LESSON 3

NECROMANCY AND DIVINATION

I gave you in Lesson 2 some of the history of Sleight of Hand, one of the two distinct branches of magic. The second division of the art includes Necromancy and Divination, which I shall tell you about here.

Necromancy

is the art of foretelling the future by pretending to have communication with the dead. The ghosts of the departed are called up to give oracles or discover hidden treasures; or these ghosts come, through the offices of the necromancers, to enter men's bodies and afflict them with diseases or cure them. The spells and incantations of the magicians are believed powerful enough to control the will even of such divinities as the gods who can drive the winds and give or withhold the rain.

These beliefs began in ancient times and have come down through the ages and are still prevalent. Today in civilized countries we have spiritualism, which illustrates the ability of the medium, like the necromancers of old, to call up the sprits of the dead to give oracles foretelling events. And among primitive peoples living now the belief that these ghosts can enter the human body and afflict or cure them is still a strong influence.

Among Wild Natives of Australia

The necromancers or sorcerers from ancient times to the present have wielded their tremendous power for both good and evil. History tells us of the complete belief of people in the influence of these sorcerers, and even today the wild natives of Australia live in mortal terror of sorcerers. They believe that sorcerers, armed with their mysterious power called "boyl-ya," ride through the sky, invisible except to other sorcerers. They enter the bodies of men and feed on them, not eating the bones, but consuming the flesh. The native feels pain as the "boyl-ya" enters his body like a bit of pointed quartz. Another sorcerer, then, can extract the evil with a piece of quartz in the supposed shape of the "boyl-ya."

The leg bone of a kangaroo can bewitch a man to death if a sorcerer points it at him while he sleeps, these primitive Australian tribesmen believe. And, indeed, many evil things can this sorcerer do to a man while he sleeps, according to them. The sorcerer can creep up to him and steal away his kidney fat, where they believe a man's power lies; or he can call in a demon to strike the man behind the neck with his club; or he can get a lock of hair and roast it with fat over the fire until its former owner pines away and dies.

The Australians, like other barbaric tribes, do not believe that a man can die of causes other than being slain or being bewitched. When a native dies a natural death, it is believed that some hostile sorcerer caused it. This evil magician must be discovered by other forms of magic. This is how it is done. The corpse itself may seem to push its bearers in the direction of the murderer, or the flames of the grave-fire flicker towards where he is, or some insect is seen creeping towards his home. When the next of kin observe these magic signs, they must set off to take vengeance on the murderer.

The necromancer, however, may have kindly duties as well. He sits by a sick man and charms and charms until the stricken man recovers. He may pull the disease out of the body by means of a stone spear-head or a fish bone or may bring it out along a string. Thus the necromancer with his powers of good and evil is both respected and feared. He holds an important position in the tribe and is showered with gifts to keep the natives in his good graces.

Divination

is the art of foretelling the future by the study of omens. From Biblical times down through the ancient Greeks and Romans, the people believed in sacrifices to appease the gods and to bring them good fortune. One popular part of Divination was the examining of the entrails of the sacrificed animal to determine the future. The diviner who performed this examination, most often of the heart and liver of the slaughtered animal, was called a haruspex. Other diviners made the people believe that the cries of birds and animals at certain hours of the day and in certain seasons were omens of good or evil about to befall them. These were called augurs. With the astrologers, you are familiar. They foretold events by the stars.

Among Ancient Romans

In ancient Rome divination was given a high place even in public affairs. Every public act was done under magical guidance. Cicero, the great statesman himself, was an augur. He observed the flight of the birds and their cries and based decisions on public policy on the omens which it was believed these things signified.

Roman divination was really a religious system of consulting the gods. It was believed that the gods sent particular omens to guide the people. Jupiter, the father of the heavens, was seen in thunder and lightning. These signs of the elements had tremendous importance when observed by the diviner in a certain section of the sky. The eagle was Jove's messenger and gave high hope of victory, while the owl was the most unlucky bird when it cried dismally. Sacred chickens gave omens according to whether or not they were eager to feed and dropped crumbs on the ground. The good or bad signs from other birds depended on whether they were on the right or left of the augur.

So important a part did Divination play in Roman public affairs that foreign soothsayers thronged to Rome to practice their art among the rich Romans.

So you see Magic was then a profitable business, as it is today.

Both Necromancy and Divination form the background of modern day Superstitions. In the next lesson I will take up the development of Superstitions from their Magical origins.

