” at the contents of the stolen billet is described in
his routine.
The next item, “The Juice”, is an important component of his complete routine and I
suggest you go over it before proceeding to the billet demonstration.
_________________________________________________
The Juice
As Doctor Crow noted, the “spirit writing on the arm” effect was created by the 19th Century
medium Charles Foster, who is also credited with the creation of the “billet test”. Since the
effect is an essential component of “Dr. Crow’s Billet Routine”, I have included some fine
points that insure legible and very visible “spirit” writing.
I am sure you are familiar with the
basic idea – a spectator writes a word or a
question on a billet which is then folded and
burned. The mentalist or medium dips his
fingers into the ashes and rubs them onto his
bared forearm. The word or an answer to the
question appears in black letters.
The method is familiar to most
magicians and mentalists. It is usually
accomplished by secretly writing the
information on the forearm with either wax
or soap. Onion juice, however, yields the
most reliable and legible writing. The old
mediums used to chop and crush an onion to
obtain the juice and, if you care to go to the trouble, you can do the same. You may find it more
practical, however, just to purchase a bottle of onion juice. It can be found in the spice section of
your local grocery store.
The photograph shows the onion juice along with the other items necessary in Dr. Crow’s
method. Next to the bottle of juice is a paintbrush. This is used to paint the onion juice letters
onto your forearm. It dries in about thirty seconds and cannot be rubbed off or smeared by your
shirt or jacket sleeve. The writing will be completely invisible. (And no, you won’t smell like
onions, the smell disappears when the juice dries.)
On the lower left of the photo is an artist’s sandpaper board and a charcoal pencil. Prior
to performance the charcoal pencil is rubbed against the sandpaper and the blackened piece of
sandpaper is taped to the inside wall of the brass goblet. This is the secret to obtaining dark and
legible writing. The ash from the burned paper is usually not sufficient. In Dr. Crow’s routine,
the folded billet is set on fire and dropped into the goblet. When the performer dips his fingers
into the goblet to obtain the ash, he also rubs the sandpaper and thus gets a combination of ash
and charcoal on his fingertips. When rubbed onto his forearm the ash and charcoal adhere to the
onion juice to “develop” the writing.
Of course you could just coat the bottom of any ashtray with charcoal (or lampblack,
which works just as well) but you would then lose a major advantage provided by the goblet.
Sometimes billets unfold while they are burning and sometimes they do not burn completely.
The brass goblet is opaque and no one can see if the billet unfolds or if it does not finish burning.
It also looks good and adds to the mystique of the routine.
A small piece of crumpled flashpaper inside the goblet will not only provide dramatic
impact when the burning billet is dropped inside, but it will also convincingly “prove” that the
billet is completely burned.
______________________________________________________________
Dr. Crow’s Billet Routine
While Doctor Crow is not a performer in the normal sense of the word, there was a
time in the early part of the 20th Century when he demonstrated his “mediumistic”
abilities from the lecture platform. He worked under his real name, Robert
Delacroix, J.D., PhD., D.D., G.E.D., although the numerous degrees listed after his
name were, for the most part, bogus. (The G.E.D., he proudly points out, was
legitimately earned at a later date and the Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon
him by the worldwide First Universal Church of Knowledge, founded by the late Dr. David Hoy
who was quick to point out that the acronym was purely coincidental.)
THE ROUTINE AS SEEN BY THE AUDIENCE:
This billet routine is ideally suited for groups of about ten to twenty people, although it
may be presented for as few as six individuals. It incorporates several standard principles with
some interesting handlings and neat twists. It is very convincing. The necessary misdirection is
built in and the few switches are perfectly covered. As Doctor Crow presented the routine, it was
a demonstration of mediumship. I present it simply as a “Living and Dead” type test and use the
name of a famous historical personage – deceased, of course – rather than the name of a
participant’s deceased family member.
[This allows me to use some funny lines that would not be exactly appropriate if I were
communing with someone’s dear departed. Like- “You think it’s dead over there? You oughta
see my bedroom.” Or, “Just before my grandmother died she called my grandfather to her
bedside and told him she had to make a confession. ‘You know our seventh son Bobby?’ she
asked. ‘You mean he’s not mine?’ my grandfather replied. ‘No, he’s yours,’ said Grandma as she
quietly slipped away.” While this sort of thing may not fit your stage persona, you will find that
many themes may be incorporated in the presentation.]
Four volunteers are handed slips of paper. One participant is requested to concentrate on
the name of a famous person who is no longer among the living. The others are requested to
simply concentrate on their own first names.
