Black Magic
I PUBLISHED this method for secretly gaining
written information many years ago in Magische
Welt(1). Over the years this method has proven
extremely valuable to me for learning thought-of
words, numbers, names and questions. However,
as far as I know, no one else has ever adopted
it. I would like to offer it again, this time
to my English-language readers, from the bottom
of my heart; more so, because the handling has
changed a bit since then.
PREPARATION
First, you will need business cards printed
on glossy, black stock. I've had mine printed
with silver ink. These cards must be black on
both sides, making it impossible for writing
to be seen on them.
You must now prepare one of these cards by
attaching a second one to it in a special way:
A very thin border of Chap Stick lip balm(2)
is applied to the face of one of your black
business cards, along all four edges. The treated
area should be no more than a sixteenth of an
inch wide. Position a second card, also face
up, onto the prepared card, so that all edges
align perfectly and adhere to each other. The
two joined cards should now look exactly like
a single business card. Place this prepared
card on top of a packet of twenty to twenty-five
unprepared matching cards.
You will also need a supply of white, round
or rectangular, self-adhesive stickers of a
size that fits neatly on the back of your black
cards. These stickers provide a writing space
as well as a white field that forms a "concentration
point" on which a spectator can fix his or her
thoughts. (When I use a round sticker, I refer
to it as my "portable crystal ball".)
PERFORMANCE
Remove the top (prepared) business card from
the stack and, as the audience watches, apply
a white sticker to its back, approximately centered.
Then hand this card to someone, a lady if possible,
along with a felt-tip or ball-point pen, and
ask her to write a word or two that express
her thoughts on the white sticker. (Since your
cards are black, the reason for the sticker
is obvious to everyone.) As she writes, you
naturally turn away. The white area on which
she is writing, you explain, forms a "clear,
pure field" on which she can concentrate her
thoughts.
Next have your subject place the card, writing
side down, back onto the stack of business cards.
You, the great mind reader, now spring into
action. Set an opaque envelope on the table;
then take the stack of cards and thumb the top
card onto the table. Here I really mean the
top card. When pushing the card off the stack,
apply moderate press with your thumb, breaking
loose the upper card of the glued pair. This
leaves the card with the sticker still on top
of your packet!
Either your helper or you slips the tabled
card into the envelope, seemingly protecting
her thought from prying eyes. The envelope and
card can now be burned if you like.
It now remains for you to learn the information
on the top card of the stack, quickly and unnoticed,
so that you can read the thoughts of your subject.
This is very simple: You have a second type
of self-adhesive sticker, one larger than the
first and opaque. You pick the top card off
your stack (the information card), turn the
back of it toward yourself and apply one of
these larger stickers over the informative first
sticker, simultaneously reading what the subject
has written! The action of applying the sticker
gives you a perfectly natural reason to look
at the back of the card, and once the sticker
is attached all evidence of trickery is securely
concealed.
Jot down a few random impressions on the sticker
as you concentrate, gathering your helper's
thoughts piecemeal from her mind as you work
toward an effective revelation.
One last note: It can sometimes be difficult
to find large white stickers that are opaque
enough to conceal the smaller sticker beneath.
If you find this to be the case, use red or
green "day-glo" labels instead. These hide the
evidence quite nicely.
(1) Vol. 27, No. 1, Jan./ Feb. 1978, pp. 27
(2) In Britain a similar skincare product called
Melrose works well. I've also found that certain
non-permanent photo-mount sprays do a good job.
With these, you must use a template of cardboard
that leaves only the very edges of the business
card exposed. I'm sure other substances, fixatives
and cements can be discovered that will do the
required duty.
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