I am sure that you are convinced by now that this course is scientific. You must realize that you are learning things about magic that you can get nowhere else — things that the average magician does not give a thought to, yet things which are vital to Magic. You must know by now that you will be a different kind of Magician -- a Scientific Magician.

Today we will continue with the Psychology of Magic. This time I will discuss the Credulity of People.

PEOPLE WILLING TO BELIEVE

In line with the Power of Suggestion, discussed in Lesson 2, is the Credulity of People, their Willingness to Believe.

Always remember that the first impulse of people is to believe. Doubting is secondary.

To make it clear to you, I will give you this example. When you read something in the newspaper not honorable about a man whom you thought highly of, for instance, your first impulse is to believe it. You probably say, "Who would have thought that Mr..... would be involved in anything of such a nature?" Then after this belief may come a reaction and the thought that perhaps you should not believe the newspaper. You have, no doubt, experienced in other ways this tendency to believe what you are told. We all know the malicious stories of the old-maid scandalmonger. Her stories are so harmful because of this willingness of people to believe what they are told. Her vicious tales sometimes sound so true that some people don't even get the reaction of doubt.

So it is in Magic. People want to believe that you make that coin disappear, that you vanish the burning cigarette. When you tell them that they have the coin under the handkerchief in Lesson 1, far be it from them to doubt you.

In Magic there is almost no tendency to the reaction of doubt.

So remember, you are betting on the safe side when you play your stakes on this impulse of people to believe.

Seeing, Hearing, Feeling with the Imagination

We can carry this further. People believe not only what you tell them or what they actually see or hear or feel, but they believe what they imagine they see or hear or feel. Imagination plays as tremendous a part in forming ideas as the senses do.

A common example of seeing with the imagination is one that we have all, no doubt, experienced. I refer to meeting a man on the street and saying "How do you do" to him, thinking he was Mr. James. There was a similarity of features between this man and Mr. James and your imagination formed the idea that he was Mr. James. It proved not to be Mr. James at all, and if you had looked at this man with your eyes, you would have seen that he was not Mr. James. You saw him, however, not with your eyes but with your imagination.

Now this is how seeing with the imagination applies to Magic. In the Mystery of the Burning Cigarette you suggest to your audience that your hand is empty by showing it to them with the thumb tip pointed toward them. They believe that your hand is empty and consequently do not look for anything on your hand. They imagine they see nothing on it.

This applies also to the senses of hearing and feeling. In the Dissolving Coin trick, you suggest to them that the coin is under the handkerchief, and when the spectator takes the disk under the handkerchief in his hand, he imagines he feels the coin. Also you have suggested to him that he is dropping the coin and consequently he imagines he hears the clinking of the coin when he drops the disk. As a matter of fact, if he really felt with his hands and not his imagination, he would feel the disk because it does feel different from a half dollar. And if he were hearing with his ears and not his imagination, he would hear the disk because its sound is different from that of a half dollar.

You are safe, however, in counting on the willingness of your audience to believe what you tell them and on their using their imaginations instead of their senses of seeing, hearing, and feeling while you are performing. This has been true since time immemorial and holds true today. It is an infallible part of the working of the Psychology of Magic.

Magic is so bound up with this science that almost its whole basis is Psychology. Psychologists the world over are intensely interested in Magic for that reason. Magic gives them an insight into the working of people's minds such as they could get from no other profession. I give you this Psychology of Magic so that you may understand how closely Magic is interrelated with psychology. Its relation with other sciences I shall discuss with you later.

Principle:

Art of Misdirection

Directing the eyes of your audience is another great power you have and the principle of the Art of Misdirection plays a tremendous part in Magic.

The audience follows your eyes. You have a palmed coin in your left hand, for example. You hold it in a natural position and look at your audience and use your right hand while giving them the patter. Your audience will follow your eyes to your right hand and will not even glance at your left hand, which has the coin. That is why I told you in Lesson 1 not to watch your hands. Even a hasty glance will lead someone in the audience to follow your glance and suspect that you have something concealed.

You may try this little experiment to prove to yourself that people follow your eyes. Pretend you are throwing a coin up into the air and look up to an imaginary point that the coin reached — but really retain the coin in your hand. The eyes of the spectators will look upward just as you did. You can do this many times and each time the audience will look upward.

Almost every trick has some element of Misdirection in it. So remember, in performing your trick — NEVER LOOK AT THE OPPOSITE END OF YOUR EFFECT. By the opposite end, I mean the thing you are really doing -- that is, looking at your hand which is holding the coin, rather than looking upward for the effect. If you look at your hand, the audience will look at your hand—that is the opposite end. If you look upward, the audience will look upward -- that is the effect.

