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Do You Believe in a Mind Reader
If you’ve ever tried to figure out what someone else is thinking than consider yourself a wannabe mind reader. Although I don’t deny that there may be people out there who can actually do that, the majority of mind readers work by illusion and suggestion. If you want to become a mind reader, it will certainly take some work, but it is by no means impossible.
Magicians are known for being able to tell what others are thinking. In fact one of their favourite tricks is being a mind reader. One such trick is used quite often. The magician is blind folded and his assistant heads into the audience. She asks an audience member to show her an object in his pocket and then asks the magician, “What is this man holding?” The magician replies, “A comb” or whatever the object is. Although this seems astounding, it is really quite simple and the magician is not a mind reader at all.
You see, there are certain things that people tend to carry in their pockets, money, combs, receipts, driver’s licenses and the like. The so-called mind reader simply has to make a list of the most common items and then he and his assistant work out a code. For example, she might ask, “What is this man holding?” for a comb, or “What is in her hand?” for a coin, “Can you tell me what I’m looking at?” for a driver’s license, etc. The mind reader is actually a very good memorizer and nothing more! This is a trick anyone with a good memory can learn fairly quickly.
Another way to portray this talent is commonly used by street magicians. The magician has a crowd of people gather around him and chooses a person at random from the crowd. He has this person write the name of a loved one on a piece of paper, a card, or other object (depending on the magician, the object will vary), and place it inside a sealed box or pocket. He then concentrates very hard, touching the sealed box and, voila! He can tell the person what name they wrote! Everyone believes that they are in the presence of a mind reader.
This is another simple trick. The magician has a helper in the crowd. This person reads the name written and gives small, unnoticeable signals to the magician. Since everyone’s attention is on the magician and the sealed box, this isn’t as difficult as it may seem. And each letter or sound can be signalled by a very simple gesture, such as a head scratch, tugging on an ear or undoing a button on the shirt. Once again, no mind reader, just a smart con artist!
So, if you want to have the ability to read minds, perhaps you don’t need any psychic ability but just a trusted helper. It really isn’t all that hard, you just need a good technique and you’re ready to hit the streets!
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