Each participant is handed a pencil and is asked to print his or her thought on the paper
and to then fold it once the short way and twice the long way. (In fact, the billets have been
prefolded and opened out and are distributed to the volunteers from a small packet of opened
slips that the mentalist has removed from his right trousers pocket.) The papers are folded three
times, explains the mentalist, so that it will be impossible to see through them.
The participants are told to crease their folded slips tightly so that they won’t open up
when placed on the small table near the front of the room. On that table presently rests a brass
goblet and a burning candle. (The candle is lit during the performer’s opening remarks as he
instructs the first volunteer to think of a famous decedent.) The mentalist collects the folded slips
on a saucer or small tray. (I collect them on a small clipboard used in an earlier effect.) Making a
point about not touching the slips, the performer dumps them from the saucer onto the table. The
saucer or tray is placed to the side and plays no further role in the routine.
A woman from the audience, who has not written on a slip, is asked to come forward to
act as the mentalist’s assistant and to insure the fairness of the proceedings. The performer stands
to the right of the table {STAGE RIGHT- which is YOUR right when you are facing the
audience.) and the woman stands to its left. The mentalist instructs her as follows:
“I’m going to turn my back on you in just a moment, and when I do so I want you to mix
these folded slips around on the table. When you are done mixing them, stand them up like this,
lined up in a row.” The mentalist gingerly picks up one slip, barely touching it, and stands it tentwise upon the table. (Since no switch is made at this point he should go very slowly and cleanly,
even turning his head to the side as he demonstrates how to line up the slips.) “Tell me when
you’re finished.” The mentalist turns his back on the audience and walks several steps upstage for the benefit of any non-theatrical types, that means he moves toward the back of the stage
area, furthest from the audience - but continues to speak, addressing himself to the assistant
while she mixes and lines up the slips and finally places them tent-wise in a row on the table.
“I think you’ll agree that it would be almost impossible for any of us to know which of
the slips of the table contains the name of someone who has passed to the other side. But even if
you were able to guess which slip contained the dead name, it would be absolutely impossible
for anyone, except the person who wrote it, to know what that name is. Wouldn’t you agree?”
However she responds, the line covers any dead time while the slips are being mixed and
arranged.
When the assistant announces that she is finished, the mentalist turns around and returns
halfway to the table. “I want you to pick up any one of the slips and hold it to your forehead.
There is no physical way that anyone could know if the slip you are holding to your head
contains a living name or a dead name.”
After due concentration, and apparent reflection on metaphysical forces in the room, the
mentalist says, “I am getting nothing. Put that slip back on the table and pick up another one and
hold it to your forehead.” Once again, the performer doesn’t seem to tune in on anything. He
asks the assistant to replace the slip and hold yet another to her forehead.
This time the mentalist begins to pace and become very animated. He begins to talk of
images going through his head and slowly begins to describe detailed physical characteristics of
an, as yet unknown, individual. He begins to describe details of the person’s life and perhaps gets
an initial or two. He suddenly approaches the assistant, holds out his empty left hand and says,
“Hand that one to me.” The mentalists takes the folded billet, holds it to his own forehead for a
moment and says, for example, “Yes, it’s coming through very clearly now. It’s George, isn’t it?
The father of our country.” He opens the slip and reads it aloud. “Yes, I am right. It is George
Washington. (Hopefully, you will have encouraged your own audiences to select a celebrity dead
person who is somewhat more obscure and less obvious than George Washington!)
The mentalist shows the opened billet to the assistant for verification and then refolds the
slip. He holds it in plain view between his right fingertips.
He addresses his assistant once again. “Three slips remain on the table. Obviously, they
all contain names of the living. Let’s try something. I want you to mix those three remaining
slips around and select one of them. Don’t unfold it yet, just hold it tightly in your fist.”
After a slip has been selected, the performer lights the dead name slip in his right hand by
holding it in the candle flame.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All that remains is smoke and ashes. But from the ashes of
the dead, I will attempt to reveal the identity of the living person whose name you are holding.”
The mentalist drops the burning slip into the brass goblet where it is consumed by a sudden
explosion of flame. He rolls up his left sleeve and exhibits his bared forearm to the audience. He
looks into the goblet and says, “We need more ashes than this. Let’s add a little life to them.”
With that remark, he takes the two folded slips that remain on the table and sets them on fire.
They, too, are dropped into the goblet where they are allowed to burn into ash.