That is the basis of Misdirection. Whatever you direct their attention to, the audience will look at. In the Dissolving Coin trick you use the Art of Misdirection when you direct the attention of the audience to the dropping of coin (?) in glass. Every person in that audience is watching to see what will happen when handkerchief is lifted and you must look in that direction also. Meanwhile, you can put your left hand in your pocket to dispose of the coin without being detected.

One thing you must keep in mind is that it is a psychological fact that a person does not hold his attention on any one thing for more than a few seconds. Your job is to keep renewing his attention by the things you say or by varying the thing this person is to attend to -- until you get your work out of the way.

You must work fast so that you don't bore the spectator and find him watching you instead of the thing he should be watching. You must remember that his attention wanders and you must be quick so that you are through with your "opposite end" before his attention comes back to you.

To get the Art of Misdirection clearly into your mind, I want you to practice this little move:

Stand before your mirror and watch yourself.

Take a coin in your left hand. You are going to get the effect of passing it to your right hand. For a few times really pass the coin from your left to your right hand. This is to give you Naturalness in faking the pass and also to give you an opportunity to observe how your eyes go from your left to your right hand.

After you have done this a few times, go through the same moves but retain the coin by finger palming it in your left hand. Close your right hand as if you had the coin. Your eyes must follow the pretended passing of the coin just as they did when you actually passed it. Your audience will follow your eyes to your right hand and will not even notice your left hand.

It is unbelievable until you try it yourself how easily large objects — even a rabbit — can be moved about almost under the very noses of the audience without their seeing or suspecting anything if you know the Art of Misdirection.

Nearly the whole art of Sleight of Hand depends on this Art of Misdirection. Your seemingly miraculous effects depend on speed and cleverness in directing the attention of the audience away from the opposite end of the effect -- away from what you are really doing. You will find this intensely interesting when we begin to study Sleight of Hand.

In training you to be a Magician, I am training you to be so well equipped with the principles of Magic and effects that you can vary your tricks to fit any occasion and to be ready to meet any emergencies when you are performing.

I give you variations of tricks based on the same principle. Sometimes it may be necessary to repeat a trick within a short period of time and some of the old audience may be in the new one. You can throw these spectators off the track by presenting the trick by a different method of working. You can add some little twist to the trick, and even those who see it for the second time will not discover how you do the trick. There are "close investigators" in some audiences. You will have no difficulty in mystifying them if you vary your effects, even just a trifle. I give you also similar effects based on different principles.

A magician often fools another magician with just this style of working. He will introduce a new twist of some kind or a new method of working and he has his fellow magician puzzled.

In this lesson I teach you String and Ring Tricks—two methods of taking rings off a string that is held at both ends, and a method of removing a ring made by tying a knot in the string itself.

You can always carry with you the apparatus for these tricks so that you are always prepared to do them. They are impromptu effects that go over big anywhere. Try them in the office of a business friend or at some friendly gathering.

1. METAL RING ON A STRING

EFFECT:

A metal ring about an inch in diameter is given to a spectator to examine carefully, also the same is done with a piece of string about two and a half feet long. The spectator is asked to thread the ring on the string and to hold both ends of the string securely. Performer then covers the ring on the string with a handkerchief, and in a few seconds takes handkerchief away and shows that he has removed the solid ring from the string while the spectator was holding the ends tightly.

PARAPHERNALIA:

We have given you FREE the paraphernalia for performing this trick:

1--Two metal rings, nickeled, about an inch in diameter.

The other articles you will need are:

a--A piece of string or soft cord about two and a half feet long. b--A pocket handkerchief.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To prepare: Place one ring with handkerchief in the right trousers pocket or coat pocket. In another pocket place the other ring and the piece of string.

Take from your pocket the ring and string (or you may borrow a piece of string).

"I am going to show you an odd experiment with a small metal ring and a piece of string. But before doing so I want someone to examine this ring very carefully to see that it is solid." Give Ring to Spectator.

"If it were not, I certainly would not ask such an analytical person to examine it. Also look this piece of string over closely."

Give Spectator the String.

"You are quite certain, are you, that there is no hole in the ring?" Run finger through the ring itself.

"It wouldn't be a ring without a hole, would it? Now, if you will just thread the ring on the string please!"

"Please hold both ends of the string securely and remember don't let them go!"

Give both ends of the string to spectator. The ring hangs on the string between his hands.

"There swings the ring on the string gaily between you."

While saying the above, reach into pocket with your right hand. Finger palm the ring in your pocket the way you finger palmed the glass disk in Lesson 1.

