[ F.A.Q. ]
[ Magic Café Donations ]

Bob Cassidy has just listed a new eBook called 'Fundamentals - A Guidebook to Mentalism'. Does anyone know what is included in this particular eBook? As usual, the web page doesn't say very much about what is included. I have most of Bob's eBooks and writings, but would like to know what is contained on this one before purchasing it. Here's the URL to his latest offering:
http://www.mastermindreader.com/cd/
Magickally,
Dave Birtwell

Bob Cassidy originally issued 'Fundamentals' as a four part eBook series about a year ago or so and I was a subscriber. Subscribers to the series received this edition that includes the material from the four series and more. As stated in the first volume 'It is ... intended for those who wish to obtain a solid understanding of the principles and psychology of the art of mentalism.' This he does very well and uses examples and effects to teach and make his point.
There was some controversy as to whether two more issues were to be released by Mr. Cassidy which he addresses in the Preface of 'Fundamentals - A Guidebook to Mentalism'. This is the final product.
I enjoy Mr. Cassidy's writing style, especially his wit, and thought the series and final product are great and would recommend it.
Some Café members have had problems (time delays, etc) in ordering from the site. I have only ordered eBooks from his site so I can only speak to that. I have not had any problems with ordering or downloading his eBooks.

as per the last post...how has Cassidy's site been lately. Has anyone ordered from it lately...and how is the response. I enjoy what I have read and seen from Bob in the past and would order from him.

Bob always comes through. Sometimes he's late (Very late) in getting things out but he will eventually get them to you. If you order an eBook, it will be available for instant download, otherwise be prepared to wait. Don't expect a personal note from him. You may get a confirmation of your order but not much more. Everything that I've purchased from Bob has been top quality and I've never regretted a purchase even if I had to wait a few months
Dave

I love all of Bob Cassidy's material and have been more than pleased by the instant e-book downloads available from his website.
I have however just encountered a problem with my last order. I ordered Fundamentals and expected an instant download or at least a return e-mail with the necessary download link. Three days later, I am still waiting for it, having received no response yet.
Am now unsure as to how long I should wait, and what I need to do next !

Bob's e-books are no longer an instant download, nor an auto-generated e-mail, and this is clearly stated on his site.
Due to a bunch of people taking advantage of security flaws in the way the basic PayPal autodownload system works, Bob stopped using it...too many people were downloading the books without paying for them.
To do an auto-response with download instructions/an attached file is very complicated technologically. We do it at http://www.asquaredproductions.com, but only thanks to the fact that my partner in the site, Andi Gladwin, is a computer programmer and was able to custom program the system to do it (and occasionally the system still screws up and we have to send info manually). For the average magic retailer, it's beyond their abilities.
So, instead, Bob manually sends out the instructions. Sometimes he's very quick at replying to e-mails, other times it takes a day or two. If it's been more than a couple days with no reply, try writing him again, and you will eventually get it.
I'm not going to be one of the apologizers who says, 'This is just the way with Bob, you'll have to learn to deal with it, it's the price you pay for his genius,' or something like that. It's not, in my opinion, a good way to run a business, but it's the way Bob is; it's frustrating, but we have to deal with it and understand it before we choose whether or not to buy.
I can easily put myself into Bob's shoes, too. As a result of my ADD, I often find myself fighting to get around to sending orders out in a timely fashion, sending the right orders out, etc. Usually I can get it under control enough to not tick too many people off, LOL, but occasionally things slip and I do my best to apologize and make good.
So don't think that I'm bashing Bob at all. I completely understand where he's coming from (I'm not saying Bob has ADD, I wouldn't know; I'm just saying that, for my own reasons, I find myself fighting a personal problem that leads me to similar business troubles to those that Bob displays if I don't keep on top of things). I'm just stating facts for the record so that the buyer can beware :o)
--A

I agree with Andy. I have purchased many items from Bob and don't let myself get too frustrated with delays. For example, I still have not received my Black Box CD after about three months. Some day I know that I will.
Regards,
Steve Roth

Dear Andy and Steve,
Thanks for your responses to my post.
Like you, I too have faith that Bob will eventually respond and deliver the order. Bob's website did say however that the link will be sent by 'return e-mail', and hence my impatience. I did send him reminders but have received no response.
I will now patiently wait to hear from Bob. I have not been disappointed with his material before, so I know its going to be worth the wait.
Cheers,
Pradip

I never said I don't get frustrated, and after three months, I would not only be upset, I'd be calling the postal service to file a complaint.
My post was not meant to excuse or to say that you should not get upset if you don't get stuff in a timely fashion. It was just to say that his e-books may take a few days, so don't be concerned right away.
If you're waiting three months for a product to be mailed, that's too much, and you should be doing something about it, not just sitting back and waiting.

