Magic, the ancient art of sleight of hand. Used thousands of years before Christ, this secretive art has thrived around the world ever since man was smart enough to realize that he could fool his fellow man with trickery. Of course I'm not talking about Black magic, Wicca, or Voodoo, but simply the art of using deceptive means and quickness of hand for either entertainment or self-benefit. The current day magician owes a deep gratitude to the gamblers, conmen, juggelers, and hustlers that evolved along with the primate who surely used sleight of hand when it came to the fair distribution of food.
Magic, for the most part, seems to gets a bad rap these days. The stereotype magician is most commonly seen on the stage with lots of hair gel, a sparkly costume, and a bunch of attractive female dancers in skimpy outfits that dance around erotically and then are dismembered in some bizarre way in shiny, glitter-ridden boxes. This worked to great effect in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, but to me, it's like watching a repeat of the evening news from two decades ago. Today's generation demands more from those that wish to pretend to defy the laws of nature. No longer are we satisfied with sawing a woman in two or levitation without strings.
Now before you think I'm no fun, I don't mean to knock these great classics of magic, for in all actuality, they are brilliant pieces of art in their own right and have delighted audiences of all ages for generations. But today these illusions pale in comparison to the awesome power of Nintendo, Lucasfilm, and the amazing wonders to be found at the downtown cinema multiplex, not to mention the magical bombardment seen on television and the Internet. How can the magician possibly cope with today's exposure and the amazing state of our technology?
It may appear that the magician is slowly and sadly becoming a dying breed. Exposed on television for minimal ratings, ridiculed by the press for every new magical attempt, and being dwarfed the power of Hollywood's special effects artists, today's magician is forced to be more sly and sneaky than ever. For fear of cries of "It's in his other hand, I saw it on TV!" or "That's easy, my friend bought that from a infomercial", or worst of all, "Yeah, but did you see David Blaine do something like that last night on TV?" Magicians today must constantly devise new methods and psychological dodges to combat the new generation of overly informed laymen.
But fear not, things aren't that bad. There can still be found a sense of awe in some of today's magic and magicians. By appealing to the most basic needs and primal instincts in all people, simple illusions as easy as pulling a coin from a child's ear can be a mystifying and rewarding experience for all.
That's why I choose to use magic based on sleight of hand. The human hand is capable of many amazing things, some never even explored. Manipulation of everyday objects has been a passion of mine since childhood, and it's true that if I were ever a castaway on a uncharted island and a bunch of native primates were going to boil for me dinner unless I proved to them I was magic, then all you need is your hands and maybe a few nuts, sticks, and coconut shells. The next thing you know you are dubbed their God. Being fooled by sleight of hand does not mean you are slow or foolish, it means your senses are working properly and you are normal.
But don't think you can't be fooled. To think you are immune from deception is to already be deceived. You are fooled everyday by someone whether you realize it or not. Whether it be a commercial, an advertisement, a salesman, a lover, a psychic, or the local weatherman, they all employ magician's psychological techniques to achieve what appears to be magical results. In fact, I would go as far as to say that our entire lives are built on deception and the power of suggestion, but that is a whole different topic altogether.
There are some performers out there that possess the talent and charisma to bring this sense of wonder to even the most hardened skeptics. Brilliant minds that think up some of the most devious methods and contraptions all for the sole purpose of fooling you. Although I love the art, I don't claim to yet be one of these elite, fortunate beings. The amount of time and experience to achieve that state is considerable, and I still have many years of practice and self-control ahead of me before I would consider myself to be in such a class, but the great thing about magic is that once the bug bites you, it's with you forever, and it’s not a bad thing to have around.
There are unfortunately not many stones left unturned in magic. The best tricks and illusions remain the oldest. The time-tested classics that appeal to all ages and transcend time and language barriers. Knowledge is power, and magic is a hobby that has an abundance of useful knowledge. It forces you to think laterally, to consider alternatives, to study and learn from human nature and psychology. It makes you less susceptible to fraud and hoax and sharpens your wit, senses, and dexterity in ways you never thought possible. Magic opens up doors of awareness and once you start to see how deception is used in almost every aspect of life, you never view the world the same again.
There are more books written on magic than any other topic in the world, save for medicine. Of course, less than ten percent remain in print, but the amount of knowledge that exists in print is staggering. I myself know the methods to more tricks that I could ever really do, even in a hundred lifetimes. Sometimes the method to a trick is so ingenious that it overpowers the trick itself, leaving a paradox for the poor magician, who can only admire its beauty through the arcane knowledge for the craft in which he has studied; where as to the laymen it's just another trick. Usually the trick that required hundreds of hours of practice gets ho-hums from the audience while the simple, self-working trick you performed left them thinking you had true supernatural powers. So is the irony of it in magic.
Oh, by the way, it can also make you a little crazy, so be prepared to have a good grasp.
If you are think you would like to take up magic as a hobby, I cannot emphasize enough that you have made an excellent choice. The mysteries are there to ponder, its legends and lore waiting to be discovered by those who have the patience to practice and explore its vast realms. Most of all, you will have fun. Fun learning well kept secrets passed down from generations of magicians, fun fooling your family and friends, total strangers, and even yourself. I hope you do well and are rewarded in the same way that I was.
Good luck. |