Take handkerchief from your pocket at the same time. To the audience it looks as though you had just reached into your pocket after handkerchief. They do not know that you have an extra ring and that you are concealing it in your right hand. In the illustrations I have marked the concealed ring "B" and the ring which the audience sees is marked "A". Notice however that as the trick progresses, these rings change places. That is, ring "A" becomes the concealed ring and ring "B" is seen by the audience.

"Have you ever head of 'Trans-figure-ma-gumption'? I don't suppose you ever have. It is a process of materialization and dematerialization of solid objects under an invisible coat. This handkerchief can be the invisible coat."

Cover ring on string with handkerchief.

"Of course, the handkerchief isn't invisible, but it does make anything under it invisible, doesn't it?"

With both hands, reach under the handkerchief. The left hand covers the ring on the string (A) and pulls it away from center toward left side. The ring in right hand (B) is placed against string in its place. Turn to spectator holding string.

"Let me have a little slack in the string please. That's fine."

Now you place ring (B) on the string. How to do this is illustrated below. Put ring between thumb and first finger of left hand. With right hand, bring string through ring and over the top edge. When string is drawn taut, this loop arrangement holds ring in place.

With left hand covering ring (A), hold string about four inches from ring (B) and pull string taut.

Remove handkerchief with right hand and put it between index finger and thumb of left hand. Other fingers are closed around string in order to conceal ring (A).

"I thought at first that I would show you the principle of transfigure—ma—gumption under cover of the handkerchief, but upon second thought, I believe you may understand it better if you see what has happened. The principle being, of course, that the more you see the less you know."

Hold ring (B) with thumb and first finger of right hand so as to prevent its slipping from string. Then to the spectator who is holding both ends of the string, you say:

"Now, sir, if you will please reach down and take hold of the little loop you will find that the ring will come right off. I will hold this end of the string for you.

As spectator lets go of left end of string and reaches down to remove ring "B," you slide your left hand with ring "A" concealed in it, to left end of string.

When he removes ring from string you put handkerchief and ring into left-hand pocket.

Hold ring up for all to see "You can examine it again, sir." Give ring to spectator.

"And if you will look at the string closely, you will find it hasn't been hurt in the very least. That's the beauty of transfigure—ma—gumption, it is painless."

You will find this trick to be very much easier to do when you have one spectator hold both ends of the string. You are advised not to try having one spectator hold one end and another spectator hold the other end of the string, until you have become quite proficient.

2. THE PATRIOTIC RINGS AND STRING

EFFECT:

Three paper rings—red, white, and blue, respectively—are examined, also a piece of string or soft cord about two and a half feet long. The rings are strung on the string, one end of string being given to some member of the audience to hold and the opposite end to another. Performer covers rings with a handkerchief, hiding them from view, and requests that someone select one of the colors of the rings. Someone, for example says, "red". Placing his hands under the handkerchief, performer removes the red ring and brings it out without tearing it. He shows that the blue and white rings remain on the string. Any color which is selected may be removed in the same way.

PARAPHERNALIA:

I sent you FREE a number of these colored paper rings. For this trick you need:

Two Red Rings.

Two White Rings.

Two Blue Rings.

Other articles you need are:

a--A piece of string or soft cord about two and a half feet long. b--A handkerchief.

SECRET AND PATTER:

To prepare: Have one each of red, white, and blue rings in right trousers pocket. The rings should be arranged in order. Have handkerchief in same pocket.

Place other three rings in your vest pocket. Have string with you or borrow it.

Take three rings from vest pocket. Show rings and string to audience.

"For this experiment I would like two gentlemen to help me."

Have two men come forward. One should be placed a little in front of you and to your left and the other one in a similar position to your right.

"I have three patriotic rings—red, white, and blue." Show each ring separately. Turn to gentleman on left. "Will you be so kind as to give them a careful looking over?" Turn to gentleman on right.

"And will you please examine this piece of cord."

After cord has been examined—

"Now, if you will just hold one end of the string and give me the other, I will have this gentleman (at left) string the three rings on the cord. Thank you, that's fine. Now just hold the end of the string."

To Audience-- "What have we? Three rings which the gentleman has examined—red, white, and blue—on a cord and a gentleman holding each end of it. Be careful, sirs, and do not let go of the string at any time while the trick is in progress. Do you know, this trick reminds me of the Chinese—the rings look so much like washers."