I have this ebppk 'Fundamentals' and I can only recommend it. Very good stuff!
Magixx

Yes this one is a great ebook as the rest to the serie!!

Does anyone know where a copy of Fundamentals part 3 can be found? I have 1, 2, and 4, but I'm missing 3...

While the amount of water has remained static, the amount of Tequila and Triple Sec available for making Margaritas has expanded enormously. So you see, we have made progress after all. ~Anonymous

[ F.A.Q. ]
[ Magic Café Donations ]

Hi,
I am nikhil from New Delhi, India!...Finally enrolled ...i have got a lot of mentalism(type) tricks and bought all of them from penguinmagic.com!...This is the list
ESP Cards, Alarmed, Cataclysm, Caractromancy, Marked Decks, Psypher, predicta and a few more...almost all of them are mentalism tricks with an obv patter!!...but the chances of getting caught are high specially with the audiences I have (people here just don't want to appreciate, rather they want to catch you!!!!...at least my audience does)
Alarmed - if the photo is observed under L***T its almost a giveaway
Cataclysm - Deck cant be examined by the spectator
Caractromancy - Same as above
Psypher - Easy to hide the gimmick! two thumbs up...however still need to hide it!
Predicta - Cheap quality cards, ruin the whole trick ...wish they were as good as Powerball 60 (genuineness) or high quality such as 'alarmed' photos
So basically, what I am looking for a trick which is the safest, cleanest and literally everything can be examined!!! I know its asking for too much, but I am sure if not all, there are certain tricks that might come under this criteria.
I am fed up with my audience...and specially these days, be it my friends, friends of friends or even relatives...they know I do tricks and all...so even tho they enjoy the trick but what they enjoy doing the most is CATCHING ME!!! lol...but if I look at the brighter side(their opinion)...better to be caught by people you know than strangers! and I can also improve this way...
Please let me know if there are such tricks! and how is extractor by the way, does it fall under this criteria?
Thanks

The cleanest trick can not be obtained through Penguin.
Not even through MJM!
The cleanest trick does not employ gimmicks.

The Mati Envelope
A brandnew peek device for the working mentalist!
Chance's Token
Tarot cards in a scenic piece of mystery.....

Get a new audience.
That wasn't meant to be a joke, but people who know you do 'tricks' will not accept that you aren't doing 'tricks.'
Have you read the 'basics' like Henry hay, Corinda and Annemann?
What is your goal in mentalism?
or do you prefer just doing magic tricks with a psychic flavor?
In my (limited, very limited) experience it's not the trick and finding 'the right' trick in the manner you are doing doesn't work. It's usually the presentation and the experience.
Personally, I realized at one point that I had to start doing shows professionally because my family would only put up with (let alone be entertained by) so much.

'Love is the magician who pulls man out of his own hat' - Ben Hecht
'Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing'. Between the two, my life flows.' -Nisargadatta Maharaj
Seadog=C-Dawg=C.ou.rtn.ey Kol.b

That's fair enough!...penguin does sell stand alone DVDs or Just the concept...Gimmicks are not always necessary...so if anyone knows such a trick please tell me the name!!...ill buy in an instant lol...

Lol I agree!...even my friends and family just put up to be honest...i like psychic tricks definitely...where there's a mystery...a thought/anything...and most importantly there is no suspicious moves by the magician!...
Anyone who has extractor...can the deck be examined(the one in which spectator puts the card)!...looking at the demos...if it is...then its a sure buy for me!...

The first step to fixing any problem is to ask the right question. Your problem isn't the tricks; it's the way you handle your audience.

Yes, I understand my problem is handling my audience, that's a very valid point however, not always...only a group of people who know me in and out...and you know its actually easier to perform in front of strangers, as they don't really know whats going to happen/what to expect!...But the real challenge is to fool a person who knows you in and out, knows that you are a magician, and in my case always puts the toughest/hardest questions up front after the trick is completed!...
So, what I am looking for is a trick for this SPECIFIC group of people only...there must be one!!!