When the fire goes out the mentalist dips his right fingers into the goblet, covering them
with ashes, which he now rubs onto his left forearm A name appears written on his flesh in large
black letters. It is, say, ‘LINDA.’
Speaking to the three people who originally wrote their own first names on their slips, he
asks, “Is one of you named Linda? Which one of you is Linda?” (This is an exceptionally funny
line if there is only one woman in the group of three. To get the maximum laugh, take a mental
count of two after the last line, and then say, “Which one of you could it be?”)
The assistant on stage is asked to unfold the slip of paper she has been holding in her fist
and to read its contents aloud.
It says, of course, “LINDA.”
METHOD AND HANDLING:
As in all descriptions of this nature, the moves will be much easier to comprehend if you
follow along with the necessary materials at hand. All of the required props are mentioned in the
above description. There are no hidden gimmicks, unless you want to call a single dummy billet
a “hidden gimmick.”
First, prepare your stack of billets. They must be well creased before performance to
insure that they don’t partially open out by themselves while they are on the table. While such an
occurrence would hardly be fatal to the effect, since the billets are, after all, folded three times,
the handling is much smoother if the folds are tight. The proper paper is described in the “Office
Switch” section of this e-book. If you have not, yet, read that section, or the section entitled “The
Juice,” I suggest you do so before proceeding further.
You should have at least eight or ten billets in the opened out stack. They are paperclipped together and put in your right pants pocket. A folded dummy billet is also in that pocket.
The top two billets of the opened stack are marked. The marks are applied to the billets
before you unfold them.
Most of the standard texts recommend bending or twisting a corner of the billet. While this is
usually an effective method, I have run into lighting conditions where it has been rather difficult
to detect the bend or twist. Additionally, since you will be instructing the volunteers to fold their
billets tightly, it is quite possible that your marks will be all but removed from the billets.
That is why I recommend marking the billets with fine pencil lines. Remember, the best paper to
use is pulp, which is slightly off –white to begin with. If you look at the background of this page,
you will have a good idea of the color. Notice that the background of this page also has fine lines
all over it. My point is that a fine pencil line can be made to look like a natural flaw in the paper
if the paper is slightly patterned or flawed in the first place.
I mark the uppermost billet of the stack with a fine line directly through the center of the
folded billet. In other words, if the billet is lying tent-wise on the table in front of you, there will
be a short vertical line at the center of both visible sides of the billet. Furthermore, the billet is
marked both inside and out. This is just in case the spectator refolds the billet against the original
folds- in the right shape, but inside out so to speak.
The second billet in the stack is marked in the same fashion but the lines are decidedly
off-center. Thus, both the first and second billets can be distinguished from one another. There is
no need to mark the dummy or the other billets in the stack, although you may feel that random
little marks on the papers (not in critical positions, of course) will serve to further disguise the
markings. Lately, I have been experimenting with papers that look very much like this page’s
background. No two slips are exactly the same, but the differences aren’t noticeable unless you
know what to look for. Remember, nowhere in the Gospels of Billet Work are we commanded to
use perfectly pure, unblemished and unpatterned papers. (Think about that, it should get your
creative instincts going.) Nor do we need to mark the billets with an ordinary pencil. Why not
use a yellow or orange colored pencil, for example. What color blends best into the paper you are
using yet still leave a visible mark for those who are looking for it?
The tray or saucer used to collect the billets should be rather small. The mini clipboard I
use is about five by seven inches. Anything larger than that could be a bit awkward.
As noted above, there is a brass goblet on the table (see “The Juice”) as well as a candle
and your tray or saucer. You should have several pencils in your outside jacket pockets. The
candle is lit as the routine begins.
Here is the step-by-step secret handling that takes place during the presentation, which I
have already
described in great detail. All of the details and lines in that description are important, as you will
soon appreciate.
1. Prior to the performance, secretly ascertain the first name of someone in the audience.
You will force this name later in the routine. With a fine brush, paint the name on
your left forearm as described in “The Juice.” Let the “juice” dry for about 30
seconds to a minute before you pull your shirtsleeve back down. The invisible name
will not rub off. (The only way you can get it off is with soap and water.)
2. Begin the presentation as described. Remove the packet of billets from your right
pants pocket. Also, palm the dummy billet from the pocket. Hold the packet in your
right hand and the dummy is perfectly covered from all sides.
3. The top billet of the stack (marked in the center when folded) is given to the person
who will print the dead name.
4. The second billet (marked off-center when folded) is handed to the spectator whose
name will appear on your forearm.
