Price$34.95
Media TypeDVD
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedMay 02, 2013
Miracles of the Mind Volume 1
Waters, TA
L&L Publishing
(Based on 1 review)
One of the cornerstone books in the field of mentalism is inarguably T.A. Waters' magnum opus, Mind, Myth & Magick.This massive tome - a monument to a life of work in the mystery arts - has become an almost standard reference work for anyone aspiring to become a mentalist.
Now, you can meet the man behind the legend and watch him as he brings his creations - many right from the pages of Mind, Myth & Magick - to life in front of an enthusiastic justifiably amazed live audience. Then, T.A. Waters will take you behind the curtain to show you the diabolical machinations behind the miracles. In addition, you'll be treated to his timeless thoughts about creating and preforming magic and mentalism in his insightful "T.A. Talks."
Strong effects...strong opinions...and one unforgettable performer. T.A. Waters'Miracles of the Mind, like his book, is destined to influence yet another generation of mystery entertainers.
- FOLDERROLL - A prediction technique that's suitable for any venue in which your prophecy appears inside a folded paper or card that's been sealed inside an envelope.
- CARTOMANIC - A fast-paced divination of playing cards merely thought of by five spectators. This is a miracle that can be performed with a borrowed deck with no memory work, no gimmicks, and no advance preparation.
- VERBALL - An infallible forcing technique for an situation that not only uses ordinary articles but can be preformed impromptu with absolutely no preparation.
- SPECTRI - One spectator decides on a card and another spectator divines it without knowing how. No stooges are used and you'll learn three different methods to accomplish this startling effect.
- SYMBO-CHART - A numerological novelty in which randomly chosen numbers infallibly reveal a chosen ESP symbol.
- MYTHADVENTURE - An old coincidence effect is transformed into a strong and direct divination of two thoughts.
- SPECULUSION - Under the performer's influence, a spectator divines a tarot card being thought of by another spectator - and has no idea how!
- BLACKARD - A highly visible stage card prediction that uses ordinary-appearing properties. Simple, automatic, and direct!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
This is what mentalism will look like in 1990's!!
OK ... pardon the snark. I am a huge fan of TA Waters' written materials and his encyclopedic knowledge of magic and mentalism. "Mind Myth and Magic" is a wonderful compendium which, in my mind, is one of those foundational texts that any serious mental magician needs to spend some time with (much like I have written about Annemann's "Practical Mental Effects/Magic", the Tarbell Course, Hugard's "Royal Road ..." and Giobbi's "Card College". You'll notice I did not mention Corinda's "Thirteen Steps"; I view this book in a manner similar to blogs -- lots of good ideas, but the commentary is better and the writing is terrible. It's not foundational, it is for more advanced mental performers)
And in these two DVDs, the late Mr. Waters selects eight effects each. Effects you had previously just read about in his writings.
So... why only three stars?
The DVDs are reissues of videotapes recorded in the 1990's. And it looks it. I don't mean the video is glitchy or the sound is poor. Actually, production quality wise is surpasses most of the junk being produced (?) and sold today. The pacing is a bit slow, the effects looks "proppy" and Mr. Water's fabulous mental miracles translate poorly from his written word to his performances. It looks more like "Tricks of the Mind" more than "Miracles of the Mind". It looks very 1980's, in fact.
Some magicians are wonderful and creative inventors. Some are absolutely brainless, but perform sleight of hand that is so amazing, it transcends to beauty and art. Most are, sadly, mediocre on both counts.
TA Waters in my mind clearly falls in the first rank. His genius, to me, was in his creativity. I have seen his work performed by those in rank #2 and it just blew me away.
The man (who passed away in 1998) is sorely missed. The magic community owes a great deal to his writing an ingenuity. I would just suggest his written materials (in all forms) are a much better legacy to this great man than what is on display in these two DVDs.
Having said all this, I really got a kick out of "Blackard" and "Folderall" the last and first tricks on this volume!
OK ... pardon the snark. I am a huge fan of TA Waters' written materials and his encyclopedic knowledge of magic and mentalism. "Mind Myth and Magic" is a wonderful compendium which, in my mind, is one of those foundational texts that any serious mental magician needs to spend some time with (much like I have written about Annemann's "Practical Mental Effects/Magic", the Tarbell Course, Hugard's "Royal Road ..." and Giobbi's "Card College". You'll notice I did not mention Corinda's "Thirteen Steps"; I view this book in a manner similar to blogs -- lots of good ideas, but the commentary is better and the writing is terrible. It's not foundational, it is for more advanced mental performers)
And in these two DVDs, the late Mr. Waters selects eight effects each. Effects you had previously just read about in his writings.
So... why only three stars?
The DVDs are reissues of videotapes recorded in the 1990's. And it looks it. I don't mean the video is glitchy or the sound is poor. Actually, production quality wise is surpasses most of the junk being produced (?) and sold today. The pacing is a bit slow, the effects looks "proppy" and Mr. Water's fabulous mental miracles translate poorly from his written word to his performances. It looks more like "Tricks of the Mind" more than "Miracles of the Mind". It looks very 1980's, in fact.
Some magicians are wonderful and creative inventors. Some are absolutely brainless, but perform sleight of hand that is so amazing, it transcends to beauty and art. Most are, sadly, mediocre on both counts.
TA Waters in my mind clearly falls in the first rank. His genius, to me, was in his creativity. I have seen his work performed by those in rank #2 and it just blew me away.
The man (who passed away in 1998) is sorely missed. The magic community owes a great deal to his writing an ingenuity. I would just suggest his written materials (in all forms) are a much better legacy to this great man than what is on display in these two DVDs.
Having said all this, I really got a kick out of "Blackard" and "Folderall" the last and first tricks on this volume!