Our job is to make people suspect the wrong things and only realize they have been following the wrong things once we have cleaned up the part we don't want them to know

In my opinion the problem is you are looking for a trick and not for an effect. A trick by its definition has a 'trick to it' and as such can't be a hundred percent clean. In addition it's not enough that the trick is 'clean' but it has to be clean in the minds of the spectators.
Yours,
Jonathan

You could learn Day for Any Date - nothing for the audience to discover there.
Mike

www.psychicscience.org | Ebooks | Facsimile Book Test

IMHO....
Stop performing for friends....
They will never believe that what you are doing are not tricks....
If you need to practice... Take it to the streets or find people that don't personally know you.
Take a job at a bar or restraunt and do stuff there.... Just my 2 cents....

Mentalist Singapore
http://www.ferrisyao.com
https://www.mentalistsingapore.com/

You don't seek Tricks, You seek knowledge.
Read the works of Bob Cassidy, then you will begin to understand the mentalism world

My Mentalism Products: https://www.readmymind.co.uk/
Bookings: https://looch.co.uk/

I agree with ferrismagic. Your friends don't believe what you're doing might be real. It's best to perform mentalism for people who don't think of you as a magician. You might get some traction by actually performing something genuine. People who know you're skilled in magic might suspect trickery even when you're not being tricky. Try using a pendulum in their hands and see what their reaction is. If they suspect it moves because you're blowing it around or using a magnet or have implanted tiny mites in the pendulum... forget performing mental magic for them. They might eventually come around if you perform only the real stuff for a few years.
There are consequences of unbelief... it often makes the real stuff impossible to perform. For example, Patrick Redford's 'Prevaricator', a genuine demonstration of reading body-language, works best on people who believe you can read their body language. It's wonderful but doesn't usually work on friends and relatives of 'magicians'.
Find a real or at least believable effect to do and do not do any standard magic all day before or after you do it. If you perform for people you don't know, don't let your friends introduce you as a 'magician' or you'll be fighting uphill. It's very hard to control this situation with people who have known you well.
To quote an older, wiser member here: 'If they're looking at your hands you're doing something wrong.'

The secret of deception is in making the truth seem ridiculous.

Audiences must be 'real' ones -even if you're not a professional- in order to be able to create the possibility of (dis)belief.
One or two friends, instead -but beware, they must be very trustworthy- are the best choice for learning and rehearsing. These are the Gotcha! friends, meant to try to figure you out, telling you everything they see/hypothyze/consider not very believable/don't like, etc. These persons can be your best secret weapon.

'People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition
end by starving the best part of the mind' -William Butler Yeats

Given what you said I would read a lot about presentation and invest the time to learn one of the the memorized decks. Can perform mind reading miracles with a memorized deck and it uses an normal deck that can be examined. Good luck!

I agree that is has to also do with the type of spectators, I wrote on another thread that making it seem like the real thing for family members and friends is very hard. With that being said this is only part of the equation, you have to set up the right atmosphere, you need to understand your persona and as I said in the earlier post it's not how clean the effect is (technically), but how it is perceived by the audience.
Yours,
Jonathan

Several problems at work here. Mentalism isn't about 'tricks', it's about belivability achieved though effects, tehniques and methods. Mentalism is also about the performance not the tricks.
You seem quite young which often makes it hard to be believable as a mentaist. Second the people you are performing for know you're not a mentalist, so all they are left with is trying to figure out your 'tricks' and trying to 'bust' you.
You seem to be early enough in your learning process to make some simple changes to put you on a better path. As stataed above (some very good information) start with some of the foundational basics of mentaism - Cassidy, Annemann, Corinda, etc.
Also there are abilities within mentalism that should be explored to determine who you are and what you can achieve as a mentaist performer. I believe not all mentalists can or should do all things as they may not be congruent or work well together. For example, while I can do mindreading, thought projection, predictions, psychometry, readings, and enhanced sensory perception (blindfold) demonstrations, my performance style and character could not do bending, or overdramatic, suspenseful Russian Roulette-style material, etc.
Mentalism is about the performer first, the effects (not tricks) are a means to comprise your performance and showcase your perceived abilities.
Otherwise if you're simply looking for some magic tricks with a mental theme, these are simply mental magic, and should in my opinion not be confused with mentalism. Again, it's how the audience perceives it - an audience knows a magic is not real it is a slight, illusion or trick, whereas an audience wants to believe mentalism and mental abilities are real, or at least would like to believe it as real and as abilities that perhaps maybe we all posses to varying degrees.

I think the first thing to do is take out 'trick' of your vocabulary if your doing mentalism. Second of all theres nothing such as the 'best' or 'cleanest' or 'holy grail',as you say in the topic, any concept or knowledge can become a unique piece of magic in the hands of the performer.

One doesn't become a mentalist simply by acquiring tricks from magic shops. Invest your money and time in books and study.
Good thoughts,
Bob

Bob Cassidy
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