While saying this to audience, separate the three rings so that they are about an inch and a half from each other. Then reach into right trousers pocket and finger palm the three rings. Be sure you know the order in which they lie in your hand. At same time, bring handkerchief out of pocket. As in the effect before, the audience thinks you have merely reached into pocket for the handkerchief and they are not aware of the fact that you have three extra rings in your right hand.

"For a moment I will just cover the three rings with this handkerchief."

Cover rings with handkerchief, allowing right hand to rest partially under it. Hand still holds handkerchief so that palmed rings are screened by it.

"These rings are very sensitive and are very much subject to anyone's call. I have known them to run away when spoken to loudly. Will anyone call out the color of one of the rings—red, white, or blue? Take your own free choice. Red? Then red it shall be."

With both hands under handkerchief, reach up to red ring on string. TEAR it as quietly as possible and remove it from string with left hand.

Now take red ring from right hand into left and put torn ring in right hand. The red ring should be the top one in the right hand when you palm the three rings.

You now have two good rings (white and blue) and the torn red one in the right hand. You have the whole red ring in the left.

Bring left hand from under cover, holding up the red ring. At the same time, pull away the handkerchief with the right hand in which you have the three rings finger palmed.

"There, didn't I tell you that any ring was apt to run away when loudly spoken to. I did manage to catch the red ring, however, and here it is. The white and blue rings still remain on the cord." As you say this, put handkerchief into pocket and leave rings with handkerchief.

Turn to gentleman on left. Show him red ring.

"You will observe, sir, that the ring has not been damaged at all—just a wee bit scared. And now, let me

ask of you--"

Take string with white and blue rings on from gentlemen and hold in your right and left hands, rings hanging between them.

"Please don't tell anyone how the red ring escaped from the string without being injured."

If anyone had called for the white or blue ring, the method of working would have been the same except that you would have torn off the white or blue ring instead of the red one and would have transferred from the right to the left hand the ring of corresponding color.

Compare closely the method of working the first effect with the metal ring and the second effect with the paper rings to impress upon your mind the difference in working.

3. THE VANISHING RING ON STRING

This is a good effect with which to follow either of the above tricks. You use only the string.

EFFECT:

Performer ties a single knot in the center of the piece of string, single knot forming a ring. He ties the two ends of the string together four or five times so as to make a rather long knot. Then he tells someone to try to take the ring off the string without untying the ends. After the spectator has failed, magician takes string in hands and asks spectator to take out his own handkerchief and cover performer's hands.

In a moment performer withdraws his hands and shows that ring has vanished from string.

PARAPHERNALIA: a--A piece of string—the one you used for cither of the other effects in this lesson. b--A borrowed handkerchief.

SECRET AND PATTER:

Have string in your hand.

"You saw the ease with which a solid ring escaped from a piece of cord. Now let me show you a similar effect. First, I will make a ring by tying one in the string itself."

Take string and make a single knot to represent ring.

"Now instead of having two gentlemen hold the ends of the string, I will, for convenience sake, just tie

them together in this manner."

Tie ends of string together, making five or six knots.

"It would take Houdini himself to escape that tie. Now will someone just try to take the ring off the string without untying the string?"

Give string to spectator, and after he fails to take ring out of string, take string back from him.

"Just as I said, it would take Houdini himself to get away from those ties. Will you, sir, kindly let me have your handkerchief? Throw it over the string and my hands so that they are both covered. Hold it there just a moment."

Spectator should be at side of you so that he does not screen you or the handkerchief from the audience.

As soon as your hands are covered, simply slip fingers into small ring; enlarge it and keep on enlarging it until the knot disappears into the other knots.

All you have really done in disappearing the ring is to tie another knot from the end opposite to the other knots in the string.

SIMPLE! Of course, that is the beauty of it. Ring has disappeared. Bring string out from under handkerchief and show to spectator and audience. Hold string by one end so that audience may have no doubt that ring has gone.

"There, you see the ring has disappeared. A strange thing this magic business."

LESSON 4

Your next lesson includes three effective paper tearing tricks:

1--A piece of colored tissue paper is torn into a number of pieces and then rolled into a small ball. The paper never leaves the sight of the audience, yet when magician blows upon it, the ball is unrolled and the tissue is found to be restored.

2--Magician tears same paper into number of pieces again and puts them into glass half filled with water. He removes wet pieces and squeezes water out of them. Then he fans them and they turn into dry confetti, which falls from his hand.

3--Magician tears paper napkin into small pieces and rolls them up into ball. He opens the ball and napkin is restored. He then offers to show how it is done and repeats the experiment. The mystery when he finishes, however, is as great as ever.

TARBELL SYSTEM, INCORPORATED, Chicago.