5. The third and fourth unmarked billets are handed to the two other spectators who will
concentrate on their own first names.
6. As the participants are writing and folding their slips, return to the front of the room
and pick up the saucer or tray with your left hand. At the same time, casually toss the
packet of billets in your right hand to a spot near the edge of the table. Keep the
dummy palmed (if you want to call it that, it is simply held flat against the base of the
fingers) in the right hand. Transfer the tray to the right hand, once again perfectly
concealing the dummy.
7. Go to the person who has written the dead name and ask him or her to deposit the
folded billet onto the tray. Walk toward the second person while casually turning the
board so that the first slip is near your right thumb. (Your right thumb is on top of the
tray and all of your fingers, as well as the dummy, are underneath.)
8. Collect the remaining billets on the tray and return to your table at the front of room.
Dump the billets onto the table by tilting the top surface of the board slightly toward
yourself. Hold back the dead name billet with your right thumb and, at the same time,
release the dummy from beneath. (This is a standard switch often called the “Tray
Switch,” or the “Pad Switch.” Handled casually, it is perfectly deceptive.)
9. Toss the tray to the table, retaining the stolen billet in the inwardly curled fingers of
the right hand. (Take a look at yourself in the mirror as you stand naturally with your
hands at your sides. Observe how your fingers are naturally curled inward, almost
into a loose fist with the forefinger slightly extended beyond the others. This is how
your hand should look when you are concealing a billet. If you keep your hands fairly
close to your body, the position is angle proof, whether your hands are at your sides
or held naturally in front of you just below your sternum. Also, remember how you
are positioned – you are to the right of the table and your assistant is to the left. Thus,
when you are facing your assistant, your right side is toward the audience, adding
further cover for the billet palmed in your right hand. Whether your hand is at your
side or in front of you, the only thing that is visible to the audience is the back of your
hand.)
10. Select your assistant and ask her to come forward. Show her how to mix up the billets
and line them up tent-wise on the table. (This is the point in many billet routines
where the first switch is performed. That is an example of terrible timing as you
would be drawing attention directly to the billets at a critical stage of the routine. If
anyone thinks you are going to cheat, this is where he or she will be looking for it.
Handle the sequence as described and they will have nothing to find.) Keep your right
hand naturally in front of you. Your elbow is bent at a ninety degree angle and your
hand is held naturally in front of you, but no more than five or six inches away from
your body. Use your left hand to show the assistant how to line up the billets. But
make sure that your handling of the tabled billets is minimal and your actions slow,
open and perfectly clean.
11. [A Brief Note Regarding Stagecraft: Since your right side is toward the
audience, the use of the left hand to move the billets creates a very open position.
If you were to use your right hand to demonstrate, with or without a palmed
billet, your right arm would cross in front of you and create a “closed”
appearance from the audience’s perspective. This not only looks devious and
sneaky, but it is particularly bad stage deportment. Strive to maintain “open
positions” whenever possible.]
12. When you are finished instructing your assistant you should be standing facing her,
your left hand now hanging naturally at your side and your right arm still at a ninety
degree angle with the hand held naturally at a level about even with a point just below
your sternum and not more than five or six inches in front of your body. Your right
elbow should be held against the body. (This is to set you up for the undetectable
peek, which comes shortly.)
13. Normally speaking, it is incredibly bad form to turn one’s back on an audience. But in
this case, you have clearly announced your intention of doing so, and your reason is
simply to prevent you from watching the assistant as she mixes the folded slips.
Amazingly enough, it also offers you the perfect opportunity to read the billet. (This
was the method often used by the legendary Bert Reese.) But be sure you go about it
the right way. You must avoid any movement of your arms during the peek. Arm
movement naturally occurs when one is doing something with his hands. Now, if
someone is standing with his back to you and he is obviously doing something with
his hands because his arms are moving around, what would you think he was up to???
(Okay, so ‘unfolding a slip of paper’ was not the first answer to jump into your mind.
But I think you get the point.) Reread step 11 above and carefully note the position of
the right (downstage) arm and hand. As you turn away from your assistant, do so by
turning to your left – away from the audience, about 120 degrees. This should put you
in a position where you are more or less facing and walking to upstage right. (The
right, rear, corner of the performing area.) As you begin your turn, you will also bring
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
your left arm and hand into a position that mirrors the right arm and hand. Your
naturally held hands will BOTH now be in front of you, and almost touching. KEEP
BOTH ELBOWS PRESSED AGAINST YOUR SIDES – this will prevent any
suspicious movements of the arms as you casually, and blatantly, unfold the stolen
billet.
Do not nod your head or bend it forward to read the opened billet. Pretend you are
wearing a blindfold and doing a “down the nose” peek. If it is necessary to tilt your
head slightly downwards, do so before you go into the turn and before you open the
billet. Do not move your head while your back is turned. Refold the billet
immediately after reading it. When you are about half way to upstage right (you are
walking rather slowly), your volunteer will probably be finished mixing and lining up
the billets on the table. The dead name billet should now be palmed in your right hand
in position for whatever billet switch is most comfortable for you to perform in the
circumstances.
Turn to your RIGHT as you turn around to return to a spot about five or six feet from
the table. Your left hand and arm once more drop to your side. Your right hand can
stay where it is, but a palmed billet is really an easily concealable object. so you
actually have significant freedom of movement. Just don’t get careless – keep the
back of your hand toward the audience and you can’t go wrong.
Stop moving toward the table the moment you are able to distinguish the remaining
marked billet. Note its position on the table.
Ask your assistant to pick any billet and hold it to her forehead. Carry on as described
in the presentation and stop her whenever you feel the moment is right. BUT DON’T
STOP HER IF SHE IS HOLDING THE MARKED BILLET. You will thereby avoid
the necessity for a superfluous and unduly risky switch.
When you ask the spectator to hand you the billet, you may either switch it for the
palmed billet as you bring it to your forehead or as you open it up to verify your
“reading.” This depends on the type of switch you are using and the timing you feel is
appropriate for the moment. In any event, when you have switched the billet, refold it
and position it DIRECTLY ON TOP of the billet palmed in your right hand. Hold
these two billets, AS ONE, between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand as
described in the presentation.
Three billets remain on the table. One of them is marked. It contains the first name of
the person whose name is invisibly “juiced” on your left forearm. This billet is forced
via the simplest of equivoque. The “dead” billet (really two billets held as one) is held
plainly aloft in the right hand. You use your left hand, therefore, (once again, the
upstage hand) for any handling that may be necessary in the force. The equivoque is
the classic “Pick up two, hand me one” gambit For the sake of completeness, here is
how the force goes: “Just pick up two of the papers.” If the spectator leaves the
marked billet on the table, complete your sentence by saying, “And put them off to
the side.” If the spectator picks up an unmarked billet and the marked billet, complete
your sentence by saying, “And hand me one of them.” If he keeps the marked billet,
act as if that is his selection. If he gives you the marked billet say, “Are you sure you
want to use this one? Okay, toss the other aside.” For anyone who has been in magic
or mentalism for any amount of time at all, this is the most elementary part of the
routine. But positioned, as it is, just after the revelation of the dead name, and
introduced almost as an afterthought, it is extremely effective and disarming.
20. Tell your assistant to hold the paper she “selected” in her fist and then burn the
“dead” billet you are holding in your right hand. This is the part of the sequence that
gives me secret glee! Since you are holding two billets as one in the right hand, in the
act of burning the dead name you are also destroying evidence. When you later ask
for, and burn, the remaining “live name” papers (to “add a little life” to things and
ostensibly to provide more ash) you are destroying everything that could prove you
guilty of trickery. You began clean and you have ended clean - except for the dirty
black ash on your arm and fingers, which you should really wash off before you go
around shaking hands after the show.
Go back and reread the routine. Better yet, print it and the above twenty steps on separate
sheets of paper so that you may view them both at the same time while learning the routine.
There are, I must admit, numerous other bits that Dr. Crow and I use in our billet
presentations. Some of these, together with alternate handlings and advanced manipulations.
would fill another complete book.. In fact, though, they are just a few of the subjects covered in
a book to be released in the Spring of 2003. Read the Special Notice, which follows,and you’ll
see what I mean. I predict you will be pleasantly surprised.
Until next time,
Good thoughts to all of you.
Bob Cassidy
December 2002
Seattle, Washington
_____________________________________________
Special Notice
With the exception of “The Zener Effect,” the materials contained
herein relate to a much larger and yet unreleased work entitled The
Book of Billets. Over 200 pages in length, it is scheduled to be
released in hard copy in the Spring of 2003. As a bona fide
purchaser of this e-book, you will be entitled to a fifty-percent
discount should you desire to purchase The Book of Billets. You
will receive further information within the next few months.
Photo: Dr Roberto Cassini, famed 19th Century Billet Reader